Chapter Three: Girlfriend?

They had a good enough dinner that night, nothing out of the ordinary—Riku not talking to Dark, Dark not talking to Riku, Risa looking worried and Daisuke feeling out of place. Absolutely normal.

Riku's POV

'What the hell is wrong with me?! Dark is Daisuke's best friend and Daisuke is the new boyfriend of my sister. If I don't talk to Dark soon, Risa will have a nervous breakdown. I have to be nice to both Daisuke and Dark, no matter how much I'll regret it later. Not only are they…friends visiting but they are guests and it is my—and Risa's—responsibility to make them feel welcomed. Oh, God, there's no way out of this.'

Normal POV

"So...Dark, what are you doing now? Teasing all the girls who don't fall head over heels for you?" Riku asked him, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She buried her head in her hands, her elbows on the table. She did not want to do this.

At first, Dark was surprised to hear Riku speak to him at all—who wouldn't be? They stopped talking to each other years ago and he could still remember the last thing he said to her. He turned to look at her and saw her slumped form. He sighed.

She was just doing this for her sister, he could understand that.

"If only I knew more girls like that, I just can't seem to find them these days. I'm an engineer…and to be polite, how about you?" he asked, smirking a little to lighten the room's mood. Daisuke and Risa were looking as if they were waiting for a bomb to explode.

"How sad…why don't I find some for you? Then you can try to make them all fall in love with you just like before. I'm an editor now." She leaned on her chair, still not making eye contact with Dark but thanking him for not making it so hard for her. That had to be a first.

"An editor? Yeah right and I'm a fashion designer's intern! You are really underrating yourself, sis. I've been working with self-absorbed, conceited snobs and you are not one of them. 'Ku, you're the CEO of one of the biggest magazines in the world and you're still saying that you're only an editor?!" Risa shrieked in indignation.

"Eh, how else will I introduce myself to people, huh? Hello, I'm Riku Harada, the CEO of Modern, one of the biggest magazines in world?"

"You are the CEO of one of Modern! Am I not right Daisuke?" She immediately looked straight at Daisuke.

Daisuke nodded enthusiastically with a grin on his face as a reply. Then she looked at Dark.

"How about you Dark, don't you think I'm right?"

He shook his head. If anything, Riku thought he'd be the first to take a chance to tease her and her 'ways' as he called them when they were younger.

"Nah, that'd be such a pain. Publicity's not my strong point so you shouldn't be asking me that. Plus, I've met with the president of Modern and he says his position before his own name, it was degrading more than anything else."

Riku clapped her hands when she heard this. 'Finally someone understands how it feels to have Risa as my sister. Well…Mr. Thompson really is an arrogant bastard.'

Risa looked at Dark with flames in her eyes, and then she glared at Riku.

"Fine," Risa sighed as she crossed her arms across her chest and started sulking like a child. "If you want to be looked down upon on, it's fine with me. As long as I can say that we are in no way related anymore in public, deal?" she demanded, as if she finally found a silver lining in her 'huge' problem.

"Whatever you say, Ris." Riku said with a smile.

"Now then, Risa, where do you think we can go out tomorrow? I hear that it's going to be a sunny day without a cloud in the sky," Daisuke changed the topic, clearly trying to lessen the tension in the room.

"Where should we go? Let's see…how about that great art museum everyone's talking about, what's its name again?"

"The New York Art Museum?" Riku suggested, suppressing a laugh. Her sister really was an airhead sometimes.

"Don't be a wiseass, 'Ku. Anyway, I think we should go there then we can eat at one of those nice restaurants around the museum. After we go to the places you want to go to we could head to Central Park and watch the sunset. Wouldn't that be romantic, Daisuke?" Risa asked with a dreamy look on her face.

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Daisuke agreed with a happy smile.

All the while the two love birds were talking, Dark received an important message on his Palm Pilot and Riku went to the kitchen to talk with two maids.

After a few minutes, the table was cleared and Riku announced that dessert was going to be served soon. She was at the head of the table, waiting for the maids to bring in the sundaes she made, with her own homemade ice cream and chocolate sauces.

"Yes! Dessert! What are we having tonight, 'Ku? It's been a long time since you've made anything, I can't wait!" Risa exclaimed gleefully, giggling.

"You actually cook?" was Dark's reaction to Risa's questions. He then looked at Riku with a sincerely surprised expression on his face.

"Yeah, my mom and I did some dishes when I was younger and when I was old enough my parents got me my own cooking teacher. But unfortunately, my dear sister can't even boil an egg since she was too lazy to learn." Riku glared at said sister before rolling her eyes at Daisuke.

"I feel sorry for you, Dai," Dark muttered with his trademark smirk.

"Why would you feel sorry for me?" Daisuke asked skeptically.

"Because you're possible future wife can't cook," Dark declared before he started laughing hard.

At hearing the statement, both Risa and Daisuke blushed and the latter mumbled something incoherent under his breath.

But before anyone could stop Dark, his phone rang and at that same moment something crashed in the kitchen. Riku's face darkened and she was ready to scold the person who had made whatever broke to break. She left her seat and paid no heed to the growing fear and disgust on Dark's face.

Dark look horrified, as if the number that flashed on his phone was of a murderer's. "Shit," he growled, clenching and unclenching his jaw.

"What's wrong?" Daisuke asked from across him, concern chasing off the blush on his cheeks.

"It's Saehara's kid. Remember the girl that kept stalking me? Damn, I thought she wouldn't get my number this time."

"Don't you have a TRO against her?" Dai inquired, realizing the seriousness of the situation, his breath unsteady.

"It expired, I guess. Dammit, what the hell am I going to do?"

"What are you guys so worried about? It's only a fan girl, you should be used to that by now, aren't you, Dark?" Risa voiced out, confusion and worry alternately taking her features.

Dark looked up from his phone just in time to see Riku taking her seat, her eyebrows furrowed from the tension she could feel in the room. A slow smile made its way to Dark's handsome, chiseled face. His best friend noticed the light glinting in his eyes and he knew Dark's mind was forming a plan that would get him into serious trouble later on.

"Dark, what are you thinking?" But he was too late.

"Riku!" The violet-haired man called happily and grinned when he saw the surprise in the elder Harada's eyes as she turned to look at him.

"Huh?" was all that she could get out before something was shoved roughly into her hand. It was only then that she noticed her archenemy standing right in front of her.

"I need to ask you a favor. Could you please answer this call and tell the girl that I want nothing to do with her?" He stopped before awkwardness settled on his face. "You could add somewhere that you're my girlfriend—" He held up a hand when he saw the anger, suddenly replacing the shock, radiating from the brunette. "I told her that I'm with my girlfriend and she knows that Dai's with Risa."

Riku glanced at her sister. She was smiling broadly, giving her a thumbs-up sign. Daisuke was pleading her with his eyes. "Please, Riku, Megumi's…crazy, to put it lightly. She even broke into Dark's house! I was visiting then and she almost gave us heart attacks…please, Riku?" Daisuke asked with a terrified smile. The phone in her hand continued to ring, the tone was making her head ache.

She glared at Dark. "Fine but I'm only doing this for my sister." She pressed the answer button on the phone and held it to her ear before she could back out and give her sister a mental breakdown.

"Hello?" she snapped when deafeningly loud music reached her ears. "What the hell do you want?" She scowled at the whiny voice on the other line.

"Who is this? This is Dark's phone, who are you?" the same irritating, high-pitched voice cried out hysterically.

"I know that this is his phone, you dimwit. You're disturbing us. He's out right now so leave a message. I'll be hanging up on you in about two seconds." Dark returned to his seat with a small, grateful smile. Her scowl only got worse when the girl started screaming in her ear.

"ARE YOU HIS GIRLFRIEND?!" Riku had to distance the phone from her ear in fear of losing her hearing altogether. The music continued blaring in the background, making Riku's head hurt more than she could ever remember.

Riku rolled her eyes at all of them. Risa and Daisuke were trying to stifle their laughter and Dark looked uncomfortable. "Of course I am."

"So he wasn't lying when he told me that he would be out with his girlfriend tonight…" Suddenly the girl laughed. "Oh well, good for you. Sadly, he doesn't stay with anyone too long so it's better you're with him now than when he'll be ready to settle. Thanks, love." Megumi giggled to herself and Riku could feel her blood boiling. Just who did this girl think she is? Even if she wasn't Dark's real girlfriend, this Megumi person didn't have a right to mock her.

Riku scoffed. "Oh, so you're still going to stalk Dark? Sadly, he doesn't like you so it's better that you just give up now than later when he'll be settling with me and I'll be forced to take care of you myself. Too bad, love," Riku answered scathingly, mocking the girl with a triumphant grin.

"Do you actually believe he's going to ask you to marry him? If he won't even go out with me, what makes you think that he's going to propose to you?"

"He said so himself, of course." This Megumi girl was really starting to get on her nerves. What did she think of her?

"NEVER!" Megumi shrieked so loudly that Riku had to bring the phone away from her ear again.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I think you mean 'forever'."

"What's your name?" the Saehara demanded angrily, Riku could practically feel her anger but she knew she could handle her even with her hands tied behind her back.

"Riku Harada." She raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"I'll get you, Riku Harada." Then the line went dead.

"Thanks, Riku. I owe you one." Dark turned to look at her when she handed him back his phone. He pocketed it and smiled at her gratefully.

"That was a…nice experience," she muttered, putting two fingers on her temples and then looking at Dark.

The sundaes finally arrived and Risa didn't stop questioning her sister and then talking about their date with Daisuke. Before long, Risa declared it late enough to offer a room to their guests. She looked expectantly at her sister.

"Come on, 'Ku, it would be rude if we let them leave at this hour!" Risa cried out with a pleading look. Of course she'd want Daisuke to stay the night.

Riku looked at the clock and saw that it was already midnight. She nodded. "Okay, it's fine with me but we shouldn't force them to stay, Risa."

"I'd love to stay, I'm already exhausted anyway. Thanks you guys." Daisuke smiled at the twins before locking hands with his girlfriend and heading upstairs.

Riku and Dark were left alone in the dining table.

The elder Harada sighed. "Okay then, I'll show you to your room?" she suggested, standing up from the nearly deserted table.

"Nah, you don't have to." Dark shook his head with a smirk.

"I'd be rude if I left you looking for an empty room," Riku protested, unconsciously placing her hands on her hips.

"Don't worry about it. My boss designed your house; I think I even have the blueprints in my office." He had to bite his tongue when he almost said 'I could probably sneak into your balcony with my eyes closed', that would just be pushing his luck.

Riku started walking but still had a skeptic look on her face. She sighed then nodded. "If you say so. Just pick from the three guest bedrooms. Daisuke will probably sleep in Risa's room…" Riku shrugged.

Dark nodded at her with another smile. She left without saying good night and Dark found himself wondering why it was affecting him so much.