Author's note: Haruhi has always been the kind of person who does not seek love, rather a person who seeks to be alone. She spends her time throwing herself in her work, studying, and taking care of her only living relative, her father. If you think she is in love with Kyouya at the moment, you should probably think again. :D
This week was pretty busy, so I apologize for those who probably did not notice and those who did: I was not able to update this weekend. I wanted to, but I was out of the computer. Sunday, I was supposed to upload chapter TEN, sadly, the Document Manager was under repair or something. So yeah, sumimasen, minna-san!
Lady Shadow of Time: Thanks for the theory/ tip.
Yes, please enjoy chapter ELEVEN!
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ELEVEN
"A date," I repeated, my tone blank. The twins nodded and Tamaki-senpai appeared to my side.
"Well, Kyouya isn't exactly the type who would want to go out with anyone in particular, but we—that is to say, the host club—believe that if we force him to go out with you, he would," said Tamaki-senpai in slight disagreement.
"Wouldn't it give him the wrong impression? Forcing him to go on a… rendezvous… with me would make it seem too obvious," I said, crossing my arms at the word 'rendezvous'. Tamaki-senpai's eyes brightened luminously, that you could almost see a huge light bulb flash above his head.
"It wouldn't matter! Look, Haruhi, I know Kyouya. Some would say that he is dark and unpredictable, but for me, he is unmistakably transparent. He would rather spend the day with one person, rather than the rest of us," he said, displeasure flashing his face in lightning speed again. I raised an eyebrow.
"Then why would you plan a party, when you know he wouldn't want one?" I asked slowly.
"It's more so for his family than he," said Honey-senpai, grinning, a trace of darkness in his huge eyes that seemed to mirror in the eyes of the others.
I laughed nervously.
"Okay, well, you can't just pay me for it, you know. My job requires my presence. If I don't report there, I might get fired," I said smugly. The twins rolled their eyes.
"Relax," they both said.
"With our cash—"said Hikaru,
"—and unmasked beauty—"added Kaoru,
"We can just provide easy manpower to that little shack you work in!" they said together, their hands raised up in their heads elatedly. I sighed.
"Rich bastards," I mumbled feeling defeated. They all looked at me in shock. Mori-senpai twitched.
"She said the 'b' word!" cried Tamaki-senpai, pointing at me with his long, polished finger.
"Get out," I ordered roughly, my eyes closed. They were all out of my house before I knew it.
--
The next few days, I devoted myself to studying, rather than listening to the twins chatter on and on about Kyouya-senpai's birthday party. Though I most likely did not have to hear their plans, they decided to drag me alongside them, making sure that I can't keep to myself at all.
After school, Kyouya-senpai would still be waiting in front of the gates. Somehow, I wondered if he was 100% ignorant or oblivious of Tamaki-senpai and the other's plans. If he did know, he was either really good at hiding, or he simply did not care.
On the day before his birthday, he asked me one question that I did not expect at all,
"Tomorrow is my birthday, as you probably did not know. Would you like to spend the day with me?" he asked, his voice straight and estimated. I looked at him in utter shock. I could feel my face freeze up.
"Tomorrow?" I asked back, my voice slightly unclear. I tried my hardest to clear my head.
"Yes," he said, and then added, "Of course, if you'd rather work…"
"I-I think that would be quite alright," I said, smiling at him weakly. At least this would be easier rather than forcing him to go out with me, I mumbled in thought.
He smiled, though his eyes never left the road, "I thought about it, and it probably was not very noble of me for not answering your question that last time. I think it would be best of me to tell you about it tomorrow."
"What question?" I asked, short-sighted for a second. He smirked.
"The question of when was the last time I fell into tears, Haruhi," he said, glowering at the windshield. I could feel his body tense up beside me.
"Oh," I said, feeling disconcerted. That question really was just asked out of impulse. I honestly did not know that it was a very intricate on his part.
"I'll pick you up by five p.m, then," he said. I turned to him sharply, and shook my head,
"No!" I squealed. He finally looked at me, his eye glasses reflecting the light from outside.
"No?" he asked, irritated. I punched my head inwardly. If he were to pick me up at five p.m, then it was very much unlikely that we'd be back in time for his party by eight.
"I think three p.m would be a much better time for us," I said quickly. His eyes narrowed. It felt like he was scanning my brain all of a sudden.
"Okay," he said, turning away, I sighed quietly in relief. But then he asked, "May I ask why?"
I gripped my hands and looked straight as he did, thinking of a lie, one without any holes.
"I need to clean the house for the weekend," I said. He raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you work on the weekends too," he said, his voice possibly detecting dishonesty and slander. I laughed a laugh that was most definitely different from mine.
"Well, if I decide not to work for the day, I guess it's best if I maximize it, right?" I asked, sounding credible, even to myself.
"Okay. Well, I will pick you up by three. Please be ready then," he said, sounding amused all of a sudden.
I nodded. He turned his head an inch to me.
"We are here," he voiced out after a second. I looked around, feeling annoyed that I did not notice immediately.
"Thanks for the ride," I muttered, stepping out of the door. He nodded at me, grinning his usual evil smile. "I am curious, though. What made you suddenly ask me to date you for your birthday? There are a lot more women out there who would be better to accompany you on such a special day."
He laughed at my words, and I blushed.
"It's nothing," he said, closing the door for me. I watched as his car drove disappeared into the next road to the right.
Nothing, huh.
--
When I got home, my dad was sitting on the floor, reading a glaringly ostentatious magazine. I sat next to him, and I sighed.
"What is it?" he asked, not putting down the magazine. I massaged my temples.
"It's just work," I said slowly. He turned to me, his eyes suspicious.
"Work," he repeated. I nodded, "Or is it about a certain boy?"
I rolled my eyes, feeling a little alarmed at how noticeable it seemed.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I muttered. He grinned at me.
"Ah, Haruhi, if there was one thing you don't know about me, it is that I grew mommy sensors when your mother died," he said, giggling irritatingly. He looked at me with serious eyes.
"I know that boy has been taking you to work for the past month," he said deeply, eyeing me with excruciating pleasure.
"Fine, there is no point in denying it anyway," I said, feeling uneasy. He looked at me disturbingly, almost like one of a proud parent.
"I knew it!" cried dad, his voice shrill. For one, he never really seemed as proud as he did when I admitted it. Even though I was a constant honor student and a possible valedictorian, that moment of pure aimless hope made him happier than I felt.
"Don't think too much of it, dad," I said, deflating him as much as possible. His huge smile did not diminish, and this was what made me feel piqued with annoyance.
"He asked you out for his birthday," said dad. It was not a question. I looked at him pointedly. He did not shrill away as I hoped he would.
"How did you know?" I asked, forgetting to be angry as curiosity declared winner as it usually did.
"He called me a few minutes ago, honey. He told me that I should get you ready for your date tomorrow," he said, and then added, "He seemed to be fairly happy, if you ask me."
I glared at him. He smiled at me.
"It's nothing," I said, turning away from my proud father and stepping into the kitchen to make myself tea.
It's nothing.
--
Dad looked at me from head to toe, his eyes piercing me. I sighed as he took out a pair of scissors, snipping a tiny thread that peaked out from my blue dress.
"Dad," I groaned, "This is just a date, not a promenade of some sort."
"It does not give you an excuse to wear a plain tee and jeans," he said sternly. I sighed again, remembering how about fifteen hours ago, I stepped out of the bathroom—with wet hair and in nothing but a t-shirt and black jeans. My dad looked like he was going to have a heart attack.
"It won't really matter what I wear," I said as he brushed my hair with a comb. He looked at me nimbly, excitement etched on his made up face.
"If it did not matter what we wore, we'd all be naked," he said. I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, well, is the make-up necessary?" I asked. He grinned, but did not answer as he pulled me to face the mirror. I stared at the girl in the mirror, she stared back.
Ring! Ring!
I jumped, startled by the sudden sound. Dad smiled at me, pointing at the phone in my coat's pocket. I took it out, and stared at the id:
Calling: Ootori Kyouya (senpai)
I flipped my phone open, knowing that he'd be very annoyed if I let it ring any longer.
"Hello, senpai?" I said into the phone. Dad gave me a wink and a thumbs-up. I ignored him.
"Haruhi," he said, his silky voice sounding through, "I will be there in a minute, please be ready by then."
I nodded. Dad smirked at my idiocy.
"Okay," I said. I closed the phone with a snap and turned to my elated looking father, "He said he'd be here in a minute."
"You're going to be fine," said dad, fumbling with my clothes for the last time.
"It's nothing."
--
Author's note: Could this date turn into a disaster? Or will there be sudden secrets to be revealed? You will find out tomorrow, my friend!
Please review! I think I am starting to enjoy updating daily, now. :D
– I changed my picture in my profile. Yeah, that's me. :D :D