If Jealousy Could Kill

Chapter 8: The Game of Love

Mami jumped up from the chair when she heard the loud doorbell ring throughout her small apartment. She wasted no time in rushing down the hallway towards the front door. A smile graced her face when she pulled the front door open, seeing her brunette friend standing on the other side. Tomomi gave her a small smile, waving in just as small of a gesture. She was looking a lot better from earlier. The angry red puff around her eyes had disappeared and she had fixed her makeup, her natural happy glow slowly coming back to her. At least she was relatively calm now…. Too bad she probably wouldn’t be for much longer. Mami was almost beginning to feel guilty about this, but she took that guilt away by reminding herself that Tomomi would be grateful to her for this in the long run. She just had to get over the moment of betrayal she’d no doubt be feeling soon enough.

“So what did you want me for?” Tomomi asked, stepping into Mami’s apartment. She was curious as to what this “special surprise” Mami said she had planned for her tonight. As Tomomi removed her shoes, she looked down, noticing an extra pair. Was someone else here? She’d hoped this ‘surprise’ would only involve the two of them, she couldn’t think of who else could help cheer her up. The brunette glanced over at Mami, silently asking her the question.

“I know what you’re thinking and the answer is no, no one else is here. You’re paranoid. Now come on, I’ve got something in my room that I want to show you.” The blonde walked past Tomomi, beckoning for her to follow. Being given no other choice, Tomomi diligently followed Mami down the hallway, her hands playing nervously with the ends of her hair. Mami was definitely plotting something. She could see it in the way the blonde moved and how quickly she was talking, Tomomi knew she was willingly falling into some kind of trap.

“Mami, what are you--” Tomomi had started to ask her question when they rounded the last corner into Mami’s room, but her sentence had been cut short when she saw who was sitting at the desk in the room. In the office chair, Haruna sat with it leaned back, her feet resting on the computer desk as she flipped through a magazine. After hearing the footsteps and the words, she looked up, raising an eyebrow when she saw Tomomi, the brunette seeming to be shaking in the spot where she stood. Tomomi looked as if she’d just seen a ghost.

“Haruna, were you raised in a barn? Get your feet off my desk,” Mami scolded, smacking at Haruna’s feet. The brunette laughed, throwing her feet back down onto the carpet. Mami was more high maintenance than she let on.

“You never know, maybe I’m like that Tarzan guy. I could’ve been raised by apes,” Haruna joked.

“Would explain your bad manners,” Mami grumbled. Haruna shook her head, swiveling around in the chair to face Tomomi. She cocked her head to the side when she saw the scared expression on Tomomi’s face. Haruna had to admit that she was a bit confused; Mami had told her it was just the two of them tonight. She had told her she had a special favor to ask of Haruna, but they never got to that favor before Tomomi came. The blonde had kept changing the subject, avoiding the question of what exactly Mami had wanted to ask of Haruna. But now, after seeing the tall and scared brunette, Haruna was beginning to think Mami never actually had anything to ask her.

“Mami…” Tomomi said softly. Mami turned her body slightly, looking over at Tomomi and giving her a small smile. One of Tomomi’s hands was wrapped around her free arm that laid motionless by her side, her fingernails gently picking at the skin on her arm. She didn’t want to be here. She didn’t want to be near Haruna at the moment, she just needed a little time away from her. This was supposed to make her feel better, but there was no way she could feel better when Haruna was sitting right there.

“So I may have lied a little.”

“A little?” Haruna interjected, “how about a lot?” Mami shot a glare at the mouthy girl before clearing her throat and clapping her hands together. No more distractions, it was time to get down to business. The faster Mami got this over with, the better it would be for everyone.