~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 35 Millimeters II: Behind the Lens By Lady Aishiteru Chapter 2 - Serendipity ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I whistled a tune as I walked up the steps to my penthouse. Even greeting the doorman was an exciting prospect. "Hi Mr. Hartman!" I sang cheerfully. M-miss Aino!" he stammered. "Nice to see you! Can I help you with the door?" Thanks!" I chirped, holding the cat carrier in one hand and Artemis in the other. Instead of containing a cat, the cat carrier held a food dish, a water dish, an old blanket, and some cat toys. I was thankful I hadn't felt compelled to adopt a dog; canine care is MUCH more complicated. I'm a busy person, and I wouldn't be able to properly care for a dog. I was also thankful that the elevator door was located mere yards away from my penthouse, but when the apartment takes up the entire top level, it's hard not to put an elevator nearby. At least modeling got me that much. As smart as cats are, I doubt Artemis will learn how to use the elevator. As soon as we arrived at the penthouse, Artemis leapt off my shoulder and made a beeline towards the bedroom. When I got to the door, Artemis was nowhere to be found. I groaned and took off my shoes. Wasn't taking care of a cat supposed to be easy? I stooped to my knees and began to crawl around the bedroom, heedless of what it was doing to my pantyhose. Every few feet I would stop and call out for him, with no response. "Artemis! Where are you?" Upon being ignored for the umpteenth time, I mumbled a string of choice four-letter words and lay prone on the carpet. A few moments later, a small, rough wet object stroking my toes assaulted me. "Artemis! That tickles!" I squealed. "Stop licking my foot!" He paid me no heed, and soon, I was roaring with laughter. "Come here, you little rascal," I said, gathering the cat into my arms. "Let's get you some dinner." I deposited him squarely on the carpet and walked towards the kitchen. Artemis soon followed, nails clicking on the wooden floor, tail straight up into the air. Watching Artemis eat, I wished Mom would have allowed me to have a pet when I was younger. I was one of those goofy kids who owned a pet rock. I'd scribble a pair of little round doggy eyes, floppy looking ears, and a black triangle as a nose. I'd name the rock Fido, or Fred, or Muffin...something like that. I'd tie a piece of yarn around Fido and drag him (it?) around the neighborhood. I went through three pet rocks until I decided the whole thing was stupid and moved on to mood rings. Having a real, flesh and blood pet was different, I thought as I brought his litter box into a small, unused room. I can't quite describe it; after all, I've only had the little furrball for a couple of hours. Being responsible for the care of another living creature, even if that creature wasn't human, made me feel more important somehow. I walked into the bathroom, turned on the tap and drew a nice, hot bath. I sank into the foamy lather and sighed contentedly. I loved doing that; taking a bubble bath, even when I didn't need one. Ami would say that it must be something about the heat, how the transition between cold and hot relaxes the muscles. Rei would add something she learned from her psych class that week. She'd say that I liked baths because I'm in my own private little corner of the world where flashing lights, photographers, agents and quirky hairstylists were remnants of the past. I smiled to myself. Leave it to Ami and Rei to add science to something as simple as a bath. When I got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around myself, I noticed I was not alone in the bathroom. "Artemis! What are you doing here?" I asked. He simply mewed in response, and I stroked behind his ears. "What a funny little guy," I murmured. I picked him up in my wet arms and returned him to his room. He would have none of it, though. As soon as I crawled into bed, Artemis curled up into a furry little potato bug by my feet. Soon, we were both fast asleep. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* After another long day at work, I rushed straight home, not even bothering to take off my makeup. When I finished parking my car, I remembered that I wanted to head down to the gym to work off some steam. I scrambled to the elevator and anxiously watched the numbers change until my floor had been reached. I hastily turned the keys to enter my apartment, threw on my disguise, and then I noticed that something didn't look quite right. I sat there on the hard wood floor and thought about it until my head hurt. Feeling the need for something cool and wet to put down my parched throat, I went to the fridge to grab a diet soda. It was then I realized what was wrong. In my haste to get home, I had forgotten to buy my groceries. Cursing, I smacked my forehead and grabbed my purse. Then I remembered that I originally had wanted to go to the gym, so I grabbed my gym bag and dragged that to the car. When I closed the trunk, I realized I needed the space for my groceries. Grumbling, I took the gym bag out of the trunk, or tried to, anyways. The damned thing had decided it wished to be happily lodged squarely in the middle. I yanked the thing with all my might, but it wouldn't budge. I slammed the trunk in frustration and stomped over to the driver's side. Could anything else go wrong today? I pondered that briefly as I decided I'd go to the store anyways and cram what I could into the back seat. Then again, I concluded, I probably did NOT want to know the answer to that question. If I said 'Things couldn't possibly get any worse,' then they usually do. I pulled into the lot and right away, I saw the perfect parking space. There wasn't even a handicapped sticker there! Thanking the heavens for some good luck at last, I put the car in cruise control and gently coasted to my spot. Out of nowhere, this jerk driving a fancy car put on his or her high beams and zoomed into the spot. Dammit, that was MY spot! I scanned the parking lot for another space, but the best available spot was on the opposite side of the lot. "Great," I mumbled. "Just great." I slammed the door and wearily crossed the parking lot on foot. At least I was wearing comfortable sneakers. After what seemed like miles to my poor, tired heels, I entered the double doors. Fortunately, I had remembered my list. I took it out of my purse, grabbed a shopping cart and tucked my pen behind my ear. I was feeling better by then, and reasoned that nothing else could possibly go wrong that night. When I arrived at the produce section, I cursed my flawed logic. I spotted a platinum blond head amongst the pineapples, and my brain shifted into a panicked state of denial. It was just an old lady...right? Could it be a really tall old lady? Then my instincts kicked in, reminding me that old women don't have broad shoulders, and most of them don't go around wearing J Crew turtlenecks. Still, it couldn't possibly be him...could it? I chewed my lower lip in frustration, and my worst fears were affirmed when the 'old lady' turned around and looked right at me. Dammit, it was him! God did not love me that day. "Hello, Minako," he said, smiling broadly. "Hi...Kunzite," I said, gritting his name out of a tightly clenched jaw. "Imagine meeting you here. Why are you shopping so late?" he asked. "Fewer people that way," I responded, my jaw still wired shut. "Ah." He didn't speak for a while, and I assumed that he had forgotten about me. Left to my own devices, I peered into his shopping cart. I saw nothing but junk food. I mean, this guy can eatlike an eight year old and still be Mr. Hard Body, but I have to eat food that tastes like cardboard to look like I do. Sure, I could get away with occasional bad nutrition in any other career; I would't get fat, I would look...ordinary. And models are not allowed to look ordinary. "Hn....Lucky Charms, Fruit Roll-ups, Kool-Aid, Mallowmars and Snickers? Got any food in there?" I asked. "Go pick on someone else's grocery list," he said. "You're gorgeous, you know. Of course, people have been telling you that for years." I put my hand on the side of my face as if a deep thought was manifesting itself. "I mean, do you even try to eat right? Or do you live on sugar cubes?" "So, does this mean you'd like to go out for a cup of coffee?" "Kiss my ass!" I yelled, attracting the stares of everyone around me. "I'd watch my language if I were you. This is a family supermarket," he said, a shocked expression on his face. My eyes narrowed in anger, and I clenched my fists. I left him with a whisper of my own, "Rot...in..Hell, you prude!" Barely able to resist slapping that stupid grin off his face, I stormed away in a fit of rage. Just when I thought I couldn't possibly hate him any more, the jackass had sunk to a new low.