A Cup of Lust, Beauty and Affairs
Summary:Taichi, a photographer and artist fascinated by the beauty of the world, becomes captivated by the beauty of a customer at his parent's coffee shop. Innocent desires soon blaze into an unforgettable, insatiable affair. (Taito)
D-Angel: Hola you sexy people :) Another chapter here to fuel your lust for Tai x Yama. As always with this story, I shall quickly respond to the reviewers;
a chromatic scale - Bwahaha, I know xD Just wait until you read this chapter, drama ahoy!
PinkBrideGoneBad -Ahh nooo, you've gotta sleep! Just incase it takes me another 5 years to complete this story (I really hope it won't take that long... I need to start working on my novel ideas, lol). Hope you love this chapter!
VK Tatsuya - Bah I know, damn Makoto! Maybe I'll redeem him, who knows? Have a feeling you'll like this chapter anyways, just for the drama :3
xxPig in a Pokexx - You've got that right ;)
Roman - Haha, it's something I try not to make a habit of doing... Cliffhangers can be seen a cheap writing tactic when used too often, lol. Hope this chapter was worth the wait.
Angelfish369- Yeah, it's great be able to use both my legs again, although I'm still on crutches and what not. Been told that long bones (such as the fibula) take months to fully heal :( But... Yeah, Seiji's fun :D As for Naoko, he wasn't originally going to be the drummer of Yama's old band, I had some other character lined up. Naoko won me over though, I thought it would be interesting to throw a character like him into the mix instead. Oh, and Sora... Yeah, you're about to find out what she has to say to Tai ;)
Cornkix - Not going to lie, I have been partly influenced by NANA. Love the anime :) Personality-wise, my Takumi is different than the one in NANA... I'll be showing more of this later on in the story :D Happy readings to you ;)
Kai21 - Thank you so much for your words of support (for both my story and ankle). Taichi as a photographer... Yeah, it's interesting, and it actually works well somehow :) A joy to write. And no, you're not seeing things, I do try and use Taichi's perspective to give an insight into the enigmatic world of Yamato's.
That's all for now, read on and enjoy :)
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Chapter 13- Torn
'That's what's going on, nothing's right, I'm torn'
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The journey into town was vague and foggy; my mind had gone into complete lockdown, and each step I took seemed to feel heavier than the last. I reached the sushi bar Sora and I had agreed to meet at fifteen minutes early and ordered myself some food at the counter, whilst stealing anxious glances towards the door every time I heard it open.
I carried my food and a bottle of water to the table at the back of the establishment and seated myself. After glancing at my watch, I poked the boxed onigiri in front of me with my chopsticks, before convincing myself to at least stomach one of them before Sora arrived.
My teeth had just sunk into the beef filling when Sora came hurrying into the building, the hood of her coat pulled over her head- little droplets of rain trickling down the material of the coat itself. Tugging off her hood, I realised she had changed her hairstyle since I'd last seen her; her bright red hair had been shaved on one side (a heart had been cleverly crafted into the stubble), whilst she had left the rest of her shiny locks dangling just above her shoulder. It appeared she wasn't afraid of change, or standing out from the crowd.
Sora's eyes met mine as she strode across the laminated floor, the heels of her boots clicking ominously against the surface in time to the beat of my heart until she reached my table and sat down on the seat opposite me with a flustered expression on her youthful face. I awaited her screams of accusation, which would be most likely followed with a hearty slap across my face.
"Started to rain the moment I set foot out the hairdresser's," she muttered as she dug into her bag and pulled out a half-filled bottle of water, "typical."
I tried to hold back my bemusement as she took a giant swig from her water bottle and wiggled out of her coat, hooking it onto the back of her chair. This definitely hadn't how I had pictured things to start out; I thought she had called me here to confront and kill me for sleeping with her husband-to-be. Maybe I was in the clear after all?
"I think Yamato's cheating on me."
Or maybe not.
"R-really?" I replied, not too sure how to act; concerned Sora would just see straight through me - I was so convinced that she knew - her upfront behaviour was certainly playing on my paranoia. I picked up another onigiri with my chopsticks, trying to act inconspicuous as Sora looked back up at me, as if to show her that I knew it wasn't really any of my business, and that I was feeling uncomfortable.
Sora nodded as I chewed on my food; she had her fingers wrapped around the bottle of water, and her other hand was fiddling with her engagement ring which her eyes seemed to be focused on. As the silence dragged on my stomach was threatened to bring back up the food I had swallowed. I'd wondered why she wasn't pointing her finger at me, but now, as she looked up into my eyes, I started to think that she wanted me to confess the truth. Reaching for my water, I noticed my hand was shaking. I couldn't let her see, so I quickly hid it underneath the table.
"Who do you think it is?" I figured there was no harm with playing dumb, it was the safest option at this stage. At worst she would just call me out for being a pathetic scumbag as well as a home wrecker.
"Mimi-chan," she announced bluntly. "I saw her having lunch with Yamato yesterday whilst I was in town on my lunch break. She kissed him on the cheek." Sora's voice faltered as she mentioned the kiss, her nails- coated in flaked dark blue nail polish- scratched against the label on her water bottle
"Wait, what?" I leant forwards, my eyes wide with disbelief and my pounding heart leapt straight into my throat. The first thought that fired into my skull was why had Mimi met with Yamato without telling me? It must have been a secret 'Mimi project', nothing to do with seducing him though; I knew her all too well. Hurting people, no matter who they were, wasn't her style.
"You didn't know?" Sora tilted her head to side slightly, her eyes clouded with intrigue when I shook my head. I should have felt elated that I wasn't the one Sora suspected, yet I was now concerned that Sora thought Mimi was the culprit. As much as the situation was in my favour, I couldn't allow Mimi to take the blame for something that was my responsibility.
"I was hoping that you knew something, that's why I asked you to meet with me." A saddened look haunted her face as her eyes gazed into mine. "You're close to Mimi, right?"
"Yeah, but I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding; she would never do a thing like that!" The words poured out from my mouth uncontrollably; I could feel the muscles in my body spasm, my throat constricting. "And Yamato," I quickly added, my quivering hand reaching out towards my neglected chopsticks, "I doubt he'd hurt you like that."
Lying through my teeth, something I was usually good at. I hoped that would be enough to convince Sora that Yamato wasn't doing the dirty, then I could work out how to ease my way out of the mess I had stumbled into. However, my words, and my hope for persuading her otherwise, shattered right before my eyes as she chuckled somewhat uneasily, and stared back down at her engagement ring.
"It's not the first time he's been unfaithful," she revealed, tapping her fingers together.
I must have looked like someone had whacked me across the face; my hand hovered awkwardly over my chopsticks and my lips parted in surprise, like a gormless fish. Yamato had betrayed Sora before? I'd never pictured him as the cheating sort, quite ironically. I thought I was the first person he had ever been unfaithful with; he seemed to carry just as much guilt as someone who knew no better.
Finding out that he had been in a band with Takumi, and now this. Seems like I didn't know him at all.
"It's hard to believe, I'm sorry I had to tell you, especially like this…" Sora trailed off as she studied my perplexed expression, then took a deep breath in. "I know he's your friend; it's just been driving me crazy! Up until a few weeks ago he kept coming home at ridiculous hours of the morning, smelling of wine."
Sora ran her fingers through her fringe and briefly pursed her lips together. I envisioned her laying in bed, pretending to be asleep as Yamato came creeping into the room, stripping off his clothes before sliding underneath the covers besides her, his wine-soaked breath toying against her skin as he slipped his unfaithful arms around her.
"Have you confronted him?" A fair enough question, if she thought she had enough evidence then it was fair enough if she had pulled him up on it. I wondered what his reaction would have been?
"No, part of me still wants to trust him. The past few weeks have been fine, but after seeing him with Mimi-chan yesterday I…. I just don't know anymore."
A haunted look danced in the irises of her eyes and my stomach muscles tightened once again. This was the damage I'd been causing; unwanted stress and anxiety to a blameless young lady, all because I desired the man she was engaged to. I owed her something. However, I wasn't prepared to admit that I was the one who'd been having sex with Yamato (it would have been suicide). The very least I could do was offer her reassurance.
"Takenouchi-san, if it'll help I'll talk to Mimi about the kiss thing," I promised as I folded the lid flap back over on my onigiri box, "but I thoroughly doubt she's guilty for doing anything else."
"Thanks, Taichi-san." There was a small glint of hope manifesting in the depths of her eyes. Her hand slipped off the table and I watched in intrigue as she pressed it against her stomach. Having not seen her eat I assumed she was hungry so I gestured towards the onigiri box with my eyes.
"Feel free to help yourself."
Sora seemed taken aback by my offer; she blinked several times in quick succession before she shook her head.
"Oh, no, I need to get back to the salon." My abdomen twisted in guilty knots as she stood up and put on her coat, then scooped her water bottle back into her bag. She then took one final glance at me, smiling limply. "I really hope it isn't Mimi… but if it isn't her then I have no idea who he is sleeping with."
Sora's boots clacked once more against the floor as she walked away after bidding me farewell. Before she reached the door she tugged her hood over her head, preparing for the rain that was still lashing down heavily outside. Not once did she look back to shoot a look of accusation or suspicion at me.
My throat still felt dry even after I had downed the contents of my bottle of water. Although I was grateful that Makoto hadn't told her the truth yet, I couldn't rule out the possibility that he could eventually reveal it to her. Perhaps staying away from Yamato had done me some favours.
Sliding my chair back, I reached into my coat pocket, my fingers looping around a particular key dangling off my camera shaped key ring, I knew where my next destination would be.
Needless to say, Mimi was annoyed that I had entered her flat whilst she was at work.
"How the hell did you even get in here?" she demanded to know as she marched over to the sofa I was lounging across.
"With that spare key you said I might as well keep," I reminded, twirling my set of keys around my index finger. Mimi's brow crinkled as she pouted. I groaned out in pain as she temporarily winded me by dropping her oversized and overfilled handbag straight onto my chest. Once recovered, I sat up as Mimi lurked over me, arms folded across her chest.
"Taichi, I've had a very stressful day, I would like a little bit of time to R and R with some bad TV and a large glass of vino."
"Could you grab me a glass too?" I requested, leaning back against Mimi's plush sofa, stretching my arms above my head and kicking my legs out in front. Mimi thumped her foot against the floor and huffed loudly. It was easy to irritate her, and I knew she hated me for doing so; however, as much fun as it was winding her up, I had to focus on the reasons why I had come here.
"Meems, why did you meet up with Yamato for lunch yesterday?"
Almost instantaneously Mimi's face paled.
"H-how did you know?" she asked, before she placed her hand over her mouth and swore quietly. Obviously she hadn't intended to tell me , maybe planning just to keep it a secret between her and Yamato, which naturally only fed my curiosity regarding what they had spoken about.
"Sora, she saw you with him, and she saw you kiss him on the cheek," I revealed, adjusting my sitting position so my hands were resting on my knees.
"Shit," Mimi cursed.
"She thinks you're the one sleeping with Yamato."
"What? Just because I kissed him? I kiss most people on the cheek, you know that," Mimi protested, her crossed arms now pressed protectively against her body.
"Yeah, but Sora doesn't know," I pointed out the issue at hand. Mimi started to gnaw on her lower lip - for a moment I was concerned she was about to start crying.
"He invited me to lunch," Mimi blurted out, before pacing across the living room towards the window on the far side. She flicked on the lampshade besides her then tugged the curtains shut.
"Oh?"
"I'll go crack open a bottle of wine." Mimi hurried into the kitchen as I raised an eyebrow out of suspicion. I never liked it when she acted all secretive and evasive, but I knew she would reveal all to me after a couple glasses of wine.
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11.15pm, I stumbled out of Mimi's apartment, struggling to walk. I had planned on staying the night, but a call from Yamato saying he was outside my apartment had changed that. I told him to stay put and vowed I would be with him as soon as possible.
Clambering into the taxi parked up outside, I regretted not buying any chewing gum, my breath stank of stale wine. After sharing almost three bottles of the stuff with Mimi, it was no wonder why. Mimi had unfortunately obtained another taste in her mouth, besides the wine. After holding back her hair in the bathroom as she spewed her guts up, I had set her up in her bed with a bottle of water (much safer than a glass), a piece of toast, and a washing-up bowl, just in case.
Before that we had shared quite the conversation. It turned out that Yamato had wanted Mimi's advice regarding the situation between him and me, which is why he had proposed they have lunch together. Apparently, as an outsider, she could supposedly offer a non-biased opinion on what would be the best thing to do.
"I was honest," Mimi explained as she ran her fingers up and down the stem of her wineglass, "I told him that he already had what most people dreamed off; someone who loved them and wanted to be with them forever - so it would be a waste for him to throw it all away because of a fling."
Her words stung; I gulped down what was left in my wineglass, then reached for the bottle.
"Why are you getting involved in all this?" I growled, sloppily re-filling my glass - some of the wine splashing onto my jeans and onto the floor.
"Because that's what good friends do." Mimi snatched the bottle from my hands and topped up her drink. A frown was present on her brow as she screwed the lid back on tightly. "Especially when you don't listen to them in the first place."
I suppose Makoto was doing the same thing as Mimi (only in a much harsher way). He must have really cared for Yamato and Sora. Still, it was no excuse for Makoto to try and force me to end it with Yamato, just because it was what he wanted.
"As much as I appreciate the gesture, please just let me make my own mistakes," I sighed, rubbing my thumb against my temple.
"No, not when other people are gonna get hurt as a result," Mimi stubbornly stated, lifting her glass up to her pouting lips. She spoke again before taking a sip. "It's only a matter of time before Sora finds out the truth."
My grip tightened around my own glass; I knew that, eventually, I would have to make the sacrifice of letting go of Yamato, especially if I didn't want things to turn messy. Despite acknowledging this, a horrible part of me wished I could hold onto him for eternity.
I stirred from my thoughts as the taxi slowed and pulled over. Handing the driver a couple of crumpled notes to cover the fare, I clambered out from the vehicle my vision rocking from side to side as I headed up the pathway to my apartment block entrance, concentrating hard to avoid falling into the flowerbeds and bushes either side of me.
A rush of triumph pumped through me when I reached the door without falling over. Resting one hand against the intercom panel, I dipped the other into my pocket to search for my key fob. My body jolted in shock when the door was pulled opened from the other side and an arm looped around mine, tugging me into the warmth of the lobby.
I caught one whiff of Yamato's delectable scent and was utterly at his whim. Hungry lips pressed against my own as he pulled me up against him, his tongue tasting me and the lingering remnants of wine. A daring grin played on his sexy face when he finally pulled away whilst I stood there in a drunken daze; his hand held onto mine and upstairs we went.
The predictable would have occurred; he had me pinned on the sofa, his shirt was hanging off one of his shoulders - like in the photographs - as he kissed me and slipped his hand into my trousers. A blissful sensation rocked through my body as he stroked me, his lips brushing against my neck - teeth lightly grazing against the skin. I moaned deeply into his shoulder and closed my eyes.
"It's not the first time he's been unfaithful." Sora's glum face popped into the midst of my dirty thoughts, I felt my stomach turn as my eyes snapped back open. Panic took over; I shoved Yamato with such force that he tumbled off me and fell onto the floor with a small thud, fortunately missing by a few inches the coffee table. His eyes gleamed with surprise as he sat himself up.
"Ouch," he said, more for effect than out of any personal pain (he hadn't fallen very far at all). Before he could question my random act of abuse, I leapt to my feet and sprinted to the bathroom, just in time to empty the contents of my stomach out into the toilet. Yamato was soon kneeling by my side, his hand rubbing my back in a soothing circular motion until I had retched up the last of the bile my gallbladder had to offer.
Yamato dabbed my lips with a damp flannel and I apologised profusely, then he helped me to my feet and placed an arm around my waist to support me.
"Here, let's get you some water."
I leant against the kitchen counter thankful that the room was no longer wildly spinning whilst Yamato stood at the sink, holding a glass under the stream of water gushing out from the tap. Once filled, he handed the glass to me.
"Small sips," he instructed as I started to hastily gulp down the tasteless liquid like it was something I had been deprived of for weeks. I ignored him, allowing the last drop to slide down my throat within a matter of seconds. My sensitive stomach churned slightly, but I concentrated on my breathing to stop myself from throwing up again.
Yamato handed me the glass back once he had refilled it, stressing once more that I should take small sips from it.
'I used to be in a band with him, The Teenage Wolves.' Naoko's voice echoed in my head as the wet object slipped out of my fingers and crashed to the floor, smashing into pieces as the liquid splashed against both our trousers. As I staggered back, my legs failing to support me, Yamato wrapped his arms around me to stop me from falling over.
"Shit, I can't leave you like this," I heard him murmur under his breath as I rested my head against his shoulder, and he brushed his fingers through my messy hair. I would have felt relaxed, if it wasn't for a certain black haired rock star tainting my thoughts. The words flew out from my lips before I could stop them.
"You know Takumi, don't you?"
I felt Yamato's body seize up in an instance.
"What?"
"You were in a band with him," I continued to mumble, feeling it was needless to repeat myself. His arms were no longer wrapped around me, but my body was still leant against him.
"Who told you?" His breathing appeared to be laboured, like he had just ran up several flights of stairs.
"Naoko," I revealed.
"Naoko?" Yamato started to take a step backwards, warily increasing the distance between us. "How the hell did you…"
He let out a yelp of pain, quickly hopping back towards me standing on just his left leg, the right foot elevated slightly off the floor. Managing to maintain his balance with one hand gripping onto the kitchen work surface, he lifted his foot with his other hand and investigated the sole of his foot. He'd cut himself on the glass, blood had started to soak through his white cotton sock, and the stain was seemingly increasing by the second.
"Wait there!" I announced, my words slurred. As I pushed my body away from the counter I had resorted to leaning against - after Yamato had decided to deprive me of his support - I was about to rush… sorry, stumble to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit tucked away in one of the cabinets, but Yamato grabbed my wrist, yanking me away from the puddle of glass and water I was about to step right into.
A grunt of discomfort escaped from his throat as he staggered backwards onto his injured foot, not anticipating my body to completely fall against his. Still feeling dizzy I managed to push away from him and steadied myself by holding onto the counter, feeling bad once more for hurting him unintentionally.
I snatched a dishcloth, which was crumpled by the sink in easy reach, and told Yamato to sit down on the floor (obviously away from the glass). Due to my drunken state when I went to join him I crashed down heavily next to him, probably hard enough to bruise my ass cheeks, but I didn't care. I couldn't let Yamato bleed to death all over my kitchen (ok, not to death, but still).
"Why didn't you tell me… about Takumi?" I questioned, fighting to ignore my spinning head as I wrapped the cloth tightly around Yamato's now sock-less foot to help stop the bleeding; the makeshift bandage would do, for now. He didn't answer my query straight away; maybe he was deliberating about denying the whole thing now that he couldn't exactly run away.
"Because you didn't need to know." The abrupt coldness in his voice made me shiver uneasily. His eyes were staring up at the kitchen lights. "How do you know Naoko?"
"Why should I tell you?" Two could play that game I thought as I removed my hand from his foot, if Yamato was withholding information then screw him.
"Fine, I'll just call him tomorrow."
I huffed in irritation, then held onto the leg of Yamato's trousers as he hoisted himself up, cringing as he placed weight on his bad foot. Luckily there had been no remnants of glass stuck in the bottom of his foot, but I still felt uneasy at the idea of him being in discomfort.
"He's dating an ex of mine, Seiji," I sighed as I gazed up at Yamato, my vision still unsteady like a handheld camera. "The guy I fucked on the Ferris wheel." Hardly sounded as glamorous or magical after I said it like that.
"Seiji?" Yamato racked his brains, trying to put a face to the name. His lips soon curled into a strained smile, which quickly vanished. "Small world."
Suddenly losing all strength and motivation, I collapsed onto my side (not in a serious need for medical attention kind of way, more of a comic drunk manner).
"I can't stand up," I said moments later, despite I hadn't even attempted to do so. I knew that I was far too gone to balance properly on my own two legs (also, the floor felt rather comfortable), and to carry on talking to Yamato about the wonders of the six degrees of separation.
I eventually managed to roll onto my other side, resting my head against my arm watching Yamato from a blurry sideways view as he swept up the glass on the floor. There was so much I wanted to ask him, especially regarding Takumi. I hoped I would find out more on the matter sooner than later, preferably when I was sober and not passing out on the kitchen floor.
"Never drinking again," I mumbled tiredly when Yamato forced me to my feet; I could sense his limp as he escorted me to my bedroom. Falling face first onto my un-made bed, I didn't bother to move as Yamato started to undress me, stripping me down to my underwear before he lay down next to me. His fingers ran through my hair, his nails gently massaging my scalp, as in attempt to reassure me he wasn't angry with me.
Sleep consumed me quickly.
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Song lyrics (At the beginning of the chapter)
Natalie Imbruglia - "Torn"
D-Angel:Bloody hell, that chapter took a while to write / edit. Still not sure about the bits with Mimi, I'm hoping it all makes sense. So, yeah, I guess I kind of redeemed Makoto a little without realising. And yes, Yamato is full of dirty little secrets, damn him... But he'll have to 'fess up. And Taichi, yeah, he's starting to realise that he's a terrible human being for constantly sleeping with someone who's engaged... Still, he can't bear to let go off Yama. :( Ugh, drama all over the place!
Let me know your views, and anything you're hoping will happen over the upcoming chapters. Maybe I'll implement them into the story ;)
Will throw an update up next week, so stay tuned :D
See ya next chapter!
D-Angel
11/07/12
PS: I have a poll up on my profile; basically I'm asking you guys what story I should edit so it's an original story and then try to get it published (like how the Fifty Shades triology was created). Please feel free to vote :)