A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed. I appreciate it!

Exhale
Chapter 6: Secrets & Slip-Ups
SeverelyAlone

I jolted out of my sleep as I felt the plane shake violently. I looked around and noticed that everyone was quite calm. A quick glimpse out the window told me we had made it safely to our destination seeing as we had already landed.

I glanced over at Goten and saw that he had just woken up as well. He groggily rubbed his eyes and quietly yawned. I smiled at him and sighed, "I cannot believe we just slept through the entire flight."

"I know me neither," he yawned, "These seats are too damn comfortable." He stretched his arms out carelessly almost knocking the stewardess over as she passed. In return, he got a very angry glare from the young woman and a couple of giggles from a group of girls sitting beside us.

I couldn't help but chuckle at Goten's carelessness.

"Oops," was all he muttered.

"Great going, Goten," I laughed.

"Hey, now," he said giving me an innocent look.

"Nuh, uh. You can't pull that innocent act here, Goten," I smirked, "This is Vegas."

He laughed, "Yea, you're right." We waited as the bustling crowd of people got up from their seats and began the agonizing process of gathering their belongings from the overhead compartments. This is going to take awhile, I thought. Goten had the advantage of getting our bags together since he was seated near the aisle and he took the opportunity to get a head start on gathering our luggage. One by one he easily managed to obtain our things, and while doing so I couldn't take my eyes off of him. It seemed like no matter what Goten was doing, my thoughts of him were never far behind.

I snapped out of my trance as I seen his intriguing reaction. "What?" he asked curiously but with a smile. I was caught off guard by this because surely he knew I had just been staring at him. Oh my Kami, what do I say?!, I screamed silently. He stood over me with his hands resting against the overhead compartment waiting for me to answer. I shook my head, "Oh, uh, it's n-nothing. Goten. I was… I was just…" my voice trailed off as my mind went blank. Oh, shit, I thought.

His grin grew into a smirk, "Were you just gawking at me, Bra Briefs?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

I sat up in my seat wide-eyed trying to take in the fact that I had just humiliated myself. Oh, Kami. Oh Kami, I kept saying to myself. I felt like my heart had just jumped into my throat, and I began to silently breathe rapidly. I'm about to have an anxiety attack, I need to get off this plane. I darted my eyes away from Goten and scanned the aisle. It was still clearing up.

"You were, weren't you?" he said as he hit me lightly on the arm. Before he even had time to say he was just kidding, I grabbed my bags and squeezed past him. As I quickly picked up my pace, I could hear Goten's laughter slow to a stop.

"B, where are you going?" I heard him yell. He had lost the comicalness in his voice, and was now being completely serious. I shoved past a few of the remaining people in the aisles, receiving some rude comments as I did. But I wasn't really worried about what those people had to say about me. All I could think about was the way I had just been mortified. I knew I was blowing this whole thing out of proportion, but I couldn't help but be upset by it. So I did the first thing I could think of, I ran.

oOoOoOo

I stood there as I watched Bra swiftly disappear from my sight. A feeling of guilt washed over me as I realized I had obviously embarrassed her with my mockery. After picking up my bags, I followed Bra's trail that she had recklessly made through the crowd.

I reached the entrance of the airplane and yelled to her, "Bra, wait! I didn't mean it!" She slowed to a stop and whirled around as I ran up to her. Her gaze wasn't directed at me. It was then that I realized she had taken what I had said to heart.

She couldn't possibly think I was being serious could she? Unless.. She really was gawking at me, I thought. Oh, Kami, she was. A million thoughts began to run through my head. Does that mean she actually likes me? What am I going to do? I like her too, but.. WAIT! No, bad Goten. She's your best friend's little sister. You don't like her, you love Paris. The atmosphere began to suffocate me with the overwhelming intensity of the thoughts that were circulating through the both of our heads.

I was about to say something to break the awkwardness between us until she looked up at me and shook her head. "Look, Goten. I just needed to get off the plane. All that flying just really got to my head, ya know?"

I knew she was trying to cover up for herself, and I was well aware that she did not want me to push the subject. So I didn't. I let it go. Though it really did bother me, not knowing. A part of me was actually happy at the fact that she had taken an interest in me, but another side of me knew that it was wrong to think about her that way because I was with Paris.

But I knew deep down that if Paris wasn't my girlfriend, I wouldn't be having these doubts. I would be with her in a heart beat. However, I could never tell her this because I feared I would lose her as a friend. And my relationship with her was the one that mattered the most.

I sighed, "Yea, I know what you mean. I'm feeling a little jet-lagged myself." We stood in each other's presence not really knowing what to say. It had never been so hard to find the words to say before, but a lot had changed between us with that one accidental kiss.

I tousled the top of her head only to make her gorgeous, cerulean tresses a disheveled mess. I somehow managed to get her to flash me those beautiful pearly whites of hers, and I knew everything would be okay. For now, at least. I didn't forget that we would be spending two whole nights in Las Vegas so who knew what events could follow.

After we both made sure we had all of our things, we took off in search of a cab. Unbeknownst to Bra, we would be staying at the Las Vegas Hilton, which was one of the nicest hotels, not only in Vegas, but in the world. I could not wait to see her face once we arrived.

We finally found a cab and climbed in. I leaned forward to whisper our destination to the cab driver. He complied with a nod, and took us on our way. I plopped back in my seat with Bra. She looked at me confused, knowing that I was specifically not telling her where we would be going. She arched an eyebrow at me.

"So, what hotel will we be staying at, Goten? I never bothered to ask before, but now I'm kind of curious," she asked quizzically.

All I did was smirk, "You'll see." She sunk back in her seat and sighed. She slowly crossed her arms as she shook her head irritably. Bra faintly smirked letting me know she was only kidding. I slowly draped my arm over her shoulder, and she laid her head against me. A flashback popped into my head as I remembered the flight over and the angelic way she had looked when she slept. Memories of her began flooding my mind as I began to slip away from reality. I began to wonder if I could possibly be falling for my best friend, if that was at all likely. I shook the thought from my mind as our cab arrived along the Las Vegas Strip.

"This place is incredible, Goten," I heard her mutter as she took in the sight of all that Las Vegas had to offer. Once the cab driver turned off the strip and onto Paradise Road, I knew my little surprise would be blown. The Hilton would be in plain sight for her to see. So I did the only thing I could think of, I quickly covered her eyes.

"Hey, Goten!" What are you doing?" she asked frustratingly. She tried to pull my hand away from her eyes. But it was no use.

"It's a surprise, B. Just wait, we are almost there," I stated reassuringly.

Bra smiled. I knew she was a sucker for surprises, and she would not want to ruin it. The traffic was heavy; however, it wasn't long before our cab pulled alongside the Hilton. I slowly removed my hand from her eyes. She looked up at me, and I nodded toward her window. She followed my gaze, and was completely surprised. I couldn't see her expression, but I heard her gasp lightly.

She turned around and gaped at me in disbelief, "Goten, The Hilton?!" I nodded and grinned. She eagerly hugged the hell out of me, and quickly flung open the door hauling her bags along with her. I was glad to see she was overly excited. I knew she would enjoy this trip more than Paris would have if she had came instead. Even though Paris was fun to be around, she never showed much excitement over anything. It was as if there was nothing in this world she had not seen or experienced, which made it very uneasy for me to impress her when I wanted to.

I handed the cab driver his well-deserved cash and thanked him for the drive. Bra was still excited over the fact that we would be staying in the Hilton, and I couldn't blame her. It was an incredible place. I could only imagine what the inside looked like.

"C'mon, Goten!" Bra yelled as she headed for the entrance. She tilted her head as she waited by the doors urging me to come along.

I laughed, "I'm coming, B!" I quickly caught up with her not wanting to miss out on all the excitement. As we entered the hotel, I could not believe my eyes. I had seen pictures, but nothing had prepared me for this. It was amazingly beautiful, and I found myself at a loss for words. I looked up at the enormous chandelier hanging in the lobby. There was no telling how much money had went into renovating this hotel. It must have cost a fortune, I thought.

After a few minutes of admiring the hotel, Bra and I checked in and headed to the 12th floor on which we would be staying. We stepped out of the spacious elevator when we came upon our floor, and began roaming the halls for the suite I had somehow managed to book. It had been pure luck. It was unbelievable how packed this place was year-round.

Bra and I continued walking down the long corridor until we found ourselves at the door of our room. I slid the keycard through the electronic lock, and watched as the tiny light turned green allowing us to enter. I looked back at Bra, and saw her become extremely giddy.

"This is it," I said as I pushed open the door.

We dropped our bags by the door and journeyed off to take a tour of the hotel room.

"Wow, everything looks so expensive," I said as I ran my fingers along the tarnish-free table in the living room area. "I didn't realize it would be so elegant."

"Yea, I've never been in a hotel this nice," Bra said dreamily. She walked into the bathroom as I decided to head into the sleeping quarters.

I walked into the bedroom and long behold, I had forgotten. "Bra, um, I kind of, forgot something," I nervously shouted.

"What did you forget, Goten?" she said as she entered the room. She looked at my facial expression and followed my gaze to the bed. The bed, as in one bed. I had forgotten all about the sleeping arrangements I had booked. And it had never once crossed my mind until now. Looks, like we'll be sharing a bed together, I thought.

I sighed, "Oh, man." I put my hands behind my head and lowered my head. How could I have forgotten. I must seem like a real jerk.

"I'm sorry, Bra. I completely forgot," I said while removing my hands from their resting place. I was almost too ashamed to look her way and see the dazed expression I knew would be plastered on her face.

Bra giggled, "It's okay, Goten, really. It was an honest mistake." She walked over and threw herself onto the left side of the bed. I was surprised to see how calm she was reacting to the whole situation. Knowing she was okay with my mishap took a lot of guilt off my shoulders. She stretched her arms out and yawned loudly.

"See, Goten. It's not that bad. We'll have lots of room," she stated reassuringly.

I walked around to the right side of the bed and plopped down next to her. "Yea, I guess you are right." I laid down and stared up at the ceiling. For a second, I thought Bra had fallen asleep on me, but my observations suggested she was just resting her eyes. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand. The bold, blue letters read 4:03.

The hotel room was almost completely silent; however, I could hear the quiet hum of the air conditioner which surprisingly didn't seem to be too bothersome. In fact, it was sort of relaxing. The silence was quickly interrupted as my stomach growled loudly.

Bra laughed and her beautiful blue eyes fluttered open. She sat up. "What do you say we get some food? I'm starving too," she smiled.

"That sounds fantastic," I bolted up. "Hey, B? Why don't you grab your camera and we can go do some sight-seeing while we're out," I suggested. Bra always brought her camera everywhere. I could swear that it was almost attached to her body. Photography was the only thing she really had a passion for, and man was she good at it.

Bra beamed with excitement at the mention of my proposal. "That's a great idea, Goten! I bet I can get some killer photos here." She got up and ran into the living room area. I quickly pursued Bra not wanting to miss a minute being with her. She grabbed her expensive camera off the living room table, and we headed out the door.

oOoOoOo

Trunks, Marron, Ubuu, and I were gathered around in a little booth at the nearest restaurant. After the movie had ended, we all decided to grab a bite to eat and catch up on old times.

"So, what do you think Bra and Goten are doing right now?" I asked Trunks as I slurped on my extra-large strawberry milkshake.

"Each other," he laughed with sarcasm. Ubuu almost choked on his soda as he heard Trunks's reply. Marron snickered at the sight of Ubuu's response.

"Haha, very funny," I said sarcastically, "No, really? Do you think they are having a good time? They seemed pretty awkward before they left."

"I am sure those two are having a blast. They're in Vegas! It's practically one big party over there," he laughed.

I smiled up at him and looped my arm through his. I laid my head against his shoulder. "I sure hope so," I replied. I shivered as a woman walked in, letting the cold, winter air breeze through.

"Well, at least we know they are enjoying the weather there. It's freezing here," said Marron. Ubuu took her comment as a sign to draw her closer to him, and he did. I smiled at the two. They made an adorable couple. They had only been going out for four months, but everyone knew they were made for each other.

"Hey, Pan. You said Bra and Goten were being awkward around each other. What did you mean by that?" asked Marron as she stirred her chocolate shake with her straw.

"Well, they've been acting really weird around each other for a couple weeks," I said carefully. I did not want to give out any details of what Bra and I had seen last weekend. But leave it to Trunks to be the one to blab.

Trunks laughed, "Yea, right. You know damn well why Bra is acting so strange around him."

Marron became intrigued with our conversation. She shoved her milkshake out of the way and leaned over the table. "Oh, oh. Spill!" she said excitedly. Ubuu continued to slurp on his cherry soda, but was all ears to what I had to say.

I elbowed Trunks in the side and glared at him angrily. "What?" he asked innocently.

I shook my head and sighed, "Okay, you promise you guys won't say anything?" I had to make sure word wouldn't get out to Goten. That would be horrible.

"We promise," the couple said in unison.

I carefully leaned over the table, glancing around to make sure no one was around. "Last weekend when Bra and I went to the mall, we saw Paris there with another guy," I whispered.

"Whoa, are you serious?" asked Ubuu sounding rather concerned for his friend.

"Yea," I said sadly.

"Are you sure this guy wasn't just a friend or something?" Marron loudly whispered.

"Well, if you consider holding hands and making out in public a friendly gesture, then yea, I suppose they are just friends," I answered.

"I can't believe she would do that to Goten. He's too sweet for that bullshit," she said heatedly.

"Have you guys not told him yet?" Ubuu asked trying to calm Marron down.

"No, Bra's going to tell him once they get back from their trip. She didn't want to put a damper on his fun."

"Poor guy," Marron said miserably, "He's going to be beyond heartbroken."

We all sat silently wondering how Goten would react to the devastating news. We all knew Marron was right. He would be heartbroken. I only hoped that Bra would be the one to repair the damage. Ubuu cleared his throat loudly.

"So," began Ubuu, "when are you guys going to get engaged?" he asked Trunks.

I blushed at his question, but was more curious to hear what Trunks's answer would be. He glanced down at me and smiled, "Really soon." I smiled up at him and was glad he didn't hesitate. Looking into his eyes, I knew it was a sure thing.

"Well, I guess we should be going then," said Marron, "It's almost midnight, and I have to work in the morning." We got up from our booth, and laid our joint tip on the table.

"Alright, we'll see you guys later, take care." Trunks grabbed my hand softly, and I squeezed his firmly.

"So, are you staying at my place tonight?" he asked curiously.

"You bet," I giggled. He draped his arm around my waist as we took off in the direction of his car.

oOoOoOo

It was six minutes past ten o'clock, and Bra and I had just got in from seeing the Barry Manilow show. Our day was filled with numerous activities, and we were extremely exhausted.

I kicked off my shoes and threw myself onto the bed. I was completely drained of my energy. The day had been long, and it sure took its toll, but I wasn't the least bit tired. I wish I hadn't slept the whole plane ride here, I thought.

Bra sat on the edge of the bed and carefully took off her shoes, placing them next to her things. She got up and stretched. "I'm going to take a quick shower," she smiled.

"Alright, I need to take one after you," I stated, "I'm going to check out what's on TV."

"Ok, I'll be back in ten." She picked up a few of her things, and was off to the bathroom.

I picked up the little silver remote from the nightstand and turned on the television. I must have spent fifteen minutes just flipping through the channels because no sooner did I find a suitable station did she emerge from the bathroom. Her hair was still wet, but she quickly changed that once she flared her ki a bit.

"Your turn," she said politely. She grabbed the remote, turned the volume up on the television, and made herself comfortable on the bed. I could tell she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. I grabbed a few things and went straight into the bathroom. As soon as I walked through the door, I could smell the sweet scent of Bra's shampoo. Kami, how am I suppose to sleep tonight, I thought. That aroma was enough to make any guy go crazy.

I hurriedly took a shower to escape her overwhelming scent. I joined Bra once again in our hotel bedroom. She was plopped down in the middle of the bed watching the movie I had left on.

"Hey," she said happily. Hmm, she sure is all smiles tonight, I thought to myself.

"Hey, B. Are you tired yet?" I asked.

"No, but I'm getting there." She patted the bed indicating for me to sit by her. And I did. We sat there for a little while neither of us saying anything. We watched the movie wondering what was on the other's mind. Bra was the first to break the silence.

"So, have you talked to Paris today?" she asked curiously.

"No, I haven't," I said sadly.

"Oh," she whispered.

"She's probably busy anyway," I sighed, "She hardly ever has any time to pick up her phone and call me anymore. I can't even remember the last time we had an actual phone conversation."

I shifted uncomfortably. I never really liked talking about Paris. It always made me uneasy now. She just wasn't around anymore. In the past, she was all I could ever talk about, but as the years came and went, so did my fascination with her. It wasn't that I didn't love Paris anymore. I still loved her dearly, but the question was, did she still love me? That was the question I had been asking myself a lot lately. No one really knew our relationship was falling apart because I did my best to hide it. But deep down I knew we wouldn't last forever. Maybe Vegeta was right, I thought.

"I'm sorry, Goten," Bra said barely above a whisper.

"It's okay," I smiled. I decided to reverse the subject on her,

"So, have you found yourself a boyfriend yet?" I asked her mischievously. Her cheeks blushed a light red, and I could tell my inquiry was making her tense.

"No," she quietly said.

"Why not?" I asked. "There are a million guys that would love to date you." I laughed playfully hitting her arm.

"The one I love is already taken," she stated softly. She never tore her gaze away from the television. I leaned forward to look her in the face. Her eyes grew big with realization. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. Her blush grew considerably darker with humiliation.

"You never told me you loved anyone," I sighed. "Why didn't you tell me? Who is he?" I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of her newfound love interest. What else wasn't she telling me? She looked me straight in the eyes and got lost in pools of black. She worriedly pulled her gaze away and said, "I'm tired, Goten. I just want to go to sleep right now."

She inched her way to the end of the bed and gradually crawled under the covers. I did the same, no questions asked. I turned off the bedside lamp. The room was still lit up with the television's dim glow, and I could faintly see the outline of her body.

oOoOoOo

I silently cursed myself, Kami, Bra, you need to learn to keep your thoughts to yourself! How could I slip up like that? I'll never live that down.

I rolled over on my side and faced Goten. He was just about to turn the television off when he looked at me.

"Goodnight, Goten," I whispered softly.

"Goodnight, B," he smiled. I heard a click, and the room fell pitch black.

----------------------------

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in about a month. I've been working on putting this story together. It has to be perfect or I'll beat myself up about it. / Anyways, I actually did a lot of research on the Las Vegas Hilton because I wanted this to sound believable. I'll try to update soon. If you want to know when the next chapter will be out, you can always check my profile because I update my 'update' section every other day. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Oh, and I'm sorry there isn't a lot of the other couples right now. You'll see more of them later, I promise!