"You okay, Haru?" It was Mason who was asking me that question. Damn, but I guess every one of my brothers noticed me feeling down.
I smiled at him, since I didn't want him to worry about me. "Yeah, I'm fine."
He nodded. "That's good." He signaled for me to come to him. I did, wondering what he wanted.
He asked, "Are you cold?"
"Just a little," I said. "Is it going to snow again?"
Mason placed his box, which contained his kimonos, on top of mine in my arms and then turned me around. With my back to him, he wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on the top of my head.
"It's cold," he said. "Let's stay like this for a little bit, until Higa-san brings around the car."
"Is that where he is?" I asked. "Bringing around the car?"
"Hm."
We both were quiet for moment and then I asked, "Were you worried about me?"
"Hm," he responded.
"Thanks," I said and then chuckled. "I'm being spoilt, aren't I?"
Mason said, "You know, sometimes I wonder why you chose Aiden. Why you fell in love with him. What is it about him that you like so much? Mind telling me why?"
I turned slightly to look at him. Why was he curious suddenly?
I shrugged. "It's hard to explain. I guess because he's kind and caring."
Mason chuckled. "Noah is kind and caring, in his own rough way. Same as me, right? I'm kind and caring."
I nodded. "Yeah, I agree. But then, the other thing is I spent a lot of time with Aiden, so…"
How did one even explain how one felt toward another person? Love and attraction were complicate things, after all. Fuck, even I didn't understand my own feelings sometimes. Why indeed did I fall in love with Aiden? Why did I want to be with him so badly? Why was it that every time he showed me affection and told me he loved me, it made me felt like I was in heaven?
Yep, love was a complicate thing.
"So?" Mason moved his face down until we were cheek to cheek. "If you were to spend time with either me or Noah, wouldn't you have fallen for us just the same?"
The warmth of his breath caressing my skin and his closeness stirred something warmth within me, and my heart started racing.
What was Mason on about? What the hell was this new electrical spark charging between us? What the hell was this new feeling stirring up inside me? Shit! What the fuck?
I tensed and quickly moved out of Mason's arms. Feeling flustered, I said, "Sorry."
Mason ran his fingers through his hair as he said, "Did I make you uncomfortable, Haru?"
I shook my head, obviously lying.
"Never mind," he said.
It was then the others came out of the shop, and Higa-san turned up with the van. I eagerly followed Isaac to sit at the back and placed our packages of kimonos on the seat between us, so no one would be able to sit there.
"That was fun," Isaac said. "Right, Haru?"
I nodded, just going along with him.
The others entered the coach then and Higa-san took us back to the hotel. For the rest of the afternoon, I ended up spending time in the hot spring pool alone, which was nice. I had to feign tiredness, telling everyone I was exhausted and feeling feverish so I wanted to have a little afternoon nap. So, they all left me to it and headed out to the main building of the hotel where there was an assortment of facilities they could use to kill time, like the indoor leisure pool on the fifth floor and the lounge and gaming room where one could surf the internet and play online games to their hearts' content. There was even a manga café where one could enjoy a quiet time reading their favorite manga.
As for myself, I enjoyed my time here, too, just soaking in the hot spring pool, and when I had enough of that, I got out, donned a yukata, and lay on the futon. Surprisingly enough, I fell right to sleep.
When I woke up, I saw Aiden sitting there, watching me.
"Did I wake you?" he asked.
I shook my head.
Aiden moved over to me and pulled me into his arms. "Sorry."
"What for?"
"I worried you, didn't I? With Patricia," he said.
I swallowed hard and mustered up the nerve to ask, "What is she to you, Aiden?"
"There's no need for you to worry. She's just a friend… No, not even that, just a stranger now. We haven't been in touch or anything for years. She left me cold and I have never thought about her at all."
Was he trying to convince me that Patricia meant nothing to him?
"And now?" I asked. "After seeing her again?"
God, I was cunning, wasn't I?
"Like I said, she means nothing to me," he said. "You're the only one for me, Haru."
Even though he said that, why wasn't I feeling happy about it? Was there still doubt in my mind or something? Shit, I didn't know. This thing was confusing as hell. And the way Noah and Mason had behaved toward me earlier only added to that confusion. What the hell was going on in my life? What was wrong with Noah and Mason?
I changed the topic and said, "Is everyone back yet?"
Aiden shook his head.
I thought for a moment and then said, "Aiden? Would it be all right if you swapped rooms?"
Aiden frowned. "Swapped rooms?"
I nodded. "It's just that I can't think straight and seeing your face is making it harder."
Aiden was silent for a moment and then he said darkly, "I didn't know it'd come to this."
I said quickly, "I'm sorry, Aiden. It's only for tonight."
"It's all right, Haru, I'll do anything to make you happy," he said. "I guess I'll have to swap with Isaac."
I nodded. "Thanks."
He leaned close to me and kissed me on the cheek. "Don't mention it. But when this is over, I'll be taking my reward, got it?"
I felt my face heating up, knowing what type of reward he was talking about. I nodded, and he smiled.