Part IX

'Hello?' he groaned.

'Hello? Is that all you can manage? I've been calling you for the past six hours!' she said shrilly.

'Not so loud hun. My head is killing me.' he groaned again.

'You were drinking!' she accused.

'Yes I was; now I'm paying for it,' he grunted.

'I thought you said you weren't going to drink any more.' she said sadly.

'It was different. Last nigh,t it was for work. My boss brought us out for drinks after we clinched an account. Everyone was celebrating.' he explained.

'You could have said no. He would have understood.' she said softly.

'And be a wet blanket? I don't think so...' he said irritatedly. 'We got a BIG account. It was worth celebrating. At this rate I'll be promoted soon,' he added.

'Was this such a big account that you forgot you were supposed to see me today?' she whispered.

'No... not at all... I didn't mean it like that...' he trailed off.

'Did you have a good time?' she asked.

'Yes I did.'

'Were there girls there last night?' she asked.

'Whats that got to do with anything?' he said, puzzled.

'Were there girls there last night?' she reaffirmed.

'Yes, there were... whats your point?' he asked.

'Did you have a good time with them? Such a good time that you forgot that I even existed? I waited for you for three hours today. And you couldn't even be bothered to drop me a text saying you couldn't make it. THREE hours Vince.' she was angry now and the bitterness flowed from her like a tide in the early morning.

'Look. I didn't do anything to deserve this lecture. They're just colleagues. I'm sorry that I overslept. Its not like I forgot. I was just too out of it to call you,' he said edgilly.

'We don't meet up for a month. And when we have the chance to. you go and get drunk and not turn up at all? Is that how it works?' she said, voice going up several octaves.

'Who's fault is it that we didn't meet for a month? It's not like I didn't try to see you. You're either too busy with church or your exams!' he exclaimed.

'Church? Don't go there. Its fine if you don't want to believe but I want to.'

'Fine that I don't believe? Then why the hell do you keep pushing me to go to church? Do you think I LIKE going to church? Do you think I actually care there's a God? Who do you think I'm trying to make happy by going to church?' he asked bitterly.

'You told me you didn't mind. You said you wanted to try. For us.' she choked.

'It wasn't for US. It was for YOU. YOU. And no one else.' he said mercilessly.

'So its my fault now?' she asked.

'I didn't say that. Look. I'm sorry about today okay. Where are you now. I'll come pick you up.' he tried to calm himself; realising that he was being hurtful because of the foul mood he was in.

'I can't.'

'Can't or won't?' he asked bitterly.

'I'm at home. Daddy's at home.' she added quietly.

'Daddy? How long are you gonna keep us a secret? Its been a year already. I feel like some thief running around behind someone's back. Maybe I'm just not good enough for 'daddy'. Maybe this whole thing's just a bad idea.' he said.

'Its not like that.' she whispered close to tears.

'It sure seems like that.'

'I've tried to tell him. Its not like I never tried. He just gets so angry when I talk about it.' she said defensively.

'So what does that mean? We keep sneaking around like thieves in the night?' he said angrilly. 'I can't even see you when I want to. Everything has to be arranged neatly so 'daddy' doesn't get upset. What about how I feel? Like some reject because I don't go to church and because I'm mixed.'

'I don't look at you that way.' she tried to placate him.

'What does it matter how YOU look at me. It's how DADDY looks at me that matters!' he shouted.

'I don't want to talk to you anymore. You're just being plain hurtful.'

'The truth hurts.' he said bitterly.

'Good bye.'

'Hey stranger :P...' he texted her

'What do YOU want?' she replied.

'I'm outside your house.' he answered.

'Hun, I told you I can't see you. Daddy's here,' she sighed.

'Yes. But that doesn't mean that *I* can't see you. Come outside. Pretend to throw some rubbish or something... I just want to look at you :) ,' he pleaded.

She opened her gate and walked towards the dustbin, wondering where he was. Then her phone beeped.

'Wow... did you put on those sexy jammies just to tease me :p?' he asked.

'I wear these all the time.' she replied curtly.

'Not when I'm around. You look great. I'd forgotten how good you look. :(' he texted.

'You're not getting off the hook that easily. I was really hurt this evening. You said some horrible things >:(!' she said.

'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose my temper. I'll make it up to you. Look on the floor.' he replied.

She looked around curiously and found a single red rose with a card. The card was full of puri kura* of him. Smiling, snarling, grinning, pretending to cry, all sorts of poses. She laughed at the silly poses.

'You like? You don't have any pictures of me. I thought I'd fix that :)' he said.

'You're so ugly. I wonder what I see in you,' she giggled.

'Must be my uber sexiness that attracted you to me *grin*.'

'Last I checked ugly and sexiness are not the same thing! :p' she replied.

'Okay. You can go in now. I'm bored of checking you out already. Next time we go out; the theme is jammies!' he laughed.

'You big dolt! I love you.' she texted.

'I love you too.' he replied.

'You said it?' she said, suprised.

'Said what?' he teased.

'You said you love me.' she insisted.

'Bah. Did not. You have no evidence.' he grumbled.

'I'm going to keep that text message some where safe.' she smiled.

Her phone rang and she picked it up quickly.

'I love you Yu-chan.' he said and hanged up.

She felt a flush creeping into her face.

'Yuki? What are you doing outside so long?' her father asked.

'Just getting some air daddy.' she hid the rose in her t-shirt and walked into the house. Smiling.

* puri kura are small photographs pictures taken in booths

*EDIT* changed it from next to the dustbin to on the floor cause shirls was grossed out about smelling a flower next to a dustbin... I SAID NEXT TO... NOT IN!? BLEH!