Chapter 15

Seiya grinned mischievously at me, and I gave him a kiss.

"Well, darling, are you excited?"

"A bit. Are you sure you want to buy an apartment right away? I mean, they're pretty expensive." He reassuringly placed a hand on my thigh.

"Let that be my concern." He winked and started driving.

During the drive, I glanced at my phone. No message from Motoki. That was a good sign. "Oh, since you have your phone in hand, why don't you ask Minako if she's free later?" Seiya said, and I looked at him in surprise.

"Why?" Seiya's grin widened.

"Because Yaten has been nagging me all week about seeing her again. I think those two could use a little push."

Of course, Minako had mentioned him occasionally, and by occasionally, I mean at every opportunity. She had been most upset about not exchanging numbers, but when I asked her if I should ask Seiya about it, she just blushed and vigorously shook her head. Well, who doesn't want it, doesn't get it. It was kind of cute how Seiya was now trying his hand at being a matchmaker, but it could bring more complications for me if Mina ended up with Yaten. Damn dilemma. But even if I wanted to, I couldn't stand in the way of her happiness. After all, she was my best friend, and had been since middle school. She couldn't give up her happiness because of my problems.

"Darling?"

Oops. I had drifted off in thought again and completely forgot to respond. "Yes, I think you're right. Mina has talked a lot about him too. What do you want to do?"

"Movie?"

My now sluggish alarm bells rang softly. The movie theater was in the middle of the city. We just had to make sure we weren't seen when entering. It would be dark inside the theater. It could work.

"Sounds good. I'll ask her."

Mina? Movie tonight with Yaten and Seiya?

It only took a few seconds.

Yes. I'm in. Have you made a decision yet? Mamoru will be back soon.

No, of course not. How could I? Mamoru had a mysterious big secret from me. Since not even Motoki wanted to help me further, I had to endure the situation until he returned.

No, see you later.

"She's coming. Have you already talked to Yaten?" Seiya flashed me another enchanting smile.

"It was his idea." Shortly after, he parked in front of the first apartment.

The real estate agent was already waiting for us since the apartments were not far apart, so we could visit them one after the other.

The last one was clearly my favorite: a large, bright, open kitchen with an island and bar, a bathroom with a whirlpool, and 4 generously sized rooms. But when I saw the price, I squinted my eyes before I started hyperventilating. That was something Seiya would have to handle alone; I was out. Apartments in this price range were simply unattainable for me. I didn't want it to be said that I had pressured Seiya into buying this apartment. He wanted to buy it, so he should make the decision.

I stood on the balcony while he talked to the real estate agent, leaning against the railing and gazing out at the illuminated city. The view was breathtaking. Suddenly, two strong arms wrapped around my waist, and Seiya lowered his head to my ear.

"I think we'll take it. What do you say?" he whispered softly.

"Seiya, that's for you to decide. As I said, I'm practically broke, and apartments like this are out of reach for me." He gently turned me to face him, lifted my chin slightly, and gave me a kiss.

"Alright, let me ask differently. Would you feel comfortable in this apartment?"

"Yes, I think so. But isn't it a bit too big for us? What would you do with so many rooms?"

He thought for a moment and put on his mischievous grin before continuing.

"Bedroom, guest room, office, living room, and children's room."

Children's room?! Did I understand that correctly? He wanted children? With me? That had never been a topic before. Did he mean it seriously? I felt a slight panic setting in.

"Then I'll tell the agent now that we'll take it, and tonight we'll celebrate."

Until now, I had never thought about having children. I had my hands full with other issues. Seiya gave me another kiss and then went back to the agent to discuss the details. I wasn't even sure how I would handle Seiya and Mamoru, and Seiya was already planning our future children. Oh dear. It didn't take long, and Seiya came back with a key in his hand.

"We'll handle the legal matters when I'm back in town, but since the apartment is already vacant, we can move in immediately. I just had to sign this paper." Seiya wrapped his hands around my hips and pulled me into his arms. I beamed up at him. He had actually bought this dream apartment for us. Then another voice in my head spoke up.

He's really planning a future with children and everything that goes with it. Meanwhile, I was just happy if I made it through a week as planned. My head rested on his chest, and I listened to his steady heartbeat. Suddenly, Seiya's phone rang loudly, causing us to separate.

"Yes? ... Oh, damn... We forgot the time... We're practically on our way," I heard him say. He scratched his head in embarrassment, and I looked at him expectantly.

"Minako and Yaten are already at the cinema; they're getting the tickets now. We need to hurry."

He was right; we had completely forgotten about the time due to all the apartment viewings. It was already pitch dark outside. Seiya parked in the cinema's parking garage, and we hurried up the stairs to the cinema. Yaten and Minako were sitting together on a couch, and from afar, you could see that they really liked each other. I couldn't help but grin; they made a good match. Then suddenly, I got startled.

A young girl was pointing her phone directly at the two of them.

Then I realized that my fingers were tightly intertwined with Seiya's. Within seconds, my pulse reached a new high. I immediately let go of Seiya's hand and took a big step to the side. Please, please, please let there be no footage of us. Seiya raised an eyebrow in question and looked at me. "Everything okay, darling?"

I nodded towards the girl, who still had her phone pointed directly at Mina and Yaten. Seiya's response was an annoyed eye roll. Nothing more. He respected my boundary, even if he didn't like it.

With some distance between us, we approached the two of them. I sat down next to Mina, and Seiya positioned himself provocatively in front of us, blocking the girl with the phone with his back.

"Where were you guys for so long? We thought you wouldn't make it on time," Mina scolded me immediately.

"We bought an apartment. It took a while," I whispered to her. Mina's eyes widened.

"What about M?" Mina whispered quietly into my ear.

Seiya and Yaten perked up their ears. Apparently, they didn't like it when we whispered.

"I'll tell you on Monday," I replied curtly. Finally, the cinema door opened, and we found our seats.

Since I wasn't there to object, Yaten and Minako had chosen a movie. To my disappointment, it wasn't a romantic film but a thriller. But I barely paid attention to the movie because I preferred cuddling with Seiya. Of course, I occasionally glanced over at Mina and Yaten. They were still so shy with each other; it was really cute to watch.

The next morning, my phone rang incessantly. I blinked at the clock. Who the hell is this person bothering me at 6 o'clock on a Saturday... Shit. It must be important. No one would disturb me at this time otherwise. In a fraction of a second, I was wide awake, grabbed my phone, and went to the living room so as not to wake Seiya. Minako? I would have expected Diamond or Mamoru at this moment. But not her.

"Yes? What's up?" I grumbled, slightly annoyed.

"Have you seen it?" she asked excitedly.

"Seen what?" I grumbled, annoyed. Before my first coffee, I couldn't follow her.

"I sent you a link."

"Mina, why are you even awake? And what link?"

"Um... well... I just got home, and because I was still so hyped, I couldn't sleep, and then I stumbled upon it."

Minako's voice almost tripped over itself as she spoke so quickly.

"Mina, breathe. Where were you? What did you read? I'm not receptive yet."

"Yeah... um... I was with Yaten until just now..."

As she said it, I couldn't help but grin. I had already suspected that there was more going on between them.

"... Usa, we're in the news."

In shock, I dropped my phone. No, this couldn't be! I put Mina on speaker and clicked on the link she had sent me.

*** 2 out of 3 Kou brothers taken? Who are the beautiful blondes by their side?***

That was the fat, red headline that caught my eye. Dammit! A bit further down, there were actually pictures from last night at the cinema. One showed Minako and Yaten together on the couch, another showed all four of us from behind, and a third one only showed Seiya.

I breathed a sigh of relief. There was none that clearly identified me. Once again, luck was on my side. I need to be more careful in the future; it almost backfired again.