At the sudden contact, Bernard straightened his back without realizing it. The call was so unexpected that he fell silent, unable to find words, and the other party continued speaking.
– I apologize for calling when you must be busy, but something came up that I wanted to ask about. Do you have time?
“……Yes, it’s fine. What is it?”
Bernard’s expression gradually darkened. At the ominous atmosphere, Rhino sat up. He had been lying half-sprawled, but straightened his body and stared at Bernard as if asking what was wrong, but Bernard abbreviated it with a glance.
– If it’s alright with you, I’d like to meet you this evening. It’s about Elliot.
At the added reason, Bernard’s mood stirred. He made a ‘what if’ assumption, then abandoned the thought. Now it would be a problem even if they noticed that day’s lie. Clearing his voice, he stumbled through his words.
“Ah… if you send me the time and place by text, since you must be busy… I’ll come to you.”
– Thank you for readily agreeing. Since I’m the one who contacted you suddenly, I’ll come pick you up. Please tell me where you are.
“Ah, yes. Yes, so the address is……”
The call couldn’t continue long. It was because Rhino’s hand covered Bernard’s phone. Interpreting Bernard’s deepening worried expression somehow, his voice was coaxing and quite gentle.
“Nothing’s wrong, is there?”
“No, it’s not about me…… it seems there’s some problem with Elliot.”
“And?”
“It seems like help is needed. Um, sorry but Rhino. Let me finish the call.”
From beyond the phone came Rubens’s voice asking again. Bernard hastily answered that it was nothing while trying to push Rhino’s shoulder away, but Rhino wasn’t easily pushed.
“Why you?”
“Why, you ask…… Well, because Elliot……”
“Is he more important than me right now?”
Rhino’s expression as he clung close was far from normal. At the face that was clearly angry about something, Bernard lost his words and only stared at his face. A subtle atmosphere flowed. For a moment when even their breaths seemed clearly countable.
– Mr. Weil?
What awakened Bernard’s mind was the voice from beyond the phone. Startled, he jumped up and snatched the phone away. Rhino let go of Bernard’s hand with a blank expression.
“Yes, no. I’m sorry. I’ll send you the location by text.”
– I’ll wait for your contact.
“Yes… thank you.”
Pouting his lips, Rhino tapped the sofa leather with his index finger. What exactly was there to be thankful for. Rhino’s mood sank, having already noticed who the other party was from the voice he’d briefly heard when he got close.
“Sorry. I need to go first. What do I do, always leaving first like this?”
“Are you really sorry?”
Rhino asked grumpily with a sullen face. Sitting perched on the edge of the sofa, he hunched his upper body forward with his elbows resting on his knees. At the strangely intimidating appearance, Bernard just stood restlessly clutching his wallet, looking at him.
“Then don’t go, stay here. We were supposed to be together today.”
“Really. I’m really sorry, Rhino.”
Though Rhino’s voice was subtle as if coaxing, Bernard awkwardly refused his sulking. Rhino’s expression immediately clouded.
“See you next time. I’ll come again tomorrow. That’s okay, right?”
But no answer came back. When Bernard turned around to say goodbye, the gaze he met was somewhat sunken.
“Elliot isn’t your everything.”
“Rhino, you know. Elliot’s business is my business.”
Bernard smiled awkwardly. Taking care of Elliot was something familiar to him. So much so that if he removed that from his life, there wouldn’t be much left. That’s why he found it a bit strange that he was excited about meeting Rubens. Though his inexplicably pounding heart stirred guilt, Bernard deliberately ignored it and turned his back.
“See you tomorrow. Got it.”
But Rhino’s answer ultimately never came until the end. Bernard left through the front door and sent Rubens a text with the address of a nearby cafe.
Bernard entered the cafe first, ordered a cup of coffee, and felt awkward seeing his reflection in the glass window. The checkered shirt looked shabby. When his eyes met with someone else’s through the cafe window, Bernard’s cheeks flushed red as he turned his head in shock.
“Have you been waiting long?”
After waiting a while, sipping his coffee, a familiar person sat across from Bernard. Their eyes met. Unable to give any answer, Bernard froze in place. He had the illusion that Rubens’s blue eyes were binding him.
“No, not at all.”
“Shall we move to a different location?”
“……Would it be difficult here?”
Whether it was an unreasonable request, Rubens’s brow furrowed shallowly. Flinching, Bernard rubbed his palms against his pants. Even knowing it made him look more pathetic, he couldn’t help it.
Unlike Bernard, Rubens still looked impeccable. A suit jacket of expensive-looking material, a neatly colored shirt visible under the vest, and a necktie tightly fastened without giving an inch. Judging from the perfect shoulder line, it was definitely a tailored suit. Bernard tried hard not to calculate the brand of the watch visible below his cuff links.
“If that’s what you want, that’s fine. Since I’m the one asking, I should accommodate Mr. Weil’s convenience.”
“In that case…… I’d like to hear it here.”
“Before that, would it be alright if I go order something?”
“Ah, yes. Please make yourself… yes, make yourself comfortable.”
It was somehow a mismatched scene. Rubens, who left his seat, seemed to be ordering a few things at the counter, and the clerk taking his order seemed more flustered instead. Bernard stared blankly at his back, then lowered his head again. It was fortunate there were no customers inside the cafe. If there had been, they surely would have received all kinds of stares.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“Not at all. I have plenty of time…… But really, what is it? Is there some problem with Elliot……”
“A troublesome matter has arisen for Elliot.”
A subtle light crossed Bernard’s dark green eyes. It seemed like anticipation, or perhaps fear. Looking into those eyes, Rubens had various thoughts but wisely didn’t voice any of them.
“A troublesome matter, you say……?”
“It seems you haven’t told your family yet about the stalker.”
Rubens spoke again, looking at Bernard, who was blinking stupidly. However, part of his words scattered uselessly into the air. It was because the word ‘stalker’ had been engraved too deeply in Bernard.
“You’re not focusing on my words.”
To Bernard, Rubens’s minor reproach sounded like a thunderbolt. Startled, Bernard waved his hands. It was a matter of an instant when the coffee cup, pushed by those flustered hands, fell outside the table. Bernard squeezed his eyes shut, anticipating the sharp sound that would follow, but strangely no noise came.
“……You may open your eyes. Mr. Weil.”
Rubens’s whisper somehow sounded close. At the faint scent of perfume, Bernard’s tightly shut eyelids slowly rose. However, having opened his eyes as if entranced, he couldn’t endure the scene before him and closed his eyes again.
Rubens was too close. Coffee spilled on the floor, leaving long marks. But fortunately, the cup was caught in Rubens’s hand. Despite the low table between them, Rubens had closed the distance as if unhindered by anything. The hand that had been gripping the armrest of the sofa where Bernard sat slowly withdrew.
Even until the cafe clerk hurriedly brought a wet cloth, Bernard remained pitifully frozen. Only after Rubens left his seat with an apology saying he’d excuse himself for a moment did Bernard belatedly exhale. However, Rubens didn’t leave his seat for long. With Bernard’s mind evaporated before him, he continued speaking without hesitation.
“So for accurate handling, I need Mr. Weil’s help.”
“I… I don’t know what you want from me.”
“It’s simple.”
A subtle smile appeared on Rubens’s face as he faced Bernard in horn-rimmed glasses. His gaze slowly scanned Bernard up and down. The listener frozen stiff with both fists clenched tight wasn’t Rubens’s taste. After looking at the clumsy appearance that seemed not to know how to dress up, he glanced around briefly. The clerk who had cleaned up all the coffee stains walked away with a regretful face.
“Please be a stand-in.”
“A stand-in, you say.”
“I’d like you to cooperate in drawing out the other party by acting like Elliot.”
Bernard’s expression cracked sharply. He simply couldn’t control his inner feelings. He was suspicious enough to wonder if Rubens knew all the circumstances.
“……It would be better to call the police. That would be cleaner.”
“Wasn’t it that you implicitly understood that we can’t call the police?”
“Why?”
“Because it seems you’ve been watching from the side as he suffers from gossip.”
It was somehow a voice tinged with amusement. Bernard’s gaze, which had fallen to the floor, slowly rose. The gaze he met was only chilling. Bernard felt a corner of his heart tighten and bit his lips shut.
“You’re close brothers, aren’t you? According to Elliot, you’re intimate enough to grant him anything.”
“…Did he say that?”
“If necessary, I heard that you’re brothers who share everything together.”
It was well-packaged words. However, there was something dubious about Rubens’s tone. Worry cast over Bernard’s face at the subtle tone, as if there was one unresolved knot remaining. Rubens’s eyebrows rose slightly as he watched him, but that too was fleeting.
“……If I become a stand-in?”
“I’d like you to accompany me to an event.”
“But if there’s a stalker, any movement would have been caught. There haven’t been any contacts or mail suspected to be from a stalker these past few days.”
The behavior patterns of stalkers who attached to Elliot were similar. Following him around and taking pictures was basic, and sometimes they would ring the doorbell or send mail to draw attention. Occasionally they would send suspicious packages.
At Bernard’s words continuing as if in defense, amusement appeared on Rubens’s face. Bernard hunched his shoulders, feeling somehow as if his blood was cooling. For him, it had taken quite a lot of courage to speak, but with Rubens’s reaction, regret immediately washed over him.
“Contrary to Elliot’s words, what paltry affection. Then let me ask you this. Mr. Weil, do you share everything with Elliot?”
It was a statement that pierced through Bernard’s flesh.
