She stares. Wide-eyed. Mouth slightly agape. No sound comes from her mouth, despite her attempts to let her voice out and be heard. Realizing how idiotic she might have looked, she closes her mouth and tries blinking instead.
It might have given him the wrong signal, because now he might think that she is fluttering her eyelids on purpose, and that would yield even more horrendous results.
His lazy eyes gaze into her indulging chocolate-brown ones, leaning even closer towards her. He does not speak – not through words, at least. The way he tilts his head and arches his eyebrows tells her, 'You should have seen this coming,' while his mouth curves into a smile – one of the rare instances he had ever smiled at her, indicating she shouldn't worry so much.
The determination in her eyes tells him, "Alright, I'll do it," despite the gruelling fear pitting in her stomach. So she returns his smile with her own, of sweet innocence and sunny disposition that is entirely Haruhi's.
It had been three days since the unfortunate event happened – or rather, it would have been unfortunate if Mori hadn't been there. She hated being looked down as a damsel in distress who needs help; she is an independent girl who managed to look after herself (and her father) well, after all. Normally she would have been more careful, she would not let herself caught off guard, and she had lived all her life being wary of her surroundings...
One slip up caused her defences to crumble.
She had been out shopping for groceries at the local supermarket, stocking up her provisions for another week to come. The little boy was crying in a corner, unnoticed at first, but a lonely lost little boy in the middle of nowhere was too much for her to ignore.
She had wanted to help him find his parents.
That little boy though, misplaced her trust and did the one thing Haruhi never thought a little naive boy could.
"Hey, stop that!" she shouted in shock as the little boy tugged aggressively at her tote bag, roughly snatching it from her loose grip and hopped away to wherever his little central crime base was. Being light and seemingly athletic, the boy kept running with utmost haste despite Haruhi's attempt to chase after him – of which she failed utterly.
Admitting defeat, Haruhi's sprint came to an abrupt halt, stumbling, panting for oxygen. In a warped moment, Haruhi swore the boy was as jumpy as Honey-senpai. For a split second, an image of a mischievous Honey skipping across the Third Music Room with a stuffed bunny crossed her mind, only to be replaced by an image of the tiny midget's far more serious sentinel – the lanky, mysterious, silent Takashi Morinozuka – watching Honey. Watching her.
For the second time that day, she jumped in shock.
A large, male hand tapped her shoulder, causing her to flinch. The little boy suddenly appeared before her eyes, hanging from someone's strong grasp – tall, at least one head above hers. Her eyes widened in surprise to see who was carrying the boy as if he was lightweight as a feather. Holding the tote bag in his tiny clutches, the boy only managed to squeak out a faint, "Sorry," before handing it back to her. Automatically, she slapped her forehead and launched forward to retrieve her tote bag, with a distorted smile on her pale face.
"Uh, thank you so much," she stuttered, unable to face her 'saviour'. She could already feel the blood rising to her cheeks despite the utter coldness of the weather. "And sorry for troubling you," she added awkwardly, before raising her head up.
She should know how he could carry the boy with such ease. She even knew that he could lift an even heavier amount of weight.
Because he had lifted her in his arms before. Many times.
Effortlessly.
The little thief was reprimanded afterwards. Haruhi found out that he was forced to steal by the mastermind of the crime – the boy's own elder brother. She instantly thought of Oliver Twist, and wondered if the boy would find a nobler way to earn money for living.
What boggled her mind even further though was his sudden appearance out of nowhere. What was he doing in a commoner's shopping complex? And by himself, at that?
"Umm, Mori-senpai?" she whispered throatily, in a voice unlike her own. They were walking now, side by side. Him carrying the bags of groceries for her, while she bore a peculiar feeling in her heart.
"Hmm...?" came his only reply. As expected from him.
She usually had no problem conversing with anyone – much less everyone else in the Host Club. Tamaki and his incessant banters. Kyouya and his conniving plans. The Hitachiin twins and their endless teases and pranks. Honey-senpai and his adorable temperament, squealing, "Haru-chan!!" one minute or another. She would have excellent responses to each and every one of them save one.
To make matters worse, she had been left alone only once with him before, and even that very short period of time managed to make her head spin with...spin with what? Desire?
She choked.
Silence hovered over them as he waited, patiently for her to continue her question.
"Umm, I wonder what business you have at the shopping complex," she said at last. Her mouth was dry.
"Oh."
"Eh?"
"Hmm..."
"Hmmm...?"
This was going nowhere. Haruhi was beginning to curse herself in frustration when he finally opened up.
"I was hanging out," Mori told her in a matter-of-factly tone.
"Hanging out...alone?" Haruhi eyed him sceptically.
He nodded, almost sheepishly, almost un-Mori.
"And you just happened to be there when the snatch-and-run occurred?"
"Uh-huh," he said hesitantly, more like a guttural groan than a convincing agreement. Haruhi was having trouble accepting his super short and sweet answers, but she decided not to press the matter further.
Another silence.
"Did you have fun?" she blurted out, this time quickly covering her mouth with her hands, guilty for breaking the stillness.
To her surprise, Mori broke out into a huge grin and said, "Yes, I did," confidently.
Loud.
Clear.
The quiet, almost serene environment of the Third Music Room is about to be filled with noise from the incoming guests. Footsteps, voices, laughter. Customers flock around their favourite hosts; Haruhi is of no exception as she finds herself swarmed by doting fans.
From the corner of her eyes, though, he is still visible. Towering over the rest of the crowd in the room, he is not easy to miss. The sound of Honey-senpai's voice reaches her ears, followed by cheers from his customers. Mori stands there in his everlasting stillness, surrounded by shifting motions that seems to revolve around him.
Watching Honey.
Suddenly his eyes dart to where she currently sits.
Watching her.
Her imagination three days before has become some sort of a twisted reality, because she is not supposed to blush at his intent gaze, neither should her heart skip a beat.
Had he watched her before, she probably would not feel anything. Yet, after their silent exchange only minutes earlier, butterflies begin to invade her stomach, a tingling sensation down her spine as she plays this dangerous game of taciturn stares and explicit yearnings (implicit to others – as only the two participants can read each other in this unspoken language). He is her opponent.
She had agreed to this even when she knows he has the upper hand.
Haruhi is hell-bent to make him fight harder for the loot.
--
To be continued...
Next chapter will be up in a few days, I hope.
Don't forget to read and review...because comments are loved! :)