CHAPTER 5
2224 Words
(The Game He's Trying to Play)
BRIANNA DIALED THE NUMBER, Tristan gave her, upon plunging her back on her soft mattress. The other line rang for a few times but no one was answering. It was already late in the evening, so the call won't probably be pick up.
She was about to hang up the phone when someone already answered. The ringing went down but she didn't hear any voice, even ‘hello’.
She looked at the screen to make sure that the call was still on. And it was.
"Is this the son of the Ayasaki family?" she asked upon returning the phone on her ears.
Only now did she notice the strange surname. It must be a foreign family.
There was no answer on the other line.
"Ni hao [Chinese: hello]. Arigato [Japanese: Thank you]. Sarangheo [Korean: I love you]?" she greeted with the few foreign languages she knew.
But honestly speaking, she really had no idea of the words she said. She did not even know what they mean. He did not answer, so she assumed that he could not understand her, making her speak in other languages.
She pulled the phone away slightly when she heard something fell from the other line, the put it back for it might hang up.
"I'm Brianna. Brianna Imperial," she introduces herself in English, trying to talk in the clearest way she could. "Can we meet tomorrow?" she asked in Filipino, trying to know if what language can he understand.
"We will be," he replied after clearing his throat.
So, he understands Filipino language.
She pressed the phone to his ear when he heard his voice, for it sounds familiar.
"I mean, before nightfall. Before the family meets. Maybe in the afternoon? I'll be waiting at the Brewed Café."
Again, he never spoke even a single word. She was about to hang up when he answered "Okay.".
Where did she heard it? His voice is really very familiar.
Night passed.
It was late in the afternoon when she arrived at the café.
She has no duty at the convenience store that day. She was supposed to go with her friend Chang but she had a severe headache caused by the hangover. So until that time she was still sleeping.
She sent a message to the Ayasaki guy she was about to meet. She gave him the time she wanted him to meet her and what she looked like overall, from her hair to the color and type of clothes she wore that day.
She chose to sit in a place where it would be easy for her to see everyone entering the café. The place is cozy though not a lot of stays there. Of course, everybody's busy by that time of the day.
She took a sip on the icy coffee she ordered to quench the heat that afternoon.
Two tall guys entered and automatically turned her head towards the entrance when the door chime rings. The guy would be around their age, as far as she knew. She never bother asking Justin about the guy's details for she wasn't interested in the first place. But she's expecting only one guy to meet her.
Her lips touched the straw of her drink, while her eyes were focused at the two guy. The one with long hair in a top knot let the other guy entered the café first. The other guy was in black longsleeves that folded up beyond the elbow entered first.
Her eyes narrowed when she noticed the two talking. The man in black spoke, as the man with long hair roam his eyes around.
"There she is!" said the long-haired man.
The two were looking at her direction, walking towards her. The long-haired guy might be walking ahead of the other, but it can't be denied that the guy in the back has a stronger aura. She just felt it.
Accidentally, she met the gaze of the guy in black sleeves. She saw him slighty smirked, making her to raise her brows and leaned on the back of the chair. She continued drinking coffee.
Two pairs of legs stopped right in front of him, making her to look up.
"Brianna Imperial?" asked the man with long hair.
He is a one hell of a hunk. She bet Chang would love to date this kind of guy. Also, the shallow dimples on his cheeks are making his smile sweeter. She can see some tattoos on the side of his neck.
"You look prettier in person," he spoke in a way too charming for her to believe.
She did not confirmed, for she doesn't introduce herself just to anyone, since she comes from a powerful family.
"The family gave me your details. I'm Jinro, from the Ayasaki," introduced the guy.
That's when her brows raise.
"Ayasaki? So, you are the ...?" she prolonged.
"The fiancé?" he continued his question before smiling sweetly.
She tried to smile back at him then looked at the other guy he's with.
His hair is messy but shorter than Jinro. She can't see any visible tattoos on his body. His built and the way he looks is kinda familiar to her.
"Ah. This is my friend, Kairen. Also from the Ayasaki Family," he introduced his companion.
She waited for him to tell her why did he bring the guy along, but he didn't mention anything else.
She presented the seat across her. "Have a seat."
Unconsciously, she keeps on glancing the guy named Kairen. She thought he looks familiar, but she never heard his name, not once, just now. Where did she saw him before?
"You know him?" Jinro asked her when she noticed that she keeps on throwing gaze on Kairen.
She shook his head.
Kairen stopped for a couple of seconds, putting his hand on his chin, as if he was reading her. But why would he?
She raised her hand to call the waitress. A young woman approached their table immediately.
Jinro looked up at the pretty waitress, giving her the sweetest smile he have.
"Hi there, pretty. What's on the menu?" he asked, arching an eyebrow and exposing his dimples.
What a playboy, she commented in her mind.
Kairen simply gave Jinro a nudge, to keep him from being distracted.
"Sir, the choices is already in your hands," said the waitress, referring to the menu list he's holding.
She ordered another iced coffee. Jinro had the same drink like her and grabbed a slice of strawberry cake.
Her friend Chang twinks on her mind for she also likes strawberries. She should have forced her to come along.
Her eyes partly widened and the waitress jaw dropped when Kairen ordered a hot roasted coffee.
Seriously? On this very hot afternoon?
"What? I'm not fond of sweets. I can't have myself get diabetes," he said when he saw their reaction.
What a picky one. Is he a woman? Is he gay?
After a few minutes, the waitress arrived with all their orders. In an unexpected accident, Jinro's cold drink slipped from the waitress' hand. The ice had melted, making it wet and a little slippery.
Kairen was the nearest one to receive the accident. A little splash of coffee went on his chest.
"Kuso [s**t]," he murmurs.
"I'm sorry, Sir. I'm really sorry," the waitress repeatedly apologized.
"Just bring me tissues," he asked in an irritable tone.
He gently massages his nape, turning his neck a little on the side. The gesture he made was also familiar to her. He opened a few buttons on the top of his longsleeve and dabbed it with tissue.
As she looked at what he was doing, her throat seemed to dry. Damn! She just saw the guy's chest. It is just a chest. But undeniably, looks hot at that moment.
Damn! Am I attracted?
She picked up her newly arrived cold drink and drank it. She almost consumed it with just one drink. But it seems that the ice in her drink is not enough to quench her parched throat.
All she got was a brain freeze.
"You okay?" asked Jinro.
She cleared her throat, nodding, before speaking, forcing herself to pay her attention to Jinro.
"To tell you frankly, I don't want the marriage they set up for us. I know that our families want power and peace. I want us to tell them tonight that we will decline to whatever they want. As I observed, you don't want to get married either? What do you think?"
The way he look at other girl made her think of that. It's impossible for him to think of settling down, with those looks of a Casanova.
His eyes in stun stare at her
She turned her gaze to Kairen, who was wiping the tissue around the cup before drinking the hot coffee.
"You don't want to get married?" Jinro asked her, ensuring.
She shook her head, showing objection.
"Why? Do you want to?"
"Why not? If my bride-to-be is as pretty as you."
She leaned forward, arms crossed, throwing him her sleepy eyes. "Your line with full of lies, Mr. Casanova, won't work on me. And you're not my type." She smiled sarcastically.
"Then, what's your ideal guy, babe?"
"I dunno," she answered, staring at Kairen's cup which he stopped mixing. "Someone with qualities of a prince, maybe?" she murmurs.
Her jaw nearly drop when Kairen suddenly bursted out laughing, as if she was telling a joke.
Jinro, on the other hand, stared at his friend, as if he had gone nuts.
"Sorry. A prince? You're looking for an impossible guy. You can't find that today, especially in our world," he proclaimed smiling and was very sure.
"Well, there is!" she exclaimed, defending. Because she really knows someone who is a prince like. Her eyebrows rose.
"Nothing is perfect in our world."
"Whatever. Can't you see? I'm still talking with him," she pointed out Jinro.
Honestly, she's starting to get pissed off.
Jinro smiled awkwardly while letting out a sigh. "Why don't you want to get married?" asked he, to break whatever their talking is leading.
"I'm still nineteen. I haven't enjoyed my life yet. I'm not ready to give up my freedom. No way. I haven't even finished college."
Now, she's talking like she want to go back school. But actually, it was just another alibi.
It was a long pause before he responded.
"Why not give it a shot?"
"Do you want the marriage to continue? You will lose your freedom, with having other girls around."
"Because I want something so bad," he said, digging himself to the sweet strawberry cake.
"What is it? Maybe I can help you?"
"No. You can't. I'll only get that when you marry me. And I'm a yakuza. We are obliged to follow our tradition. Our father will choose who will marry his sons."
Suddenly, a phone call rang. It was Kairen's phone.
He answered the call with a frown. He excused himself and left the café to talk to the caller privately.
He looked at Jinro again. She smiled at him sweetly. While he smiled back awkwardly.
She leaned back in the soft chair and crossed her arms.
So, this one is a yakuza. A Japanese mafia, huh? What is this guy trying to play?
She got up on her feet, picked up the RayBan shades on the table and put them on.
"I'm sorry. You won't get the thing you want. I'm telling you, no wedding will take place. See you tonight, Mr. Ayasaki."
He also stood up, released a deep sigh, and presented. "I'll drive you home if it's okay?"
He didn't seem to be that dangerous so she agreed. Besides, she knows how to defend herself.
They went out the café and the guy called someone over. Soon, a car stopped in front of them. The car window went down and Kairen was driving.
"Hop in," said Kairen.
"I'll sit alone in the back," she told Jinro. "Your friend might not want to look like a driver?"
She opened the backseat while Jinro turn to the other side of the car and sat beside Kairen.
Another reason why she wants to sit in the back is that she can get down more easily in case the two were planning something. She's just cautious.
She felt something on the bottom of the seat, so she simply glanced at what she just stepped on to. Her eyes widened when she saw the discarded and scattered objects at her feet. It was that moment when she remembers who the guy on the driver's seat is.
She just sold those many condoms at her feet to this guy. That's why he's so familiar.
"Stop the car! Stop it. I'm stepping out. I just remember to drop by at somewhere. Don't mind me. I can take care of myself."
She went down quickly and never looked back again.
Such things are okay with her. In fact, she is open-minded. But that kind of guy is too much. Her brain feels like popping, thinking of how p*****t could a young man is.
She walked fast and hailed a taxi when Jinro started to call her. She's not coming back.
Holding her breath in pissed, she closed her eyes tightly.
What a p*****t!
- Writer
