Clumsy at Love
Chapter 11: Signs of Wavering Heart
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2
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The wedding preparation is almost complete. What could be done in several months, Aunt Hinako and her team did it in a month. Akane wondered if it's because of money and connection or Aunt Hinako is just a capable wedding planner.
She stares at the beautiful, middle-aged lady in front of her with admiration. Aunt Hinako has been so kind to her. She finds ways to involve her personally in the wedding preparation process, which is surprisingly fun yet exhausting.
The lady loves chatting. She likes asking questions about her work, hobbies, and dreams. And she never criticized her answers or choices, not even once.
She also likes asking questions about Ranma and their relationship. Where and when did she meet Ranma? How did her feelings develop for him? Which thankfully not hard for her to answer because she doesn't need to lie. She heaves a sigh of relief which caught Aunt Hinako's attention.
"I'm sorry, Akane dear. Please bear with us a little longer," she said.
She responded with a kind smile and looked away. They were brainstorming over which veil to use to go together with her wedding dress.
Aunt Hinako gasps as she studies her in the new veil Nabiki put on her. "You look wonderful!" she cried.
"I do?" she asked warily while Nabiki turned her around like a rag doll.
"Of course, you do!" huffed Nabiki. "What you're wearing is my creation and certainly a work of art."
Akane rolled her eyes, looked afar, and was startled to meet a familiar pair of blue eyes.
"Nabiki, I think my work here is done. That one fits her gown perfectly." said one of Nabiki's assistants. "I'll go down and meet his groom for his tux fitting."
"But Ranma's tux fitting was scheduled yesterday." Aunt Hinako clarified.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing here?!" yelled Nabiki, hiding Akane behind her petite body.
"Uh, Ow! Sorry." Ranma stopped from advancing and turned his back on them.
"You're not supposed to see her in the wedding dress. It's bad luck," said Aunt Hinako.
"You! Why didn't you say Ranma's here?" Nabiki bellowed on her younger sister, who had yet recovered from being stunned.
"I ~ I just noticed him." she sputtered.
"Stupid fool." groaned Nabiki while Aunt Hinako went and stirred Ranma outside.
"I'm glad to see you too." he jokes as he raises his hand and waves at them.
"Why did you reschedule your tux fitting? Are you sick?" Akane heard Aunt Hinako asked.
"I'm great, Aunt," she heard him answer as the door closed. Akane then released the breath she didn't know she was holding in.
She knew she was in trouble. She had managed to avoid him in every possible way for the past three weeks, making it unlikely for him not to be pissed with her. But what can she do? Facing him is pretty exhausting for her. Each encounter with him is a mixed emotion - just a mere sight of him is making her feel mad and hurt at the same time. And noting every impeccable change of him while she remains the same poor thing makes her sad and depressed.
"You." Nabiki barked at her. "Why don't you hurry? Get out of my dress and follow them."
She quickly steps out of the dress and slowly changes back into her jeans and shirt.
But what's bothering her above all, and the very reason why she's scared of meeting him every time… is the way her heart responds with every little thing he does or says. She's worried that she might fall for him again, for which she could never allow herself to do so.
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"Schedules are made to follow. Look at what just happened." nagged Aunt Hinako as they walked down to the shop's lobby.
"I'm so sorry. There were a lot of important meetings yesterday that I..."
"Your wedding is as important as well." Aunt Hinako cut him off.
Ranma grinned, scratching his head. "So, how's the wedding preparation going?"
"Well, I'm happy to announce that we're on the right track." the lady responded happily as they approached the sitting lounge.
"Wow, that's good news," he commented, cracking another smile. Glad that he was able to change the topic.
"Akane's has been a great help. Every time I called or texted her, she responded immediately."
"Now, that's news to me," he mumbled, snatching a glance upstairs. She never answered his calls neither his text.
"And when I say great help, I mean it literally." Aunt Hinako went on excitedly, oblivious to Ranma's change of mood. "You see, she can fix cars. My car broke down on a highway, and she knew where to touch it to make it start running again. Look here..." she said while opening the red wedding binder she always carries around with her.
"I took a couple of pictures of her while she's fixing my car," she said as she handed it over for him to see.
"Mesmerizing, right? It's pretty rare to see a lady wearing a pink dress and not caring if she gets her hands all dirty."
Ranma stared at each and every picture of Akane. He always knew the fact that she was pretty even all she did was scowled at him. But seeing that determined look on her face makes her beauty even more appealing, and it's making his heartthrob oddly.
"Akane got almost everything covered except clearing up your own schedule." he heard Aunt Hinako say from the background.
"Also, you need to start planning your honeymoon. You see, Akane's too shy to suggest her honeymoon ideas." that indeed brought back his attention.
"Honeymoon ideas?" he echoed while watching his fiancée descend from the last step of the stairs.
"Yes. That's what I just said." Aunt Hinako said teasingly.
"Well, honestly... I don't think we can plan something extravagant for the honeymoon," he replied. "My hands are full for the next... four to six months, so taking a work leave anytime soon after the wedding would be difficult."
"That's a shame. I'm quite sure Akane will be disappointed if she heard that." Aunt Hinako commented.
I don't think so. His mind replied bitterly. "Don't worry. I'll make it up to her."
"And lastly, I assume you're already working on your wedding vow?"
"That... I'll soon start working on it. Hey, Nabiki... Akane." he said, acknowledging their presence. "Auntie, will you still be needing Akane after this?"
"Well, I can let her off if she wants to?" Aunt Hinako said, beaming at Akane, who's looking everywhere but them.
"Akane?" he said, calling out her attention.
Nabiki elbowed Akane. "Ranma's asking something, what are you doing?" Nabiki huffed.
Her eyes finally set on him.
"Wanna eat lunch with me?" he asked.
"My God! Of course, she does!" exclaimed Nabiki and then walked away.
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Akane busied herself scanning the magazine she picked up while waiting for Ranma to complete his tux fitting.
"Isn't Ranma Saotome so handsome?" She heard someone gush from her behind.
"Certainly. I can't believe he's more handsome in person than his photos published by the media." said another lady.
"I heard his bride-to-be is here as well, and I gathered that she's literally looked average compared to him." said another one.
Her head sagged down low in distress. They don't have to mention it. I knew it.
"Oh, really? Maybe one of us could still steal him if we would just show him ourselves." another one chirped in, followed by soft giggles.
"Let's go," her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She looked up and found Ranma standing so tall and proud in front of her.
"Look, it's him!" she heard someone gasps, making herself want to disappear. She was sure they were all staring at them right now, confirming that what they heard was true… that she was indeed an average girl compared to the gorgeous man before him. She retrieved her gaze and stared down on her lap.
"Akane," he called, but she's currently dying of embarrassment to make a move or to say anything.
"Hey." he nudged. "Are you okay? What's the problem?" he asked, squatting in front of her.
Her eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing?" she gasps. "I heard you, okay?" she spluttered then stood up.
"Done already?" she asked, returning the magazine to the rack beside her. She wished they had taken some more time doing his fitting.
"They let me go, so I guess they're done," he replied while standing up with grace.
She looked up, her eyes bulging out of its socket. Wait, wait, wait… Forgetting her previous dilemma. "Are you sure?" Her fittings took hours. No, days! How come his fittings were done in... She glanced at her wristwatch. ... 10 minutes?!
He smiled. "Yes. It's done," he assured her. "So, shall we?"
Her eyes shifted to his extended arm. "Am I supposed to take that and... hold?" she asked.
Ranma then grabbed her hand. "Yes. You're supposed to take and hold it when I offered it," he whispered. "Especially when prying eyes are everywhere."
"Oh," she uttered, glancing around. He was right. There's a lot of prying eyes indeed.
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They walked out of the shop with their hands entangled, stepped into a cafe around the bend, and ordered their food. Ranma only lets her hand go when he's about to carry their food tray.
They sat down near the entrance and ate in total silence.
"How's the wedding preparation going?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"It's going smoothly, I guess," she replied.
"Glad to hear that. So, how do you find Aunt Hinako?"
"Aunt Hinako? Fine, I guess." she had planned to make her all replies short and precise, but... "No, I mean, I love her. She's warm and kind, and sincere. The kind of sincerity you wouldn't find every day... Sometimes, even with your lifetime." she answered truthfully. "I really like her. She's the kind of person that would grow naturally in your heart without knowing it."
He smiled. "I knew you would like her," he commented, then paused. "I'm sorry if I wasn't able to help you with our wedding preparation and all. I've been busy with work lately. I have a lot to learn about the company, many people to meet, places to familiarize myself with, and documents to review. I don't even have enough time to eat and sleep, you see." he told her.
Her eyes flickered on him. It's obvious. He looked haggard with those dark circles around his eyes and bristles on the edges of his face.
"It's fine," she told him, brushing off the pity she was feeling for him.
Long silence.
Ranma suddenly laughs.
Akane stared at him as if he's gone mad.
"Sorry. I just find us and our situation rather funny."
"Funny." she quoted. "I'm sorry if you feel that way. You really should have asked Shampoo to marry you instead of the average me then maybe you wouldn't feel that way," she responded bitterly, recalling the comments she overheard earlier.
"The average you? Who said that?" he demanded, sounding upset. "And I don't mean it that way..." he clarified. "What I mean is, look at us... we'll be getting married and all, but still awkward around each other."
"What do you expect? That I'll be hovering all over you? Saying how much I miss you, or how much I love you?" she asked scornfully, this time with Shampoo all over Ranma flashing thru her head.
"Not bad." he agreed, dazzling her with his annoying smile.
"Ha-ha." she faked a laugh and rolled her eyes.
"Akane, we used to be friends... can't we go back being that way?"
"Kuno and Kodachi were right... We never really became friends. We were more enemies than friends."
"Is that why you're avoiding me?"
"I'm not."
"How come we never met for the past three weeks if you don't?"
"We've met today," she told him.
"I had a feeling that meeting you today was the only coincidence for the past three weeks."
She looked up and met his gaze. "Are you accusing me?"
"You're not answering my calls. Neither my texts. But I heard you're answering all my aunt's calls and messages."
She had an excuse for that. "Your Aunt called or texted me early in the morning. You, you called and texted me so late in the evening. Coincidentally, I wake up early and go to bed early as well."
"That explained why you couldn't answer right away. But what about in the morning, when you already read my messages?" He probed. "Now I wonder, did you even read them?"
She did. It's just... she wasn't fond of the idea of... texting back. It terrifies her... it felt like writing back.
"Am I required to answer your calls and texts?"
Sadness clouded his feature. "Do I have to require it for you to do it?" He urged but was interrupted with his phone ringing, he answered it quickly. "I'll be right there in fifteen minutes."
He looked at her. "I'm sorry, something urgent came up at the office."
"I'm fine," she mumbled, looking away, completely dismissing him.
"I'll call you later," he said, standing up and picking his car keys. "And you have to answer it," he added.
"Is that an order?"
He sighed before responding."No, I'm asking you..." his voice then softened. "Pretty, please?" he pleaded while batting his eyelashes, playfully.
Her heart skipped a beat. She looked away.
"Akane... Tendo, Akane." he sang sweetly, making her cringe in embarrassment. What is he doing?
"Okay, okay..." she grumbled. "Just hurry up and go." He beamed at her once more before turning and sprinting towards the door.
Oh, this isn't good. She moaned.