Be Careful What You Wish For (PUBLISHED)

Be Careful What You Wish For - Chapter 22

Ana took a deep breath and the balmy night air filled her lungs. She sat down on a wooden bench and felt the silence of the night envelop her. She sighed, it was a relief to escape the smoky rooms and the pulsating electronic beat of the party.

“Thanks for coming with me,” Ana told Hide as he sat down beside her, “It was all getting to be a bit too much for me.”

They had gone through a discreet side exit, then walked along the sidewalk, passing dimly lit shop fronts, a row of cars, a couple of vending machines, and a narrow strip of road, before they emerged into the small, tree-lined square Hide had told her about. Lampposts and benches lined its perimeter and it provided a fitting respite from the chaos they had emerged from.

Ana glanced around, the park was deserted. And although the corner to which Hide had guided her was darker than most, she didn’t mind — the last thing she wanted was for someone to see her in distress. It was certainly humid out here, she thought. She lifted her face up and saw that dark clouds had hid the moon. She belatedly remembered that the weather report had predicted rain later in the evening.

Ana sadly wondered what Ken was doing, and an image of him dancing with that girl flashed in her mind. He had certainly been enjoying himself, she thought. What the hell does he see in that little slut? Ana mentally shook her head, she thought she knew Ken, but it turned out that she didn't know him at all. All of a sudden, Ana wasn’t sad anymore. She was fuming mad. How dare he, she thought, how dare he put me through this. This wasn’t part of our arrangement at all. And how dare he make me feel this way. This was supposed to be a clear-cut arrangement, and she mentally berated herself for thinking that there was a chance that it could develop into much more.

Ana shook her head. She thought she had been living a fairy tale, Kaye was right, fairy tales only happened in books and anyone who thought otherwise was a fool. Everything had been just a dream.

But what a dream it had been, Ana thought and smiled wryly.

She shook herself out of her musing and turned to her companion. She was disconcerted to see that he was watching her intently. “Nan de,” she asked nervously, “What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?” She started in surprise when Hide drew nearer.

“You’re really pretty, Ana-san,” he said and brushed a lock off her face.

“Ano, Hide-san,” Ana edged back as she breathed in the alcohol fumes that emanated from her companion, “I think we should get back to the party, people might be looking for us. Ne, ikimashou ka? Shall we go?”

Hide leaned in even further. “It was really bad of Ken-san not to pay you proper attention.”

Ana was alarmed when she felt the armrest of the bench at her back. She jumped up and decided to head back to the party, but to her dismay, Hide caught hold of her wrist and backed her into one of the lampposts. “Hide, you’ve had too much to drink…” she said, remembering Yoshi’s half joking warning about his band mate turning amorous only after a few drops of alcohol.

Ana’s panic escalated when Hide pressed his body to hers. “I think I really like you, Ana-san,” he said, “and I’m a much better kisser than Ken-san.”

“I … uh … I’ll take your word for it,” Ana stammered out, a part of her brain thinking that she wouldn't have any basis for comparison anyway. Ken had never kissed her.

“Sou.” Hide assented, “Let me prove it to you.”

“No, I … chotto matte!” Ana got out as Hide moved in.

It all happened so quickly. Ana had turned her face away and braced herself to bring her knee forcibly up Hide’s groin, just as Kaye had taught her and Tessa to do in situations such as this. Her knee was halfway there, when suddenly … he was gone. Ana blinked and looked up to see Ken, his legs braced apart and hands fisted, towering over Hide’s prone form. Hide was sprawled on the stone pavement, apparently knocked out cold.