[ chapter eleven : then ]

Sakura looked up from her book as the sound of rapid typing got too distracting. In the parlour, she was curled up on the couch and opposite her was Kyoya sitting cross-legged at a table on the floor where he worked on his laptop, his deft fingers flying across the keyboard. This was a familiar scene, she thought bitterly.

"Are you done yet?" she whined exasperatedly, her head propped up by one arm as she watched him. Using an index finger to keep her place, she closed the book momentarily. It wasn't a boring book but she had different intentions today. She thought they both did.

The boy briefly glanced at her over his glasses, barely moving his head at all. "Almost."

She huffed and laid on her back. "That's what you said five minutes ago."

"What can I say? Tamaki is pretty reckless with the budget, especially considering how expensive Hunny's cakes are. I'll have to figure out a way to get more income if..."

Sakura groaned to drown him out. How many times had she heard that before? Well, not specifically that but similar so-called reasons. After a second of still silence, she put a bookmark in her book and placed it onto the table. She got up from the couch to sit next to her boyfriend, leaning against him to see the laptop screen. He didn't seem to mind; she couldn't tell if he even noticed her, by his lack of reaction. They were supposed to have a date, no whatever this was.

"You're affectionate today," he pointed out monotonously. An amused smirk played at the corners of his lips. It was a good thing his girlfriend had her head laid on his shoulder because he knew that if she saw that smile, she would do this again without a doubt. Not that he minded, but he'd rather not let her have that leverage over him. It was kind of cute... Her next answer startled him though.

She had muttered under her breath but he heard her clearly. "Only to make up for your lack of it."

Kyoya didn't answer. His silence made the other sigh again but she didn't move from their position. He focused on completing his work so they could get to their date as planned. He let her stay there, on his shoulder. It wasn't necessarily uncomfortable but as the minutes ticked by, her weight seemed to get heavier.

The little brat must be trying to get his attention again. "Sakura..." he said in a warning tone. But she didn't let up. If anything, she seemed to be trying to push him over. "Hey, get off m— Sakura!" He cried her name suddenly as he actually did topple over onto his side. Using an arm to keep his body off the ground, he glared at the girl. He opened his mouth to point out her childish behaviour but then stopped. His features softened.

His girlfriend had fallen asleep. Her head was on top of his stomach, the strands of her red hair splaying over it, and one of her legs folded under the other which was stretched out. Her chest rose and fell steadily.

Kyoya sighed softly and pushed up his glasses. "That can't be comfortable," he remarked to no one in particular. The way he saw it, he could either let the girl sleep or wake her up. The latter was quickly ruled out. He knew his insomniac girlfriend often slept in the evenings when she couldn't at night. Besides, what was waiting for her if she woke now? Him? Not worth it, he was sure. She needed the rest more.

So the real question was where to let her sleep. The couch in the parlour can't be good for her posture so the bed it was then. The raven-haired boy shifted their bodies so he could lift Sakura in his arms. Standing slowly, he carried her to where he knew her bedroom was.

At the door, he encountered her butler who rushed to them swiftly. "Oh my... Did she fall asleep again?"

"Yes. It's okay, I've got her. Just open the door for me, would you?"

Perry bowed and complied. The younger man entered the room, carrying Sakura with him and then gently placed her on the bed. She, in turn, immediately curled up on top of the blankets, a peaceful smile adorning her lips. He missed that smile... They hadn't gotten much time to spend together recently. In school, they acted like they didn't know each other and after, Kyoya had host duties.

Busy, busy, busy, but Sakura never failed to reply immediately when he messaged her for some reason or another. And she never failed to cheer him up, relax him. Did her quick replies mean she waited for him in those evenings? Like she did just now?

Exhaling softly, Kyoya brushed the hair from her face and kissed her forehead. He mentally promised to be a better boyfriend.

Then he stood and walked out. "Thank you, Perry." With that, he returned to the parlour to retrieve his things and then left when his driver arrived at the Akagi mansion to take him home.

The butler actually thought this was very kind of the young Ootori, especially for someone who was "just a friend" but Sakura was only frustrated when he relayed what happened to her. Why didn't theywake her?! She waited so long for him and it was all for nothing? All because of his stupid host duties...

The couple had been drifting apart for a while now, though it seemed like Kyoya barely noticed. It was glaringly obvious to the other. They spent less and less time together and that bothered her immensely. Even before they started dating, they were close friends so to have him missing from her daily life felt weird. In addition to that, since they were dating now, who wouldn't feel at least a little jealous if their boyfriend was a host who flirted with multiple girls every day? He was the damn vice president of the damn club, no less.

How could anyone handle dating someone who had "duties" like that?

Sakura had brought up the issue with Kyoya a number of times before but he had always brushed it off or, if he thought she was really being serious, he would say that she had nothing to worry about. Obviously, he didn't think much of her concerns.

Maybe she didn't have to worry about him—he was too detached to fall for any of those girls easily. But the girls... they fawned over him. She had heard many of her classmates talking about the super cool Ootori Kyoya, gushing all about him. How could she blame them, really? She knew firsthand what a great guy he was—not that they knew the real him much; the surface was enough for them.

She'd like to think Kyoya only showed that side of him to her. Still, he rarely revealed his true emotions if it were anything serious. On the other hand, Sakura was very reactive. They were like opposite sides of the same coin. He knew how she felt about his being a host but he remained unfazed by everything and anything. Didn't her discomfort matter to him? Didn't he care? How would he feel if she let herself be oggled and fawned over by other boys too?!

It was hard to tell what he was thinking, at all. It was hard to tell if she was making him happy or just making a fool of herself. The confusion and doubt was painfully nerve-wracking. And she wondered if she had finally reached her breaking point with that.