On her way out, she called Rihito. "Let's watch the movie at home instead. I'll be running late, I need to go out for an urgent meeting." She said as she got inside her car.
***
"Whoa! How can someone be that annoying?" Rina banged her fist on the table.
"Careful, it's my office desk." Ryouma narrowed his eyes.
"I would've have murdered her if I sat there for another minute. Like Literally!" She shouted as she banged on the table again.
Ryouma continued throwing daggers at her with his icy glares.
"You're seriously more worried about your desk right now?" She looked at him astonishingly.
"Yes. Now, get your hands off." He replied with a straight face.
"How are you living with Teresa then? With her temper, I bet she breaks more furniture than me." She shook her head. "Anyway, how can any mother be so disgusting?" She was about to bang her fist again but she just clenched her fist when Ryouma gave her another glare.
"You're going crazy with just one meeting? We've been putting up with her for 10 years." Aaron sighed.
"Exactly, why?" Rina shouted again.
"Because of your husband. He's way too soft on her." Aaron shook his head. "She gets to destroy him but he refuses to do anything about it. Even Grandy has his hands tied."
"I like how you handled her but you'd rather not have anything to do with that woman, nothing at all." Ryouma said in a serious tone.
"But I can't just stay quiet when she dares to babble how she'd love to torture my man right in front of me." She said in her defense.
"Right. I would've loved it if she punched right into her face too." Aaron smiled contentedly imagining the scene.
"Had enough? Now get out of that dream bubble." Ryouma glared in his bff's direction.
"Come on, what do expect her to do then? take all the shit she throws at her?" Aaron rolled his eyes.
"No, she can downright kick her too, I don't mind. But don't you forget she has very good control over Rihito. You think she'll let her do as she pleases?" Ryouma raised his brows.
"Why? Doesn't Rihito know how exactly she feels for him? Is she only like this behind his back? Is she good to him in person?" Rina asked.
"She's been worst to him," Aaron replied.
"Then?" She frowned.
"He feels indebted to her." Ryouma answered.
"Indebt?" Rina raised her brows.
"What do you do when someone's given you life twice?" Ryouma smiled bitterly. "She gave him birth."
"That doesn't mean she can treat him like dirt." She retorted.
"What'll you do if someone's torturing you? Every minute, every second, little by little someone's taking your life, it's hard to breathe and you're at the brink of death?" Ryouma's brows twitched up. "Your instincts kick up, survival instincts, kill them before they kill you, simple isn't it?"
"But right at that moment," He continued, "someone else kills them, you're saved from being a monster, someone else in your stead takes that burden, great isn't it?"
"..." Her breath hitched.
"With that she owned him, easy to get manipulated by someone who owns your life." He sighed.
"That's..." She was left speechless.
"The only one who can stop her is Rihito himself, we're tired trying to get this inside his head." He shrugged. "The only way to make her leave is if Rihito finds the strength to chase her away. You... can be that strength." He nodded.
"Me?" She blinked.
"Won't he chase her away first?" Aaron looked in his direction.
"He won't, if he could he would have done it long back before starting anything with her," He replied his best friend then shifted his gaze to Rina, "Remember I told you to make him unable to breathe without you? If you have to choose between your survival vs others what'll you choose? Basic instinct, at your worse all we think about is ourselves, rest can just go to hell, right?"
Rina stood there quietly. She was trying to process what she had just heard.
"Gave too much information, I guess. You can hear out the rest here or go home and beat the shit out of your husband until he speaks out because now that she's here you don't have the luxury of 'waiting'. Ryouma looked in her direction. "Should I continue?" He asked.
The ringtone of her phone sliced the cold silence in the room. Her eyes teared at the caller's name that flashed on her screen.
"You can go, take your time and find us when you're ready." Ryouma's voice brought her attention back into the room. "Whatever you'll hear won't be pretty." He added.
***
At home, they cuddled up on the couch streaming a romcom movie. She was too busy to be focusing on the movie, her mind had been playing the conversation she had in the evening.
Rihito's laughter caught her attention and she looked at her beloved.
"Why? You don't find it funny?" He asked.
She didn't reply, instead, she hugged him.
"Whoa!" He froze for a moment then hugged her back smiling. "Is this 'spoiling' too?" He laughed. Her grip tightened, she loved it, his laugh, his smell, having him there, she didn't want to lose it, lose him but she had to ask.
"Say," She started. "You don't talk about your parents." She jumped right into the topic.
He stiffened.
"Why the sudden interest?" He asked the cheer in his voice long gone.
"Today, in the office, I was reminded, I know nothing about you." She thought of his mother with her nasty smile.
"You've met my grandparents," he replied.
"Your father?" She asked.
"He passed away when I was young, I don't even remember his face." He replied.
"Your... mother?" She asked hesitantly.
When he didn't answer, she stroke his back, as she hugged him tightly. He pulled away looking away from her. He shifted, creating a distance between them. It scared her, she cursed, just a moment ago he was laughing by her side and now... why did she have to go and ruin it?
"There's nothing to talk about." He replied in a low voice.
"I..." She fidgeted with her fingers not sure what to say.
"I'm tired." He stood up. "Let's continue the movie some other day." Saying this he walked away, entering the room he shut the door behind him.
Rina sighed hiding her face in her palms.
***
The next morning,
She woke up alone in bed, "Rihito?" She looked for him in the bathroom but he wasn't there. Panic rose and she hurried out of the room, only to stumble and land on the floor, "Oww." She winced.
"Are you okay?" Rihito rushed to her side.
"You're here." She took a sigh of relief.
"Why would you run like that?" He scolded her carrying her up in bridal style. "Don't tell me you rushed in because you found out I was in your dear kitchen." He frowned. "Don't worry, I'll clean up the mess and make it sparkle in a minute."
"You were in the kitchen?" She raised her brows.
"Yup, thought that I should spoil my wife too sometimes." He nodded as he made her sit on the bed.
Her eyes softened, her hands caressed his cheeks. He was there, he didn't leave. She smiled as tears filled her eyes.
"Does it hurt?" He asked with concern.
"What?" She tilted her head in confusion.
"Your scraped knee." He pointed at her wound.
"Ah, it hurts." She lied.
"Don't move, I'll bring something to put on it." He warned her as he checked the drawers for the first aid box. "Was it in the hall?" He cocked his head to the side after a moment he returned with the box in his hands. He knelt down and slowly applied the ointment.
"Say, should we go today?" She asked.
"Go where?" He blew over her wound.
"The movie date. We couldn't yesterday." She averted her gaze.
"Okay." He answered with a smile.
"Great. I'll get off from work early." She smiled at him.
After getting off work, she called Ryouma to let him know of her decision,
"Did you decide?" He asked.
"I'll wait." She replied over the call. "I don't want to force it out, my heart nearly stopped yesterday. I don't want that, I'll wait until he tells me it's okay for me to know about it."
"Fine, it's your call." Ryouma answered.
After hanging up, he stared at his phone, "She really thinks he'll come around and tell her by himself?" He clicked his tongue. "Her choice." He shrugged.
***
Rihito stood in front of a flower shop, "She'll like this." He picked out the bouquet with a wide smile.
He got off the car and walked to her hiding the flowers behind. He waved at her but she didn't notice as she was on the phone. He then decided to sneak up on her and surprise her, he hid among the crowds as he slowly approached her.
"Long time no see." He passed by a familiar voice. Turning back, he saw the source of all his nightmares right in front of him.
"You..." His voice trembled.