✍🏻 Little Matchmaker

28 - Dark Screen

Fucking uptight country.

The more articles she read, the more her stomach was turning and she sat there with one hand in her hair and with the other clicking through all the garbage.

Did he read any of these? Did his PR team bring any of those to his attention? Surely he would have sue those tabloids if he knew.

Sophie put away the laptop and closed her eyes, both hands in her hair and sorting through everything she has read and applying it against his behavior.
When it came to liking the kids and wanting his own, she knew that was genuine from him. But could such nasty articles and theories make him feel bad enough that he just wanted to prove all those tabloids wrong? ASAP?
But before it all went sideways with Tamiko, he must have had plenty of opportunities to make their relationship public. It would silence the media, at least in that regard.

She was none wiser when done, but at least it did help her to be less angry at him and feel sorry.
It must have been so overwhelming for him to constantly live under the scrutinizing eye of the paparazzi lens. And who knew how many things he had now on his plate. She definitely had no idea. For that, he would have to actually share way more with her.
Maybe she really should have checked on him when he was crying in the car last night. He seemed genuinely broken. Maybe he learned some news that had nothing to do with her?
Who knows, could have been already during their drive on the way to her place. He could have got a text when she said she didn't want kids and his cold reaction was to that and not her....

And then, whatever he was going through, it's not like she was living in a paradise. Maybe it was all just too overwhelming for him. She did accept him as part of the family for Christmas and he could just find it all being too much.
It was her life that she lived every day, used to all of the things, but it must have been all too new for him.
Her mother was dying, and though she did not care in the slightest, who knew what he thought about that. Clearly, his relationship with his mother wasn't perfect either, but he loved her. And the ever-present attention of Aki that even for her got sometimes overwhelming, yet he seemed to like it. It was he who wanted to spend even more time with her son.
And last but not least, adding her history with the stalker. That of course was not a nice story to listen to, but right now she did feel safe. After all, she was thousands of miles away from Japan and though they couldn't find the stalker's current whereabouts, there was no way he would know where she is. And her new apartment was way more secured than the old house.
She knew she didn't even need to have Mike around, that it was just for her peace of mind and they anyway agreed if nothing will be out of the ordinary, he will leave mid-week.

But could it be it all got too much for Yuzuru? It definitely sometimes did for her.

Sophie reached for her phone and texted him if he would maybe like to come for lunch the next day. It did take him a while to respond but her heart skipped a beat when the phone finally lit with a new message.

Yuzuru
16:42
Sorry, I can't. Already have plans.

Sophie
16:42
How about dinner tonight then?
Just about to go and cook it

She was just typing what kind of dish she had in mind for the dinner when his reply interrupted her.

Yuzuru
16:43
Sorry, busy the whole weekend.

Her chest tightened and it was as if somebody put a hand through it and harshly squeezed her heart. Sophie quickly shook her head, doing her best not to read too much into it, and instead tried to think of somebody, anyone, she could actually hang out with. To talk to about what's going on.
Lewis was the only other option she had in Canada but she quickly dismissed him. The coffee they had after the New Year was nice, but he was just her casual friend, one she would not share anything too personal with. The advantage of Yuzuru being that he burrowed his way into her life and now knew everything. She didn't have to hide from him she is the author of the books or anything else, just being herself.
And so in the end, she settled on her three closest girlfriends from Spain, asking if they would like to have a glass (or a bottle) of wine over a Skype call tomorrow.
It would be early afternoon for her and chatting online wasn't much of her thing anyway.
But it was not like she had a choice.