Yumi pulled into her parking spot outside of her apartment building and sat in the car after she killed the engine. Ever since she left Ulrich's with her laundry she'd been questioning herself. The smell of fresh laundry brewed in the car as she leaned her head against the cold window.
"What in the hell was I doing?" Yumi asked herself aloud. Yumi had let herself lean in for a kiss. Her of all people. Just when she thought she knew herself, she never realized self control was something she lacked.
"It was his fault," Yumi said to herself, "If he hadn't invited me over...what the hell am I trying to pull. Not like he said, kiss me. I did that, and he said no. Ulrich said no to me, he really has grown up," Yumi said then fell into her seat more. She felt a tear rolling down her cheek, so she wiped it away before someone saw. Though it was about eleven at night and no one was around.
"It took him five years, but he's become everything I wanted him to be. Brave, funny, talkative, smart," Yumi said, counting on her fingers as she listed his new found qualities. It made her a little sad that she lost him when he was nothing, and now he was something.
"Why isn't he just taking that promotion?" Yumi asked herself, "It isn't me he's staying for obviously. He seems upset that I'm getting married, but also supportive. If I tried shit like this five years ago he'd have a bitch fit. God he's changed so much, and only for the better."
After her little conversation she opened her car door and took up the first basket. Using the key to get into the apartment she almost dropped it trying to balance it against the wall and her knee. She got the door open then walked to the elevator to ride to the second floor. Placing her back against the side of the elevator she sighed then placed the basket on the ground. She put her hands on her head then ran them through her hair.
"Stay calm...William doesn't suspect anything," Yumi said to herself then stepped off the elevator when it docked. Walking down the hall she used the key to the apartment, opened it then placed the basket on the couch in the living room. The lights were off so she figured he was asleep. Using three trips she got her laundry back into her apartment and sat on the couch next to it all.
Looking over her shoulder down the hall she swallowed then leaned into the couch more. Yumi knew she would do a poor job at hiding this. William might have figured something weird happened there at least, but with the state she was in it was impossible to hide anything. Then off the top of her head she came up with a believable excuse for her state.
Walking down the black hallway she walked into the bathroom to change for bed. Normally her pajamas consisted of a pair of black shorts with a long sleeved shirt. Walking back out into the livingroom she browsed her laundry baskets till she found the black shorts and a shirt then walked back into the bathroom to change. Throwing her clothes in a pile in the corner of the room she turned off the light and opened the bedroom door.
William was like she thought, asleep on the bed. Yumi crawled in on her side then shifted her body to face his back. Wrapping an arm around him she exhaled her breath then closed her eyes. William moved a little in his sleep, and Yumi opened her eyes. It was just a random twitch, he wasn't waking up. William was a heavy sleeper after all.
Yumi was tossing and turning in her sleep. It was so bad, it woke William up. He opened his eyes and looked at her as she tossed and turned, left and right, her lips silently moving as if she was speaking in her dream and it was muted in reality.
"Yumi," William said then nudged her. She kept at it and William checked the time on the digital clock. Four forty five a.m. He nudged her again. "Yumi."
"Ul...rich," Yumi said in her sleep and William's eyes widened in shock.
'Did she just say his name?" William asked himself. Watching her for a minute he listened to her dream.
"Ulrich, you bastard," Yumi said in her sleep and William let out a sigh of relief. He nudged her again, and she still didn't stir.
"I'm sorry," She said in her sleep, and William finally nudged her awake. Her eyes jolted open and she gasped for air.
"What was that about?" William asked. Yumi looked at him then shook her head.
"That was weird, I got into a fight with Ulrich, and I apologized for a few things I did to him," Yumi said then sat up in her bed.
"How did the laundry go?" William asked Yumi, "Anything happen?"
"No not really," Yumi said, giving him the look that something did happen.
"What happened?" William asked, hoping for anything but his greatest fear.
"Okay, Ulrich and I were browsing through a photo album, and one of the pictures was with me pregnant, not to long before I lost the baby. I started to cry, left the room, but I haven't stopped thinking about that since I left his apartment," Yumi said then fell onto her bed again.
"Yumi, that's the past. It's there to learn from," William said then kissed her forehead, "I've told you before I don't care you were going to have baby with him. I've come to terms with that, but we're engaged now, and we're getting married in two weeks. Nothing in your past could possibly make me change my mind," William said to her then kissed her lips.
"Thank you," Yumi said then leaned up and kissed him. After a moment of starring William fell into the bed next to her, and they both closed their eyes to return to bed.
Yumi leaned against the wall of the elevator moving up in her office building. After the events of Saturday night, she'd need some sort of miracle to get through Monday. The elevator opened and she stepped off and onto her floor, slouching her way to her office while trying to avoid Ulrich. She knew he beat her to work, so he'd be in his office working on whatever he had to do this morning.
Managing to get to her office unseen she closed her door softly then collapsed on her couch with a thud. Taking in a deep breath she exhaled it and looked at the ceiling. Everything was so confusing now. A week ago she had an entirely platonic relationship with Ulrich, and two nights ago she tried to kiss him. The thing that surprised her the most was the fact Ulrich didn't try to kiss her, in fact he stopped the kiss from happening. Ulrich was over, she was sure of it.
Yumi heard a knock on her door and panicked. 'Shit, is it him!' She screamed in her mind, 'It's too early for this drama,' Yumi said then walked to her door and looked through the glass of the wall next to the door. Letting out a sigh of relief she opened the door to let Aelita in.
"How was your weekend?" Yumi asked as she closed her door again, and sat on the couch next to Aelita.
"Fine, baby shopping, that sort of thing," Aelita said with a smile. She noticed Yumi was full of quakes and shakes, and knew she was nervous. That made her smile more because she knew why. It was an internal emotional battle in Yumi's head which was so powerful, was affecting her physical being.
"Can I tell you something in complete confidence?" Yumi asked.
"Of course," Aelita answered, though she already knew.
"On Saturday I went to Ulrich's apartment to do laundry. After a few drinks and a walk down memory lane, I don't know what drove me, but I almost kissed him. Hell I would have if he hadn't denied me. It's been killing me all weekend, I've barely slept because everytime I close my eyes I have a dream where he doesn't stop me, and I wake up satisfied, and scared because apparently during these dreams, I say his name a lot, and wake up William in the process," Yumi explained in about twenty seconds.
"Slow down, start over, what?" Aelita asked.
"I tried to kiss Ulrich, got denied, and I've been having erotic dreams since, okay?" Yumi asked then looked at her floor.
"Aren't you getting married in two weeks?" Aelita asked.
"Thirteen days actually. Two weeks from yesterday," Yumi said then cradled her chin with her hands, "I'm so fucked."
"Why?"
"I'm getting married, and everytime I fall asleep, I'm having a dream about my ex fiancé making out with me like we were sixteen again. William suspects something, I know he does, but I don't want to cancel the marriage. I've been giving you advice for a long time, but now I need your help. What can I do?" Yumi asked Aelita.
Aelita stood up to pace, that usually helping her. She placed a palm on her bulging belly as she stepped back and forth. After a moment she sat back down and looked at Yumi.
"Before I can give any advice you need to me something. No excuse or lies on this, okay?" Aelita asked. Yumi nodded and waited for the question.
"Do you still love Ulrich?" Aelita asked. Yumi's pulse spiked just from hearing his name in a sentence. The word love with the sentence made her heart almost skip.
"I don't know," Yumi said to more herself than Aelita, "Do I still like him, yeah. If I was single, I might even consider dating him. But I'm engaged. I'll be walking down the isle in two weeks, to become Mrs. William Dunbar."
"When it comes to love, there are no maybes, or I don't knows. Perhaps a little more time will clear things up, but for the most part love should be a pretty apparent yes or no. So Yumi, yes, or no?"
"I'm stuck Aelita. I'm marrying William, and yet Ulrich is still there. I was so stupid to think something like that wouldn't happen. He controlled himself, I didn't. I had the lack of self control, me of all people. I guess there really is no such thing as fully getting over your first love," Yumi said then fell into the couch.
"I'm way pass Jeremie Yumi. Since I married Odd and didn't date him, it seems like he doesn't even want to talk to me. It's impossible to get the love of your life without hurting someone who wants you. Jeremie is miserable, I know he is, and I know I'm causing that, but it doesn't make me want to divorce Odd to marry him. I really wanted Jeremie to have grown up since highschool, I really did, but Odd did, not him. It's a hard choice, but when you need to make it, the answer should be apparent by then. I chose the man I loved, not the one I thought I loved."
"With Ulrich and William it's different than Odd and Jeremie. Odd and Jeremie are completely different people. William and Ulrich are so much alike now, last night when I woke up, I almost said good morning Ulrich to William," Yumi said. Aelita smiled then patted her shoulder.
"The evidence of who you love more is overwhelming," Aelita said then walked to her door, "Just think about it," she finished then left the room.
"What's the situation?" Ulrich asked Aelita as she walked back in from talking to Yumi. Ulrich stood there waiting for her answer. Aelita smiled then nodded her head.
"Head over heels," Aelita said then closed the door. Ulrich smiled then jumped into the air.
"Hell yes," Ulrich said then hit the ground. He let his breathing rise with excitement then fell to his chair.
"But, it's going to be hard to convince her she loves you. I know she does, but she's still in denial," Aelita said then sat on the couch next to Odd.
"I don't care at this point, she loves me," Ulrich said, grinning as he said it, "She loves me, she loves me, she loves me," Ulrich repeated to himself like an excited child.
"Calm down sparky, the battle is just starting," Aelita said to him.
"Wait, hasn't the battle already been waged?" Ulrich asked.
"Not exactly," Odd explained, "Finding out if she loved you was seeing if this was a battle worth fighting. In truth we are now just declaring war."
"Then war it shall be," Ulrich said then tapped his desk, "So, what's the battle strategy generals?"
"Well sir we must infiltrate enemy territory," Aelita said then stood up slowly with Odd's help, "Yumi will put up a strong defence but if we wage constant war for the next..."Aelita said then started to count in her head, "One hundred and sixty six, seven...hell with it a week, we might make her surrender."
"She's getting married in two weeks Aelita," Ulrich said to her.
"And you need to answer the promotion by next Monday," Odd said to him. Ulrich smiled then lowered his head. Being in love makes you completely forget about stuff like that.
"What type of warfare will we be using? Trench, blitzkrieg, scorched earth policy?" Ulrich asked.
"Not trench, she won't return fire. And not scorched earth either, you're not retreating into your own country and burning down everything in your wake. Blitzkrieg fits. Attack her with bombs, move in fast and take the land."
"And what are the analogies for those?" Ulrich asked.
"Make her express her feelings and spend time with her, make your move on her by the end of the week, and take William's land, a.k.a, Yumi's heart."
"Sounds good," Ulrich said then leaned into the chair, "How should I start?"
"We have Wednesday off, take her to lunch. On Friday or Thursday take her to dinner, and on Saturday or Sunday, take the land," Odd said to finish his wife's advise. Aelita nodded to confirm his comment. Ulrich smiled then looked up at the ceiling in his office. This was going to be a very eventful week.