50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex
#14 Make a tape telling the qualities you enjoy about the person
He would admit, Paris was beautiful; in its own way, of course. But Kaoru just wasn't enjoying the city as much as much as he knew he should be. There were those little perks here and there that made the trip rather interesting, though. One such thing was the men and women from the other company whom his mother came to meet. At first, Kaoru thought this was going to be the biggest test of his French skills he would ever live through. He found though, he absolutely refused to use them. The representatives of the company—who were new—seemed to have thought it polite to learn some Japanese for the Hitachiins' comfort. Their pronunciation and overall grammar was almost horribly off. Many times, Kaoru had to ask for them to repeat what they said. It's still up for discussion on whether it was for actual clarity or to simply mock them.
Both the mother and son had a good laugh at that when they were finally alone.
With a heavy sigh, Kaoru leaned against the railing of the balcony, the sun setting and the wind starting to pick up. He was trying to enjoy his last full day, really he was, but it seemed harder the more he let his mind wonder. A sudden burst of wind sent a chill down the boy's spine, and he quickly wrapped the dark jacket around him tighter.
It would be an understatement to say he missed Hikaru.
There was a knock on his door, but he wasn't too concerned about it; Kaoru already knew who it was by the two tapping sounds—the maids and other workers at the hotel tended to knock four to five times. Only a few seconds later after not hearing an objections, his mother opened the door and stepped inside, slipping the cardkey into the pocket of her slim blazer. She most likely just came from yet another meeting without her son. The door slid open to the balcony almost silently as she slipped outside, a soft smile on her painted lips.
"You alright, Kaoru?" She said almost softly, leaning against the railing with her son. It wasn't often that she—or her husband—got to spend any free time with the two boys, but Yuzuha planned to use as much time as she could here without overwhelming Kaoru with her presence. One of the reasons why they had separates rooms.
"Yeah, I'm fine, mom." Kaoru forced one of his sweeter smiles for his mother, hoping to convince her that nothing was wrong, and that she didn't need to worry about his well being.
Yuzuha knew better.
"Now, Kaoru, don't hide it from me, hunny." A narrow eyebrow rose, and a small smirk grew on her well-polished face. She may not have had the presence of mind to sit down and pull out the differences between her sons, but Yuzuha would be damned if she didn't at least have the motherly instincts to tell when something was wrong with them. Even if she couldn't really tell which one was which. This trip had given her the excuse that she was only with one of her sons, so it was much easier to talk without the worry of calling him the wrong name. She would admit though, his bags had thrown her off for a while. Though, after Kaoru had convinced her that he was in fact Kaoru, she didn't bother questioning it. Besides, Hikaru wouldn't talk about himself as much as Kaoru was talking about him. Every conversation the two shared always seemed to involve Hikaru in some way, and was always brought up by Kaoru. Whenever the youngest Hitachiin talked about his brother, a soft, content smile always grew on his lips, as he looked genuinely… happy. Yuzuha could only smile at it. It's so sweet.
Kaoru turned his head down toward the quiet city streets below, a little surprised that his mother saw through him so easily. Then again, he wasn't putting that much effort into hiding it.
"It's nothing, really," Kaoru muttered softly, resting his head in his hands, the fabric of the jacket bunched up between like a cushion. He couldn't help as he looked over the slowly flickering city to take in the scent of the jacket: distinctly Hikaru's. "I just miss Hikaru, is all," his voice had become even softer.
His mother sighed softly, knowing all too well that would be the case. There wasn't much she could do for comfort in that area, but there was one thing.
"I'm sorry, Kaoru," Yuzuha sighed, but apparent in her voice that she meant it. As Kaoru looked over at her, slightly confused at the random apology, he had a slight clue as to what she would say next. But he still felt the need to ask anyway.
"For what?"
"For doing this to you and your brother." He knew it. Kaoru couldn't help but smile at it, and the fact he felt his mother's affection and sincerity on the subject. He did find it odd, but he wasn't going to fight it now. "But it wasn't like it was my idea, to begin with." That had caught him off guard. Kaoru stood straighter as he looked over his mother, about to ask for more detail. But that wasn't needed, "I was a little surprised when Hi—" Her perfectly manicured hands slapped over her mouth quickly, realizing what she was saying, loudly humming to prevent any more from slipping out. Her eyes darted every which way, looking at anything and everything but the boy. All he could do was stare, utterly confused on what just happened. Hearing what she just said, he started putting it together. This whole thing… It couldn't have been his idea… could it…?
A nervous, awkward laugh soon came from the woman as she reached into her blazer and pulled out a light brown envelope. Quickly shoving it into her son's hands, she scurried out, waving back at Kaoru as she did.
"W-Well, I'd just thought I'd come by and say good night and give you that!" Her voice was frantic as she leaned in from the hotel room's door, "It arrived just today for you from America! Well, good night, dear!" And with that, she slammed the door behind her; the heels of her shoes clicking loudly down the hall. Kaoru was left alone, wondering what the hell just happened.
After a few moments of hesitation, he finally looked down at the envelope. A small, but warm smile grew on his face as he opened it. He didn't know anyone in America that knew exactly where he was right then, except two. Hikaru said he'd send a message as soon as he landed, and made Kaoru promise not to call first. So he didn't. He wasn't expecting a message like this, that was for sure. As he ripped open the envelope, a CD case plopped into his hands with that oh, so familiar hand writing on it that read "To Kaoru".
Kaoru quickly went inside, and sitting at the small desk, he turned his laptop on. Placing the rewritable CD in the tray, and snapping it shut, his music player popped up, and showed there was only one item on the CD, though it was quite long. He hastily clicked play.
"Good afternoon, Kaoru! And how is my little brother doing so far? Heheh." Kaoru couldn't help but hold back a small laugh at his brother's English. It felt like it had been forever since he last heard him, and just hearing his brother's voice brought a smile to his face. Although he'd much prefer a video, this would do just as well. "Well, I don't really know what time it is there. We just got to the hotel a moment ago, and dad left to go see when exactly the other business reps were planning on arriving. I didn't think this was going to be this lonely." There was a slight laugh in his voice, though Kaoru easily could tell this was equally as hard on Hikaru as it was on him.
There was a pause on the audio, but Kaoru knew it didn't cut out just yet; the sound of Hikaru's soft breathing was heard over the speakers just barely, and even that was oddly comforting to the younger twin. Kaoru thought for a moment that Hikaru didn't fully think this through all the way, due to his silent state, but his voice was finally heard again, "I really miss you, Kaoru. I know it's only been about half a day, but still. Even right now as you listen to this, I probably miss you even more—no. I know I do." A small laugh was let loose as Kaoru adjusted the way he was sitting; crossing his legs in the chair, and leaning against the desk, one if his hands lightly covering his mouth so he wouldn't miss anything his brother said. He couldn't help but think as he heard his twin's words, I really miss you, too, Hikaru…
"It really just… isn't the same. That fourteen-hour plane ride just to get to the states? I got to tell ya, boring as hell without you. I couldn't sleep or play any of our games. I kept getting stuck," An embarrassed laugh apparent in his voice, and another pause, "Have you been able to sleep alright? I've been worrying about you too much."
Another long pause that lasted just shy of a minute. During it, Kaoru lightly bit his thumbnail, hoping Hikaru had much more to say, just so he could hear his voice longer. He wasn't disappointed with that.
"I miss you, Kaoru." His voice was soft, serious, and sincere. "I really do. I miss you being beside me. It just feels awkward wanting to reach out for your hand, but it's not there. I miss talking to you. Hearing your laugh, really. And, as weird as it's going to sound, I miss waking up before you, in the middle of the night. You just—" There was a shaky breath, and Kaoru knew he was starting to feel awkward about saying these things. Hell, Kaoru was starting to feel awkward hearing them. Yet… he couldn't say he didn't like it. "You honestly look so peaceful. You may look all sweet and innocent during club hours, but you're even more so in your sleep." There was a heavy sigh over the speakers, "Sorry. Bet I'm sounding pretty weird, huh? I just… I just really miss you, is all. You'll be waiting for me at the airport, won't you? Our flights are only about an hour apart from each other, so—" A soft sound of a door shutting and the familiar voice of their father's called out Hikaru's name, "Ah, crap. I gotta go. Sorry about all that earlier. I'll see ya soon. Love ya Kaoru!" A loud click ended the recording.
Kaoru was left alone in the silent room, harshly biting his thumbnail. He wasn't sure what to think about it anymore. The only time Hikaru talked to him like that was during the Host Club, but his tone was slightly different. It was more real. He must be joking, he told himself, He's just messing around, that's all. It's almost hard to tell when I can't see his face.
He wasn't sure what to think anymore. All he knew was that he'd be waiting for his brother at that airport the next day. And he'd be waiting with open arms. Beside, Kaoru, deep down, wanted to hear from his own brother's lips what exactly was going on now.