Sweet Naivety

Chapter 75: Crafty Ideals

Chapter 75: Crafty Ideals

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"Everything alright?" Renji murmured as I met him on the little stage.

And I nodded. "Why wouldn't it be?"

He shrugged, looking down at his guitar case as he opened it. "It's just... you're usually not so much... with the PDA."

I froze where I was, holding the stool and staring at the ground. This was why. This was why I hated PDA. I set down the stool and let out a groan. "I really don't like PDA..."

He set his case down and looked at me. "Then why did you do it?" There was almost humor in his voice.

And I groaned again. "Well..." I thought about how Renji had called himself my very best friend, or BFF, and figured that I could at least talk a little bit about this with him. "I sort of... pushed Grimmjow away last night, in front of all of his friends, when he was kissing me..." I was mumbling, still wary of the topic and not wanting anyone else to overhear. "I was embarrassed and I ended up embarrassing him, too, I think. So... I was trying to make it up to him."

A dark brow lifted on Renji's forehead as he listened. "You thought mauling him in front of his friends would make up for pushing him away last night?"

"I did not maul him!" I squealed, a little too loudly. And then I made an effort to calm myself down when Renji laughed at my reaction. "Rangiku said I should act like no one else is in the room... and it made him happy..."

Renji rolled his eyes. "You're taking advice from Rangiku?"

"Well what's your advice?" I snapped, trying not to pout at him.

And he shrugged, adjusting his guitar strap over his shoulder. "Well, maybe don't push your boyfriend away just because he wants to kiss you, even if it is in public. I mean, unless he's trying to feel up your dress or something, like that one time..." He gave me a pointed look, noticing my shudder. "But that doesn't mean that you have to go throwing yourself at him. That's Rangiku's style. Not yours."

I decided to ignore the memory of Grimmjow's hands up my dress in the middle of the dance floor of his club. It was mortifying to think about, especially knowing that Renji (and who knows who else) had seen and obviously remembered. Instead, I thought about Renji's advice. He had a good point... I could just allow, and maybe reciprocate, Grimmjow's advances without making any of my own. I didn't have to instigate anything, at least not with other people around.

"Thanks, Renji." I smiled at him, moving another stool next to the other. "I like your advice better."

"Duh." He gave me a grin as he sat down. "I'm your BFF, remember?"

I couldn't help but laugh at his self-proclaimed title and the fact that he was already living up to it. "You definitely are."

He chuckled before looking out at the crowd. And then he shouted. "Yo! Rangiku! Let's get this show on the road!"

The ginger-haired woman pried herself away from her boyfriend long enough to announce us. Though I wondered what the point was since Renji had already gotten everyone's attention with his shouting.

"Alright, Silver Fox! I hope you're all ready for our Sunday entertainment!" Rangiku was grinning and gesturing as if she were introducing some great prize on a game show. "I give you, Red and Pink of the Queen's Court! If you like what you hear and wanna see their full band, check them out on Fridays at the Castle!"

I blinked, not having realized that the gig at the Castle was a re-occurring thing. But I didn't have time to think about it. Renji was already strumming on his guitar, tapping with his foot to count us in. We had decided to start with an acoustic cover that seemed to fit the mood for a café on a Sunday Morning: "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5.