Clumsy at Love
Chapter 17: He's Ryoga, A Friend Of Mine
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2
0 ~ 0 ~ 0
The newly wedded couple arrived at the penthouse, not speaking a single word to each other.
Ranma opened the door, turned on the lights, and went straight upstairs, leaving her alone downstairs.
She went straight to her luggage sitting in the middle of the living room, which Ranma's assistant carried for her the other day, dying to change into comfortable clothes. She pulled out her favorite pair of pajamas and looked up, looking for any sign of his fake husband but none. She then started removing her clothes, but to her horror, just when she only had her undies left on her, Ranma appeared at the top of the staircase wearing a white tee-shirt and boxer shorts, staring her way. Both of them were too startled to make a move.
Ranma was the first one to recover. "Uh, sorry." He mumbled, then turned his back on her, making his way to the bathroom.
Akane swallowed hard and looked down at her naked body. At least she still had her undies on, right? She thought, trying to console herself but... "NO! It couldn't be right." Her mind screamed. He is her husband, but not for real. They were only pretending.
Akane slumped herself down at the couch after putting on her clothes. She thought that he had already retired to bed. Just like what she's dying to do! Still, you need to be extra careful you start living with him. She heard Kasumi say in her head. Ugh! She grumbled, So, this is what she meant by that.
Anyway, today is the most stressful day of her life. She is tired and badly needs a rest. With that thought, she sprawled herself on his soft and sweet-smelling couch. She sighed. "Strange, but it feels more comfortable lying here than my own bed." She muttered.
Everyone seemed happy today, including Ranma's family and her own family, while she dreaded what came next after the wedding.
But somehow, Ranma found ways to ease her stress and worries all day. When she looks uneasy, he'll ask, "are you okay?" and then tell her, "it will all be over soon." When she's unable to speak, he'll grab her hand and hold it tightly, or will put an arm around her shoulders and then squeeze it... And then melt her heart in an instant.
She didn't expect him to be so nice and supportive to her, but so far, he is. There's no hint of his annoying smirk, his not being a jerk with an ego the size of Tokyo, and he's not making fun of her, not at all.
Her thoughts then drifted to her favorite scene earlier.
0 ~ 0 ~ 0
"You may kiss the bride!" The priest announced.
She looked at him and knew her looks gave her away that she was half nervous and half frightened. But he smiled and winked at her, making her tense nerves relax a bit.
Cautiously, he took a step forward, closing the gap between their bodies. He then gently lifted her chin with his cold hand, angling her lips next to his. Her eyes fluttered as well as the butterflies in her stomach as he lowered his lips to meet hers.
Fireworks start exploding in her head as the softness and smoothness of his lips graces hers. And God... the warmth and sweetness of his breath sent her to the euphoric stage of intoxication.
When their lips parted, and she opened her eyes, it dawned on her... it's her first kiss. And it's the sweetest thing ever. She bit her lower lip as she remembered she used to dream about this moment a long time ago. Seriously, who would've thought her first kiss would still be Ranma?
0 ~ 0 ~ 0
And that's it. That's where and when it all began, him not speaking, not even looking at her at all. She wondered what went wrong. Was it the kiss? Was it that detestable for him?
She heard his bedroom door open, then close, then open again, followed by light footsteps. She closed her eyes, feigning to be asleep. As the footsteps come closer, her heartbeats come harder and faster. The footstep stopped in front of her, and felt something warm and fluffy covering her laying body.
Blanket. Ow! She's touched. She remembered to bring her favorite pillow yet forget a must. "Thank you." The words just slipped out of her lips without opening her eyes. It must've surprised him, but he didn't say a word then walked away.
0 ~ 0 ~ 0
Morning comes. Akane woke up earlier than usual. She's determined to repay Ranma's kindness in whichever way she can. So, she decided to cook him breakfast.
She heard his bedroom door opened followed by the bathroom door. She waited till he was done showering.
"Hey! Good morning." She greeted, smiling sweetly, but he just glanced at her.
"Do you want coffee?" She asked as he sat down at the dining table.
He didn't answer and just helped himself with the served food. Moments later, he started choking and coughing. Akane hurriedly goes and gets him water which he drinks till the bottoms up.
"Did you pour all the salts I've got on these eggs?" He asked angrily, still coughing.
"Huh?!" Was all she could reply. She picked up a spoon and tasted her eggs. "I'm sorry."
Ranma stood up and left her in the dining area, picking up a loaf of bread on his way out.
She's about to cry but restrained herself from doing so. What the hell is his problem? It's not like she tried to poison him, or she did it intentionally. He should have at least acknowledged her thoughts and effort. Wait, wait, wait... Is this the way he's planning to treat her after he gets what he needs from her? Is he just pretending to be gentle and kind all along?
Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing. She hurriedly goes and gets it from where she left it last night. Unfortunately, it was on the center table beside Ranma's laptop, which he was currently using. She snatched it up and answered uneasily.
"Hey." She greeted weakly. It's Ryoga.
She sat down at the end of the couch. "I'm fine, thank you." He asked if she was alright.
"I don't know. Maybe we'll just stay home. We're both tired." She replied when asked about their plan for the day.
"Okay, okay... I'll meet you soon as I'm free. Enjoy your stay anyway with or without me, okay?" She replied as she stole a glance in Ranma's way. To her horror, he was glaring at her.
"Okay. Goodbye." She said, ending up the phone call. "Its... it's my sis-."
"It says Ryoga. Your phone's beside my laptop." He retorted.
"I'm sorry." She said weakly. She felt embarrassed for trying to lie.
"I didn't know you had a boyfriend." He said wryly.
"But I don't have one. It's Ryoga. He's my friend, a longtime friend."
"Well, tell your friend to know his limitation. We're legally married. You're my wife, and I'm your husband in the eyes of everyone. The pretend thing should be kept between the two of us, or my inheritance will be jeopardized. Did he know?" He asked after picking up his things.
"No." She replied truthfully. "But he's trustworthy. He really could keep secrets."
"So you're planning to tell him?" He asked acidly.
"I'm just telling you what kind of person he is." She countered.
"I see. He's not your boyfriend, but you like him."
0 ~ 0 ~ 0
Ranma returned to his bedroom as frustrated as ever. He threw his things on the other side of the bed and slumped himself on the other side.
He's angry with Akane for entertaining that, that... another guy beside him, on their wedding day and the morning after their wedding.
He could still clearly recall the surprise and happiness on her face the moment she saw that moron come into their wedding reception. She smiled at him and hugged him tightly, completely forgetting her husband and their spectators. She humiliated him, and what makes him even angrier is it looks like she had no idea.
And she had the guts to lie for that guy, huh? He thought, gritting his teeth. And had she just confessed to him that she had this one-sided love with that guy? What a nerve she got! He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath to calm himself.