"Work," Kyle replied curtly, not really wanting to elaborate further.

"You're here alone?" Sari ventured some more, wondering why she couldn't let this go.

"No, he's with me," came a sweet voice from behind Kyle.

Kyle turned to look and Sayuri kissed his cheek, saying, "Sorry, did you have to wait long?"

"No," Kyle replied, "Done?"

"Yeah," Sayuri replied, taking his arm and leaning on it, "Shall we have a bite to eat first?"

"Sure," Kyle replied, then jerked his head towards the men's washroom.

"Okay, I'll wait right here," Sayuri said, understanding.

She then turned towards Sari and asked, "This is?"

"Sari," Kyle replied, then pushed Sayuri forward a bit after getting his arm back, "Sayuri."

"Hello," Sayuri said with a smile, extending her hand.

Sari watched the entire thing with confusion and surprise, taking the other girl's hand and shaking it, "Hello."

"Go, I'll be fine," Sayuri assured Kyle, who nodded and only then did he move. As he did so, he took out his phone and called someone, but he was already out of range to hear what he was saying.

Sari was still feeling rather shocked at the whole thing.

Kyle was still being the cold and indifferent person, yet the girl, Sayuri, didn't seem to mind it a bit. In fact, she was practically clinging and plastering herself onto Kyle - who didn't reject her at all.

She didn't even care that Kyle was only giving one-word answers and understood him completely. Despite the fact that Kyle didn't seem caring, the girl was okay with it.

What was going on?

"You don't mind his coldness?" Sari couldn't help but ask.

She was learning to ask things that were on her mind, but it didn't mean she would ask anything. This was still within the 'safe' zone. She couldn't ask if Sayuri was Kyle's girlfriend.

The way she acted though, it appeared to be so.

"That's just the way he is," Sayuri answered with a shrug, "I know what he's like and I accept him as he is."

Kyle said he was here for work, yet there was this girl with him.

Did he lie to her?

Was he really here for work … or perhaps, this girl was his bed partner while he is here for work? What happened to Nialla? Or is this his second bed-partner while Nialla is for home?

Her head spun thinking about it.

Even though Kay had told her that Kyle was still a virgin, she never did believe her. She felt that Kay was just being over-protective over her brother - and what brother would tell his sister that he was sleeping around, right?

"What's going on in that mind of yours?" Sayuri asked bluntly.

"N-n-nothing," Sari stammered.

She could hardly ask such a question now, could she?

Sayuri tilted her head and laughed a bit, then shook her head.

"I was wondering what Kyle's ex-girlfriend was like," Sayuri mused.

"You-you-you know?" Sari gasped, completely taken aback.

"Of course," Sayuri replied, "He was a wreck back then."

"He was?"

Sayuri frowned at that, "What? Why is that such a surprise?"

"I …" Sari began, then with a deep breath, she said, "He didn't appear so when we last met. He just accepted things so calmly."

Sayuri couldn't help but laugh at that, "And you really believed that?"

Sari blinked, looking at her in confusion.

"Look, I don't know how to break this to you gently, but you need to know something," Sayuri said, "When he broke up with you, a part of him died. He loved you so much that he stopped believing in love."

"The cold man you see right now, is the man that you created," Sayuri said bluntly, "I am not saying this out of spite, nor am I trying to guilt-trip you. I am merely stating the facts."

"I wouldn't have said anything out of respect of his past feelings for you, but seeing that reaction from you just now … well, I just couldn't keep it in any longer," Sayuri explained, not caring about the shocked expression on Sari's face.

"I am in love with Kyle," Sayuri declared unashamedly, "But he has no feelings for me. He had stated from the start that he could never love anyone, and as long as I am fine with that, I can stay by his side."

"Do you know what it's like, seeing the man that you love deeply, be so broken like that? He lost faith in ever being good enough for anyone, for he couldn't be the man you needed."

"I didn't need much," Sari protested.

"No, you just needed constant reassurance of his love yet never believed him when he showered you with it," Sayuri said, "What I would have given to have been in your position then."

"It's not my fault!" Sari denied vehemently.

"No, it's not," Sayuri agreed, "I never said it was. I am merely stating facts, and that the circumstances led to him being what he is right now."

"Then why are you even telling me all this? To make me feel bad?"

"No," Sayuri replied, "To wake you up. It takes two to make a relationship work and though you may think you were doing a lot on your end, in truth, you weren't doing enough. You only saw his mistakes and downplayed yours."

"I just can't accept his lifestyle," Sari protested, "Having bed partners without any ties while being with me."

Now it was Sayuri's turn to be shocked.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Sayuri hissed, "He's the most loyal person I know. If he had you, he would never, and I mean NEVER, be with another person."

Sari took a step back, aghast at the sudden explosion of anger and expletives from Sayuri.

Sayuri pinched the space between her eyebrows, "How vexing. You thought he was sleeping around?"

Sayuri then looked at her in the eye, saying, "I was his first and am the only one fucking him right now."