Nibiiro no Hana: Chapter 14
After leaving the office, Tsurutani
was on his way to the station. The new company was on the outskirts of town,
and trains were infrequent—miss one, and you had a long wait. As he hurried
along, checking the time, someone suddenly grabbed his arm in front of a
drugstore. He turned—and was stunned to see a man with light brown hair and
green eyes: Dan Carter.
“L-Long time no see.”
Dan’s grip was so strong it dug into
his arm. He was angry. Tsurutani could feel it radiating off him.
“When did you arrive in Japan?”
Dan started walking without a word.
Still gripping his arm, not letting go, forcing Tsurutani to follow.
“Um, where are we going?”
Tsurutani did all the talking—Dan
gave no reply. Behind the station there were a few love hotels. It felt like he
was being taken there against his will. He didn’t want that. When Dan was
angry, sex became rough. And while he did like it physically, the aftermath was
hard.
Tsurutani yanked his arm hard. Maybe
because he caught Dan off guard, the grip broke. Dan turned to grab him again,
but Tsurutani stepped back. The man’s face twisted with sadness.
“I came to take you back.”
Tsurutani had already declined the
offer to be Dan’s partner. He knew Dan wasn’t one to give up easily, but with
so much silence since, he thought maybe it had ended. He gave a small bow.
“I’m very sorry.”
He gently touched his ring finger. A
wedding ring was on it. He had stopped wearing it after his wife died, but
started again last month.
“I’m married now. I’ve left Rabbit
Food and started fresh at a new company, taking things slowly.”
Dan’s face visibly paled.
“No!” Dan shouted.
“I truly am sorry.”
“You? Married? That’s impossible!”
He wasn’t wrong. Tsurutani didn’t
see himself as the kind of man who could have a happy marriage.
“Thank you for your feelings. But I
hope you can forget about someone as insignificant as me.”
“I love you,” Dan said, stepping
forward and placing a hand over his heart as if swearing an oath.
“At first it was curiosity, but I
found myself falling more and more for you.”
His green eyes were sincere.
Tsurutani nearly laughed, then looked down quickly. To treat him like a toy and
then suddenly throw the word “love” around—he couldn’t understand it. He knew
Dan was obsessed, but that wasn’t love. He was just an old, pathetic man past
his prime. And as for Dan? His own impression of him hadn’t changed:
short-tempered, skilled in bed, and soft but oversized.
“You’re a wonderful person…”
He knew Dan’s accomplishments and
status at Eric & Ronald.
“But I’m not worthy of you. And
honestly, outside of business, I don’t really know how to deal with you.”
“I’m the best partner for you,” Dan
declared confidently. Yet his green eyes trembled with doubt. Even so, he
wouldn’t take no for an answer. Tsurutani knew the pattern. This would go
nowhere.
“Um, excuse me then…”
He bowed and tried to leave, but his
arm was grabbed again. Would this continue until Dan gave up? What a pain.
Then…
“I’m already with someone. But… if
it’ll help you move on, I’ll sleep with you one last time. Not as a job. Just…
a favor. Will that be enough for you to let me go?”
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