The Affair
Ch. 2
?You know, sooner or later, you?re goin? to have to give her SOME kind of explanation . . . BOTH of them. I mean, you can?t just keep avoiding the two of them forever! What happens when Relena starts asking questions ? I know, I know, she hasn?t yet. But she will. She?ll want to know, and all I?m saying, is what are ya gonna tell her when she does? I ??
Duo was swiftly cut off by a very irritated ? though dazed ? Heero. ?We?ll talk tonight. She?s done with meetings around nine thirty. I fully intend to explain the situation.? His face scrunched up a little, in thought.
?What?s wrong, finally realize how screwed you are?? Duo chuckled.
?No, I finally realized why exactly Shayne thinks I cheated,? his expression turned grave for a minute. ?And it?s not because of the kiss . . .?
~@~
?Thank you for your time, Vice President Malory. I?ll get in touch with the Senior Minister to discuss the matter further on Monday. Have a great weekend.? Relena closed the connection line and sat back in her chair. Ugh . . ., she inwardly groaned. Sure, it was antique, so it was both priceless and beautiful; but it had to be the most uncomfortable thing ever to sit in! She was almost relieved when she heard a knock at the door to her office, signaling that she would get even the tinniest reprieve from its torture. Almost.
She would?ve been completely relieved if it weren?t for the fact that she had been fearing what, or rather whom, would be behind that door all day. She wanted to see him because Heero was always in short supply ? as far as she was concerned. And the kiss yesterday had been spectacular! But she didn?t want to see him because she knew deep down there would be something bad behind his motives for it. And then there was that box . . . where was he coming from, that he had to have his personal affects with him a cardboard box?
Before she let herself analyze the matter further, and keep who she knew would be him waiting at the door any longer, she got up to answer it.
?Alice? What are you still doing here? You were supposed to go home three hours ago.?
The older woman looked at Relena with knowing eyes. ?Miss Relena, you were supposed to go home three hours ago! You and I both know full well that your meeting with the delegates from x18999?s Environmental Safety Division was cancelled. Now, I know you have a strong work ethic, and sometimes you get a little over zealous while reading through a proposition, but - ?
?I?m going now, Alice. Don?t worry,? Relena loved the woman for all the world, but sometimes she could swear she forgot that Relena had been doing this since she was fifteen, and lived the life of a politician?s daughter for even longer. Alice also seemed to forget that Relena was about to turn twenty-one in a little over three weeks.
Really, she was having a hard time remembering it herself, lately. The years since Operation Meteor ? or rather, the farce of the same name ? seemed almost as if they only equaled one, when truthfully they were nearly six. It wasn?t that Relena disliked getting older, but rather, she liked the age she was. And come twenty-one, things were going to be expected of her . . .
~@~
They?d been sitting together in silence on a bench in one of Relena?s private gardens for about twenty-five minutes, though it seemed three times as long to Relena and Heero. They needed to move, they needed to talk; they needed to understand what was going on with each other . . . and what could be done. Though it couldn?t be said that either of them wanted to stay in the uncomfortable silence, neither could figure out how exactly to start the conversation. They also couldn?t figure out who should start it.
?Heero, I ??
?We should ??
So, they both started at the same time.
Relena waited for Heero to continue, as it seemed he would probably be the one that needed to be heard most. ?Relena, I . . . I?d like . . . I?d like to talk with you. At my house. You could spend the night; I have an extra room, some extra clothes. I know you don?t have work on Saturdays, so I, I ?? he seemed so nervous. More nervous than she?d ever seen him; nervous of rejection, she realized. He was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, hands wringing themselves over, and over. Finally, she?d had enough. She?d had enough of watching the strongest person she knew tear himself apart. She gently laid a hand on his left forearm, ?Heero,? he looked startled for a moment, taken aback, ?Heero, I?d love to.?
~@~
It wasn?t big, it wasn?t small, it was just right; and as far as Relena was concerned, it seemed like the perfect home. It was just slightly on a hill, around a bend, with a small forest across the street that looked like it would be great for playing hide ?n? go seek. The yard was just big enough that you could sit out and have a picnic, while someone played on the tire swing that adorned the huge oak tree just left of the center. Pale blue, a darker blue trim ? which reminded her of how strong, yet soft his eyes could be ? and a red door. The grass was just slightly grown, showing he?d loosened up since she?d seen him last.
He?d opened the door for her, offered to take her jacket, and directed her to the leather sectional in the parlor left of the door. He walked into the adjacent kitchen through the swinging salon-style doors and offered her coffee over the bar top. ?Yes, thank you, Heero,? she moved to sit, looking around at the random pictures he seemed to have collected over the years. Some of the other Gundam Pilots, both with and without him. Some of functions thrown through Preventors; but one in particular caught her eye. It was sitting dead-center on the coffee table in front of her, a fancier frame than she ever would?ve though him capable of buying. She leaned forward to pick it up.
Crash! Her head whipped around to see Heero five feet away from her standing over the broken ceramic and spilled coffee with his mouth open slightly and a panicked look on his face.
And all she could hear was the sway of the kitchen doors as she looked back . . . to the two of them in the picture.
A/N: Ooooh! I acutally left a cliffhanger!

