Never Forget by BelovedStranger
Bittersweet
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Word Count: 1,500
Prompt: Bluff
As Kagome listened to Sesshomaru speak, righteous anger suffused her entire being.
“Her name is Rin, and she’s been working here as my new secretary for a couple months now. I don’t know how it happened but we went out for drinks last night,” last night? thought Kagome, remembering their dinner plans with bitterness, “and we connected. It was like I was seeing her for the first time. I want her to meet my best friend, you, Kagome.”
Best friend? Was that seriously all he thought of her? After all the intimate talks and heated embraces, she was just his best friend?
At first, she wanted to scream at him, for stringing her along again! She wanted to demand if he thought of her as only a best friend, then why had he always chased away any man who was interested in her and told her that she was his?
Why did you kiss me?!
Why did you say you loved me?
Why!
All these questions she wanted to demand answers for, but she choked back the words that felt like venom in her throat. An insidious plan formulated in her mind, and before she could decide if she would implement her enraged idea, she found herself calmly saying, “Of course, Sesshomaru. I’d love to see your new girlfriend.”
One last hope. Please, let him deny it when she referred to Rin as his girlfriend. This was a misunderstanding; it had to be…
“Excellent. I’ve already told her all about you, and she would like to get to know you, become friends with you, too. I know you’ll like her, Kagome. She even asked me to give you her number. Do you have a pen and paper?”
Hope dashed.
Seething rage.
“Yeah, just give me a minute to get them,” she said through gritted teeth.
If Sesshomaru noticed her underlying mood, he gave no indication. Oblivious to her true feelings as usual, seethed Kagome.
“I’m ready whenever you are,” she said, pen at the ready to jot down this faceless woman’s digits.
Afterwards, Sesshomaru said in a low voice, “There’s just one thing, Kagome.”
“Yeah?”
“Rin can’t know about…the intimate details between us. We’re just friends after all. It didn’t mean anything, and I know she would misunderstand if she knew. You understand, right?”
“Of course, I do. Do you take me for an idiot?” she joked. “I knew before you said anything that I wasn’t to mention any of that.”
Sounding relieved, he replied, “I know, I just…don’t want to fuck this up. I can tell she’s…special.”
And I’m not?
“Now I’m really curious to see this woman who could make you say that. When is a good time to give her a call?”
“Her lunch break which is one in the afternoon. Oh, and one more thing. Don’t tell her about my bad tendencies. Don’t want to scare her off,” he chuckled, but Kagome knew he was serious.
“No problem,” she replied, while thinking, Oh, I won’t tell her how you’re a cheating, lying bastard! At least not yet.
Pretending that everything was fine, they hung up after Sesshomaru promised to call again.
Yeah, right. Like she would believe that lie.
After the call ended, her anger morphed into unbearable loss, the pain in her heart agony. So much so, she lifted a hand to cover her beating heart, a lost, dazed look overtaking her expression as she gazed around herself with unseeing eyes. Her knees hit the floor before she realized that they had given out on her.
Why am I never enough?
By reflex, she made excuses for him. Perhaps he wasn’t ready to accept his feelings for her? He was afraid to commit and be in a healthy relationship for once, with a woman who obviously adored him.
No!
Her nails bit into her palms as she rested her clenched fists on her thighs. No more excuses, just…no more!
Determination blazed in her eyes, dispelling her forlorn expression. She would feel out his new relationship with this woman before sabotaging it.
Sesshomaru wanted her to befriend his new girlfriend, did he? Wanted them to become close? She could do that. She would integrate herself so tightly into Rin’s life, that she would become this faceless woman’s confidant, gain her trust, then ultimately ruin this budding romance.
A sneer curled her lips.
As if Sesshomaru actually cared for this woman. He thought Rin special? Ha! She knew Sesshomaru, knew that he was a sexually virile man who was also lonely for female companionship—even though he could have gotten it freely from her!
She shook her head. That didn’t matter right now. What mattered was that whatever this relationship was between Sesshomaru and Rin, it could never last, not with Sesshomaru’s selfish tendencies. All she had to do—for now—was integrate herself in Rin’s life and monitor their progression.
Kagome admitted to a small kernel of fear that pooled in her belly, made her heart clench with added pain. What if this was serious? What if this relationship actually…worked out, and they have their happily ever after together, while she stood on the sidelines, alone?
She shook her head. Impossible. She was over thinking, worrying over nothing. Sesshomaru would do what he had done before, date some girl, sleep with her, then ultimately dump her, and he would come right back to her—and string her along again, she thought dismally.
Depression set in.
When would she admit enough was enough? How many more times was she going to forgive him? Make excuses for him? Turn a blind eye?
She had to face the painful truth she had guessed at two years ago but stubbornly ignored.
She meant absolutely nothing to Sesshomaru, was nothing more than a dalliance while he went from one woman to the next, keeping her selfishly to himself even though he thought of her as something temporary.
How many years had she wasted, pinning after him, while knowing deep down that he would never be hers no matter what he said to the contrary? How many more would she waste if she was correct and this relationship with Rin was nothing serious and didn’t last?
How long was his new relationship going to last?
Panic set in.
Was he going to ignore her for months again? Treat her like an afterthought?
She couldn’t, wouldn’t go through that again!
Seething hatred.
A heart thirsting for retribution, for vengeance against the one to break her heart so utterly.
One o’clock in the afternoon ticked by hours later, and Kagome—more in control of her emotions—dialed the new contact she had saved in her phone.
“Hello?” a feminine voice inquired on the other end of the line.
“Hello, Rin? This is Kagome, Sesshomaru’s best friend.”
“Oh, right, Kagome! Hi, it’s so good to hear from you.”
Grimacing at the sickeningly sweet voice, Kagome forced herself to be just as girly and gushy to gain this woman’s favor. “I know! When Sesshomaru told me about you this morning, I just had to get to know the girl who means so much to him.”
“I don’t know if I mean that much to Sesshomaru,” came Rin’s shy reply, and Kagome bet the other woman was blushing, the bitch. “But I like him. I have a good feeling about him. He’s special.”
Kagome gritted her teeth at hearing that word again and by Rin—special.
“We should meet up and hang out some time. You know, have a girl’s night out and get to know each other over drinks? What do you say, girl?”
Kagome couldn’t help but sneer at her own girlish speech.
“Of course! I’d love that. And you have to be sure to tell me all about Sesshomaru and how you met.”
Kagome heard the underlying question in Rin’s voice as she said the last. She would have to tread carefully and not give away any hint of how she and Sesshomaru really were together—at least before this woman came into the picture. She did this not for Sesshomaru, but for her own ends. If this relationship really was or did become something serious, then she needed to be in a position to stop it.
“I’ll tell you all about it,” Kagome chirped like a moron, but Rin seemed to like her preppy prattle. God, how she hated how women could talk like that, and here she was, mimicking them.
Though normally kind, Kagome could lie like the best of them, could charm just about anyone if she set her mind to it. However, most people thought of her as a sweet, innocent young woman. Probably because of her young appearance and cute visage.
“Hey, I have to let you go now. My lunch break will be over soon and I still haven’t sat down to eat anything.”
“Yeah, no problem. We’ll set up a time later to hang out.”
“Sounds good! Bye, Kagome.”
“Bye, Rin.”
Click.
Bittersweet agony followed the call.