There. She had said it. She had confessed her true feelings. She had told them what she wanted, and that was both of them.
Her announcement was received with complete and utter silence. Sakura had to sneak a peek at them. When she saw their impassive faces, her stomach flipped in dread. God, what have I done? This isn’t going well at all.
She licked her lips again, feeling as though tears were threatening to spill out of her eyes. No. No tears. Not now. It wasn’t over yet. The two men just needed time to let her announcement sink in.
Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that she thought it might explode. Of course, the brothers just standing there silently and not showing any sort of reaction to her proclamation made her even more nervous.
Why weren’t they saying anything? Or at least showing some reaction. God, please, just say something, one of you, she thought in dread.
Both men remained silent as they watched her, their faces impassive. Finally, Sakura couldn’t handle it and blurted out in a rush, “Look, I know it’s weird. But that’s my decision.” She felt her head was spinning now, with confusion and embarrassment.
God, they must think her bonkers, to tell them bluntly something like that.
In her mind, she knew she should stop rambling on, but she couldn’t help herself. She continued with her gentle tantrum. “I love you both. I know I’m greedy. But why can’t I be when I want you both? When I love you both?” She sighed, as if giving up suddenly. “That’s why I’m leaving it up to you two to decide.” She raised her head haughtily, as if to tell them this was her stand, her final decision. This was it.
“You both either share me, love me together, or you don’t. That’s it. I’m sharing my love with both of you. That’s my decision. That’s what I want, and I want us to go into a relationship openly, mutually, and with complete trust.”
She nodded firmly to emphasize her point. She had conveyed to them what was on her mind and what she wanted from them deep in her heart.
She took a step back as she said, “That’s it. I’ve told you both my decision. I’ll give you time to think it over, and you can tell me what your decisions are when you’re ready. For me, I’m ready to be with both of you. Now it’s up to you two.” With that, she turned on her heel and started walking back toward the holiday house.
She knew it was hard for the two to take in her confession so suddenly, this strange decision of hers. She knew it was outlandish of her to want to go into a relationship with two men at the same time, and furthermore, those two men happened to brothers. But of course, she couldn’t help herself. This was the only way, in her view at least, since she loved both men and didn’t want to lose either of them.
Her head was pounding and her face was flushed red by the time she got back to the house.
Akira met her at the stairs and expressed, “Good Lord, Sakura. What happened? Your face is flushed.”
Sakura took a deep breath as she gave her friend a weak smile. “I’m fine,” she said softly. “I was just outside, and it’s hot, that’s all. Also, I’m tired all of a sudden.”
It was true. She unexpectedly felt drained, as if her energy had just been sucked out of her body.
Akira said, “Well, it’s hot today, and we were working outside under the heat of the sun, so of course you’d be tired. Why don’t you turn in early? I mean, we’ll also be leaving for St. Thomas Island tomorrow. You don’t want to exhaust yourself.”
Sakura nodded in agreement. “Then I’ll be going to bed now.”
Akira nodded, and Sakura headed upstairs.
Upon entering her shared bedroom a few moments later, Sakura noticed Jane packing up.
“Oh, hey, Sakura,” Jane said.
“Hey, Jane,” Sakura greeted in return as she headed toward her bed.
Jane asked, “What’s wrong? You’re not feeling well?”
“I’m just tired,” she replied. “Are you packing already?”
Jane nodded. “The plane leaves early tomorrow morning.”
That was when Sakura remembered that Jane, her brother, Luke, and of course, Mr. Tachibana and Ms. Ruka would not be joining them for the rest of the vacation. They’d be returning to New York for work immediately, to ensure the magazine was published on time.
She said apologetically, “Sorry, I forgot about that.”
Jane brushed aside her apology with a wave of her hand. “No worries. You were busy and extremely nervous about the modeling work, so…” She chuckled.
Sakura smiled. She gave the woman a tight hug. “You’re an awesome friend, Jane. Thank you so much for being by my side and helping me out during the photo shoot.”
Jane chuckled with amusement. “No worries. It’s a pleasure working with you. And I have to say you were totally hot in those designer gowns and swimsuits. Not to mention the lingerie.”
Pulling back from Jane’s arms, Sakura blushed. “Yeah. I don’t think I will ever wear that again.”
Jane raised a brow. “Don’t be so sure about that.” She even smiled cheekily.
Sakura cocked her head to one side. “Why are you smiling like that? Like you’ve got something to hide.”
Jane giggled as she shook her head. “It’s nothing.” She quickly changed the subject. “By the way, have fun with the rest of your vacation. You deserve it, especially after all the drama in the last few months.”
Sakura nodded. “I will.” She turned on her heel and headed to the bathroom. “Right, I’m going to brush my teeth, change, and then hop into bed.”
Jane nodded. “Me, too. It’s going to be an early turn-in for me because of the super early start to the day tomorrow.”