A/N: Shorter chapter, but I got it out pretty fast! Considering the wait for the last chapter. Again, it would be much appreciated if you could leave me a review to let me know how you're liking it.

Chapter 8

Zane POV

Aster and I did a make up Valentine's celebration the day after. I could have stayed mad at him for being late, but staying mad at him was not the right answer. We were going to have countless more arguments from here on out. We couldn't let one little mishap ruin our relationship.

We had dinner and we celebrated a month of being engaged. he would never admit it, but Aster was a true romantic. He knew exactly what to say and do to set a mood. That is if there is nothing to ruin the mood.

A week later, Loren called to ask if he could meet with Aster to talk about scheduling. Finally. Loren had been just scheduling things and then throwing them at Aster expecting him to drop everything and go. It's not like Aster needed as much publicity as he was getting. He was the number one ranked duelist after all. Loren justified it by saying it was improving his reputation. As if Aster really cared about that.

I reading a newspaper as Aster and Loren talked in the living room. Well, I was more looking at the pages while listening to their conversation.

"I called Henry and he gave me some of the events that you did while he was your manager. I figured these ones would be good for you. I called back about the convention in Tokyo but they said that they couldn't schedule you without conflicting with something else."

I let out a sigh of relief. I really didn't want Aster to be away for that long.

"But I did get an okay on the convention in San Francisco. I got you a time slot in three days."

"San Francisco? Loren you were supposed to okay that with me before going ahead. You were supposed to call them and then tell me what they said before I gave you the okay."

"Well I figured it would be good for your international reputation."

"I already have an international reputation."

"Not a very good one. This is a good one. Maximillion Pegasus will be there. If we can get some photos of you with him, it'll be great for you. Besides it wouldn't look good on either of us to pull out now and it's only four days."

Aster sighed as if thinking about it. "Will you hold on a minute, Loren?"

He got up and to my surprise, walked over to me, sitting in the chair next to me. He spoke low enough so that Loren wouldn't hear, but I don't think he was listening because he was reading some documents. "Zane, stop pretending to read the newspaper. I know you're eavesdropping."

I put it down and looked at him. "Well when you say it like that, it makes it sound like I'm a good-for-nothing rascal."

"Zane, please. So about the convention in San Francisco . . ."

Oh. He wanted me to help him decide. I sighed. "Aster, what do you want to do?"

"Well, if Pegasus really is going to be there, it would be a great opportunity to meet him. I know I could probably meet him through Dana's family. Her dad probably plays golf with him or something. But I couldn't use that meeting as a boost to my career. I have not gotten where I am today through personal connections."

I took his hand gently. "But you're worried about leaving me here all by myself for four days." He nodded. "Aster I'm not helpless. I can survive for four days. If you want to go then go. It's not like you're going away forever."

"You're right." He kissed my cheek. He stood up and turned back to Loren.

"I need to go get something from my office. I'll be right back." He walked away and I continued to pretend to read the newspaper.

"He can make decisions for himself, you know." What? Was that Loren speaking to me? I looked up and saw him looking at me, but his face wasn't the normal bright and confident face it normally was. Now it was darker, almost menacing and I didn't like that.

"I- I'm sorry what?"

"Aster. He's twenty-one. He doesn't need some brooding, pitiful, blue haired mess to make his decisions for him."

What exactly was he trying to get at? I almost wanted to argue right back, but I kept my cool. "Aster and I decided we'd make all our decisions together. It's part of being in a relationship, offering our opinions."

"That's what I'm here for. I offer my opinions and we sort out his career together."

Was he serious? "Aster met you a month ago. Of course he's going to trust my opinion more. We've been together for five years."

"Yeah, well it might not be much longer."

What the hell! I was about to spout off something about how we were engaged and that is a lifetime commitment we are making to each other. Yes he'd older than me but that Loren had no right to come in here and bash my relationship with Aster.

But then Aster came back in and Loren's face went back to how it normally was. They went back to talking and I just thought about my conversation with Loren. Or rather my argument with him. He has never acted like that before. Not once. What had gotten into him? Is he not exactly who we thought he was? But mostly I was just thinking about if I really wanted Aster to be alone with Aster for four days.

Ever since the new year, it's felt like I haven't seen much of Aster. Sure he slept at home most nights, if not every night, but during the days, he was out more and more. The few days we've had to ourselves have been spent with Aster stressed about his next event. The last time we actually had a time together without worrying about the season or publicity or whatever was New Year's Eve. Sure we had alone time, but it never lasted long.

It seemed like we were always scheduled opposite. I had duels when Aster didn't and when neither of us had duels, Loren had some event for Aster to go to or my manager had events fro me to go to. So whenever we had time together, we really just wanted to rest.

But really, when I thought about all of it, I realized that Aster was spending more time with Loren than with me lately. They are in San Francisco right now doing who knows what. I only agreed to let Aster go because getting that meeting with Pegasus would be great for his reputation. Who knows? Maybe Pegasus would agree to sponsor him. That would do great things for him. I would have gone with them but I had two duels over those four days so I couldn't. So now he was stuck with Loren all alone.

Loren. I had no idea what to think of that guy anymore. Originally I thought he would be a great asset to Aster's career, and while he has done all that he can, it also feels like my relationship with him has been the price. There is always something he has to go do. Yes we were engaged, yes we loved each other, but when you never get to see the other person, there is no telling what could change.

But ever since he came into our lives, he's put event after event on Aster's schedule. He didn't need to do all of these things so why did he continue to schedule them? Then there was the issue of Loren's attitude towards me. I've only ever interacted with him alone twice, but each time, his attitude changed. It was like I was an old enemy of his and he hated the sight of me. He talked to me in a way he would never talk with Aster. He said weird, cryptic things that made no sense. He commented on my relationship with Aster and how it was a hindrance to him. I would always say that he didn't understand and that Aster and I had a strong relationship.

Then he'd always say something like 'not much longer' or 'you never know.' What exactly was that supposed to mean? We were engaged. Nothing was supposed to tear us apart. SUre this time was a little inconveniencing but it wasn't anything we couldn't work through.

I mean it wasn't like Loren was doing all this on purpose. He just wanted to best for Aster's career. He wasn't . . . was he . . .

It couldn't be.

It wasn't that Aster was choosing to spend more time away from me? Aster wasn't scheduling these things himself and just saying that Loren was doing all of it so that I wouldn't get suspicious, was he? Was Aster getting tired of me? Was there something he needed that I could no longer offer him that Loren could? Had Aster moved on? Was our break up imminent because he was just going to run off with Loren?

That couldn't be true. Aster and I made a promise to each other to spend the rest of our lives together, and here comes Loren to ruin all of that. How is he better for Aster than I am?

I guess maybe they did spend a lot of time together ever since Loren was hired. Aster hadn't refused any of the events Loren had scheduled yet. Surely there had to be something he'd scheduled that Aster didn't want to do. Yet he went anyway. Was that because he wasn't actually going to events, just going somewhere with Loren?

But Aster had given me my own engagement ring? Did that mean he was serious about our relationship? Or was he going to marry me, but continue his affair with Loren?

No, he wouldn't do that. I have nothing to worry about.

Just then the phone rang. "Hello."

"Zane, it's me." It was Aster. Was he calling to tell me that he was about to get on his plane? He was supposed to be back tomorrow morning. "I was just calling to let you know that I have to stay another night. Pegasus requesting a meeting with me so I won't be home until the day after tomorrow around nine in the evening."

Oh. "Well, okay. I hope things go well. How was the rest of the convention?"

"I really can't talk right now. I only had a moment to call and let you know. I love you."

"I- I love you too." Then he hung up. What was he doing that was so important? Was he really meeting with Pegasus tomorrow? Or was that just an excuse? Was anything Aster said actually true anymore?