Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Counting the Seconds ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )

From the Desk of Scilja

It's here! At long last. There you have it. I'm so happy it's finally off my chest!

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DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Period.

Counting the Seconds

By Scilja

Chapter 7

Relena bowed courteously after having been greeted by some representatives of an E-commerce organization. Her ankle length dress flowed gracefully as she became engaged in more salutations and chitchat with other party members. Years of practice made this a breeze, and she had earned the value and respect of many people with her down-to-earth personality. A dazzling smile here, witty remarks there and along with a bit of etiquette and you're on a roll.

Dreask's Executive Coordinator peered over the crowd to find her roommate. She had managed to spot her friend a few feet away, giving another of her award winning smiles. She had exciting news to tell her that was dying to be heard.

"Excuse me gentlemen," Hilde addressed to the men conversing with the VP, "may I have Ms. Darlian's attention for a minute?"

"Ms. Schbeiker! Yes, yes, of course," an elder man answered. "Good evening, Ms. Darlian. It's been a pleasure."

Another one of her bright smiles came forth and Hilde swore that the whole lot swooned at the sight of it. "Like wise, Mr. Eli. Give my regards to your family for me."

As they walked away from the gawking crowd, Relena sighed, "Hil, you don't know how much of a godsend you are. It was getting stuffy there."

She gave a comforting smile, "Typical males and their hormones. But you've gotta admit, how can they resist? You're brains and beauty all baked into a nice cake."

"Hilde!" Relena protested in disbelief at the choice of the brunette's words.

Hilde looked at her as if she were a naïve girl, "Don't tell me you're that clueless about it." She continued to weave through the crowd, "Forget about that now, there's someone I'm sure you wouldn't mind meeting."

Relena was having a quite a hard time keeping up with Hilde's swift pace and was constantly scanning amongst the crowd to stay on track. Eventually, she found herself stuck in an unknown group of faces. 'Oh crap, I can't believe I lost her. Just how many people are here anyway?!' She searched frantically for a female wearing a champagne colored halter dress. Not wanting to appear frenzied, she daintily took a cocktail from a passing maitre d' and sipped. 'Ick, so bitter, bleh. It tastes like this was made by blind men on morphine.' Seeing another waiter pass by, she happily returned the drink. 'Free!'

During her hunt, she had briefly caught a glimpse of a long braid, and then realization hit her, 'Duo!' She twirled around to take a closer look, 'I'd spot that braid in a stampede of elephants!' She finally found her target, though she did not recognize the blonde man who was with him. There was a look on Duo's face that worried her ― he seemed edgy. 'Wait. If Duo's here, Heero must be too.'

Searching for ZW's CEO, the sight she was met with made her almost gasp in disbelief. A woman, a very sensual one at that, had one arm possessively around his waist and her other hand tracing patterns across his formal shirt, occasionally tugging his tie. Her dress was anything but revealing, a low cut in the front with a deep V in the back. 'Any further and the whole world won't miss her butt.' The high-thigh cut on her dress revealed one leg bent forward along Heero's own. The look in her eyes was…sultry…as if she was trying to seduce him. 'Well well, Heero's got himself a hootchie, how nice.' Relena mentally smacked herself, 'Hootchie?! Where did that come from? I don't care what Heero does with his life...Argh, gotta keep looking for Hilde.'

All of a sudden, Relena jumped as a grinning Hilde popped up out of nowhere, "Geez, Hil! You have got to stop doing that!"

That only made the grin on Hilde's face broaden, "Guess who?" She whispered slyly. When she had stepped aside, Relena was taken back upon seeing the man standing in front of her, her eyes glistened with joy.

"Trowa!"

His emerald pools shimmered when he saw her, the corners of his mouth curled into a small grin, "Relena."

The two shared a long-overdue warm embrace. Relena laughed, "I see your tastes in hairstyles haven't changed," she pointed out at the parted hair that covered about half of his face. Nonetheless, Relena was one of the few people who could understand him truly. She had met Trowa in after she had graduated from university and the two instantly connected well. Next to Hilde, he was a trusted confidant and a close friend of hers.

Hilde watched happily, as her two friends recollected lost times. She wanted Relena to enjoy this valuable retreat as much as she could. She deserved it, every little bit, and with Trowa being here things just got better.

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He strongly placed both hands on her shoulders as a warning that this was not the proper time, "Cheryl, I still have matters to attend to. Not now."

At his refusal, the woman looked crossly at him and then put on a pretentious pout, "Awww, but sweetie, I don't think you even want to be here."

"Actually, it's you he doesn't want here," Duo sneered.

Cheryl glowered, "Shut it, Maxwell, no-one asked you," she grasped Heero's hand, "Let's go, huh? What do you say?"

Heero sighed inwardly, 'Could she be anymore irritating?' He raised his head to give her a direct answer, but stopped short when he saw Relena not too far from him.

He was pleased that she accepted his invitation and attended the ball; it satisfied him that she was here. It took only a second that he realized there was another man there with her…and he was holding her a bit too close for his liking. A scowl instantly formed on his face, 'Who the hell is that?' When Relena touched his new rival's arm, he stared daggers at the anonymous man.

He was about to go over there and bring Relena back to earth when a hand stopped him. 'Oh yeah, forgot about her.' "Heero," Cheryl arched a brow, "Where are you going?"

"I have some important matters to attend to," he said and walked off to get a good look at this guy. Duo smirked proudly as he passed by Cheryl, who looked down right insulted.

Her emerald eyes flashed angrily towards Heero's direction, 'You're not getting away from me that easily, Yuy. It's about time someone learned that this kitty has claws.'

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The sound of Relena's laughter made his features soften as he approached the Dreask representatives. When he looked at the tall man, it was evident that he showed no tricks on his façade. It was time to break the ice, "Miss Relena, good evening."

Golden strands from her up-do swayed stylishly when she turned her head. She paused for a moment before giving him a smile, "Good evening, Heero." 'Damn, he scared me; guy has a knack for springing up in places.'

Gathering herself together, she then gestured to Trowa and introduced both men to each other, "Heero, meet Trowa Barton, business consultant. Trowa," she motioned her hand at Heero, "meet Heero Yuy, the CEO of ZW Enterprises."

The two men stood there, as if sizing up each other's hidden strengths and weakness. Relena started to become nervous from the silence, until Trowa took the first step and extended a hand, "ZW Enterprises? You must be the new CEO."

Heero took the offered hand and gave it a strong, firm shake, "Only recently."

Their small talk spoke volumes. Heero now considered Trowa as competition. If anyone observed closely, one would see that both set off sparks, like two warriors on a deserted battlefield. Fierce spirits took a stance, ready to accept any challenges that were to arise.

Relena cleared her throat softly, capturing the men's attention, "Gentlemen, why don't we head to the banquet table to get acquainted?"

At the sound of this, Duo poked his head in; his cheek covered with a lipstick mark and beamed, "Alright, princess! You sure know how to make a guy happy!"

An arm slipped around the braided man, "Duo! Is there anything else you thing about besides food?" Hilde tenderly wiped the makeup off his face.

"Come on babe," his eyes shone teasingly, "After all, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

The petite lady gave a sound peck on Duo's lips and headed towards the table, "I know another way to get to your heart."

A hint of envy bubbled up inside Relena as she watched the love exchange between the couple. She had always wanted something like that, someone to talk with, laugh with, and share her whole life with. Inwardly, she let out an annoyed sigh, 'I'm not getting any younger either.' In the midst of her thoughts, she decided to let herself loose for awhile and went off to the gardens.

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She breathed in the sweet scent of wildflowers in the night air. The moon cast down its reflection on the fountain's surface, glowing proudly among the starry sky. Relena felt like a fairy tale princess, waiting in her private garden for her prince. 'Prince? I honestly wish.'

She sat on the stone fountain's edge, casting her gaze upwards to the water dancing its silent ritual in the mid air. Her hand playfully flicked the surface of the small pool, watching in delight at the drops that sprinkled like a shower. 'Hmm, this is nice,' she felt her eyelids start to droop at the lull of the spring.

The comfortable silence was broken when a rustling sound was heard, causing Relena to straighten upright from her low posture, 'What was that?!' Swiftly turning her head to catch the guilty party that disrupted her, but she relaxed to see Heero standing there. She tilted her head, allowing her hair to cascade over her bare shoulders, "Heero."

He drank in the sight of her; it was a picture perfect. She looked like a goddess, with the moonbeams weaving through her golden strands. The glitters on her dress shimmered like diamonds, and her face glowed like one of an angel. She was always perfect. He took a seat next to her, "Relena."

"You realize you left Duo all alone," she grinned and cast her gaze up at the moon, "You think you trust him enough to make his own decisions without bringing everything crashing down with him?"

"If it happens, I know a good mental asylum after he's through with me."

"Quite resourceful, aren't you Mr. Yuy?"

"It comes in handy," she felt him move in his spot, "How is Barnes?"

"I haven't heard from him for awhile, so it must be going good," she rested her palms against the concrete and leaned back against them. "I know he is capable and has the potential to do well, all he lacks is self-esteem." She let out a small laugh, "He keeps getting himself mixed up with girls. If he focuses more, I'm sure he can do great things; that's why I see to it he's in line."

"What about Chaucer? Has he ever reprimanded you for something you did?"

"Like any supervisor, yes, but rarely. I do my best to make things go at a smooth pace so he doesn't get any step closer to having a heart attack. That's what I'm there for."

"You're rare, Relena," the smooth tone of Heero's voice brought her eyes up to his. "You combine professionalism with femininity."

The muscles in her throat tightened as she spoke, "That's not so rare nowadays. Many women serve in positions usually reserved for men and do admirably well."

He considered the idea for while, "Yes, but several women use their status as an advantage and would love to size up a man to justify their hold on their position and boost their ego," he said, leaning nearer, "But you have full control of it and do not take it for granted. You've shown that when you spoke with Barnes the other day. You got your point through and did it without forgetting the fact that you're a woman."

She felt the need to defend herself, "That's why I always have to be on guard, to make sure no one takes advantage of my because of my gender." He did not miss the interpretation in her voice.

"I've never took advantage of that, Relena."

"Haven't you?"

"I don't think I have hurt or harmed you that way."

"That's your matter of opinion."

"Name one time that I did."

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came forth. What was there she could throw at him? That he came waltzing back into her life again? For stirring up memories and emotions that she buried long ago? By bringing her along with him to Hawaii? What could she blame him for?

The original one.

"You kissed me when I was engaged."

Heero's gaze became intense, "A lot of men kissed you when you were engaged."

"Not like the way you did!" she retorted in a harsh whisper.

His brow rose, "So you're admitting my kiss had a different effect on you than any other?"

"No!"

"Liar."

At this point, it was clear she was agitated. It was déjà vu again. Her jaw clenched shut and her hands curled into fists to suppress the silent fury. She whipped her head around to stare at the other side of the garden. She did not need feminine wiles to attract any man, and she knew that. Many times she had to fend off suitors and those who were attracted to her. From them, she learned not to spark a heated argument with a man when intimacy is about.

She allowed her features to mellow before facing him again, "I'm sorry, Heero." She saw his hand, and swallowing every ounce of pride and hesitation in her, she covered it with her own, "I don't want to fight you."

Cerulean depths met with the most gorgeous Prussian blue, "I―"

She was cut off when he bent his head and pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes snapped open wide in shock. A surge of electricity shot through her whole body. Her chest burned with an aching sensation. The only thing she felt was the feel of his warmth enveloping her.

Everything suddenly became a blur around her while her mind went into a full frenzy.

'Just what is happening here?!'

'I don't know, but I like it.'

'You can't do this!'

'And why 'da hell not?'

'First of all, do you want to get yourself into a mess over this again? Not to mention with the same guy?'

'What, there's a rule against this?'

'No, it's because you've moved on!'

'Huh, give me another damn good reason, because this is heaven…'

'<ahem> Second, where did professionalism go?'

'Uh…A girl's gotta have her fun too!'

'By making out with your partner in firms? What is that all about?!'

'It's all about that he's a good kisser!'

'Woah! Since when was his tongue in your mouth?'

'God…yes…'

'Okay, that's it…TIME OUT!'

Her inner voice blasted through her mind causing her to snap back into reality. Relena halfheartedly tore her lips away from the heated kiss that grew bolder by the minute. She dared not face Heero, partly because she did not want to see his reaction to the whole incident. The only sounds that echoed in the night air were their labored breathing.

She was confused, debating with herself what was right and what was wrong. She would be lying to herself if she said she didn't enjoy the kiss they shared. At the same time, she did not fully understand why she felt the way she did.

"Relena," Heero called, "look at me." When she did not attempt to move, he tilted her chin up and turned her to face him. She froze as their eyes locked, "Put an end to this."

The endless blue in his eyes leaped like tongues of fire, "I need some clearance here, Relena. What happened two years ago still lives within me."

Relena couldn't believe what she was hearing. Had he been thinking about her all this time? She wanted nothing more than to hold him tightly in an embrace till the end of time.

His hand turned over and held unto hers, "Why did you leave?"

Her throat felt like it was burning as she tried to form the words, "Because you did."

"I didn't leave you, Relena," his hand squeezed hers tightly. "I wasn't planning to take an engaged woman into my arms, wrap my arms around her, and kiss her. But I did."

She cast her gaze downwards from him, "I felt guilty the next day."

He sighed, "The last thing I wanted was to make you feel guilty by kissing you. But," azure eyes shimmered against his, "I had to do it."

Her lips quivered at his words. She lowered her eyes shut in an effort to stabilize her senses which had gone haywire. She shivered, not of the chill, but of something deeper than that.

The action did not get missed by Heero, "Are you cold?"

She shook her head, "No, why?"

Without saying anything further, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him.

Red bloomed on her cheeks at his abrupt action. She looked down at their hands clasped together. His was strong and rough, hers smooth and dainty. His was a tan color and hers a fair tone. His were long and strong, compared to her delicate ones.

After a long while, he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. His breath tickled against her ear as he spoke, "Let's go back inside before anyone notices we've been gone for too long."

Gingerly, she nodded, and taking it as a sign, Heero came on his feet and extended a hand towards her. She did not bother to hide the smile that shone through. At long last, everything was tinged with magic again, and this was all that mattered. She willingly took his hand and followed him back into the gala.

For all the stars in the galaxy, she couldn't think of a good reason to remove her hand from his.

TBC…