It's Not Like It's Love, Chapter 6

[Crystaltear]

It?s Not Like It?s Love
By Crystaltear
Chapter 6
Warnings: None
Notes: Approximately five more chapters left of this story, and then it?s all done. Since technically I?m almost done, I?ve started up Damning Allegations once again, and many seem to be happy with that decision. I think I am as well?I need some 1xR in my stories again. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, I think it?s one of the longest I have ever written. ^_^





3 Weeks later


A faint buzzing sound penetrated the much-needed sleep that Heero was trying to enjoy. He ignored the awful intrusion hoping it would go away, and pulled the comforter over his head. When the chimes of the doorbell became more persistent and were then accompanied by vigorous knocking, he heaved a great sigh of defeat and tossed the comforter away from his boxer-clad form. He shot up from the couch, swiping up his pants from the floor and struggling to put them on as he scrabbled over to the door. Meanwhile, the doorbell continued to give its shrill cry.
?Hold on a damn second!?
Reaching for the doorknob, Heero hoped more than anything that it was a group of those religious nuts that preached their faith on the other side of his door. That way, he could relieve himself of some stress by screaming at them for disturbing him. He also hoped that it wasn?t those girl scouts with their cookies, because all that would accomplish was making him dish out cash he needed (how could he say no to those way to cheerful little girls? And he was fond of the cookies anyway; there was no way he could decline!)
Heero was completely surprised to see a young woman with a large array of carnations in a bouquet on the other side of the door.

?Well this is a new tactic,? he thought to himself. They were making women sell flowers door to door now? What was next? ?Can I help you?? he inquired, though all he really wanted to was close the door and go back to sleep.
The woman pulled her head to the side so she could address the person at the door without flowers in her face. However, once she had a clear view, she paused in what she was going to and blushed furiously.
?I?m so sorry, I didn?t realize anyone would be sleeping at this hour,? she stuttered while her face continued to increase in its new red hue. It was then that Heero
was reminded of his attire, or lack thereof, by her response. He looked down at himself, and sure enough, he was decked out in nothing but his pants that he had thrown on moments before, but had carelessly left unbuttoned and unzipped. A stain of pink appeared on his cheeks ever so briefly before he managed to find his composure once again.
?It?s fine, I sleep odd hours. Now, not meaning to be rude, but I?d like to go back to sleep before going to work. Was there something you needed??
There was a long silence, and Heero realized that the girl was staring blankly at him. ?Um, miss??
?Oh! Um, yeah, sorry. Duo Maxwell lives here, correct??
Heero eyed the item in the woman?s hand skeptically. They were resorting to sending him flowers now? He knew Duo was well-liked with some of the ladies, but this was ridiculous. ?Yeah, he lives here.?
She finally seemed to ease up a bit, and a stern look appeared on her features. ?Good. Please tell him to stop sending flowers to my home and my work, because I?m not interested.?
Heero gazed at her dumbly, and could do nothing but accept the bouquet of flowers she dumped into his arms. The idea of Duo being hung up on a girl was almost inconceivable. And to be going so much out of his way for a girl who seemingly had no interest in him, well that was news too. But when he began to think back on small fragments of the past few weeks, the puzzle came together.
?So you?re what?s been occupying Duo?s thoughts the past few weeks. Not bad taste, I have to give him that,? Heero thought silently. The beginning of a smirk began to appear on his face, but he quickly concealed it so the girl, who?s name he had to find out now, would not be alarmed.
?Sure, I?ll let him know. And you are???
?Hilde. Thanks, I appreciate it. Um, are you his roommate? Sorry to be nosy, I just want to know who to blame if he doesn?t stop sending them.?
Heero didn?t stop the small smile from surfacing a second time. ?Oh yes, this one is going to be the one to put you in your place, little brother. I?m going to make sure of it.?
?Heero, his older brother. I?ll do what I can, but I?m not making any promises. Now, if you don?t mind, I?m going to get back to my sleep.?
?Sure, sorry again to bother you.? And with that, the woman turned and stepped away from the door, failing to notice Heero chuckling as he shut the door behind her.
After closing the door, he placed the flowers on the table and scribbled a small note to Duo explaining that a Hilde had come to the place earlier and dropped them off, and to give him a call at work once he got home because he had something to discuss with him. Then he pulled his pants off once again, hoping he would not have to put them back on for another few hours, and quickly fell back into a blissful and much needed sleep.

-----------------------------

Hilde stepped off of the walk that lead to the apartment she then knew as Duo?s home, and breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn?t been aware that Duo had an elder brother--what a scene that had been! She wasn?t sure what horrified her more, the fact that she had woken the poor guy up (he looked exhausted) or the fact that he had noticed her staring at him.
?Not that it could be helped!? she protested in her mind, and felt a blush creeping to the surface of her cheeks once again. For heaven?s sake, the boy opened the door shirtless and with his jeans undone as though he were a stripper, and he expected her not to gawk? Especially with a body like that?
A stray thought suddenly entered her mind. ?I wonder if Duo looks that good shirtless and with his hair all mussed up from sleep.? She quickly pushed that thought aside, banishing her mind from ever going in that direction again. Thoughts like that only brought trouble, and would side-track her from her goal.
?Which I need to get back to very soon, I?m falling behind again,? she muttered aloud, and quickened her pace to the car so she could leave that town which gave her the chills despite what Duo had told her.
She turned around the block to head back in the direction of her home, the massive amounts of one way streets making it difficult to return back on her original track. She was getting agitated and tiny bit frightened of getting lost when she finally found a street that would allow her to get back onto the main road. From there she would be able to hurry home and get to her school work that she had to complete that night. Before making the final turn though, she caught a glimpse of a person walking across the street. She slowed to a stop, and with sad, haunted eyes, watched as the scantly-dressed woman waved her thanks for stopping and then went on with her business. She was reminded of what Duo had told her earlier about the large amount of prostitutes they had staying in his small community, and seeing the woman brought the sad realization to the surface as well as a few unwanted memories. She was finally jolted back into reality when a car horn behind her encouraged her to start moving again. She gave the car gas and sped on her way once again, but her thoughts were still lost back with the hooker on the street.
To some, Hilde was considered a hard-working, independent woman. To more, she was a considered a workaholic bitch. She didn?t mind either term, since frankly, she didn?t have the time to prove either theory incorrect. Nor did she want to; what others thought of her was their business alone. In truth, she wasn?t on a crusade to prove a woman could make it on her own-- more like a daughter proving that despite her family?s bleak history she could become something great.
Her family often joked that a curse had been put upon them, but Hilde found she thought it less and less a joke as new tragedies struck her family name. Her first encounter of it was her aunt, a somber woman of twenty-seven. She had a decent life: a husband with a decent income, and a baby on the way. But out of the blue came a miscarriage, and it all went downhill from there. Within a few months her husband left her, leaving her with a mortgage she couldn?t handle, and struggling to find a decent job when all she had ever been was a housewife. It came to no great surprise when a few weeks short of six months of solitude, her neighbors found her body, fallen from a self-inflicted bullet to the head.
The next victim was her elder cousin and Kimberly?s older sister, Maria. At sixteen, a gambling bug seized her in the worst way. Unfortunately, the girl had very little luck in the game and in two years she had acquired over 32,000 dollars in debt. She tried desperately to pay off the amount, taking small loans here and there, and stealing when necessary. That helped until she couldn?t pay off one of her loans and the dealer she borrowed from made her pay with her life. What made it worse was that Kimberly seemed to be following the same routine. The fifteen year old had been in the hole for five thousand when her parents had caught her. So they shipped her off to Hilde, hoping she?d be a good influence, while they struggled to make ends meet with the added debt to their already financially poor household.
Hilde?s immediate family had its own share of problems too. The youngest of four, she was the only child to finish high school. Her oldest brother, Aric, was an awful alcoholic and heroine user, and was probably the worst off of all of them (though the others weren?t shining examples of a future by any standards.) The second oldest, Henry, was somewhat successful as an over-the-road truck driver, but had six children from three different women, and had a record for domestic abuse.
Despite all of the heartache of her brothers, as well as her mother having always been a drunk, the one who?s betrayal slashed her the deepest was her sister?s, Lorelei. Her entire life, Hilde looked up to her. Having only two years between them, they were constant playmates and companions up to Lorelei?s junior year of high school. That year her group of friends made a drastic change, and it sent her into a tailspin of trouble.
Her heart not able to take anymore of the aching, Hilde cut ties with everyone in her family but her father, and vowed never to let herself falter. She graduated in the top twenty of her class, and at her own request, her parents (her father, really) helped her with her own place a mile and a half away from the home she hoped to never see again. As for Lorelei, the last word she had heard, or cared to hear of her sister was that she had conceived a child by someone she had hung around with, and was trying to make ends meet by selling herself off. Perhaps she was around the area, on one of Duo?s own streets?or perhaps not. She didn?t care either way (at least she pretended that she didn?t) because the only concern she had was to keep her and Kimberly out of trouble. And once Kimberly returned for home in August, all she had to worry about was herself.
Her thoughts suddenly flitted back to Duo, and she wondered why he was stuck in such a miserable place as the lower district of Wabasso. Taking an educated guess based on what she had witnessed that day, she would think that Duo?s brother either worked to support the family or was a drunk. However, his speech wasn?t slurred, nor was he extremely irritable when he answered the door, so she presumed the former was correct.
She shrugged uncaringly, brushing away more pieces she had tried to fit together. Everyone had their story or tragedy; it wasn?t her concern.

She allowed her thoughts to stray to what to make herself to eat the rest of the way home, and had decided by her arrival. She unlocked her door and hurried to shut off the alarm. She went directly to the kitchen from there, and in a crash of pots and pans, pulled out a medium sized pot and began to boil the water for some boxed macaroni and cheese.
The sound of the door chimes pulled her away from her noodles in the rapidly boiling water. Stirring them around once so they didn?t burn while she was idle, she left her position in front of the stove and hurried to answer the door. When she returned a few moments later, her mood was blackened with annoyance; in her hand, was yet another large bouquet of flowers, with a small box a chocolate this time around.
?Dammit, Maxwell, you?re really starting to push my buttons!? she shouted to an empty house as though it were the source of her frustration. She had mind enough to go down to go down to his neighborhood again, find out where he worked (hadn?t he said a deli?) and throttle him with the bouquet?s beautiful blue ribbon. But her hunger outweighed her anger, and she still had a paper scheduled to be sent out to her professor by the end of the night.
Fifteen minutes later she was dropping her bowl into the sink and trudging wearily up her staircase to her work room. Her laptop sat upon the large wooden desk, waiting faithfully for her to begin the torture better known as college via the internet.
Skimming through the numbers of e-mails, she went right to the ones she recognized as school related. The first was a returned assignment from her account professor. She quickly skimmed over the comments he had added. As usual her worksheets and balances had been perfect, he just would have preferred it had made it to him by the deadline and not two days later. She gave a sigh of relief when she saw he did not penalize her for the tardiness, and made a quick reply thanking him, as well as attaching her completed assignment for that week (a day early, this time.) She then moved on to the next e-mail, an announcement that there was to be a chat scheduled for her English Composition class that Friday at 3:30pm, and that anyone unable to participate was to let the professor now a.s.a.p. Hilde quickly jotted down the time in Friday?s box of her planner sitting beside the laptop, and deleted the e-mail.
Finally, Hilde reached the last school-oriented notice, which she knew to be from her Accounting professor once again. She opened the document, and as she had expected, the new assignment he had planned for the lesson they had gone over in chat the day before was attached and ready for her full attention. However, she downloaded the attachment and left it in her documents for a later time; after all, she did have a week to complete the whole thing, and accounting was a breeze for her. In addition, there was her report that was due the next day, and was only one-third the way done.
She did a quick look at the message board to see if any questions had popped up that she knew the answer to. She was disappointed when she found none, since she enjoyed showing she knew the subject, and that the professor often gave a few extra points when he saw one of them answer another?s question. Not that she needed the extra points, but again, it came down to her being competitive and wanting to be the best in the class. Having nothing else left to stall with, she reluctantly opened up her English report which was only 4 of the required 10 pages done, and skimmed over what she had written before.
?I hate this,? she muttered to the screen when the words to type didn?t come right to her. Hilde had never been a patient person, so when it came to English reports where she had to formulate the correct way to word her statement so that it looked professional, she tended to end up frustrated. The subject she understood perfectly, it was that she was not particularly that good with formal writing.
Her mind began to wander onto other things--where her trouble-making dependent could be at the moment instead of at the mall like she promised, what the next thing she wanted to tinker with on her vehicle, the flowers sitting downstairs taunting her?
Shaking her head, she glanced back down at her work and began furiously typing the best bullshit story she could for her article. Priorities were a must?first she would complete her work, and then she could deal with Maxwell and his flowers.

----------------

?Bang Bang Bang!? ?Yuy! Open up!?

For the second time that day Heero was dragged from the blissful haziness of sleep and dropped back into reality. He groaned in protest and popped one eye open to look at the clock. His will to get up and answer the door was fueled when he saw that only thirty minutes had passed since his sleep was interrupted the first time. He didn?t give a damn who was on the other side of the door this time; they were going to get a piece of his mind. How was a man supposed to get any sleep if people kept pestering him?
Making sure to close up the fly and button of his jeans this time, Heero huffed over to the door and swung it open.
?What the hell? How did you get my address??

?Well, that?s an interesting way to greet a guest. Do you mind if I come in??

Heero held back the sigh of exasperation that wanted to be released at the moment; the last person he wanted to deal with then was her. Nonetheless, he stepped aside and motioned for the woman who had rammed into his car week before, Catherine, to enter his dwelling.
?You left your information on my voicemail; that?s how I knew where you lived. Don?t you remember?? she explained as she entered the apartment, her flaxen locks flowing behind her. She welcomed herself to sitting on the couch where Heero had been sleeping and took in her surroundings. Scrunching up her nose in distaste, she glanced back up to Heero and began to speak again.
?I apologize it took so long for me to get in touch with you, my schedule is rather hectic--being a model and all.? She flipped her hand a bit at the last statement and lightly giggled.
?I noticed,? was Heero?s only reply. He had only left his address out of desperation to settle the problem of their damages and insurance claims. He had been trying for two weeks straight to contact her, but had gotten nothing but a voicemail message.
?Yes, well, you?re very hard to track down yourself, Heero. I called here three times this week with no answer. Finally I managed to get a hold of your brother and he informed me that you had a vigorous work schedule. So, I decided I would try my luck today and stop by, and here I am.?
Heero blanched at the falseness of her charm; it was completely sickening. Not liking the woman even more with every sugar-coated word that spewed from her mouth, Heero cut right to the matter at hand to get her out of his home and away from him as soon as possible.
?All right, so do you have your insurance information with you so we can get this over with??

?My, you?re in a rush.?

Heero gritted his teeth to bite back a curse. ?You?re cutting in on my sleep time and I have to be at work in two hours. Now, can we get to business?? he barked.
?Oh, of course. But first, there?s something I?d like to offer to you; a proposition of sorts. I think it could be of great assistance to you.?

Heero didn?t like the knowing smile that graced the young model?s lips, nor did her care for the quality the tone of her voice had taken. This ?proposition? of hers already seemed like trouble, and he hadn?t even heard it yet. Hesitant, yet still curious, he allowed her to continue.
?Go ahead, I?m listening.?

Her entire posture perked and her smile brightened at his acceptance to hear her out as though she already knew the verdict. ?First of all, let me say that if you want no part in it, then I have no problems with just exchanging our insurance companies? information and that will be the end of it. But as I said before, I think you have much to benefit from what I?m about to offer you. As I mentioned before, I?m a model, and quite a demanded one at that. I make a good sum of money, and live very comfortably.?
?Now this is all great for me, and I couldn?t be happier. Unfortunately, my mother has this notion that I simply must have a boyfriend in order to have a good life and she keeps harping over the issue.?

Heero let her words sink in, and had a feeling he knew where he fit into the equation. What he didn?t understand was why she was trying to sucker him into such a deal. Sure, he didn?t care for her high and mighty attitude, but to deny that she was beautiful would be insane; there had to be plenty of other guys more than willing to take on the part of her boyfriend.

?So anyway, here?s the part where the deal comes in. I?m really not looking for a real relationship with a guy?I?m content with how I am, and I don?t need the added hassle. But to make my mother happy and to get her off my back, I need someone to just play the part while she?s around. So, what do you say?

?What exactly would the job entail?? Heero questioned, figuring it couldn?t be simple as she made it sound.

?Nothing too complicated. A couple of meeting with my mom, you don?t need to talk too much there. Maybe a party here and there to attend, and for that I would tell you what to say when you went to socialize. Oh, and ya know, maybe have a little fun while we?re at it, but that?s about it.?

?What would be in it for me??

Catherine looked at his as though he were dumb. ?Money, of course!? she replied, as though it were the most obvious answer in the world. ?I?d buy you a new car to start off. You could quit one of your jobs so that you could focus more on your classes, and then, depending on how things go, we can work on getting you out of this place and into an apartment in a different part of town. I would help pay for your college expenses too, but all in good time. So, what?s the verdict??

?I?m not interested.?

The young blonde was completely baffled at his response. She was hand-feeding him a deal that would enable him to live a life of complete luxury, yet he didn?t want it. Why?
She began to laugh suddenly, and Heero?s features went from annoyance to complete confusion. ?This is one of those male pride things, isn?t it?? she laughed. ?You can?t deal with a woman paying for your living so you?d prefer just staying this little hole of yours and struggling.?
?For your information, it has nothing to do with that. Not that it?s any of your business, but I don?t go for these pity deals?there are plenty of other people who would be more than willing to take your offer, so I suggest you go waste their time. Now, you got my answer, and you said that we can finish with the insurance exchange and you can be on your way.?
The woman still looked rather confused, but nodded in agreement. She handed him her card that she had out and ready, though she didn?t suspect she would have to use it. ?It?s not a pity deal,? she pouted as he walked over to the table and jotted down the needed information.
?I don?t see any other reason why you would try to pull me into your little scheme other than you believe that I?m some poor shmuck who is desperate enough to do your bidding for a little bit of money.?
?You think that?s why? Oh come now, be serious,? she retorted, baffled by his modesty. He couldn?t really be serious. ?I asked your help because I think you?re attractive! If I was looking for just anyone who needed money to aid me, I?d pick some old hobo on the street. But I need someone who can compliment me, and someone who my mother would believe I would be interested in. Do you see now??
Her proclamation to finding him attractive set Heero back a bit. He had no idea what the woman was thinking; his messy appearance and dark eyes from lack a sleep was the furthest thing from what he figured to be attractive. And he was being downright rude to her, so it wasn?t his shining personality that was drawing her.
Catherine took advantage of Heero?s sudden faltering silence to gain her self-confidence back and give it one last try.
?I?ll tell you what, Heero. You have my number, and I?m going to leave my address as well. Think about my offer for a little while, and then get back to me.?
?I already told you, I??
?Just think about for awhile, that?s all I?m saying. Maybe talk to your brother about it too, since you have to think about him in the picture as well. Anyway, I think I?ve taken up enough time here, so I shall see you. Oh, and do get some more sleep, you look exhausted.? And with that, she slid out the door and shut it behind her before he had a chance to formulate a reply.
After a few moments of gathering together all of what happened, Heero growled in irritation and returned to his couch for what he hoped to be the final time that day. He stifled a yawn behind his hand, his exhaustion increased tenfold with the added stress that Catherine had just placed on him. He scooted down to get comfortable, and swore the next person that came to his doorstep was dead if they disturbed his rest. Sleep claimed him in a matter of a couple of minutes, once again pulling him into the blissful state of nothingness that took him away from all the problems of his loathed reality.

Tbc.


Extra Notes: I have always held the belief that the meaning of your name defines at least some part of your personality. Therefore, I try as often as possible to my belief into my stories when naming my original characters. Here are the meanings of the names of Hilde?s siblings.
Lorelei-Alluring
Henry- Ruler of the Household
Aric-Noble Leader (as you can see, it doesn?t always work.)

[stefy]

Good story, CT! A little sad, I?ve to say, but the main characters show that it?s possible go ahead in the life, even if sometime it is very difficult.
I?ve already told you, but I?m very curious to see what will be happen in the next chapter!
By the way...I should have liked to be in the Hildie place, when Heero opened the door in *that* attire...

[PeRiDoTs13]

dang. poor heero. poor poor heero. and poor hilde! man, her family's really down on it's luck, isn't it?