Must...post...new chapter...
Cheers for alternative pairings!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. I just love to write. A lot.
Around This Life
Chapter Three
For several minutes after waking, my predicament slipped my mind and I was at peace with myself. Then, as if reality had grown an arm and slapped me in the face, the previous night came crashing back to me.
Mother, Duo, and Mr. Barton. All of them were expecting something from me, and I was sure I could only give one of them what they wanted. Mr. Barton obviously wanted a wife, (the memory of his eyes on me all night flew through my mind,) and Duo wanted me as his wife, and I already knew what Mother wanted.
But what about what I wanted?
I got up and stretched, trying to contain a buildup of emotions that was getting stronger and stronger by the minute. If I didn?t see Duo, I was going to burst. Three weeks was too long. It was just too long.
One day was too long.
Just as I was reaching for the phone it started to ring, and I hesitated only a moment before picking it up. I said a tentative, ?Hello?? and smiled with glee upon hearing the voice at the other end.
?Hey, sweet thing, what?s your number??
I laughed and said, ?You already know my number. You just called it.?
??Oh. Oh yeah.?
I laughed again.
?It?s nine o?clock. What are you up to today?? Duo?s cheery voice asked me.
?I don?t know,? I said, honestly, ?Mother might have planned something for Mr. Barton and I-?
?Barton. I don't like 'em,? Duo interrupted me. I felt flattered at his jealous tone.
?Yes, I know, but I don?t know if I have to spend the whole day with him or not. I might not be able to see you at all-? I choked on the word ?today?.
There was a pause. ?Hm??
My eyes squinted. I knew that tone. ?What??
There was another pause. ?Nothing.?
?Duo?? I warned.
?What??
?Don?t do that.?
?Don?t do what??
?That thing.?
?What thing??
?That thing you do when you don?t want to tell me something.?
?Oh. that thing.?
?Yeah. That thing.?
?So what do you wanna know??
?Argh! Duo!? I exclaimed.
He laughed. ?Ok, ok! Just go to the video store this afternoon.?
This time I paused. ?Why??
?No reason. Just be there at three. Got it??
I was hesitant but decided not to ask any questions. ?Three??
?Yeah.?
?Alright.?
I heard him sigh. ?Good, I?ll see you then. Just be there. At three. Don?t forget.?
?I won?t,? I smiled. ?Duo??
?Hm??
?I love you,? I said, wholeheartedly.
I could just see him smiling into the phone. ?Not as much as I love you.?
I smiled while I said goodbye, relieved that I had something to look forward to today. As soon as I put the phone down, though, my mind was invaded by images of Mr. Barton.
His eyes. I swear I could still feel them. So blank and empty, and yet, so?so?
Passionate?
I closed my eyes as a shiver swept through my entire body, starting with my neck and going all the way down my back, my legs, and out through my toes. My body had a strange contradiction of feeling both hot and cold at the same time. Behind my eyelids, Mr. Barton?s eyes still stared at me, even though I had only seen them for one night.
I shook my head, trying to clear it. I rubbed my neck and stretched my back one more time, then went over to my closet to pick out something to wear.
I didn?t know what my day held for me, but I knew one thing for sure. I was going to be at the video store at 3:00, and nothing was going to stop me.
* * *
?You will remain here until three o?clock,? Mother was saying, ?And then you will take Mr. Barton on a tour of the city. I trust you will use good manners, as that is how I raised you. You will answer all of his questions with honesty, and you will avoid the subject one Mr. Maxwell. Is that understood??
Mother was standing before me in the living room. She was about to leave for her weekly meeting with the ?Gossip Mongers,? as I called them. They were a collection of the wealthiest, snobbiest, and loneliest women in town. Mother adored them, and I adored tormenting them, which I did simply by going unmarried past my eighteenth birthday.
I used to have nightmares about ending up like them, so every time I defied Mother it was like I was one step closer to freedom. But on this day, I was imprisoned in the cage she'd put me in, and there was no escape.
?It?s understood, Mother,? I said, hoping that some small amount of sincerity had been successful forged. She eyed me for a moment as I stood, hands clasped neatly behind my back, with my chin held high and my eyes cast straight ahead. A tour at three o?clock was the perfect excuse to go to the video store, even if it wasn?t customary for me to go there. I had dressed appropriately, too. I was wearing a thin cotton dress that hung to my curves and fell down to my ankles. It was plain white with several red roses sewn into the fabric, and it was one of Duo?s favorites.
Mother would have liked it if not for the small sleeves that covered my shoulders, and the neckline that hung low but showed nothing of my breasts. It was my form of teasing her, since I knew she wanted to show me off to Mr. Barton, and I was only showing what modesty would allow.
She squinted her eyes at me and nodded, then turned and walked out of the room. I let out a deep sigh when she was gone, and nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard his voice.
?I think I preferred you when you were honest,? Mr. Barton said from behind me, and I whipped around to face him.
?Excuse me?? I said, not sure of his meaning. Upon sight of him my pulse quickened.
Black slacks and a black tee shirt.
Some things should be forbidden.
...Especially when one is already involved, and not looking to change?but even so, I conceded to the thought that Mr. Barton was very attractive.
Handsome. I meant handsome.
?It seems that you prefer to give your mother every inconvenience you can, and I wonder, what does that have to do with impressing her??
I stared at him, shocked. How in the world could he know that?
?My intention was never to impress. I am only as you see me.?
Something happened inside his eyes, and my skin pebbled. He was staring straight through me again. Right, straight through me. And I had nothing to hide me.
?I think your intentions were to defy your mother, but have changed in order to impress her,? he paused, and I found myself holding my breath. He?d barely spoken the night before, and now, I found myself anxious to hear what he had to say. ?Why did you change??
He never shifted his gaze while he spoke, and again, I found myself unable to look away.
I braced myself and said, ?I?m not sure what you mean.?
I thought I saw a smile on his lips, but it vanished as soon as I thought it had appeared. ?I?m sure you do. When I met you last night, you were soaking wet, wild, and even more spirited than I?d heard. Like a beast unwilling to be tamed, and yet with the delicate nature of a woman.? I sucked in a breath, unused to being spoken to in such a way, and not certain whether or not I was offended by it. ?But in less than twenty minutes, you changed. You conformed to your mother?s wishes and hid the spirit I had instantaneously admired.?
I stared stone-faced at him, with his arms crossed over his chest and his body leaning against the doorframe. He seemed to take up all the space in the room, and he wasn?t even fully in it. I began to feel that no matter where I went in the house, he would be able to watch me and I wouldn?t even know it.
All at once, I was offended. ?How dare you!? I gasped, unclasping my hands and placing one over my heart. I then realized how right he was. I had conformed to her wishes, but only so she would eventually conform to mine.
This time, I was sure there was a smile on his lips, until I heard the one thing from him I never would have suspected at that moment. Laughter.
It was a light chuckle, but it was laughter all the same. As he chuckled and smiled at me, apparently amused, I became extremely affronted and felt my cheeks heating up. My hands fell to my sides in balled up fists, shaking with anger. He was laughing at me! How dare he!
At that moment, my mother?s parting words drifted into my thoughts. ?You will answer all of his questions with honesty???I trust you will use good manners??? You will avoid the subject one Mr. Maxwell. Is that understood??
Maxwell. Duo. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, loosening my fingers and swallowing my anger?for now. If I wanted to convince Mother of my sincerity, I would have to convince her of my conversion into her ways, first. And that meant I would have to convince Mr. Barton as well.
?Mr. Barton,? I said, opening my eyes. He slowly stopped chuckling and resumed his quiet attitude, though I could still see a slight amount of amusement in his eyes. Like the smile before, it, too, was gone as soon as I noticed it. ?I would ask you not to bring up such matters again, as they are not your concern,? I made my best attempt at being pleasant after having been thoroughly mocked. ?If you would like, it would be my?pleasure?to take you on a tour of the city later this afternoon.?
?Meaning that your mother asked you to take me around town,? he stated. I scowled at him. ?Don?t worry, Relena. I?ll free you from your cage soon enough.?
I got all haughty and retorted, ?Miss Relena.?
He smiled and said, ?We?ll see,? then turned and walked out of the room. I stood there for a few seconds just gaping at the space in which he?d just been. The nerve of that man! Who was he to treat me in such a way?
I took a deep breath and closed my mouth, glancing about the room as if I expected someone else to have been in there and listening to the whole thing. I needed something, or someone, to prove to me that that had just happened. I could not believe he had said those things to me, but I knew I could rest assured that his presence would no longer catch me off guard.
I was now acquainted with Mr. Barton?s mannerisms, and was confident that I would not be intimidated by him anymore.
* * *
I nearly shook with nerves. He?d been watching me all day. Every room I went in, he followed. Every hall I turned down, he turned down as well. I was reaching the end of my rope, as far as patience goes, and I was seconds away from snapping.
Actually, scratch that. I was snapping.
?Is there something else about me that you find amusing, Mr. Barton?? I asked politely. I turned and stared directly into his eyes, hoping to find out what it was about me that so fascinated him.
?Not amusing,? he replied calmly, staring back, ?Intriguing.?
?Intriguing?? I asked, taken aback. How was I intriguing to him when he had spent our first moments together this morning insulting my integrity?
?Yes,? he continued, ?You may be the most interesting person I have ever met.?
?With all due respect, Mr. Barton,? I said, crossing my arms, ?You?ve only known me for one day.?
He made a ?Hm? sound and proceeded to walk by me, saying as he passed, ?I?ll know you a lot longer.?
I felt a surge of heat pass through me and blushed in spite of myself. What did he mean by that? Oh, of course. He meant when we?re married; being my ?fianc?? and all.
We?ll just see about that.
?Mr. Barton?? I asked. I heard his footsteps stop and took that as my cue. ?Would you like to take that tour now??
He took a moment to answer. ?On one condition.?
I wasn?t sure I wanted to hear this. ?What?s that??
?You must go out to dinner with me afterward.?
I hesitated, calculating my answer. To refuse would cause suspicion on my mother?s part, and to accept would mean?I?d have to spend an entire evening with him. I?d have to get used to that, anyway, since I was his fianc? for the next three weeks.
But most importantly, if I didn?t agree, I wouldn?t be able to see Duo.
?All right,? I said. I didn?t hear his footsteps moving away so I asked, ?Is there something else??
?If that?s how easily you give in to things, it will be a wonder to see how long you resist them.?
I stood with my mouth hanging open, yet again, as I listened to his footsteps walk away.
That's one of the many reasons I made this au. I wanted him to be challenging to Relena, because you know there's nothing more sexy about a tall, dark stranger than how much he seems to know about and is not afraid to say it. I'm mainly trying to stick with Trowa being honest, and his little ooc-ness is due to his infatuation with Relena.
Great story!