An Unwavering Love (A Yuri Plisetsky Fanfiction)

Chapter 13: Apologize

It was a gloomy afternoon, and Ayumi was calmly sipping a Grande-sized Green Tea Latte when she saw the blaring headline from The Straits Times:

EXCLUSIVE: Teenage Bachelor Ethan Khoo Caught on Date with Matsumoto Corporation Heiress

Her phone pinged incessantly from the tweets and posts where she was tagged, along with either photos and articles of her and her "romantic tête-à-tête". Everything was blown entirely out of proportion. The "date" they were referring to was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision to eat after a long day of meetings and events, and they were only at Jaan because it was the closest restaurant they could find. There was certainly no "plethora of red roses", nor was there a serenade. The media got it all wrong.

Of course, the hand-holding and the constant meet-ups were intentional. They needed to be seen together, and she couldn't tell anyone why.

"What's on your mind?" asked Ethan, who was sitting across the wooden table. A girl sitting with them also looked at her curiously. It was Amanda, and they all met up at Starbucks after their early morning duties. Starbucks held a lot of memories from their rebellious summers. While the coffeehouse chain has become more crowded and way too overrated in recent years, they felt it was fitting to visit again for old times' sake.

Ayumi showed them her phone, and both their faces fell. Ethan clutched his head, and Amanda's face was sullen as she whispered, "Oh, god..."

"Fuck," Ethan added. "The lengths these vultures go through just to get a story."

She conceded. "We can't do anything about it now. It's out in the open already, and it's not like we can diffuse these rumors. They all fit accordingly to plan, right?"

"But Yumi..."

"No... don't," she said forlornly. She concentrated on Amanda, who refused to look up from the cup of Caramel Macchiato she held in her hand. "I don't think I'm the person you need to apologize to."

Ethan turned towards Amanda and held her other hand underneath the table. Her eyes widened a bit before she relaxed in his touch. Ayumi knew that she was the biggest victim of the mess and refused to think about herself in the face of it.

"I'm so sorry, babe. I know how messed up this is, but I'm doing this for you."

Amanda gave him a sad smile. "I know, and I trust you. I just never expected this to be so difficult."

Ayumi frowned on their current situation. She and Ethan needed to convince his mother that they were in a relationship to get her off his back. If they didn't, it was only a matter of time before the invasive woman found out that he was in fact dating Amanda Zhang, the daughter of some nouveau-riche family from Mainland China.

Mainlanders were greatly frowned upon by members of Singapore high society. They were relatively new money and had a reputation for being tacky and improper. Once Madame Khoo discovers the relationship, Ethan would most likely be disinherited out of shame, and Amanda will be exiled with nothing (not even her family's dignity) left intact.

Ayumi knew Madame Khoo wanted her for Ethan, because getting them together would solidify a union between their companies. Thus, the only way to appease her obsession was by taking on the role of the pretend girlfriend. She found the situation completely discouraging. It's just like one of those cliché love stories Miwako liked to read. Despite this, she worried about Amanda the most—she was left to wither in the background while they misled the press.

The viral article from TheInsider.sg invaded her feed, and she couldn't stop herself from reading. There was a significant amount of positive response (especially from those within the social circle). However, her eyes wandered to the tweets directed solely at her, and she paled:

@yuri_angels You bitch @a.matsumoto! Have you forgotten about our Yuratckha?! If you're just going to hurt him then leave him alone!!!

@crazyKupKakes Gosh, my heart is breaking for @yuri-plisetsky </3

@saltedCARAmel I always knew Ayumi was all about the money. God, just go on and rape that Ethan guy. Yuratchka deserves so much better.

Oh, my gosh. My Yura...

She made the big mistake of not telling him about their little stunt. When Ethan asked for her help, she knew that Yuri would immediately forbid her from doing it, and Amanda would be left to perish in the hands of the tai tais. That was out of the question. She chose to keep it a secret, but the idea that he could simply open Twitter and see her lying to his face completely slipped from her mind.

Ayumi fought the urge to cry in the middle of the coffeehouse. She was hurting Yuri, and now everyone was questioning their relationship. Many speculated that the atrocious personality the Russian Punk was known for pushed her to seek comfort in someone else, while fans defended Yuri and called her a two-timing slut. She didn't mind those who slandered her, because that was not important. Yuri was.

I can't keep doing this. This is so wrong. He needs to know the truth.

"Yumi? What are you doing?" Ethan asked when she swiftly stood up. Amanda eyed her worriedly.

"Sorry. I have to go," she answered brokenly before walking away, leaving the two baffled in their seats.

------

The sky was already dark when Ayumi checked the time on her phone. 08:07 p.m. SGT. She has been pacing around Marina Bay Sands for the past few hours searching for her boyfriend, who ran away from her when she tried to explain herself in the hallway outside their hotel room.

Seeing Yuri's wounded expression killed her. She was so stupid. How did she even expect him to react to that? She slapped her forehead several times, hoping that if she did it enough it would erase everything that happened over the past two weeks.

What was I thinking? I may be adept at running my father's company, but I am utterly clueless when it comes to my own boyfriend. Gosh, kill me now.

She just needed to find him. She needed to apologize for lying and clear the air. She needed to tell him that Ethan meant nothing more than a friend to her. She needed to let him know that it was HIM who she loved with all her heart.

Finding her way out to the event plaza, she was distracted by the enormous fountain show taking place. The movements of the water blended so well with the lights and the music, creating a majestic symphony. It was beautiful, and it painted the night sky with vibrant colors.

The people around her cheered in amazement, but Ayumi was desolate. She would have been there watching the show with Yuri if she did not just do the most thoughtless thing she has ever done in her life. He would have made fun of her for being completely mesmerized by the lights. She would have held his hand and leaned her body on his to shut him up. He would have gone completely red before he made a move to kiss her, not caring that they were out in public.

After fifteen minutes, the show came to an end. Everyone who gathered to watch were starting to leave, but Ayumi did not. She saw two familiar figures from where she stood, one with short black hair and the other with blond hair she knew all too well.

She approached them hesitantly. Every step for her was heavier than the last. She did not know if she could even fix the damage caused by what she did, but she knew she needed to try. But then Yuri uttered something that made her pause:

"This isn't what I signed up for."