-Seventy-First Floor-
Having set up her laptop on her desk and having dusting the room a bit, Rin contented herself with surfing the Internet for a while when she heard a hard knock on the door. Yipping, Rin hopped up and jogged over to the door, swinging it wide. There stood Maru and Miroku, looking first rate in their business suits. Rin gulped in admiration.
"We're on our way out. Grab your jacket," Maru said, softly smiling at her.
"Great! I'm so excited! My first meal at a New York restaurant," Rin said, running back to her chair. Maru couldn't help but ogle the way her chest bounced, and felt Miroku nudge him in the side.
"She's a good choice, Maru. I say go for it." Maru frowned at the CEO, as Rin rushed back, hurriedly buttoning her jacket. Closing the office door, Rin walked between the two businessmen as they strolled to the elevator. Rin visibly reacted when she saw the young man from earlier who had "accidentally" brushed her chest waiting near the elevator. She was sure to put Maru and Miroku between her and him as the elevator plummeted to the ground floor. Maru, uncertain as to why Rin was agitated, gave the other man in the elevator a pointed stare. That guy...I've heard things about him from Sango, Ahun, and Yura. I think his name is Kouga. He better stay away from Rin or I'll—... Snapping out of it, Maru and Miroku escorted Rin to the front of the building, past the security desk. Rin waved at Kohaku as she passed, and he blushed as he waved back. Maru clenched his fist, but was otherwise as cool-faced as ever.
Rin gasped upon seeing the limousine waiting for them at the curb. A short, old man quickly walked to the back door and held it open as Maru assisted Rin inside, then followed. Miroku came in last, and all three greeted the two people already inside.
"Uhm—hi. I don't think we've met," Rin began. She reached across to shake hands with the young man, whose long, black hair, like Maru's, was tied back in a ponytail. The young girl next to him, obviously his wife, smiled.
"My name is Inu Yasha. This is my wife, Kagome. I'm Maru's brother." Rin's eyebrows shot up and her mouth fell open at this news.
"Oh! It's so nice to meet you! Maru is my new boss and was nice enough to let me tag along for lunch today," Rin happily said. Maru, aware that Rin's thigh was brushing against his, tried to hide the extremely subtle emotions that only Yasha seemed to be able to see. Yasha smiled broadly at Maru, who scowled back at him, and the group went into pleasant conversation for the ten minutes it took to drive to the Palm.
-End of the Day-
As Rin finished updating her email address book and Rolodex, she shut the laptop and sighed happily. It was almost five, meaning her first day of work finished successfully. Sure she had a few mishaps—catching the CEO groping one of his employees, getting groped in the elevator...wanting to grope her boss. I feel like I've stepped into an adult world that I didn't know existed, even if I had been in college for six years. The clock keeping time silently on the wall read 4:58, so Rin stood up to get ready to leave. As she hooked her purse over her arm after having stuffed the laptop's casing into her briefcase, the phone on the corner of her desk rang, and Rin grinned as she reached for the phone. My first phone call! The smile quickly left her face, though.
"Hey—it's me. I just wanted to let you know that you've got great breasts, Rin." The line clicked and Rin stood there, stunned. Just then the doorknob twisted, and Maru appeared in the doorway as the door swung open. Looking at her face, his eyebrows drew themselves together.
"Rin, what's wrong? Who was on the phone?" Rin seemed to snap out of it and set the phone back on its receiver. Shaking her head, Rin smacked a smile onto her face and quickly strode to the man of her dreams...even if he doesn't know he's my dream guy.
"I was spaced out, that's all. I'll see you tomorrow at eight sharp, right?" Rin said, hoping to get home as quickly as possible. Though her 'neighborhood' wasn't exactly safe, she didn't feel safe in the building at the moment, either. Maru told hold of her elbow gently, and pulled her back to look at him. Rin was thankful that Jaken had gone for the day, or else she might have been embarrassed to be in this sort of situation in front of him.
"Rin, please tell me what's wrong." Feeling awkward now, she shook her head, smiling as if she had no worries in the world. She almost completely trusted Maru, but...I've only known the guy for one day! Not even twenty-four hours!
"Absolutely nothing at all! I just started my new great job! My boss is nice, I got to eat at a five-star restaurant for lunch, and I met so many people. I'm fine, really!" Maru didn't look convinced, but he let go of her elbow.
"Well, I'd like to give you a ride home today, if that's alright. If anything, it'll save you the cab fare." Rin blushed at his offer, and Maru almost smiled, but he held his composure since anyone walking by the open office door could look in. Time to be bold, Rin! Come on! Meeting his gaze directly, Rin gave him a good genuine smile, which got his heartbeat going a bit faster.
"Thanks, Maru. I'd like that." With that, they left the office, locking it behind them. Rin asked if it was a big inconvenience to go out of his way, but Maru assured her that it would make him feel better to take her home. In the parking garage across the street, he opened the door to his black Corolla and unlocked her door. Inside the car, she decided not to pull her skirt back to her knees even though it had worked its way up her thighs in the process of seating herself. I can't believe I'm doing this. As Maru turned to lock his seatbelt into place, his eyes couldn't help but notice her pale thighs, and almost missed when trying to insert the belt into its clip. Rin fastened her seatbelt as well, and blushed to herself. Well, he noticed...
Maru was having a hard time keeping his body from reacting to her. It's only her legs! Why am I getting excited over her legs? Clearing his voice, he turned the ignition.
"Are you hungry? We can pick up dinner somewhere." Her good mood immediately deflated as she remembered her other plans. Oh, no! I—I want to eat with Maru, but I can't just drop Kohaku! Racking her brain for something to say, Rin answered,
"I—uhm—I have other dinner plans tonight, or else I really would like to eat something now. Perhaps tomorrow night?" she ventured, not wanting to put him off at all. She tried to read his face, but it was too hard.
"Tomorrow is fine. If you don't mind me asking, what are your dinner plans?" Rin blanched. You just had to ask! Now you'll think I'm off-limits! Not wanting to lie, she answered him honestly,
"I'm having pizza with Kohaku, one of the security guards." Rin saw his face change a bit, but was quick to add on, "Just as a friend, though. I'm not sure how..." Rin trailed off, uncertain as to how she should end her sentence. Maru turned his head to look at her as he waited for traffic to clear so he could pull out of the parking garage.
"Not sure how?" He ventured, hoping she'd finish her thought. I didn't even get a chance... He maintained his mask of composure, not wanting her to see through it.
"Uhm—not sure how I feel about him. I don't know if I can think of him as anything more than just a friend." Wanting to change the subject as quickly as possible, Rin went on, "Your brother and his wife were very nice people. It's great that you get to eat lunch with them once a week. How long have they been married?" And why aren't you married? She hadn't noticed a wedding ring on his finger. He was obviously older than Yasha, but wasn't married yet. Maru took the topic change in stride.
"They've been married for about two years now. They told me last week that Kagome was pregnant with their first child." Rin gasped in happiness.
"Wow! You're going to be an uncle! That's so great! Kagome and Yasha must be overjoyed." Nodding, Maru finally turned into the street. Rush hour traffic in New York was, of course, enough to keep Maru from getting Rin home until six, but Rin enjoyed the conversation they had during forty minutes it took to get Rin to the run-down apartment building where she was staying. Maru pulled up next to the curb in front, and as Rin opened the car door to get out, she felt his hand on hers and looked back at Maru.
"Be careful, okay? It's probably a good thing that Kohaku is taking you to dinner since he has experience in that area," Maru conceded, quite grudgingly. Rin smiled at his concern and leaned back into the car to press a kiss to Maru's cheek. She tried to stay calm when she leaned away because the look on his face, though it revealed little, still held a bit of a blush.
"Thanks, Maru. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Rin then popped out of the car and shut the door, waving as she jogged to the first set of security doors in the apartment building. Though the buzzer to let someone in wasn't working, meaning anyone could walk in, no one except the building's tenants and their friends knew, so the building was relatively safe still. No one really wanted word to get out anyway. So Rin pretended to use her key on the first set of doors, and then walked up to the third floor, passing by Mushin, who was drunk again. Rin said in passing that he should take a bath and go to bed, but the old guy just rolled over and groaned.
Inside her apartment, Rin flicked on the lamp, which wasn't very bright since she had used low wattage bulbs in order to keep expenses down, but it was better than some harsh overhead light. She put the laptop away in the closet in case someone tried to rob her that night, and made sure the door and windows were locked before taking a few minutes to shower. She dried her hair and put on a dark blue, informal dress that didn't reveal too much. I don't want to give him the wrong impression. She then waited by the telephone so that she could get directions from Kohaku to the pizza place once seven o'clock rolled around.
At 7:30, Rin turned on her television, which got the next door neighbor pounding on the wall at her, so she turned it as far down as she could without having to press her ear to the speaker to hear the shows. The neighbor finally stopped and yelled a rude thank you. Rin sighed and kicked off her shoes. I could have been eating with Maru...instead my crazy neighbor is being rude, I'm still hungry, and I just got stood up. By eight-thirty, Rin had given up and called for take-out since she had no food in her refrigerator—seeing as how it wasn't working. The super still hasn't come up to fix that thing! Making a mental note to talk to the guy in the morning before she left, Rin ate her take-out dinner and put on her pajamas. At eleven when she was about to turn out the light to go to sleep, the phone rang. Oh, man...now he's probably going to make up some excuse about ditching me tonight. Rin answered the phone quite tiredly, but the person on the other end was most definitely not Kohaku.
"Did I wake you, Rin?" Rin's heart thumped inside her chest and a smile appeared where her frown had been earlier. She sat down on her bed, which squeaked loudly.
"Well, I was about to go to bed, but no, I wasn't asleep yet." Rin twirled her finger around the phone cord and lied back on the bed.
"I see. I just wanted to make sure you got back all right." Maru's voice sounded just as calm as ever, but Rin knew he was probably a little bit embarrassed. She smiled to herself and responded almost happily,
"Well, I never went out. Kohaku must have forgotten how to dial a phone. I had some really good Japanese take-out, though. New York sure does know how to make miso soup." There was no response on the other end for a few seconds, and Rin barely heard a sigh.
"I'm sorry he stood you up, Rin. It's not exactly a good way to end your first Monday in New York." Rin's smile faltered a bit, but only because Maru was trying to show sympathy, even if it sounded as if he were giving a lecture on tax law instead.
"Hey, I'm a big girl. I'll be okay. Besides, I've already got someone to eat dinner with tomorrow night, right?" Maru could probably tell her voice didn't quite sound the same, but he didn't realize it was because Rin was happy rather than sad.
"Of course. We'll pick any place you like when I see you in the morning." Sitting up again, Rin responded,
"Thanks, Maru. I'll see you then. Goodnight." Maru bid her goodnight as well, and Rin placed the phone back on the hook. Then curling into her bed sheets, Rin hugged her other pillow to her chest, imagining it was someone's body rather than a lump of cotton, and fell asleep with a smile on her face.
-The Next Night-
Tuesday at D&S went over just as "smoothly" as Monday. Rin didn't approach the security desk the next morning, but when she glanced over, Kohaku dropped his eyes away from her and wouldn't meet her gaze. Jaken was grumpy again, and Rin got the feeling that he was probably always grumpy. Maru was perfect, though. He made her feel more comfortable, and even got his real estate agent in touch with her that morning so she could see about that apartment in his building. They got some of the details worked out, and the realtor went off to speak to the old couple before finalizing any plans.
The day ended with Rin finally getting some real work to do to help out Maru with his clients, and five o'clock rolled around before Rin even knew it. As Maru and she walked to the parking garage across the street, Rin couldn't help but fidget some more with her purse strap. She was wearing a shorter gray skirt that day, with a matching jacket and a white blouse underneath. Maru had put on a black suit with a gray shirt and dark gray tie. As Rin fidgeted, she noticed how well she and Maru seemed to compliment each other that day—both wearing black, white, or gray; both with black hair. Blushing, Rin sat down in the passenger seat of Maru's car, once again not bothering to push her skirt back down, except this time it had worked much farther up her thighs.
Maru missed the seat buckle entirely, and had to try again to fasten his seatbelt. Rin stifled a giggle as she fastened her own seatbelt, and Maru drove them to a steakhouse named Dylan Prime. Rin was amazed that he had already reserved a table since Rin had forgotten to let him know where she wanted to eat. At the table, Rin sat down gingerly in the expensive-looking chairs and gripped her napkin in her hands.
"This place is really great! The smells in this restaurant are making me so hungry!" Rin said, grinning at the man across from her. He smiled back, his first real smile since she had first met him the day before. "So how long have you lived in New York?" Rin was attempting to keep the conversation light, but she wanted to flirt badly, even though she normally was definitely not a flirty kind of girl.
"I was born in New York. So I know the city pretty well. I went to NYU, too. I wasn't much for venturing far from home. I guess I wasn't that brave," Maru said, deliberately. Rin blushed at the indirect compliment. I guess I could try a little tiny bit of flirting...it wouldn't hurt, right?
"I feel better knowing I've got someone who knows where everything is. I don't think I even know how to get home from here," Rin laughed out. She twisted the napkin in her hands and was about to say something when the waiter appeared. He took their drink orders and gave them menus to browse. From behind her menu, Rin peeked over at Maru, who was looking back at her.
"I'd suggest the filet mignon. You can never go wrong with that one," he said. Rin nodded, and slowly closed the menu, setting it down in front of her.
"I've been meaning to ask you...why aren't you married yet?" Rin bit down on her lip gently in anxiety, knowing the question was very forward. Maru folded his menu as well and reached across to steady the hand currently attempting to rip the napkin in two. Blushing hotly, Rin hesitantly met his eyes.
"I just haven't found the right girl yet. I mean," he paused, trying to find the right words, "I have had girlfriends, but none of them have been able to make me smile, you know?" Well, if that wasn't a flashing red neon sign with the words 'he likes you' on it, then I must be going crazy. She let a shy smile rise to her face, and Maru smiled in return.
The rest of the dinner was a wonderful surreal dream for Rin. Their conversation was easy, interesting, and comfortable. The steak was probably the best she had ever eaten, and being on what felt like a date with the most handsome man she had ever met in her life was more than enough to get Rin in a very good mood. All in all, her second workday in New York was ending very nicely. New York rocks!
Although Rin tried her hardest, Maru wouldn't let her pay for her dinner. Driving away from Manhattan, Rin tried to come up with a good excuse to kiss him. There really was none—she had only known him two days, he was her boss for crying out loud, and even though he had not-so-subtly hinted that he liked her as well, it might not be a good idea to rush into a relationship. Suddenly remembering what she had said to Sango on Monday, Rin realized that if she did want to rush into things with Maru, perhaps it was because he was the right guy for her.
Rin had gone out with a couple boys in college, and dated another near the end of her third year for a few months, but after giving him her virginity, she found out a few days later that he had been cheating on her for a good month. That had really hurt, but Rin knew not to let it get her down. Those kinds of things just happened. How long will I be telling myself that? As Maru rounded the corner to drive the last block to her apartment complex, Rin's heart was about to choke her. I'll do it. I should do it now so that I know. He'll be flattered, if anything. That's fine, isn't it?
As Maru came to a stop, Rin didn't say anything for a few seconds, then unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to him. Her face was flushed and she looked like she was nervous. Rin...are you really...?
Rin moved slowly in case he wanted to stop her, placing her left hand on the armrest between them and her right hand on his left shoulder. With her left knee on the seat, Rin brought her mouth close and brushed her lips against his as she closed her eyes. His lips felt soft underneath hers, and Rin opened her mouth to let her tongue slip out.
Maru was afraid to even move. He had never wanted anything so badly than to kiss his beautiful new assistant. When he felt her lips touch his, he clenched his hands to keep from roughly grabbing her and pulling her to his side of the car. His efforts were all for naught, though, when she slid her tongue between his lips. Opening his mouth and meeting her halfway, Maru wrapped his arms around her and turned her body so that she sat across his lap. Cradling her head in his left hand, he all but raped her mouth. Rin moaned into his kiss and clutched at the material over his shoulders, pulling herself as close to him as she could. Rin could feel Maru's arousal underneath her right thigh when suddenly she heard a hard knock on the window. Pulling away from Rin, Maru rolled down his window to see a cop looking displeased.
"Don't care if you're goin' slummin' or somethin', but you need to take that inside, mister," he drawled out, his heavy New Jersey accent coming through. Maru apologized to the police officer as Rin made her way back to the passenger side of the car. The cop walked off, and Maru rolled up the window. Looking over at Rin, he was almost proud to see that her lips were red and swollen. So very kissable...
"Did you want to stop for tonight?" he asked, not taking his gaze away from her. Rin's face gave away her answer, but Maru wasn't completely disappointed.
"We might want to slow it down just a bit. Thank you for dinner, though...and the kiss," Rin added, a blush tinting her cheekbones. Maru reached over to cup her jaw in his hand, and leaned forward, landing a short, sweet kiss on her swollen lips. Pulling back, he said,
"I'll see you tomorrow morning then." Rin nodded, gathering up her purse and briefcase and stepping out of the car. Shutting the door, she waved and walked into the apartment building.
-Friday-
It was the end of her first week at D&S. Rin had proven herself competent to Maru by finishing all the extra work on time and doing it pretty much flawlessly. Whenever she would walk into his office to drop off the random stack of papers, Maru would catch her by the wrist or elbow, and give her quick, hot kisses that left Rin breathless. So it was no surprise that she would find any excuse to stop by throughout the week.
Every night, Maru would take her to a new restaurant. She was able to pay for the bill only once because it came while Maru was in the restroom. When he got back and saw Rin putting the receipt in her purse, he obviously wanted to complain, but didn't when Rin squinted her eyes at him. Instead he sort of smirked, and Rin had declared that he was too chivalrous sometimes.
However, today was Friday, and she had plans with Sango. Unfortunately, Miroku was in the personnel office when Rin came by to discuss plans with Sango, so he invited himself along. Rin thought nothing of it since Sango and he had to work things out anyway, but Sango fumed at Miroku for a good five minutes before noticing that Rin had left. Now that it was close to five, Rin began to shut down her computer and file away her work for Monday when Maru swung open her office door.
"So you're headed out tonight with Sango? Do you know where you're going yet?" Maru had his jacket and briefcase, ready to leave. As Rin shrugged into her jacket, she smiled at him.
"You want to go, too, don't you?" Maru tried to shrug it off and claim that he didn't, but Rin knew better. The guy needed to get out more, so what better way to do so than with the girl he'd been making out with for the past four days? "I'd like you to come since Mr. Houshi is coming along, too. I'll feel less like a fifth wheel that way." Maru didn't exactly jump at the chance, but made it like he had no other plans and wanted to make sure the CEO didn't grope her.
Rin parted ways with Maru at the street, taking a taxi home. He said he'd pick her up at nine o'clock right before shutting the back door of the cab. On the way home, Rin planned out exactly the right thing to wear to get Maru panting after her like a dog. She didn't have much to choose from since she really didn't like buying clothes, but something from her college days of bar hopping would do the trick.
Nearly popping out of the cab like toast from a toaster, Rin threw a twenty at the cab driver and raced up to her building's front door. Pretending to use her key, she ran up the stairs, past Mushin, who was sobering up on the floor. He probably won't stay sober for long. She unlocked her apartment door and bolted inside. Sure, she had hours, but Rin wanted to look absolutely perfect tonight.
She would only be living in her current apartment for another few days. The old couple down the hall from Maru decided to leave for Florida earlier than expected since someone was already available to take the apartment off their hands. She'd be moving in on Sunday, right down the hall from the man of her dreams.New York rocks!
By the time nine o'clock rolled around, Rin was dressed to kill. She had on her dark blue, knee length dress, cut low enough in front to see an ample amount of cleavage, and missing enough in the back to show off Rin's skin quite well. With her hair loose and smelling great, Rin applied a minimal amount of make-up. The intercom next to her door crackled instead of buzzed, but Rin ran to the door with her purse and hit the button to let him know she was coming down.
Finally reaching the bottom floor, Rin was nearly floored when she saw Maru's outfit. He was dressed in a tight black, cotton shirt with the white buttons, three of which were open, and had his hands in the pockets of dark gray pants. She saw his eyes travel down her body as well, and shivered as if it had been his hands instead. He cleared his throat, knocking Rin out of her daze, and she gave him her biggest smile.
"You look very, very good." Rin blushed after realizing what she had blurted out, but Maru only diverted his gaze and shyly smiled, as if he didn't want her to know that he appreciated the compliment. He turned slightly and held his elbow out. Rin walked forward to him and looped her arm through his, strolling with him to the car waiting for them at the curb. Before closing her door after helping her in, Maru caught Rin's gaze and said,
"You look good, too."
At the club, Rin was latched onto Maru's arm when she spotted Sango waiting near the door of the club. She was arm's length away from a guilty-looking Miroku, whose face was a bit red from being slapped. Sango looked relieved when she saw Rin, and waved to her. Approaching the couple, Rin took in their sleek outfits, which matched quite uncannily. Sango was wearing a red dress that stopped at mid-thigh and was a bit tighter than Rin's but didn't show nearly as much on the top. What was uncanny was that Miroku was wearing a red shirt of the exact same shade of red. His black pants completed the outfit well.
"Wow, Rin...you look great. And I'm glad you brought Maru along, or else we'd have Miroku's hands to deal with the whole night," Sango growled, shooting a glare at Miroku.
"When I saw you in that red dress my hands just had a will of their own! It's completely not my fault!" Miroku exclaimed, shoving the offending hands into his pockets. Sango's glare died away somewhat, and she pulled on his elbow, tugging him along inside the club. Maru bought Rin a drink, and Miroku eventually found a table off in the corner of the club. Sitting around it, the four of them got to talk for a bit, though Sango and Miroku did most of the talking. Rin attentively listened with her elbows on the table, enjoying their banter and the hand rubbing circles in her lower back. One of her favorite songs came bumping through the loud speakers, and Rin jumped up, wanting to dance quite badly. Sango, grateful for the change in topic since Miroku was trying to talk about her dress again, followed Rin to the dance floor. Maru followed along, which left Miroku to guard the drinks and purses.
Among the throng of bodies squeezed together on the dance floor, Sango was quickly pulled into a dance with another guy, who thankfully didn't place his hands anywhere uncomfortable. Rin wanted to see Miroku's reaction, though, and turned back to look at him. He didn't seem upset at all, but then Rin saw his fists clenched tightly. That's somehow so sweet. Turning to Maru, who was gently smiling at her, Rin began to dance with the song to steps she had made up when she was in high school. The song was Michael Jackson's "Beat It," a classic that all the twenty-something's in the room knew by heart.
Rin was surprised at how well Maru danced. He wasn't over the top, but he didn't just stand there and rock from side to side. She was so happy right at this moment, and it must have showed in her smile because Maru smiled back at her. As the song neared its end, another slower one came on, and Rin gingerly wrapped her arms around Maru's waist, pulling herself close as his hands settled against her back. She leaned her head on his chest, not tall enough to lay her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes, loving the feeling of swaying on the dance floor in the arms of the man of her dreams.
Maru was more than content. He was actually out in the clubs on a Friday night, dancing with a beautiful woman, whose hair smelled absolutely intoxicating, and her company was becoming more and more soothing. He smoothed his hand up her back, most of it exposed, and couldn't help noticing how soft her skin was. The song was starting to pick up as the DJ worked into a faster song, and Rin asked Maru if they could sit down again since Miroku might be lonely. They began to walk back to the table, but Sango was already there, talking to Miroku in a civil tone. Sitting down again, Rin listened as Sango said,
"Well...I don't like to slow dance with anyone I don't know. And it was a bit unfair to leave you here for too long, I guess." Sango looked a bit embarrassed as Miroku's amused gaze held onto hers. Now this really is sweet. Sango tried to change the subject, but then a waitress came and she didn't have to. They ordered more drinks, and Rin and Sango made a couple comments about some weird dance moves they had seen on the dance floor earlier, getting a chuckle out of the guys. Eventually, another song slowed down the pace, and Miroku jumped up, grabbing Sango's hand and dragging her to the dance floor. Rin stayed seated, wanting to talk to Maru alone for a bit.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" His hand was already on her lower back again, rubbing small circles. He took a sip of his drink, and answered,
"This is probably the most fun I've had in quite a while." Rin grinned at that, glad to bring some fun into his life. Placing a hand on his knee, Rin squeezed the flesh underneath, leaning in close to whisper,
"I hope we have lots of fun together." Maru brought his hand up to hold her face close to his and suckled on her lower lip as his thumb brushed her cheekbone. Rin sighed, bringing her mouth closer to tempt him to kiss her fully. He pulled back, though, and Rin gave a little whimper,
"That's cheating..." Looking over at the dance floor, Rin sighed and tapped Maru on the arm to get his attention. Miroku was holding Sango, his hands where they ought to be, and Sango was laying her head on his shoulder, eyes closed. He really can be sweet to her sometimes. Feeling Maru's hand rubbing circles on her back again, Rin squeezed Maru's knee again. As she looked at Sango and Miroku, a mischievous smile crept to her face, and she slid her hand further up his thigh. The hand on her back stopped, but Rin's hand kept going. Though it fell short of the actual goal, it was close enough, and Rin grinned as Maru pulled her back against his chest. Shivering when she heard him say that she was cheating now, Rin set her arms on top of his, practically purring in his embrace.
When the night was winding down, Rin was nearly yawning in the car on the way back to her apartment building. Her head felt a little sloshy, and the vibrations of the car were close to putting her to sleep. She was awake enough, though, when Maru dropped her off. She was attempting to bring herself out of the car when she found Maru in front of her, wrapping his arms around her waist and hauling her up to stand.
"Are you going to need help?" Maru said, his voice low and quiet. Rin slid her palms up his arms from his elbows to his shoulders, nodding. Helping her step to the side a bit, he shut the door with a kick and locked it with a little remote, then hooked his arm under her knees. Rin laid her head against his shoulder, breathing in the cologne he had sprayed on earlier that night.
"Mmm...you smell good," Rin mumbled, needing very badly to sleep off the alcohol she had imbibed. Maru walked up to the front door, and Rin managed to pull out her key, but someone left the building right when Maru was about to use it, so they just stepped inside. Having unconsciously memorized her address, Maru knew her apartment number and climbed up to the third floor. At the end of the hall was her apartment door. Setting Rin on her feet, he kept his arms around her waist to keep her standing while she found her key and turned it in the deadbolt. He pushed open the door, remembering to pull the keys out of the lock since Rin appeared to have forgotten.
"I think I'll...be okay now. Thanks, Maru," Rin mumbled out again. Maru wasn't about to believe her and helped her into her bedroom, which was very sparingly furnished. It was clean, though, surprising for an apartment in this sort of neighborhood. Maru sat her on the bed, and took her purse away from her, setting it on the floor next to her nightstand. He pulled off her shoes and took two pins out of her hair.
"Just lie down and sleep...tomorrow's Saturday anyway. I'll call you to make sure you're okay," Maru whispered, starting to stand up. Rin clutched at his arms, though, and said,
"B-before you go..." Placing his arms around her waist, Rin opened her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him between them. She went straight for his mouth, thrusting her tongue inside. Locking her ankles behind him, Rin felt Maru fisting his hands in the bedspread behind her as she kissed him. He pressed himself close to her, answering the kiss as he brought one hand back to slide up her thigh. She squeezed her thighs against his sides, and he could feel himself reacting rather quickly to her, which brought him out of his daze pretty fast. He pulled back, holding her face in his hands, seeing her swollen lips in the semi-darkness of the room.
"You're not sober, Rin. We shouldn't do this if you're not sober. I want all of you or none at all." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, dropping her head a bit.
"You're right. Th-thanks for a good night, though." Her hands were still holding onto his shoulders, but she unlocked her ankles and set her feet on the floor.
"I'll call later in the day in case you want to sleep in...and you probably will." Standing up, he let her hands fall away from his shoulders, and she fell back on the bed.
"Sleeping sounds good right about now," she muttered. He swallowed, looking down at her. The skirt of her dress had ridden up her thighs quite a bit, and her knees were still set apart. Leaning down, he managed to get her to lie on the bed properly, and pulled a folded blanket from the bottom of the bed over her legs. He smoothed the hair away from her cheek, placing a small kiss on its soft curve, before leaning up and turning away from the bed.
"Maru?" she sighed, still awake in her bed. He turned back, looking at her.
"What is it?" he quietly asked, trying to keep his voice low.
"When I'm...sober and we...get in this situation again...wear that shirt." Looking down at the cotton black shirt he wore, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.
"Why?" he asked simply.
"So that...I can take it off of you..."