Title: Bubble Tea
Genre: Romance/Drama
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I no own
Summary: When Bunny Tsukino learns that she's pregnant with Darien Shields child, she feels that her life is over. A baby wouldn't have been a problem if the father hadn't been a one night stand. Now she's unsure with what her next move should be, and if he would be as supportive as her best friends are. She can't help but wonder when her life became a TV-drama. - AU
A BIG THANK YOU TO MY BETA LAlaLAnd328!
Order 13. Raspberry Yogurt with Boba and Jelly
This was wrong.
Lita knew it as soon as she parked her car in the lot. She and Nephrite had been exchanging emails recently, which was horrible in itself. Now she was meeting him up for coffee at a nearby establishment that she had never entered before.
Really, it was just coffee. This was Nephrite though, the one that she was very serious with for several years. Still, it had been nearly a decade since they had broken up, and both of them were older now with other people in their lives.
Her guilt still fed on her. The fact that she was hiding it all from Andrew was even worse.
"It's just lunch," She told herself as she reapplied lipstick in the review mirror.
That didn't make her heart beat any slower.
He had been a tutor she would go to after classes in college, someone who helped her out with almost everything. They had gotten close, too close. And then one night they had tumbled into bed together. The memories of how intense their relationship had been left Lita feeling awkward.
Was this cheating?
Technically she was meeting an old friend— the term friend was used loosely.
It felt like cheating.
Did Nephrite's wife know that he was out here with his ex? Did it even matter?
She hopped out of her car and moseyed into the restaurant. She patted her curly hair and tucked some strands behind her ear.
Underneath her long pea coat she wore a button up top that fit her curves perfectly, and the top few buttons were undone— showing just the right amount of cleavage. She had tight skinny jeans, which were tucked into knee high boots. Her hair was loose, which was rare, and the curls tumbled down her back, almost down to her waist.
If this wasn't a date, then why did she put so much effort into how she looked? Why was she trying to impress him?
It wasn't that, she just wanted him to see how good she looked now.
Did it even matter? It had been nearly a decade.
Nephrite stood as she approached the booth.
He was dressed more casual than she had ever known him to look, but she surmised that people changed. That black v-neck long sleeved shirt hugged his chest and defined his pecs. His legs look impossibly long in their fitted dark jean; on his feet were black sneakers that probably cost more than her entire wardrobe at home. Everything he had on was obviously name brands, and was perfectly tapered to his body.
"I'm glad you came," His smile made his usual stern face look younger.
He helped her out of her coat, and Lita had to stop her body from shivering at the feel of his butterfly touches lingering on her.
His blue eyes darkened as he drank the sight of her in before reaching for her hand and dusting her knuckles with a soft kiss. Her insides heated up at the gesture.
Despite it all he still had the gentlemanly manners that she remembered. It was his manners that had really swept her off of her feet when she was younger, because no other boyfriend prior to him treated her as if she were a princess
Andrew, however, treated her like she was a queen.
The thought of him made her guilt almost unbearable.
"I almost thought that you weren't going to show," Her ex gave her his most charming of smiles as they sat.
Lita found herself returning it without meaning to. "I thought about it," She kept a teasing tone in her voice. There was no reason why this should get serious.
She grabbed a nearby menu and looked it over. Everything in the place sounded appealing.
The silence that pressed down between them was tense. She resisted the urge to bolt out of the restaurant and dive back into her car to hightail it out of there. This was unlike her, she was usually confident and outgoing; unafraid to speak her mind and cut through the bullshit of everyday life.
Nephrite made her nervous.
Her stomach hurt.
"You look fantastic," He told her, leaning forward on the table and being closer to her than she expected.
She felt her face heat up in a light blush, and cursed herself for feeling the same girlish urges that she had when she was in college.
It was the truth, the years had been generous to him, and she hoped that she looked just as good. She was freshly in her thirties and she knew that she was still young, but he was older, in his mid-forties now, and was at the peak of his beauty.
His thick hair was just now graying at the temples, and the fine lines around his eyes and mouth only made him more distinguished. He was like a fine wine, only getting better with age.
"Thank you. You do too."
They stared at each other before he cleared his throat.
"I've already ordered us appetizers," he told her. He was always one to take charge whether she had liked it or not. Surprisingly she trusted his judgment and merely nodded, he had fantastic taste in food, and it was one of the things that made the two of them get along so well.
A server came by just then with their starter before taking their orders for their actual meal.
She leaned back in her booth, her green eyes still focused on his icy blue ones, "Does your wife know where you are?"
The question slipped out before she could stop it, but it had been on her mind from the moment she had parked. What would his wife say about this situation that the two of them placed themselves in? She couldn't imagine herself being okay with it if their roles were reversed.
Instead of answering, Nephrite gave her a breezy smile, "Does your fiancé?"
The ball was back in her court. He had answered her question with a question. His answer was obviously a resounding 'no'. It made her swallow what little saliva that she had left before staring down at her appetizer.
It was some sort of sea food stack that had just the right amount of mango and pineapple in it. She enjoyed every bite that exploded on her tongue.
"What's this called?" She asked instead, there was no need to explain to him that they were both keeping their meeting a secret from their significant others. To say it out loud would make it all seem more sordid than it already was.
Her ex gave her an amused look as he answered, "Tender loving."
She refused to take the bait and continued to eat it without pause. Although she was sure that she was blushing all over her body. "It's good."
"It's supposed to be," His dark voice chuckled.
Lita was well aware what he was insinuating.
Once their actual order came out, they settled into a comfortable silence.
"Do you remember that time," Nephrite started, "Where we got caught skinny dipping in the community pool?
She couldn't stop the snicker that had escaped her. She remembered it all too clearly, "We almost got arrested."
He nodded, "It was lucky that we managed to grab our clothes as we ran."
Her green eyes took in his wedding ring as he moved his hand about while talking. It was a simple gold band, something traditional and classic. It was entirely perfect for him.
"Do you remember what happened after?" His tone became heavy.
Lita remembered perfectly what had happened afterwards. They had bathed together; he had lifted her up and pushed her against the bathroom wall, taking her while standing. She had never felt petite or feminine, and she knew she was a heavy girl, but that moment had made her feel womanly for the first time of her young life.
His husky voice telling her she was beautiful and everything he could ever want still found its way into her mind whenever she was idle for too long, even after all this time. He had been the first man she had ever slept with. And he knew what he was doing and how to please. The neighbors actually interrupted them to complain about the noise level. The night itself had been embarrassing but memorable. Special in a way that neither could explain.
She picked at her engagement ring.
"Do you have memories like that with him?" He was referring to Andrew. Her sweet, loving, and amiable fiancé.
Instead of giving him the satisfaction of getting a rise out of her she decided to change the subject. "Tell me about your wife."
He arched a brow at her.
Nephrite was an alpha male, but Lita could match him if she needed to. They had kept each other on their toes while they were together. It had been an intense connection that carried throughout their relationship when they were together.
Everyone had thought that they were going to be together forever, especially Lita.
She could still recall their explosive arguments, as intense as their love-making, their fights were too well known in the building of their shared apartment. They started falling apart after the first three years, and then she had gotten pregnant. It had gotten ugly, and she had wanted nothing more than to get out. The abortion that happened shortly after had ended them abruptly.
"Molly," he twisted his wedding band around on his finger, the tan line from where the ring sat was as clear as day, "She's a wonderful mother, and a safe wife."
Lita was never safe while the two had been together. They had sex virtually everywhere on campus. Their relationship had been a constant reckless adventure.
"You said that you had a daughter."
He nodded, "Yes, she's four years old now. She's the spitting image of her mother."
Yet the look he was giving her, she could tell they were thinking along the same lines. Their own child would have been nearly eight years old now if it had been given the chance.
Still, neither could deny that what was done was for the best. Years of therapy and how it had affected her relationships afterwards was of little consequence. Andrew had come along and helped mend her heart. He had been her shoulder to cry on, he had been there to support her when she first started her catering business, and he had been open to her when she had one day turned to face him and kiss him square on the mouth.
He was patient and kind, he had been so understanding, and never judged her for her choice. If she had kept Nephrite's child, would she had met Andrew? She couldn't imagine her life without him. What was she doing here in this restaurant?
"We should order their chocolate cake, it's called Afternoon Delight," He half-teased her while tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.
This action caused her to freeze and stare at him with wide green eyes.
"I apologize, that was very straight-forward," His hand lingered at the nape of her neck.
Despite nearly a decade apart, she could still tell when he was lying.
Cheating was something that she was wholly against, and any person who cheated was always going to be a cheater. Lita was not that type of woman, and she never planned on being an adulterous. She was happily engaged and this man from her past was nothing to her. She would never allow him to ruin what she worked so hard to achieve.
Her silence made him pull his hand away.
His pretty blue eyes softened, "To offend you wasn't my intention."
The butterflies in her stomach erupted into her throat and Lita calmly finished her meal before they decided on asking for the check.
Much to her chagrin he paid. He had insisted on it since their outing had been his idea.
"Allow me to walk you out to your car." He pressed.
She had no way of getting out of it.
He shrugged on his leather jacket and helped her back into her pea coat, despite the fact that she could put it on herself perfectly fine. His hands rested on her shoulders and held onto her until they exited the establishment.
"Here we are," Lita stated a bit too loudly as they approached her hunter's green Jeep.
He eyed the car, it was her personified. "We should do this again sometime."
"Of course," Fell out of her mouth before she could stop it. Because there was a part of her that needed to see him one more time, it needed to hear from him just one more time. It wasn't cheating if it was kept clean and innocent, and she would have to tell Andrew about it.
The idea of her fiancé knowing caused a heavy knot to settle in the pit of her stomach.
Unbeknownst to her internal struggle, Nephrite gave her one of his dazzling smiles and kissed the inside of her wrist. It was an intimate gesture that caused her insides to simmer.
"Until next time," His icy blue eyes flashed onto her face.
He opened her car door for her and waited until she was already driving before heading towards his own vehicle.
Lita held onto her steering wheel with trembling hands. What exactly was she getting herself into?
TBC
MLL: This chapter took forever to write. Sorry, inspiration is low.
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Special Thanks To: ISana55, LoveInTheBattleField, Coragirl, Guest, anon, Aya Falkner, Sweet-Angel of Love, CookieFan57, Magic713, YumiRitsua, LAlaLAnd328, andPrincess Moonie of the moon – for all of the support and ideas. They helped a lot!
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