Ryosuke groaned at the sound of his door buzzer. Whoever buzzing his door buzzer had been doing so for almost a good half hour on a Sunday morning, the only morning he looked forward to since he spent his Saturdays verifying legal documents. He didn’t go to sleep until five-something this morning, and when he checked the time on his alarm clock, the red numbers displayed 9:18 a.m.

He hoped that the person buzzing outside his house would give up if he ignored it long enough, so he reached for another pillow to cover his ears with it. However, it didn’t help at all. About a minute later, the buzzing finally stopped, and he was completely awake.

I’d do anything for a Sunday sleep-in.

He entered his bathroom, washed his face, and brushed up. He still had a few documents left to review, so maybe he’d finish them all after a light but healthy breakfast. Maybe after that, he could slip in an eight-to-ten-minute jog around his neighborhood. Yes, that would be the perfect Sunday morning he had envisioned for the last five or so years.

But he had never accomplished it.

One reason: there was always something hindering his Sunday sleep.

It was always when he had something to do. Either his mother came over to visit to ensure that he was living properly—something she had been doing ever since her “mother reformation”—or one of his buddies calling him over for a drink that he couldn’t be excused from, or he had to drop by his company for a meeting. Just anything.

After he finished cleaning himself up, he wore the clothes he had laid out last night by the footbed: a washed-out green T and denim shorts. He quickly ruffled his bed hair and was about to head into his office room when a call stopped him.

“Hello?” he asked after accepting the call.

“Ryosuke! It’s Ayame!”

“Ayame?”

“I’m Ayame, the Builder. Your partner who built your company for you?”

He smiled, finally remembering. He didn’t call her by her first name despite the relationship they had established. “Ah, Gouriki-san. Sorry. I’m still in sleep mode.”

“Sleep mode? I’ve been buzzing at your door for the last hundred decades, and you didn’t hear me?”

“You’re at my door?” He rushed downstairs. “Wait, I’ll come open you now.” He hung up and within fifteen seconds, he opened the door and saw Ayame in a plain white blouse and black slacks. Her heels of choice were also in black with a one-inch raise. After one look up and down at her, he questioned, “D-do we have a meeting today?”

It was usually at business meetings where they met up, and when they did, she was in those kinds of work outfits instead of her usual loose white T, long trousers, mustard yellow helmet, and had brown-stained hands. Other than that, she was almost always found working on the construction site at the far back to build the second building for his business extension. She and Ryosuke had been working together ever since he became a businessman, and she was his exclusive construction worker.

Ayame wasn’t only a construction worker, but she was the only female in the group and the leading person of the construction. She came from a long family line of business in building, construction, and anything minutely related to architecture. Her Dad was one of the most trusted and most competent people in the building industry, all starting with a small business of carpentry back in the day with them extending their offers to plumbing and maintaining. Then, when technology and the new age hit, the Gouriki family, then endowed with extensive knowledge in all areas of construction, had established a notable reputation around the world, thus climbing the ladder to success.

But it had always been the boys who had the honor of becoming the next Gouriki Chairman to lead the next generation, that was until Ayame, the passionate and only eldest daughter of three of the current Gouriki leader, took the spot after her younger brother ran out on the family, not wanting any part of the business.

“There’s no meeting today,” she said, “but there’s a meeting between us though.” She invited herself in, much to his dismay. “I told you countless times about the birthday party my friend’s throwing, remember?”

He shut the door behind him. “And I told you countless times, no.” He turned back around and led her into his living room. He gestured for her to sit. “I’m not going, I can’t go, and I’m busy.”

“Busy with what?” She got a good look at him. “Did you not get enough sleep for the past days?”

He massaged his eyes, knowing how she got that figured out—his dark baggy eyes. He corrected her, “It’s not days. It’s been weeks.”

She stood up in shock. “What do you do staying up?”

He walked into his kitchen. “Well, with my newest extension and another subsidiary business, I have to make sure it all fits under my budget belt. I can’t be a successful businessman if I go broke.” He took out a cup and filled it with water.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you should work yourself to death over it.”

He playfully scoffed from in the kitchen and came back to the living room. He handed her the cup and sat on the opposite couch. “That’s why I’ve been telling you that I’m not going.” He smacked his lips together. “And I want no more rumors about us or anyone ‘shipping’ us together.”

She tried to keep a smile.

“We should keep our distance. We’re work buddies.”

“Work buddies?” She placed the cup down. “But you know—”

“I know, but I don’t see you that way.” He sat up straight and clasped his hands together. “I’m sorry, Gouriki-san. You’re more than friends because I see you like family.” He sent her an apologetic smile. “I wish you’d start seeing me in that way too.”

She exhaled. “I know.” She repeated it, but this time, she uttered it. “But can you please go with me to celebrate my friend’s son’s birthday? I promised her I’d take you.”

“For what?”

“To-to show her the man—uh—businessman, I praise.” She picked up her cup and glanced gloomily down at it. “I haven’t seen her since I transferred colleges, and I’d really like to see her son.”

“Her son?” He tried his best to keep in his laugh.

They knew that she didn’t get along with nor liked children. She could pretend to like them and smile at them but couldn’t hold a stable conversation with them for over ten seconds. Or worse, sometimes, the kid would end up crying. He didn’t believe it’d be true until he had witnessed it last summer when a toddler accidentally stumbled upon the construction site she was working at, and as she tried to the toddler to safety, the toddler ended up crying—without being touched at all—and walked away from the site.

She noticed his tone and blushed while bashfully looking away. “Well, I-I want to try…” she lowered her tone, “…to be…with kids.”

“Why?”

“Because you love kids.”

The room turned silent as the atmosphere around them slowly became filled with awkwardness.

She pursed her lips together. “Isn’t that why you started this business? I know there’s also the assumption of you having a fondness for toys, but whenever I see you lay eyes on a child happily stepping out of your store with an action figure or a doll in their hand, it’s-it’s like you lived to see that—that small glimpse of a smile.”

Hearing her speak on the subject with the combination of kids and his business, his stomach churned and his eyes lowered. This subject always made him moody because of what had happened five-and-a-half years ago.

“Ryosuke?” she asked.

She used to call me tenderly like that too back then.

“Ryosuke?”

And then, she’d say, “What’s wrong with you?” After that, she’d—

“Ryosuke, what’s wrong with you?”

When he heard the familiar question, he perked up, frightened. “Y-yeah?”

“You went quiet. Thinking of something?”

“A bit.” He tried to smile but couldn’t force himself to.

“Look, just go with me to this party to get your mind off your business. Like my dad always says, ‘work when you could, party when you should’.”

Yeah. I’m in no mood to work anymore anyway. He got up and stretched. “You’ve got it.” He pointed behind him. “Let me get dressed, and I’ll be back.”

“Sure,” she smiled, pleased. “Take your time.”

*

“So, how long have you two known each other?” Ryosuke asked Ayame as she drove them to her friend’s place. “She must be older than you if she has a kid.”

She let out a laugh. “Actually, she’s your age.”

“My age and already with a kid? But isn’t her son turning seven?” He looked out the window while shaking his head. Doing quick mental math, he said, “I’ve turned twenty-four this year, and if she’s my age, that means she’s been a mom since seventeen.” Having processed this, it rang a memory he had agonized countless times. I too was a father at seventeen.

“I was shocked myself too. She didn’t look like the type who’d end up with the baby.”

“End up?”

“Yeah. I think she divorced her husband with full custody for her child and has been raising him as a single mother since then.” She added a proud smile. “But no matter how exhausting her day was throughout our college years together, she was like you—she had this huge grin from cheek to cheek as if her exhaustion disappeared when she was with him. And for once, she made me want to have kids of my own.” She scrunched her nose. “But, of course, kids aren’t for me.”

“You never know,” he said, monotonously. “Kids. They really are miracles. They’re the joy of a parent’s life. They’re hard work, expensive, and prone to danger, but when you look deep into those beautiful innocent eyes,” he scoffed happily, “a feeling of wonder washes over you and-and—” At first, as he explained, he thought of all the happy and delightful memories he had from five-and-a-half years ago with his two most special people. But all of it disappeared when he was hit with the aching memory of seeing his special someone walking into a champagne-colored car and getting driven off, never turning back to look or stop for him no matter how hard he called out to her.

“You went quiet again,” she commented. “You’re doing that awfully a lot today.”

“Sorry.”

“I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t have forced you to come with me.”

“I’m the one who should be sorry. I-I just recalled a few things.” Excruciating things.

“Then, I hope her kid would help take your mind off it. I’ve met him a couple of times, and he’s…” Her comment trailed off because, well, they both knew it. She had no good words about kids. It was about kids, after all. “But-but,” she stuttered, “he is a good kid. That, I know.”

They laughed out loud.

“I guess I can’t wait to see him.” He shifted in his seat. “By the way, what’s his name?”

“Natsu.”

His entire body froze. That name sounded too familiar.

“A cute name for a sunny boy born in the summer, isn’t it?”

*

“Spacing out again?” Ayame was out of her car, resting her hand on her opened car door as she looked down at Ryosuke, who hadn’t gotten out. In fact, halfway through the ride, he had stayed silent, and when she asked if he wanted to change the music, he didn’t reply. The loud cheering from inside the nearby house got to her, and she tried one more time to get her friend’s attention. “Ryosuke, we’re here.”

He heard his name and perked up. When he looked around and saw that she had gotten out of the car, he embarrassingly stepped out too. “Sorry, I—”

“I know.” She smiled, forgiving him.

They walked to the door until she gasped.

“Darn it, I forgot the present at the back of my car.”

“I’ll get it. You go on inside.”

“Thanks.” She gave him the keys and rang the doorbell without him.

Within five seconds, the door opened, and the mother behind the door exclaimed, “Ayame-chan! You made it!”

“Of course!”

The ladies hugged, but it was cut short when a male’s voice called the mother from in the kitchen.

“You should go,” said Ayame, patting her friend on the shoulder. “I’ll…” She looked inside the house filled with kids playing games on the T.V., jumping on the sofa, or running in the hallway. “I’ll…stand around.”

“Make yourself comfortable.” And the host left to do her work.

“Got it here,” said Ryosuke, coming up from behind Ayame. He handed her the gift, and they entered the house just in time for the birthday song. They included themselves with the crowd as they squeezed to wait at the corner of the entrance of the kitchen, standing right behind the joyful mother, who was busily opening the box of cake.

“Ah, Natsu,” said the mother, “run out there to get your dad.”

“Dad?” Ayame uttered in confusion to herself.

Ryosuke overheard and whispered to her, “I thought you said she raises her child alone.”

“I-I thought so too.” She didn’t tell me anything about it when we talked two nights ago. “Well, I’m glad she’s got—” dropped. “Yamada-san?”

Ryosuke knew that Ayame didn’t refer to him as “Yamada-san,” so he was about to question her but noticed that she wasn’t looking at him but at someone else. As he turned his attention around, his gaze passed a familiar face, and he instantly looked back at the person in front of him.

The mother.

Ryosuke and the mother stood still at their places. In shock.

Before he knew it, his hands reached out to pull the lady into his embrace, and panting as if he had just run the mile and sweating as if he just came out of the shower, he whispered between them, “Tag. I finally found you.”

*

“Bye and thanks for the gifts!” The host closed the door to her house after bidding the last of her guests goodbye. She then turned her attention to the friend who had stayed behind, sitting on her couch. “Sorry, Ayame, but whenever you’re ready though.”

Ayame had to ask her friend to take her home because Ryosuke had used her car to drive back to work because he had received a call from the Store Manager about an inventory problem. But because her friend couldn’t leave until all the guests had left, her only choice was to wait until her friend was free.

“First,” said Ayame, beaming with delight, “you’ve got to tell me everything about this ‘father’ I never knew about.” She chuckled and patted at the empty seat beside her to motion for her friend to sit.

The host winced and sat beside Ayame. “Ayame… Umm, before we get to that…is your friend…all right?”

“Oh, Mi-chan, I’m-I’m terribly sorry about what he did to you earlier. Today, he’s been all out of sorts. He’s a very busy man after all. But do you two know each other?”

Mirai backed away frantically. “N-no, never.” She cleared and slightly changed the subject off her. “Is he who you’ve told me about?” She took notice of her friend’s pink cheeks and received her answer. She smiled and softly said, “You’ve got a good man. You really do.”

*

“I guess it’s going to be another long night for him,” Ayame said as she looked out at the empty driveway of her house while sitting in the passenger seat of Mirai’s car. Since her car hadn’t been returned, she knew that it was still at his workplace, and she didn’t mind. She could always take other means of transportations to work. “And he has work at six tomorrow.” She unsnapped the seat belt and stepped out of the car. “Thanks, Mi-chan, and do tell Natsu I said, ‘Happy Birthday,’ I didn’t really get a chance to since he left with his ‘Father’.”

Mirai snorted at her friend’s comment. “Will do. But, umm, please don’t let what we’ve talked about slip, okay?”

“My lips are sealed.” She winked at Mirai and then added, “Good night.” She closed the car door and sprinted to her door. Upon entering, she gave one last wave to Mirai.

*

“Ryosuke,” Kota said after opening the door of his house. After receiving a text from his younger brother right after the incident at the party, he had already expected his brother’s arrival. “Want anything to drink?” He closed the door behind him while glancing at the time on his watch. 11:52 p.m. I didn’t think he’d come.

“Let’s cut to the chase,” Ryosuke firmly said as he invited himself to the living room. When he got there, he saw various toys and action figures neatly stacked and put away in a clear plastic box at the corner. No wonder his brother never wanted him to visit. It was because his place had evidence of Natsu’s and Mirai’s presence! “How long has this been going on?”

“I know you have questions, and—”

“And I want answers. I didn’t think you’d do this to me.” He sat on the couch, crossed a leg over the other, and rested a hand on the handrest. “I want to know everything. Like…” His fingers dug deep into the handrest to keep calm despite recalling what he had witnessed at the birthday party—his brother and his friend cheerfully standing next to each another like a married couple, ignoring his presence, and singing the birthday song to the boy who used to be his. “…how long have you two been together. Or what’s the relationship between you two. Or what kind of boy did he grow up to become? Or…” His fingers relaxed. “…in all of these years…did she stay…happy?”

Kota looked down in remorse. He had known that this kind of conversation between him and his brother would’ve come one day, but if there was one thing he didn’t expect, it was the last question. Kota sighed to himself. You’re asking…about her happiness? You want to know that about her when she ran out on you and left you unanswered? Friends don’t understand each other to that extent.

“Kota…” Ryosuke brought his brother back from his thinking and repeated, “Is she happy?”

Before Kota could answer, his attention changed when he saw Natsu come down the stairs. He got up and walked to Natsu. “What’s wrong?”

Ryosuke saw this and was shocked. “H-how come he’s here?” He had already left the party before Kota took Natsu.

“Daddy Kota,” said Natsu, quietly as he inched closer to the older man. He eyed Ryosuke and greeted him, warily, “Hi, Mister.”

Mister? I’m your—ugh, forget it.

Kota noticed the uncomfortable and tense Ryosuke and understood why, thus he ended up feeling bitter again. “Umm, Natsu, th-this is umm…”

Ryosuke perked up, hoping that his brother would confess everything to the little boy.