The next week was one of the roughest of Ayumi's adult life. She was used to seeing or communicating with Wulf, in some fashion, every single day. Now there was nothing. Just void.

Brighton wasn't exactly helping, either. When the girl wasn't rubbing Ayumi's employment hiatus in her face, she was causing all sorts of other trouble. Staying out all night, bringing strange guys home, leaving messes everywhere.

And of course, Liam. Calling her, all the time. She just couldn't deal with them, not right then. She had to sort out this shit with Wulf, and she couldn't do that while sorting shit out with Liam. The two men had too much animosity between each other. Wulf was already angry at Liam, and hearing what had happened would only make Liam angrier at Wulf. She only answered one of his calls, once, and begged him to leave her alone.

“I care about you,” she'd whispered to him. “But I'm a fucking mess right now.”

“Let me be messy with you,” he'd whispered back.

“No. Let me clean myself up first, okay? Then I promise, I'll call you.”

“You won't.”

“I will.”

Yet he still called. Every day, like clock work. He left silly voicemails and sad voicemails and one time, a very drunk, fairly dirty voicemail. All so uniquely Liam.

One good thing came out of the blow up with Wulf, though. She gained a new friend and somewhat of an ally in Katya.

“He's barely speaking to me, either, if it makes you feel better,” she said one day when they'd met up for drinks.

“Honestly, it does,” Ayumi said, and they both laughed.

“He'll get over it,” Katya said, waving her hand in the air. “He's just a big baby. For once, someone treated him the way he treats other people, and he's not liking it. When he starts missing your typing skills, or my cookies, he'll come around.”

“I'm sorry about all this, I feel like I got you into this mess,” Ayumi sighed.

“Are you kidding? I'm glad you got me into this.”

“Why!?”

“Because when he finally realizes what an ass he's being, I'll be able to milk this for weeks,” Katya giggled mischievously. “Plus, it means you and I got to be friends. Totally worth it.”

“I'm sorry for saying this, but you're so positive, it's almost annoying,” Ayumi laughed. Katya nodded and ate the olives out of her martini.

“I've heard that before,” she laughed back. They sat in silence for a minute, then Ayumi addressed the elephant in the room.

“How's Tori?” she tried to sound casual. Katya grimaced.

“Not so good. She gets up and she goes to work, but ... she's depressed. Liam keeps asking me about her, and I don't know what to say,” she replied.

“She really liked him, huh?”

“Yeah. She really, really did.”

“For a long time?”

Katya took a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, clearly thinking back over the months.

“I got her to admit she liked him right around when my dad had his accident,” she said. “And we haven't really talked about it much since then, but I think it's sort of been growing and growing. I don't know why she hasn't made a move, usually she's all ballsy like that, but she never did. So yeah, I guess I'd say she's liked him for a really long time.”

“None of us had any idea,” Ayumi said. “He's completely oblivious, he thinks of her as like ... like ... like a dude.”

“I know, that's the worst part,” Katya groaned. “And after all this bullshit with Wulf, I just don't know what to do. Maybe I should tell Liam how she feels.”

“No, don't. Fuck Wulfric and his temper tantrums – it's none of our business. It's Tori's and if she wants Liam to know how she feels, she'll let him know,” Ayumi said. Katya nodded, then grabbed her glass and held it high.

“Yeah! Fuck Wulf!” she said, and they toasted their anger at him before laughing some more.

Ayumi was very thankful that Katya didn't once ask about Liam and her. She was sure the other woman was curious – she and Liam were still very close. But much to Ayumi's surprise, Katya was fairly perceptive. She seemed to know when to bring something up, and when to leave it alone. So the great “Affair With Liam” was only ever brought up once.

“Any hot plans for tonight?” Katya had asked as they'd walked back to the Twin Estates building.

“Please. I'm supposed to go over course options with Brighton,” Ayumi groaned.

“Fun. So, uh ... no dates, or anything?”

“Real subtle.”

“I'm sorry. He's my friend!” Katya said. “And I know you and I are on the same page about people minding their own business, but I have to ask – is it over? Are you two done?”

“Does he want it to be done?” Ayumi asked, staring at her feet.

“Of course not. As far as he's concerned, he's still totally in it. But ... you have to talk to him, Ayumi. At some point, right?” Katya asked.

“Yeah. Maybe. At some point,” she replied softly. “Things are just so weird right now. First Brie, now Wulf. I just don't feel like I'm in a place where I can offer him a whole lot. I'm focused on everything but him.”

“So? Let him make that choice. And who knows, maybe once you take the leap with him, your focus will shift.”

“Maybe I don't want it to shift.”

“Then maybe you need to stop wasting his time.”

Katya's voice was so serious, Ayumi did a double take at her.

“Are we about to fight over Liam Edenhoff?” she asked in shock. Katya burst out laughing.

“God, no. I'm Team Ayumi, all the way. But if you like him, even a little bit, give the two of you a chance, okay? And if you don't, then let him go. Because right now, he can barely function, he's so caught up in you,” she explained.

“He is?”

“Totally. Look, I'm not trying to play matchmaker or Cupid or whatever,” Katya shook her head. “He likes you. I think you like him. I think there's something real there, and I'm not just saying that. I know him really well, Ayumi. I know that bothers you, but it's just how it is. So believe me when I say he really likes you. He wants to give this a shot.”

“I know,” Ayumi breathed, pausing at the door to the building. “I'm just ... an idiot.”

“Don't have to tell me twice,” Katya teased. They both started laughing again, but Ayumi's cell phone chime cut them off. She held up the screen, then groaned.

“My mother. I told her she could go home, Boppo's here with me, but she insisted on staying at my place. Give me a minute.”

Ayumi walked a couple steps away and answered the call.

“Ayumi-chan.” Her mother's voice was calm, for once.

“Yes, mother?” she asked.

“I am at home.”

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, baby jesus.

“I'm glad,” she said, then she winced. “I mean, glad you're home and somewhere comfortable.”

“I left my diamond earrings, you have to go get them,” her mom stated.

“What, now? Tonight?”

“Yes. You've given the key to your place to half the city, I don't trust that they'll be there in the morning. My grandmother gave me those earrings, I want them back tonight.”

“Okay, mom, I'll go get them,” Ayumi assured her. “But I'm not coming all the way out to your place tonight. I'll bring them home with me, then take them to you tomorrow.”

“Don't disrespect your mother, do as you're told!”

She was about to fold, but Liam was fresh on her mind, and she thought about him. How he'd said her mother's words had no bearing on her. A scar was just a scar, after all.

“No,” she said in a firm voice. “It's late. I'll go get them right now and I'll call you when I have them, I'll even text you a picture of them, but I'm not driving out there.”

“You will do as you mother -”

Ayumi ended the call. It was the first time in her life she'd hung up on her mother. She stared down at the phone. Of course it started ringing, but she declined that call, too.

“Did you just do what I think you did?” Katya asked, walking up behind her.

“I totally did.”

“Right on! Want me to go with you?”

“Nah, it's fine. It's all the way in the Castro,” Ayumi said.

“Okay. I'm spending the night at Tori's, stop by on your way up to Brie's,” Katya suggested.

“That's probably definitely a bad idea,” Ayumi pointed out.

“No, Tori never blames the woman. Only ever the man. Plus, it might help her get over him, you know?” she suggested.

“Hmmm. Maybe. Either way, I'll definitely see you tomorrow,” Ayumi said, waving as she shuffled towards the garage under their building.

“Okay, for sure tomorrow!” Katya waved back before disappearing into the building.

Traffic was surprisingly mellow. Christmas Eve was tomorrow, Ayumi had assumed everyone would be out doing last minute shopping, but the streets were almost clear. She got to her place in no time and was able to park right in front of her house. It was freezing out, so she hurried up the stoop and quickly unlocked both her doors before jogging up the stairs.

It wasn't until she was standing in front of her living room that she realized something was wrong. All the lights were off, so she first attributed the spooky feeling she was getting to the darkness. She wasn't a silly woman who was afraid of the dark in her own apartment, so she brushed it off and headed down the hallway, towards her room.

When she heard a noise, though, she realized it wasn't the dark. Someone was in her home. Someone was in her fucking home. She couldn't breathe for a second. Couldn't even move. She was completely paralyzed by fear, frozen to the spot next to her breakfast bar. Absurdly, her next thoughts were about Liam, and how when she'd screamed in the dark, he'd stood in front of her and protected her from whatever had scared her.

I felt safe with him. I should be with him now.

She was still standing in one place when someone walked out of her bedroom.

“Jesus!”

Both her and the intruder shouted in surprise, then Ayumi gasped. She took a step closer, trying to see clearly in the darkness.

“Dean!?” she exclaimed. “Is that you?”

“Uh, hi?” her neighbor offered.

“What are you doing in my house, Dean?” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

“Feeding your cat,” he said quickly.

“My cat isn't here anymore. Besides, my mother was taking care of him while I was gone. Why the fuck are you in my home, Dean?” her voice started to raise. He waffled for a second, then he took a few quick steps towards her. She immediately moved backwards, grabbing a stool and putting it between them.

“You were supposed to go out on a date with me, remember?” he gushed. She didn't, and shook her head. “When you moved in. I helped carry up your couch. You said you owed me dinner.”

“That was like three years ago!”

“I know. I've been waiting. I'm always waiting, always watching,” he sighed. “I just wanted to be a part of your life.”

“What are you talking ... what do you have in your pockets?” she suddenly yelled, noticing how thick his jacket looked around the waist. “Are you robbing me!?”

“No, I promise. I just wanted a piece of you,” he insisted, pulling some items out of his bulging pockets. A necklace, a random sock. A lot of her underwear.

“You're fucking crazy,” she breathed, and suddenly she was afraid. She was alone in her dark house with a crazy man who was apparently obsessed with her. Ayumi was fit, she worked out a lot, but Dean was a large guy.

She was very afraid.

“I'm not, I promise. I just think we'd be really good together!” he insisted. She nodded and slowly slid her cell phone out of her back pocket.

“Okay,” she said, licking her lips. She tried to keep her movements small as she managed to unlock her screen and tap out 9-1-1. “Okay, maybe we can go on that date.”

“Really?”

“Really. I just need to go to my other apartment first, get changed,” she said, taking a tentative step backward. Bad idea – he saw the phone in her hand.

“No!” he roared, leaping forward.

Ayumi screamed and kicked the stool out in front of her. He stumbled over it, but still managed to knock her phone out of her hand. She turned to run for her stairs, but he grabbed the back of her jacket and swung her around, slamming her up against the breakfast bar.

“Please!” she was sobbing. “I'm sorry! Don't do this!”

“You can't call the cops!” he yelled, and she realized he was crying, too. He pulled her away from the granite top, then slammed her back again. “I'm on probation! They won't let me see my kids! Why did you call the cops!?”

“I didn't!” she was shrieking and hitting him. “Stop it! Stop it!”

She clawed her nails down his face, which caused him to let out another roar. Then he was yanking on her jacket again, throwing her behind him. She just barely skidded to a stop at the top of her stairs and tried to catch her balance. But her ankle. The ankle she'd twisted while fighting with Liam. It was still angry at her and as she struggled to roll around on it, it simply gave out. She let out a blood curdling scream as she pitched headlong down her stairs.

She was pretty sure the solid oak step rushing up at her was the scariest thing she'd ever seen.

Thankfully, she didn't remember hitting any of the other steps. She was completely unconscious by the time she hit the bottom.