Chapter 4

Observation

"…and he's so cute! I heard he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Yea…I heard he's a heartbreaker. Kari asked him out and he turned her down. Harshly, I heard. She was crying for days."

"No way! But, ah… come on, it was Kari… He's kinda out of her league…"

"I know! But she still…"

Usui turned up the volume of his iPod, raising it so loud that the music almost hurt his ears. He could still hear the girls' high pitched tones though. Their conversation…no, their gossiping was annoying him.

Their superficiality disgusted him.

He'd came all the way across campus to find a place where he could sit down without having thirty different people blatantly stare at him, where he could be alone, and now it seemed that even the heavily densed trees near the football field wouldn't hide him. What, was there no escape?

God, was everywhere the same? The same girls vying for his attention, the same guys standing in awe of him, the same tutors, jealous of his brilliance, trying their best to out-do him?

Supercilious.

Superficial.

Fake.

Unoriginal.

He kept meeting the same people over and over again.

Boredom.

He sighed deeply. There was no way out.

This was the only way out.

If he gave up on Seika, there was a job lined up for him. Working for the Walkers. No, thank you.

"Hey, Misaki!" one of the girls called out.

Usui perked up. Well, well, well.

Misaki Ayuzawa.

The most interesting thing here.

She'd been avoiding him. Ever since that night, the night she'd told him everything, she'd been avoiding him like the plague. Two weeks without a single word. Barely a glance. Which was quite impressive really, considering the number of classes they shared. And the fact that he followed her almost everywhere.

He knew she knew he was following her. Stalking her, almost. But she didn't do anything. With her temper, he'd been expecting her to explode by the third day. He smiled. She was constantly surprising him.

She really was the most interesting thing here. She didn't talk with a lot of people, and most of them were girls. Her friends mostly, the girl with the ridiculous pigtails and the other with the thick glasses. No boyfriend. No boys, actually. His first assumption still seemed to hold true. Loner. Over-achiever. Hated men. But, knowing her story now, he was beginning to admire her. Working to support her family, and still trying hard in college. Honest. For the most part. He'd never have guessed that she'd be an escort. From what he saw, escorts were usually long limbed, busty, with flirtatious smiles and seductive eyes. Not that she wasn't good-looking, she was pretty enough, with raven black hair and clear, honey colored eyes. And her smile. He'd seen her smiling once, at Pigtails. It had knocked the breath out of him.

Well.

He was wondering how long it'd be before she cracked and talked to him. Scream at him, if he'd read her right. His bet was probably at the end of this week.

Of course, that had been his bet last week.

Maybe it was time to speed things along.

I can remember now
My eyes are opening
For the first time in my life
My eyes are open-ing!

Beep. Beep.

She knew she shouldn't check her phone during work hours, but she didn't get a lot of messages. Usually people called. What if it was Suzu…? What if…?

Opening her inbox, Misaki sighed in relief.

Satsuki, not Suzu.

8 pm, Café Latte (the one we all went to that one night!), dress casual (skirt+shirt), 200, 2 hours.

Finally! A client had finally, finally asked for her.

Yes!

Misaki practically danced to the counter.

"Someone's happy today. Your boyfriend finally called?" her boss (well, other boss) asked.

"Happy, yes. Boyfriend, no. Is that the only reason girls have to be happy? Boys?"

"Boys, shopping and shiny things," he joked, "Table 6." He handed her a tray.

Misaki had to suppress the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

She'd finally convinced her mom to get the surgery two weeks ago, and was now trying to gather up enough money for it. With barely enough money to pay the bills, Misaki had to get another job. MaId Agency paid well, but it was an off month. She'd had to beg her old boss to give her a job at the café.

Sigh.

It was like every time she'd finally gotten one step ahead she'd have to take three steps back.

Ever since that Miyabigaoka fiasco, she'd only been out with a client once. Once. He didn't even pay all that well. Miyabigaoka…Takumi…she shook her head vehemently, trying to stop that train of thought, but once it started, it wouldn't slow down.

Usui.

What the hell was that guy's issue? Was he trying to annoy her to death? He'd left her alone that night at the hospital, and even though she'd never admit it to anyone, it had felt good to unload. All that stress had been getting to her. But she'd also been afraid, almost terrified he'd tell. That everyone would know the next day.

But he didn't.

She'd felt relief, followed quickly by something akin to anger. Shame.

He pitied her.

Oh well.

At least he hadn't told anyone.

And then, she didn't know what to think. He was everywhere. Everywhere. He was following her. If she had a class, he'd be in the seat across from her. If she was in the cafeteria, he'd be behind her in line. It had got to the point where she half-expected him to be in the ladies room, in the stall next to her. What did he want from her? Gratitude? A bribe?

He wouldn't say anything to her, just stare. Intensely. She was almost scared to talk to him. What if he asked for a bribe? What if he asked for…? ...Blush…No way. What if she beat him up? Threatened him? That might backfire horribly, she'd thought. After three days of enduring the lasers he sent her way and the thoughts running through her mind, she decided to ignore him. Maybe he'd take the hint.

It didn't work.

If it was like this 'til the end of the week, then…she grinned evilly…well, she'd tried being good.

The person who said that 'violence doesn't solve everything' didn't know what he was talking about.

Paper bag
You're punching holes
Fit a parade into
Finish line
Where you stand
And you ask me to race with you

She arrived at Café Latte at quarter to eight, and got a seat by the door. She was still slightly confused. 'Café Latte, dress casual'. When you got an escort, it was usually for high-end affairs…parties, dinners,… not for coffee. Either the guy had so much money he didn't know what to do with, or was socially inept. Misaki wagered he'd be both.

She had to admit, she wasn't complaining. The Café was warm, cozy.

She inhaled the deep scent of freshly brewed coffee. Working at a café all day hadn't diminished her love of the smell. It was therapeutic.

She'd been here once with Satsuki and everyone. Satsuki had wanted them to 'feel more like a family'. Misaki smiled, the memory flashing through her mind. She finally gotten to know the other girls, and they seemed nice enough. Satsuki, even though she was their manager, had this childish, naïve air about her (proven by the fact that she wanted them to be like family…what boss did that?). Erica, who she already knew (kinda), was (surprisingly) a grad student; she'd graduated from Seika two years before. Subaru, who Misaki had seen around the agency, and who apparently wore glasses when she wasn't working, needed the job to pay the bills, as did Honoka, who intimidated Misaki somewhat (she gave Misaki the feeling that she'd been tried, weighed and found lacking).

The door chimed open, disturbing her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see who walked in.

Shock.

Surprise.

...

There was no word to describe how she felt at that moment.

...

It was Takumi.

And he was sliding into the chair opposite hers.

"Hey," he grinned.

Uh-uh. Nope.

She pushed herself off her chair and was about to walk away when he caught her wrist.

"It's very rude to walk out on a client, Misa. You just might get fired if someone filed a complaint."

He actually did it, didn't he? Misaki couldn't believe the suspicions that arouse when he walked through the door were true.

He'd hired her.

He was the fucking client.

"I didn't get fired last time," she shot back, her mind finally coming up with something coherent, "what do you want, Takumi? I'm sick and tired of your mind games. Do you want me thank you for not telling anyone? Do you want me to beg? Do you want money? Because I can tell you right now that-"

"Wait," he interrupted her tirade, "calm down. Have a seat. I just want to talk."

"We're talking."

"Look, I'm paying 100 an hour. The least you could do is sit down. Please." His verdant eyes were pleading.

"Fine." She sighed. She sat down. "Make this quick."

"Would you like anything?" he asked.

"Would I like anything? I'd like you to leave me the hell alone."

"No, what I meant was, do you want to order yet?" he said, pointing at the confused waitress who'd come up to their table.

"Um, ah…Not yet, thanks." She blushed, embarrassed. This guy distracted her, she couldn't concentrate when he was around.

"Thanks," He grinned up at the waitress, a lop-sided grin that had the poor girl blushing, "we'll order later."

The waitress turned away dazedly.

"Do you flirt that shamelessly with everyone?" The thought just slipped out.

His grin widened, "jealous?"

She shook her head, "not at all."

"Ouch!" He put his hand over his chest, "You wound me. And here I thought you'd fallen for my charms."

She found a smile unwittingly pulling at her lips.

Misaki! Focus!

She forced her lips into a firm line, "so, talk."

"I thought that that's what we were doing."

God, he was so irritating!

He began laughing.

"What?" she glared at him, annoyed.

"You have the most fascinating expressions. Everything's written on your face."

She rolled her eyes.

"You're so frustrating," he said in a high-pitched tone, imitating her.

"What, you're a mind reader now?"

"Well, you were practically broadcasting that thought."

"So you got the not-to-subtle hint? You'll leave me alone?" she said hopefully.

"I find you way too interesting."

"Interesting? Is this a game or something?"

"I don't know." He was suddenly serious, his emerald eyes losing their playfulness. Gazing intently at her.

"Ah… I…" She could feel herself blush under the ferocity of his gaze.

"Excuse me? Sir? Miss?" The waitress had come back, dispersing the tension that had built up out of nowhere, it seemed.

He turned to look at the source of the interruption. Misaki exhaled.

She didn't like this. With one look, he seemed to see right through her. Through all the walls she'd built up. Through her defenses.

"And you, miss?" the waitress asked, turning to look at her.

"Um…A glass of water?"

The waitress nodded. "Anything else?"

Misaki shook her head.

"I'll be right back."

"Nothing to eat? You skipped lunch," Usui observed.

Misaki glanced at him warily, almost afraid to look at him, at those eyes, but was relived to see that he seemed to be smirking.

"And you know this because…?" she retorted.

"I know many things, Misa. I observe my surroundings. I notice. For example, I also know that you work at The Corner Coffee Shop." His smirk grew more pronounced.

"So you're basically stalking me?"

"It's not my fault the café's on my way home."

The waitress came back carrying a tray. She placed a glass of water in front of Misaki and a slice of cheesecake and cup of tea in front of Usui, and walked away.

"Why can't you ever give a straight answer?"

"Then it wouldn't be any fun," he said, his eyes widening innocently.

Misaki sighed, taking a sip of water. She looked at the cars moving on the street outside the window, the people inside probably driving home.

This was getting her nowhere. A complete waste of her time. She had homework to do. Exams coming up. She could've visited her mom. Instead she'd spent the last… she looked at the wall clock…half hour…with the most exasperating person on the face of the planet.

She looked over at him, and surprise, surprise. He was staring at her.

"Here," he said, pushing the slice of cake towards her. "Eat."

"Wha…?"

"You haven't eaten anything all day," he stated.

"I'm not hungry."

"You'll faint from exhaustion of you don't eat. Your body can't handle both no sleep and no food."

Misaki started to ask, "how…?"

"You've got dark circles under your eyes. You look tired," an idea seemed to strike him, "if I actually were a client, I'd send you back the second I saw you."

That got to her. One of her weak points was her work ethic.

"Eat, or else I'll feed you," he smirked.

"Fine," Misaki muttered, blushing in spite of herself.

She ate the cake wordlessly (she had to admit it was delicious), and Usui sipped his tea.

After she finished, Usui called the waitress over. He pulled out some money to pay the bill but Misaki stopped him, "what do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing Misa?" he drawled, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I'm paying the bill."

Misaki grabbed a few bills from her purse. "I don't want to be in your debt," she said, bluntly.

"You wouldn't be in my debt."

"Yes, I would."

"No, you wouldn't"

"Yes, I…seriously? What are we in, 5th grade? I'm paying for my stuff, you'll pay for yours," she said, decisively.

Takumi grinned, "fine," echoing her from earlier.

A few minutes later, they were out on the street.

"Well, that was loads of fun," Usui stated, laughter weaving through his words, "since I've got another hour with you, what do you want to do?"

"Go home."

"Okay," a wicked grin, "but aren't we taking this a bit too fast, darling? Not that I'm complaining or anything, it's just..."

Her mouth dropped open, "You...you...argh...you pervert! You know what I meant!"

"How am I meant to know what you mean? I'm not a mind reader." His grin widened.

200, 200.

Don't punch the client.

Just one more hour.

Misaki mentally counted to ten, sighed, and looked up at him.

"You're tiring to be around, you know?"

"So I've been told."

Misaki sighed again, "One more hour. What do you want to do?"

Usui laughed, "How about a walk in the park then? Let's swing!"

He caught her hand and pulled her into a run before she could protest.

But all of this discussion
Why all this discussion?
I'm going some place I have never been before
I wish you'd just stop talking

"So you were Student Council President in high school?"

She looked up at him. They'd run all the way to a park near the café, and she was currently on a swing, twisting the cords round and round like she used to do when she was in grade school, Usui leaning against the swing set. Autumn had set in, the warmth of summer had evaporated, and the air was crisp. The leaves were dancing in the cold wind, the crickets chirping. It was eerie. Surprisingly calm. It reminded her of childhood, of better days.

"Let me guess…Observing?" she asked.

"No, actually. I asked one of the guys about you. Turns out he was in the same high school. He said you were a nightmare."

She had to smile at this, "I just made sure work got done."

"You once pulled an earring out of a guy's ear? He had to get stitches done?"

"That's an exaggeration. Bleeding, but no stitches."

He laughed, "Not a huge exaggeration, then." He glanced down at her, "you're amazing."

"No," she shook her head, "I was doing my job, the guy was going against school rules."

"Can't you take a compliment?" He asked, genuinely, it seemed.

"When it's due, I can, I guess. You can't compliment someone on doing their work."

"I can see why you were a nightmare. Did you get along with the rest of the council? Never complimenting them for doing their work?"

"I did! When they deserved it!"

"Really?" He didn't seem to believe her.

Her phone beeped.

Misaki pushed herself off the swing, relieved. "Our two hours are over."

"Running away?" He straightened up.

"Going home."

"I'll walk you."

"No way. I've had enough mind-games for one day, thanks. Anyway, you know way too much about me already, there's no need to add where I live to that long list."

"It's late."

"I'll manage." She began walking away.

"I insist," he followed.

"Don't you have anyone else to irritate?"

"I enjoy your company."

"I don't enjoy yours."

She walked in silence for a few steps, then suddenly turned around, stalked over to him, "what do you want from me? And I want a straight answer, don't try distracting me."

He came closer to her, invading her personal space, "If you insist," his green eyes darkened, "I want," his pushed her chin up, staring directly at her, "you."

And he kissed her.

Is it a good time now?
A new voice comes answering
I let you get your breath
before we forget what's happening!

A/N: It's terrible, I know. I'm mentally kicking myself. Where did I get this crap from? Ugh.

I feel the pacing of the story is completely off...Dialouge's wonky...I'm annoyed by this chapter, really.

The song in this chapter is Your Eyes Are Liars-Sound Team. Don't own that, just like I don't own KWMS...

Thanks to:

Ayu-saka: Thank you! I tried making sure that there were no mistakes, hope there aren't any in this chapter too...thanks :)

XEnimsaJX: ta-da! update!

gamma-rae-star: I didn't notice that Misaki was subdued until you wrote that! But then I read back and yep, she was...um, I guess I was trying to keep everything...realistic? I guess...but I'll make sure to explore that angle of her personality...and u guessed right =) rented her+pushed her buttons...but you weren't expecting a kiss so soon, were u? }=) ...Were the interactions believable? I'm not sure.

LittleSnowDancer: I fixed the names (stupid mistakes, I know) "Aoi" I just realized I got wrong, and "Miyabigaoka" (I got it wrong in the first chapter. But look at it! It's a hard word!) thanks for correcting me :)

DeathBySugarCube: the one with the awesome name...Thank you!...You really hated her father? I don't know...I have this philosophy that everyone has a motive for doing something, even if it's awful and doesn't make sense to others...no one does anything to for the sake of being evil or mean (does that make any sense?)...so I wrote it like that...anyway, hope that you like this chapter :D

Thanks to anyone who read this...Can you please review too? Criticize? If there are any mistakes point them out, if the timing's off or whatever.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

-I need a beta, how do you get one?