Chapter 17 - Decision time

Decision time



Kaede woke up the next morning early, deciding to go for a quick run, as it was a Saturday, before Joey and Marik woke up, and maybe talk to Joey about what had happened. As Kaede pulled on her jogging trousers and a t-shirt, she watched Joey sleeping, thinking about what he would say when she told him.

She left the house quietly and ran around the streets nearby a couple of times. She leant against one of the street lamps, taking a rest and drinking some of the water she had brought with her. She whipped her lips and leaned her head back against the lamp post, breathing deeply. She stretched her legs as she stood there, and raised her arms above her head, stretching like a cat. Shaking herself, she looked up and down the street. There was no one else on the pavement, no cars driving on the road. Most sensible people were still asleep, but Kaede knew if she wasn't doing something she would probably kill herself worrying about what she was going to say to Joey. There was a constant war raging in her head about what to do.

Just tell him.

But he'll dump me. Or never speak to me ever again.

And? You deserve it!

It's not my fault!

Or course it's your fault! What, you think Kaiba pinned you down and forced you to kiss him?

No, I just wasn't thinking straight.

Whatever! He'll dump you for sure.

I could just not tell him.

WHAT? HOW CAN YOU NOT TELL HIM?!?! HE HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW THAT YOU HAVE CHEATED ON HIM!

I have not cheated on him!

Yeah? So what do you call kissing the person that he hates more than anybody else in the world? You don't call that cheating?

Shut up you!

Make me!

*shoots*

* kills*

*throws atomic bomb*

*throws hydrogen bomb*

*burns to nothing*

Ha, ha, ha, loser!

`Shut up!' Kaede slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. `Don't make me come in there!'

Kaede looked up and down the street again, just to check if anyone was watching her, thinking she was mad. Nothing had changed since the last time she looked, no one about, cars in driveways, limousine parked on the kerb-

Kaede stared at the limousine. It was big and black, with the same tinted windows as the one she had seen the last time she had been out jogging, the morning before Ana's party. She recognised the license plate too; it was definitely the same car.

She hesitated, and then walked over to the limo. As she approached, the window rolled down and she saw the driver was some random guy that she didn't actually know.

`Um, excuse me, do you live around here, because I always seem to see you when I go out for a run,' Kaede said shyly, not liking to talk to rich strangers.

`No, I don't,' said the driver not looking her way. `Neither does my boss, but he wishes to speak to you.'

Kaede felt suddenly scared. `Um, who is your boss?'

`You will see.'

`Excuse me?'

`You'll see who he is, now get in the back.'

`How about no jerk off,' Kaede said angrily. `I don't even know who your boss guy is, so I'm not getting into this limo, no matter what you do, until I know who he is, okay asshole?'

When she said this, the door to the back of the limo opened and the driver's boss stepped outside.

`Now Kaede, really, you should be nicer to my employees,' grinned Seto Kaiba, offering his hand to her. Stunned, she took it, and he pulled her into the car and shut the door after he had climbed back inside himself. He reclined on the plush leather seats and poured himself a glass of champagne. `Please relax,' he said, noticing she was tense. `Have some champagne.'

`Like I'm as much of an alchie to drink champagne at six o'clock in the morning,' Kaede told him angrily. `Unlike some people.'

She looked him up and down and saw that he was in the same clothes as he has been yesterday, only now they looked as though he had slept in them. `Haven't you been home since last night?'

Seto looked away and took a sip of his champagne. Kaede turned her body to face him, arms folded. `You haven't, have you? Have you been parked here all night? Or,' she said, a thought coming to her head. `Have you been parked outside my house all night, and when you saw me go for a run you followed me. That's it isn't it!' Kaede laughed when the look on his face told her it was true.

`So how long have you been following me like this?' Kaede asked, fascinated. `I know it's not the first time, because I can remember the morning before Ana's party I saw this limo following me. And you managed to save me from those guys after work. So, how long?'

`That night was the first time.'

`Really?' Kaede gave him a sideways look. `Coz I don't think it was.'

`Well, maybe a few times before that, but really, it was only for like a minute or something, it wasn't actually following, just me happening to drive past you and doubling back so that I could follow you and make sure that you didn't get hurt or anything,' Seto tried to explain, but stopped when he saw Kaede was about to laugh and was biting her lip so that she wouldn't. `WHAT? It's not like I was completely obsessed or anything, I was just watching to make sure you were okay.'

Kaede smiled, shaking her head slowly. She got up and moved over to the seat next to Seto and knelt on it, facing him. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her onto his lap, his hands on her waist.

`Um, you might not want me being so close to you, as I've just been for a run,' Kaede said seriously.

`I don't mind,' Seto breathed into her hair.

Kaede sniffed the air around him and mocked fanning a bad smell away. `Yeah, you stink pretty gross yourself. Did you sleep in these clothes?'

`Um, yeah.'

Kaede grinned and leaned back slightly so that she could look into his eyes. He smiled back and her, and then leant forward and kissed her, his hands still on her waist.

Kaede sat in his arms until they arrived at her house a couple of minutes later. He kissed her once more before she climbed out of the car and ran back to her house. She waved goodbye to him, although she couldn't see through the windows, and slipped back inside the house.

After a quick shower, she changed into a loose fitting floaty dress in lots of different shades of blue with a bow made in the same material at the lower of her back. Her tied her hair up in a bun and put on some really nice dangly earrings. She got a pair of white high heels and took them downstairs, putting them by the door for her to put on when she went out.

Kaede went downstairs, leaving Joey and Marik, who were still asleep, and began to set breakfast, placing the plates and bowls on the table, arranging the cutlery, pouring out milk and orange juice into jugs so they could be easily accessed, and switching on the kettle so that she could make tea and coffee.

Ishizu was the first person downstairs, looking immaculate as always. Kaede poured her some tea. She was about to warn Ishizu about it being hot, but thought that she would probably already know as she was the owner of the millennium necklace, enabling her to see into the future.

Kaede's grandparent's came down next and her grandmother made Kaede sit down and eat, even though she complained she wasn't hungry, saying, `breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you should always eat breakfast'.

Odion, Marik and Joey all trooped down together, Joey still half asleep, and all sat down and ate toast automatically, like robots, as their brains weren't properly functioning yet.

`What are we doing today?' Marik asked when he had woken up properly.

`We could go into town, unless you guys are going to the inquest today,' Kaede suggested.

`Well, we might be needed there today, so I think Marik should come for today, to find out when he'll be needed,' Odion said, biting into a piece of toast.

`Okay, well, Joey and I can go into town, and we'll see you guys later,' Kaede said brightly.

So after breakfast, the Ishtars and Kaede's grandparents piled into her grandfather's car and drove off, while Kaede and Joey waved goodbye and headed towards the mall.

When they arrived, Joey wanted to go into this weird games shop to buy more.

`Okay, I'll just wait outside for you,' Kaede said, sitting down by one of the indoor fountains. `But hurry up; I want to talk to you about something.'

`Okay, can you just look after my stuff while I go in,' Joey gave her his back pack, took his wallet out and ran into the store.

Kaede sat back and looked around at everyone in the mall. Loads of groups of friends were running around, totally hyper. Kaede watched them, remembering all her trips with the girls to the mall. She was just thinking about how she wanted to go for another trip with them here when Joey's bag started vibrating. Kaede fumbled around in the front pocket and found his phone. She looked and the screen and didn't recognise the number, so she answered it.

`Hello, Joey's phone?'

`Hi, where's Joey?' the person asked. A girl person judging by her voice.

`He's busy at the moment, can I take a message?'

`Just tell him I called.'

`Right; and who are you?'

`I'm Mai, Mai Valentine.'

`Oh, hi Mai!' Kaede exclaimed, finally realising who she was. They had met during Pegasus's Duellist Kingdom tournament and she had lost to Joey. Somewhere between then and now she had become friends with them. `It's Kaede. Sorry, I didn't recognise you. And what are you doing talking to Joey? I didn't even know you had his phone number!'

`Well, of course I talk to Joey! I am his girlfriend after all.'

Kaede's breath caught in her throat. A sudden rush of blood to the head blinded her temporarily, and she slumped back in her seat, her free hand to her forehead.

`Kaede? Kaede, are you still there?' Mai asked from the other end of the line. `Are you alright?'

`Fine,' Kaede said shakily. `Sure, I'll give him the message.'

She hung up, but didn't put the phone away. She checked Joey's inbox for messages from Mai, and to her horror she saw that it was nearly full of them. Kaede herself didn't have a phone, so she couldn't text him, but began to wonder if she did, would he keep as many from her as he did from Mai. She checked his outbox too, and there were so many messages from him to her, all with “Love you xxx” at the end. Kaede's hands shook as she put his phone away, just as he himself stepped out of the shop. He hurried over to her, smiling, but the look of pure poison she gave him stopped him, and his smiled disappeared.

`What's the matter? Are you okay?' Joey asked, stepping forward with his arms out, about to hug her.

`Don't touch me,' she said quietly, so only he could hear. She flicked her air out of her face and glared at him coldly. She picked up his backpack and took out his phone. `Someone ran you by the way, left me with a message to give to you.'

`Who was it?' Joey asked, still not quite understanding.

`It was Mai, she just said to tell you she called,' Kaede thrust his bag at his and threw his phone hard. He tried to grab it but wasn't quick enough, and it landed on the flood, shattering the screen and breaking the cover in half.

`What the hell did you do that for?' Joey yelled, bending down to pick up his phone. `Well done, it's completely broken now.'

`Oh, I'm sorry!' Kaede said sarcastically. `Shall I pay for it then? Well, I don't think I need to, coz now we're even. You broke my heart, I broke your phone, let's leave it at that, shall we.'

`What, I don't understand-' Joey began, but Kaede cut through his sentence.

`You don't? Well, I'll explain then, because you're too stupid to get it on your own. Your phone was ringing, so I answered it, not knowing it was Mai. She told me to tell you she rung, and when I realised it was her, I said I didn't know you two talked to each other. And she said, well, of course you talk to each other, seeing as she is your girlfriend!'

Kaede yelled the last word at him and slapped him around the face. She turned on her heel and strode away, her head held high.

She left the mall and began to walk down the street, not really sure about where she was going. She was just waiting by the traffic lights but Joey came hurtling out of the mall, running towards her.

`Kaede, please, just let me explain!' Joey yelled as he ran. Kaede turned to face him, her face dead pan, arms folded.

`Go on then, Explain,' Kaede said, her voice devoid of all emotions. `Hurry up, I don't have all day.'

`Look, okay um, well, Mai, you know, she's just, Mai's just-'

`JUST WAIT JOEY?' Kaede yelled, her patience broken. `WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME YOU WERE TWO-TIMING ME? HUH? DID YOU TELL HER THAT YOU ALREADY HAD A GIRLFRIEND, OR WAS SHE ALREADY GOING OUT WITH YOU WHEN WE STARTED SEEING EACH OTHER? WERE YOU EVER GOING TO TELL ME THAT YOU ARE A TWO-TIMING SCUMBAG? OR WERE YOU JUST GOING TO LEAVE ME TO FIGURE IT OUT ON MY OWN?'

Joey said nothing, so Kaede kicked him in the shin. `You know, I was hoping that maybe we could work out our problems today, but obviously, we don't need to, coz you already found a solution Joey; start seeing someone else. Well, that's just what I'll do.'

Kaede hit him with her bag and pushed him over before he could stop her from hitting him again. She was about to hit him again when she heard the sound of a car horn behind her. She looked around at the stretch limo in the middle of the traffic. She immediately recognised it. Turning back to Joey, she smiled as best as she could at him. `Well, looks like my someone else has just arrived. Ciou.'

She left him on the ground and half jogged over to the limousine. The door to the back opened as she arrived and she climbed in, shutting it behind her. She felt Seto take her hand and wrap his arms around her, as she kissed him passionately. He held her to him and kissed her back. When she pulled back she looked out of the window at Joey, who was picking himself off the ground. She turned back to Seto, tilted her head to on side and asked, `Would you like to take me out to dinner some time?'

Seto laughed, and kissed her again, as the traffic lights turned green and they drove away, leaving Joey standing by the road, watching as they sped away into the distance.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment