"Wha—what?" I thought aloud.
Both sets of eyes quickly shot up, peering through the crack of the door as if they knew I was there. With a heavy blush, I dropped the bed sheets outside of the door and ran down the hallway, away from the room and the scene that I happened upon. What was that anyway!? Is Seto... sleeping with Lucina? She was over him… and he was just wrapped in a towel…
I turned the corner at the nearest hallway and pushed my back to the wall. I brought my hands up and tightly pressed them to my chest, trying hard to catch my breath. After a few deep breaths I slid down and sat on the floor. I pulled my knees to my breast. With both hands, I patted my cheeks, though I felt more like I was smacking myself with them.
"Just get it out of your head." I shut my eyes tightly as butterflies filled my stomach. "It's his home, and he can do whatever he pleases with whomever he chooses. It's not my place to judge him or—"
But just in telling myself not to think of it only made my thoughts grow more in depth. I had now pretty much seen my boss in the nude. Not to mention the fact he was still dripping wet, hot water droplets still streaming down his beige skin… And Lucina was over him, pressing her palms onto his chest, wearing nothing but lingerie and three inch black heels, her breasts fully exposed. Wait! Why am I picturing her going down on him still!?
I heard his door open up suddenly down the hallway. I swallowed my nervousness, and peeped around the corner. Seto was now in sweat pants and a t-shirt. Lucina was still bare breasted. He threw her uniform at her, and she held it over her bosom. I shouldn't be watching, but I can't look away…
"After your shift today, you're dismissed from this job." Seto turned to walk back into his room.
"But sir!" Lucina reached out to him and he quickly snapped back, swatting her frail hand away.
"I welcome you into my home and give you a job to CLEAN! Not throw yourself at me. I do NOT have relations with my employees, and I do not tolerate such behaviors." Seto, though furious, still sounded rather down to Earth. "Now, don't make me change my mind about you finishing your shift. Get dressed and get back to work! Also, don't bother me for the rest of the night. If you personally need something from me, have another maid or Rolland do it for you."
And with that, he shut his door, firmly and loudly. I turned back into the hall, hiding myself in case Lucina turned to look. I held my hands over my mouth, trying to stop my breathing from sounding so loud. I'm sure that it wasn't loud at all, but when you're breathing so heavily, it always sounds loud like you're drowning in the air around you. To put it simpler, suffocating.
"It's all because of her! Isn't it?!" I heard Lucina yell. Who was she even talking about? "Ever since she came into your life, you've been hiding in your room or your study! I used to be by your side, waiting on your hand and foot. On your every single need!"
Lucina was making a scene. I must not have realized that the hall I was hiding in was the hallway that Mokuba's room was located in. Before I had noticed, he had opened his door quickly, only dressed in gym shorts. I blushed as he stepped out, crouching next to me as he peeked around the corner. A few other maids peered around the corners of other halls, all staring out at the hysterical girl. I felt bad for Lucina in a way… But strangely, I supported Mr. Kaiba... I mean Seto's wishes.
"What happened?" Mokuba asked, looking down at me.
My cheeks flourished in a blaze of red, bright with a blush. "I... Um… I walked in… sort of… More like… I opened the door a bit… And she was trying to… Seduce… Him."
I couldn't count how many times I stuttered. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't speak. Mokuba couldn't help but laugh at the matter. But was it me that he was laughing at? Or the overall situation?
"Oh, that's great!" Mokuba continued to laugh, "We only knew it was a matter of time before another maid tried this."
"It happened be—before?" I sighed as he sat next to me.
"All the time." Mokuba smiled, "Seto's more popular than me for having a woman throw themselves desperately at us. I've had my share of desperate maids doing the same thing, but Seto holds the record."
"I… I see." As calming as his words were, I was still so embarrassed at the whole thing. I stared down at the floor, and away from Mokuba's gaze.
"Are you okay, Kisara?" The moment Mokuba said my name, my stomach filled with a cage of butterflies once more.
"I—I'm alright!" I tried to reassure him, "Just… shocked. Had I not w—walked in… more rather almost walked in, who knows if she would have stopped…"
"I always saw Lucina being the one to do this." Mokuba again tried to comfort me, "She was always convincing herself that Seto was in love with her… But…"
Mokuba fell off track as the hysterical maid began to cry. Loudly. It was like watching a horrific break up. Poor woman, but she really should have thought of Seto's side of the story. He's the owner of Kaiba Corp! What kind of high up corporate business man would fall in love with one of his maids? Or really, an of his employees? It may go against his ego.
"Mokuba?" I asked before even thinking of what I wanted to say.
"Huh? What is it?" Mokuba stared down at me.
"Has…" I paused, making sure I worded my question correctly, "Has Seto actually ever been in love before?"
He seemed surprised at the question. His eyebrows shrunk inward as he thought for an answer. After a brief moment, his smile returned. He ran his hands through his hair, something I had seen Seto do numerous amounts of times. They did seem to have a lot in common after all.
With a sigh, he stood. "Yeah. Once. But I never knew her…"
"What happened with them?" I asked, now intrigued as I stood myself up after him.
Within a blink of my eyes, I was again pressed against the wall. This time though, I was pinned by Mokuba's firm hands. I pressed my hand to my chest, confused and startled as I gasped. Mokuba leaned forward, his lips resting next to my ear. I could feel him breathing, and it tickled my skin. I got chills and felt my cheeks burning. I was red all the way down to my neck.
Was I… Scared?
"She died…" He whispered. "She risked her life to save his…"
"Wh—what?" I whispered back, my heart racing.
"Heh…" I could almost feel his smirk as he pushed himself off of me. "But that's our little secret. 'Kay?"
His bright smile returned, as if nothing had happened. It was like he had been a completely different person before… He winked at me before turning the corner, and walking out to face Lucina. I didn't move from where I stood. I had never been so close to a man, especially one that wasn't Kojiro. I pulled my hands to my cheeks, feeling just how hot they were from my blushing.
"Are you okay, Lucina?" Mokuba's voice rang through the halls, causing me to jump a bit in surprise. "You should get dressed… And perhaps take a quick break?"
"Where is that BITCH?" Lucina yelled, "I'll rip her head off for taking the eyes of my man!"
"Now, now Lucina, There's no need for—"
"WHERE IS SHE?"
And suddenly a loud noise pierced the air. Someone had smacked Lucina, and it was loud enough to break the shouting. I peeked around the corner, my eyes opened wide. It was Mizuki's hand still held in the air. Lucina's cheek was red, and I'm sure it was stinging with pain.
"You were given orders by both Seto and Mokuba Kaiba. As your superior, I demand you listen and obey, or leave the premises as instructed." Mizuki lowered her hand and dusted off her long dress. He voice was calm and collective the whole time.
Grinding her teeth and digging her nails into her dress, Lucina stormed off in the other direction, walking further and further away from me and the other maids. She disappeared into another hallway and I sighed in relief. I never thought that rejection could really hurt that much… But I've never even tried to be with anyone; even Kojiro was the one that pushed to be with me.
Another sigh and I finally went out of hiding and went towards Mokuba, who was picking up the bed sheets that were no longer neatly folded. "I can get those Mokuba. It's not your job to. Feel free to go back to… whatever it was you were doing."
"That's okay, he continued as I helped refolding. "I have today off from school and work, so I don't mind helping out."
"Nonsense," I smiled, "It's nice out. You should be enjoying your day off."
"Would you want to accompany me then?" Mokuba's eyes looked to me, though he continued folding the sheets with his head down.
"I…" I felt my blush return, and my stomach feel uneasy, "I suppose that I could… Where should I accompany you?"
Mokuba laughed. I wasn't exactly sure why. Did I use improper grammar? Did I say a word wrong? Why did he laugh?
"Oh, you still get so shy! Ha-ha!" Mokuba finished folding, so we both just stood there. "We'll just go where ever. I'll go get dressed. You finish up this chore, and I'll be right back."
"S—sure." I gave an awkward smile, as I had still felt rather confused.
Mokuba sat his pile of sheets on top of my pile. He knocked on the door for me before heading back to his room.
"S—Seto? I—I… um…" I was so flustered upon trying to speak to him. "I have your… your bed sheets, sir…"
The thoughts of the two again popped into my head. Lucina was so beautiful… How could he really say no? Well… she was just his employee… or… that is until after tonight. Now that she won't be working for him, they could potentially be together… right? Or… does he really wish never to see her again? Maybe she's just not his type? Poor Lucina…
My thoughts were interrupted as Seto opened his bedroom door. "Thanks."
I felt the pile of sheets become lighter as he took half of them. "I can get it Seto—"
"Please… just let me help." He didn't look at me as he spoke with a quiet voice.
"Oh… Alright…" I blushed and followed him to the dresser.
He pulled open his drawer that had been empty. I assumed that was just where the sheets went. He placed in his pile, and I placed mine right after his. He shut the drawer and returned to his bed. With a sigh, he slumped down and sat with his head in his hands.
"Um… Seto…" I swallowed away the nervousness, "I… I'm sorry about earlier…"
"It's fine." He put his hands under his chin and looked up at me. "It's not the first time that this has happened to me. Plus, she had been getting on my nerves anyway."
"I… I see." A light smiled formed on my lips. I was somehow relieved to hear that. "Mokuba asked me to accompany him. I assume on errands… If it would help relieve some stress, perhaps you would like to come with us?"
He lowered his hands to his lap and looked at me with a sigh. As he thought, his gaze did not leave my own. We stared for a few brief moments at one another. I felt lost as it happened, but eventually he looked away, reaching for his phone. He checked the time before sighing again. I wonder what was going through his head.
"Unfortunately, I can't." He stood up from the bed and pocketed his phone. Does that mean he would have liked to come with us? "I'm meeting up with another business owner today in about an hour. If Mokuba is running errands, we wouldn't be done for more than a few hours."
"Oh really?" He didn't seem to be someone to take so long on errands, but strangely I again believed Seto's opinion over my own judgment. "I'm sorry that you can't tag along. Maybe next time then?"
I smiled brightly as he stared down at me. Perhaps I was becoming more comfortable around him. I figured that I'd always view him as some big hot shot celebrity, so I would just always end up nervous around him. That didn't seem to be the case however. I was more comfortable around Seto than most people. And even though I've spent more time with Mokuba, I almost feel more comfortable with Seto, who I've barely gotten to be around since the banquet he held.
"We'll see. I don't get much free time." Seto ran his hand through his hair.
I found myself wondering if it was soft… "I recall you wishing you had more free time. You said that the night of the banquet, when we first met."
"First met?" He whispered to himself as he looked to the side for a moment. He smiled and looked back to me. "Indeed, and you wished that you had less of it. So I offered you the job."
I smiled gently, "And now we're here."
"Yeah… Here we are."
Everything grew quiet. We stood again, exchanging gazes. What was this feeling growing in my chest? I couldn't look away from his eyes. They looked glassy, and a little red. Was he getting enough sleep at night? Perhaps he was just stressed? He really needed a day off for him to unwind.
"Ready to go, Kisara?" Mokuba's voice startled me, "Am I interrupting?"
"She was just inviting me to go out with the two of you. But I have a meeting to catch with a local business owner, so I had to decline." Seto looked over at his brother.
"I see. Well then, are you ready to go, Kisara?" He asked me again.
"S—sure. Should I… change my clothes?" I stared down at my maid uniform, pulling down on it to straighten out some of the wrinkles.
"Yeah, that may be a bit embarrassing to walk around in public wearing that. Ha-ha!" Mokuba laughed again.
"R—right!" I blushed brightly and nodded, "I'll get changed and meet you in the foyer."
"Sounds good!" Mokuba smiled.
I looked back to Seto, "I'll see you perhaps later tonight if you're back. If not, another day."
"Yeah… See you later, Kisara." Seto's eyes shifted away.
I noticed his cheeks had a light shade of pink to them. If I had to guess, I'd say that he wasn't feeling well. I'm sure he was still just a little concerned about earlier. Which isn't surprising at all. At least I'll know to wait after I knock now… Why didn't I knock before anyway? I never forget to knock… I must be out of touch…
As I walked past Mokuba, exiting the room, I hear Seto call out behind me, "Mokuba, a word?"
"Sure." He replied.
They shut the door behind me, and I assume they began conversing. I looked back for a few seconds before fully turning and walking down the hall. As I turned the corner, I nearly ran into Mizuki, who was dusting off one of the pictures that hung mounted on the wall.
"Oh, Kisara," Mizuki smiled. "I'm glad I caught you. I wanted to apologize for Lucina's behavior earlier. If you could, please forgive her. I know the things she said and did were… brutal, but don't hold it against her."
"I'm not mad at her. Why would I be?" I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "Sure, her words were fowl, but it's nothing I haven't heard before. Besides, I don't even know who she was directing them to anyway. It's nothing that should concern me."
"I see…" Mizuki smiled, "And I couldn't help but over hear Mokuba's invitation. Please, do be careful. He can be quite excitable at times, and hard to keep up with."
"Seto said something similar to me about that as well." I smiled, "Thanks for looking out for me, Mizuki."
"My pleasure." She smiled sweetly, "Have a good time though! And I hope you're back in time for the end of your shift."
"I will be! Thanks again!" I smiled and hurried past her, waving back as I did.
Why would I be mad at Lucina? She's just upset for being rejected, which only makes me feel bad for her. I can understand that she must be embarrassed and shocked… I should be the one apologizing for nearly walking in on the scene… I don't think I could bring myself to face her right now though… Hopefully she'll be here when we return. Then, I'll make sure to apologize to her.
The day out with Mokuba consisted mostly of shopping, though there was a point where we had stopped at the park to rest and got to talking. This was one of the most fun and awkward days that I had ever gotten to work. But all things must come to an end. We arrived back at the mansion nearly an hour after my shift had ended. Mokuba had promised to pay me overtime, but I declined the offer. I wasn't working for the money or a paycheck, but just nearly to waste some time so that I wouldn't end up bored at home all day.
"Sorry for making you late again, Kisara." Mokuba scratched the back of his head as he opened the front door to the mansion for me.
"Don't worry about it, really!" I laughed. "I haven't gone out in a while, and it was fun going out with someone instead of going out alone."
The two of us laughed as we walked in. I shut the door behind the two of us. We both carried a couple bags of things Mokuba had bought. Who knew the man actually liked buying new clothes and little trinkets? He had the money to basically buy whatever he wanted, so who was I to judge?
"Where do you want everything?" I asked, holding up the bags.
"You're off the clock now!" Mokuba spouted, "You don't get to help anymore!"
He laughed loudly, and I chuckled with him. I still carried the bags to his room, following him and chatting some more. After setting the bags down by his desk, he reminded me once more that my shift was over and I was free to go.
"Want me to walk you out?" Mokuba smiled.
"Don't worry about me." I smiled back. "I'm older than you, so I'll be fine. I did have fun today though."
"Me too!" He began pulling out his new clothes and separating them. "We'll have to do it again sometime!"
"That would be great!" I thought back to earlier, "And perhaps Seto will be able to come next time. He needs a day off."
"Yeah…" Mokuba stared at a jacket he was holding up, looking almost lost in thought. "Now get going! Kojiro's already called you twice! He'll worry about you."
"I doubt it…" I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and looked at the missed call log. "See you late Mokuba!"
He didn't look back at me, "See ya' Kisara!"
As I walked the halls back to the foyer, I texted Kojiro, letting him know that I was running late. He didn't reply back, leaving me alone to my thoughts. I sighed as the day was reaching an end. It seemed to have gone by far too quickly. My mind wondered, going over everything that had happened today. What was I forgetting? I felt I had forgotten something all day…
And I reached the hall that over looked the foyer below. I looked down to the floor below. A few maids and a couple butlers were also getting ready to leave. Among them was Lucina, who was standing idol by herself as she put on her jacket. That's probably what I was forgetting to do. I was going to apologize to her… Well, it was now or never, I suppose.
I scurried down the stairs, hurrying to make sure I got to her before she left. As I reached the bottom of the steps, I noticed Lucina gaze over at me. I waved, so as to stop her from leaving. She began walking over to me, her heels clicking on the marble tile as she did. She didn't look too happy, though I assume that she hadn't been all day.
"Lucina… I wanted to apologize for before… I didn't mean to—" And just as she had finally approached me, I felt a pain in my chest tighten.
The anger blazed in her eyes and before I knew it, her fist came at me. It hit my cheek, right by my eye. I was caught off guard and fell back on to the floor. Shutting my eyes tightly, I brought my arms up over my head to shield myself. I felt her pull my hair, trying to get me to stand back up. She kicked me in my side, knocking the wind out of me.
"Lucina! Stop!" I heard someone yell.
I could barely make out the sound of footsteps rushing towards us. Lucina's weight over me felt suddenly lighter as she was pulled away. As she was, she grabbed my arm and dug her nails into my skin. She dug in deep, scratching and scraping my skin until she was pried away.
"Kisara! Are you alright!?" It was one of the butlers who had knelt down at my side to help me up.
But I didn't move. I could still hear Lucina thrashing about, trying to break loose and get back at me.
"I'll go grab the medical kit!" I heard a maid yell.
"Restrain her more!"
"What the hell Lucina!?"
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Lucina's voice raged, "It's your fault that he doesn't want me anymore! It's your fault that de doesn't love me!"
"Shut up already!"
"You're being delusional, Lucina!"
"He won't touch me because of you! He won't look at me because of you!" Lucina kept shouting. "It's your fault entirely! Ever since you got her, he shut himself away! You did this to him! You did this to us!"
I had no clue what she was talking about. I figured that Seto just wasn't a social person, and enjoyed the time he had to himself when he did have the time. And he made it very clear to everyone that he didn't have relations with employees. How was this at all my fault?
"You stupid bitch! You don't deserve a place in his heart!" She kept yelling.
I suddenly felt tears running down my face.
"Seto is MINE!"
Why did it hurt so much worse now?
"You should just die! You're a waste of existence!"
It hurts…
"Just DISAPPEAR!"
I'm sorry…
"GET OUT!" I suddenly heard his voice.
"Seto!" Lucina cried out to him. "Why?! Why are you choosing her over me?!"
"I'm not choosing anyone! But if I had to, I'd choose anyone over you any day!" Seto sounded pissed off beyond belief. I had never heard anyone sound so enraged, "Get out of my home. You're a disgrace! You dare think that I would ever love someone as pathetic as yourself? Some stupid butch like you who makes up some deluded fairy tale illusion where I could really care for some low life like you? Now GET OUT! And if you ever come within 100 feet of me, Kisara, any of my employee here, or my home or business, I will PERSONALLY see to it that you are imprisoned for assault and trespassing!"
"Seto—"
"You don't get the right to speak to me!" He was ever more furious sounding, "And her medical bills will be deducted from your last paycheck."
Then everything fell silent. Lucina's thrashing had stopped. The only thing that could be heard was my hushed sobs. I tried to hold it back, but everything hurt. But I couldn't differentiate what hurt more… My wounds, or her words…
"Kisara…?" Now Mokuba was by my side. The butler from before and Mizuki were also at my side. "It's okay… You can put your arms down…"
But I still wouldn't. I just sat there, covering my head. Mokuba laid his hand on my shoulder, causing me to shake. I heard the doors open in the front and a few footsteps towards the door as people were making sure that Lucina had left. When I heard the doors close, everyone began shuffling around, other than Mokuba, Mizuki, and the butler, whose name I didn't know still. The moment she left, I felt myself calming down. I began to take in some deep breaths, but it was still a bit hard to breathe.
"She's gone now… It's okay…" Mokuba reassured me quietly, and I could feel the smile on his face.
Slowly, I let down my guard. I lowered my arms to my lap. I could see the surprise as Mokuba and Mizuki stared at my face. I'm positive that I now had a black eye. It felt swollen, and I could feel some blood oozing from perhaps a cut near my eye. I looked at my arm, which was also beginning to drip tiny slivers of blood from the tears in my skin she had created. I felt my head. It felt as though a small patch of my hair had been pulled from my scalp. I was afraid to check for bruises on my side. She had kicked me there so many times that I'm sure I was black there. With how pale I am, I was sure that it would look terrible.
The butler extended my arm and opened up the medical kit that one of the maids had grabbed. He began spreading antibiotic cream over the cuts before bandaging my arm. After he finished that, he applied some of the ointment to the cut on my face, and then to the patch on my head. Another maid came over with some ice, handing the bag to me. I took it gently and placed it on my side.
"Can I ask to check your side for any breaks in the skin?" He asked me, his monotone voice taking me a bit by surprise.
I nodded, and set the ice next to me. I pulled up part of my shirt, but I didn't look at it. Mokuba hissed a bit as he saw the damage. Probably really dark. The butler put on only a small amount of ointment, and as he did, I saw Seto walk over to me. I pulled my shirt back down after the butler finished applying the ointment, and I reapplied the bag of ice.
"Thank you…" I sniffled. "I don't… believe we've met yet…"
The butler smiled and Mokuba chuckled, "Even after being attacked, you're still so polite."
"I'm Satoshi." The butler stood. "Now, let's get an ambulance over so that we can get you to the hospital so that we can get some x-rays."
"No need…" The familiar sound of his voice caught my attention as Seto reached his hand down to me. "I'll driver her over."
Seto was now wearing jeans and a brown jacket. He looked nicely dressed, which is what I'd expect from a CEO. Plus, he had just been out with that business man earlier. I'm not sure when he got back, but it must have been shortly before Mokuba and I had returned.
"I'll leave her to you then sir." Satoshi began rolling down his sleeves. I hadn't even noticed when he had rolled them up earlier.
"I'll go too—" Mokuba was cut off.
"You missed a call from one of your professors earlier. He wants you to call him…" Seto held out his hand now to help up his younger brother. "I wasn't sure which one, so I wrote the number down and put it on your desk."
Mizuki stood by me to make sure that I could stand. "I'll give Mr. Fujiyama a call and make him aware of the incident."
I nodded and watched as Seto pulled Mokuba to a stand. "Thank you all…"
It wasn't long before we arrived at the hospital. I really didn't find that it was necessary, but Seto mentioned it being his job to make sure that I was well, since he was my employer, and it had happened at my place of work. Not to mention, it was a, now, former employee of his that cause everything.
"There doesn't seem to be any permanent damage here." The doctor finished looking me over. "I'll prescribe some fast healing anti-biotic cream to help, and it should soothe the pain. As for your side, make sure to ice it every night until some of the swelling goes down. Take it easy for the next few days though. No heavy lifting. Even though your rips aren't broken, they're still bruised, and going to be sore for a while."
"Understood." Seto answered for me, "Kisara, do you feel that you need some time off of work to recover?"
"No… I'll be alright." I replied softly. "Just no heavy lifting, like the doctor said. I should be fine."
"Only you know your limits, so if you feel any strain at work, we'll have someone else handle it." Seto was very clear with me.
"Alright." I replied. "I'll make sure not to push myself."
Seto's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to check what the cause was. It must have either been an email or a text, because all he did was read it, rather quickly might I add. I stood up and waited as the doctor wrote down the prescription for me. Seto replied to his message before sliding the phone back into his pocket.
"Do you mind if we get a small bag of ice for her eye?" Seto inquired, "To help get the swelling down?"
"I don't mind." The doctor handed me the chicken scratched note. "I'll return in a moment."
And after the doctor disappeared behind the door, Seto grunted, "Fujiyama wouldn't pick up his phone. He hasn't called back or replied to any of the messages we went him. I'll personally let him know what happened here today."
"That's okay, Seto." I blushed, "I'll have my driver come pick me up so that you can get back home. I'm sure you're a bit stressed out over everything."
"Heh..." I couldn't tell if he was amused or just being nice with his chuckle. "I'm always stressed about something or other. But at least I finally got rid of that stalker..."
"Stalker?" I questioned, "Lucina?"
"She was always following me, even when she wasn't at work. She'd walk in during meetings and ask me and the others if they needed anything, and then she'd just stand there and stare. She'd never finish her daily list just so that she could be near me." He sighed and shivered remembering it. "I had made sure that she was placed far from me for her daily chores, but she would neglect them and come find me. As long as she wasn't doing more than watching, I couldn't see any reason to really fire her. She never released information about me or my company, or any other business related inquires. But, I'm finally rid of her."
"I had no idea..." I was surprised, "I had always thought her and Mizuki were just your best maids."
"Mizuki could be considered one of the best... But she's also becoming too involved. At least she knows what boundaries are though."
"Too involved?" I questioned as the doctor returned to the room, a bag of ice in his hands.
Seto stayed quiet. I assumed he would rather not discuss it before an audience, even if it were just one other person, who should already be following his "doctor-patient-confidentiality" rules. But the kind older gentleman handed me the ice and spoke more of the wounds and when they should start to heal. He was a kind doctor. I wonder if he were Seto's personal doctor? Or just one that happened to work here and be available?
But those thoughts weren't important. It wasn't too long before we had left after that. I checked my phone for any missed calls or text messages from Kojiro, but to my surprise there was nothing since the two calls from when I was out with Mokuba. What a strange day... I almost just wished it would be over... But I didn't look forward to going home now... Getting into Seto's car (one of many, which I had learned today) I found myself a bit shaky with nervousness.
"Are you okay?" Seto looked over at me as he shut the car door. "You should keep that ice on your eye..."
"Yeah, I will..." I pressed the ice gently to the wound. "I'm just... I guess I don't want to deal with the drama that I'll get at home..."
"I see..." Seto now focused on getting his car in gear and driving, "Do you have any idea why Mr. Fujiyama may not be answering his phone?"
"A few..." I tried to push the thoughts back, "He always finds a way to stay busy, even on his days off."
"He wasn't working today?" Seto questioned and I shook my head. "You should have stayed home... to be with him..."
"What's the point in that..." I mumbled beneath my breath.
"Pardon?" Seto looked at me for a second but stared back at the road.
"N—nothing!" I gave an awkward smile. "He's always got friends over on days off and I still don't spend too much time with him when he's not working. Even when he takes me out, he's usually on his phone..."
"I didn't realize." Seto grew quiet.
"I know you probably don't care..." I sighed. "But Kojiro used to give me his full attention, and never wanted to do anything except be with me... I'm content with the way things are. I'm rather happy that we both enjoy time away from one another now and again so that we can have some space between us... It kind of keeps a thrill. Like... starting a new relationship has that excitement. He's the only person I've ever dated, so I don't really know what that's like, but he says that it makes him happy when he feels the way he did when we first met..."
How did I even get to this subject? This had nothing to do with the drama I was going to get at home. He would probably try to convince me to quit the job and stay home with him. But then I would just go back to being bored... And secretly feeling lonely. Why was I able to open up so well with Seto? He's just my boss... Though he is quite kind and actually listens to me.
"Anyway... I'm sorry for ranting." I lowered the ice to my lap and looked down at my feet. "I guess I just don't want to go home just yet... I don't want him to convince me to quit after everything that happened."
After a few minutes of silence, Seto's words took me by surprise, "If you're only content... then maybe he's not doing his job... He should do what ever it takes to make you the happiest woman alive..."
I turned my head, staring over at Seto. He didn't break his gaze from the road. I didn't know what to say. I am happy with Kojiro. I don't know why I go into such negative moods at times. I like the way Kojiro and I are. He does make me happy. I know that much. Why else would I be with him? But I can hardly say that I love him aloud... I'm happy when we're together, but I hardly think of him when we're apart. I do love him. I do... right?
I looked back down to my feet and put the bag of ice back on my eye. I didn't know how to respond to Seto's words. Not once today had I thought about Kojiro up until here and now, on the drive home. The worst part of it was that the only thing I was thinking about was how much I didn't want to go home and face him. I had nearly forgotten that he was even a part of my life.
"I'm sorry if I spoke out of line." Seto apologized. "It's just... that's what I would do for the woman I love."
I shook my head. "No, it's okay. I'm happy with him. I am. I just have these negative thoughts sometimes. I grew up a pessimist, so I don't always have the best outlook on things. I'm sorry for having dragged you into this conversation."
He was silent for another moment before finding the words he wanted to say, "You can talk to me about anything. I know I'm nothing more than your boss, but sometimes everyone needs an ear to listen to their rambling, whether important or not. When you have no one... You can't get anything out and it just bottles up inside."
"I could always be your ear to listen, if you'd like." The words slipped from my mouth unnoticed. "If it could ease you of your stress and pain."
As the car reached a stop at the stop light, Seto looked at me. His stare was gentle, as It had always been. I stared back at him for a moment, and smiled. How was I so comfortable? How could I be so happy with him? My heart began to race as my thoughts grew more. Do I... Care for someone else the way I do for Kojiro?
And in a split second, Seto was leaning over to me. I pulled my hand away, placing the ice back onto my lap. I never shut my eyes, and neither did he. I lifted my chin as his face grew closer. But our lips never met, as the realization came as a shock to us both. We stayed like that for a moment. I could breathe in his air and feel the warmth of his skin from this small distance between us.
And then he pulled away and I leaned back in my seat.
"I should get you home... to your fiance..." Seto said as the light turned green.
"Yeah..." I replied.
I didn't know what to think... I had nearly forgotten what it felt like to love someone. Or have I ever really known at all? Do I... Love Seto?