False Pretense Episode 43

This was a shitty time to explain to Ise what was really going on with Izu. He was raging, stark raving mad, this thing between his sister and his friend had turned him into something else . She’d been so scared for their lives with the way he’d sped back home on the bike. She’d clung tightly to him and had been silently praying they got back in one piece. She wasn’t sure what she could do or what she could say to make him feel better. An angry Ise was really scary, maybe if she gave him some space to calm down? She took off her shoes as she walked to the room, Ise wasn’t in yet, she guessed he was returning the bike to wherever it was usually kept. He’d dropped her at the front door and rode off without a word.

She proceeded to change from her outing clothes into comfortable shorts and a loose tank top. The question going through her mind was how she would explain to him this thing with Izu without making him even angrier. She couldn’t tell him about the blackmail, she couldn’t risk it, it would expose her true intentions for being with him in the first place which was because of Izu’s threats.

The thing was she’d had a plan which was to let Izu think she was doing as he wanted but then at the last minute bring up some excuse or the other to stall him until time ran out and Brenda finally ratted him out to the police, she’d not believed he would actually make good on his threat and just because she’d not informed him she was travelling.

She sat down on the bad, at a loss for what to do. How was she going to explain it? At first, she’d been with him out of necessity but she’d never planned on getting even a nickel from him, now she was fast developing feelings for him. He was such a great guy, what sane girl wouldn’t? She sounded like such a fraud.

Groaning, she fell back on the bed, what was she going to do? This was a real tight spot. She heard the front door close and footsteps, definitely Ise, who else would it be? Going down the hall, she suspected it was to the living room. She was tempted to feign sleep, but that would only be postponing the inevitable besides the room was still cluttered, there was hardly any space to sleep on it, she was still sleeping in Ise’s room.

Getting up, she decided to join him in the living room, she would be strong and face this thing head on, and whatever the consequences were. She found him in the living room as predicted, at the mini bar, downing a glass of whisky in one gulp, with what she was about to tell him she also needed a shot of whisky.

His jacket had been discarded and he was just in a white T-shirt and black jeans, his boots were still on though and the lights were dim. “Are you okay?” She asked him quietly from where she stood at the doorway. He looked up at her with a pained expression.

“I’m not sure, I still can’t come to terms with it, I can’t believe or even understand why Ola would do this, he’s been one of my closest friends since like… forever.” He told her examining the whisky glass like it had the answers to whatever was going on in his head. “ I trust him with my….my life, why would he betray my trust like this…? Jeje is….”

“A young woman now.” She completed for him. He really needed to know the truth here, she was twenty one now and he possibly still saw her as a young girl which brothers often did, they often felt overly protective of their younger sisters. Personally she didn’t see anything wrong with them seeing each other, they just should have come out with it instead of keeping it from him. His eyes met with hers and she saw anger flash.

“What are you saying? That she can date whoever she wishes? She’s still a Kid, she obviously can’t make good decisions and he took advantage of her. He’s the adult here and my friend also, he should never have let it happen.”

“Sometimes you can’t be logical with your heart, feelings just crop up and there’s really nothing much one can do about it.” She told him.

“Feelings? I know my friends and the fleeting feelings they have for the opposite sex, Jeje could be a passing fancy for him.”

“But you don’t know that, do you?” She asked him back He gave a bitter laugh

“Women and their fairy tales, everything always ends up hapilly ever after.” He muttered and that stung her.

“What? Are you saying I’m living in a bubble or what?” she asked him pissed at what he’d just said “Look, maybe you think you know everything about your friends, their sex lives and history, but if you really had so much trust in your friend, maybe you should trust him in this also and hear their side of things before you jump to conclusions in that head of yours. My two cents if you care to listen to it.” She said turning to make her way back to her room when he called her back.

“Kite….I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that, I guess.. it’s the scotch talking. Come….please,” he said his hand beckoning for her to come join him at the bar. She obeyed, going over to join him, climbing on a bar stool.

“ One can’t control one’s feelings, Ise, it just happens, fighting it is futile.” She told him. He looked at her, managing a smile, she felt her heart literally melt, this guy was even more hunky than she’d given him credit for or was she just getting more into him?

“Speaking from personal experience?” he turned to her watching her as he smiled that smile did things to her insides. His hand came over hers and he gently caressed it. She shrugged and managed a smile too

“Maybe….it could be the same thing happening between them.”

“Why didn’t he just come out and say it, if he had nothing to hide?.” Ise asked no one in particular. Kite raised a brow

“ Duh? Maybe because he knew you would react the way you did today.”

“ I reacted that way because I was in shock at the time. How does a guy react to that kind of news?”

“Anything but beating up your friend who is also your sister’s boyfriend at her birthday party, that’s just ….not nice.”

“Sarcasm doesn’t become you, Kite, whose side are you even on here?” He asked turning to her.

“I’m not taking sides, I’m just saying what I feel about the issue.”

“Well, you can’t really blame me for my actions, Jeje is seven years younger than he is, he’s way too old to be with her.”

“Oh please Ise, I’m barely twenty six myself and you’re all of thirty five, that puts an age difference of nine years between us, almost ten, Would you say I’m being taking advantage of?” She joked as she asked him.

“That’s different, we’re different, you-,” he squeezed her hand “You are different. Jeje has been sheltered all her life, you’re street savvy.”

“If that wasn’t true, I would have taken offense because in other words you’re saying ‘I don tear eye’.” She told him and he laughed “but seriously you should give her more credit than you do, she is quite smart too,” She told him “just like her big bro, but don’t let that get into your head though.”

“Honey,” He said in deep baritone “I’m much more than just ‘quite smart’ .”

“Cocky much? I’ll be the judge of that.” She joked and they both laughed until her eyes fell on the brown envelope sitting on the bar top behind him and her smile drained. She’d not noticed it before now.

“What’s that?” She asked pointing at it.

“I’m not sure, I got it from the security guys, they said it came in for me this evening.” He pulled it to himself.

“ On it the words ‘Kite and Rich Boy’ were neatly typed.” Ise frowned and looked at her

“Do you have an idea about this?” Kite’s heart began to race as Ise’s eyes held hers, now was the time to come clean.

“Um…I’m not sure.” She replied, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him the truth. He knew she was lying

“You’re not sure? Really? You’re not sure when it’s written all over your face that you do know what it’s about, your lying skills seem be dwindling, Kite. I have an idea who it’s from and I know you do too.” He put the envelope aside.

“Before I open this, would you care to tell me what is going on between the two of you?” Kite’s heart raced even faster and she looked away from him, she still had no words to explain it all without making herself look like a fraud. ‘So would you rather have him look at the pictures that tell a whole other different story?’ she asked herself. When she didn’t reply, he continued.

“You know what? don’t bother, maybe I can find my answers here.” He picked up the envelope and tore it open before she could say Jack.

“No! Don’t!” she screeched but it was too late, it was open already and the pictures in plain sight, only that they were blank.

“What the…?” She frowned as she took it in, the bastard had been bluffing all along, playing with her. There was nothing on the glossy paper, she’d just been fretting over nothing. She continued to stare at it as if an image was suddenly going to pop up on it. After about five long seconds, she realised no such thing was going to happen.

She looked up to find Ise watching her quietly. She promised herself the next time she saw that bastard she was going to strangle him herself for putting her through hell over nothing. She might not be successful as he was way bigger and stronger than she was but she would try her best to put her hands around his neck and cause some damage.

Ise had seen every emotion that had crossed her face, from fear to surprise and finally anger.

“What’s going on here Kite, dammit!” he was pissed now and confused “ it’s really time to start spilling, I’m done with you keeping things away from me. Tell me, is he threatening you or what? Is he stalking you now? What is this …..” He pointed at the blank pictures “all about? Some dark sadistic game? Tell me now, Kite!” His voice was firm and she knew there was no dodging it, she had to give him answers now.

As she held his eyes, she thought quickly, the game was still on, Izu hadn’t sabotaged the mission as she’d thought so there was no need to spill to Ise, she knew she couldn’t tell him, she would handle Izu on her own. Anything she said to Ise now would make him lose trust in her, she knew what needed to be done. She was getting to like him so much and she didn’t want this over before it started, so she would lie, she had to lie, there was no other way here. She knew she could handle Izu on her own without involving Ise, that would just mess things up.

“Yes,” She started “He’s been stalking me…. asking for my forgiveness and for me to take him back…He’s been calling my phone for the same reason.” She lied.

“And what do these signify? Blank Pictures?” He pointed at the pictures “Some kind of threat?” She shrugged

“I…I don’t know, really, maybe…he means we should start over? I don’t know.” She looked away from him and back to the pictures. Ise released a breath

“Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?”

“I didn’t want to disturb you with trivial issues, I figured he’d get tired and move on, besides, you don’t really expect me to just come up to you and say ‘my ex boyfriend is bugging me?’”

“Why not?” He asked back

“Because I can’t involve you with my past relationship’s issues.”

“Kite.” He called her name softly, taking her chin in his hand and turning her face towards him. He leaned forward, his face just inches from her’s, “you really don’t know how much of you I want, I want you, everything, baggage and all, I’m very capable of shouldering everything, trust me. I really hate to find out things this way, I hate forcing you to speak. Why won’t you trust me and come clean with me”

“Because I’m afraid you’ll leave if I do and I’m getting to like you too much for that to happen.” She said truthfully looking away from him but he urged her face back toward him planting a deep kiss upon her lips. A reassuring kiss, reminding her of how he really felt about her.

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