What Men Want - Chapter 26

Maintaining his precarious hold on his friend, Mick finally succeeded in inserting the key in the lock. It’s been damn hard to get Ryo all the way to his apartment, what with his friend trying at all costs to sit on every bench from the bar to his place. No wonder it was almost dawn already.

Despite Mick’s fervent conviction that Ryo should get sobered up as soon as possible so they could come up with a sensible plan to get him back into Kaori’s good graces, Ryo had still raided a close-by liquor shop, and now the bottles chimed merrily in the plastic bag slung over his shoulder, while the bottle Ryo held in his hand, like a drowning man clinging to a buoy, was already half-empty—and it wasn’t Mick’s pessimistic view that made it so.

“You could be of some help,” he grumbled, trying to get the door to open. “It’s like carrying a dead weight.”

“Well, I am dead drunk,” Ryo slurred, leaning heavily on his friend’s shoulder, blinking at him languidly. “So there you have it.”

“What I have are nostrils full of your foul stench. I never noticed how drunks stink!”

Ryo emitted a chuckle that ended in a hiccup. “That’s because you’re usually as drunk as I am, so you never notice. It’s not like you have a nose in your mouth, do you?”

The last must have sounded funny as hell in his whiskey-drenched brain, because he started laughing. Too late, he noticed that his reflexes in his imbibed state weren’t at their peak. Flapping wildly to find some kind of support, he still ended up sprawled on the floor.

Disgusted, Mick stared at his friend from the doorway. “You’re pitiful,” he snarled.

“Nope.” Ryo slowly sat up, burping loudly. “I’m drunk. And...” A grin twisted his features as he lifted the bag. “I managed to save the booze. Not a scratch. Want a sip?”

“I’ll pass, thank you.” Mick sighed. How was he going to get the jackass to sober up if they continued at it like this? At this pace, Ryo wasn’t going to apologize to Kaori for at least another two days. There was no chance in hell Mick was going to allow Ryo to present himself before her still drunk or hangover.

Bending over, he grabbed Ryo under his arms, hauling him to his feet. “C’mon, bud. Get up!”

“Don’t wanna,” he whined, and yet he stood.

Trying hard not to smell his friend’s breath, which was tough since Ryo had his mug thrust smack into his face, grinning at him like a child, Mick kicked the door shut, switching the light on.

With a heavy thud, Ryo ended up back on the floor. Growling and cursing, he shot a murderous glare at his friend, who stood stock still, staring at his apartment. His instincts kicking into high gear, Ryo quickly assessed his surroundings for any possible danger, but there was nothing. Mick’s apartment was empty. So what has gotten his friend to stare at it in such utter shock?

Mick’s heart thudded in his chest, and blood roared in his ears as his gaze flew over the living room. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He just couldn’t believe it. He just couldn’t believe...How could Ryo be so fucking stupid?

Growling low in his throat, he picked the stupid fucker in question up by the collar, hauling him to his feet. “You sorry-ass bastard!” he hissed in his face. “I should just shoot you and get it over with!”

Completely stunned, Ryo stared at Mick, albeit a little unfocused. “Eh?”

“How can you be such an idiot?” Mick ranted. “You don’t deserve her, and God is my witness; you never will.” He released Ryo’s collar, making his friend stumble back and grab blindly for a small shelf by the door so as not to end up back down on the floor.

Running his fingers through his hair, Mick slowly moved to the center of his living room, looking around in shock. The piles of clothes were gone, the coffee table was devoid of gunpowder residue, the scratches made by his guns were almost invisible, and the carpet was free of crumbs and gum wrappers. He strode into the kitchen, leaving Ryo to gape after him.

The dirty dishes were gone from the sink; the cups, pans, cutlery—everything was where it was supposed to be. The bathroom was clean and scented, his bedroom was aired, the bed made with fresh linen. His messy clothes, the cloths, the old sheets—everything was hung nice and scented to dry.

Hearing Ryo’s heavy steps behind him, Mick didn’t even turn.

“She was pissed off as hell,” Ryo muttered.

“Meaning?” Mick still hasn’t turned.

“When she’s pissed off, she cleans or tortures that funny puppet of hers. Since the puppet was back at our place, she cleaned this hole.”

With blinding speed, Mick turned, delivering a mean right hook that sent Ryo sprawling once more.

Happy that he’d at least left the booze back in the living room, Ryo slowly lifted his head off the floor, rubbing his jaw. “I deserved that.”

“Yeah, you did!” Mick loomed over him. “No one has ever done something like this for me.” He waved his hand to encompass his apartment. “She cleaned my house, man. Kaori. Sweet, angelic Kaori cleaned my home, Ryo.”

“She’s made that way. Always there to help people.”

“Always there to think the best of people.” Mick’s gaze darkened. “While you’re always thinking the worst. How could you?!”

Ryo sighed, dusting his pants. “We’ve been through this, Mick. You and I both know I’m an idiot.”

Mick stared at him mutely.

Ryo picked up the liquor bag and grinned. “But I’m an idiot with booze.”

X Y Z

It was late afternoon when Ryo and Mick finally decided to bite the bullet and face Kaori. Not that Mick had anything to fear or apologize for—profusely, with lots of groveling involved. It was Ryo who was sweating like a sinner in church.

He had no idea what to do or what to say to make amends for his appalling behavior toward Kaori, and he knew a simple apology wouldn’t do. Not this time, not after what he’d said to her. And he had no idea what excuse to use to get himself out of the mess he’d created. No matter what scenario they’d rehearsed, he and Mick had come up empty as far as excuses went. Every single one of the possibilities ended up best with him telling the truth.

Which made his insides tie themselves up in knots. If he decided to actually man up and tell Kaori the truth—oh, God, save me—he had no idea how to go about it. He’s been acting the asshole toward her for so long that he had no idea how to play it straight. And she probably wouldn’t believe him anyway.

So what was he to do?

As they took the stairs toward the apartment, Mick glued to his side as if he feared Ryo might bolt, the Yank slapped him heartily on the back. “Courage, man. Drop the pretense and go for it.”

“Easy for you to say,” he muttered.

Mick shrugged. “You got nothing to lose...And everything to gain. Don’t fuck it up.”

“Gee, thanks.”

They were already at the door—weren’t there more stairs usually?—and Ryo swallowed convulsively. Here goes nothing. He slowly opened the door, peeking around it to assess the danger...And gawked at seeing Umibozu sitting on the wooden chair by the window.

When the other man saw him, his shoulders seemed to slump in relief. “Finally,” he growled.

“What are you doing here?” Ryo asked.

“He’s here doing your job,” came the icy reply from the kitchen doorway.

He turned his head to look at Kaori...And everything stood still.

Her hands in her pockets, she stared at him, her face impassive. “Since you couldn’t be bothered to get home at a reasonable hour yesterday,” she said caustically, “I asked Umibozu for help if anything happened during the night. You know, to our client. Who’s currently sulking in her bedroom because you couldn’t be bothered to make an appearance at all today.”

He barely recognized her, standing there, her back ramrod stiff, her eyes cold, her face expressionless. She looked; she felt like a stranger.

“And since I also had no idea whether you’d be deigning us with your presence today either, considering the hour, I asked him for help tonight as well.” She nodded toward Umibozu. “Which he once again graciously, unlike some people, offered.” She met his gaze once more, not a flicker of warmth in her eyes. “But since you’re here, his presence is no longer needed. And neither is mine.”

Ryo felt his heart stutter. “What are you talking about?”

“I quit,” she told him calmly. “I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding another assistant. You’ll just have to snap your fingers.” She turned to Umibozu, who was looking at her as if she’d sprouted horns. “Would you mind giving me a ride? I’ll just need a minute to pack.”

“You’re not going anywhere!” Ryo snapped. He felt like he’d walked into a different dimension. “And you’re not quitting.”

“What do you care?” she snapped back, anger replacing the remote expression in her eyes.

Anger was good. Anything was better than that impassive mask and even voice. “I do care, because—”

“I’m Yuki’s sister. You’ve kept your promise to my brother for long enough, and I absolve you of anything further.”

“I don’t want to be absolved,” he snarled through clenched teeth. This wasn’t going the way he’d planned. “And you’re not. Going. Anywhere.”

“Watch me.”

She made to move past him, but he blocked her way. “Don’t push me, Kaori,” he said softly. “You won’t like the result.”

“Uh, we’ll...” Mick suddenly chimed in. “Umi and I, we’ll just go and leave you two to...Talk?”

Ryo ignored them, keeping his eyes trained on Kaori’s, desperately trying to get through.

She merely shrugged. “We have nothing to talk about anymore.”

“Yes, we do.” He ran his fingers through his hair. No, excuses wouldn’t work. Only the truth would do right now. “Listen...About yesterday—”

“Save it.” She motioned to the kitchen with her head. “Dinner’s ready; if you want, and if you can get Amaya to emerge from her self-imposed containment, she can eat as well. I’m going to pack.”

No, no, no. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. As she walked past him, he grabbed her hand, but she shook him off.

“Don’t touch me!” She rounded on him. “I’m a slut, remember.”

“Kaori—”

She slashed her hand through the air. “But I’m not one of your sluts, so you don’t get to touch me. And you don’t get to talk to me; treat me the way you did yesterday. I’ve been your doormat for too long, Saeba, but it’s over now.” She lifted her chin. “I’m done. I’m leaving. I’m done with you.”

When she left, he stumbled blindly back to lean against the wall. Heart galloping and breath exploding from his lungs in harsh gasps, he slowly slid down the wall and buried his face into his forearms, braced on his knees.

She meant it. He knew she meant every word. She would leave unless...Unless what? He’d ruined everything, and there wasn’t a thing he could do or say to make it all better. She would never listen to him now.

He lost her.

It was all over.

“God, Kaori...”