Chapter 17

On the way to my apartment, Mina continued to reassure me. I grabbed the key, and we headed to Seiya's apartment, or rather, our new apartment. Because I would be moving in with some of my belongings as well. Several boxes, all marked with a big "S," were already in the stairwell. From upstairs, we could already hear Seiya and Yaten's voices, engaged in their usual heated discussions.

"You're doing it completely wrong again. We've already tried it this way," Yaten grumbled.

"No, hold it here. I know now where our mistake was," Seiya countered.

The apartment door was wide open, so we could have skipped going to my apartment altogether. More boxes and stuff from Seiya were still present. Oh, he really had a lot left at Yaten's place. It would never have fit in my apartment, he was right about that.

Mina and I entered the apartment while Seiya and Yaten were still engrossed in their argument. They didn't even notice that we were watching them. I couldn't help but smile. These two had always been like that, but they were also always there for each other. Mina looked confused, glancing from the two bickering friends to me.

"Don't mind them, they're always like this," I whispered to her and couldn't hold back a laugh.

The two of them stood in the future bedroom, trying to assemble the bed. The emphasis was on "trying" because from what I saw so far, it didn't look very promising.

"If this doesn't work now, we'll call Taiki. I don't want to dismantle everything again," Yaten grumbled, then his gaze fell on me and Mina. Instantly, his expression brightened, and he waved happily.

Seiya had his back turned to us. "What part of 'hold it' didn't you understand? I have to screw in the bolt first."

I cleared my throat a bit louder, and he finally turned around.

"Oh, darling. You're already back." He approached me and gave me a light kiss on the lips.

"Yes, and as I can see, you've already spread out everywhere," I gestured to the numerous boxes, the open door, and the clutter in the stairwell.

"Yeah, it was a bit more than I expected," he laughed sheepishly.

Mina stood next to us, a blush adorning her cheeks. Yaten was still at the other end of the bedroom, glancing at her. It was too cute how neither of them knew how to interact with each other after that night. Like two newly infatuated teenagers. I nudged Seiya.

"Help me bring all the boxes into the apartment, so we don't get in trouble with the neighbors if everything is cluttered," I whispered in his ear. Of course, he didn't understand my hint.

"We can do that later. This way, we'll have more space to assemble the furniture."

"We have more than enough rooms here where we can put the stuff. Please help me now," I said calmly and nodded towards Minako and Yaten. How much can men miss the point? Finally, a light bulb went off in his head.

We carried all the household items into one of the empty rooms. Seiya said he would like to have an office in that room. That was fine by me. We had plenty of space here, and technically, it was his apartment.

After we had brought in the last box and finally closed the front door, we looked for Mina and Yaten. I glanced into the bedroom and, to my surprise, they had assembled the bed and were standing by the window. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and whispered something, unfortunately too softly for me to hear. I would have liked to know what they were talking about, even though I already had a hunch.

I felt Seiya standing behind me and leaned against him. Our bubble had grown, and it had grown massively. We now had a wonderful large apartment, and my best friend was getting involved with his brother. Oh, it could have been so beautiful if it weren't for Mamoru and Diamond. Yes, that annoying guilty feeling kept resurfacing. I pushed the thoughts aside as best I could.

We spent the rest of the day assembling furniture and organizing our belongings. Exhausted, we collapsed onto the sofa in the evening. Seiya ordered pizza for everyone, while Yaten connected the television. I felt comfortable in Seiya's arms, with Yaten and Mina beside us.

I didn't even notice that my phone was ringing. It wasn't until I received a light kick from Mina that I looked at my phone, which was lying open on the small coffee table, flashing "Mamoru" in capital letters. Great, Usagi, now your phone is on silent, and you're still risking everything. Why didn't I at least put it face down? Panicked, I jumped up and hurried to the balcony. I could see Seiya's bewildered gaze and Minako talking to him. Mina really was my savior in every way today, first with Motoki and now with Seiya.

"Hello?" I answered cheerfully.

"Hey, Bunny. How was your day?" Mamoru's voice came through the phone.

"Um... it was okay, and yours?" I was still slightly overwhelmed by his call and stole a furtive glance into the living room.

"It's currently 6 a.m. here. I have to start the early shift soon."

Ah, damn time difference.

"Right, I sometimes forget."

"Tell me, did everything go well with my furniture? Motoki didn't get back to me."

"Yeah, everything went fine, I told you already. All the furniture and boxes are..."

Damn it, I bit my tongue because I saw Seiya suddenly standing behind me.

"Hang on a moment," I said to Mamoru and then turned off my phone's microphone.

Seiya held a blanket in his hand and draped it over my shoulders. "It's chilly out here. Why don't you continue the call inside?"

"I didn't want to disturb you guys while watching the movie. I'll be finished here soon and come back inside. Thanks for the blanket." I quickly leaned up and gave him a kiss, then gently nudged him towards the door.

"...Okay, I'm back. Sorry, I'm currently out with Mina. Where was I? Oh yes, all the furniture and boxes arrived. I even sent you a picture," I said to Mamoru after turning the microphone back on.

"Bunny, are you okay? You're talking a mile a minute."

"No, everything is not okay, damn it. You left me alone here for over a year." Shit, did I just say that out loud? There was a deep exhale from Mamoru. Yes... I had really said it.

"Bunny... There's something you don't know," he began. I don't know why, but a raging anger suddenly boiled up inside me. I wanted to crawl through the phone to him.

"Oh really? Are you finally gracious enough to tell me?" I snapped back.

"I don't have the time for that right now, my shift is starting soon, I have to go for rounds. But I'll be back soon, please have a little patience. I'd rather tell you in person."

"Mamo, at least tell me, is it something bad?"

There was a moment of silence, and an uneasy feeling washed over me. He hesitated for too long. "Did you cheat on me?" I continued probing.

"Bunny, I don't want to discuss it over the phone, and no, I didn't. I love you."

A weight lifted off my chest. He loved me and hadn't cheated on me. But this little moment of relief didn't last long because I had cheated on him. I was even cheating on him in this very moment. I looked through the large window to Seiya, who was sitting on the sofa, laughing.

"I love you too, Mamoru," I whispered automatically.

"Bunny, it's only a few more days. Please give me time until I'm back."

"Okay. I have to go back inside now, it's quite chilly out here."

I swallowed and looked at my phone, Mamoru. Then I looked ahead again, Seiya. Lastly, my gaze fell on my wrist and the bracelet, Diamond. I covered my face with my hands. How could I have let it come this far? I pulled the blanket tighter around me and went back inside.

As I walked back into the living room, I felt the curious gazes of Seiya, Mina, and Yaten on me. They had noticed that my phone call wasn't pleasant. I sat down on the sofa and tried to sort out my thoughts, which wasn't easy. What had happened in Seattle that he couldn't tell me over the phone?

Seiya gently placed his hand on my shoulder. "Is everything okay, darling?" he asked, his eyes filled with compassion.

I sighed and nodded. "It's complicated, Seiya. There are still some things I need to sort out." My voice sounded soft and uncertain.

Then Seiya did something I didn't expect in that moment. He simply pulled me into his arms. That was his carefree and light-hearted nature again. He didn't bombard me with questions; he was just there, waiting for me to continue sharing or not. And I knew that even if I didn't tell him anything, it would be okay for him. I leaned my head against his shoulder.

After the movie, we said goodbye to Mina and Yaten. Then we snuggled into bed. "Dream something beautiful tonight," Seiya said, lovingly smiling.

"Why are you emphasizing it like that?"

"Don't you know the saying that whatever you dream on the first night in a new place comes true? So dream something beautiful."

I smiled amused by Seiya's superstition. "Alright, then I'll try to dream of something beautiful. But you do know it doesn't really work, right?"

Seiya laughed and pulled me closer. "I know, it's just an old superstition. But I find the thought beautiful. With you next to me, it can only be a beautiful dream."

I nodded in agreement and enjoyed the comfort in his arms. It was a strange feeling, lying here and knowing that this was now our shared bed, our shared space, our new apartment.

Sweating, I threw the blanket off. It was the same nightmare I had a few weeks ago. All three men were standing around me, confronting me. I had been caught. Damn it, what did Seiya just say about dreams? Now I fervently hoped he was wrong. Exhausted, I sat up and took deep breaths. My heart was still racing, and the nightmare wouldn't let go of me. I needed to gather myself and think about how to handle this situation. I took a moment for myself to calm down and organize my thoughts. Then I stood up and went to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. The cool splash helped clear my mind and focus. It was just a dream, I kept telling myself.