Sensual Phrase Fan Fiction / Red River Fan Fiction / Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ 4 People 8 Problems ❯ Chapter 3

"I don't believe it. I'm lost!" Nana admitted shamefully to herself. "Maybe I shouldn't have gotten that Dutch Ice at Auntie Anne's." She moaned sadly. Distracted by the strawberry goodness of the ice slushy, Nana had neglected her mission in finding Rae and Maymay; she ended up lost within the mall, losing their trail.

"I can't believe this." Nana said with a melancholy look on her face. "Why of all times do I have to do something so irrational and stupid?" In Nana's fit of worry, she completely forgot that she had a cell phone in her purse. (Just like the worry-wart she is.) Lost in her thoughts, Nana didn't realize that someone else was walking towards her until she bumped into said person. The force of the impact sent Nana flying towards the floor… As a reaction, she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain to come. But the pain never came. Instead of feeling the cool marble floor, Nana felt herself embraced by a strong masculine arm.

"Are - are you okay?" The male who held her asked, bringing her back to her upright position.

"Uh, yeah, thanks... Oh no, I ruined your shirt!" She examined the large spill of Dutch Ice he now wore on his grey A&F shirt. Some had spilled on her as well, but not nearly as much.

He chuckled wholeheartedly, amused by her cute pout as she scrutinized his shirt. "It's okay; it was an old shirt anyway." He made a dismissive gesture, but that only deepened the cute frown.

"But I ruined it... You have to let me buy you a new one. Let's go." She was already turned to look for an Abercrombie store.

"No, don't worry about it. Seriously, I'm fine. Besides, your dress got tarnished too."

She looked down at the aqua-colored sundress she wore, then shrugged. "That doesn't matter. You held me so I wouldn't fall." She turned on him and stared at him straight in the eye. "It's the least I can do."

"But I"--

"Nope, enough! I'm buying you a new shirt, and that's final!" Her small face was set in determination. He stared at her, surprised by her firm conclusion. His hazel eyes searched her ocean-blue ones for a short second, finding what he suspected in their blue depths. Then he smiled; a sincere, dazzling smile that puzzled Kiara. "What?"

His smile was still there, but he looked away. "Nothing. It's just that... you remind me of someone I haven't seen for a long time." His smile turned slightly bitter as he reminisced.

"Who?" She wasn't one to probe, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"Ah, it's from a really long time ago..." He was being dismissive again.

"Hmm." She cocked her head to the side, deciding to let it go... "Okay then. Let's go." She grabbed his arm and practically dragged him into Hollister, the closest clothes store to them. The prices were about the same, anyway.

Behind her, the mysterious man blushed slightly, looking away, but pleasantly surprised by her sudden touch. He looked towards Nana again, but this time with longing and desire.

'She is the one' he said to himself.

The one he was looking for. He had searched all his life for Nana, and he finally found her. The moment Nana touched him, a jolt of electric rushed up and down his spine. No female had been able to instill this feeling in him since his childhood.

He had met the loveliest little girl with the biggest heart of gold he had ever seen. For the exception of his brothers and family, she was his only friend. And the more time he spent with her the more he began to like her until the like became love. He vowed from then on to always be with her and protect her; however, things didn't go according to plan and before he knew it he had to leave this town, which meant he had to leave her too.

At his departure, he vowed to return and make her his forever. But it seemed that she had forgotten; he had never directly told her that he loved her, anyway. But that was barely important; now that he found her, they would be together, no matter what it took.

"I think this one looks good." She pulled him out of his reverie as she took down a green shirt with 'HOLLISTER' written across and a white band across the right sleeve. "Try it on." Kiara all but shoved him towards the dressing rooms with the shirt in hand.

About five minutes later, he still wasn't back. Suspicious, she went over and knocked on the dressing room he had entered. "Are you okay in there?"

"Um, you can open the door." He told her, and she complied, bemused by his refusal to leave the tiny cubicle. When she entered, her eyes widened in surprise. He looked good. At her reaction, a smirk crept up his face.

"It goes well with your hair." She remarked, nodding appreciatively. The green against the contrast of his short black tresses brought out the oval shape of his face. Strangely, it sent a wave of... familiarity toward her.

"Thanks." His cheeks warmed, and she found herself smiling, a reaction she would not have expected from herself. "But I'm not much a fan of green."

"Oh." Her smile faded, and she looked around, spotting different choices immediately on the rack from where she stood. "How about red?" He shook his head. "Brown?" She tried again. "Blue?"

"Yeah, I think blue's fine." She missed the smile he shot her way as she ran to retrieve the cotton shirt that had 'H 95' written vertically on the sleeve and a design of white bird wings on the back. She must've gotten back to him quickly, because right as she slipped back into his dressing room, he was removing the green shirt. She caught a generous glimpse of a flat, muscled abdomen and a narrow waist, the band of Calvin Klein boxers peeking out from his jeans.

"Sorry." Nana gasped and quickly turned around away from him as his eyes met hers once he had fully removed the shirt, her face red from embarrassment.

He chuckled in amusement at her modesty. She was always like this. These were one of the many attributes that enabled him to love her wholeheartedly. "It's okay. I'm not... naked or anything."

"Sure. Right." She replied in a rush, but refused to turn back around to face him. Instead, she handed him the hung shirt from behind.

After a few seconds, he told her, "You can turn around now. I'm completely covered." She turned and kept her eyes on the shirt, reluctant to look into his eyes.

"It's... okay." Then she looked up at him, and her face went blank from what she saw. It seemed like his eyes reflected the blue of the shirt, bringing a glow to his hazel eyes.

The sight sent a chill down her spine, but she wasn't sure it was unpleasant. 'What is wrong with me? I already have Fuji. So snap out of it Nana!' After a breath she replied, "Well then, I think we're done here..." She quickly escaped from the dressing room and hurried to the cashier. He followed soon after, replacing the green shirt on the rack and joining Kiara with the blue one.

"I'll pay for it." He told her, already taking out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans.

"No. I won't tell you again; it's my mess, I'll pay for it." She was moving at mad speed, flinging the money towards the confused male cashier before he could. "Don't listen to him." She darkly commanded the cashier, as though she would throw flames at him if he disobeyed. He complied, nodding with a slightly fearful look.

"Geez, you're so hardheaded!" He mumbled, stuffing the bills back into his leather wallet... Though he appeared exasperated, he was secretly amused by her behavior.

"I told you I'd pay." She mumbled back, an irritated frown gracing her features. "Again, I'm sorry about the mess, and thank you for not letting me fall. Here." She gave him the bag the clerk handed her.

"What about your dress?" he asked her as they left Hollister.

"Don't worry about it; I'm going out tonight, so I'll be changing soon." He stopped her just outside of the store with a touch of his fingers on her wrist.

"Thanks, Kia." He told her as he tucked a light brown flyaway strand of hair behind her left ear while gazing at her with his beautiful hazel eyes that sparkled with something she couldn't quite pinpoint. She looked down, stunned at the fact that her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks flushed a rosy pink. Then she realized the nickname: Kia? No one she recently knew had ever called her that, but the real thing that got to her was that she hadn't even told him her name! She looked up with a puzzled look and her mouth already open to inquire about it.

But he was no longer there.