Sex Bucket List • Tokyo revengers

Part 4 - Chapter 7

Only two or three seconds pass before Hailey starts to scream at me, "You bitch!" The next instant, she's grabbing my hair with one hand and hitting me with the other.

"Hailey!" I hear several people shout for her to stop.

One of her sharp acrylic nail slashes across my cheek before she's snatched away from me. My heart is racing with adrenaline as I watch her get dragged away by Kakucho and Izana. With a trembling hand, I tentatively touch the cut on my cheek, feeling the warmth of my own blood seeping from the wound.

"You stay the fuck away from my boyfriend!" Hailey screams at me before disappearing out of the hallway as Kakucho and Izana continue to drag her away.

I want to yell back that I couldn't care less about her stupid "boyfriend", but at that moment, I become aware of the countless pairs of eyes fixed on me. They're all unfamiliar and judgmental except for one: Rindou's. He's standing in the sea of spectators who've been drawn in the hallway by the commotion. His expression is unreadable but I can roughly guess the conclusions he's reaching in his mind: Izana and I hooked up in his own bedroom.

I lower my gaze as a strong feeling of shame creeps under my skin. God, I wish the floor would open and swallow me whole right now.

Suddenly, a hand gently takes mine, and I lift my gaze, meeting Rindou's eyes. "Come with me," he whispers. 

Guiding me away from prying eyes, he leads me down the hallway and opens the door to his bathroom. I follow him inside and watch him close the door behind us.

"You can sit on the sink," he directs while he starts to rummage through the cabinet. I comply, perching myself on the cool surface.

He retrieves a first aid kit and places it beside me on the sink's edge. He then grabs a cotton ball and disinfectant. His movements are swift, almost a bit aggressive, and as he stands right before me, I observe him closely, noticing the tension etched upon his face and creasing his brow.

His movements only slow when he raises the cotton ball to my wounded cheek. He cleans my cut so gently I can barely feel anything. The ache doesn't come from the physical pain anymore, but from the avoidance of his gaze, the unspoken distance between us. He hasn't looked me in the eyes since we entered the bathroom.

He finally breaks the silence, his words laced with concern. "Are you okay?"

My eyes continue to search his but he's still avoiding to meet my gaze as his question lingers in the air. I almost want to ask him if he's okay, but I just hum a small "yes" in response.

He briefly closes his eyes, dropping his hands. He takes a step back and turns away from me before opening his eyes again.

"Listen," he begins quietly. "I know we barely know each other. I can't tell you who to kiss or sleep with, but if I were you, I would stay away from Izana. He's just – He's not..." He brushes a hand through his hair, releasing a tensed exhale. "He's not sincere. I don't know what he told you to get you to go with him in my bedroom but-"

Interrupting softly, I reveal, "I know about the bet."

His eyes widen in surprise, and finally, his gaze meets mine. "You do?"

I nod.

His brows furrow in confusion. "How?"

"I was under the bleachers. I overheard everything," I confess. "So trust me, nothing will ever happen between me and Izana, Hanma, or your brother," I assure him.

Tension seems to drain from his body. His shoulders slump and he exhales deeply. "Good," he breathes out.

We hold each other's gaze for a moment, then he steps closer to me again.  He places both hands on the edge of the sink on either side of me, looking into my eyes.