Chapter Text
“U-ta-hi-meeee!” Gojo sings her name as he approaches.
Utahime rolls her eyes. “Let me guess; it’s about Ana, isn’t it?”
“Anastasia,” he corrects. “She doesn’t want to be called ‘Ana’; she says it’s a commoner’s name.”
“And what is she, the queen? Does she eat gold for breakfast to make her think highly of herself like that?”
Gojo laughs out loud as he sits next to her on the couch and places his arm around her shoulders, which she quickly pushes away. Being this close to him, she could smell his masculine scent, the one that she really liked.
Why does he always have to smell so good? Dammit.
Utahime was lounging in a coffee shop when he called, asking for a favor. And she already knew what that favor was before he could even open his mouth.
"This is the last time, I swear," he says now. His right hand plays with her hair, while the other is lazily draped over the back of the couch.
"That is exactly what you said last week and the week before that."
"But today is the final of the last."
Utahime sighs. “Fine, what time and where?”
Gojo beams, "It is around 7 p.m. at xxx restaurant." To her surprise, he kisses the top of her head and says in a low voice, "Thank you for doing this."
Utahime feels her cheeks burning and instinctively raises her hand to touch the spot where he just kissed her, but she remembers what they are supposed to do and calms down.
She sighs and says, "I apologize in advance to that girl."
This has always been their agenda whenever he wants to escape the clutches of the women he is with. She pretends to be his girlfriend, and he will compensate her for her time.
Utahime initially disliked the idea of her fellow women being at his mercy. But she also saw how he was struggling as a result of those women who expected more from him despite being warned about what they were getting themselves into.
Gojo does not want to be tied down. He wants to be free. And because she owes him something, not to mention the money, Utahime readily agrees.
Even though Utahime would like to stop after a while, she is unable to stop the years-long behavior. The reason? She had fallen in love with him.
Call her pathetic for falling for the manwhore that he is, but she can not stop herself. And, despite the fact that he is constantly teasing and making fun of her whenever possible, the idiot can be quite sweet at times. He is always there for her when she needs to vent, he drinks with her despite his inability to control his alcohol, and he notices everything about her, even the smallest details.
“Gojo,”
“Hmm.”
“Stop sniffing me.”
“Hmm.”
“Gojo.”
“Utahime.”
“Don’t copy me.”
He suddenly looks at her.
"You switched your perfume?"
Utahime does not answer.
God, this man. If I can’t have him, then please don’t let the others have him too. She wants to smack herself. I’m kidding. Let them come to him; I will gladly chase them away--
“And you also cut your hair.”
Her heart is racing wildly inside her chest. She has to get away from him. And fast.
“I did, and that’s enough.” She stands up and scowls at him, “I better get ready.”
He looks at his watch and says, "But it is still early. It is like, 3 in the afternoon."
That’s not it, idiot.
Suddenly she is struck with an idea that has been on her mind. She has been considering doing this to him, despite the fact that it is completely out of character for her, and she realizes that this is the perfect moment. It is probably the only time she will ever have the courage to do so.
She moves her head closer, touches his cheek, and lowers her voice, "Babe, if you want that woman to believe I am your girlfriend, you gotta give me time to prepare, hmm?" She laughs at his stunned expression and walks towards the door, leaving him with his mouth hanging open and her heart pounding like crazy.
No. What I really need is time to prepare for myself, because I know this isn’t real. And will probably never going to be.