Amu restlessly moved her head from side to side as the image of the only man she ever trusted flashed on her mind. She felt her heart skip a beat, drowning with sorrows when she was awoken by the vibrating sound of her phone right beneath her pillow. The poor girl gasped for air and took a full 2 seconds to realise that she was having a nightmare. Soon, she felt liquid streaming down her plump cheeks, “It’s been awhile since I dreamt about him”, she mumbled before turning her head towards her phone.

She mentally thanked Rio for calling and unknowingly saved her from her nightmare. Without much hesitation, she pressed the answer button, “Good morning, Rio-chan”. She paused with an attempt to slow her breathing down.

“HEY!”, Amu had to withdraw her ear from her mobile just to relieve herself from her friend’s loud voice, “Did you just wake up? Don’t you dare miss your flight, missy!”.

“Rio-chan, you actually beat my alarm clock. I still have 5 hours before my flight back to Tokyo”, Amu giggled at how impatient her friend acted. She hasn’t changed. She’s still the same Yamada Rio who drives her crazy.

“You can’t blame me for getting so excited! I haven’t seen you in flesh for nearly 2 years! As much as I hate Mayu, I’m grateful for her making you her Maid of Honour”, Rio exclaimed. She knew very well that Tokyo had given Amu some wounds she spent so much time to close… especially after what happened 2 years ago. This was the reason why she accepted the scholarship in New York.

“It’s weird that she suddenly contacted me. I know how busy she is being an actress and all… I’m just glad she still regard me as a close friend”, Amu smiled but somehow felt restless. She spent so much an-hour deciding to whether or not accept Mayu’s wedding invitation. After a few times of contemplation, she finally agreed to do something good for an old friend. “Mayu’s asking me to help out with the wedding preparation so I might not see you as often as I want, Rio-chan. Is that okay?”.

“Oh, I have a feeling you’ll see me more than you have to”, the older girl smirked and somehow made Amu raise a brow.

“What do you mean?”

“Eh? Uhm… nothing! Just hurry and don’t miss your flight! I’ll see you soon!”, Rio bade her goodbye and soon, ended the phone call.

Amu shrugged at her friend’s weird actions and started preparing for her flight. She’s usually the type to come to the airport a few hours early but something about this trip makes her want to delay her arrival. With this thought, she dragged herself towards her bathroom and started to get ready.

--

Amu took almost 2 hours until she reached the airport. “Tokyo, Narita departing at 10am”, she mumbled the text printed on her ticket and soon went towards the gate. She patiently waited until she was finally instructed to embark the plane. As she sat down, she took another deep breath and started to regret her decision of going back to the place that broke her world apart, “It’s been 2 years, Amu. Pull yourself together”, she mumbled to herself, praying that during her trip, she will not meet the man haunting her dreams – Arioka Daiki.

For some good reason, her mind started to remind her of what happened a few years ago…

--

Two Years Ago…

“You have to break up with her”, Daiki heard the stern voice coming from the head of the company, Johnny Kitagawa himself. The boy felt cold sweat dripping down his body when his assistant showed photos of him and Amu walking side by side with hands linked. He has utmost respect for his boss, but he felt nothing but determination to protect Amu.

“I-I…”, he paused and grinded his teeth in annoyance, “I can’t do that. I’m in love with her”, with much courage, he stood his ground and countered the man who he considered as his own father. Daiki not only surprised himself, but also the rest of his band members listening in the same room. This is the very first time someone stood up against Johnny.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t really ask for your permission”, the man replied. His paternal voice echoed inside the room and no one dared utter a word, “Did you even think about the consequences of this scandal? This will ruin your career!”.

“With all due respect sir, I’m willing to take on anything the media throws me”

“You’re so naive. I’m not just trying to protect you. I’m also trying to protect Ms Kitagawa. Do you really think the press and your fangirls will leave your girlfriend alone? If this breaks out, she will have haters… haters that might even hurt her. Are you willing to take that risk, Arioka?”.

With this, Daiki stayed quiet. He stayed still like a statue and was unable to  even move a muscle. All this time, he was so determined to fight and be with Amu but did not realise how this will mentally affect her in the future. “I-I can’t do this to her”, he whispered under his breath and soon, his eyes started to swell.

This meeting ended with Johnny having the final word, “You’ll thank me for this someday, son”.

--

Meanwhile…

“What do you mean I can’t see him? What’s going on, Rio-chan?”, Amu asked worriedly. She was supposed to meet Daiki, Ryosuke and Rio in their usual hang out spot but not a single soul came by that day. Sensing that something was wrong, Amu went her way towards the Jimusho to check up on her friends only to find the security guard stopping her from coming in. Amu anxiously waited for Rio to come down to reassure her, but the girl gave off a helpless expression.

“Rio-chan?”, Amu repeated before feeling her best friend pulling her to a private corner in the reception.

“There’s something you should know”, Rio started and somehow felt uneasy for being the one breaking the news to Amu, “The Jimusho received pictures of you and Dai-chan together. They paid a lot of money to stop the media from publishing it so they’re interrogating Daiki right now. He might get suspended because of this”.

Amu could feel her heart shatter into a million pieces. She could only imagine what Daiki is feeling right now. All she wanted to do is to barge into that room and protect the man she loves. She felt her bottom half collapse onto the nearest chair and felt helpless – empty.

“Rio-chan, please tell Dai-chan that I’ll be waiting at the café at 10pm. I just want to talk to him”, she pleaded and soon felt a comforting hug coming from her best friend.

“You’ll get through this together”

--

It’s already past 11 and there is still no sign of Daiki. The owner of the café agreed to keep it open for them as a favour for being valued customers however, for every minute ticked by, Amu’s hope at seeing Daiki slowly diminished. The poor girl stared at the empty ceiling and dared not to move a single inch. It was as if every single drop of energy she has just drained out of her system.

It was nearly midnight when someone called for her name. “Amu”, the voice was cold, somewhat piercing. The girl