"Anything else ladies?" the handsome waiter formally asked the table

"No that will be all, thank you so much" hanako bowed her head slightly dismissing the helpful gentleman, she then proceeds to mix in 2 sugar cubes in her cute teacup.

"So how are the preparations so far?"

"It's a bit stressful, but okaa-san's been a big help"

"I see you already call her mom now, good for you guys"

"Yes I'm so happy she's finally beginning to accept me as her daughter"

Kotoko could feel her chest ache a little, she knew that noriko loved her dearly, and that she has no right to be bothered by the small fact, but of course she couldn't help but feel a little hurt inside.

"That's great"

They paused as they heard someone playing the piano, hanako and sahoko knew the song well, it was no other than the classic 'the river flows in you' by yiruma. Sahoko's face gently changed into a smile, she loved the sound of the piano. It was her absolute favorite.

"Do you still play?" hanako asked, interrupting her stare at the pianist

Sahoko's eyes shifted from the pianist to the floor, her smile still slightly there. "Sometimes"

"Why? You were so good at it" hanako admitted

"Really? I want to hear!" kotoko almost yelled out.

"Yes, she was even better than me" hanako honestly stated.

Sahoko had a blush across her cheeks, it was unusual for hanako to say such kind words to her. But deep down inside, anyone who truly knew hanako would know that her comments were always honest. Sometimes brutal and too direct, but she was a very honest person.

"Thank you hanako-chan, those words really mean a lot, coming from you"

Kotoko was shifting from side to side, she sat in the middle of the table so it was hard for her to move without bothering the two girls on each of her sides.

"You guys are going to have to excuse me, i need to use the toilet"

She said, embarrassed

Hanako and sahoko giggled at the silly girl, they gave her room to be able to get up and head to where the bathrooms were.

When kotoko left, it got a little awkward.

Sahoko gently placed her hand on her belly, ever since she found out, she's been doing this, waiting to feel something.

"Hanako-chan… i need to tell you something"

"Hmm?" hanako paused from biting into the very delicious cupcake she held up

"What's it like? Being a mother that is…"

Hanako was caught off guard with the sudden question, she and sahoko were childhood friends at one point in their lives, but they drifted apart as time went by, their relationship wasn't the best , and it was still awkward whenever they were alone, this was of course because of that incident that happened when she got pregnant.

She hesitated but decided to answer her friend's curious question.

"That's a tough question… hmm…"

Sahoko waited, she really truly wanted to know

"I guess you can say, it's changed me so much, my life hasn't been the same"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…. In a sense, you're legitimately responsible for another person, it's a huge responsibility and sometimes it gets hard and overwhelming. But…"

"But?"

Sahoko's voice sounded so eager, she had a very determined expression on

"But at the end of the day, i can truly say that ryuu was my blessing. Ever since he came into my life, i told myself that i have to strive to do my best, and i did, i grew so much, i learned so much, i've changed into a better person, when we were kids….i wanted all the attention to myself, now… i don't mind if i have nothing, as long as ryuu has everything"

"All these things we think that are important, materialistic things, money, status, image… it all doesn't matter.. At the end of the day, i'm in bed sleeping with someone who loves me as much as i love him. I think that's the best thing a person can hold unto in this life"

She turns to look at sahoko who was silent the whole time

"Don't you think so?" she smiled with pride. Her words held no lies, they were pure and honest, coming straight from personal experience.

Sahoko was trying to understand what she just heard, hanako's perspective sounded so refreshing in her ears, to love and be loved, that's all she's ever wanted.

"I guess...um, hanako-chan. I've been meaning to apologize to you, for that time… i've never really thought about it, it must've been rough doing it all on your own, i was young and careless… i'm really sorry i did that"

Hanako blinked several times until the words made sense inside her brain. sahoko was apologizing, she was bewildered by the sudden apology.

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it… it's all in the past now, seriously" she waved while giggling

"No, what i did was terrible, i wish the younger me was matured enough to understand you, really… it took me a while to realize how unfair of a friend i was"

"Did my brother tell you that?" hanako grinned as she continued to devour the cupcake, confident that it was no other than him who placed that seed of information in her mind. no matter how annoying her little brother was, he was the protective type, not to mention the young man was too wise for his age, he always knew what to say, and when to say it.

Sahoko nodded softly

"Haha, that's so like him. Well, don't worry about it, what's done is done… i'm glad you called me out to invite me to your wedding, i'm honored" sahoko didn't respond, she kept her head low

"Also, i forgave you a long time ago, i figured that i don't want to live a life holding grudges" ,really, it's tiring being angry at things you cannot change.

"Thank you" sahoko sighed in relief she felt some weight lifted off her shoulders, the feeling of guilt that always haunted her lessened a bit, it felt nice.

Never in her life has she ever accepted that she was in the wrong. Surprisingly it felt amazing, it was easier to laugh, to smile. She secretly felt her stomach again, it's amazing how such a small thing can change a person in so many ways.

"I'm baccccck, sorry it took a while, i accidentally locked myself inside a stall and i didn't know how to get out"

The two girls both looked at each other , then they began giggling. typical kotoko

"W-what?"

Kotoko then looked around, she checked her face, her dress… then her eyes landed on her heels, there was a long strand of toilet paper stuck on her right heel

She laughed nervously as she took it out and placed it on the garbage

The two girls were still laughing , hanako was laughing so hard her face was turning red,

"Hehe, i couldn't find my way out so i just crawled" she scratched the back of her head with an embarrassed smile

"Doesn't she just crack you up?" hanako laughed uncontrollably

The three ladies continued to talk, for once , sahoko's hatred towards kotoko was forgotten, it never occurred to her to actually get to know the girl for once, today she learned that kotoko wasn't the girl she thought she was, actually, sahoko learned that kotoko was surprisingly down to earth, she was very humble and easygoing, they were having such a great conversation that sahoko totally forgot that she was her rival. It was that kind of afternoon, the food was great and so was the company, the aura was peaceful, and for once, sahoko felt accepted.

"Sahoko-san, ive been meaning to ask you this, but how do you manage to keep your skin like that? What foundation do you use? What's your secret?" kotoko asked in a curious tone

"I moisturize everyday, also, wearing spf on your skin religiously is the secret!" she took the question as a compliment, she didn't know kotoko saw her that way, for some twisted reason, she always assumed that kotoko hated her, but after having lunch with the silly girl, she quickly came into a realization that she was completely wrong

"Ohh i see! Thank you!"

"Not a problem kotoko! I can't believe you didn't know about these things until hirosaki taught you! Didn't your mother teach you when you were younger?"

Hanako interrupted before kotoko could reply "her mother died when she was little"

"Oh my! How rude of me, i'm sorry" sahoko felt her heart flinch a little, for a moment there she felt bad and wanted to take her words back.

"Don't worry about it, i was too small to remember her so it's not that dramatic" kotoko smiled weakly

Sahoko's face fell, so that's why she's so close to Miss irie… to not have a mother huh.. That must have been rough

Little by little, it was getting harder and harder to despise her. No wonder naoki was crazy about her. If only they met sooner, they would have gotten along so well, if only all this never happened, she would have treated her like a sister, sahoko's chest felt heavy again, there's just so many things that went downhill, so many mistakes.. Is it even possible to try and fix everything?

AN:

hello my beautiful readers!

thank you so much for all the great reviews! i know i said i was going to upload the wedding chapter but unfortunately, I'am still in the process of 'editing it'and yes i know i don't usually edit my chapters since I'am busy, but i figured... for this one, i have to. i don't want to post such an important chapter just like that! so please, give it a few more chapters until I'am finally satisfied with the final result. i keep saying that i don't care what other people think and i just want to post my work here no matter how terrible it is, but your reviews move me ! its refreshing and it motivates me to do better!i really reeeally don't want to disappoint anyone who has spent their time reading my stories. i actually made a huge mistake and uploaded the beginning part of the wedding (chapter 41) but it will just get complicated if i delete it since people already read it, so please don't think I'm that big of a tease, it was an honest mistake! anyways... for now, i have some extra chapters tucked away that happened before the big day, so i hope it's okay if i upload them as an apology, or just material that some readers might enjoy for now, thank you for being patient, and know that i really do value what you guys think, it brings me absolute joy that there are people out there who are eager to read my chapters! i promise i'll try my best not to disappoint anyone! ...i hope !