Love, A Game..

Chapter 26

"Wow, Gohan. This is a pretty big 'do." Accustomed to the grand and fancy as she was, even Videl was slightly intimidated by the size of the hall they walked into. Of course, this might have been because it was hugely, echoingly empty, the decorations, furniture, lights and other accessories having not yet arrived, but still. You could have parked a semi in there with a cathedral on the tray.

Gohan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Bulma books this place every year. She likes showing off." He gestured out the window to the fleet of oversize vans pulling up in the circular driveway.

"It's a girl thing," Videl responded airily, prompting a grin from the dark-eyed Son. "Besides, everyone likes to splash out at Christmas."

He snorted. "It's a month until Christmas!"

"Yeah, but at this stage people haven't done their Christmas shopping yet. Hence, they still have money to spend on fancy outfits."

"Definitely a girl thing, then."

She patted his arm. "So you said you wanted to talk, right?"

"Yeah." Glancing around the huge space and finding it unsuitable, Gohan gestured for the violet-eyed girl to follow him. "I thought we should be somewhere a bit private, you know?" At an acquiescent nod from the shorter teen, he set off across the dance floor and towards the backstage area.

Obediently she trailed behind the taller teenager as he led her through a door beside the stage and plunged into the maze behind the scenes. They passed about half a dozen doors ranging from bare grey metal to ones seemingly intended for the use of giants before Gohan turned a dull brass knob in a randomly indistinguishable slab of wood. He gestured Videl to precede him into what she realised was a dressing room, and the importance of what he was about to say became apparent when he neglected to close the door - one of his personal habits that continually baffled her.

"It's like this," he began, as he took a seat, leaning forward with elbows on knees. At a politely waved invitation, Videl also settled herself on a chair almost at right angles to his - a deliberately non-confrontational position. The evidence of anxiety in his tone, even though he had his back to her as he marched across the bare dance floor, had informed Videl that the topic would be serious.

"It's like this," he repeated, taking her hand in his. "I told you I knew Mirai a few years ago, right?" Videl nodded. "Well, I didn't tell you how I knew him, did I?" Half-formed guesses about the possible directions of this talk began to flit through her mind, too quickly for comprehension. He was trying to approach his point gradually - maybe he was trying to break it to her gently? Although what 'it' was, she had no idea as yet. "Mirai and me, we started off as friends. He was really cool - older than me, a mystery man, very powerful but at the same time he was really friendly and nice to me." An endearingly childish blush. "It - well, it wasn't long before I got a thing for him." Yes, she'd figured that part out. Gohan liked Mirai, Mirai dumped him, badda-bing, badda-boom. All wrapped up. Nonetheless, Videl told herself to be patient, and hear him out.

His voice was getting slightly distant as he regressed back to ages-old memory. "I didn't say anything for a while, but it grew on me for ages. I couldn't stop thinking about him. It was like - it was like when he was there, I could do anything. I was more alive than I was when he wasn't. I felt like as soon as he was out of reach, or sight, there was no reason to be happy. He was the sun, the moon, the stars, the whole world and all the people in it..." He paused, took a breath.

And suddenly Videl knew.

"You love him."

Love, not loved. Present, not past. In explaining to her how he felt then, Gohan had told her how he felt now. Yes, she knew. The boy she cared for was infatuated with another boy. Oh, the irony of it all.