My Soul Will Find Yours : The Fulfillment of the Promise

Third Wheel

"Save your questions for later," Nate chuckled and motioned for Sabrina to slide into the booth between him and Charles. Once they were both seated, he cleared his throat. "I know you're all wondering who she is to me and vice versa. Well, Sab is my girl—"

Before he could say what I assume was "friend," Sabrina clamped his mouth shut with her fingers. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not your girlfriend?" she whined, her ruby red lips pouting prettily. "I'm your fiancée! Fi. An. Cée!"

Charles and I gasped when Nate, who we know best as his flamboyant and very gay alter ego Marina, kissed the hand that restricted his lips. Then, as though he didn't have a care in the world, he whispered something in his woman's ear that made her face look like a ripe tomato.

"Naughty bun-bun!" Sabrina giggled girlishly, her eyes sparkling with glee.

"You heard her, she's my fiancée," Nate told us in mock regret, earning a playful slap on the arm from the person he was talking about.

Beside me, Kaname snorted. It was a subtle snort but I still heard him. When our eyes met, his face clearly said "I told you so." I had the urge to roll my eyes at him but I stopped myself, I didn't want to offend the tenka bito.

"You're engaged?" Charles sounded and looked shocked. "And... And to a w-woman? What? When? How??"

"Boss, do you remember Ms. Nieva?" Nate asked smilingly.

"Of course, how can I forget her? She's the cause of Marina's birth!"

"No," Nate shook his head. While playing with Sabrina's hair, he revealed, "This woman here caused the birth of Marina. She is the daughter of Ms. Nieva."

Charles blinked and stared at his good friend with a blank expression.

"You see, Atty. Arroyo, bun-bun transformed me from this," Sabrina showed us a photo of an overweight girl with a shy smile. "To the woman you see before you."

The rest of dinner circled around the topic of how Nate turned Sabrina from an "ugly duckling" to a "swan," as she loved to put it. Marina came to be because Sabrina was too timid and was uncomfortable with interacting with straight men. Nate had already seen the beauty she had underneath the excess weight and drab clothing, hence his willingness to help her. Needless to say the two of them fell in love in the process and just recently, Sabrina had finally let Nate be his true self. It looked like Marina won't be making an appearance any time soon.

Before parting ways, Sabrina mentioned something I already knew: her family's company wants Kaname to be the face of a campaign focusing on androcentric insecurities.

"His viral video and his indifference to its popularity demonstrates some of the best ways men could be better," Sabrina said. "I originally wanted to talk to him about this at the gym but tonight appears to be a much better time."

Kaname, whose right hand was clasping my left, looked at me before replying, "Hina and I have to talk about it first."

"I understand. I hope your response will be favorable," she smiled at us. "Thank you for allowing me to join you tonight. Dinner was great."

"You're welcome," I told her, this time I meant what I said.

After bidding us goodbye, the couple drove off in a sleek black car.

"Riku, why are you following us?" Kaname couldn't help it and finally asked.

"I wanted to sleep over," Charles replied, when he saw his father's disapproving frown, he added, "If that's okay."

"Of cou—" I started to say but Kaname cut me off.

"No, haven't you learned anything from tonight?" Kaname asked sternly, surprising both Charles and I. Seeing our we-have-no-idea-what-you're-talking-about expressions, he sighed, "How old are you? Must you spend most if your free time with your parents at this age?"

"But we just got reunited..." Charles reasoned.

"I know but you have spent most of your current life ensuring your mother's safety. I am here, the responsibility is now mine and no longer yours."

"I just wanted to spend more time with you both."

"Do you intend to be superfluous? You are too old to be a gooseberry!"

My lips twitched at Kaname's way of calling Charles the third wheel.

"Your mother and I have a lot of things to do at home." While making a shooing gesture, he added, "Go and find your woman."

"Did you really have to do that to him?" I chided my husband as soon as poor Charles was gone. "He just wanted to spend time with us. Most parents these days barely see their grown children but here you are driving ours away."

"You saw how awkward he was when Sabrina asked him if he already has a significant other, the lad needs to explore life outside our family and his work," Kaname replied while opening the car door for me.

"What's the rush? He can marry whenever he's ready," I told him as I went inside.

"That's true but he hasn't met anyone yet." He shut the door and went to the other side of the car. While buckling his seatbelt, he continued, "You've been very close to him all these years. Tell me, has he ever had a lover?"

"He's had girlfriends in the past," I said, recalling the beautiful women Charles dated and introduced to me. "But they weren't very fond of me, I'm afraid. All his relationships ended because his girlfriends accused him of being in love with me."

"See? He is so attached to you he can't build proper relationships," Kaname shook his head. "That lad is still the little Riku who clings and depends on you the most. He is an adult but a child in this aspect and you're tolerating it."

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are."

I harrumphed and started the car.

When we got home, mum was already asleep. Panpan was nowhere to be seen so we immediately assumed that he was spending the night with her for a change. After showering, Kaname and I started our evening ritual of making babies. Probably due to our argument earlier, he was gentler than usual and kept whispering words of love to me. We fell asleep wrapped in each other's arm, as though afraid that the other would disappear.