After I met my parents, it was confirmed that the marriage was not called off. The woman I'll be marrying is I'll meet her in the next few months. Before the VNL start, I tell my coach about stepping down as the captain.

Yeah, I'm sad being not able to lead the team but I'm confident to leave it to Yuki. I know he could be the best captain of the squad.

Time flies fast, and the Olympics are done. After I watched their game with Brazil, I immediately called Yuki. I know he's getting depressed about it but I told him that it's part of the game. It's part of being a captain. Failing is also part of it.

I also notice that this past few weeks, I never heard about his relationship with Mika. Maybe he was just focused on the Olympics. I was also advised about the date of the dinner so I decided to invite Yuki to it since he was also looking forward to it.

Me: "Are you busy next Saturday night?"

Yuki: "No... why?"

Me: "Can you accompany me for a dinner"

Yuki: "Oh... are you already meeting your fiancé?"

Me: "Yeah."

Yuki: "Then I'm going."

Me: "That's nice to hear, I'll send you the full details"

But on the day of the dinner, I never thought it will be the start of the mess. I never thought the woman I'm marrying is the woman who is precious to my best friend.

I really don't know why it happened. Why it has to be her? There is a lot of women out there but why Mika? I feel like a boulder falls in me when I heard it.

Everything was in mess and I really don't know where to start cleaning this.

A week after dinner, Yuki agrees to meet him, and finally, I can explain everything to him.

I was feeling guilty and I feel like I was the one who ruined everything between them even though the engagement between me and Mika is just a business marriage. I know how Yuki really loves her. In fact, he told me that after AVC he plans to propose to her before going back to Italy.

Yuki: "Masa"

Me: "Thank you for meeting me."

Yuki: "What are we going to talk about?"

Me: "Yuki... about the engagement."

Yuki: "I'm already fine about it so-"

Me: "Yuki listen to me, first of all, I don't have any idea that Mika will be the one I'm marrying, secondly it is just a business marriage. I can convince my father that we cancel the engagement"

Yuki: "No... if you ask that, the case will be more complicated for her"

Me: "What do you mean?"

Yuki: "Just don't cancel the engagement between you two. Take care of her, make her happy. Don't stop yourself from falling in love with her."

Me: "How about you?"

Yuki: "I can steal her from you, but if she falls in love with you..."

Yuki: "Just tell me and I'll let her go."

Me: "Yuki?!"

Yuki: "I'm sorry but I need to go back to the training site. I'm happy for both of you" *smiles*

He left me and I was still stunned by his words. I know he's still hurt and I hurt him unintentionally.

Days passed by again, Mika and I start to spend time together even though we barely exchange conversations. We always taking dinner together but still ... she was far from the Mika I met before.

Cold tired eyes, faint smiles, fake laughs.

Of course, who would be happy after everything happened?

Tonight, we'll have dinner in her unit. I decided to cook for tonight's dinner and as she was still working. Unexpectedly, a typhoon will landfall in Tokyo tonight. Roads are closed after the rain started to pour hard.

Mika: "You can stay here and leave tomorrow if the road is open again."

Me: "Is it okay for you?"

Mika: "It's fine."

Me: "Okay... I-I just get my spare clothes in my car" - She just nodded to me as a response and we fall back again in silence.

After getting my spare clothes in the car, I was getting nervous, this is the first time staying a night with her.

Me: "I'll sleep here on the couch"

Mika: "The bed is too big for me, the two or even five can cater it."

Me: "I'm fine here"

Mika: "I don't have time to deal with a patient tomorrow if someone catches a cold here"

Me: "Okay.. sorry"

After taking a bath and changing into my clothes, I saw that she was already seated on the other side of the bed, reading something from her phone.

Me: "Sorry for my intrusion in your bed. I'll take the other side, don't worry I'm steady when I'm sleeping. "

Mika: "Yeah."

Me: "Good night" - I start to crawl under the sheets and same as her.

Mika: "Yeah.. good night."

The lights are off and only the light from the outside is illuminating in her room. I imagine myself living here... it's big but it feels empty. I wonder if she gets lonely here?

Of course, she is.

About the wedding... we agree to hold it next year summer but I'm still thinking about calling off the engagement.

*Sigh*

Actually, my head is having a lot of thoughts right now. Never mind, I should start sleeping now.

In the middle of the night, I woke up and I feel thirsty. When I get up from the bed, I notice that Mika was not on the other side of the bed.

I look in the direction of her bathroom but it seems like she was not there. I check on the living area but no sign of her until I notice a light coming from her study and when I enter the room, I that see that she fell asleep.

Her head was rested on the pile of papers and her desktop is still open.

I heard that she's been working from home for almost two weeks and wonder if she was like this every day.

I start to clean up her table carefully so that she will not be awake before I move her back to the bed. After saving the work that she's left from her computer, I notice the wallpaper on her desktop.

When I look at it carefully somewhat I feel a little down about it.

I let out a heavy sigh before shutting down the computer and starting to carry her. I noticed how light she is, actually, she was not like that, she became skinny than before, color is much paler than before. Was she really taking care of herself properly?

I saw that she's still wearing the necklace.

So she was still holding onto him of course. Who's the person in this world that after what happened to them will immediately forget everything.

I carefully lay her on her bed and cover her with her blanket. I look at her who is peacefully sleeping as I start to remove those strands of her hair that hide her beautiful face.

Me: "Good night Mika... everything will be alright okay"

Now I go back to sleep and look at her high ceiling... Yuki was right... even if I fall for her, he can still steal her from me. *Sigh*

What a drag man.

As I close my eyes... I can still see the words written on her wallpaper...

"I love you XIV"

-- To Be Continued --