Hi everyone! I hope you had a splendid holiday! The New Year is approaching fast and my new year resolution is finishing this story with more timely updates! Once again, I really apologize for the sporadic chapter releases. It really means a lot how patient you all are. Thank you again for sticking with me. I hope you enjoy this one! Please Read and Review

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat or any of its characters.

Thirty-seven minutes had passed and Kyoko still had not moved. She continued to stare at herself in the mirror, as if waiting for her reflection to get up, turn around, and do what she had set out to do since this morning. But alas, it remained there, staring back at her with large timid eyes that seemed to grow larger by the second. She glanced behind her at the jacket folded neatly on the couch cushion. Kyoko had to give it back. There was no doubt about that.

But the threat of running into him was all too real. She wasn't ready to see him again so soon! Her stomach was still tied up in knots whenever she thought about him talking to her, smiling at her…holding her. A shiver traveled down her body.

This was ridiculous! She was a grown woman for goodness sake! And the first thing to do was to go over there, regardless if he was there or not, and give the jacket back!

She whimpered as the fear surged in her throat.

Dropping her head into her open hands, she closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. Why was this so hard? She was just going to return what was rightfully his, maybe exchange a couple of words, and that was it. She would be back in the safe haven of her dressing room in no time.

Kyoko rolled her eyes at her pathetic attempt to make the task at hand sound so frivolous. If there was anything that last night taught her, it was that nothing came simple when it involved that man. She leaned her chin into the palm of her hand, looking back at her forlorn expression.

When her eyes dropped down to her lips, she suddenly felt an unfamiliar heat pool at her cheeks as she remembered the kiss...

Sho, the one man she thought would never even look her way, had kissed her. For years she had dreamt for that moment to happen, fantasized at how amazing it would feel. She should be thrilled, ecstatic, bouncing off the walls. It was her dream come true…wasn't it?

Then why did it feel so out of place? Yes, it was sweet and gentle like she thought it would be, but a part of her almost—recoiled from it. Why?

"Maybe I built it up too much in my head," she murmured to the desolate room. "I mean, I've been waiting for this moment my entire life. Expectations like that can't surely be met in just two seconds, right?"

Silence.

She dragged a hand down her face. "I'm losing it."

Rising to her feet, she walked over to the couch and looked down at the jacket. She'll deal with her confusing feelings about the kiss later. Right now, she had a task to do and it will be a task she'll finish. Kyoko picked up the coat and held it to her chest, breathing in deeply. The same minty scent came back and muddled her thoughts for a split second before she quickly held it away. That wasn't helping in the slightest.

So grabbing at any faint wisps of determination she had, she made her way out of the dressing room, holding the jacket at a safe distance away. She recalled the first time she had seen him after she had been released from the hospital. He mentioned his dressing room was right across from hers. And lo and behold, there it stood, with the same large, gold star glued in the center, but with the name TSURGA REN written in elegant silver cursive instead.

"Alright," Kyoko muttered to herself as she rocked on the balls of her feet, staring at the door. "Just two knocks. Only two. And what if he isn't even there? Then you're getting all scared over nothing!"

But what if he is?

Her closed fist froze two inches from the door.

"Oka-a-a-a-ay…one knock it is." Sucking in a deep breath, she knocked once, but instead of hearing a deep resonating sound, the door suddenly swung forward. She panicked for three seconds, expecting to see him standing at the door with a confused look upon his face when strangely enough, nothing happened.

Feeling like God had finally thrown her a bone, she shook her fist in the air in victory. He wasn't there! Kyoko quickly glanced over her shoulder to check if anyone was around. The coast was clear. Good. Now all she had to do was go in and out. Simple as that. Drop off the jacket and then high tail it out of there. Easy. She can do this.

Holding her breath, she carefully opened the door wider. The layout of the room was pretty much the same as hers, except it sported leather couches instead of velvet, an intimidating entertainment system that looked way too scary to even look at, and much less closet space. In fact, it was quite a simple room, practically bare without any personalized belongings at all.

"Alright, in and out, Kyoko. In and out," she chanted under her breath.

She walked over to the long couch and placed it on the center cushion so that there would be no way he could miss it. "There," Kyoko declared with a quick pat upon the thick fabric. "Mission accomplished."

Expecting for him to walk in any minute, Kyoko quickly made her way around the seat and was about to make a mad dash out the door when something peculiar caught her eye. She turned to the wall on her right and found herself staring at a familiar picture. Her eyes suddenly widened in recognition.

"What—?"

It was the same picture, the same chiffon ball-gown dress, the same intimate stance, the same smile upon her face, the same man whose arm was wrapped tightly around her waist.

She had the same picture in her dressing room. And here it was, hanging on his wall. Why? He didn't have any other photos, none of his family, friends, or even himself, and yet, he put up this one?

Kyoko shook her head defiantly when she sensed her thoughts traveling down a dangerous road. This didn't have to mean anything. So he put up a picture of her and him…what of it? Maybe he just liked this picture in particular because of the way he was dressed. His decision to frame the photo had nothing to do her. It was just purely a coincidence that she was the one standing beside him. It could have easily been any other woman.

And yet…it was her. She was the one standing beside him when he was filled with such joy. He chose to hang this photo. Only this one. Was it bizarre that it had her feeling happy? Was she completely out of her mind that she felt special? Was she going crazy?

Kyoko shook her head back and forth.

Yes, you are crazy! Don't make such a big deal about this! It has nothing to do with you. You're not special to him. You're nothing to him!

Her heartbeat strangely slowed to a dull thump as she looked up at the picture. A strange disappointed smile curved at the corner of her lips.

That's right, I'm nothing to—

The door creaked open.

Nearly shrieking in terror, she whipped towards the entrance and felt her eyes pop out of her head.

His stunned expression matched hers.

His arm remained outstretched on the doorknob, unmoving.

OH MY GOD!

Quickly lowering her head to hide the unadulterated horror upon her face, she clasped her hands tightly together and bumbled in a shaky voice, "H-h-hello, Tsuruga-san!"

No, no, no! This can't be happening! What do I do? What do I do? WHAT DO I D—?

"Hello, Mogami-san."

She tentatively raised her head, surprised to see him so unaffected by her trespassing presence. He wore a light beige sweater over a pair of dark-wash jeans this time. It was an outfit much more casual than she was used to seeing him in, but even then, he still managed to look like high class. When she realized she had been gawking at him for far too long, she stood up straighter and without giving herself the time she needed to say something even remotely intelligent, she ended up stammering, "H-h-hi."

Oh my god, someone please kill me.

"Is everything alright? I mean," he cleared his throat and lowered his arm back down to his side. "Can I help you with something, Mogami-san?"

"N-n-no! I mean, yes! I just wanted to return your jacket to you as soon as possible, but since you weren't here, I decided to leave it on your couch so you could see it…" Kyoko trailed off as she pointed a trembling finger at his garment upon the couch.

Ren turned to look at it, recognition flashing in his eyes. Then looking up to meet her hesitant gaze, he smiled. "Thank you."

Kyoko's breath caught.

This was different. This was undeniably, one hundred percent, different. The way he was looking at her, the way he smiled…Kyoko could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as he walked through the doorway. He was closing the distance between them. Albeit unintentionally, but she didn't want him to come any closer. If he saw how badly she was shaking, he was going to get the wrong idea. If he saw how she was barely holding herself together, he was going to think it was because of him.

Because the minute she saw him, her heart had fluttered. It fluttered in a way that scared her. No one was supposed to make her feel like this. No one except for Sho.

But why did she keep remembering the way he had wrapped his arms around her? How warm it felt to be in his embrace? And even more perplexing, why did she want to go back? Was she star-struck? Was she just so in awe of his fame that she was becoming fan-crazed?

Kyoko dug her nails deep into the palm of her hand.

She had to get out of here.

She had to put some distance between them.

She had to stay away.

She had to—

Her eyes refocused at the movement before her. He was standing barely an arm's length away, his gaze holding her hostage. She stared up at him with her heart in her throat. No words came to mind. Nothing could explain the way she was feeling. All she could do was look at him, wait for his cue.

Ren looked up at the picture. His lips curved into a reminiscent smile. "You won your first award that night."

"Huh?"

He nodded towards the photo.

"I did?" she squeaked, her eyes still locked on his face.

Nodding without meeting her gaze, he murmured in a pleasant timbre, "I remember how nervous you were that day. It was your first televised award ceremony and you erroneously felt your nomination was undeserved. It was only after much persuasion that you finally believed it was real and accepted the invitation. On the day of, your hands were shaking so badly that you had to abandon your purse inside the limo because you could barely hold onto it." He looked down at the floor and let out an amused chuckle. "When we were walking down the red carpet, you didn't even smile. You were so focused on not tripping on your gown that you didn't spare a single glance at the cameras. You weren't enjoying yourself at all."

He met her wide-eyed stare with a calm, unwavering gaze. "The minute I pulled you beside me, you finally looked up. I remember the alarm that flashed behind your eyes. I didn't know what else to do, but laugh, hoping that maybe my cheerfulness will ease your worries. You were confused at first, but eventually responded with a laugh of your own." Ren smiled as his brown eyes glazed over in memory. "It was the sweetest laugh, filled with innocence, uncertainty, and just a hint of fear. But the photographers loved it. The lights flashed like mad as they tried to capture your beauty.

"I could feel your nerves slowly unwind as you let the joy wash over you. You took in a deep breath and finally drank in a night that was wholly yours. When you walked up the stage to accept the award for female role of the year, your eyes swam with emotion. You graciously thanked the people who helped you, the cast and crew, your family, and your fans. The entire auditorium erupted in applause as you gracefully bowed in gratitude. Everyone loved you."

"Everyone?"

He turned to see her eyes glisten with unshed tears, the blazing question reflecting underneath. He suddenly moved closer to her and without the slightest hint of hesitation, he cupped her cheek with his hand. She closed her eyes, the tears flowing freely.

"How do you know all that?" she whispered in a trembling voice. "How can you know so much about me when I barely know anything about you?"

"Can you think of no reason as to why?"

Her eyes wrenched open, meeting his heated gaze. He was looking at her with such desperation, as if she had the answer to everything and all she needed to do was to put two and two together. But the answer that was settling in the back of her mind, the answer that her heart was certain of, didn't make any sense.

She tried to ignore it. She tried to dismiss it as nothing but nerves. Every flutter she felt when he spoke, every twinge of recognition when he touched her, every pang whenever he turned away, they were all tricks her body was playing on her. It had to be. Because Tsuruga Ren didn't fit into the life she had discovered. He was an anomaly that threw everything off track. He was the one mystery she was afraid of solving, somehow understanding that his secret was going to undo everything she knew.

Gently caressing her porcelain skin with the pad of his thumb, he closed the tiny space between them and brought his other hand to her cheek until he was cradling her face within his large hands. "You're scared," he murmured, looking down into her eyes.

Kyoko took in a shaky breath, inhaling his familiar minty scent. She was. She was so scared. And yet—

"What are we?" she asked weakly. "What am I to you?"

"If I answer that," he replied, "everything will change."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll lose the life you found."

Kyoko's eyes widened in alarm, her heart pounding to a stop.

He watched the panic flare in her eyes like wildfire. The need to reveal everything was burning a hole in his gut. It took every ounce of his restraint to bite down on his tongue and instead focus on the distress he was causing her. Unable to witness her so clearly distraught, he assured, "But that doesn't mean you have to. Nothing needs to change, Mogami-san. You can continue leading the life that you have. There's nothing wrong with that. You can live the way you are and everything will be just fine. "

"Live in my delusion?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "No, not a delusion. A delusion implies something that isn't real or true. But your happiness is. What you're feeling, all of it is real. You're just merely on a different path than the one you were on before. You don't have to go back. You don't have to give anything up."

Taking in a much needed breath of air, he said, "This is your choice. I won't make it for you nor will I do anything to sway your decision." He backed away and restored the safe distance that would keep him from throwing his resolve out the window. "I won't rob you of your happiness out of my own selfishness. But because you have lost so much control of your life since the accident, I want to be able to at least give you this."

So tethering the burning desire to reach out for her slender frame once more, he silently turned around and left.

He left her standing alone with her heavy heart throbbing in her chest.

Kyoko lifted a trembling hand to her cheek and felt wetness upon her skin. Despair clutched at her throat, twisting and squeezing until she let out a shaky gasp. She wanted to call out to him, even though she shouldn't. She wanted to run after him and demand to know everything, but she couldn't.

She didn't move.

She stood still with her cell phone vibrating in her back pocket.

Her phone had been calling for a while now, but she had ignored it. She had dismissed it because there was nothing that could hold her attention but the man who had stood before her. But he was gone. The fire that drew her in like a moth to a flame had disappeared.

Her phone continued to shake.

She knew he was calling.

She knew he was wondering where she was.

He was reminding her that her heart belonged—should belong— to him.

She made no move.

She could only stare at the empty doorway, trying to muster up the will to answer her Prince's call.