Full Exclusive Rights (bxb)

4. The Dark Prince

   Emma is in a total frenzy. 

   We're back in my apartment and she's pacing from the kitchen island to the sofa and back, waving a packet of popcorn in the air. I'm desperately trying to grab it. 

   She had dragged me here right after the events in the University courtyard, without saying a word, and had literally exploded the moment we got inside.

   "Can you believe it?" she nearly screams. "It's something I'm going to tell my grandchildren one day. The Dark Prince himself saved my best friend from a panic attack and held him on his lap for full twenty minutes."

   She takes in a big gulp of air and the high-pitched jabber continues, gaining more and more speed.

   "His two faithful dogs of boyfriends are so-o-o annoying. I can't stand them," she huffs, rolling her eyes. "It's not bad that they hid the whole turmoil and wouldn't let anyone come closer, but it's totally irritating that they stopped even me, your best friend. Who gives them the right to tell me where I can and can't go? Oh, tomorrow the whole University will be a beehive. The gossip will suck us like a tornado. We're not going to last for mere five minutes in that building."

   She palms her face, shaking her head. I use the brief pause to interrupt her.

  "Emma, calm down! What are you talking about? Why are you calling that boy The Dark Prince?" 

   The realization flushes through my mind and I almost fear to ask the next question. 

   "Do you mean THE Dark Prince? Was that actually HIM?"

   "Yes, Sunny, it was exactly him," she groans. "Believe me, you're already the fourth most popular person on the campus, after Em himself and his boyfriends, of course." She stomps her foot, "I can't believe that Jamie and Lucky wouldn't let me come to you, so that the smug bastard could snuggle you as long as he liked. I'm kind of jealous though. For two years he barely spoke three words to me. And here you come, directly perching on his lap. Some people are born lucky."

   I still can't comprehend fully, or rather refuse to swallow what she's saying.

   "You mean the boy who helped me, Em, is HIM and the other two are his boys?" I ask again with the vague hope that somehow, I misunderstood her.

   "Yes, Yes, Yes! This is precisely what I'm saying. You had the pleasure to meet His Majesty, the one and only Master of hotness and arrogance," she announces, sighing overdramatically, with a hand on her heart.

   The truth hits me like a steam engine and I gasp in desperation. So far with my hopes to move to a place where I can find peace. This plan definitely blew up in our faces. 

   I should've guessed that this extremely handsome, intimidating and extraordinary boy couldn't just be a random student.

   Of course, it's him!

   Damn it!

   Emma and I've been best friends since we were children. Her parents came to work in Tokyo when I was seven and she was five and stayed there for ten years. My father was her father's boss and our families became close. We spent our childhood together, went to the same kindergarten and the same school. We've always been inseparable. 

   When her family came back to her home country six years ago, nothing changed. We've been talking on the phone every single day and she stayed with us for a month every summer.

   I love her as a sister, no matter how nosy and annoying she can be sometimes. Being the only person, I completely trust, she knows every single detail of my life, even the most embarrassing ones. I believe that only her true friendship and bright personality can help me overcome what happened to me almost three years ago.

   If I liked girls in a romantic way, I would've easily asked her to marry me. But, yeah, I don't.

   When I graduated high school, I was admitted to Tokyo University to study International Relations. It was my third year when something terrible happened. I couldn't go back to study after that. 

   I've lived all this time in isolation and constant panic attacks. I had the courage to communicate just with my parents, my therapist and Emma. They've all been worrying a lot about me. I know they still do. I hate making people worry. 

   So, I've put tremendous efforts to brace myself and get better. When she felt that I was ready, Emma came up with this plan. She arranged everything for me to be transferred to the University of Economics in her home town. I could start directly from the third year, so that we would be together in the same specialty, in the program for foreign students that she was attending. I only had to take some exams. They were no problem for me. 

   Then I packed my bags and took the flight.

   All my loved ones have great hopes that this will be the change to help me overcome my problems. I desperately hope for this too.

   For the last two years Emma has been brightening my days with long phone conversations, telling me everything about her academic life in great details. 

   Our favorite topic has always been The Dark Prince.

   The students have come up with this nick name for the most handsome guy in the program. He's been attracting everyone's attention with his enigmatic style and wild way of living. 

   To top it all, he's a local rock star.

   Well, I obviously met him today.

___________________________________

A/N

Hello everyone who reached the end of Chapter 4.

Thank you for following the story of Sunny and Em!

What do you think of the situation Sunny got himself into?

Are you curious about their next encounter?

Any ideas what could have happened to him three years ago?

Share your thoughts, ask questions and criticize.

I'd love to see it all. ❤

See you in the next chapter.

Don't forget to vote, if you liked the story.

Love: Anny