Chapter 5: Ace Rome

His friend's POV (Ace Rome Jin) 

My name is Ace, Rei's friend for... how many years?? Oh fuck the years, what's important is we are friends since we were young. I am part Japanese, part Canadian and yes Darling, I'm handsome as hell. I lived in Canada for years and only returned recently because Rei said he's getting married. Her wife, Alina Zara, she's so beautiful. I would agree when Rei told us she is vibrant. Seriously, she's very pretty, I mean beautiful. But she's not my type hahahaha. So don't tell Rei okay?

Anyway, like I've said, we are friends and everything that happened to him, we knew it all. Its dark. Trust me, you don't wanna know. 

I stared at the mess in front of me. I sighed and pitied him more. He doesn't like to share his burden. He carry it all not because he could but because he had to. 

Don't you ever tell her, he told us. He's always like this. Keeping everything. 

Secrets. 

Pain. 

Memories. 

"What if... What if she could cure you? A bit more, just a lil bit more and you will lose yourself man..."

"Hey..." he said coldly and stared directly at my eyes. His eyes is very hollow, but I could feel all the pain and remorse and suffering. Fuck, what happened to you Rei? 

I had the urge to look away but he's talking to me. "You know I already lost myself long time ago." 

This is him. Behind the ruthless and cold eyes, you'll see a weak and troubled boy who is being chased by his nightmares. He looked to vulnerable, pathetic. 

"Do you love her?" 

All heads turned to Nico, the silent one among us. We, Jared and I, we could fool around. But not Nico, also known as Nicholei Vega, a computer master. As a hacker, known as Black Butterfly. In the underworld, Viper. But as the CEO of the giant computer company, known as the Intimidator. He's always quiet but when that happens, (which is always because he's always quiet) that means he is assessing every information he recepts from the surrounding. Very unpredictable. Among us four, Nico is the only one Rei can't read. But still they get along very well because they both really appreciate silence and that's what we hate, Jared and I. To cut the introduction short, the one who has the least chance of finding a girlfriend is Nico and Rei. Oh scratch Rei, he jumped to marriage without even courting her girl tsk tsk. So Nico, the intimidating, straightforward and usually harsh friend of ours, has at the least 0.13 chance. Yes I calculated it base on the ratio of his likeable and unlikeable traits. Oh sorry for babbling darling.. 

"Do you love her?" Nico ask in his usually silent placid voice. We all turned back to Rei to wait for his answer. We waited for him to finish his bottle. Then he wiped the remnants of the liquor on his lips using the back of his hand. 

"I don't know. I really don't know. Shit. This is making my mind fucked up..." he lazily said and we all just stared at him unbelievably. 

Rei got his girl, no courtship. No engagement. He married her in a whim and now, he's not sure if he loves her. Great. 

"So she's the reason why you've been drinking right?" Lib asked drowsily. The alcohol is doing its job on the most lightweight among us... Libean. 

"I'm drinking because alcohol gives me therapy." Rei said and gulped a mouthful again. Damn, I'm starting to worry about his kidneys. 

"Alcohol is not a healthy therapy Rei. It's a bad habit." I grinned at him. I'm being an ass right now by ruining his mood but I'm genuinely worried about him.

"Just don't mind me Rome." he said coldly and sipped liquor again.

My phone rang loudly. I didn't even read who was it, because my sight is also getting blurry and it would be useless. 

"Hello?" I said to the phone.

"Stupid brother, we have to talk. Come here now." One sec and I know who is this tigress.

*in Japanese "Don't want. I won't talk to all of you about those matters. Never." I said seriously and slammed the phone down. These crazy people are ticking me off, they just ruined my mood. After I ruin Rei's mood, yeah karma is a bitch. 

Because of that call, I stood and played dart. I got pissed alright? But besides, I still need to drive. It won't be safe to drive while dead drunk.

Sometimes I think, Reivenn's tolerance to alcohol is out of this world... Like dang, he could gulp and finish bottles in minutes! Could you believe that? But don't worry, I'm still 2 years younger than them so maybe that's why I can't keep up to his drinking at all.

If Lib is the least tolerant of alcohol, I think I'm next to him. I can't also handle too much alcohol.

But lately I've been thinking... What if Alina will really be his medication? If he realise his feelings more... I think that should be helpful! Being Reivenn is so hard.

You have to be cold. Ruthless to enemies, not being able to feel any sympathy nor mercy to them. You have to be calculative. Once you had a weak spot, you must eliminate it as soon as possible. And you know the thing is... Rei is doing it effortlessly! How could a man in his own will do such heartless things? All of that is because of his past. The way his father trained him. Now he's just a scarred and broken guy who lost all the ability to be happy.

So I told myself. I won't ever.. Ever... Be like him. I would choose my own path. Without the restrictions of anyone or anything. Then I'll do what would make me happy.

But the problem is... I don't have a woman! How can I be happy without a girlfriend? Don't misinterpret, I can leave without a woman but hey... The feeling is different when you have someone to take care of you...

And that's what I've been finding. To find someone who won't just pass by but will stay. For good.

I have a lot of girlfriends but I can't seem to find the one who could make my heart race. Maybe because all those girls are swooning over me. At least if I court a woman who doesn't want me, I have the reasons to chase her. But please don't get impatient, I'm just babbling about how I couldn't find a suitable girlfriend.

Now going back to our drunk party, Lib has long stopped  drinking. I am also slight drunk and I still have to drive so I need to restrain myself. Nicholei is still drinking. Along with Rei. These two always clicks with everything...

So I've been curious, does Nico found his girl?

"Nico, have you found yourself a girlfriend?" I curiously asked out of the blue. Since I've been talking about our girls here, might as well poke into the Intimidator's love life..

He just shook his head on me. I crunched my brows. So is he also a monk?

"How come? Don't you have time to find girls?" maybe that's the reason. I know he is also always busy. Same as Rei. 

"No. I just think those kinds of thing are overrated." I am offended. How could he?! I wasn't really ready for that one... 

"What the fuck? And how is it overrated Mister?" I said, a little aggravated.

"I think I could live without it. And I also think... Women are restrictions." I still can't accept that, although I understand his point. 

Love is never overrated. It's what makes up this world. Without it, we are all nothing. So how dare he say that love is overestimated?

"Nico, sometimes I think your heartless and dumb. How could you find a girl when that's your mentality? Damn, you're a prude..." I can't help but exclaim, might as well be frank with him. Since I'm drunk... I have the courage to say what I wanted to say. 

He just looked at me blankly and then averted his gaze back to the liquor... 

"I never said I'll find a girl. Only let nature take its course and it will bring you to the right person.." I can't help but to gape at him with that statement. Damn, I didn't think he had this quote on his mind. 

Only let nature take its course and it will bring you to the right person..

"But I'm quite impatient in this kind of things..." I sighed. 

"Your problem, not mine..." he coldly said and continued to sip the whiskey on the bottle. 

"You heartless dumbass.."

"Were not different. Actually you're no better than me. Remember all those girls you just dump." he said straightly

Damn this straightforward, dumb and frank guy.

"Hey do you have to be so straightforward?" I said, exasperated.

Maybe thats the disadvantages of being a frank person. You can be angry at them for their words but they just don't care. They will say what they wanted to say without any care to what you feel.

"But that's true. I don't see any difference between you and me. You who can't find your love... And me who doesn't try to find it. Its just the same after all." he nonchalantly said, as if his words were not slapping me in the face. His sharp words were really no joke.... 

"But hey, I'm trying while you, you do nothing to try. So we're different ..." I tried to retaliate.

"Yeah were different. Because soon you will break somebody's heart again in your failed attempt to find love."

I couldn't respond to that. Because he had a point.

The more I try to find love... The more I hurt those women I got. Once again, these man made me eat my words.

I could never win an argument with him. He just effortlessly crush me down with facts. And I can't even deny them! He really is an worthy to be called The Intimidator.

"But do you really have no plans of falling in love?" I asked after my moment of defeat.

"What comes around, let it be. If one day I fell... Then so be it."

"Oh. So you're not completely heartless after all eh?" I muttered under my breath because I don't want him to hear it. But I guess he heard it because he stared at me with his blank and cold eyes.

How about me? Tsk tsk never mind. I'm tired of thinking about it.

I sighed and layed down to one of the sofas. I just layed there and stared at the ceiling. Then I remembered how they forced me to do the things I don't want to do.

[Flashback]

"When you faced the daughter of my business partner, try to smile more eh? So she will be attracted to you." my mother held my shoulder as she try to order me wihh those things.

Since I am just 11 years old, I don't know much about those things... I nodded at everything.

"Rome, this is Seiichi. She is studying at a military school. She is quiet sometimes but she is exceptionally good in school."

I stared at the girl across the table. She is also Japanese. But I think she's pure blood Japanese. She has a short hair, apple cut, and it is also jet black. She has sharp features. Well defined jaw bones, a big and round eyes, and a small, thin lips. In my young mind, she's pretty.

"Hi! My name is Rome... Ace Rome." I said and smiled while waving my hand at her.

"I'm Seiichi... You can call me Ichi." she smiled at me. Her lips formed a beautiful smile and that made my smile stretch wider.

That is the first time I heeded to my parents request. But the last time I saw Seiichi. She didn't came back to our house to dine with us.

And when I asked my parents... They said she was sent to the Philippines to guard someone. She is the first person I want to be friend with. I think she's cool. Who on earth wants to study military anyway? You can count them with your fingers!

So I admired her since the first time we met. But sadly... I never saw her again. Up until now, I still remember her occasionally.

[End of flashback] 

Since then, my parents always ordered me to meet the daughters of their business partners. It is annoying. So I always make excuses to avoid those sort of situations. Doing projects, tutoring sessions, and answering homeworks. Just to get away with it. 

And  as I remember her now... I'm curious. How is she right now? Is she an army now? And as her parents told me, they said she's partly a Filipino. So maybe she served military there in the Philippines. 

If fate would permit us... I wanna meet her again. I wanted to be her to be my friend.