The Girl Next Door Part Nine

Marisol stared at herself in the mirror in disbelief.  There she stood in Key and Donovan’s room wearing nothing but a black bikini, cut off jeans and her sandals.  In reality she looked amazing, but of course in her eyes she was two inches from naked and felt incredibly awkward.  It wasn’t until Kà knocked on the door that she even considered leaving the room.

“Hot damn!” Kà catcalled as she walked into the room.  “I’m going to have to threaten Jordan just so he’ll keep his eyes on me!”

Marisol fidgeted, crossing her arms in an attempt to cover her rather ample cleavage.  “I’m practically naked.”

“You look hot Marisol and besides, uh… hello.”  Kà gestured towards her own body, was even less clothed.  “And I’m still a teenager.  Something here just is not right I tell you.”

“Maybe I should wear a shirt or something of that nature, just to-“

“Come on Miss Modesty, let’s go.”  Kà grabbed Marisol’s hand and with considerable amount of force for a fifteen year old girl, began pulling Marisol into the hallway.

“Kà!” Marisol protested.  “I really don’t think I should go out there like this.”

“Well it’s a good thing I’m known for not listening to what other people think.”

Jordan nodded, meeting them in flip flops and a pair of swimming trunks.  “It’s true.  You just sort of learn to deal with it after a while.”

Marisol whined but didn’t argue anymore as Kà dragged her downstairs, eventually letting her go once she realized Marisol wasn’t going to run away.  She was putting forth a very valiant effort to tell herself that no one was going to make fun of her, when she almost ran right into Kitten.

“We keep meeting like this,” he teased, putting his hands on her waist to stabilize her.  He gave her a very charming smile, though it didn’t take his brain long to register just what she was wearing.  “Oh… wow…”

“I look ridiculous,” Marisol said softly, stepping back and once again covering her chest.

“No, you look… far from ridiculous Marisol.”  Kitten was very openly staring, incapable of stopping himself.

“Says you.”

“And believe me, the other men here would agree.”  After one last look Kitten tore his gaze away from Marisol’s body and looked into her eyes.  “I must change and then we will leave.  We will be riding in two vehicles and we are going with Donovan, Leo and Oniichan.  Key will have the rest of them with him, is that alright?”

Marisol nodded.  “That’s fine.  Jack isn’t going?”  Despite him supposedly being somewhere in the house, Marisol still hadn’t actually met the man.

“No, the sun is not good for Elena’s skin.”

“Oh!  Right, you told me already, I’m sorry.”

Kitten smiled and promised he’d be right back before slipping off into the bathroom.  A few feet away Key was standing with Leo watching the pair.

“Ten bucks says they’re making out by the end of the night,” Leo said under his breath.

Key laughed.  “No way would I bet against that.”  He paused and thought for a second.  “Ten bucks says they’re making out by sundown.”

“With Marisol dressed like that I wouldn’t be surprised if they last that long, but I’ll take the bet.  Kitten’s going to have to redirect his thoughts quite a bit if he doesn’t want to risk anything embarrassing happening… if you get what I’m saying.”

Oh Key definitely got what he was saying, and he knew it was true.  Key might have been gay but he could recognize a hot girl when one presented themselves and Marisol definitely fell into that category.

“You two are terrible,” Kishi chided, joining them one he too had changed.  Granted, his beach attire was simply a lighter, knee length kimono and was far from what any normal man would wear to the beach.  There was little about Kishi that was normal though.  “Is it fair to place bets on poor Nene’s suffering?”

Leo raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend’s words.  “Poor Nene’s suffering?  Since when were you on the side of wanting him to stop suffering?”

Kishi frowned, actually somewhat offended by the remark.  “My concern is for Nene’s happiness.”

“Well yes, but his happiness is involving someone that isn’t you.”

“Yes… but it was bound to happen…”  Kishi looked over at Marisol who was still fidgeting, obviously uncomfortable with her attire.  “Besides, I must admit that my original assumption was… way off.”  He laughed lightly and shook his head.  “Way, way off.  I do not believe that there’s anything about Marisol that is manipulative, in fact there seems to be something about her that is a little… sad almost.  She’s like a child, I think Nene would be good for her.”

Leo smiled and slipped his arm around Kishi’s waist, pulling him close and kissing his temple.  “I’m very proud of you Love.”

“I am rather proud of myself as well,” Kishi admitted.

They watched as Kitten stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of swim trunks and immediately it was a mutual game of the two trying not to stare at each other.  It was as comical as it was frustrating.

“Come on kids, it’s time to go,” Donovan yelled, grabbing the keys.  “Grab your towels, sunscreen and whatever else you need ‘cause I’m not turning around to go back for anything.”

Key rolled his eyes as he grabbed the other set of keys.  The couple had made plans to borrow Yan’s car so that they could split the large group up and not try to shove everyone in one vehicle.    “Come on, everyone who isn’t riding with Donovan is riding with me.”

Kitten was still trying to convince Marisol that she looked great as they walked outside and slid into the back seat of the van.  As soon as he handed her a towel to borrow she promptly began holding it against her chest, which Kitten thought was silly but at least it took away his temptation to stare.

“If you are really that uncomfortable why did you not just put a shirt on?  I could go get one of mine before we leave if you like.”

“Kà wouldn’t let me,” Marisol grumbled.  “She kept telling me I looked fine and that I was just being modest.”

Kitten looked out the window at Yan’s car and just happened to catch Kà’s eye as she climbed into the back seat after Jordan.  He wasn’t surprised at all when she smiled broadly and gave him a thumbs up.  This had been planned for his benefit after all.  “Well she is correct,” he said, turning his attention back to Marisol.  “But you should not be uncomfortable.”

“I just feel… really exposed… My mother would freak if she saw me dressed like this.”

“You are twenty five years old.  You should not worry about what your mother thinks.” As they spoke Donovan started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

“I know… but once again, old habits die hard.  I keep thinking she’s going to pop out of the bushes or something and point out what I’m doing wrong and drag me back to her house.”  Marisol shook her head.  “That’s ridiculous I know, but it’s a scary thought, trust me.”

Kitten smiled and kissed Marisol’s temple.  “Your mother is nowhere near here, and even if she was I would simply tell her that you cannot go back because then I would no longer have my best friend here.  She would have to deal.”

“You?  Talk back to a grown woman you don’t even know?”  Marisol’s voice was skeptical.

“If it would keep you from leaving, then yes.”

“Well… that’s very sweet of you then.”  Slowly Marisol lowered the towel she had clutched to her chest.  “I don’t look awful?”

“You look beautiful.  You have even managed to turn the head of someone who has no interest in girls, I would say that means you look pretty good.”  Of course Kitten was referring to Key, having seen him along with Leo and Kishi watching Marisol when he finished changing.  Marisol simply saw this as another nail in the coffin that was Kitten’s homosexuality.

“You flatter me so,” she joked, swallowing the silly disappointment that she was trying very hard to ignore.

“And you have not flattered me at all.”  Kitten mock pouted.  “These are even new shorts.”

Marisol laughed, feeling far more at ease, which of course was Kitten’s goal.  “Well they do look pretty good.  And I’m still impressed by this.”  She reached out and lightly touched the tattoo on his chest.

“Perhaps you should get one.  I know that it is not something your mother would allow, why not get one for that purpose?”

“Isn’t getting a tattoo out of rebellion a little silly?”

Kitten gave Marisol the slightest of smiles.  “Why do you think I got these?” he said, lowering his voice so the others couldn’t hear as easily.  They knew already, but there was no reason to make Kishi feel bad again.  “I did not handle it well when my Oniichan left me behind.”

“Oh… I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”

“That is alright.  And perhaps it was silly, but I do not regret them.”

“Is that where the lip ring came from too?”

Kitten nodded.  “I thought Oniichan was going to kill me when he saw me again.  He did not approve but now he likes them.”

“Well they do look good on you.  I still don’t think I’m the tattoo type though.  Maybe someday.”

“I will go with you if you ever decide to.  How about that?”

Marisol laughed and nodded her head.  “Okay, deal.  But I wouldn’t hold your breath on that happening any time soon.”

“I can be incredibly patient.”  To a degree of which Marisol had no idea.  Kitten spent the entire rest of the ride engaging her in conversation if for no other reason than to be focused on her eyes.  Once they reached the beach and had all piled out of the car that task was going to be a little more difficult.

“Hey Marisol,” Kà called out, jogging up to her from the other car.  “Jordan and I are going to be looking for seashells ‘cause he’s a total freak about the ocean.  I know you’ve never been so I thought maybe you and Kitten might want to do the same.”  She smiled broadly and held out a bright blue net bag.  “We have an extra bag too!”

Marisol blinked and took the bag.  “Okay… are there many shells here?”

“Oh yeah loads!  We’ll be going over there-“  Kà pointed down one side of the beach.  “So you two might want to go over there.“  She pointed down the other side.  “You probably want to stay away from the others too since Inari might end up breaking them… you know how kids can be.”  Again Kà smiled, hoping that Marisol didn’t see through her ridiculously thinly veiled attempt at giving her and Kitten some alone time.

Lucky for Kà, Marisol had no idea anyone had reason for ulterior motives.  “Okay, thanks.  Kitten’s helping Leo carry Kishi’s stuff out right now but I’ll let him know when he gets back.”  She turned to where Leo was laying out a rather large beach blanket and Kitten was putting up an umbrella.  “Does he always take so much stuff?”

“Yeah… that’s Kishi for you.  Heaven forbid the geisha get a tan, right?”  

“Kà, what are you doing?” Kitten asked when he was finally done and walked over to the two.  He knew whatever it was, it most likely involved trickery of some sort.  That was just Kà’s way.

“She suggested we go look for seashells since I’ve never been to the beach,” Marisol answered, smiling.  Kà smiled as well, though for a totally different reason.  “You don’t mind do you?”

“Of course I do not mind.  It was rather nice of Kà to suggest it.”  Kitten waited till Marisol looked away and rolled his eyes at Kà, who snickered quietly.

Jordan was already at the shoreline looking down at the sand when he wasn’t looking over at Kà.  In a way he pitied Kitten, knowing just how tenacious his girlfriend could be, but at the same time he couldn’t help but be amused.  At least this time Kà had a good reason for being a brat.  “Kà!”  he called out.  “I found a sand dollar!”  He hadn’t.  He was lying.

“Be there in a second!”  Kà yelled back.  “Remember Marisol, you might have to get in the water to get some of the really good ones, but I’m sure you’ll find plenty.  Have fun!”  She cast another mischievous grin in Kitten’s direction before running over to her boyfriend.

“She seems like a nice girl,” Marisol said as she watched Kà run off.  “A little forward… okay a lot forward, but nice.”

“She has her moments,” Kitten replied with a smile.  “Now, let us go look for these sea shells.  I have been to the beach many times but I do not normally bring anything back with me.  This will be a first for me as well.”

“Really?  What do you normally do at the beach?”

Kitten blinked, quickly trying to think of an appropriate answer.  Generally speaking any trip Kitten took to the beach ended in activities that were definitely not ones he should be discussing with her.  “Go swimming, lay in the sun… things like that.”

“Oh yeah… I guess that makes sense.”  

The two began walking in silence, Marisol watching the ground and Kitten watching Marisol whenever he felt it was safe to do so.  Everyone noticed the pair leaving but of course no one tried to stop them.  Back at the beach Key was trying to talk Leo into upping the bet to twenty dollars, but Leo was already fairly certain he’d be losing and refused.  

“Thank you for inviting me to come with you,” Marisol said, breaking the silence after several minutes.  “I’m really having a fantastic time.”

“Thank you for accepting my invitation.  I do not believe I would be enjoying myself as much without your company.”

“I don’t know about that, you do have an entire family here after all.  My presence can’t be adding that much.”

“You are incorrect in your assumption.”  Kitten smiled and began walking out into the water.

“Hey, what are you doing?”  

“Well did Kà not say we may have to go out into the water?  You are not afraid are you?”

“No of course not.”  Marisol bent down to take off her sandals, leaving them a few feet away from the water before slowly walking towards Kitten.  “Just… a little nervous.  Aren’t there jellyfish and sharks in there?”

“Much to Jordan’s dismay I am afraid that the odds of us seeing a shark are very slim,” Kitten assured her.  

“But jellyfish?”

“Yes, there may be jellyfish, but I would not worry about them.”

Marisol looked unsure but walked farther into the water, watching the gentle waves as they rolled in and washed over her feet.  She was watching the water closely, never having actually seen a jellyfish and therefore thinking every little thing she saw might be one, when she found her first seashell.  “Kitten!”

“What is it?”  Kitten asked, unsure of whether he should be alarmed or not.

“I found a shell!”  She held up a cream colored shell happily.  “Look!”

Kitten laughed and walked over to her to examine the shell.  It wasn’t anything special, Jordan had several of them in his room, but it made Marisol happy and that’s all that mattered.  “It is very pretty.  And see, it did help to go into the water.”

Marisol nodded enthusiastically and after examining the shell a little more she put it in her bag.  “I never thought I’d be this excited about finding seashells.”

“Well then we should continue looking and see what else we can find.”

As the two searched Marisol grew less leery of jellyfish and was simply enthralled with the sea life she was encountering.  She found several more shells, and spent a few minutes playing with a rather annoyed looking crab before deciding she’d had enough.

“Where are you going?”  Kitten asked as he watched Marisol walk back to where she’d left her shoes.

“Well we’re at the beach, I thought maybe I’d actually do some swimming.”  She set her bag down next to her shoes and slid down her somewhat damp jean shorts.  

Kitten couldn’t help but stare.  “That makes sense.”  He walked out of the water as well, removing his flip flops and setting them a little farther away so as not to get Marisol’s sandals wet.

“You’ll come save me if a big wave decides to knock me over, right?”  Marisol teased.  “I’d hate to get lost at sea my first time at the beach.”

“I believe I can manage that.  I am a fairly strong swimmer.”  Kitten took Marisol’s hand and walked back to the water.  “Do the waves actually make you nervous?”

“A little… but you won’t let me get too far, I know you won’t.”

“I am at your service.”  Kitten looked back at Marisol and smiled, earning him a smile in return.    

“I know my mother is going to have a million questions when I tell her how I spent my Fourth of July.  We were never really big on holidays at home, the fourth generally involved me watching other people’s fireworks from my backyard.”

“Do you suppose she will approve of your activities?”  Kitten asked, somewhat sarcastically.  He hated the hold Marisol’s mother still seemed to have over her.  “After all, you are spending it with an illegal alien who is barely an adult.”

“Illegal alien?  You’re here illegally?”

Kitten shrugged.  “I suppose that I am.  When I was brought to the US it was arranged for me, and paid for by Oniichan’s bodyguard.  I do not know who all he paid off in order to get me here but I have filled out no paperwork regarding my residence.”

“Well don’t worry, if they threaten to deport you I’ll marry you to keep you here.”  Marisol punctuated her statement by leaning over and splashing water at her friend, though given the height difference it only succeeded in hitting his stomach.

“Then perhaps I will have to expose myself to the proper authorities.”  Kitten of course, was joking but he couldn’t understand why Marisol began laughing hysterically, nearly falling over into the water and bringing him with her.  “Uh… Marisol?”

“I- I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t laugh at your English but that was funny!”  Marisol let go of Kitten’s hand and wiped the corner of her eye as it had begun to tear up from her laughter.

“I assume that this means I said something that is not correct.”

“Well… I guess exposing yourself to anyone would definitely get you attention, so I don’t know if you’re incorrect exactly.”

Kitten paused and watched Marisol with a very confused expression, until it suddenly hit him and he too began to laugh.  “That is not what I meant and you are well aware of that!”

“Hey, I don’t know about your Japanese customs.  That might be normal for you guys.”

This time it was Kitten who splashed Marisol, though with far more force thus he was actually able to get her wet.  The action resulted in a squeal and returned splashing, starting one of many water fights the two would have over the next couple of hours.

***

“I’m torn as to whether we should look for them and tell them it’s getting close to time for fireworks or whether we should just let them do… whatever it is they’re doing,” Donovan said as the sky grew dark.

Key laughed and rolled his eyes.  “Donovan, I seriously doubt they’re doing anything too risqué here on the beach with kids in the vicinity.”

“It is Kitten.”

“Well yes, but Marisol seems a bit like me and I know I’m far too reserved for that.”

Donovan grinned and wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist, nipping at his neck lightly.  “Oh?  Are you sure about that?”

“Donovan!” Key gasped, turning bright red despite the fact that everyone was too preoccupied fighting over where to sit to notice them.  “Not right now!”

“So later then?”  Donovan nipped him again, knowing that he’d already won.

“Donovan, I-“  Something caught Key’s attention and he wiggled away.  “Kitten!  We were just about to look for you.”

Kitten and Marisol were walking back, both smiling but it was noticed right away that there was no hand holding and nothing remotely suggesting anything romantic had happened.  Donovan heard Key swear lightly under his breath and found it rather amusing.

“So what have you two been up to?” he asked with a grin.

“We found a bunch of seashells,” Marisol answered, holding up the bag.  “And Kitten tried to drown me.”

“That is hardly true,” Kitten argued, sticking his tongue out at Marisol.  

“Well it’s my word against yours.”

“You are bigger than her,” Donovan pointed out.  “I’m thinking I’m more inclined to believe her.”

Kitten rolled his eyes.  “Donovan, your logic is flawed.  I would have no motivation to do such a thing.”

“Does sexual frustration count as motivation?” Donovan said under his breath, causing Key to cover his mouth to stifle his laughter.

Thankfully he recovered quickly.  “As soon as it gets dark enough the fireworks are going to start.  We just happen to have a fantastic spot so you two should probably claim yours before it gets too crowded.”

Marisol looked around and realized just how many people had showed up in their absence.  “Wow… how long were we gone?”

Kitten chuckled and took her hand.  “Come on, I do not believe that he was kidding about needing to find our place to sit.  I may not understand this holiday fully but I believe that the fireworks are spectacular.”

“I’ve always wanted to go see them but my mom was always so busy.”  Marisol followed Kitten and sat down beside him.  “Thank you again for taking me.”

“Marisol you do not have to keep thanking me.  I am having far more fun than I would if you were not here, as I have said.  In fact, perhaps it is I who should be thanking you.”

“Oh whatever.”  She nudged him with her shoulder and looked up at the sky.  The sky was getting progressively darker and the ocean breeze was actually giving her a bit of a chill.  “Maybe I should have accepted your offer to grab me a shirt.”

“Are you cold?”  

“No, not cold exactly, just a little chilly when the breeze picks up.  I’ll probably get used to it, don’t worry.”

Kitten nodded, though he watched Marisol out of the corner of his eye, noting every shiver and her attempts and pretending that she had in fact, gotten used to it.  Ahead of them he could see Kishi wrapping his arms around himself, apparently suffering the same chill and he was not at all surprised to see Leo pull Kishi in close, despite the fact that his lack of body heat couldn’t really add to the warmth any.  Kitten’s however, would probably help some.

Marisol jumped a little when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and pull her away from her seat.  Of course she relaxed immediately when she realized that she was now situated between Kitten’s legs, leaning against his chest as he did his best to keep her warm.

“I hope you do not mind,” he said softly, his warm breath sending a new kind of shiver down Marisol’s spine.

“No… not at all.  Thank you…”

“If I had a shirt I would offer it to you, but I am afraid all I can offer you is… well, me.”

“Then maybe it’s a good thing you don’t have one.”  Marisol quickly realized what she’d said and blushed furiously.  “I mean, this is probably keeping me warmer, y’know?  And if you’d brought a shirt it would probably be wet already.”

“Probably.”

The two fell silent and Marisol was mentally berating herself for being such an idiot when the first of the fireworks began to go off.  She welcomed the distraction wholeheartedly and turned her eyes up to the sky.  “Wow…”

“This is only the beginning.”  Kitten’s breath once again tickled Marisol’s ear and she could feel his lips just barely grazing her skin.  “If it is anything like last year they get better.”

“Really?”

“Oh yes.”  Kitten paused when he felt Marisol shiver.  “Are you still cold?”

“No…”

“Oh.”

The silence that followed was an awkward one, and Kitten wondered if it was as awkward for Marisol as it was for him.  He was trying his hardest to pay attention to the fireworks, but it just wasn’t working out that way.

“Kitten, are you alright?”

“Huh?  Oh yes, why would I not be?”

“I don’t know, but you seem… distracted.  It looks like you’re staring at the sand more than the sky and uh… well the fireworks are up there.”  Marisol pointed up to the sky and smiled.

“I am sorry, I believe that my mind is elsewhere at the moment.  I will attempt to put aside such thoughts for now.”  He looked up at the sky, hoping that Marisol was watching and could see that he was being good on his word.

“What kind of thoughts?”  Well damn.

“Just… thoughts… that can wait…”

“Like?”  If there is one thing women are good at, it’s bugging men about what they’re thinking about.  Marisol was one hundred percent woman in this respect.

“Marisol, I do not think that it is important right now.”

“But what if it is?”

“But what if it is not?”

“But-“  Before Marisol could even get halfway through her sentence she felt Kitten’s lips against hers, and as soon as her brain caught up she returned the spontaneous, yet tentative kiss.

A few feet away Leo was gesturing to Key that the sun was in fact down, and that Key owed him some money.

“I am sorry,” Kitten said once he’d pulled away.  “I should not have-“

“Would you do it again?”

Kitten blinked, surprised by the question and looked into Marisol’s eyes.  They were imploring and hopeful, and most of all they were definitely not angry.  “What?”

“I was caught off guard that time… now I think I’m a little better prepared for it.  Would you do it again?”

“Well… alright…”  

Kitten paused only briefly before kissing Marisol again, only this time there was no moment of surprise.  In fact, Kitten was the one who was surprised when Marisol shifted enough so that she could thread her fingers in his hair, holding the kiss as long as she could manage.  When they pulled apart she rested her head on his shoulder, breathing heavily.

“You are a far better kisser than I imagined,” Kitten said, his confidence having been renewed quite a bit.

“Imagined?”  Marisol looked up at him.  “But I thought you were gay.”

“What?”  The question came out far louder than he’d meant it to, but either those around him were too caught up in the fireworks to notice, they just didn’t care, or they were pretending to ignore him.  “I am not gay.”

“Well you mentioned having a boyfriend when we first met.”

“And I did.”

“And later you said you’d never had a girlfriend.”

“Because I have not.  Kaien was my only relationship, but Marisol I am not gay.  In fact, I have always preferred women over men.”

“Really?”  Marisol thought back over as man conversations as her brain could manage to throw at her, looking for some clue that she obviously must have missed.  “But… you never hit on me.”

“I thought you were not interested because of my age.”

“Your age?  Kitten, I don’t care how old you are.  Besides, you’re an adult, why should I care if you’re eighteen or thirty?”

Suddenly Kitten felt kind of stupid.  “I… do not know.”

“So… then…”  Marisol traced the tattoo on Kitten’s chest, refusing to look him in the eye.  “You are attracted to me?”

“Very much so.  And you?”

“I’m in your lap.”

Kitten laughed.  “Well I do not know, perhaps it is your custom,” he teased before kissing her forehead.  “So what does this mean for us?”

“What do you want it to mean?”  Marisol bit her lip, hoping that Kitten would say something positive.  The moment really demanded it, she’d seen enough romance movies to realize that.

“Personally I would like for it to mean that I can no longer say that I have never had a girlfriend… and that you could no longer say that you were single.”  Kitten traced Marisol’s jaw with his fingertips before tipping her head up so that he could look into her eyes.  “That is what I would like for it to mean.”

“What a coincidence…”  Marisol said softly, so softly that Kitten could barely hear her.  “That’s what I’d like it to mean as well…”

Kitten smiled broadly before kissing Marisol again, and this time he could swear he heard catcalls from a few feet away.  He also thought he could hear Leo telling Key to pay up, but that would have to be something he worried about tomorrow.  At the moment he was far too wrapped up in his new girlfriend to care.