Clumsy at Love
Chapter 30: A Chance
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½
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Ranma decided to bring Akane to where they were supposed to spend their honeymoon vacation after their wedding months ago. To his mom's private island.
He personally planned everything on their itinerary.
From how they will go there.
To their delicious lunch at the edge of sandy beaches, near the sparkling water.
That they will try windsurfing, kayaking, and jet ski.
Even the wandering around the island using his parents' luxury yacht.
And that he will bring her to his favorite spot, where it's best to watch the sunset.
He had indeed carefully planned everything on this day, all the way to the highlight of the evening.
The candlelit dinner at his owned villa.
Tonight, he will apologize to her all over again, but this time will beg for her forgiveness.
He wanted to come clean to her and start with a clean slate.
He will then confess how he liked her from the beginning.
How there was never a day that passed by that he did not think of her in those years, they were apart.
And that… he likes her still.
And then, he will ask her to stop this sham marriage and be his long-life partner for real.
Deep down inside his heart, he knew that he did not have the right to do this. He was supposed to let her go when the agreed time came, but shame on him for trying to get a hold of her.
There's a big possibility that she will turn him down, but he could not help but try. Being rejected is so much better than regret.
He's not hoping things to be easy nor praying things to work out how he planned it, but he sure is hoping and praying for a littlest, faintest chance she could give.
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Akane found herself standing at the front of cabinet full of fancy ladies' clothes. "Master has personally picked all these clothes for you." said one of the ladies in uniform assisting her.
Another lady servant picked a sandy-pink beach dress out of the rack. "And he asked us to make you wear this for your dinner date."
"Dinner date?" She repeated uncomfortably. Oh, God... it's a dress... And a pink one... Her face contorts in disgust.
"Err ~ I mean, sure... Why not, right?" She withdrew, feeling the judgmental stare of her companions.
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"Done!" The ladies announced after putting their hard work on her, for like ~ forever. Ugh! She groaned inwardly, remembering the torturous moment.
She then opened her eyes and gasped in surprise, seeing the stunning lady standing in front of her, inside the full-size mirror. "Gosh! Who are you?!" She blurted out.
Gosh, the darn pink dress looked so pretty on her, and she couldn't believe it. Even her hair and makeup were done beautifully and way far from her dilemma.
"Wow!" She uttered breathlessly. "Thank you so much!"
"Our pleasure, madam." They said in unison.
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Everything is perfect. The food. The view. The atmosphere. Even her gorgeous date. And for the first time in her life, she thought she looked pretty, too.
But it seems that's not true for him… he seemed offended by the way she looked. He's been annoyingly silent since her entrance. He appeared uncomfortable just by looking at her. And it's all utterly frustrating.
Why chose her to be with him and bother to treat her like a queen if it appalled him.
She glared at Ranma, who was busy staring at his plate.
She could not believe she let herself fall for his tricks again!
But she could not vent her anger on him as usual. No, not today. She had no right. This day is about him. And this playdate thing and the role she's playing is returning a favor. Sadly, this is how he wanted to get paid.
Does hurting me worth all these extreme efforts from him?
But that doesn't mean she's gonna let this farce dragged on forever.
"Happy birthday," she said. This is the finale. She wanna get out of his face and lay on her bed.
Ranma glanced at her and mumbled, "thanks."
"Don't you want it?" She huffed. Annoyance was evident in her voice.
He looked up, confused. She glanced at the box she placed on the table.
To her frustration, he just stared at it... for a long moment.
"Ugh, never mind," she groaned, picking up the box at the same time he's picking it up too, causing her to pick his hand instead.
Their eyes both widened in shock and electric shock. They immediately took their hands back while blushing profusely.
"I was picking up the box." She clarified.
He chuckled. "I know. How could you do such a daring act and mean it?" He teased.
She snorted. "So, are we finally speaking?" She asked. He tensed.
"Whatever." She muttered, letting him go.
"Can I open it?" He asked.
"Your call, it's already yours," she replied, shrugging.
Ranma opened the box and found a rose gold watch with a black dial and black Italian leather strap.
"Sorry, I couldn't afford your brand." She told him.
"Who cares about brands?" He asked.
"You." She replied sarcastically.
"It's from you. It's a major exemption." He countered, removing his old watch from his wrist and wearing the new one.
"Huh?" She missed that one.
He looked up and met her eyes for the first time this evening. "I like it, thank you."
Her heart did a backflip. "Err ~ You're welcome, I guess." She stuttered.
What's up with that? That's cheating. He totally caught her off guard with that look. Why does he keep playing this game? The "Hey, I'm gonna make you fall in love with me whenever I feel like it" game and then I will look like a complete fool for falling for it, and then he wins. Ugh! I super hate him.
She gotta run. Now. Before she makes a fool of herself once again. "I'm tired. I would like to excuse myself." She said and then stood up.
"Good night." She added, glancing at him while walking away.
"Wait," It's Ranma, following her. She doubled her pace.
"Akane!" He called out, and she started chanting to herself. Go away, go away… Leave me alone, leave me alone…
"Akane, please?" He caught on and stood in front of her.
"What?" She spat. Now, she loses it—her famous temper.
"Are you mad?"
"I'm not! I want to rest, that's all. Is that a crime?"
"You're mad." He assessed.
She exhaled, resisting the urge to fight but felt so drained to do so.
"I'm sorry, alright? I've lost my mind earlier. You really looked beautiful, and it caught me off guard. I had to take my eyes and mind off you and take time to recompose myself. Sorry, it took the whole while for me to recover and finally say something coherent." He explained.
"Huh?" She asked, confused.
"Uh, you see, I'm only human… A man, specifically." He added, covering his eyes with his hand.
Then it dawned on her what he was trying to say and crack a smile. "You shouldn't have made me wear this ridiculous dress." She commented.
He looked up. "Are you kidding me? It's not the dress, or the hair or makeup … It's just you. I've been meaning to say this the whole night, and it's kind of stuck in my mind, and I think you really ought to know ~ " He heaved a sigh before continuing. "You're outrageously stunning tonight."
She blushed. God, he got her again. She's so easy.
"So, am I forgiven?" he asked.
She nodded once, still blushing.
"Will you please stay a little longer? I have something to give, too."
Akane chewed her lips and then nodded twice.
"Thanks, really appreciate it."
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"What's this?" She asked, intrigued. It's the first time he handed her a gift in a plain box, without a distinguished brand on its cover. "Can I open it now?"
He nodded, giving her a go.
So, she opened it. Her mouth fell wide open, staring at the box full of hair. "What's this? You're giving me a wig?" She asked, incredulous.
"That hair was yours." He replied. "I picked it up from the trash the day of my departure seven years ago. Remember, the day that you slapped my face full force?"
Of course, she remembered... How could she ever forget that day? The day Ranma departed was the very same day she cut her hair short and promised to never like a boy ever again. She couldn't believe she broke that promise with the very same boy who broke her heart back then. "Was this really mine?" She asked.
He nodded his head once again.
"But ~ why?" She couldn't understand.
"Why did I pick it up?" He asked, finishing her question. "Back then, I didn't know why. I couldn't understand why I picked it up and brought it with me. For so long, I keep ignoring that nagging question. You might think that I am a weirdo or something... because I did too, but I think I do understand now. It's because it's yours. It's a part of you. That's why. Maybe somehow, I wanted to bring a part of you with me. And it made me sad that you cut your long hair and feel that it's because of my stupidity."
"I've like you all these years, Akane... even were apart..." He confessed. There. He finally said it.
"Yeah, I've read that, and as you said, it's a thing in the past now." She retorted.
"No, I like you still." He corrected. "I take back what I said before. I do want you to forgive me and give me a chance to show you what you mean to me."
"Stop right there!" She exclaimed. She couldn't take any more than this. This is far too much for her. He's giving her a heart attack. This is so much more than she could ever dream of. Actually, it's too good to be true. She thought as suspicion started arising from deep within her.
"Wait, wait, wait..." She said, raising her palm, her eyes narrowing into thin slits. "Is this because of Shampoo?" She asked. "I heard Shampoo already married that, that ~ business tycoon ~ what was his name again? Crap, I forgot!" She groaned.
"His name is Mousse." He casually feeds.
"Right! That's his name." She agreed excitedly.
"So? What does that have to do with me?"
Akane laughs hysterically. "You think I forgot? Shampoo promised to wait for you till we divorced!"
"God, Akane. I thought I already made that clear." He groaned. "Shampoo was delusional. I never liked her, but she kept clinging onto me. You don't know how hard I tried evading her each time." He complained.
"One more thing, can we please forget that separation thing? I never want to hear it ever again. If you agree, we can revise our contract... No, how about we completely forget the contract?"
"And why would I agree to do that?" She asked. Her foolish heart started hoping for the best possible answer.
He opened his mouth and then closed it. He then took a deep breath and looked into her expecting eyes. He opened his mouth again to try to speak once more. He looked down as he started. "Uh, I don't think I can afford my parents to see their only son go through divorce and separation." He finally utters.
"Right," she agreed. "Let's just talk about this some other time, maybe... I'm dead tired now." She said and started walking away.
Judging from the look on her face, he must have given the wrong answer. But he couldn't just tell her "I love you" and that "she means the world to him," could he?