I showed up on Kairi and Riku's doorstep early Saturday morning, blaming an ant infestation for the early move. I had decided not to tell them about the ransacking. It would just make them worry about nothing.

Kairi opened the door just seconds after I had knocked, smiling cheerily. "Hi, Sora!" she greeted me. Her violet eyes fell on the backpack that was dangling from my hand. "Is that all you have?"

I smiled sheepishly. "What can I say? I travel light."

Kairi rolled her eyes, but the smile didn't leave her face. "Come on," she said, "I'll show you your room."

"What, you mean I don't have to sleep on the couch any more?" I joked.

Kairi laughed. She led me down a little hallway, past the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. The walls were powder blue, and pictures of Kairi and her family hung everywhere. Glancing at one, I saw that it was an image of Kairi and Riku at the beach. They looked around six years old.

"How old were you and Riku when your parents got married?" I asked.

"I was two, Riku was four. My father died from illness when I was just a baby, and Riku's mother and father divorced right after he was born. My mom and his dad met at work one day, and well, the rest is history."

"Wow," I said, surprised at this insight into their lives. We reached the end of the hall, and Kairi opened a door and ushered me inside.

The bedroom was cozy and warm, with lavender walls and a plush white carpet. The bed was a queen-size, with puffy pillows and a thick white blanket that looked extremely comfortable. A desk, lamp, and clock sat next to the bed. The far wall was made up of a picture window, with a window seat just below it.

"Do you like it?" Kairi asked.

"It's amazing," I said, eyes wide. It was so generous, and so much more than I deserved. "Thank you so much for letting me stay!"

"What are friends for?" Kairi replied, and gave me a hug. "Make yourself comfortable—if you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen making lunch."

"Okay," I said. "Um, Kairi?" I called as she started to leave, "Where's Riku?"

"Still sleeping, the lazy bum," Kairi laughed. "Can't really blame him, though. He didn't come home until three in the morning." She laughed again before walking down the hall.

I frowned, confused. Three in the morning? But I got back to my apartment at one. What was he doing out in the city for two hours? I sighed. I hated not knowing anything about him.

It only took me about five minutes to unpack—all I had were a few shirts and some jeans. Everything else had been destroyed by whoever had broken into my house. After that was done, I hopped onto the window seat and stretched out, my back against the wall. The window had a great view of a little park that was behind the house. As I watched several children playing on the swings, I started thinking. And once I started thinking, I started worrying.

I couldn't help but wonder how Riku would act the next time he saw me. Would he treat me like his boyfriend? Were we even going out? Or would he still be distant, barely talking or noticing me at all?

My head started to hurt from the heavy thoughts, and before long my eyes started to close. Before I knew it, I fell asleep.

"And Kairi calls me a lazy bum."

My eyes snapped open in surprise at hearing Riku's voice. I jumped, overbalanced, and fell off the window seat with a squeak, landing with a heavy thump on the carpeted floor.

"Riku! You scared me!" I exclaimed, trying to sound angry.

I knew I hadn't been convincing the moment he started laughing. "Oh, come on now," he said, and crossed the room to kneel beside me. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

My heart quickened until the speed of it almost hurt. His aquamarine eyes met my sapphire ones, and I started to blush when I noticed how close we were.

Riku smiled slightly before standing up and abruptly walking out the door. "Kairi made lunch," he called before heading into the kitchen.

I stayed frozen on the floor for several more seconds before standing up, bewildered. What was that about? As far as I knew, after you kissed someone you lost the privilege to toy with them.

I sighed heavily before walking into the kitchen, shaking my head to chase out the last bits of sleepiness. Kairi smiled at me as I sat down at the shiny counter, yawning widely. Riku, who had been getting sodas from the fridge, sat down next to me and handed me a Dr. Pepper.

"Thanks," I said, and took a gulp of the sugary drink. Kairi put a plate of cheese enchiladas in front of me.

"Smells great," I said, and took a bite. "Tastes great too!"

Kairi laughed. "See, Riku, Sora has manners! Why can't you be that nice?"

"Because I'm your stepbrother," Riku replied through a mouthful of lunch. "'Nice' wasn't in the job description."

Kairi rolled her eyes and began to eat. I finished in minutes and got up to get some more food.

"Wow, hungry, Sora?" Kairi joked. I blushed.

"Let him eat," Riku suddenly said. "He needs to gain some weight. He's too skinny."

"And he's standing right here," I said, raising an eyebrow. "But he appreciates being talked about like he's not in the room."

Riku smiled at me, and once again my heart did the two-step. I felt my cheeks begin to flush, and I quickly sat down and began to eat, trying desperately to hide my suddenly red complexion. Stupid emotions.

We finished eating, and I helped Kairi wash the few remaining dishes. The rest of the day passed by very uneventfully. After lunch, Riku went for a walk, Kairi took a shower, and I watched TV. We ate dinner, watched a movie, and then Kairi complained of being tired and headed off to bed. It was around ten when I climbed into my own bed, feeling too awkward to be alone with Riku.

As I buried my head in my pillow, my thoughts spun like crazy. What was wrong with me? Every time I was around Riku, I felt so nervous I wanted to faint. I became so worried that I'd say the wrong thing or look stupid that I ended up just not talking at all. This had never happened before. But ever since the night before, my world had been completely turned upside down. All because of that stupid kiss. I was starting to think that it hadn't meant a thing to him, that it had just been a game or spur-of-the-moment thing. That I was just a spur-of-the-moment thing.

I tossed and turned for several hours before finally giving up on the idea of sleeping. Thinking that a glass of water might help, I got up with a groan and walked into the kitchen, only to find someone else already there.

"What are you doing up?" I asked Riku, who was in the process of pouring a bowl of cereal.

"I couldn't sleep," the silver-haired man replied. "What about you?"

"Same thing," I said. I sat down at the counter once again feeling anxious and awkward. Just great.

"Want some?" Riku asked me, motioning to the cereal box in his hand. I nodded, and he grabbed another bowl from the cabinet and put it in front of me.

I filled it to the brim and splashed in milk, nearly causing it to overflow. We ate silently for several minutes before I gathered the courage to say something.

"Listen, Riku," I started, but before I could continue, Riku leaned over the counter and caught me in a kiss.

He pressed his lips softly against mine, waiting for my reaction. When I didn't pull away, he leaned a little farther, deepening the kiss and making me melt into him. My heart felt like it would burst.

After a minute or two, Riku pulled back and looked at me, his eyes serious. "Sora, I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. I'm not the best person for you, and sometimes it'll seem like I don't care, but I just want you to know that you are the most important person to me."

"R-Riku," I stammered, overwhelmed by the rush of warmth that came with his words.

"Promise me that you'll always trust me, Sora."

"I trust you, Riku. I do."

Riku kissed me softly again. "I'll never let anything happen to you, ok? That's my promise to you."

At the time, I had no idea the weight that promise would carry. All I cared about was that the man I had feelings for returned that affection.

"Thank you, Riku," I said with a smile. "Thank you."