Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Just a Kiss ❯ Secrets ( Chapter 13 )

Just a Kiss
By: Sarah Slutz

 

Chapter 13: Secrets

 

Thank you Satu-D-2 and Raditz Silver for beta reading!

Translations for Japanese words in italics used in this chapter at the end…

Goten's face was flaming like a nervous teenager's. What was Trunks trying to do to him? The conversation had started fine enough, but now he had turned skeptical, asking where he was, a suspicious tone in his voice. Trunks had every right to be wary and Goten really wished he could just tell him what was going. Bra didn't want to do it yet, however, and he had to admit he was a bit afraid of facing his best friend with such news.

 

Hey Trunks, you know your little sister? We're dating and I've been having some very perverted thoughts about her and I think it's just a matter of time before they become more than thoughts.

 

No thanks. He liked being alive.

 

“Where are you?” asked Trunks.

 

“I'm home. What about you?” Goten said, trying to steer the conversation towards him.

 

“I'm still at work, backed up with paper work. Do you know where Bra is?” inquired Trunks again.

 

“Nope, no idea,” Goten lied. He was a pretty good liar when he wanted to be, although he didn't like doing it. It was a bit trickier lying to Trunks, though. Trunks knew him pretty well.

 

“So she's not over there? I wanted to ask her something about the Sony account she's been working with Mom, but she's nowhere to be found. Her cell phone is off, and I can't feel her ki at Pan's or Marron's or at school,” Trunks told him.

 

“Nope, she's not here,” Goten lied, gritting his teeth and glancing over at Bra, who was staring at him with big eyes. Bra had been getting quite good at repressing her ki, and with good reason…

 

“Are you sure?” he asked yet again.

 

“Why would she be here?” said Goten. Asking a rhetorical question wasn't lying, right?

 

“Okay, fine, if you say she's not there, she's not there,” Trunks said a bit sourly, and Goten could almost see him scowling. “I guess I'll call you later.” With that, Trunks hung up.

 

“What did my brother say?” Bra queried, her eyes still overly big.

 

“He asked me if I knew where you were. I had to lie to him,” Goten replied, frowning a bit.

 

“I see,” she said, her expression deeply regretful and concerned. “I'm sorry about this… It's just that I don't think we should tell him yet…” she trailed off, noticing Goten hadn't stopped frowning.

 

“I understand,” he muttered, not appearing like he understood at all. Bra decided to just drop it for the moment. She also determined that it was a good moment to leave. If he was in a bad mood because he had been forced to lie it was better to leave before they could get in a full-fledged argument.

 

This was a testament to the fact Bra was maturing. A year ago, perhaps even as little as six months ago, she would have stayed and demanded to know what had crawled up his butt and thus would have started an argument. She did not desire to cause conflict anymore, at least not with Goten.

 

“Goten, it's late and I should be going home. Let me know how it goes with your parents.”

 

Goten nodded but said nothing further. Sighing, Bra stood up. She straightened up her clothes and picked up her copy of Scandal magazine.

 

“I guess we can do this whole cooking thing another day, right?” Bra inquired, looking a bit like a wounded puppy, her eyes wide, and her lips pouting.

 

Goten rose to face her, smiling slightly.

 

“Come here, babe… I'm not mad at you, I'm just a bit frustrated,” he admitted, taking her into his arms.

 

“I know, me too,” she said, snuggling up to him. “In more ways than one.”

 

Goten snorted with laughter and hugged her hard. “Oh well, I guess we can leave it for another day. It's pretty late already and I should call my mom and see how she's doing. Hopefully she's cooled off enough to talk to me.”

 

Bra nodded, kissed him briefly and picked up her jacket.

 

“Call me tomorrow,” she practically demanded. Playfully, she blew him a kiss and opened the door.

 

Once she was outside, she breathed deeply, trying to calm her nerves. She was very pleased at herself. If she had lost her temper or gotten all bitchy about his frowning, the evening would have probably ended a lot worse.

 

The next day, however, Bra realized Marron wasn't so proud of her.

 

Bra had called her blonde friend to chat and to catch up with her on all the latest occurrences. Even though Marron was seven years older than her and treated her like a little sister quite a bit, she was one of Bra's best friends. They were very fond of each other and tolerated each other's idiosyncrasies. However, that didn't prevent Bra from getting annoyed when Marron got all sisterly with her.

 

“Are you sure you know what you are doing?” Marron asked in her I'm-the-grownup voice.

 

“Not really, but who cares? I thought you told me to give it a chance before,” Bra snapped back peevishly.

 

“I am the first one to admit what a sweet guy Goten is. He is kawaii and yes, fine, he is pretty hot. But he's way too charming. I'm sure that without meaning to, he's broken lots of hearts,” Marron elaborated, an anxious tone in her voice.

 

Bra rolled her eyes and tried really hard to understand that Marron simply wanted the best for her. “I know that. That doesn't mean he's going to break my heart too. I have also broken lots of hearts without meaning to… you know that.”

 

“Yes but you seem to be specially vulnerable in this case. You guys haven't actually argued once! You are holding back big time on your usual temper and that shows me you are trying extra hard to make it work,” said Marron.

 

“Yes but I am just trying to be mature in this case. I really like him Marron. I really, really do,” Bra countered.

 

Marron sighed and Bra grinned. She knew how much Marron worried about Pan and her. It was cute really and she usually gave very good advice.

 

“Bra, can you even tell me what exactly you guys have in common?”

 

“Sure I can…” Bra started. “We are both half Saiya-jin, we've had difficulty finding the right person, are very attractive and well, in one word, hot. We really like dancing and going out. That may seem not seem very important but trust me; I've had problems with that before when my boyfriend would rather just stay home watching a movie most weekends. Boring! What else… We have a great fashion sense, we both like the beach and working out and blue. Blue is our favorite color. We also love rock. We can talk about everything even if we don't agree. It's fun to debate with him. See? We both enjoy debating. We're both very educated because of our mothers made us study so hard in school. However, we seem empty-headed to others just because we choose to be perky and relaxed, instead of rubbing our intelligence into everyone's faces.”

 

Bra paused to draw in a breath and Marron laughed, cutting her off before she could continue.

 

“Okay, okay, I get it. Maybe you guys are compatible. But having things in common and lots of chemistry does not necessarily mean everything will be fine. You guys do come from totally different backgrounds. I would also like to mention the big age difference. And the fact that both of your families are connected in several ways, well, blows to tell you the truth. It helps some relationships but destroys others. Families can be pesky things.”

 

Bra sighed. What Marron was stating was simply realistic.

 

“What you are saying is true, but I just really, really do want to give this a chance. I like him so, so much. Besides, the age thing is not as much as a problem as it would be with humans because we Saiya-jins age slower. I mean, look at him, he barely looks old enough to drink and I still look fifteen. There's so much passion between us and I just won't let go of that without a fight. I have doubts but I don't care,” Bra said decisively.

 

Marron chuckled. “Well, girl, if you feel so strongly about it, then I do think this has a chance to work out between you two. You usually get what you want.”

 

Bra smiled at that and instantly felt a lot better, even after all the warnings Marron had given her. Sure, she preferred Pan's squeaking and encouragement but who was she kidding, Marron was being a lot more pragmatic and helpful in these serious situations.

 

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Goten and Bra ended up going to a Hockey game Saturday night. Bra knew Goten loved Hockey and had heard him saying a while back that he would love to score tickets for the season's most important match between two great teams but couldn't afford them. Bra didn't remember the names of the teams and had no idea how Hockey was played anyhow. In fact, Bra knew absolutely nothing about any sports but martial arts -and many considered it not to be a sport but a way of life- but she still managed to score the tickets. All she had to do was call one of her mom's commodity brokers and it was all set.

 

Goten's reaction had been hilarious and so kawaii. He had called her so they could hang out and his plans had been to go to a water park that day. Bra had told him she had to hang out with Pan and some other friends so she wouldn't be able to go. Pan and Ben were in the middle of a huge spat over an ex-girlfriend who wouldn't leave him alone. The little witch showed up everywhere they did and he never seemed to get too upset about it and didn't even try to stop her. Apparently the ex was going to be present at the outing so she needed to be there with Pan for support. They were planning on sending the girl dirty looks and if that didn't work, a few choice words would send the rumor mill into a frenzy.

 

However, she did tell her boyfriend she had something to show him that night, which led to a hilarious double entrée conversation led by Goten.

 

When Goten showed up at her window that evening as usual, Bra was holding the tickets in her hands, a huge grin on her face. Goten's eyes had popped out in shock and amazement. He got so excited he almost fell to the ground. Then he scrambled back to her window, shot into her room and gave her the biggest kiss in the whole world. He had almost swallowed her whole. Bra barely survived the whole experience and he had been as happy as a Saiya-jin in the middle of a battle as he sat in their private cubicle at the game. He had watched the game with his nose practically pressed to the thick glass while Bra had been bored almost to tears by all the shuffling around. Still, it had been worth it to see him so happy.

 

After the match, they ate out and finally, around two in the morning, they went home to sleep. As soon as Bra walked into her room she noticed she had a message in her answering machine. Playing it, she heard:

 

“Hey Bra, it's me, Olga.”

 

Bra squealed in happiness. Olga had been one of her close friends in high school. She had been an actress who had already participated in dozens of TV commercials, had had cameos in a couple of sitcoms and had even had very small roles in a couple of blockbuster movies before she graduated. Bra knew that her first big movie was coming out, a flick in which she would be the lead actress. The critics were ready to pounce on it, of course, but Bra hoped it would be a success. Olga was a great girl and in her opinion, an awesome actress too. Her tumbling black hair, huge green eyes and curvaceous body had propelled her career but her talent was what would make it continue.

 

“I saw that article written on your family in the Forbes mag. Great pics! All of you are so photogenic. Too bad your brother is taken for the moment… are you sure you still want to be a fashion designer? You could make big bucks being a model and eventually you could get into TV and movies…”

 

Bra smiled to herself. Olga and several of her other friends had always encouraged her to be a model. She had done a fair share of modeling but she really had no inclination to make that her career. Besides, her height of 5'2” prevented her from getting the best gigs.

 

“Anyhow, the reason why I am calling you is `cause I wanted to invite you personally to the premiere of my movie and to the big bash afterwards. It's a very private party but I wanted you and your date to go. Maybe you could get your brother to go too… but by himself.” Olga giggled and Bra grinned. Her friend was incorrigible.

 

“So give me a call back. I would like for us to catch up, it's been what… a year and a half since we graduated? Wow. I will give you my personal cell phone number. This is a very special number Bra. Don't be handing it to Cynthia or Masako or Natalia or any of those little bitches from our ex-group. They are all dead to me.”

 

Bra shook her head. No wonder Olga was an actress. She could be so dramatic! Bra saved Olga's number in her cell phone and decided to call her tomorrow to give Olga her own number.

 

Thinking no further about the invitation for the moment -after all, she did have almost a month to shop for a dress- she dropped off to dreamland.

 

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Almost a whole week went by that Goten and Bra didn't see each other at all. All of a sudden they both became so busy it turned out to be impossible to meet for five full days. Bra had a test or a term paper for every one of her four classes. Goten was dealing with the pesky matter of her mother's will. For some reason, she wanted him present in every one of the meetings she had with her lawyer. So when Bra had been off from studying for an hour Monday afternoon, Goten was at a lawyer meeting. When Goten had an evening free on Tuesday, Bra had been helping her mom out again with the presentation for Sony.

 

Trunks and Pan interfered too. Wednesday night they could've seen each other but Trunks decided he wanted to play hockey and Pan had called Bra about some problems she'd had with her boyfriend and had proceeded to tie her down to the phone for hours. At least they had both been busy that night.

 

Thursday evening Bra had had to get together with some of her classmates after class for a project and Goten had just stayed home and watched an action flick. By the time they finally had a chance to talk, both of them had been in bed wearing their pajamas.

 

Friday night was especially frustrating. They had been making plans to meet when at the last minute, Chichi had practically demanded Goten to go out to dinner with his father. Surprisingly, Goku had stayed a whole week already. Who knew, maybe he'd stay one more. While wolfing down their meals at a place that served the biggest steaks in all of Satan City, Goku informed Goten he didn't have anything to do for at least two more weeks so he was going to be around. Goten merely replied that he was containing his urge to get his pompons and cheer. Goku hadn't appreciated the irony and had simply smiled.

 

That night Bra ended up going dancing with Pan, who was fighting yet again with her boyfriend. Bra lent her a sympathetic ear and they cursed all men.

 

What Goten and Bra did do a LOT of during those five days was talk on the phone. They chatted for hours and hours. Bra had already gone over her cell minutes but she didn't care -obviously she could afford it- although she was worried about Goten's future bill.

 

At long last, they were able to see each other Saturday. It was their two-week anniversary and Bra had gotten her mom to let her use one of C.C.'s private planes for their outing.

 

“You have got to be kidding me,” Goten said, an awed tone in his voice. Bra grinned triumphantly. “I told you I had something special planned.”

 

A sleek silver plane was parked right in front of his eyes. Bra hadn't wanted to tell him where they were going. The drive hadn't been too long, since C.C.'s private airport wasn't too far from the main offices.

 

“Yep, and I can pilot it too. I got a license a year and a half ago when I turned eighteen.”

 

“Something else I didn't know about you,” Goten teased, twirling her around in a circle.

 

“But I'm not going to pilot it today. It'll be boring for you since I would have to be paying attention to the controls,” Bra said saucily as she pointed at the pilot coming down from the plane. He was dressed in an impeccable blue pilot's uniform. He also had flawless manners, for he greeted them with a little bow.

 

“I've never fooled around in a plane before,” Goten whispered into her ear as they boarded the flying vehicle.

 

“There's a first time for everything,” Bra whispered back, giggling when he nibbled on her earlobe.

 

They flew around for a couple of hours, necking several thousand feet over the ground. Goten was enjoying himself very much. He was a simple man that had been raised out in the forest, but this was addictive; he wouldn't mind being rich himself and having access to all this luxury.

 

They landed on a small village about 3,000 miles away from Satan city. It was a quite sleepy place and it also sported the tallest viewing spot in the state. The plane dropped them off at the peak and then took off since it couldn't land anywhere near. The pilot would pick them up whenever Bra called him back.

 

Bra produced a huge picnic basket that she had brought along. From it she produced a bottle of Champagne, a couple of shrimp platters, French bread, Foie Gras and a caramel cake.

 

“Yummm… you really do know the way to a man's heart, Bra,” Goten joked as he dug into the snacks.

 

Bra blushed furiously and turned away from Goten before he could notice her reaction to his words. Yes, she was trying to take over Goten's heart but she didn't want him to know that he already owned hers.

 

She loved Goten. It hadn't come to her as a flashy revelation. It had always been there in the background and now she was irrevocably certain of it. Before it had been a childish crush then it became a girlish infatuation. Now she adored him with her all her grownup heart.

 

“Hey, is everything okay?” Goten asked her, his eyes troubled. The concerned image was marred by the fact his chin was decorated with caramel from the piece of cake he had just gobbled up.

 

Bra smiled and nodded. “Of course everything's fine. Why do you ask?”

 

Goten frowned. “I don't know. I just had this feeling for a moment, that everything was not fine. Heh, sorry about that; I must sound silly to you.”

 

Bra grinned and leaned closer to him. “You don't sound silly but you do look it.”

 

She kissed his chin, transferring most of the caramel to her lips.

 

“How do I look?” she asked, pursing her caramel laden lips.

 

Goten laughed and gathered her close.

 

“Hmmm... let me taste it. Delicious,” he declared as he kissed her.

 

“Same here,” she told him breathlessly as they continued joining lips and sharing caresses.

 

A while later, they finally finished their meal and settled down to watch the sun set. It was magnificent. The sky changed from yellowish to orange to muted tones of dark blue and purple until finally the moon emerged, followed by the stars.

 

“Do we have to go back?” Goten mused wistfully. He rolled a bit to the side and supported the weight of his chest on his elbows to be able to gaze at her. She was laying down facing the sky just as he had been a moment ago.

 

“Unfortunately, yes,” Bra replied, rolling on her stomach and turning towards him.

 

“Oh well, all good things must come to an end,” he added glumly, looking up at the star dotted sky again.

 

She laughed and rolled back. They star-gazed for another hour until it was pretty late and she decided to call their pilot.

 

When the plane swooped down and dropped the rope stairs, Bra decided this would be a great opportunity to find out what would be the perfect vehicle for Goten. She was itching to give him a great gift but she hadn't been able to find out what exactly would be his dream car.

 

“What's your favorite car?” asked Bra, glancing sideways at Goten who was seated next to her on the leather seats, eating yet again. It was peanuts this time.

 

Immediately his eyes sparkled.

 

“I would love to have a Hummer. They are the bomb,” he enthused and continued to expound on it's virtues until Bra giggled and told him he was being obsessive.

 

When the evening was over they parted unwillingly. Once in her room, she ran to her computer and searched online for Hummers. She smiled when found one she particularly liked in a nearby dealer. She could totally picture Goten in the army-like wide wagon vehicle. It was dangerous, sporty, unusual and big. Just like him.

 

Bra decided to would buy it on the spot and have it delivered to Goten's doorstep. She could imagine his face and reaction already. He would probably crush her to death in his enthusiasm but it would be worth it.

 

Humming to herself, she typed her credit card number -which she knew by heart- and made the large purchase. It would barely make a dent on her monthly allowance.

 

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Wednesday afternoon, Bra was about to jump out of her skin. She had confirmed and double confirmed the vehicle would be delivered that day at noon. She was very nervous for some reason. After all, given expensive gifts before; it was her privilege for being wealthy. For instance, she'd purchased a condo for her ex-fiancée Hiroshi, which he still owned. She'd bought Pan's prom designer dress and accessories and had taken her on several expensive trips. She had bought several designer suits for Trunks partly as a joke and partly to stop her mom's bitching. Marron had been signing over an exquisite four poster bed with Egyptian cotton sheets but hadn't been able to afford it and Bra had bought it for her as her engagement present. The engagement had been broken but Marron had kept the bed.

 

Somehow, this was different though. It was a gift from her very heart. She really wanted him to have it because it suited him and she desired giving him something nice. Every time he would drive that car, he would think about her. Hopefully, he wouldn't think it was too much and feel weird about it.

 

Wringing her hands nervously, Bra decided to cut it off. She was usually extremely confident. Many of her acquaintances called her arrogant. This was a moment for that sort of confidence. If he felt she was wavering or indecisive when giving him the gift, the chances of him feeling awkward about it would obviously be higher.

 

Sighing, she settled to wait for Goten to come home for lunch when she would surprise him. She was going to have the car parked behind the house so he wouldn't see it right away. Grinning, she squatted besides the welcome rug to find his spare key and opened the front door of his house.

 

Gasping, Bra dropped the key to the floor. She was not alone in the house. There was someone else in the room. Why didn't I feel her ki before? she wondered, feeling like a complete fool.

 

The intruder had been comfortably seated on the living room couch watching TV. Her purple sandals were lying next to the end table. Her pretty and delicate bare feet were propped up on the coffee table and her long dark, wavy hair spilled over the back of the easy chair. Bra could tell the exact second when the young woman felt the door open because she flinched violently and faced towards the door, smiling.

 

“Oh,” gasped Paris, scrambling to stand up, her smile dissolving.

 

“Yeah, double oh,” Bra replied, in total shock. What did this mean? Was Goten cheating on her? Had this happened before? Did they usually have little lunch trysts while she was at college, oblivious that the one guy she had grown to trust after Hiroshi was stabbing her in the back with his ex-girlfriend?

 

Suddenly, the paralysis melted away in a wave of rage. Who the HELL did this slut think she was, waiting for her boyfriend in his living room?

 

Flushing darkly, she advanced on the taller woman, her body already preparing itself to deliver ASS kicking from here to Namek.

 

“Matte!” Paris shrieked, “I can explain!”

 

Bra glared at the brunet invader. “What the… what are you doing here?” She refused to lose dignity by cursing in front of this stupid skanky bimbo.

 

At least she's not stupid, Bra mused. She instantly recognized Bra's predatory and possessive expression.

 

“I… I swear this is the first time I've come here since our breakup… I had no idea you guys were going out,” Paris pleaded, backing away another step. She didn't see the coffee table that was behind her and squeaked as she bumped into it hard, lost her balance and ended up sitting on it forcibly.

 

Bra had to hand it to her. At least her instincts were impeccable. Paris, Goten's ex, had realized a furious, jealous woman stood right in front of her.

 

“Why should I believe you?” Bra demanded, eyeing a wide-eyed Paris, crossing her arms and glaring dangerously.

 

Suddenly, she stood up and raised her chin, defiant but still scared. “I haven't done anything wrong.”

 

“Then why are you in my boyfriend's house?” screamed Bra, getting into her face, hissing in anger. Surprisingly, Paris didn't push her away. She merely held her ground and her breath, staring into Bra's eyes.

 

“Please listen to me,” the ex begged, trapped between the coffee table and Bra's surprisingly strong body.

 

“Fine,” Bra replied, not moving an inch.

 

“You could back away a bit,” Paris suggested shakily.

 

Bra snorted and did so. She sat down on the couch primly, crossing her arms and glaring. Paris remained standing up, almost shaking in fear.

 

“As you know, Goten and I broke up over six months ago,” Paris started, her voice very shaky. “I bet you don't know much about our breakup. Do you?”

 

Bra shook her head and glowered. At this moment, she very much regretted the fact she hadn't pressed Goten for information about his past relationships. She hadn't though it necessary.

 

“Well,” Paris continued as she started to pace back and forth on the spotless rug. “We had just gotten engaged before we broke up… but there were problems… my problems.”

 

Paris signed and Bra leaned forward, very interested. Paris seemed so despondent and sincere she was beginning to feel sorry she had almost kicked her ass. Not that sorry, though.

 

“I had a drinking problem… I have been in treatment ever since. His breaking up with me opened my eyes. I hadn't realized the seriousness of it until he told me he couldn't stand it anymore. At first it had been just a couple of drinks a day. Soon I was getting wasted almost every night. Goten was very nice about it and helpful but it didn't stop me from getting drunk all the time. I embarrassed him a couple of times, even in front of you guys.”

 

Paris paused for a second and Bra remembered how everyone had started to hate her when she began acting so bitchy. No one had even imagined it was because she had been drunk.

 

“Goten said he loved me anyway and I got better for a little while. He proposed. I was so happy! As soon as I started the first preparations for the wedding, stress got me drinking again and this time Goten ended it.”

 

“How come no one knew you were engaged?” Bra asked, a suspicious tone in her voice.

 

“Because of my parents.” She signed again. “We were planning on eloping or a small wedding without my side of the family. They are all a bunch of wackos. We were going to wait till the last minute to tell people but it never happened.” Paris sniffed and her eyes were over-bright. Bra had no idea what she would do if she began crying. What did one do in a situation like that?

 

“So you are in treatment at the moment?” Bra asked.

 

“Yes, I am doing a lot better now.”

 

“And you came to ask Goten to take you back?” It more statement than question and Bra couldn't help but glare at Paris balefully.

 

“Well… yes and no. Part of my program is that I have to apologize to everyone I treated bad. It sounds silly but well… here I am.”

 

“So you came to apologize? You could've left a note,” cut in Bra, huffing.

 

“Yes, I could have but that wasn't the only reason. Yeah, maybe I wanted to find out if he wanted me back too but I knew he probably wouldn't. He totally didn't want to talk to me anymore after what happened. He wouldn't pick up my calls and told me he wanted nothing to do with me. We were together off and on for almost five years… I had a small hope that he'd changed his mind, but that was before realizing he's dating you now,” Paris declared, her face not giving away what way had she meant by that.

 

“What do you mean by that?” Bra asked, her temper rising like steam.

 

“Well, it was obvious there was something going on between you two. The way you looked at each other, it was enough to drive me mad. He always told me you were just his best friend's kid sister and that I was just over reacting and had too much imagination… but you certainly weren't a kid anymore and see, as soon as I was out of the picture, you pounced on right away, didn't you?” she spat.

 

“Hold on there for a second, Paris. First of all, it was you I found here not the other way around. Secondly, I am sorry if you lost your chance with Goten but he is mine now. I never planned it. It just happened. But I am not letting him go now that I have him,” Bra stated firmly, unwaveringly.

 

Paris signed and her spirit visibly deflated. “You are right. It's just… I can't believe I blew it this way. This sucks.”

 

Bra signed too and crossed her arms. Her attitude towards Paris softened. She felt pity for the older woman. She had to admit Goten's ex-girlfriend had changed quite a bit from the bimbo she'd met over five years ago. Still, she blew her chance, and Goten was hers now.

 

“Listen, Paris, don't be so hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. You'll bounce out of this one. After you deal with your problem I'm sure you'll find someone else.”

 

Paris glanced up wearily. Her suspicion faded when she realized Bra was being sincere.

 

“I always liked you Bra. I am sorry I ruined everything. I considered you sort of like a sister in law… even though I had been suspicious of that spark between you too.”

 

“Yeah, I liked you too, at the beginning, even though I had been secretly jealous of you and every other girl Goten dated.”

 

Paris smiled weakly. “I guess it was meant to be between you two.”

 

Bra smiled too but she could tell Paris was just putting up a front for her. Mentally shaking her head, she realized she was way too nice. God knew she must have gotten it from her mother, because her dad would have kicked this chick's ass before she got a single word out. Or could it be Goten's recent influence? In any case, she grabbed her purse and took out a business card, handing it to Paris.

 

“ `Kawabata Yasunari, Licensed Therapist.'” Paris read. “What's this?”

 

“That's my therapist. He's great, a genius,” replied Bra.

 

“Thanks but I can't afford a private therapist. I'm doing fine with the one from my insurance,” said Paris, a masked-offended tone in her voice.

 

“I'm not trying to offend you, just to help you. I get therapy once a month myself. Therapy isn't for crazy people. We all have issues. And you can afford him now because I will pay for the bill. Just tell him I sent you and it will be dealt with.”

 

Paris' eyes almost popped out. “What?!”

 

“I am offering you a gift, Paris. I feel guilty I have Goten now; I feel I should compensate you somehow. But it's not just that, I really do want to help you.”

 

Paris looked into Bra's eyes for a couple of heartbeats and then grinned weakly.

 

“Okay, I will take the gift. I need all the help I can get.”

 

Bra grinned back and then gasped when she heard a noise outside.

 

“Oh my God, it's Goten's car.”

 

She dashed outside and gave the driver instructions to park it at the back. She signed a bunch of papers and hurriedly tipped the driver.

 

When she turned around to face Paris, she was gaping at her.

 

“Nani?” Bra asked peevishly.

 

“You're giving Goten that car?” Paris breathed, her mouth still slightly open.

 

Bra blushed a bit. “Yeah, so?”

 

“Nothing, it's just, wow… you are loaded, aren't you?” Paris stated.

 

For some reason, that comment bothered Bra. Quite a bit.

 

“Yes I am,” she stated succinctly and whirled back to Goten's house. Paris followed her, a bit freaked.

 

“I…” she began but Bra cut her off. “Goten will be here any moment. I would prefer it if you left now,” she demanded.

 

Paris sniffed and nodded. “I guess I got to realize when I've lost. After all, I am no competition for you.”

 

Paris lowered her head and picked up her purple purse. It went with her purple sandals and purple blouse. Her jeans were so tight on her, the fabric looked like it was about to explode.

 

“By the way,” Paris said as she dug through her purse for something. “Give this to Goten for me, onegai. Tell him thanks for not asking for it back but I wanted to give it back anyway.” She handed Bra a small black velvet box. With that, she simply walked away, presumably to her car she had probably parked further along the road.

 

Bra waited until she couldn't see her anymore and opened the box. Her hands trembled in realization of what she held in her hands. When she opened it, she gasped. It was a beautiful square cut gold diamond ring, at least a carat in weight.

 

Sitting down hard on the couch, she stared at the ring. He had given her this gorgeous ring. He had actually asked her to marry him, even though she'd had a drinking problem. He hadn't even asked for it back. Did that mean that maybe he still loved Paris? That she was just the rebound girl?

 

Her head was spinning painfully and she could not believe this was happening.

 

Groaning, she realized Goten would be home any second. She had to pull herself together. She would deal with this later.

 

No sooner after she had stuffed the box into her purse, did she hear his car pulling up to the driveway.

 

She breathed in deeply and pasted a smile on her face.

 

Goten opened the door, and smiled. “I could feel your ki a mile away. What are you doing here, babe?” he asked her, grinning and giving her a big hug.

 

Bra grinned back, trying not to feel upset. He had this uncanny ability to read her mood she didn't want him exercising right now.

 

“Surprise!” she squeaked, smiling.

 

“Hmmm… are you here for the reason I hope?” he asked, a lewd smile on his lips.

 

“No, you pervert, gomen… I have something for you… an actual thing,” she said, taking his hand. As soon as she did, her cell rang. She was about to ignore it but noticed it was a number she didn't have listed in her directory.

 

“That's weird,” she remarked, taking the cell phone.

 

“What is it?” asked Goten, concerned.

 

“This number is familiar but I don't know whose is it, I don't have it saved,” she explained as it rang two more times.

 

“Get it,” he suggested, shrugging.

 

She did and immediately regretted it. No wonder the number was familiar.

 

“Kanojo … long time no talk,” intoned a too-smooth masculine voice.

 

Bra groaned.

 

“Don't call me that, I'm not your girl anymore. How did you get this number?” she demanded sharply.

 

“That is no way of greeting your ex-boyfriend,” he replied, chuckling.

 

Bra's hand shook in rage. “Why are you calling me, Johnny?”

 

“That should be obvious… I just want to invite you to Olga's premiere. She wouldn't give me your number at first, but I persuaded her…”

 

Bra was about to hang up on him but was curious about something.

 

“Why are you doing this?” she inquired.

 

“Publicity, beautiful. The press speculating if we're back together. It would be great.”

 

Bra closed her eyes and said, “Forget it. I'm not doing it. Don't call back or I'll slap a restraining order on you so quickly, your lawyer won't know what hit him. And if that doesn't work, I will sic my dad on you!”

 

She hung up the phone viciously and barely checked the impulse to slam it to the tiled floor. The nerve of that bakayarou!

 

“Bra, who was that?” asked Goten. She whirled towards him, smiling tensely.

 

“I'll tell you in a sec, first let me show you your gift.”

 

Goten looked quite dubious but followed her.

 

He gasped when he saw the huge red Hummer with a purple bow on top parked behind his house.

 

“It's a Hummer,” he whispered after a while. He then frowned, and shook his head.

 

“I can't accept this,” he said regretfully.

 

“Yes you can. It's a gift. Please, Goten… take it…”

 

He grinned, “I might, if you tell me who called.”

 

“Oh, it was nothing. Johnny wanted to invite me to Olga's premiere for publicity but I already decided to go with Trunks.”

 

Goten's countenance was so confused Bra laughed. “Olga, the actress, invited me to the premiere of her movie and the party afterwards… Johnny, you know who Johnny is, just called me to try to invite me for publicity, the jerk.”

 

Goten scowled very darkly and Bra's eyes widened. Had she said something wrong?

 

“Don't worry, I'm not going to go with him. I hadn't heard from him at all since we broke up, I swear.” she said.

 

“I know… When did Olga call you?”

 

“A few days ago, why?”

 

“Why didn't you tell me about it?”

 

Bra shook her head and shrugged helplessly. “I thought we were keeping this secret?”

 

“No, you are keeping it secret,” stated Goten.

 

“But the whole world would see us together!” she exclaimed.

 

“So what?” he shot back.

 

“I thought we were waiting,” she said.

 

“Waiting for what?” he asked.

 

“I don't know!” Bra screamed.

 

They both fell silent, she was breathing hard, he was a bit more controlled, but a vein pulsating in his temple let her know he was upset. Goten, upset? She almost never got to see him like this. Before the day he'd gotten mad at her for lying about the kiss, she couldn't remember the last time he'd been angry about anything. Even the few times that Trunks and Goten argued, he was always the one trying to keep it from getting out of control.

 

“So now I'm your secret boyfriend. You can give me cars but you can't take me to the premiere? Would you be embarrassed to show up with me?” he asked heatedly.

 

“NANI?!” she yelled. “What the HELL are you talking about? What does the car have to do with anything? How could I be embarrassed of you, you know this has nothing to do with that.”

 

“I'm leaving,” he declared, walking away.

 

“But this is your house!” she cried out following him hastily.

 

“I don't care,” he muttered, not turning back.

 

“Matte!” Bra shrieked as she tried to keep up with him.

 

“No,” he stated, turning back for a second. He then sighed and ran a hand through is already messy hair, looking regretful. “I need to leave right now, okay? My emotions have been out of control since the night we kissed and I don't know how to feel, what to do or… I just don't know what's going on anymore!”

 

With that outburst, he sprinted towards the entrance of his house. Bra stopped following him and watched as he took off from his yard, in plain sight of neighbors who could be walking by or looking through windows.

 

“Oh kuso,” she uttered as she sat on the grass, feeling confused and perplexed.

 

To be continued…

 

 

Japanese words used in this chapter:

 

kawaii: cute
matte: wait
nani: what
onegai: please
gomen: sorry
kanojo: used by a male to refer to his girlfriend
bakayarou: asshole
kuso: crap (or worse), expletive

 

 

Author's notes: I am BEGGING you on bent knees to please review. There is no pride here, just the desire to hear what you have to say about my fic…