The Price of Love | Naegami

Chapter Twelve: Meeting

Blue eyes wandered the Cafe until they found a pale young woman dressed in a gothic lolita fashion. Byakuya wandered over and sat down to face his old friend.

"You shall call me Celeste in public, understood?"

"What else would I call you but your name?" Byakuya smirked and winked in a way that irritated Taeko. The blonde took a seat at the table and sighed, looking down on a small box.

"Ludenburg, I have an issue." He murmured. Togami didn't seem to be his usual, condescending self but a nervous boy desperate for help. That's the only way he acted as of late, honestly.

"Hm?"

He opened the small box to reveal the ring, which caused the lolita to jump slightly. She chuckled in response.

"You know I'm-"

"A lesbian, yes. It's Makoto that is my issue."

"Ah," began the gambler who's plan for a castle of men had changed. "I see no issue?"

"We've only been together for a couple days..."

"Ah. You're desperate."

"What? No... I... Just..."

"Desperate for his hand in marriage, that is. I'll ignore the small talk aspect and get straight to the point. Just do it."

"What?"

"You seem to be acting foolish. You've known each other for a long time," she chuckled and sipped some sort of tea.

"And?" He continued to listen, waiting for the words he wanted to hear.

"So marry him, you pussy!" She seemed to shout, her accent becoming absent. This caused everybody in the cafe to stare. She giggled awkwardly, and a couple shrugs were made as attention shifted.

"Damn, I get it." He murmured, averting his attention to the ring. He felt conflicted, dammit, he thought this would help him. He sighed, his shoulders sinking, his eyes closing. "I'm... Scared. That's all."

Something cold intertwined with his fingers. This caused him to flinch and open his eyes again. The gambler had grabbed his hand for support. Despite being different in as many ways as possible, the two had grown to understand each other.

"I know you can do it."