Love Him...Forever

Silent Heartaches

Yuzuru stood facing Shine, his brow furrowed, as if he didn't recognize her at all.

"Sorry, but I can only love SHINE!" he said firmly.

"I am Shine," Shine insisted, trying to convince him.

"No! You are HANA!" Yuzuru snapped, pointing at her blonde hair.

"Yuzuru, please, believe me! I am truly Shine!" she pleaded.

Before the argument could escalate further, Allen appeared and dragged her away. "Hana, come on, time to go," he said firmly. Kazumi appeared at Yuzuru's side and pulled him in a different direction.

"YUZURU!!!" Shine screamed, her lungs burning.

"Yuzu..." she whispered, her voice breaking as tears streaked her face. It had been three weeks since their encounter, but the pain in his expression haunted her still.

Shine jolted awake, gasping. "Oh shoot!" she muttered, almost falling out of bed. Heart racing, she quickly got ready for work—brushing her teeth, showering, and changing. She caught her reflection in the mirror: Hana's bright red hair stared back at her. Recently, she had been changing her hair color frequently—pink, purple, now red. Her outfit was sharp: a white long-sleeve polo with a ribbon, high-waist black pants, and five-inch red heels to match her hair.

"Ready for work?" Allen asked as Shine descended the stairs. Since that day with Yuzuru, he had become more protective—but whether it was for her safety or his own feelings, Shine couldn't tell.

"Yep!" Shine replied casually, sliding on her khaki trench coat.

For the past three weeks, despite Yuzuru's absence, everything at the rink had continued as usual. Nam and Javier practiced tirelessly for the World Championship in Shanghai, China, scheduled for the last week of March. They remained cheerful despite exhaustion.

Kazumi had been away for the Junior World Championship in Estonia, where she beat Evgenia Medvedeva. Her senior debut in Shanghai was approaching, and everyone eagerly awaited her return.

"Wow! Hana, your hair was purple last week, now it's red!" Monika greeted as Shine reached her post.

"I feel kind of rebellious today," Shine replied with a grin.

"Hello, ladies!" Nam greeted enthusiastically.

"Good morning, Nam," Shine responded warmly.

"And I like your hair," Nam added with a smile. Shine returned the gesture.

After handing Nam his keys, Monika whispered, "I can't believe our days without Kazumi are almost over."

"Don't worry, she'll debut in Shanghai. We'll see her in less than two weeks," Shine reassured her.

"Speaking of Shanghai... why isn't Yuzu back yet? It's been three weeks," Monika asked, concern in her voice.

"Maybe he's not participating?" Shine shrugged.

"Impossible! No one can stop him from skating—not even Shine, if she's alive!" Monika stated matter-of-factly.

Shine remembered Yuzuru's expression that day, and her heart ached—but she chose to hide it. "You're overthinking, Monika. Don't worry about him," she said lightly, though inside, she asked herself the same question.

Lunch over, Shine and Monika returned to the reception and saw two people standing at their desk, laughing.

"Yuzu?" Monika greeted.

"Kazumi!"

"Hi, Monika! How have you been?" Yuzu waved enthusiastically.

"I'm fine, thank you! So what brings you here?" Monika asked politely.

Shine quietly stood beside Monika, wearing a small smile.

"Maybe he's here to practice," her inner voice muttered sarcastically.

"Just visiting, hahaha!" Yuzuru laughed sarcastically, Kazumi joining in.

"Just kidding. We're here to practice for the World," Yuzuru added, emphasizing the word we.

Shine's inner voice twinged with jealousy. But she ignored it, heading to the back to grab Yuzuru and Kazumi's keys.

"You must have a special connection with Hana. She knew you'd be here today, right, Hana?!" Monika teased.

Shine exhaled and handed them their keys with a smile. Yuzuru took his key politely but didn't even glance at her. He handed Kazumi hers and gently nudged her toward the ice rink, bowing slightly to Monika and Shine.

"He is ANGRY at you!!!" Shine's inner voice hissed, the fear she had dreaded for weeks finally surfacing.