Intimacy

Chapter Eleven: Japan

The news of their engagement eclipsed over the brief scandal that had been attempted to rip them apart. They had yet to announce to anyone else that she was pregnant, wanting to wait at least another month or two before telling family and friends. But he was doting on her already, pampering her like a queen. Though he normally did so on a daily basis, it seemed he was being far more attentive than usual. Currently, she sat on the sofa of the living room, frowning down at the mug of herbal tea he had placed in front of her.

"What am I supposed to do with that, Lar?" She whined, craving desperately for an iced coffee. "The doctor didn't say I couldn't have coffee, it just had to be decaf." She pleaded, practically tugging on the sleeve of his black jacket. "If you're going to leave me for a week, at least supply me with decaf."

He chuckled, plopping down beside her to pull her into his arms. "There's one in the fridge for later. The tea is supposed to be a new way to get the prenatal vitamins in you since you can't take the pills."

"It's not that I can't take pills, I don't like to." She grumbled, reaching for the mug. The scent of it wasn't bad. It seemed almost relaxing. Tentatively, she took a sip. She had to admit that it wasn't half bad. "Alright, I'll cave. It's not that bad actually."

He smiled, pressing a kiss against her temple. The fingers of his left hand toyed absently with the black diamond skull he had give her, pleased that she never took it off. It seemed that both black diamonds and skulls had become his personal symbol which was part of the reason why he had chosen the same theme for her engagement ring. They had begun small preparations for the wedding, but wanted to wait until after the pregnancy announcement to really get down into the nitty gritty of it. He didn't want to stress her out too much during the early stages. He hated the thought of leaving her, but him and Lau had to go to Japan for at least a week.

"You know I'm going to call you several times a day, don't you, belle?"

She chuckled softly. "Yes, Lar. I've got a few art pieces I need to finish so I will more than likely be busy with those while you're gone, but I am going to miss you. Terribly."

He let his hand drift up from the necklace he had been playing with to lovingly cup the side of her face. "I know, bebe. I'm going to miss you too. Desperately." He leaned forward, pressing his lips tenderly against her own. "I'm already missing you." The tip of his nose followed the curve of her neck as he inhaled her scent, committing it to memory so he could carry it with him.

"I hate to break up the moment." Laurent's voice called from the right of the couch they had been sitting on. They both glanced up towards him. How hadn't they heard him come in? She had almost forgotten that he had a key to the apartment. "Both the moving truck and our Uber are here, Lar."

"Shit." Amanda stated, placing her mug down on the coffee table. "I forgot the movers were coming today." They had both decided that she was going to move in with him here. There was plenty of room, including a couple of spare rooms that she was planning on using. One for the baby since Larry's daughter already had her own room, and the other she was going to set up as a work space for her art.

"We can get a later flight and help you, belle." Lau offered, surprising both her and Larry.

"Aw, thank you, Lau. I appreciate the offer but you guys have a flight to catch and a schedule to follow. I would hate to think that your fans would be disappointed. I know how much they mean to the both of you."

"So selfless." She heard Lar mumble softly.

"I should be alright as long as the movers put the boxes in the right rooms."

"I'll go make sure." The older Twin fluidly disappeared.

"He's been different lately." Larry stated, watching his brother speak with the movers who were starting to bring the boxes in.

"Perhaps he finally came to his senses."

He said nothing, continuing to watch him for a moment before turning back to Amanda. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. I know my brother, cherie and he never turns down a challenge. He may just see this as another obstacle to conquer."

"I'm not some object to be conquered."

"Non, belle. You're a queen. My queen." He brought her hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss against the backs of her fingers. "Set to rule by my side."

How was it that he was so romantically poetic? He made her insides all gooey, melting into a puddle.

"The movers will set everything in their specific rooms." Lau broke the moment again as he stepped into the room. "We have to go mon frere."

For a moment, Larry looked as if he wasn't going to move. He took a hold of her chin between his thumb and index finger, kissing her sweetly on the lips. It lingered for several moments until Laurent cleared his throat.

"I'll call you as soon as we get to the hotel, bebe."

She nodded once, a small somewhat sad smile tugging at a corner of her mouth. "Have a safe trip you two. Hey, Lau, where's Paname?" She inquired with a slight frown. She knew that the cat was an emotional support animal for him and helped him relax during flying.

He seemed to light up at her question, pleased with her attention and concern for both him and Paname. "He's waiting in the car."

"Aw, I was hoping to see him before you left."

"I'll make sure to bring him by when we get back. He's missed you."

It almost felt like the good old times again. She let a genuine smile widen her expression. "I'd like that."

There was a glow about her now that just made her absolutely stunning to him. Not that he hadn't found her beautiful before, but she was even more so now. It seemed happiness agreed with her. It was something he hadn't been able to provide. It hurt, but at least he knew that his brother would take care of her. If he didn't, he'd kick his ass himself. Then whisk her away to some fairy tale land. Mon Dieu he had been such a fool to ignore all the signs! With a pang of jealousy stinging his heart, he turned away from them.

"I'll be in the car, Larry." Without another word, he left the apartment before he did something stupid again.

Amanda shook her head faintly. The shift in his demeanor almost had her unnerved and she wasn't entirely sure why. It was almost like he was a ghost of himself. She knew he wasn't happy about the engagement. Did he know about the pregnancy too? She hadn't told anyone but Larry, so how would he find out? The only answer she could find was that he may have over heard them at the press conference, but she had made sure she said it low enough that no one else would have been able to hear. Not even the press had caught wind to it and they were like blood hounds when it came to news. Her gaze shifted back to Larry and it was like all her unease vanished. How was it he effected her like this when no one else had? Staring into his eyes, she instantly knew the answer. He was without a doubt the One.

"Make sure you call me when you get to the hotel so I know you made it alright."

"You know I will, belle." He stood up from the sofa, leaning down to kiss her one last time. "Take care of yourself and our bebe."

"You know I will."

He smiled, brushing his thumb across her lower lip. "I love you, Amanda."

"I love you too, Larry. Now go before you guys miss your flight!"

He gave her his signature grin, flashing his bunny teeth before he bounded out of the apartment. She turned her gaze to the mug of herbal prenatal tea still half full sitting on the coffee table. Her eyes narrowed at it like it was the enemy. "You're going down, tea." She threatened before picking the mug back up and downing it in one shot. She shuddered at the slightly bitter taste. "Now for the dark nectar of the Gods. Coffee."