Love Him...Forever

Close to Forever

"What are you saying, Kazumi?" Shine asked innocently, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Hana, you can deny it all you want, but I know. You know. And Yuzu knows the truth," Kazumi said confidently.

"Kazumi, you're mistaken. I already cleared this up with Yuzu. I'm not Shine. Yes, people say we look alike—that we could pass as twins—but that's it," Shine explained with a smile, trying to appear convincing.

But Kazumi didn't seem convinced, no matter what Shine said.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me the truth. I know you must have a reason. I just want you to know that Yuzu really loves you—even if it means he has to go along with your lies," Kazumi said, smiling.

Shine had no defense left and simply looked at Kazumi, both curious and scared.

Kazumi continued her story.

..........

On the ice, Yuzuru paused mid-glide and stopped in front of the door. Sweat covered him, but a smile played on his face, as if he saw something amusing outside. Kazumi noticed him and approached.

"Yuzu, why did you stop?" she asked in Japanese.

Yuzuru smiled at her, patted her shoulder, and glided away, resuming practice.

"What was that?" Kazumi muttered to herself in confusion.

"What...is...the...matter?" Nam asked slowly. He had no idea she spoke English.

"Nothing," Kazumi replied curtly.

Nam glanced outside and saw Shine laughing with Monika. He sighed.

"Poor Yuzu! He must be seeing Shine in Hana again," Nam said, shaking his head, and left Kazumi alone.

"Who is Shine?" Kazumi asked herself, skating after Nam.

.........

"That's also the day I found out who Shine really is—from Javi," Kazumi said to Shine.

Shine tried to hide her happiness and forced a confused frown.

"And that's not the only time I noticed him watching you. Every day during practice, I'd catch him staring at you, smiling as if he saw something amusing. When I asked what it was, he'd just smile and glide away. It became a routine," Kazumi recalled.

"Yuzuru is a peaceful person. Surely he must feel bad about our past misunderstanding—that's why he's smiling," Shine lied, trying to convince Kazumi.

Kazumi smiled knowingly.

"Remember the time he was practicing for Shanghai? The day everyone convinced you to go to China with us?" Kazumi reminded her.

Shine nodded.

...........

In the locker room, Yuzuru prepared for practice when Kazumi entered, training boots on.

"Yuzu, are you ready?" she asked casually in Japanese.

As Yuzuru pulled his skates from his bag, his wallet fell, revealing a picture of Shine. He quickly retrieved it, but Kazumi's sharp eyes caught it immediately.

"She really does look like Hana," Kazumi said in broken English.

Nam and Javier entered and sat beside Yuzuru.

"Talking about Shine and Hana again?" Nam asked as he tied his skates.

"When I first met Hana, I thought she was Shine's doppelgänger. But up close, you can see how different they are, right Yuzu?" Javier said, lacing his boots.