-I'm happy here-

–present time-

The Bamboo House

So annoying.

"..."

I look at them holding hands since the greeting at the entrance, and now, sitting in the living room, I see that he hasn't let go of Zephyra's hand yet.

And that man again, Jodai, she said? What an irritated face, sitting behind her.

"I hope you like the tea."

Zephyra.

"..."

What's this color? The scent is beautiful, like her shampoo. It's been so long.

"You made it?"

"How did you know?"

She asks back.

"Scent... it's your scent."

I answer.

"..."

That redhead glares at me even harder. I'm taking my time to admire her tea, smell the scent, and sip a little

Amazing. I want to drink only some of it at a time.

I smell it again.

"Why don't you make room with it?"

The redhead talks to me with a grumpy face.

"I would rather make room with the one who made it."

"!!"

Three of them react the same way: shocked. But these two men are probably more like a murder way kind of shock.

Zephyra must be confused right now based on her face, and she's hiding her face.

Hm? I've never seen her hiding her expression from me before. No way.

"Choose your words carefully. This is not your place to act like, no manners."

"I know my manners, Mr. Kaiza."

I tease him.

"Why do you want to meet me, Achlys?"

She asks.

"I just want to see you."

"..."

"To see how you are doing in this bubble world."

"I'm fine."

"Just fine?"

"What do you want to talk to me, just talk."

Zephyra cuts me to the point, as always. But why do I feel like this time, she gives me different feelings? She hides her expressions and her eyes sometimes.

Is she uncomfortable? Even if she is, she would never be afraid to look me in the eyes. Or maybe it was because of that night that I...

"Hehe."

I chuckle. Does that mean she's a little bit confused about her feelings toward me?

If it's yes, I want her to feel that more.

"About that night at the Ferdi club..."

"..."

"Your man killed my men unnecessarily."

I talk directly to the redhead.

"It's my man."

She speaks up, and I glance at the guy with the neck tattoo.

"And it wasn't unnecessary. Your action was out of line."

The redhead explains.

"We were just talking...and I came here to finish that talk."

"If you speak one more word about it, I'll break your neck at once."

The redhead is losing his mind as he's speaking, and his jaw clenches.

"Mr. Kaiza."

She calls his name.

"..."

"If you can't handle the conversation, then just leave us. It's not about you anyway."

"Ha, this mother fucker..."

He mumbles.

"Achlys, please, can you stop. If you keep doing this, I think you should go."

"..."

I look at her while she's looking at me. She speaks with me with that calmness again. 

"Mr. Kaiza, I know that I promised you to stay here with me, but...I think it's better if you let us have..."

She speaks to him in her soft, sweet voice.

"No."

"I have Jodai with me...please trust me."

She begs him

…

"I don't trust him."

That redhead glares at me.

"..."

Then she puts her hand behind his neck, pulls his face down, and whispers something in his ear.

That tiny hand of hers grabs his neck comfortably without hesitation.

Hmpt, Zephyra, are you provoking me?

Then his eyes are on hers, and she smiles at him. Then he holds her hand up and kisses the back of the hand, glaring at me once before leaving us.

Hmpt, that motherfucker...

"Alone at last, well, not really."

I speak out and glance at the guy behind her.

"Achlys, you are...making me..."

"?"

"Wanna punch you in the face right now."

She speaks her mind.

"Heh, Hahahahaha. Right, I would love you to punch me...I'm willing."

"Jodai, I want more tea."

She tells her man, and then he gets up, brings the teapot, and pours it into her cup. But her cup is bigger than mine.

"I'll give you time to talk before I finish this cup of tea."

"..."

I see her sip her tea.

"You should start."

"Hmpt. I just want to see you."

"..."

Her eyes are wide open, and she glances at me.

"About your man...he caused a lot of trouble for me, but I already handled it."

"..."

"So you and your fiancé are safe...I know you are worried about that."

"..."

"And I…It's the truth."

"?"

She tilts her head a little.

"About what I said that night… I will take you back."

"...Achlys...I don't want to go back."

She tells me with a gentle voice.

"But that was before...you didn't like my father or my family before."

"I still don't like it now."

"I know Zephyra...I just want to say that it's not like before…I took over"

"!!?"

"He's been sick...for a..."

"I don't want to know."

"..."

"You took over or just taking care of it?"

She asks.

"Taking care and secretly taking over it."

"!!"

"Is it a good idea to talk about your plan with me?"

"Yes and No, but I don't care. From now on, I want you to know what my plan is and what I am doing. And What am I trying to do."

"I'm happy here."

She says with her softest voice again.

"!?"

"So, don't take me even if you want to, and I don't think you can."

"What does it supposed to mean, Zephyra? Do you think I don't have the ability to take him down!?"

"I don't question your ability, Achlys. You've always been great at that." 

"How did you know? You're never interested in anybody."

"...I'm sorry, Achlys."

She changed; she's different, and she looks more vulnerable. 

Because of that fucker? So annoying. You opened that door to him. And he is the one who sees that side of yours.

"Don't... Don't do your begging eyes, and don't look straight at me."

I clench my fist.

"..."

I move closer to her, but my body is against the tiny table.

"Did you know that he has an agreement with my father, not the one before?"

"..."

She looks at me.

"Do you think that marrying him and that's it?.. You know this world well, Zephyra. Even if you want to deny it."

"What are you trying to say?"

She asks with her red color twinkling. It's hard to see the silver in it anymore. But it's still beautiful, very gorgeous.

"...Your tea is almost finished."

I look down at her teacup and see her tiny little hands covering the cup's sides.

"..."

I raise my hand almost to touch her.

"It's just the beginning of it, Zephyra...How much can you trust this man...you know me. You lived with me. I know I couldn't do that much before, but I tried..."

I slightly use my fingers and touch her softest fingers, and she doesn't even know, or she just lets me.

"I know you tried, Achlys."

She tells me, lets one of her hands off her cup, and touches my hand.

"!!"

"...And one more thing...I..."

I stammer. I don't know if I should tell her this, but if I do, everything is going to change. 

Change for her and change for me.

"Thug!!"

And the door is opened by the redhead.

"I think tea time is up."

The redhead announces.

"What a jelly man."

I tell him.

"Should I call a cab for you? I hope you have a car on your own...or just walk back home."

"Hmpt fine. There will be another time."

"I don't think it will be another time."

The redhead answers.

"I think it will."

While I look at the girl I used to know, she turns out to be even more beautiful than I imagined, and I hope that she still has some old traits in her. 

I'm about to get up. I put both hands on the table to support myself and lean my body into her, and my face is side by side with her face.

"If you want to know more, come see me yourself."

I whisper to her, and before I get up, she turns her face to me, and her nose slightly touches my cheek.

"..."

"Or should I kick you out?"

"I'm leaving… I'll wait for you, Zephyra."

I tell that fucker and tell her at the end, and she looks at me bewailingly.

That's the eyes I want to see in hers while we are far away, the longing and the missing feelings, telling me that she still has some little attachment to me, whatever kind of attachment she has.

I'm glad.

And I want to be the one who cleanses the bitterness of your sorrow.

I've been thinking and replaying every word and phrase that Achlys has said to me. My maid prepared the bathtub for me. She used lavender and rose oil inside and lit a candle for me. She must know that I am stressing my head out. She didn't ask much because she knew how to comfort and help me, more or less, with her little help.

"*Sigh."

I sigh out while I'm in the bathtub.

Achlys has changed. He's more open and isn't afraid to talk himself out like he used to. He doesn't let things pass. I always know that he has something to say all the time. He always pressed his words and emotions inside, but now he lets that out. The way he acted toward me that night and also today,

Is it another side of him that had been pressed? Or was he just acting to provoke Mr. Kaiza and me? 

Whatever it is, I really don't know how to deal with him, and I don't know what to think about that. He's my brother, even if only half of it, and I never think of him as a brother, but sometimes his actions comfort me, and I could be more delicate to him so that I could feel the warmth of the brother. 

"Damn...What is he thinking? What is he trying to do with me?"

I speak out, lay down my head, let my hair flow down under water, and put myself down under.

And the thought of him trying to do something with my body. He kissed my neck and my shoulder. I could feel his breath all over my skin, breathing out and breathing in deeply. 

Should I go to see him again? I really want to know what is going on in his mind and what happened to him exactly, and I especially want to know about the agreement. The marriage is just the beginning. What will happen next if I decide to marry Mr. Kaiza?

"Knock, Knock!!"

"Pheww."

I get myself out of the water and let my breath out.

"Who's knocking?"

I ask myself, then get out of the bathtub, take out the bathrobe to cover me, and quickly walk out to the balcony because I see its shadow. Mr. Kaiza?

I slide the door and see Mr. Kaiza with a grumpy face. His body is a little wet, but I think it's not water that soaks him.

"Mr. Kaiza..Why are you...what did you do earlier?"

"I went training."

He answers me while looking at me, over me. And I quickly tie the robe around my waist to cover my body correctly.

"You just got out of the shower?"

He asks.

"Yes."

"..."

"Do you want to come in?"

I ask.

And he nods to me and steps inside. I slide the door to close. So, that's why his clothes are soaked with his sweat.

"Forgive me for coming here with these dirty clothes."

"No, it's fine. I don't mind."

"..."

"You must be in a hurry. Is there something important that you rush here?"

"...You."

He speaks slowly and steps closer to me.

"You told me you were coming to see me tonight."

He tells me. He stops in front of me. I can smell his sweat over him, the smoke, the sweet smell.

"I'm sorry, I must have forgotten. There's so much in my head, and I forgot."

"You forgot?"

He even steps closer, and there's no space in between; his chest almost touches my face. I look up to see him. He's distraught.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiza."

"What were you thinking then?... Him?"

He asks me about Achlys.

"..Yes."

"..."

He looks at me even more frustrated, but I don't want to lie to him. He raises his right hand, touches my hair on my waist, and curls my hair way up to my chest area. I'm watching his actions and look up at him to see his face.

"You don't look well."

I tell him and put my hand on the side of his face.

"I don't want you to think about him."

He tells me.

He moves his face closer to mine, and his hand, which is holding some piece of my hair, is touching my under chest, and he slightly moves his hand under there.

"..."

It feels tickling, but my temperature is rushing inside my body. His face is lower, and he lies his face down on my shoulder. 

"!!"

And his other hand holds my hand while I'm touching his cheek. He leads my hand to the back of his neck. I feel all the sweat on his skin. It even makes my heart pounding louder.

"Are you going to leave me?"

He asks me while his face is on my shoulder.

"...I'm not leaving you, Mr. Kaiza."

His hand moves to the middle of my chest with my hair on his hand, slightly moves up to touch my neck, and holds it at the back.

"Then promise me you're not going to leave me."

"..."

His hand that is grabbing my neck is more vital.

"I can't, Mr. Kaiza."

"..."

"No matter...Whatever the reason, we are going to leave each other."

I try to explain.

"No, please..."

He's losing his grip.

Your voice.. is shaking.

"We can not live together forever anyway...Death, sickness, or whatever situation. I don't want to promise you something that is impossible."

"Zephyra..I...I'm sorry."

He lets go of both hands.

"!"

And pulls me in and hugs me tight.

"I just can't stand you leaving me or...being with someone else."

He tells me while holding me in.

"Kaiza...I'm here with you...right now, I'm with you."

I hug him back.

"..."

"I'm sorry that I forgot...Let me make it up for you."

He hugs me even tighter. He leans back from my body, and his gazes are on me. He has twinkling red eyes, and I wish that looks would always be mine. Then he instantly kisses me and purses his lips to let his tongue inside my mouth. I can feel all the touching of his lips and his tongue deeply and intensely.

"Ha..."

I barely breathe. He pulls away for a second and pulls me in to kiss my lips again.

"Ah."

I make a sound because of the intensity of his action. He can eat me if he wants to.

"Be with me tonight, Zephyra."

He tells me.

How can I deny him his face, his eyes that are always gazing at me, his lips that touch my skin that I am addicted to, and his hands that are all over me that always protect me and support me? How can I run away from you anyway? 

"..."

I nod.

And he moves his hands on my thighs and carries me up to his waist. My legs wrap around him automatically, and my hands hold him over his neck.

I gaze at his eyes, which match mine.

Then I pull him to kiss, and he lets me do it sincerely.

"I'm sorry that all in sweat."

He whispers under his breath.

"I love it."

I whisper back.

"..."

He looks at me with a little smirk.

"Ah!"

And then he puts me on the bed.

"I love you…"

He tells me

"!!!"

Then he kisses me again and again.