Rio felt herself shiver after shaking droplets of water off her body. She made sure that the shower was completely shut before stepping out of the tub. It may be because she recently had water hit her skin, or it may be because she remembered Ryosuke rescuing her from Satoko, but whichever the reason may be, it caused an electric current travel down her spine.

She patted herself dry with her towel and successfully put on her pyjamas. Unknown to her is that the same guy making her fluster, is waiting right outside the bathroom door. 

Rio twisted the door open and there he was; his back rested against the wall with both hands inside his pockets, waiting for her to step out of the shower room. “What the—?”, she took a step back, surprised by the guy waiting for her to finish, “Do you need to use the toilet?”

“No… I just… missed you” Ryosuke mumbled, making Rio raise an eyebrow. Is this guy for real?

“I just took a shower. It’s not like I’m gonna get kidnapped from here” Rio puffed as if hearing something ridiculous. She was quite sure that the boy was trying to but Ryosuke gave off a serious facial expression. “Yama-chan?”, she uttered in worry, this is the first time she saw him like this - he looks so serious. 

“Come!” Immediately, the boy grabbed her arm and dragged her towards hers and Amu's bedroom. Ryosuke barged inside and saw Amu fixing her bed, also ready to sleep. The younger girl was surprised by Ryosuke’s sudden actions and just wondered what he was planning to do with her best friend. “Amu-chan”, Ryosuke turned to Amu, his hands still linked on Rio’s arm. “Can I please talk to Rio privately?”, the boy asked politely and it was as if Amu enjoyed teasing Rio, she immediately agreed. 

“Of course! I’ll give both of you some privacy, ne?” Amu winked at Rio who is now feeling defeated. The young girl knows for a fact that the couple has some sorting out to do. Knowing Rio very well, she might not be able to express her feelings directly to Ryosuke but the boy may have some magic spell to make her finally confess. 

“Wait! Amu! You can’t leave me!”

“Gomen ne, Rio-chan… I suddenly feel like sleeping in the living room. Jya!” Amu cutely saluted at the couple and banged the door behind her, leaving Rio feeling betrayed. 

—

“What are you planning?” Rio kept her guard up and placed a pillow in front of her chest. Ryosuke took a few steps forward her direction, making the girl unconsciously sit on her own bed. She felt her heart banging against her chest wall as Ryosuke kneeled down in front of her and cupped her face. 

—

“Did Satoko hurt you while you were alone together?” Ryosuke asked in a crisp and manly voice. He waited a few seconds for Rio to respond and a sigh of relief escaped him as soon as the girl tamely shook her head. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner”, he placed his forehead on the surface of hers while squeezing her hands tight. It was only a few moments when Ryosuke's expression changed from being as sweet as a bunny into a stern father sermoning his own daughter - his voice also changed into a strict tone.

“WHY THE HECK DID YOU NOT TELL ME THAT YOU WERE BEING FOLLOWED BY A SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE? IF ONLY YOU TOLD ME, WE COULD’VE AVOIDED YOU GETTING CAPTURED IN THE FIRST PLACE, BAKAAAA!” In one single breath, he managed to pour out all his frustrations. He can’t deny the fact that he’s been worried sick after he knew about Rio being captured. Ryosuke continued to lecture Rio and felt the urge to flick her forehead.

“Itai!” Rio moaned and rubbed her slightly reddened skin. “Mou, it all turned out okay anyway. Stop !”

“You still should’ve told me! I was worried sick! You should’ve asked for my help! I thought you like me?” Ryosuke countered - his voice raised a little, annoyed that Rio did not ask for his assistance when she knew that she might be in trouble. 

“W-What?! Who said I like you?” Rio was taken aback from what the guy just said and tried her best to deny her own feelings.

“YOU DID!”

“Huh?! WHEN?!”

“…”I’m willing to spend the rest of my life knowing the REAL him””, Ryosuke faked a feminine voice and attempted to copy what Rio said to Satoko earlier that evening. He mockingly acted like a girl and batted his eyes to further tease Rio. Yes, Ryosuke heard everything Rio said, making him feel over the clouds. 

“Wh-Whaaa…?” This is the only thing Rio managed to reply. She felt a warm sensation creep up her cheeks and soon, a massive block on . “I-I… I just wanted to piss off Satoko, that’s why I said that”, she lied. By this, she wanted to whack herself for not having enough courage to tell Ryosuke how she truly feels. 

—

“Ah, souka” The boy looked down and mumbled. His eyes avoided the girl's gaze and all Rio could see was his face half covered by his fringe, “Then I might just go back to her and say I’m okay to go through the marriage”, he whispered but made sure Rio can hear. A smirk immediately formed when he felt Rio pulling him back.

“Don’t you dare!” Rio almost shouted, giving off the coldest glare in the history of man kind. Knowing that he successfully teased the latter, Ryosuke scooted near the bed and guided her under the covers.

“Hai hai… go get some rest. You had a very tough day, Rio sensei” The boy took the initiative to tuck her in her bed before placing a soft kiss on her forehead, then down to her nose, then finally, to her cheek. Rio flinched a bit but her heart fluttered as Ryosuke did so. He was about to go but the girl pulled him back. 

“I wouldn’t mind if you stayed until I fall asleep” She mumbled, her head down as if unsure of her request. Ryosuke, on the other hand just couldn’t hide his happiness anymore. Immediately, he lifted the covers and laid down beside Rio. “Wha-What? I didn’t say we’re sharing the same bed!”, Rio protested after seeing the boy already making himself comfortable beside her. She was forced to scoot over near the edge after Ryosuke takes over more than half of the space. Sharing a single bed isn’t a problem for the boy. It’s actually convenient for him since he could pull Rio closer. “Hey! You’re taking all my pillow!”

Hearing the girl moan for the nth time, Ryosuke shifted her body sidewards and perfectly placed her head on top of his right arm and made her use it as a pillow. Rio just couldn’t protest after feeling Ryosuke’s heartbeat beating directly adjacent to her left ear. It was beating in perfect rhythm but was so fast - almost reaching 100 beats per minute, “Your heart’s beating so fast…”, she commented, somehow, his heartbeat is slowly hypnotising her lids to close. 

“Yup. It’s beating for you” Ryosuke pulled her closer and placed another kiss on top of her head with the thought of never wanting to let her go. “I love you, Yamada Rio.”

—

“Dai-chan! What are you doing?!” Amu tilted her head after seeing Daiki sneakily listening through hers and Rio's bedroom door. The boy jumped and smiled guiltily like a criminal getting caught in the act. “You’re EAVESDROPPING?!” Amu eyed Daiki’s hand holding a glass pressed against the surface of the door used to enhance the sound. 

“They were fighting earlier but now, the YamaRio couple seemed to have calmed down” Daiki reported, “It seems like you’ll have to use my bedroom tonight, Amu-chan”, he said out of impulse, making Amu’s eyes widen. Did he just say ‘use his bedroom’? As in alone together?!

“Ohh… That’s not what I meant!” Knowing that it might’ve sounded wrong, Daiki immediately shook his head. “You can use our bedroom and I can sleep in the living room”, he corrected himself before heading towards the living room sofa with his laptop. 

“It’s okay, I did tell Rio-chan I’m in the mood to sleep in the living room so I’ll just stay here”

“You need to get some good rest so I insist to use my bed. I have a big day tomorrow so I’ll pull off an all nighter. Or…” Daiki paused and suddenly felt the urge to tease the younger girl, “Or… you want me to tuck you in?”

3…

2…

1…

*Bang*

The last thing Daiki saw was Amu’s blushing face and his own bedroom door banging close in front of him. The boy seems to have a great talent in making Amu embarrassed and her facial expressions are currently feeding Daiki’s .

“Cute…” Daiki chuckled at Amu’s reaction then headed towards his laptop to work on his big presentation. He gave off a big sigh before focusing intently on the screen in front. He laid out pages and pages of paper on the living room table, aiming to finish his proposal to Chinen the next day. See, in order to please his own family and be with Amu at the same time, he planned a business proposal that may at least give him a little bit of freedom. However, there’s one obstacle he needs to go through – his own rival, Chinen Yuri.

He scratched the back of his head in frustration and felt his back involuntarily slumping down o