Chapter Fifteen:
All My Trust: Part I
The drive to the Coral Reef hot springs was a fast and easy one. They had driven only a few kilometers east from the base of the hillside until they came to a narrow road running along the length of the coast.
The view was absolutely breathtaking. From the jeep they were able to get a clear unobstructed view of the beach as it merged into the ocean. The evening sun dipped through the numerous coconut trees lining the side of the road, enhancing the picturesque beauty of the island all around them.
The windows were rolled down so they could even smell the salty ocean air as it gust pass their faces inside the jeep.
Tea sat silently between the two Kaiba brothers feeling her mind drifting off into the moment of solitude.
She never imagined that their vacation would turn out to be this beautiful; it was as if someone had stolen her from her uneventful life and carefully placed her inside a still life picture post card.
At least for the moment, her mind was no longer saturated with negative thoughts; she instead decided to focus on having a good time while she was there; after all, when would she ever get another opportunity like this one? She thought about it; hmmm, probably never. She smiled inwardly at herself, feeling a bit silly having such a discussion inside her head. Nevertheless, she had made her decision. She would deal with the mess that was her life some other time.
After about 10 minutes of driving along the coast, the road finally curved into a hill leading up the side of another forested area of the island. They followed the road until they came to a clearing much like the one back at the forest reserve waterfall.
They drove to an empty stretch of land, where they parked next to a small wooden sign which read 'Coral Reef Hot Springs'. There was a little arrow next to the name, pointing west.
They all stepped out of the jeep, Tea instinctively looking in the direction in which the arrow was pointing.
To her surprise however there wasn't a building anywhere in sight, instead there was a fairly wide wooden bridge extended over a shallow stream of water. There was thick forest and plant life as far as her eye could see.
The ocean was close by so they could still hear the waves crashing against the shore. The effect was unexpectedly relaxing.
After a few minutes Ryan and Kaiba finally managed to get all the bags out of the trunk.
Having bookings for only one night, their load was nevertheless moderately light.
"Ok Guys, we've finally gotten to our last but certainly not least, hot spot of the day…"
Kaiba rolled his eyes once again as Ryan elaborated.
After another one of his detailed briefings, he finally led them toward the bridge, which he explained would lead them straight to the hot spring resort at the end of the forest.
As they walked closer however, to her alarm, Tea noticed that the bridge was actually much higher than it appeared at first glance.
As they approached the landing, she found herself starting to panic.
Kaiba noticed her reaction right away.
So she was afraid of heights: funny he never noticed that before.
He watched with disgust as Ryan suddenly approached her.
"Uh Oh; looks like someone's afraid of heights."
Kaiba scoffed to himself.
Talk about stating the obvious.
Tea was holding onto the wooden post and looking down nervously at the stream below them. She couldn't seem to make another step onto the bridge.
Ryan smiled with real concern in his eyes.
"It's ok Miss, it'll be fine; the trick is not to look down ok."
She bit her lip nervously without responding; her worry sculpted deeply over her expression.
Kaiba sighed hopelessly, knowing that he would obviously be expected to offer his assistance. Inwardly, he had absolutely no problem doing just that, outwardly however, he had a certain reputation to uphold. Weighing the options he opted for the gentleman's approach. After all, there was no press or flashing lights around, his reputation would, for the most part at least, remain reasonably untarnished. What Ryan thought was of little importance.
Not waiting for any invitations, he boldly walked over to where Tea stood rooted to the spot. He shot Ryan a deathly cold glance before turning his attention to her.
Tea seemed a bit too concerned with the river below them to even notice that Kaiba was now standing at her side.
The sternness in his voice however instantly stole her attention.
"Damn it, do you always have to turn everything into a daytime drama series?"
Tea met his eyes.
She noticed with some surprise that the feelings reflected in them didn't quite match the callous tone of his voice.
There was something soft etched within his gaze.
For a brief moment, the world around her seemed to have shattered and fallen away.
She stared up at him, unable to utter a single word.
"Just hold on to me, when we cross, we don't have time to stand around here and wait for you to grow a backbone!"
"Uh, o-ok"
She cursed her own voice for betraying her.
Was Kaiba actually offering to help her? The questioned beckoned inside her mind but was quickly over ruled.
Why not? He'd been helping her ever since she landed the job at Kaiba Corp. As she had concluded before, they didn't exactly have the same kind of relationship that they had before. Things were different now...
Kaiba kept his eyes rooted to hers as he gestured for her to follow him onto the bridge; silently hoping that he wasn't over playing his role as the 'King of Jerks'. Luckily, she seemed a lot more interested in the distance between her and the water beneath them than his overly bad-tempered disposition.
He stepped casually onto the wooden bridge, his expression somber.
"Come on"
Tea looked at him with a worried look, reluctant to follow suit.
Sighing impatiently, he tried again.
"Come on, it'll be fine, just trust me."
Tea looked at him, noticing right away that his words were genuine.
By the tone of his voice it was obvious that he felt the same way she did. They had developed something that might be considered a – friendship with each other. However, disturbing and unusual that might be, she was grateful for his generosity.
She had to literally shake herself out of the daze. She drew her attention from him back onto the water below them. She swallowed hard, knowing that there was no getting around it. She would have to face up to this.
She took a deep deliberate breath, nodding nervously as she cautiously took her first step onto the wooden bridge, Kaiba standing reassuringly at her side. Tea felt it wobble under her feet as she forced herself to take a second step.
She tried in vain to steady herself but found that she couldn't. Before she could embarrass herself any further however she felt, a sturdy arm around her shoulders.
She looked up at Kaiba, feeling the heat rushing to her checks.
"I told you just hold onto me, and stop making something as stupid as this into a big deal already!"
"Ok."
Her voice was small and laced with reluctance as she forced herself to comply.
Feeling her face practically glowing with awkwardness she preceded once more, timidly wrapping her arm around Kaiba's back for support. Luckily she was a bit preoccupied; otherwise she would, without a single doubt, spontaneously combust on spot.
Ryan nudged Mokuba in the arm suggestively as they both watched in gleeful silence.
"He tries to hide it, but it's pretty obvious isn't it."
Mokuba couldn't help the grin spreading over his face.
"…Yup."
After a few long, uncomfortable minutes they all finally managed to cross the bridge without incident.
Tea was still glowing bright red by the time she and Kaiba parted ways at the end of the bridge. Her heart was pounding so hard, she swore everyone else could hear it.
Kaiba cleared his throat, in a lame attempt to readjust himself.
Apparently Tea wasn't the only one so affected by such a simple act of kindness.
By mere force of habit recently, he inwardly scolded himself.
After making sure that they were all settled, Ryan intervened.
He explained that the hot springs were only a few kilometers away once they got past the thin patch of trees that were straight ahead of them.
Tea managed to pull herself together, forcing herself to forget her little "scared of heights' episode and proceeded to follow Ryan and the others into the thin forest.
Once inside the patch of trees, Tea noticed that there was a narrow stone walkway winding its way through the middle of the forest. The canopy above them gave their surroundings a sheltered botanical look as they all walked along the path.
After a few minutes they finally got to the end of the forest.
Sure enough, as soon as they emerged out into the clearing, a fairly large white building stood directly in front of them.
Tea marveled at its beautiful architecture, which was complimented well with a diverse selection of decorative flowers and palm trees.
There was a young man standing at the entrance who was waving at Ryan, gesturing that they should head over in his direction.
Ryan headed over to him, apparently to exchange certain information. When they were finished with the formalities he turned his attention back to them.
"Ok guys, I'm afraid this is where we part ways. This gentleman is going to take over form here on. His name's Leon and he'll be responsible for the rest of your time here at the hot springs..."
The young man, now identified as Leon, smiled politely at them as Ryan went on with his introduction.
Kaiba looked at them both with the word BOREDOM plastered plainly across his face.
It was no secret that he wanted nothing better than to get the rest of the afternoon over and done with.
After a few minutes Ryan finally left, leaving them under the supervision of their new and apparently more experienced tour guide.
He gave them a warm welcome and invited them to follow him inside.
Inside the building was even more glamorous than the outside. A mixture of blue and white marble graced the flooring and the walls were lined with an expensive looking coating of peach accompanied by a light but effective glaze of glitter dust.
In keeping with the Caribbean theme, there were also a varied assortment of small indoor plant life and wild flora arranged professionally throughout the lobby.
Tea also noticed as soon as she entered the building that there was also a soothing aroma of fresh spring mixed in with a touch of lavender in the air. The air conditioned atmosphere accentuated the effect quite nicely.
They all followed closely behind Leon until they came to a stop at the check in counter.
Leon explained to the female clerk that they would be needing accommodations for one night only, special reservation VIP package.
The young woman nodded politely, obviously trying to contain herself in the presence of Kaiba.
Tea sighed quietly to herself...
Sheesh, How typical.
The young woman stood up from her seat and turned to the shelf behind her. She retrieved a set of key cards and turned to hand them over to Leon, all the while staring at Kaiba as if she were in a trance.
Kaiba of course, rolled his eyes with impatience as he waited for Leon to get on with his briefings.
Leon smiled warmly at them as he handed Mokuba the first key card.
He then turned to Kaiba and handed him the other.
Tea waited patiently for Leon to do the same for her. To her bafflement however, there didn't seem to be any other key cards available.
"Ok, I'll take you all up to your rooms now and then we can…"
"…Um, sorry to interrupt sir but…I didn't get a keycard."
Tea timidly intervened, feeling all of their eyes suddenly focused on her.
Leon frowned as he looked at her with a slightly confused expression on his face.
"…Oh, no Miss, um you'll be sharing with Mr. Kaiba…"
Tea suddenly felt her heart slam into overdrive.
"…What?"
"..Um, we…assumed that you two would prefer…a couple suite so we booked you together..."
Leon appeared to be slipping between perplexity and panic as he looked at both her and Kaiba simultaneously.
Kaiba immediately intervened as well.
"Did anyone ask you people to make assumptions?"
"..Well no Mr. Kaiba, but…"
"Are there any other rooms still available for her?"
"Um, let me check with Lisa ok…Please excuse me"
A nervous Leon immediately turned to head toward the check in counter.
Tea kept silent not daring to look at Kaiba. She felt her self involuntarily turning red at the thought of the two of them sharing a room.
Just then, after a few minutes, Leon returned, looking even more nervous than he did before; he hesitated slightly before opening his mouth to speak.
"..Um, I'm sorry Mr. Kaiba, but all the other rooms are… already booked."
Tea bit her lip nervously feeling her body practically bursting with horror.
This couldn't be happening? Her, actually sharing a room with Kaiba! There's no way she would survive!
There had to be something Kaiba could do. There's no way he would allow this to happen right?
Her thoughts were going a million miles per hour.
She waited quietly for Kaiba's response.
Kaiba glared at Leon with his arms folded, not saying a word, but looking like he was about to come to a decision.
He sighed irritably as he turned to head to the elevator ahead of them.
"Fine, then I guess it can't be helped…"
WHAT?
Tea felt her knees become weak, a sickly feeling growing at the pit of her stomach.
Did she just hear him right?
This couldn't be happening!
She forced herself to remain calm as she followed them all into the elevator.
Everyone was silent as the elevator doors parted. No one more so than the terrified looking Leon, who now seemed more like a fragile ice sculpture on the verge of melting into the flooring.
He stepped out into the hallway ahead of them, politely gesturing for them to follow.
After a few moments they all stopped at room numbers twenty four and twenty five respectively.
After an epigrammatic pause, Leon continued his briefings, constantly apologizing between sentences for the misunderstanding.
Kaiba merely scoffed, ignoring the gesture completely.
When he was finished he bid them an enjoyable stay and headed back down the hall, looking a bit too pleased about leaving.
Tea watched as he disappeared behind the elevator doors.
Kaiba was the first to break the silence.
"Humph, Is every staff member on this island a blundering idiot?"
He immediately turned to room twenty four, looking extremely aggravated.
"I should have everyone in this god damn building fired!"
Mokuba looked apprehensively at his brother as he thought of something appropriate to say.
"Um Seto, it's not really the hotel's fault…'
He chose his words carefully.
"They just assumed…"
"Mokuba, I didn't pay all of this money for incompetent service! Did anyone even bother to ask?"
"But Seto, if it were me, I would assume the same thing…"
Sighing loudly, Kaiba made it crystal clear that it was just about time to cut the conversation short.
Tea stood quietly, not wanting to bring any unnecessary attention to herself.
Mokuba understood his brother's gesture right away and quickly complied, leaving his sentence unfinished.
"We might as well get this over and done with!"
With that said he irritably opened the door and stormed inside, leaving Tea and Mokuba staring after him.
Tea looked down at Mokuba with a look of desperation on her face.
"This can't be happening! I can't go in there Mokuba, your brother might rip me to shreds!"
Mokuba couldn't help his laughing.
"Don't worry Tea, he won't, I promise. He's just a bit cranky but…. I'm sure you'll find a way to cheer him up."
"Yea, I doubt that."
She bit her lip, looking at the partially opened door where Kaiba had disappeared just beyond. Was this really happening? Was she just about to step into a hotel room with Seto Kaiba?The thought seemed fabricated and too far from reality, yet there it was, written boldly in black and white!
Mokuba studied Tea's expression. She was worried, and he could tell that it was authentic.
Did his brother really have that much of an effect on her? Then again Seto did have a way of being extremely intimidating sometimes..
Maybe he should try to get her off the hook this time.
He looked up at her with concerned eyes.
"Um, well if it's that much of a problem for you Tea, I can always give you my room. It's no problem if me and Seto bunk together instead."
Tea felt a sudden rush of relief wash over her chest, yet before she could respond it was immediately replaced by something which felt a lot like….disappointment.
What the hell?
She couldn't understand why, but somehow Mokuba's words pushed her to the realization that what she was feeling was not in fact fear but...something more along the lines of... excitement.
Was she actually in some sick way looking forward to spending a night with Seto Kaiba?
She paused without a reply, trying desperately to come to terms with the thoughts swimming around in her mind.
Mokuba noticed with curiosity that she was clearly having an internal debate inside herself.
Hmm, interesting...
He waited patiently for her response.
After some brief moments, Tea finally brought her attention back to Mokuba.
As she spoke she couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth.
"Um, no that's ok Mokuba, I wouldn't want to put you out of your way or anything."
"Are you sure? Because it's no problem at all for me."
He waited for her to make her final decision.
Finally she opened her mouth to speak. Resolve and worry plastered across her brow.
"…Yea, it's fine, I think I'm probably just over thinking this a bit. So don't worry, I'll be ok."
Mokuba smiled warmly, feeling satisfied with her response.
"Okay, then it's settled. I'll meet you guys back out here in a few minutes and then we can head back downstairs together ok."
"..Ok, I'll see you in a bit then."
"Cool."
With that said, Mokuba turned to his room and headed inside, leaving her standing in the hallway, wondering what the hell just happened.
Kaiba threw his bag onto the bed, feeling lousy.
The very thought of spending the night with Tea was eating away at his brain.
What the hell was he going to do now? This was definitely going to make things a million times more complicated.
He let out a frustrated breath as he visually inspected the bedroom.
He didn't need to be a genius to figure out exactly what kind of ambiance the hotel was going for. One glance was enough to decipher that 'couple' was without a doubt the key factor here. Everything practically screamed, 'romantic'…even the smell; courtesy the assortment of cashmere & silk scented candles placed strategically around the room.
Feeling even more frustrated than he was before, he decided that he should try to get some fresh air. His mind felt like a boiling pot of water about to spill over.
He headed straight out into the balcony. Luckily, it seemed that every building on the island came with a spectacular view of the ocean. In his current state of mind, it was a welcoming change of scenery.
Tea stepped nervously into the room, instinctively searching for Kaiba. To her relief he was nowhere in sight. She noticed that the bedroom door was slightly ajar. She assumed that he had probably started getting dressed for the hotsprings already.
Her heart thumped loudly inside her chest as she turned to close the door behind her.
When she was finished she turned to the room again, drinking in the sight before her.
This room was noticeably smaller than the one back at the Ocean View. The living room was compact yet spacious, with two large, over stuffed, camel color sofas with a huge flat screen television on the opposite end.
Most of the hard wood furniture she assumed were all Maple, beautifully customized and designed with detail in mind.
Her heart was still racing as she walked further into the room, not knowing exactly what she should do next. She placed her bag onto one of the sofas and indulged herself in her surroundings. She ran her fingers over the shinny woodwork on one of the small dinning cabinets as she walked through the living room, delighting in the feel of it. If it wasn't for all the jitters in her stomach, she would've actually forgotten that she was just one of the regular people and not a celebrity like Kaiba. The moment she thought of his name, she felt her pulse speeding up again.
God, what the hell was wrong with her? Why was she allowing herself to become so swept away by all of this?
Just then, the bedroom door opened, a disgruntled looking Kaiba emerging from inside.
As he turned to the living room, their eyes met instantly.
Kaiba swallowed hard at the sight of her.
Lord knows she wasn't the only one who recognized the awkward situation they had suddenly found themselves in.
Luckily he was the one and only Seto Kaiba, and his expression never changed for a second.
Tea looked back at him, trying in vain to master the butterflies in her stomach.
Prying her mind away as best as she could; she noticed that he was still dressed in regular attire.
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds longer until Tea found the strength within herself to break it.
"Um, aren't you getting changed?"
Kaiba scoffed as he casually walked further out into the living room, quietly shutting the door behind him.
"What for?"
"Well, aren't we supposed to go downstairs to the hotsprings?"
"Hmph, you actually think I'm gonna waste my time on something as pointless as that?"
"Then you're not going?'
Kaiba walked past her and straight into the pantry.
"Obviously."
Tea watched as he opened the small refrigerator; rummaging through its contents as if he couldn't care less.
In an instant she felt her jitters slowly starting to fade away.
"But Mokuba's counting on you being there."
Without so much as looking her way, he finally managed to get his hands on a can of soda. He tore the cap off and took a sip before responding.
"Look, I already told you guys that the only reason I'm here was so I wouldn't have to listen to you two bothering me all day about coming out of my hotel room!"
"…But…"
For some reason she couldn't seem to find something suitable enough to say to him.
"Look, would you just drop it already, I'm not going down and that's final."
He glanced at her for a fraction of a second as he walked past her and into the living room with his soda in hand.
Tea watched as he obliviously reached for the remote control.
As she watched in silence the greater portion of her jitters had by then already vanished, leaving only a swell of anger in their place.
"Why are you always so stubborn about everything?"
Her words stopped him before he could do anything further.
He turned to look at her.
He noticed that her eyes were intense and she was glaring at him intently.
"So I'm stubborn because I don't want to do something that's meaningless?"
"But even if you think it is, can't you think of someone else for a change? Your brother's really worried about you! He's afraid you might work yourself to death! Can't you see that? Or don't you care?"
Kaiba listened to her words closely. By her tone he could tell she was a bit upset…and who could blame her. He was going out of his way to uphold the title of the King of Jerks after all. But it was only so he could mask his true intentions; He couldn't expect her to understand his motives, at least not yet anyway, so it was all he could do for now.
He kept his eyes glued to hers, jumping at the opportunity to push the envelope again.
"You know if you're that worried about me, you can just say so."
Tea immediately felt herself turning pink in the face; his words catching her completely off guard.
She forced herself not to break eye contact; not wanting to give herself away.
"Well…. we both are."
She took a deep calming breath as she immediately reached for her bag sitting on the couch, grabbing at the chance to cut the conversation off while she was still in control of the butterflies in her stomach.
Kaiba however, would not be pushed away so easily.
"Is that so?"
Tea switched her attention back over to him, gripping her duffel a bit tighter than she intended. The evil glint in his eyes were enough to send her butterflies rushing right back.
She responded quickly, knowing that her voice would only betray her again, but it was a fact that couldn't be helped. For whatever reason she needed to get away from him;
She was starting to lose trust in her own actions when she was around him.
"...Well you do what you want….and I… think I should go get ready now, I don't want to keep your brother waiting…"
She stepped back a few steps so as to distance herself from him.
What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she suddenly so nervous?
Kaiba watched as she turned and headed into the bedroom, shutting the door loudly behind her.
Was it just his imagination or did she practically run away from him just now.
Great, Looks like the little cabin incident was still fresh in her mind. Who could blame her though; him trying to kiss her wasn't exactly what you'd call 'normal'. This was definitely not very healthy for his cause. Of course, she had no idea how cute she was when she was all nervous like that, but he couldn't let himself get distracted by such things. Despite his amusement however he hoped things would eventually cool down between them so he could finally get to the bottom of all his curiosity. For now he would just give her some time to rejuvenate.
Tea sat quietly at the edge of the bed, not knowing exactly what she should do next.
She stared at the floor, her worried expression never changing.
Just what the hell did she manage to get herself stuck in this time?
She dragged her eyes over to the door in front of her.
She swallowed hard, knowing that Kaiba was standing just outside.
It annoyed her that she seemed to have less than zero control over her emotions at this point.
What the hell was wrong with her anyway?
She felt her body becoming heavy and immobile, as if her reluctance to face him was actually having an adverse effect on her physical being.
God! This was absolutely ridiculous!
She forced herself to look at her watch.
It was exactly 6:00pm in the afternoon.
Ok, good, that left enough time for her to gather her thoughts and figure out exactly what she was going to do about their sleeping arrangements. Lord knows, if anything, that was by far the most troubling of their predicament.
She took a deep deliberate breath and with much difficulty stood up from the bed.
Her resolve would remain untainted; she was just going to enjoy her time at the hot springs and soak in all of the pampering she could handle for the remainder of the afternoon.
She quickly gathered a few of her toiletries as she headed straight into the bathroom to get herself ready.
About 15 minutes later...
Kaiba folded his arms as he reclined onto one of the sofas in the small but surprisingly classy living room.
He was staring at the bedroom door, his mind focused on one thing and one thing only; the flustered brunette behind it.
What should he do? What could he do?
He had her all to himself, but to his surprise, the thought scared him more than anything else.
His feelings for her were not something that he could hide forever and he wasn't one to lie to himself. A situation like this one could provoke those feelings beyond his control.
But the last thing he wanted to do was put her in an uncomfortable situation. He knew she wasn't ready for what he had to offer.
Not wanting to drive himself insane, he switched his mind over to the other aspect of the spectrum; His need to find out the truth about her past.
As he recalled, when they were back at the cabin, she was about to open up to him, but they had been interrupted.
Would she still be willing to resume their conversation?
He sighed, not knowing what the right course of action should be.
Just then, the knob on the bedroom door slowly turned. He kept his eyes focused as he watched her emerge from the bedroom.
Once again, their eyes met instantly.
Kaiba had no trouble at all keeping his face void of any emotion.
Tea on the other hand immediately averted her gaze, obviously trying to hide her apprehension.
Kaiba kept his eyes fixated on her, admiring the way she always bit her lip when she was nervous.
She fiddled with her t-shirt as she thought of something to say.
Finally, after a few moments of heavy silence, she finally opened her mouth to speak.
"…So have you changed your mind about coming with us?…"
"And why would I do something like that?"
Tea sighed hopelessly, knowing it was futile to even try.
"Fine, I know I won't be able to change your mind so I won't even bother anymore."
She started toward the door, pausing before heading outside.
"…I'll…see you when I get back."
Kaiba watched as she disappeared behind the door, looking like she was carrying a world of frustration on her shoulders.
(Downstairs Lobby)
Both Tea and Mokuba listened intently to Leon, who was busily giving them small briefings about the Hot Springs and the various options that were available to them that evening.
Tea noticed that Mokuba wasn't his usual over zealous self after she told him that his brother wouldn't be joining them that evening.
As she halfheartedly listened to Leon's lecture, she couldn't help herself feeling extremely annoyed at Kaiba for making his little brother worry the way he did.
She decided that she would have to give him a piece of her mind when she went back upstairs later that night, provided she didn't fall apart under his intimidation like she always did of course.
After a few minutes, Leon finally finished speaking. He informed them that and it was now time to head over to the hot springs. Apparently the VIP guests had quite a bit of options to choose from. They could either head on over to the open bath area where they could soak in the open atmosphere under the cover of night or they could choose an evening of pampering complete with their own private masseuse.
Feeling a bit indecisive about so many inviting options, Tea finally decided to take the Jasmine package, which included a private bath at an outdoor Jacosy of her choosing, along with a complete spa treatment and full body massage.
Mokuba, who was obviously used to living large, opted to take the same package.
Leon proceeded to lead them straight to their destination after they had finalized their decision.
Mokuba sighed as he glanced upstairs.
"I really wish Seto had come with us."
Tea looked down at a worried Mokuba.
"It's ok Mokuba, at least he's getting some rest up in his room right now. I mean we can't really expect your brother to partake in something like this right. He's Seto Kaiba remember."
Tea was glad to see a smile spread across his face.
"Yea, I guess you're right. This really isn't Seto's thing, so I guess its ok."
"Yep"
Tea smiled back feeling a lot better now that Mokuba was back to his old self again.
They both followed Leon down the hallway until they finally got to the guest lounge bath house.
Upstairs
(Kaiba and Tea's room)
Kaiba grudgingly opened his suitcase in the hopes of finding something a bit more comfortable to wear. He had already made himself at home and taken a quick shower shortly after Tea had left the apartment.
He stood in the bedroom in nothing but a towel around his waist and a toothbrush in his hand, searching in vain for one of his t-shirts with the other.
Finally he grabbed the first one he could find and proceeded to head to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
When he was finished he headed back into the bedroom where he quickly changed into a regular pair of trousers.
Pausing without much cause, he surveyed the entire room.
The bed was King sized and the lighting was extremely dull but in a good way, romantic would be an understatement; Under the cover of night it was more like a newlywed couple's fantasy….
Ok…this… was definitely not good!
How on earth was he and Tea supposed to share the same bed? In a bedroom like this one no less!
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, feeling indecisive.
This was ridiculous! Why was he getting himself all worked up about this?
They were both sensible adults right? There was no way either of them would allow anything to happen.
He was just over thinking this whole thing!
Feeling a bit pissed off at himself he headed straight into the living room. Maybe the TV would serve as a means of distraction.
(Upstairs Hallway) 8:00pm
Tea and Mokuba made their through the hallway feeling refreshed.
The hot spring treatment had passed by quickly, neither of them realizing just how fast time had suddenly gone by.
Tea took a long deep breath, feeling the soothing atmosphere filling her lungs. All the tension in her body was gone and she felt as if a ton had been lifted off of her shoulders.
As they approached the hotel rooms however, a queasy feeling leeched its way back into her stomach.
Apparently the pampering made her forget all about why she was so uneasy in the first place; standing in the hallway looking up at her hotel room however was just enough to send everything crashing back down on top of her.
How could she have forgotten?
There was still the pressing matter of a certain CEO who happened to be just beyond the door in front of her.
She felt her heart sinking fast.
"So what do you think?"
Mokuba's voice broke into moment of apprehension, yanking her back into the present.
"Huh?"
"What did you think about the hot springs? Did you like the message treatment?"
She looked down at him as if she had forgotten he was standing next to her.
"Oh, Yeah, it was great!
She forced herself to smile at him.
Unfortunately Mokuba had the same kind of intuition as his older brother.
He sighed as he kept his eyes focused on her.
"Don't worry Tea, It'll be ok."
His words took her by surprise causing her to turn red in the face.
"Oh, sorry Mokuba, I… seem to be getting a case of the jitters again."
She held up her hand before he could respond.
"But, I'm fine, don't worry, It's just a habit of mine to exaggerate."
"Are you sure? My offer still stands you know. We can always swap rooms for the rest of the night."
Tea considered his offer seriously for a moment. She looked at the door in front of her, her heart beating heavy in her chest.
Should she really take him up on his offer?
Should she…simply run away from this?
She looked back down at him, allowing herself to come to a decision.
"…It's ok Mokuba, I'll be fine. Like I said, I'm just over thinking again."
Mokuba looked back at her, studying her expression. He could tell that her decision was a reluctant one, but it was a decision she had made on her own. All he could do now was respect it.
"Ok, well, then I guess I'll see both of you tomorrow morning."
"Yeah."
Mokuba noticed that there was still worry written all over her face.
"Try not to worry so much ok, under all that hostility, my big brother's actually really nice Tea, he won't murder you in your sleep I promise."
He was glad to see a smile spread across her face.
He turned to run to his room, waving back at her in the process.
"Well Good night."
"Good night."
Tea watched as he opened the door to his room and disappeared inside.
She bit her lip as she turned her attention back to the door in front of her.
Well, it was now or never; Time for her to make a complete fool of herself once again.
There was no doubt in her mind that her butterflies would be compelling the majority of her actions for the rest of the night.
So there was nothing left to do now, but to face this.
Crap, maybe she should've taken Mokuba up on his offer.
She took a deep breath as she reached for the door knob.
Just then before she could wrap her fingers around it the door suddenly yanked open.
To her complete astonishment she found herself staring up at the one and only Seto Kaiba, who looked a little surprised to see her standing in front of him.
The moment caught her completely off guard; she could feel her face turning bright pink as she looked up at him, feeling a bit winded.
Kaiba looked down at her, immediately regaining full control of the situation.
"Where's Mokuba?"
"Uh,..h-he's in his room already."
Without so much as another word Kaiba walked past her and headed over to Mokuba' room.
She noticed that he was holding his cell phone in his hand and looking more annoyed than usual.
She decided that maybe it was best if she took this opportunity to go inside. At least for the moment, while he was out here she wouldn't have to face him directly.
She stepped inside, leaving the door slightly ajar.
The TV was on and there was a can of soda resting on one of the tables next to the couch.
For some reason, she couldn't help smiling.
Looks like Kaiba was human after all.
Somehow, she couldn't picture him lying on a couch watching TV like a normal person. She always pictured his personal life with him sitting behind a desk, or a laptop, lost in his work. It's funny she never could imagine what he was like underneath the surface; His hobbies, his likes and dislikes, what kind of movies he liked? What his favorite food was, or color, or even… if he liked popcorn?
She stopped herself before she could continue. What the hell was she doing? Why was she suddenly thinking about all of those things?
She sighed hopelessly as she headed straight into the bedroom.
As she dropped her bag onto the floor she wondered what Kaiba had wanted to speak to Mokuba about. She guessed it was something to do with 'Rebeeca' again.
She sat on the bed, blowing some of her bangs up away from her eyes, only just slipping into the realization of the bedroom's atmosphere.
Somehow everything looked different at night. She was unfamiliar with the aroma emanating from the scented candles but they were definitely made with the word 'romantic' in mind.
A new panic rushed into her mind.
She was vulnerable. Somehow, as a result of being around Kaiba so often, she seemed to have lost her ability to master her own emotions.
She stared at the bedroom door, lost in thought. Maybe she should stop over thinking this. This was the same Seto Kaiba she had known back in high school. She shouldn't give in to all this worry.
They weren't kids anymore. She should know better.
But, the truth was that they weren't who they used to be- and now, with everything's that's happened, there was something unspoken hanging in the air above them.
How could she just simply act as if nothing had changed.
She sighed deeply to herself, trying to find a way to stop herself from thinking so hard.
She forced her thoughts onto another subject.
Immediately, her dance instructor's phone call flashed across her mind.
That's right! She seemed to have forgotten all about the upcoming audition!
Apparently, Kaiba had become a bigger distraction than she thought.
She scolded herself for allowing such thoughts to get the better of her.
But the question still remained. The one that she had been avoiding all this time was still there.
Should she really start dancing again?
After everything that's happened, she was reluctant to say yes.
But there was something about the thought of being on stage again that made her heart want to leap out of her chest with excitement.
Was it even possible to find something she thought she had lost forever?
The question brought her memories crashing into her without warning.
Yami.
His face was all she could see whenever she thought about chasing after her dreams again.
Why did her life seem so cruel and unfair sometimes? Why did it have to happen?
How could something so strong and so beautiful crumble so easily?
She sat on the bed, lost in her own world; forgetting everything around her.
But despite all of the hesitation building up inside of her mind, she knew she couldn't run anymore. She needed to come to a decision, and soon. If this was something she truly wanted, this could very well be her last chance to attain it.
She sighed again, breaking herself out of her thoughts.
She looked at her watch. It was a little after eight.
She decided to put a halt on all of her thinking for a while so she could change into something a bit more comfortable. Lord knows this was going to be a long night.