At one point, Vivian was drunk. Not the regular kind of drunk but rather a completely intoxicated, out of control beauty, overflowing with self- confidence. A woman so enchanting that she could go diamonds go blind!

She decided to make this party into a real party. She cosily slipped into her heels and walked towards the musicians. The musicians were shocked on seeing her approach them.

She sat beside them and looked into their music sheets as they played. It made them extremely uncomfortable! Naturally, they were not used to guests during their performance. But Vivian waited till they finishec their piece since it was considered quite rude in the musical society, to stop someone in between their piece.

"Guys, I have a request," She smiled. They never saw what was coming to them or what they had done to deserve that. The poor souls were only doing what they were paid to do. Kirito was talking to a group of old men and his uncle, the organiser of the party, when he heard a familiar voice on the mike.

The musicians had stopped playing. Their souls seemed dead just like their faces. He looked at the musicians' corner. His eyes almost fell down from his skull as he looked at the stage.

Vivian stood on the stage with a mike in her hand, looking like a sensational diva. Everyone stared at her.
"So, I just thought of making this party more fun. I do understand that people here love classical music therefore I thought how beautiful it would be if we could mix two genres of music together. Something that you like, we will play and bring to your heart, songs like Doris Day."

The pianist started playing and soon the violinist followed up. They had the sheet music before them. Vivian began singing.

She smiled as she sang but her eyes were watery and her skin was glowing with sweat.

"Who is she? Did you call for a singer, Kurosawa?"
"No." Kurosawa looked at Vivian as if she was the only thing in the world. She was smiling as she sang.

Everyone was enjoying the performance. Everyone but Kirito just glared at her. He knew the song was directed towards him. And he hated the fact that she could tell more about him than he himself. She was pitying him and laughing at him.

Pity was the last thing he wanted. Finally, Vivian was done singing and bowed to the audience. They all clapped. A cheer so loud that made Vivian dizzy. Maybe it was the booze.  She looked at Kirito's face among that huge crowd and whispered to him that she loved him. She slowly fell on the stage.

Kirito picked her up and took her to his car while everybody was covered in the chaos. He got inside the car and looked at Vivian.

'Nobody said it was easy'

"Then act like it's difficult." He started driving "We're going nowhere and I need to stop." He took her to their place and lay her on the sofa. He looked at her for a while.

"This is not even a feeling anymore... It's a nightmare."

When Vivian opened her eyes, Kirito was gone. She got up and looked around her. Everything was so quiet now that Kirito wasn't around. She didn't like silence. She was born and raised in a German chaos of booze and jolly festival.

Everything was so difficult and different. She wasn't used to this culture at all and it was hard to fit in. And Kirito was just making it harder now. She couldn't understand where she was going wrong. Things struck her mind, things like maybe she wasn't his type or maybe he didn't like how she looked. Or maybe, just maybe...

He liked someone else? And Vivian was the one between him and his true love. But the thought in itself was just so devastating that she decided never to think about it again.

Maybe it was just that he didn't like how stupid she was. She laughed as she lay on the sofa and dug her face into the pillow. She didn't realise when her laugher became tears and when her freedom was snatched. It was like she couldn't cry anymore after a long breakdown but she wanted to.

Something was missing because she was filled with despair and yet she was empty.

Meanwhile, Kirito had decided to visit his favourite bar. He sat beside a woman who had dyed her hair blonde and wore a short red dress with drag makeup and lipstick. She wore pencil heels and a necklace around her neck.

"I was afraid that you finally gave up on us after marriage." She said as she pressed his hand.
"Not at all," He interwove her fingers with hers "I don't consider this a marriage."

"So, you haven't slept with her yet?" She asked.
"Nope. Why? You jealous, Erika?"
She laughed and took a sip of Kirito's drink.

"I don't understand it. Why couldn't I marry someone of my choice? Why did my dad decide it for me? Which century are we living in again?" Kirito complained. He runted on and on for a while but she seemed uninterested however. She interrupted him while he was still speaking his mind "How about tonight?" She asked.

Kirito looked at her but then the bartender said "You shouldn't. You're married now. It's wrong."
"Does it look like I care?" Kirito got up. She gave a dirty look to the bartender, then followed Kirito.

The bartender watched them leave and started cleaning the glasses.
"I should be more stubborn." He mumbled to himself.

.

.

Vivian got up from the sofa and ran towards the bathroom to puke her stomach out. She decided to wash herself and removed her clothes.

"You know what..."

.

.

Kirito got up from the old motel bed and started buttoning his shirt.
"Leaving already?" Erika asked as she laid between the sheets.
"I've got work tomorrow,"
"Then sleep here tonight. Hey~" She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You know I can't do that. It'll raise suspicion if I don't return back home for an entire night."
"You said to be patient and wait a little longer but till when? I hate this secret love! I wanna show you off!"
"...Just wait till I officially get the company under me."

"Waiting is so annoying." She kissed his lips. He kissed her back and got up.

"Good night."
"Good night." Kirito smiled.

When he reached home, he wasn't ready to accept what he saw. Pieces of pizza, cheese, cake, bread crimps, fish bones, cream, ice cream and chocolate wrappers, with some other unidentifiable material, lay all over the floor.

And on turning towards the left, Vivian lay lazily on the sofa in her undies with an ice cream bucket into her arms, stinking of puke and sweat.

She looked at him and smiled "Hi!"
"What the hell is this?"
"Kater!" She shouted.
(Tn// Hangover)

"This?" Kirito stepped back. He raised his foot and found a chewing gum under his shoes. He took it off and looked at Vivian.

"You can take it if you want. I already ate it." Vivian laughed.
"That's disgusting."
"You stink."
"Shit happens,"
"Yeah, I mean look at your face." Kirito gave an ugly look.

"Am I gonna die?" Vivian asked like an adult suffering from late stage of ADHD.
"I'm not that lucky,"

"It doesn't make sense." She said.
"What doesn't?"
"I love you and you don't love me back. That isn't how it's supposed to be. If I like you then you should too--"
"That's not how it works."
"I know it doesn't but I--"
"But you what? You're gonna force me?"

"No." She cleared her throat and sniffed nothing but air as if clearing her nostrils "Kirito--"
"Call me Hiomi," Kirito said "Don't call me by my name."

"I'm just requesting you to be a little more soft and... I don't know-- just not so hurting. I value everything you say and do. I'm sensitive to you."
"And why is that so?"
"Because my world revolves around you even if yours doesn't."

"My world has stopped revolving."
"That only happens when you die."
"That is exactly what I mean."
"I don't understand it."
"Then you should stop trying to understand me."

"That is impossible. I am still left with rest of life to do the same."
"You won't."
"But why?"
"Because you've seen happiness and you've people who love you and value you," Kirito removed his coat and walked towards her "I'll show you how it feels."

He picked her up into his arms and carrier her to the bathroom. The bathtub was so huge that it almost resembled a small pool.

"It's like you're drowning." He mumbled and threw her into the huge bathtub.
"What the--" She shouted.

She grabbed his tie and pulled him in with her.

"You bitch!" He swore.

Both of them went down in the bath. Everything turned dark. Vivan swam up and reached the water's surface. She looked around. Kirito was not on the surface yet. There was no movement in the water. It was as still as it could be.

She didn't realize. Kirito didn't know how to swim.

-To be continued

Kirito Hiomi
My Heart Hates Me