You people are really pushing for that kiss, aren't ya? Well, it will come soon. Maybe sooner than planned if you vote on the poll about it in my profile, it may come sooner… I need five votes in one category to see. And because it's a blind poll yo don't know who voted for what. Ooooh. Yeah, I'm bad. ;D I don't know if any of you have checked out Disaster's Decline, but it is totally different from this one. RM is so happy and fun, but DD is all serious and dramatic… Weird. Anyways, I listened to the cover version (by All Time Low) of Umbrella for this one, along with ATL's Coffee Shop Soundtrack and FallOut Boy's entire album Take This To You're Grave. So enjoy and keep up with the five reviews per chapter that I'm getting! I love all of my reviewers and they absolutely rock. Also, the people that favorite and add this story to their alerts rock. :D Thank you all.
During the ten minutes we awaited a taxi – or two taxis, the large one was in the shop - my brother was begging me not to tell Kane about he embarrassing night in November. I just turned my head away from him so he didn't notice my smug smile.
The taxis arrived and people began filing in. Temari hopped first, Kane following like a puppy. Kankuro took the front seat and that left Akio in the back with his best friend. I smirked as he frowned, seeing Gaara and I climb into the second taxi. This driver wasn't a kind old man like the last one. He was a rough-looking guy of about thirty. I crinkled my nose and scooted closer to Gaara instinctively. Fortunately, the driver paid us no mind and continued to follow his co-worker to the mall. I would have loved to see Kio-sama's face right now; I knew it was brooding and disapproving. Just the thought made me giggle. I stopped giggling when Gaara gave me a weird look, and started outright laughing. I leaned against him, still shaking with now-quiet laughs. My silent boy shook his head and rolled his eyes at me. But those swoon-worthy eyes held a certain glint I'd never seen before, as if he was taunting me. I grinned up at him, my laughter stopped. "Gaara-kun, you're so cute when you aren't being a sadistic jerk. But then I kinda miss the nasty comments."
My silent boy turned his face away from me, and I knew he wasn't mad… So why didn't he say anything?
"Heyyy, don't ignore me, Gaara." I placed my finger on his chin and turned him towards me. Again, I resisted the overwhelming urge to kiss him good and hard. What was up with those urges lately? I knew Gaara was extremely good-looking, but he was my best friend… I mentally shook myself and returned to reality, where I had unknowingly moved my face towards his own. The red head was giving me an odd look, slightly apprehensive and fully confused. My eyes widened at what I had done accidentally and a flush covered my features. I released the grip quickly, scooting over a bit. A mumbled apology escaped my lips and I faced the window. I had no clue what I'd just done…
My thoughts wrapped up my mind like nothing I'd ever seen. I was so confused. I almost kissed Gaara! What the hell was wrong with me… He was my best friend, someone who'd never had another friend and I go off and almost kiss him! That is not what friends did! Ugh. I'm losing it.
"Aya? Are you okay?" His voice was low and sweet, and I wanted to kiss him all over again. Damn it! Stop thinking about that, you idiot!
Ugh. I was arguing with myself now.
Pathetically, I managed a strangled 'yes' while avoiding his gaze. The spinning of my mind made me sick… Why couldn't we be at the mall already…
A sigh was heard from my traveling companion. I looked at him and quirked an eyebrow, forgetting all sexual thoughts for the moment. Gaara was leaning back with his eyes closed, in seemingly deep thought.
"Are you okay, Gaara-kun?" I asked him in return.
He turned to me with a puzzled expression. "Why are you asking me?"
"You sighed."
"You sigh a lot."
"That's natural. You hardly ever sigh."
"Hn."
My eye twitched at the word. "That word is not in the dictionary, and therefore not technically an actual word." I gave him a smug look, forgetting all the awkwardness for a moment.
"It is so a word; the dictionary is for people who care."
"Oh, and you don't care because you're a sadistic jerk who loves rebellion?"
"I hang around you don't I"
"Touché, my friend."
It was then we reached the mall. I tugged on Gaara's hand, pulling him out of the taxi after throwing the fair to the driver. Akio saw that and a frown formed on his face. So I gripped Gaara's hand tighter, and drug him into the mall. Temari and Kane were laughing about something, and Kankuro was texting with a passion. I let a laugh escape me and twirled into the mall's food court happily. The Christmas cheer still hung in the air and I loved the decorations that hung merrily. "So now what do we do?" I asked them.
"What! You drag me to the mall and don't know what you want to do?!"Akio scolded.
I shrugged. "Nope."
He glared at me, but couldn't help laughing with Kane and Kankuro. Gaara was looking amused again, while Temari was too distracted to even notice the exchange between us.
"I know what I wanna do, Kio-sama!" I exclaimed.
"What!"
"I want to go get a cheese Danish. Yummy." I skipped over to the food stand and brought two, pocketing the plastic wrapped one. "Your turn."
"He was totally right when he said you could make a saint swear," Kane chimed in. I glared at the older boy.
"No one asked you lover-boy."
"Shush Papaya. You should not back-talk your elders."
I kicked his shin and he rubbed it in pain. Sticking my tongue out at him, I took a step closer. "Candy, I do not wish to embarrass you in front of someone who would actually be a decent girlfriend for you. Akio is not the only one that has embarrassing past moments, am I correct?"
Sitting back, I took a bite on my Danish and watched his face redden.
"So this is why Mori doesn't make you mad…" mused Kankuro.
"No. Mori and I have a very complex relationship. She doesn't make me mad, and I don't her. We know things about each other that no one else knows. She could tell you things I would never tell my future husband." They all gave me looks saying they clearly thought I would never marry. I glared at them. "Okay, okay. She knows things Akio doesn't." At this, my older brother narrowed his eyes at me, suspicion written all over his face and in his posture. I just rolled my eyes and nibbled at the Danish some more. "Shush, Kio-sama. November was a fine month for you, ya know. I remember when you-"
"Shut up."
"If you wish." I shrugged.
"Candy, will you get me a sodaaaaa?" I pleaded.
"Why me?" he whined.
"Because Temari's thirsty," I lied.
He left without another word, going to get two Mountain Dews and whatever else he wanted.
"Kane really likes you. You know that right?" I asked Temari. She sighed and rubbed her temples. "It's not horrible – Kane's a really great guy. And he's pretty cute."
My brother choked on the soda he had bought while I was getting my cheese Danish. A very displeased noise came from Gaara's throat, so low I doubted anyone else heard. Temari laughed loudly at Akio's reaction. I looked at Akio as if he had just grown another head and unconsciously scooted closer to the red head, leaning my head on his shoulder. This made Akio narrow his eyes at me once again. I rolled my eyes at him. Stupid, protective, idiotic older brothers needed to learn when something is out of their overbearing control.
"What? Kane's cute, pretty close to being hot actually. It's not like I'd ever want to date him though. I know way too many things about him to do that. Besides, he's too old for me. I don't even like pedophiles. They're creepy." I shuddered at the thought, glad to be next to someone I trusted. I turned back to Temari. "The point is, Kane's hot, sweet, and a good guy, and you're pretty, and…uh…kinda sweet, and single. Yeah. Kane's hot and you're single, so go for it." I beamed, finally triumphant in saying almost exactly what I had meant to say. That didn't happen so much, believe it or not…
I did notice, however, that whenever I said Kane was hot Gaara tensed a bit. I rolled my eyes at the red head's insecurities, not seeing what he had to be upset about. I did know that if I said anything he would "Hn," and deny being upset. So, instead, I placed my hand on his, which sat between us. I giggled at the thought of my brother absolutely seething if he had noticed the action.
"Ooooh, while I'm here I may as well get Kane and Akio a present," I muttered to Gaara. I stood and drug him out the seat with that in mind. Calls of protest followed so I told them over my shoulder I was going to get someone a present because I'd forgotten them.
Akio and Kane paled, knowing my grandmother would skin them if she was informed I'd gotten hem something and received nothing from the older boys. And she would find out, my grandmother just knew things like that. The memory of her finding out who set the bathroom on fire when I was six still stuck out in my mind and burned me with shame. If the flames weren't so alluring and I had not had been so bored… That was a different story for a different day, though.
Once more, I drug Gaara into HT, going straight to the tee shirts. Kane was easy to shop for; he collected vintage band tees. So I picked out a Pink Floyd shirt and searched for a gift for my brother in a different store all together. A.e.I. was the name of the store, with its logo – For what you feel – plastered all over the walls in blue, black, and silver. The little store was full of artistic things; from recording CDs to charcoal pencils, clay molds to fine tipped calligraphy pens, the store held it all. Skimming through some plain white masks, I averted my interests and skipped straight to what I'd come for: the aisle with anything an aspiring artist could wish for. If my brother were here, he would absolutely blow any penny he had on him. I picked out, ever so carefully, a sketchpad with thick paper, a pack of fine charcoal, and a set of expensive pastels for my brother. He was going to absolutely adore me.
"Why did you get those?" Gaara asked as I made my way to the check out counter.
"My brother is an amazing artist, but he won't tell anyone about it."
"Oh."
I paid for the items, putting them in the Hot Topic bag. Hmm… I would have to hide that bag somehow as well. "Gaara? How do you feel about coffee?"
None too surprising, he didn't get to answer as I raced to the Barns & Noble with a Starbucks connected to it.
"One Venti tuxedo frappuccino and…" I sent Gaara a questioning look. I skimmed the menu to find something he may like. "And a Grande Tazo Full Leaf Black Tea please." My silent boy looked at me with a worried expression, and I smiled. "Now, I'll be right back, Stay here and wait for the drinks. I handed him a ten and rushed to the books. Ten minutes later I had seven books, a HT bag, and an A.e.I bag stuffed into a B&N bag.
Gaara sat alone at a corner table, my tuxedo frap in front of an empty chair. I grinned a bit and walked over to where he sat.
"You know you made Kane get you a soda for nothing," he commented as I sat down.
I shrugged. "He's probably drinking it himself anyways."
"Hn."
I sighed. I hated that word sometimes. Changing the subject, I said, "So are you looking forward to the holidays?"
"Not really."
"Why not?" I demanded.
"The holidays come every year."
"They come once a year!"
"Every year."
"Ugh." I lay my head on the table and sighed at him.
"Hn."
"Shut the hell up," I mumbled from the tabletop. "I bet you only use hat word now to annoy me, huh?" I felt his eyes glaring at the wall. I was right. "And no glaring! How many times do I have to tell you that Gaara-kun?" His glare stopped, and I felt the amusement radiating from him. I brightened myself, glad he wasn't half-angry anymore.
Turns out, Gaara really likes Starbuck's black Tazo tea. Also, I can slurp down a Venti tuxedo frap without getting the slightest hint of brain-freeze. Oh, yeah, I freaking rock. Sure, I'd gotten myself some weird looks when I began dancing around in the calm room, people peeking over their laptops and romance novels to see what I was doing. Gaara gave me the happiest look I had ever seen him give anyone and I just stopped. Everything just stopped when I saw that look on his face. Then, before I could stop it, a giant smile lit up my own features and I quickly grabbed Gaara's hand, pulling him into my wild, excited dance. He stood awkwardly, not dancing and near laughing at me. When I realized he hadn't bothered to dance with me, I stopped short, stepping in front of him with a half-hearted glare. "That was totally unfair and rude, Gaara-kun."
He merely gave me a smug look. I stepped closer, my face a couple inches from his. My eyes narrowed, looking into his near-smiling, aquamarine, exhilarating orbs. My breath – not for the first time – caught in my throat and I involuntarily moved toward him. Our breathe mingled, delighted chocolate and warm tealeaves, settling between us. Again, we had an audience. I really didn't care too much, staring into his eyes. Some sort of silent agreement settled between our eyes. I had no clue what it meant, but I knew we would talk about this moment later. So instead of grabbing him and throwing him down, finishing with a lot of inappropriate things, I smiled and backed up. Bouncing on my tiptoes, I grabbed his hand again. This time, I wasn't going to drag him anywhere. Instead, I held it gently and began walking, not having him to tug my silent boy along for once. He kept my calm pace and walked beside me, sharing a comfortable silence between the two of us.
The red head and I just walked around. I only stopped to get about ten dollars worth of candy – including berry-shaped and tasting candies and the turtle shaped things with almonds and caramel. My silent boy looked on, eyes laughing as I filled the little Chinese take-out box with my candy.
We continued walking around the mall, occasionally people would stare at us. It was about the third time around before I was attacked.
A body flew against mine, dragging me away from my silent boy before I could object.
I struggled against the random person who told me to shut up. I calmed at the sound of Temari's voice. "Temari! What the hell?"
"You're brother almost saw you and he's already in a bad mood." She shook her head, looking disappointed. I gave her a dumb look and she rolled her eyes. "You are clearly into my brother, and you're almost there at getting him to feel the same. Example: what you just did, he almost saw."
Hiding a blush at her information I mumbled, "So?"
"He'd jump both of you."
"Akio wouldn't stop me from doing something I wanted to. He couldn't." I let a smug smile cross my lips, looking defiant.
"I don't know… He seems really against you and my brother. I think he just doesn't want to see you grow up. Or see you have your first kiss."
"Trust me," I grumbled, "he won't see it." I glared at her. "And at this rate, I doubt I ever will."
Temari held her hands up in surrender. "It wasn't my fault."
I sighed, she was right.
An anger-consumed Gaara stalked up beside me, glaring evilly at his sister. I stepped closer to him, our shoulders almost touching. I touch his arm, attempting to comfort the fuming boy. His tension didn't leave, but it lessened considerably. My own self relaxed a bit beside him, the natural reaction whenever the boy's usual presence was around. The red head still seethed at his sister, and I knew he was bound to say something if I didn't come to her defense.
"Don't worry, Gaara-kun, Temari had good reason." I smiled up at him, a secret promise to tell him about it later.
Right on time, my brother, Kane, and Kankuro approached us.
Akio greets us normally, a bag peeking out from behind his back. Kane slings an arm around me and smiles toothily. Kankuro, however, does something no one really expected. No, seriously, I did not expect that.
Kankuro grins hugely and practically jumps up in giddiness. I cock an eyebrow at him.
It's a surprise." That's all he says to me.
"Whatever." I shrug it off and lean against the red head, much to my brother's apparent displeasure. I shrug that off too, curling my arms around one of his. This day isn't half oer and its already exhausting. Crazy shopping, being attacked, and confusing romantics. I needed a vacation. Not from school, but from life. I almost laughed aloud at that. Being with my family and the siblings may be able to keep me sane, even though I really wished Mori had stayed. I already missed her bright red hair and petite self hanging around me as always. A very bubbly part of my day had just left me.
"So when can we go back?" Temari asked impatiently.
"Now," I muttered, calling the cab service as soon as I heard the tiredness in her voice too.
We walked to the front of the mall, the man saying that two cabs were close by and it would only be a couple minutes. I stood shivering outside. Thankfully, Gaara allowed me to cuddle against him, even with my brother's death glare and own Temari's knowing grin. Kankuro was still deliriously giddy over something no one knew about. We ignored him.
As I leaned into my silent boy, his arm wrapped around me with defiance and a fierce protectiveness, I had another urge to kiss him good and long. I would have seriously considered it if Kio-sama hadn't have been right there… Temari and Kane weren't a problem, and neither was Kankuro. My brother probably would have snatched me up, taken me to a no-boys-or-fun institution, and locked me up for quite a while. So, I guess if I were ever to kiss my silent boy, it wouldn't be now.
The taxis finally arrived, and this time I was joined by not only Gaara but Kane in the taxi's backseat. "Er… Heya Kane," I muttered, scooting over to make room, which put me nearer to Gaara.
He flashed me an apologetic smile as we pulled away from the Christmas-ready building. "I was sent here," he mumbled. I nodded. By my brother, I already knew that. He continued. "Akio is pretty opposed to you and Gaara being pretty much anything but acquaintances. However, he does know that he can't stop you from doing whatever you want. We all figured that out a long time ago, Papaya." I ignored the nickname. This time… "I don't think your brother's trying to be a jerk, he just doesn't…" Kane searched for the right words.
My silent boy surprised me by speaking up. "He doesn't know how to let go."
The shaggy, black-haired boy grinned up at my red headed, silent boy. "Exactly, Gaara. I think you two together are great, but Akio's overly protective." He gave another sheepish grin and looked at me.
I smiled. "I already knew about my brother like that. He hated the other boys I dated" – Gaara stiffened at this, and I put a hand on his once again – "but at least he tolerates Gaara." I couldn't stop the giggle that escaped me then. "I really couldn't believe that he didn't turn into the hulk or something as soon as I climbed into the taxi with Gaara earlier today. I bet he was seething the whole time…"
Kane laughed, throwing his head back with glee. "He did."
We pulled over to the curb, finally reaching my house. Looking out the window, I saw a black Lexus and a silver Volvo in my driveway.
Oh, shit.
Heyyyy people. Sorry for the wait, but I hope you like. No kiss in here. :C I apologize, it just wasn't working. But have hope and vote!!!