Sweet and Spicy [COMPLETED]

Fan Meeting (pt. 3)

Though Kaya must have looked absolutely terrified, Ransom held his calm like a perfectly placed mask. 

He lowered the microphone, as well as his voice. "We don't have to answer if you don't want to." 

Much as she wanted to take that way of escape, Kaya found herself shaking her head. "Let's just do it. Get it over with." 

The look that crossed Ransom's face might have been shock or surprise. It didn't linger long enough for Kaya to figure it out. Instead of arguing like she thought he might, Ransom lifted the microphone again. 

"Would you like to count down from three for us?"

Of course, the audience full of hopeless romantics, and a more than few fanatics, agreed to the proposal. 

Kaya held her breath, mind spinning in an attempt to think what Ransom might say. Their first date... their first date...

"Three."

What qualified? The other night at the tea room? Or before, when she and Ransom were nothing but friends?

"Two."

Only a few seconds left to come up with the same answer as Ransom. They had met in his office, at his company. Then again at someone else's birthday party. There were so many options. What did she say?

"One!"

Kaya squeezed her eyes shut and blurted the first thing that came into her head. "Cafe Dulcis."

Everything went silent. 

Kaya peeked one eye open to see Ransom grinning back at her. Had he really... said the same thing? How? Did he read minds?

Ransom gave her fingers one more squeeze. "Although, technically speaking, it wasn't at the cafe proper. Kaya delivered some goods for me, the date progressed from there." 

Kaya inhaled, summoning all the oxygen she had forgotten to gulp during her momentary panic. 

"I think that's about all the time we have." Ransom stood to his feet, allowing his fingers to linger around Kaya's cold hand for a moment longer. "I've provided an assortment of dinner foods for your enjoyment, and I will roam about to say hello. I'll ask that you please don't swarm me like bees." 

The crowd laughed. 

Kaya slid to her feet and found her balance on the new heels wrapped around her feet. She made it through. That's what mattered. Though it felt like the end of the world at the beginning, now it seemed easy. 

"Thank you for listening to us, today." Ransom gave a bow to the tune of thunderous applause.

The crowd began to disperse. 

Ransom turned to set his microphone on his seat. He gingerly tugged Kaya's microphone out of her fingers. "Are you alright?

"How did you know that I would say the cafe?" 

Ransom shrugged. "You wouldn't say my office. The Cafe is another logical choice. It was the reason we met on a number of occasions." 

"But they weren't our first date." 

"You wouldn't remember our first date." Ransom blinked as if he hadn't expected those words to come out of his own mouth. He cleared his throat. "Feel free to wander while I greet my fans. Jade is watching and there's a guard assigned to you if anything goes wrong." 

Strangely, those words comforted Kaya. Even if the guard didn't do his job, Jade wouldn't let anything bad happen. 

Kaya nodded in acceptance. If she were Ransom's fake girlfriend, wouldn't she have to get used to this sort of thing eventually?