Tiger's Quest (12 page)

—
Barbara DeAngelis

I’m sensing a theme here.
Grabbing a diet cola and the popcorn, I slowly climbed up the stairs carrying my broken, strappy shoes.

One down. And one to go.

T
he next morning Ren called to see if we could have breakfast together and watch a movie. I said yes and hung up the phone. My body was a bit sore from my fall, so I popped some aspirin and took a hot shower.

The smell of burnt pancakes wafted up the stairs. I joined Ren in the kitchen. He had bacon sizzling on the stove and was scrambling eggs in a large bowl. My frilly apron was tied around his waist. It was quite a sight.

“I would have come down to help you, Ren,” I said and removed his burnt pancake from the griddle.

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“This is a surprise alright,” I laughed and took over the stove. “What is the peanut butter for?”

“Peanut butter and banana pancakes, of course.”

I laughed. “Really? And how did you come up with that creation?”

“Trial and error.”

“Okay,” I acquiesced. “But you also have to try some pancakes my way, with chocolate chips.”

“Deal.”

When I had a stack of pancakes sufficiently high enough to please Ren, we sat down to eat. He took a big bite of his.

“Well? What do you think?”

“Excellent. But they would be even better with peanut butter and banana.”

I reached out to get the syrup, revealing a long, purple bruise on my arm. Ren immediately noticed and touched my arm gingerly.

“What’s this? What happened to you?”

“What? Oh . . . that. I was trying to prevent an old lady from being hit by an oncoming car that bumped me instead. I fell down.”

Ren jumped off his stool and poked and prodded me, carefully feeling my bones and rotating my joints. “Where does it hurt?”

“
Ren!
Really, I’m fine. Just some cuts and scrapes. Ow! Don’t push on that!” I slapped him away. “Cut it out! You aren’t my doctor. It’s only a few simple bumps and bruises. Besides, Jason was right there with me.”

“Was he hit by the car too?”

“No.”

“Then he wasn’t right there with you. Next time I see him, he’s going to get some matching bumps and bruises so that he can truly empathize.”

“Ren, stop making threats. It doesn’t matter anyway because I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore.”

Ren cracked a self-satisfied smile. “Good. The boy still needs to learn a few things, though.”

“Well, you aren’t the
man
who needs to teach him and just for that I get to pick the movie and I’ll warn you right now, I plan on picking the girliest movie I can find.”

He grunted, mumbled something about rivals, bruises, and girls, and went back to his pancakes.

After breakfast, Ren helped me clean up, but mister likes-to-tell-me-what-to-do wasn’t out of the doghouse yet. I inserted the movie, sat next to him with a big grin on my face, and waited for him to squirm. The swelling opening theme for
The Sound of Music
began and I giggled knowing he’d suffer for the next few hours. The problem was . . . Ren loved it. He put his arm around my shoulders and toyed with the ribbon at the end of my braid. He hummed along to “My Favorite Things” and “Edelweiss.”

He paused the movie in the middle, retrieved his mandolin, and started picking through the song. The mandolin had a more exotic sound than the guitar in the movie.

“It’s beautiful!” I exclaimed. “How long have you played?”

“I took it up again after you left. I always had a good ear for music, and my mother often asked me to play for her.”

“But you picked up “Edelweiss” very quickly. Have you heard it before?”

“No. I’ve just always been able to hear the notes and know how to play them.”

He started playing “My Favorite Things,” and then the song changed and became a sad but lovely tune. I closed my eyes, leaned my head against the couch, and felt the music take me on a journey. The song started out somber, bleak, and lonely then moved to something hopeful and sweet. My heart felt like it was beating along with the song. Emotions swept over and through me as the song told its story. The end was melancholy and sad. I felt like my heart was breaking. And, that’s where he stopped.

I blinked my eyes open. “What
was
that? I’ve never heard anything like it before.”

Ren sighed and set the mandolin carefully down on the table. “I wrote it after you left.”

“You
wrote
that?”

“Yes. It’s called ‘Kelsey.’ It’s about you . . . us. It’s our story together.”

“But it ended sadly.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “That’s the way I felt when you left.”

“Oh. Well, our story isn’t quite over yet now, is it?” I slid over to Ren and wrapped my arms around his neck.

He squeezed me, pressed his face against my neck, whispered my name, and said, “No. It’s
definitely
not over yet.”

I brushed his hair away from his forehead and said quietly, “It’s beautiful, Ren.”

He held me very close. My heart began to beat faster. I looked into his vivid blue eyes, then at his perfectly sculpted lips, and willed him to kiss me. He dipped his head closer but stopped just short of contact. He studied my expression, raised an eyebrow, and turned away.

“What is it?” I asked.

He sighed and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “I’m not going to kiss you while we’re dating.” His eyes studied my face as he went on, “I want you to have a clear head when you choose me. You get all weak-kneed when I touch you, let alone kiss you. I refuse to take advantage of that. A pledge made in a moment of passion isn’t lasting and I don’t want you to have any doubts or any regrets about having a life with me.”

“Wait a minute,” I gasped incredulously. “Let me get this straight. You won’t kiss me because you think your kisses make me too drunk to think straight? That I’d be incapable of making an informed decision if I was swooning with passion for you?”

He nodded cautiously.

“Is this all coming from your antiquated studies of courtship? Because a lot of those dating suggestions are outdated.”

“I know that, Kelsey.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I just don’t want to pressure you to choose me in any way.”

Angrily, I jumped off the couch and walked in a circle. “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard!” I went to the kitchen to get a soda and realized that I wasn’t just shocked, I was mad and that part of my anger stemmed from the fact that he wasn’t too far off from the truth. I did get weak-kneed every time he touched me.

I suddenly felt like a pawn in one of Li’s board games.
Well, two can play at that game.
I decided to retaliate.
If there was going to be a war for my affection then why couldn’t I be a fighter too? Girls have an entirely unique arsenal of weapons
, I mused as I planned my battle strategy. From that point on, I decided that I would test Ren’s resistance. I would get
Ren
to kiss
me
.

I immediately put my plan into action. We returned to the movie, and I tucked my head against Ren’s shoulder, my lips just inches from his, and traced little circles on the back of his hand. My aggressiveness made him nervous. He kept twitching and shifting his position, but he didn’t let go or move farther away.

After the movie, Ren suddenly announced that our date was over.
I liked this. The balance of power had shifted.
I trailed my fingers over his muscular bicep then traced little hearts on his forearm and pouted.

“Your hours as a man are so short. Don’t you want to be with me?”

He touched my face. “More than I want to breathe.”

I couldn’t help it; I swayed into him.

He caught me and shook me gently, “I’m not going to kiss you, Kelsey. I don’t want you to be confused about who you want. Of course if you chose to kiss
me
, I wouldn’t put up much of a fight.”

Pushing away from him, I groused, “Ha! Well, you’ll be waiting a long time for that, Mister.” I put my fists on my hips and smirked. “That news must be shocking for a man who always gets what he wants.”

He snuck his hands around my waist and pulled me up against his chest then ducked his lips to within inches of mine.
“Not . . . what I want . . . the most.”

He hesitated for a minute, waiting for me to make a move, but I didn’t. I was determined to get him to kiss me first. Instead, I smiled and waited. We were locked in a silent struggle of wills.

Finally, he broke away. “You are entirely too tempting, Kelsey. Date’s over.”

Suddenly, nothing in the world was as important to me as winning this war of wills with Ren. Leaning in closer, I batted my eyes innocently, and, in the most seductive voice I could manage, asked coyly, “Are you
absolutely
sure you have to leave?”

I felt his arm muscles tighten and his pulse quicken. He cupped my cheek with his hand. Hoping to push him over the edge, I placed my hand on top of his and pressed a warm kiss on his palm. Teasing his palm with my lips, I heard him hitch a breath.
I had no idea he reacted this way to me. This will be easier than I thought.

I squeezed his arm lightly and walked toward the stairs, feeling his eyes on me. Doing my best Scarlett O’Hara impersonation, I turned one last time and said, “Well . . .
Tiger
, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.” I trailed my fingers along the railing and continued up the stairs.

Unfortunately, he didn’t follow me. I’d envisioned Ren playing the role of Rhett Butler and, not being able to help himself, he’d sweep me into his arms and carry me up the stairs in a dramatic show of passion. But Ren shot me an amused look and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

Drat! He has more self-control than I thought.

It didn’t matter. It was just a minor setback. I spent the rest of that day brainstorming.
How do you catch a very old, very alert tiger by surprise? Use his weaknesses: food, feminine wiles, poetry, and overprotectiveness. The poor guy didn’t stand a chance.

The next morning, I opened the once-forbidden side of the closet, picked out a navy cable cardigan and a printed skirt, a thin belt, and tall brown boots. I straightened my hair and paid special attention to my makeup, especially the peach lip gloss.

Next, I made Ren a giant Dagwood sandwich—and slipped a love note on top.
Two can play the poetry game
, I thought smugly.

The soul that can speak through the eyes can also kiss with a gaze.

—
Gustavo Adolfo Becquer

When he came over to pick me up for class, he looked me up and down, and said, “You look beautiful, Kells, but it’s not going to work. I’m on to you.”

He helped me into my coat, and I replied innocently, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What’s not going to work?”

“You’re trying to get me to kiss you.”

I smiled up at him and said demurely, “A girl shouldn’t give away
all
her secrets now, should she?”

He leaned in close, pressed his lips to my ear, and whispered in a velvety voice, “Fine, Kells. Keep your secrets. But, I’m watching you. Whatever it is you think you’re trying to do isn’t going to work. I still have a few
tricks
up
my
sleeve too.”

Ren left me alone all afternoon. I tucked another note in his gym bag as he was getting out of the car before wushu.

Soul meets soul on lovers’ lips.

—
Percy Bysshe Shelley

I was sitting on the floor stretching when I saw him pull the note out of his bag. He read it through a couple of times and then looked up and caught my look. I met his hot gaze with an innocent grin and waved happily to Jennifer as she crossed the room.

Back at home inside our garage, Ren opened the door for me. Instead of helping me out, he leaned over and growled softly. His lips brushed against the sensitive skin under my ear. His voice was seductive, dangerous.

“I’m warning you, Kelsey. I’m an
extremely
patient man. I’ve had extensive practice in waiting out the enemy. My life as a tiger has taught me that persistence and diligence
always
pay off. Consider yourself forewarned,
priyatama
. I’m on the hunt. I’ve caught your scent, and I
won’t
be thwarted in my course.”

He stepped away and extended a hand to help me out. I ignored it and walked to my door with a stiff back and wobbly legs. I heard his soft laugh on the breeze as he disappeared into his own part of the house.

He was driving me crazy. I was tempted to break down the door and throw myself at him, but I refused to give in.
I
was going to entice
him
this time. He would be the one begging for mercy, not me.

Soon, I discovered that the battle of wills between Ren and me had pushed Li to the furthest corner of my mind. Every time I was with Li, my mind drifted far away, planning ways to seduce Ren. It was so obvious that even Li noticed.

“Earth to Kelsey. Are you going to acknowledge my existence now?” Li asked tensely one evening during one of his favorite martial arts movies.

“What do you mean?”

“Kelsey, you’ve just been going through the motions for the last week. You haven’t been here at all.”

“Well . . . I’m back in school now, and homework is distracting.”

“It’s not your homework, Kelsey. It’s
him
.”

In an instant, I felt remorse. Li had done nothing wrong, and the least I could do was to pay attention to him. “I’m sorry, Li. I didn’t realize that I’d been ignoring you. You’re absolutely right. I’m here with you now, 100 percent. Tell me again why this martial arts movie is a classic.”

Li studied my face for a minute and then began explaining about
Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow
, Jackie Chan’s debut movie. I really was interested, and he seemed appeased by that.

The rest of the evening went smoothly, but I felt guilty about Li. I wasn’t giving him the attention he deserved. What was worse was that I wished Ren had been watching the movie with us.