Chapter 13

Restlessly, I pulled out my apartment key and opened the door. It wasn't very late yet, so I made myself a cup of tea to calm down and sat down on the sofa with it. Then I took out my phone. Seiya had sent me a cheeky selfie of himself lying on the beach, sticking his tongue out teasingly. Great, and he calls that work.

"I'll come to the beach with you next time. So much for work," I replied.

Still no response from Diamond. I really wanted to know what had happened. Why did he have to leave so quickly? What was going on? Did it have something to do with Saphir or was something completely different going on?

I needed to distract myself. Unfortunately, there was nothing interesting on TV, but Minako's suggestion came to mind again. Writing down the pros and cons for each man. I pulled out some sheets of paper from the cupboard and sat back on the sofa. Using a book as a support, I started. I wrote Mamoru on the first sheet, Seiya on the second, and Diamond on the third.

Mamoru: Pros: First love, deep connection, long-term relationship, patient, loving, known him for almost my whole life, down-to-earth, knows all my quirks and loves me regardless, loyal, helpful, very thoughtful. Cons: Limited time due to his job, being in America.

Seiya: Pros: His laughter, open nature, humor, lightness, crazy ideas, spontaneity, the way he shows his love for me.

Suddenly, I stopped. My gaze returned to the page about Mamoru. Angry, I crumpled both sheets of paper and threw them against the wall. That wouldn't accomplish anything. I needed to know how my feelings had changed towards Mamoru. I would only find that out when he stood before me. Since his departure, he had been the center of my attention, but that was over a year ago. The only thing I was sure of was that I missed him.

My gaze shifted to the clock. It was 9 p.m. In Seattle, it was 4 a.m. at night. That was too late or too early to call. I wrapped a blanket around myself and hugged my legs.

Three men, oh Usagi, what have you gotten yourself into? It was clear that this was doomed to fail at some point. Damn it. Each of these men had their own advantages and disadvantages. Why couldn't I just bake the perfect man for myself?! Choosing between these men was really not easy.

But the worst part was that Diamond apparently had an unpredictable brother. Even Diamond himself wouldn't rule out an attempted murder on my part, and that scared me. I was already relatively certain about ending things with Diamond, but this confirmed it immensely. If only it weren't so difficult to find the right words when he was standing in front of me. Whenever I was near him, my brain would shut off and let my body take control, and it only sought satisfaction from him. It was like a vicious cycle; once his dark eyes met mine, it was over. Helplessly, I buried my hands in my hair.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and I flinched. I was home alone, had indirectly received a death threat, and Diamond had been hastily summoned by his father. It rang again, and I gathered my courage and tiptoed to the door, arming myself with an umbrella along the way. I stretched up to the peephole, but I couldn't see anything. There was no one in front of the apartment door, so the person must be downstairs in front of the building. My heart pounded wildly. Trembling, I picked up the receiver of the intercom. "Hello," I croaked softly. Silence.

Carefully, I hung up the receiver again. Maybe someone had just gotten the wrong address or simply wanted to enter the building. Was I becoming paranoid already? I decided to go to bed. There had been enough excitement for one day. Just as I reached my bedroom door, there was a loud knock on my door. Shit. What if it was his brother? Was it time for his revenge now? I started to panic and felt a tightness in my chest. The knocking grew louder.

"Usagi! Open the door! I know you're in there!"

Diamond shouted from the other side, and my body relaxed slightly. Even though my knees were still weak, I managed to make my way back to the apartment door. With trembling hands, I opened the door and fell directly into Diamond's arms. He effortlessly lifted me up, closed the door, and instinctively walked towards my living room. He sat me down somewhat roughly on the sofa and stood opposite me. He was cool and distant. His gaze briefly swept the room before settling on me.

"Usagi, I'm leaving for South America tonight. There was a fire on our estate, and I need to assess the situation on-site." He handed me a bracelet.

"This is an emergency bracelet. There's a small button on the side. If you press it for three seconds, an alarm will be triggered, and GPS tracking will activate. Put it on and don't take it off. No matter what happens!" he urged.

I swallowed and nodded, trying to get rid of the tight lump in my throat.

"Why do you have to go there?" I hoarsely croaked, but deep down, I was glad that any sound came out of my lips at all.

"Saphir was officially in that house. He has been missing for a few hours now," he gritted his teeth, and I began to understand. He wanted to find out if his brother had really been in the house and, if he was, whether he had made it out. I fastened the bracelet around my left wrist. He kissed my hairline.

"I'll contact you when I'm back. Remember, press for three seconds, and a team will come."

I watched him as he made his way to the door. His gaze lingered a moment too long on my sideboard, and then I saw it. The picture of Seiya and me was still there. Shit. There were other pictures of me and my friends as well, but I was sure he had seen it. In that picture, I was lying here on the sofa in Seiya's arms, looking up at him with a radiant smile. It was one of our first pictures together. Diamond didn't say anything; he just shook his head and left without turning back. I heard my apartment door close, and an unpleasant chill ran down my spine.

I sat on the sofa for a while, staring at the picture of Seiya and me. How could I be so stupid and not put it away? I always tidied up everything else. Why was I being so careless? I sighed deeply and got up. I went to my bedroom and packed a small bag with essential items for emergencies. I placed it in the hallway, right behind the front door. My nerves were on edge after this day.

Restless, I filled the bathtub, hoping it would help me relax. But it was all in vain. Wide awake, I tossed and turned in bed, from one side to the other and back again. It was still strange to have the big bed all to myself. I grabbed my phone. It was around 6 a.m. in Seattle. Mamoru had always been an early riser. I knew his voice could surely calm me down. Call Mamoru. It rang several times.

"Bunny? Are you okay?" he answered, sounding concerned.

"Yes, I just can't sleep."

I heard a soft laugh from him. "What's weighing on your mind?"

Even from this distance, I couldn't fool him; he knew me too well. "Oh, I don't know. I have so much on my mind right now." I couldn't exactly tell him about Diamond and his disturbed brother.

"When don't you have a hundred things on your mind? I've often wondered how you manage to keep track of it all," he teased.

"I've told you before, only a genius can comprehend the chaos."

He laughed again, and it brought a smile to my face as well.

"Bunny? Can you do me a favor?" I became attentive.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I've given notice to the subtenant in my apartment. He'll be moving out early next week. Could you please do the final inspection of the apartment and receive my boxes with Motoki?" My heart skipped a beat. He was actually coming back soon.

"Yes, of course, I can do that. It's no problem at all. I'm really looking forward to having you back here."

Then there was a brief silence. "Hmm... me too."

"Mamo, what's going on with you? You sound thoughtful." Not only did he know me very well, but I could also tell from his tone that he wasn't entirely present in our conversation. He was hiding something, and I could sense it immediately.

"No, it's nothing. I've just been away from Tokyo for so long..." he began, searching for the right words. A poor excuse; he was never good at lying. "...it will probably feel strange at the beginning when I'm back."

Okay, one point to him. Well saved. He was right; it would be very strange because it felt like everything in my life had changed since he left me here. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else he wasn't telling me.

"Yes, you might be right... Mamo? Do you still love me?" I don't know why I asked him that question now; it just came out of me.

"What kind of question is that? Of course, I love you, time hasn't changed that."

"I love you too, Mamo," I whispered to him.

"Then sleep well now, my Bunny. I have to go on duty."

I continued tossing and turning for a while longer. Mamoru was hiding something from me, and that was new to me. Until now, we hadn't kept any secrets from each other. Yes, I know, I shouldn't even start considering that, considering I had plenty of secrets of my own from him. But it just wouldn't let me go; I needed to know what he was hiding from me. Tomorrow, I would pay Motoki a visit. He was just as bad at lying as Mamoru. If Motoki knew something, I would find out.