Part 3; Haruhi in Tamaki's Land.

Haruhi, meanwhile, was in the small one-person bathroom trying to remove the sauce stains from her dress and the noodles from all over. She wasn't upset enough to start crying, but was getting there. A small lump was in her throat. How could this happen? Was it just fate that she and Tamaki shouldn't be together? She hoped not but still…

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Oh, sorry, occupied." She said, pausing from wiping off the mess.

A muffled reply came, "Haruhi, it's me, Tamaki. Let me in, please?" Haruhi stood still for a moment, debating what to do. Hesitantly, she reached over and opened the door to find Haruhi in his suit, waiting. He quietly entered the bathroom with an elegant stride, calm in opposition to the current circumstances, and the door shut with a small click. Haruhi hid her face and continued dabbing at the stain on her dress and the sauce on her skin. "Are you ok, Haruhi?" Tamaki's voice was soft, delicately requesting a response.

Haruhi mumbled out a quiet, "I'm fine…" and tried not to look at the blond. He moved closer and rested his hand on top of hers that was keeping her balanced against the sink. She turned to look at him, blushing.

"Haruhi, I'm so sorry about this date and your dress and how embarrassed you must feel, even if none of this was your fault. I totally understand if you feel like you don't want to date me and want me to take you home right now." His eyes were serious, which was quite unusual. Haruhi returned a surprised look.

"Tamaki, I don't blame you for this." Tamaki tilted his head a bit. "You had no idea this was happening, and honestly it's kind of harsh to not reject you just for this."

The club's king smiled happily. "Well, how about we go back to my place. We can watch a movie or something, I'll make you instant coffee, and I can get you a change of clothes easily. Any kind you want." With these words, Tamaki intertwined his fingers with the short girl's, and the blush spread on both of their faces.

Haruhi nodded and the two exited the bathroom and left the restaurant. Tamaki quickly called for a car, which was quite nice, though he had been sure that it was not one of the best cars. He hadn't wanted to make Haruhi feel more uncomfortable. They both got into the back of the car.

Trying to be kind of subtle, Haruhi left her hand on the seat in between them. The driver had the black window separating the front from the back up, so nobody would have seen anyways, but Haruhi still felt nervous and the butterflies were still in effect. Not looking at him, she felt the boy's hand take hers and squeeze it lightly, making her smile. She looked over.

"So, Haruhi, want to pretend like the whole thing at the restaurant never happened? We could kind of start this date over?" The blond smirked, a rose shade covering his visage.

Haruhi giggled. "Sure, Sempai. Thank you for picking me up tonight, you look absolutely dashing."

Tamaki smiled in reply. "It's my pleasure, and you look absolutely beautiful tonight, Haruhi, never better." Seeing the disbelief in the object of his affection's eyes, Tamaki pulled her slightly closer. "Haruhi, I hope you know I am not lying in the least. You're absolutely gorgeous, even in a stained dress. You'd look beautiful even if you wore the cheapest rags in clashing colors and crocs."

Haruhi laughed. "I believe you, Sempai." The two chatted the rest of the ride to the Suou household.