Chapter Text
Nene inspected her lipstick on her phone’s camera for the umpteenth time. It was a hard chore, what with the terrible lighting and all the alcohol she had drunk finally starting to hit her.
She hardly noticed the guy that sat down at her table right beside her.
It was a tall guy in a black shirt and dark pants, with beautiful golden brown hair, a lovely pointy nose and the kind of confidence you could only get after a lifetime of being unreasonably attractive.
The guy cleared his throat, probably expecting Nene to say hello to him. She wouldn’t do it. Instead, she swallowed her annoyance and waited for what he had to tell her.
“Great party, right?” Even his voice was cute. Much against her better judgment, her annoyance melted away.
“Yeah. Really pretty.”
“Why are you all alone huh?”
“I’m waiting for someone.”
“Oh, is that someone your boyfriend?” A quick flash of concern disturbed his easy smile for a moment.
“No. Just a friend,” she said, reluctant to explain any further.
“Oh, okay.” Relief showed all over his face. It was adorable, really. It almost made Nene smile. And then just as fast as it had gone away, his beautiful smile was right back to adorn his pretty face. “Mind if I keep you company while your friend comes?”
Nene thought about it for a moment, took another look at him. He seemed nice enough. She could imagine having a good time with him. A nice conversation, maybe a couple of laughs. But sadly, he was obviously interested in something he was just not going to get out of her.
“Not at all, you can stay here if you want, of course.” This wasn’t her party or her house or anything “but I’m not interested in meeting anyone right now” she finished. Pushing the words out of her mouth, forcing herself to say all of them clearly and elegantly so there would be no misunderstandings.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked, not bothering to hide the disappointment on his face.
She sure wished. She wanted that more than anything she could think of. But no.
“No. I’m just not interested,” she insisted, fighting hard that urge to apologize. She shouldn’t have that fucking urge. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. It was better for him to know now that she wasn’t interested. Not that there was anything wrong with him —she could tell there wasn’t, Nene certainly wasn’t blind— but she had her heart set on someone else.
“I understand. It was nice talking to you anyway.”
“Same.”
The guy stood up and left, taking his easy smile with him.
Nene sat there, feeling uncomfortable for having hurt that stranger’s feelings, repeating herself that there was nothing wrong with being selective when it came to love.
Some people might say— in fact many of them had actually already told her— she was being ridiculous and that she should give other guys a chance instead of being so adamant about getting with Teru. But they were not about to change Nene’s mind. They were destined to be. No one else would do.
Aoi sat by her side, taking the seat that nice stranger had just left available.
“Who was that Nene-chan?”
“Just a guy.”
“He was handsome,” Aoi said, voice filled with her usual over-the-top interest for her love life.
He was very handsome, indeed. And nice too. But it didn’t matter. She had her eyes on the real prize, and he wouldn’t let herself get distracted. When it became clear Nene wouldn’t elaborate on her handsome stranger, she gave up and reached for her hand “Are you having fun?”
“Yeah, it's been okay.”
“I barely got to scape from Akane. He wanted me to meet his old friends! Can you believe him?”
With how jaw-dropping gorgeous she was and how obsessed with her he was? What she couldn’t believe was that she hadn’t met these friends before. And that she had managed to escape from Akane’s crazed clutches. But Aoi had always been that smart.
“Well, you can stay with me and we can finish our drinks while you hide from your fiance” she suggested.
“You’re a life saver,” she said, squeezing her hand.
The cool night breeze hit Nene’s face, grounding her. She dug her heels into the grass of Lemon’s extravagantly decorated garden. They slid into gossip about the other guests. Lemon’s parties were always the most ridiculous ever, and everyone was invited.
They weren’t really close with Lemon anymore. After he became filthy rich when one of his crazy investments had an incredible struck of luck he’d dropped out of college, leaving them to graduate like the peasants they were and work their boring regular jobs. It was only natural that they’d kind of lost touch. But they still appreciated the invite. And the free drinks and food, of course.
Nene looked around the garden again for that tall, blond and unnaturally handsome dude that kept on eluding her sight. She held back a sigh that would have betrayed her disappointment. As much as she appreciated a good party, she had only gone to this one hoping to find Teru. She slumped in her chair, making her best to push all the negative feelings away.
Nene had always been a firm believer in destiny. She had been more than patient and waited more than anyone should wait ( years now), but even she was growing impatient now. And she had other concerns, too.
She was going to be maid of honor at Aoi’s wedding and could not afford the gossip of going alone. And since she didn’t wanna go with anyone other than her perfect destiny-approved partner, she had to get on top of it.
So she had put herself on a tight little red dress that clung to her every curve and revealed a ton of her boobs, spent an unspeakable amount of hours on her hair and makeup and she was putting herself out there, making it easier for Teru to make his move.
She caught Akane talking with some guys wearing some really expensive-looking suits, waving his hands at Aoi so she would come meet them. Aoi saw him too, but decided to ignore him and focus on her margarita instead.
"Are you sure you don't want to go with Akane?" Nene kept looking at him, redoubling his efforts to attract Aoi's attention.
"Uhhh… He'll be fine without me for a while, just while I finish my drink."
“Why are you ignoring him?” Nene stared at Aoi. It wasn’t like her to be mean with Akane.
“Well Nene-chan, sometimes I just feel like having a bit of Akane-free time. You know? I’m just taking a short beverage break with my other favorite person ever. Is that so wrong?”
Nene wouldn’t necessarily say wrong. But it definitely was hard for her to understand it. She didn’t see herself needing a break from Teru. Honestly, if she ever felt that way about a partner she would find it rather concerning. But she trusted Aoi knew what she was doing, so she swung her legs up on the chair in front of her, letting her feet rest from her super high heels. “Of course not.”
Aoi swung her legs besides hers, making her purple sequin dress ride up her thighs a bit, and smiled at her. Nene smiled back. The sweet silence they shared was interrupted by a maddened laugh, loud enough to be heard a few tables away.
Nene straightened up to see better and found the source of the turmoil immediately. It was that Yugi boy. Sitting across the garden with his identical twin and a beautiful girl with a perfectly-cut and stylished green bob. Said boy was all eyes and teeth, talking enthusiastically, shaking his glass and spilling generously on the table and on his twin brother.
“I’m surprised he showed up,” Aoi said with that tone in her voice that suggested juicy gossip. Nene felt her interest piqued instantly.
“Why? Is he supposed to be a hermit on top of a madman?” she whispered, the alcohol infusing a little more venom in her speech than she would normally use.
“No, I mean the other twin, Amane. Akane kept complaining about him taking a few weeks off work."
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember him saying why.”
“He doesn’t seem to be having a lot of fun” Amane looked like he would rather have a drill in his ear than continue listening to his twin brother.
“Maybe he’s not much of a party guy.”
Nene wouldn’t know. He’d met the twins before, but they weren’t close enough for her to even distinguish one from the other. Although right now, as one laughed maniacally and the other just frowned like he didn’t want to be caught dead with him, they couldn’t look any more different.
Aoi could be right tho, now that she thought about it Amane was known for his brief appearances at parties. Always showing up for just enough time to collect a new conquest. A new girl to leave the party with. They were all beautiful and adorable, sexy and graceful, with great boobs, small waists, and long slender legs.
Nene didn’t get it. How did he do it? How did he manage to get girls like that? If she remembered correctly, there wasn’t anything special about him. She pried at him, protected by the distance and the distraction the crazed twin provided her.
Yes. Strictly speaking he wasn't ugly, one could even say he was a bit handsome. With his dark and messy hair, his great jaw and his height. She wrinkled her nose. Even so, she did not see it. There was nothing special about him. Nothing about him stood out. Nothing but his unusual amber eyes. When they didn't have that stupid sneer in them they were really pretty. And she wouldn't deny that he had a bit of charm, in one of those distant, mysterious boy ways. She could see how some silly girl would fall for that kind of charm.
Maybe, Nene thought as she watched Amane flash a pleasant smile at the girl one moment and a sullen look at his brother the next, the reason he could pick up such beautiful girls had nothing to do with his physique, but with the way he treated them. Perhaps when he was interested in a girl he became especially charming, made a really effective move or something.
Yeah. That was probably it.
It was just a guess, of course, but it was pretty much as close as she would ever get to finding the truth about that mystery. A pang of something strangely close to jealousy stirred in Nene's chest. Truth was, she didn’t have the first clue. Despite having met him hundreds of times at countless parties, she had never been one of those girls. He had never asked her out on a date or even flirt with her at all.
She clearly wasn’t his type. She was pretty, of course, but not that kind of pretty. The sex bomb way. The turn-heads kinda beauty that guys fantasized about and got obsessed over. She was pretty in a doe eyed, sweet, adorable way. With a kind of charm that must grow into guys instead of hitting them straight in the face. She had made her peace with it. It wasn’t like she was missing out on anything! Nene would never leave a party with him anyway. If he’d ever approached her, she’d said no. No one night stands for her, thank you very much.
So who cared? She had better things to think about. Like the love of her life!
Nene looked away from the twin’s table and looked for Teru once again. He was nowhere to be found. She felt like throwing a tantrum. Where the fuck was he?
Across the garden, Akane started yelling pet names and other mortifying shit for Aoi to go to him. Aoi's eye twitched and she finished the last drop of her watermelon margarita. “I have to go, Nene-chan. Akane needs me” she said, defeated. “I’ll check with you again in a bit. But if I don’t, we’ll share a cab home together, okay?”
“Sure.”
“Make sure to have fun! Get off your ass, and go get a guy!” she said, leaving her cup in the table and getting up.
“What?”
“You heard me. You don’t have to keep waiting here, you can go and make your own luck!” Without even adjusting her dress and with a grace worthy of a fairytale princess, she left, practically levitating through the garden, making a beeline for Akane.
So for the second time tonight, Nene was left alone at her table. Only this time instead of feeling guilty and awkward, she had a fiery light bouncing all over inside of her.
Aoi was right! She could decide to go for what she deserved and needed! It was time to take her destiny in her own hands! She didn't have to wait for Teru to ask her out, she could go and ask him herself. Yeah! She would confess to him, and her grand gesture would no doubt sweep him off his feet! She spent hours curling her hair, she had a tight dress and a killer neckline. She would hardly look this beautiful again in several days. There was nothing to lose trying! They were meant to be together after all!
Nene finished her drink, letting the sweetness of the vodka soda coat her tongue one last time. She was going to make destiny happen for her today. And if she was having a little liquid courage then what was wrong with that? She’d never abused alcohol and she wasn’t gonna start today. She just needed a little encouragement.
She licked her lips and stood up. She adjusted her dress and checked her reflection in the back of a spoon. This was it. Her perfect life was just around the corner!
Amane looked at the droplets of condensation on his diet coke and took a drink, grateful they were in a garden and not in a closed space. With the way Tsukasa was laughing and shaking his drink he was sure they would have disturbed the other party guests. If they weren't already doing it.
He wasn’t really in the mood for a party, but his little brother’s enthusiasm almost made him forget he’d much rather be at home watching t.v. He could be pretty annoying sometimes, but Amane had a soft spot for him.
“Could you bring it down a bit, darling? You’re making a scene,” Sakura said.
“Yes, sweetie,” Tsukasa said obediently, lowering his drink to the table. Amane wanted to roll his eyes. "I'm sorry, it’s just that today is a special occasion!" Tsukasa extended his arms to Amane, but he shook his head. He didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about, but he needed a hug from Tsu just as much as he needed a kick to the chin.
Tsukasa then turned to Sakura and spread his arms even further. She looked at him for a long second, her delicate eyebrow lifted high, and then offered him her hand. He accepted it immediately. How in the world did his brother end up so needy? They both had the same DNA and fucked up upbringing. How could they be so different?
"I didn't know you cared so much about Yamabuki's parties," she said, her words slightly colored with amusement.
"I don't!"
Amane’s head started to leave the conversation, eager to focus on more pleasant thoughts. He took a look around the garden, looking for a girl he liked so he could approach her later. If he had already made the effort to leave the house, the least he deserved was to have a little fun, right? It had been a while.
“Then what would be the special occasion?”
“I’m finally seeing Amane!” Tsukasa chirped. Amane nearly dropped his glass. Something unpleasant woke up inside him, shaking its ugly head.
"We see each other all the time, Tsu," he said, unnaturally cheerful, trying to play the matter down.
Tsukasa gave him a toothy grin, his tense tone flying over his head. "Yes, but never outside the hospital or Tsuchi’s house."
Amane’s eye twitched. Tsukasa had always been reckless, but surely, he wouldn't be reckless enough to bring that shit up again. Would he? Amane had the unpleasant feeling that he might. He was on his third drink and a bit tipsy after all.
"I thought you were going to tell Amane all about how you finally unpacked the last of your boxes yesterday," Sakura suggested, offering Tsukasa a distraction. Amane felt a wave of gratitude towards her. She was always so discreet and correct. How did a girl like that ever take a second look at Tsu, he would never understand.
“Oh yeah, that too!” Tsukasa slammed his free hand on the table, and everyone’s glasses danced. “And it only took me three months! Aren't you proud of me Amane? You said it would take me six!”
“Wow, you did a great job, Tsu!”
Tsukasa's smile widened even more, showing each and every one of his teeth. "I can be someone very trustworthy," he said, letting go of Sakura's hand and pointing a finger at Amane’s chest.
“Very trustworthy,” Amane repeated, staring at his brother’s hand, nauseous and wishing he was anywhere but there.
"You should give me more credit, Amane." He poked his chest with his finger. Amane swallowed and looked at Sakura.
"You’re driving home tonight, right?"
"Of course," she said, reaching for Tsukasa's hand.
"Everyone should give me more credit." Tsukasa continued, speaking more to himself than to them “Tsuchi said so himself, that I'm doing an excellent job at keeping an eye on you! Even though I must say, you make it very difficult, Amane.”
His words made the air around them thick and suffocating.
A pause followed. Amane’s mouth went completely dry. He couldn’t speak for the longest time. Sakura looked like she wanted to disappear. “What?” he finally managed.
Sakura pulled on Tsukasa's hand, but he just gave her a vacant smile. "He asked me to keep an eye on you, after what happened." Tsu shrugged, like it was nothing. Like his words were not completely shaking whatever little confidence and self-esteem he'd fought so hard to rebuild.
Amane’s gut plummeted to his feet. So that’s what they really felt about him. Things were so bad now that Tsu had to keep an eye on him. Him, of all people! And he’d thought things were finally starting to look up. Amane’s ears began to ring. He should have known. After the way he’d screwed up, of course Tsuchi wanted to keep an eye on him. He’d simply been too stupid to notice.
He bit his tongue. Anger and outrage and other nasty things started boiling inside him, bubbling and gurgling and ready to explode. All of them led by Amane’s greatest demon: his immense, destructive, all-consuming anxiety. A flame he’d never been able to put out, one that with great effort, he managed to reduce to a small ever-present ember, but that was now roaring and closing his throat, making it so hard to breathe.
“That’s enough, Tsukasa!” Sakura said, and took his drink away.
Amane got up, and his glass tipped over the table, spilling its content, making a bigger mess than Tsukasa had already made.
“I gotta go.” He muttered, plastering an unnatural smile on his face. “Be right back”. He had to leave. Had to find somewhere to be alone. To breathe and calm himself down.
“Where are you off to, Amane?” Tsu asked, worry evident in his brother’s face.
“I think it would be better to let him be, darling.”
“But I don’t want him to go,” he said. “I wanna come with!” Tsukasa tried to get up, but Sakura held him down with much more force than a girl her size should have.
“We’ll be here when you get back.” Her voice was calm, although there was something in her tone that Amane didn’t like. Something that was very common and known to him. Simpathy. Pity. It made nothing but rub salt on his wound.
“He always does this, Sakura!” Amane heard him whine as he walked away, heading for the house.
Nene looked everywhere for Teru. She looked in the kitchen, in the drink station, the bathroom, everywhere she could think of. He wasn't gone, was he? This was supposed to be the night she finally confessed to him! He couldn't have left. He couldn’t.
She walked past Kou, chatting closely with a very handsome boy with pink hair that Nene had definitely seen before. The idea of asking him where his brother was crossed her mind, but there was something so intimate in the way they smiled and whispered into each other's ears that she didn't dare to interrupt them.
She would have to ask Kou about that boy later.
She exhausted all places to look at. At least the ones downstairs. So she decided to look on the second floor. She tried her best not to get discouraged. This was a huge house, after all. There were a lot of places to look upstairs, too.
Her shoes chafed her feet as she made her way up, making her more and more uncomfortable with every step.
She walked past the bedroom hall, in what felt like an infinite line of torture to her. Most of the rooms were closed. She resisted the urge to peek inside them and kept walking, wishing more and more intensely that Teru wasn’t there. That he’d gone home, or never showed up, or that she missed him downstairs somehow.
She reached the last room. Its door was open. There shouldn’t be a problem if she looked, right? Whoever was inside would have closed the door, if they wanted privacy. She stood by the door and craned her neck to look inside. And there he was. The boy she was looking for. The kind of guy romance authors wrote about and all girls swooned over. Wearing a dark blue suit that really brought up his eyes, and a shirt that fit perfectly to his lean muscled body.
Bathed in the dim light of a red lampshade. Sitting on the bed with another woman.
Who was she? Nene had never seen this girl before. She was beautiful, delicate and glamorous. With long brown hair flowing down her back and a tight black dress on her curvaceous body. And yes, because why not? Long, slender legs that ended in perfect, normal ankles.
Her makeup was flawless, and Nene had the absolute certainty that she was stunning even with a full clean face. She had the kind of beauty that made men fell instantly. Effortless and timeless. The kind of beauty she’d always imagined Helen of Troy have had. She wouldn't have been surprised if she was a model or an actress.
And then it happened.
It was as if time had stopped. Nene saw it in a moment, but it felt like an eternity.
Teru raised his hand and caressed the girl's face. The smile she gave him would have melted the coldest of hearts. Their faces grew closer and closer until there was no longer any distance between them. They kissed in a sweet kiss that soon caught fire. She took her hand to his chest and his hand cupped the back of her head bringing her closer to him, deepening their kiss.
Nene watched with her heart crumpled into a sad and tiny ball. Her vision blurred. Tears clung to her lashes. It was wrong of her to watch them. It was all kinds of wrong. She had to stop watching. She had to escape. Get out of there.
She ran down the stairs, not caring if her heels would make her trip, struggling to hold back the tears that stung her eyes. Until she saw a small door under the stairs.
The service room! That should give her a moment of privacy.
Hands shaking, she opened the small door and entered the little room without looking back. She was right. It was small, dark, and hidden. Just what she needed.
The only problem was someone was already there.