August

Disclaimer: Same as Chapter 1. In Ayame's POV


Chapter 4 - In the Rough

Just like I said, I was waiting by the car. Tears now ran freely down my face since I was alone, and at this point I didn't care if anyone that I knew saw me either. I was shaking and even though it was warm outside I was feeling cold. It was not the kind of cold that you feel in the breeze or on your skin... it was an internal cold, something that was slowly freezing my heart and working it's way outwards to chill the rest of me. I was mentally cursing myself for ever ever ever liking a jerk like Kouga. I should have known better. Everything I had said to him was truth... he will continue his chasing of Kagome, and I am nothing but a lowly clown in his eyes... something he found funny.

I slumped against the car, sitting on my haunches so I wouldn't get Sango's nice white jeans dirty with parking lot filth and car grease. I wiped at my face furiously to get rid of the tear marring that had run down my cheeks. As I brought my right hand down, it brushed against one of the dangles of the choker around my neck. Angrily I reached behind me and pulled at the clasp, not wanting the cursed jewelry - that was never meant for me in the first place - around my neck any longer. The silver held for awhile, until I pulled really hard and the delicate chain broke and I was now holding the diamond choker in my hands.

I sniffled, and with my left hand rubbed under my nose. It was hard choking back more tears as I stared at the glittering white gems. I was born in April, my birthstone was the diamond. Kouga couldn't have known that. He had gotten this necklace for Kagome and he chose diamonds because it was expensive. I fingered the necklace, tracing pads of my fingers over the tiny gems. They were so beautiful. This was not fair. Why did he laugh at me? Why was the fact that I had a crush on him so funny?

"You are such an asshole..." I whispered into the wind, but the comment was meant for Kouga. Heh, like he could hear me from where he was inside the club, enjoying the rest of his elaborate and expensive birthday party. I wish I had never been invited to this dumb party to begin with, it would have saved me so much heart ache and pain.

Feeling defeated, I lowered my head to rest on my knees. I refused to cry more over this situation. I had no idea when anyone would come outside looking for me, and I did NOT want anyone seeing me in this sort of condition. No. Not over a bastard like Kouga. I wrapped my arms protectively over my head so I could block out any of the noise coming from the road or across the street from the club, losing myself in my thoughts.

How could I be such a fool? It was right in front of my face for the past three years and I did nothing but hope senselessly that one day Kouga would see the light, and perhaps have feelings for me like I did for him. And I was the one that called him blind. At least he knew what he wanted and was trying to obtain it. If anything, I was the one who was blind. My eyes were covered in long black hair, electric blue eyes, and a gorgeous smile... those are the kind of rose tinted glasses I will think again about putting onto my face.

Life was just not fair. Why don't things ever turn out how I want them to? Why couldn't the fantasy I had in the car come true instead of what really happened? My daydreams were always a lot better than reality... and reality sucks.

I jumped suddenly when I felt something touch my shoulder and I was stunned, Kouga was the last person that I wanted to see or talk to right now, yet here he was standing right in front of me with a look of pure concern on his handsome features. Great, now I am totally confused.

"What do you want?" I snapped at him, letting my tone drip with hatred, I wanted him to know how horrible I felt.

He stood up strait, taking his hand from my shoulder and crossed his arms over his chest in a defiant manner. "I came out here to check on you and this is the thanks that I get... damn you are bitch."

I stared up at him in disbelief. Why would he want to know about my well being? It's not like it mattered to him before.

"Fuck you Ookami," I spat.

"If that's what you want, all you had to do was ask," he replied with a cocky smirk. Bastard.

I uncurled my body and easily rose to my feet. Even with my heals on, he was still taller than me, but I at least felt just a little better by being taller normal.

"You are one cocky son of a bitch, you know that!?" I shouted.

He raised an eyebrow at me, and leaned back standing in a contrapasto position - hands on his hips with all of his weight shifting to one leg. He still had that damn smirk plastered on his face.

"Feisty," he nodded, "I like that."

"Screw you!"

"That's the second time you offered. Careful I might just take you up on it."

"Arrg!" I was getting beyond frustrated and moving to seethingly pissed off. "You have some nerve coming out here, chasing me like I'm your property, and making sexual jokes with me Ookami!"

He dropped his hands from his hips, giving me a more serious look. He meant business now, and the look in his eyes confused me even further. What the fuck did he want from me?

"Ayame, look... you ran out before I could explain why I started laughing to begin with..." he started.

"What was I supposed to do Ookami? Stand there and let you laugh your ass off when I am the butt of your joke? Fuck that!"

He rolled his eyes and took a step closer to me, a step too close for comfort in my current state of unrest.

"No!" he growled out more in frustration than in anger. "You just assumed that I was laughing at you."

I paused before I said anything else... he wanted me to listen. Fine.

He continued, "I was laughing because I had no idea... and it was the last thing I expected, especially from you."

I leaned against the car, "What do you mean?"

He sighed, covering his eyes with one hand and brushing it backwards to get his bangs out of his face and then running his fingers through the rest of his hair. "I half expected you to be coming up onto the stage instead of Kagome, alright."

I blinked. "What?"

"I said... I half expected you to to be coming up onto the stage instead of Kagome. Why? Because even though I found it hard to believe her when she told me on the phone, she did mention your name. So I figured that if she was going to pull some prank on me that you would be coming in her place. I thought it was a joke... I had no idea you actually liked me and that you wanted my attention." He explained, rubbing the back of his neck. Was he nervous?

"That's because you have your head so far up Kagome's dress that you can't see the light of day, Ookami..." I said. I refused to use his first name while I was still pissed off at him.

He frowned at me, "You can't be mad at me for liking Kagome."

"After three years and she showed no interest, when you were obviously flirting with her should have been a clue," I humphed.

"Well you have had a crush on me for that period of time and you never changed your feelings," he retorted, and he had a point. However, my counter was better.

"I never actively pursued your attentions Kouga... I was patient."

"And look where that got you," he scoffed, the smirk returning to his serious face. "I wouldn't turn down a really hot girl if I knew she actually had an interest in me and not just my reputation. I'm not that stupid."

"Please..." I began, not able to help myself as I rolled my jade green eyes at his implications. "Nothing takes the wind out a girl's sails after her crush blatantly laughs at her moments after she's backed into a corner and forced to reveal her feelings. Besides..." I paused, shaking my head. "It doesn't matter how long I've liked you, I'm nobody's rebound girl."

He narrowed his electric light blue eyes at me, glaring daggers in my direction.

"Rebound? There is nothing to rebound from!" he yelled, starting to get agitated. "If I had been dating Kagome and she broke up with me to be... whoever the fuck she is seeing... then that would be the damn rebound. Just because I now know how you feel and I might act upon it does NOT in any way make you a rebound girl. God! What do you think I am? Some pig who just wants a pretty thing to play a game of roll in the sheets with? Fuck Ayame..."

I don't like it when I find myself speechless over anything, and this was even worse. I stared at him, feeling like my tongue had forgotten how to work, as I practically gaped open mouthed at him. No... I hadn't meant it exactly like that, but how was I supposed to explain that to him? The point was, I'd liked him as long as I had, and seemingly out of the blue he was changing his attention from HIS OWN crush/obsession with Kagome; to me? Not to sound cliche, but it all sounded too good to be too.

And you know how that usually went...

"Look." I started, closing my eyes as I cocked my weight to one hip, my hand on the edge of my waist as I rubbed at my temples. "You're missing the point. Just because I like you, you're curious about me now? No offense Ookami, but what the hell do you take me for? You have to admit it's suspicious... I mean, think of it this way, yea I like you a lot. But so what? You've liked Kagome forever, and it just appears like you can't have Kagome because she's taken, so you go for her best friend? That's like if I started dating Hakkaku because I couldn't have you. Wouldn't you feel like I was with him just to be closer to you?" I sighed, biting my bottom lip. My chest was starting to hurt even more than it already was, just thinking of it.

It was his turn to roll his eyes at me, "You don't know me as well as you think you do then." He crossed his arms over his chest again, and I couldn't help but let my eyes wander to his torso. The blue mesh of his fishnet shirt was tight over his pectoral muscles, and it took a lot of will power not to blush at the sight. Even if I was pissed off at him, it didn't make him any less handsome.

"In the three years that I have liked Kagome, I bet you didn't even know that I had at least four girlfriends? Did you?"

I was shocked to find this out... he was right, I had no idea. And since I hadn't known and it really had been a surprise I just went with the truth.

"No...I didn't." I said softly, with a delicate shrug of my shoulders. "What's your point?" I added as I wrapped my bare arms around myself, rubbing the skin on my forearms with the opposite hand. I wasn't really cold... not entirely anyway. I just didn't like where this was going... I had always thought it was just Kagome that stood in my way of Kouga. Not physically, just his total adoration and commitment to her that blinded him to my own feelings of adoration and commitment to him. Ironic isn't it? I know I hate it.

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "I wouldn't expect you to know my ex-girlfriends, none of them went to our school, it's why the relationships never worked out. I was constantly flirting with Kagome because I saw her everyday and she wasn't afraid to talk to me, to flirt with me. Maybe if you had more guts then you would have had my attention a long time ago. You are a very pretty girl, Ayame... I don't know of many guys that would turn you away if you just showed a little more interest in them. At least that is how I feel."

He moved, leaning against the car that was parked next to Kagome's. He was no longer in my personal space, which made me feel just a tad better... but it got suddenly colder... this time it was the outside cold. It was as if his body was blocking the wind and he had been keeping me warm just with his presence, his aura.

"On top of that... you aren't punk enough for Hakkaku. I could see you better with Ginta, he likes girls like you," he added. That blew me out of the water... I was not expecting him to say that.

I frowned at him as I moved to cross my arms over the swell of my chest. When in doubt, get angry. Or at least in my case, annoyed. I was embarrassed by what he'd said, and to cover my ass I was showing a mask of irritation. Cowardice, maybe, but hey, if it worked, it worked. In any case, it wouldn't have hidden the slight blush on my face. I was doing that a lot tonight. God damn him. But it wasn't often I got to hear him compliment me, at least not outright like he had done just now. It was an interesting change.

Wish it would last... but oh well.

"Ookami..." I paused, but the anger had basically faded, and calling him by his last name didn't have the same bite as it had before when I was still pissed off at him. "Kouga, as flattered as I am, that's besides the point. I didn't want to be another of your groupies." I said, shaking my head. "I mean... don't you ever get tired of girls falling helplessly at your feet?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

He blinked at me as if I had grown a second head or a third eyeball, and the look on his face was just so damn adorable. He looked like he didn't have a clue as to what I was saying.

"Kouga, don't tell me that you are not aware of your own fan club?" I pried further.

He shook his head, "No... I had no idea... that's... kinda scary."

I couldn't help myself. I laughed. I held my sides, much like he had done when we were backstage at the club, but I couldn't help it... he was so damn cute when he looked frightened and confused... something I had never seen on his face until just now. Unlike me, he didn't run away from my laughter... he stood there like a trooper and took it. In fact, he started laughing too, but not like he had done earlier, it was lighter and more just breaths of air coming from his nose than real heartfelt laughter.

He smiled at me, "Glad you think that's funny."

"It is..." I grinned, the first real smile that I was sporting since I was inside of Rendezvous. "It's funny because it's a big group of freshmen girls who secretly take pictures of you, and slip notes into your locker when you aren't looking. They go to your games, and I think the president of the club even made a t-shirt that says, 'Future Mrs. Ookami' on it. I can't believe that you didn't know."

He shrugged and shook his head, "I had no idea... sorry to disappoint you."

He stretched his arms up over his head and made a small grunting noise, which gave me a nice... very nice view of his chest and stomach again. God damn him for being so fucking gorgeous.

"Well," he started, "now that you are in a lighter mood... are you gonna come back inside with me? I would hate to have to miss the rest of my own party. But if you don't come inside, then I guess I will just stay out here with you..."

I couldn't believe what he was saying. No way. He would miss the rest of his own expensive and elaborate hoo-haa just to keep me company? There had to be a catch to this somewhere.

"Who are you and what have you done with Kouga?" I asked, raising an eyebrow again. I had to admit the thought of him keeping me company over his own party guests was sweet. "I wouldn't want you to miss your own party. Not when your Dad went through so much trouble." I shrugged. "I'm fine, I can go back inside."

At the mention of the club and heading back inside, my gaze turned towards the entrance of Rendezvous. I let out a deep sigh, closing my eyes for a bare handful of moments before turning my attention back to the man in front of me. "Can I ask you one question? Why are you being so nice about all this? I ruined your whole grand entrance... made a fool of myself in the process, probably embarrassed you with the whole 'your girl' thing, and...." I paused, my eyes shifting to the diamond necklace still cool in my warm hand. "And I broke your necklace... well, the clasp..." I said with a sigh. "Sorry.... I can pay you back... for the rest of my life considering how much it had to have cost you... but... eh... yeah." I finished with a slightly shy and nervous smile.

He blinked at me for a few moments of silence... then suddenly, he smiled at me. The warm genuine smile that the Prince in my dreams always gave me when he rode up to my castle on his white horse and shining armor. "You're funny and sarcastic..." he said with a chuckle, "I like that."

His gaze averted to the broken necklace that was resting in my palm and he simply shrugged, "That can be easily fixed... you won't have to pay a cent." He walked towards me, pulling my shoulders and turning me around. I heard the rustle of vinyl and then the necklace was gone from my hands and he was putting it back around my neck. Woah. Time out. Am I still alive or did I die while I was crying earlier? "I have safety pins in my pocket in case my shirt got ripped," he told me from behind. I bit my bottom lip and just nodded, letting him put the necklace back on me and securing it with a safety pin.

I felt his presence and his aura completely wrap me up again, I wasn't cold anymore... and all I could feel was him. I could feel his fingers lightly brush the back of my neck, and it tickled but at the same time it was oddly erotic. Oh Gods! I can't start thinking perverted now! I can be such a lustful lush around him... my sexual tension for him is driving me up the fucking wall. I could feel his breath against my ear, and when he was done fastening the necklace, he placed his hands on my shoulders, still standing behind me.

He whispered into my ear and it sent shivers up my spine. "Ayame... remember how I told you that I half expected you to come up onto the stage? Well... since I was expecting it... the 'My Girl' thing was no joke... and I meant it... that is, if you want me to mean it?"

His arms moved to pull me closer to him, so that my backside was pressed against his front, and he gave me the gentlest of hugs. It was something totally out of character for him. I never thought that the cocky Kouga Ookami would ever have a gentle side to him. Hmm... learn something new everyday. But I didn't know what to tell him... I wanted to be his girl... wanted it more than anything, but only if I would be his one true girl and he would let his feelings for Kagome fly out the window. I don't expect that sort of thing to be instant... he liked her for three years... but as long as he was willing to work on it, then I could see the both of us in a truly committed relationship.

I nodded, "It would make my day... hell it would be the best moment of my life if you really meant it Kouga." I had to be honest with him, that was the key to this situation. "But Kouga," I said, turning to face him and he didn't take his hands from my shoulders. I continued, "I want this to be a real relationship... not something fake because you still have feelings for Kagome. I don't expect you to just drop the way you feel about her in one night... but as long as you are willing to grow to like me more and more, and perhaps even love me like you do with her... then I am willing to give it a try. You just have to understand, I'm afraid... like any person is... of rejection."

He stared into my jade green eyes, and I could see in his sapphire irises that he was willing. "I'm not the type to hold onto hopeless romantics Ayame... especially with a girl who is in love with another man. I can't make up Kagome's mind for her... and now that I know how you feel about me, I think things will change for the better... for the both of us."

I smiled, and launched upwards, wrapping my arms around his neck, "I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!"

He snickered, I could feel the pull of his smile against my cheek and his breath against my ear again, "You are the luckiest girl I know..."

He pulled away lightly from my embrace and his hands moved from my shoulders so that one of his hands could intertwine with mine. We walked hand in hand back to Rendezvous to enjoy the rest of the party... as a new couple of boyfriend and girlfriend.

And who said that dreams don't come true?