A/N: If there's any minor ideas you'd like incorporated into the story, or if you have any constructive criticism at all, please feel free to drop me either a review or a PM. I'd appreciate any thoughts spared, but don't feel pressured to! If you're a lurker and reading silently, that's awesome, and I appreciate you. Please, enjoy this next chapter.
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Chapter Six: A Day to Remember
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A soft, sleepy yawn passes my lips on that fateful Saturday morning. I'm awoken by my internal alarm clock, bright and early at 9am. My eyelids flutter for a moment or so, before I fully open my eyes. I roll over onto my side, stretching my arms and legs out lazily in front of me. I'm not used to being awake this early on a weekend, but I haven't forgotten why I subconsciously programmed myself into getting up at this time. Today marks the day of my very first date – with someone I hadn't even considered getting this close to previously. Yet, fate works in mysterious ways. It's almost as if that very weird dream itself has drawn Kaito and I together.
After rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I slide out from under the warm bedcovers. I momentarily glance over to my brother, who's still fast asleep. I'm reminded of our rather abrupt fight yesterday, and it saddens me a little to remember, but I stay strong as always. Besides, I can't worry about my brother while I'm out on a date.
The first thing I do to prepare is hop in the shower. I freshened up a couple days ago for school, but this is an important event. I can't look unclean, not one bit. It's funny how I never cared about those things before, but I don't want to mess up today at all. So, I spend a few minutes searching through my room for a cute outfit that Kaito hasn't seen yet. And then, I make my way towards the bathroom. Once the warmth of the water hits me and runs down my body, I take some time to reflect and push away any fears before the events of today arrive.
I spend a good fifteen minutes in the shower, making sure no part is left unwashed, and soon I find myself drying myself off with a towel from head-to-toe. I don't bother to blow-dry my hair; it's short, and it seems like today is sunny. Once I've thoroughly dried myself, I fold the towel up and toss it into the laundry basket sitting on the floor – then, I pull on my fresh clothes for today. I've kept my outfit relatively simple, but hopefully cute enough to impress Kaito. A dark-pink, long-sleeved blouse, which runs down to slightly cover the pair of black shorts on my legs. There's even a small, cute little bow in the middle of the blouse. And I haven't forgot the signature white bow and clips in my hair.
After observing my appearance in the mirror, I give a confident nod to my reflection. I twirl around from the mirror to the door, like an excited little kid who's getting something they want, and strut back towards my bedroom. Humming softly to myself, without even thinking I might disturb my brother, I walk towards my bed with a light skip in my step. I feel obedient enough for once to make my own bed in a neat manner, before moving to my bedside table. I grab hold of my phone and slide it into my pocket for now.
I realise it's still rather early – probably too early to be awake. Kaito and I arranged to meet up at around 11:30am, in the heart of the town. He said he'd wait by one of those popular fast food restaurants; of course, we're not actually getting lunch there. After putting my phone into my pocket, I turn around to look at my brother again. But this time, I'm met with his open eyes. I raise a brow, realising he's been awake for at least five minutes by now. He's lying on his side, looking right at me. That same tension that always seems to pop up when we're alone creeps up again.
I send him a look which tells him I'm still annoyed and don't want to talk. But obviously, that doesn't stop my persistent, annoying brother. "Is that a new outfit?"
Ah, I see. He's trying to butter me up, giving me compliments in hopes it'll make me forgive him. Pfft. How irritating and sly. "Maybe it is. Or maybe you just didn't pay enough attention."
"…you're right. I only wanted you to myself." He says those words out of nowhere. Talk about completely irrelevant to the topic at hand. Ugh. Even so, just hearing that is both a relief and an even bigger pain in the ass. "I'm so selfish and detestable." Len pulls himself up from lying on his side, and instead shuffles in his bed to sit up.
"Geez, ya think?" I let out a heavy sigh, mocking him. At least he's finally seeing the light. But I can't forgive him with this.
"Rin… Don't go on this date today. I don't want you to be taken away from me." He speaks in a selfish, yet saddened tone. He practically begs me to stay in today, but even with those innocent puppy dog eyes, I can't soften up.
I roll my eyes, walking over to his bed and kneeling in front of him. "I'm not going to be taken away from you, idiot," I say this after kneeling, in a tone to try and lighten the serious mood. When I speak, I pull myself up and plop myself onto the edge of my brother's bed, making eye contact once more.
"You don't understand, do you…?" Len softly asks, a hint of emotion in that whisper of his. It's like he's desperate to get me to understand something, even though he's not explaining what that something is. He's so confusing, damn it.
Even so, sensing that this is a serious conversation, my joking, light-hearted smile melts away. I lightly shake my head, and wordlessly ask him to explain what he means. Please, Len. Tell me something. Anything. Just to break the mysterious barrier that separates us siblings.
"I… ugh…" He scoffs after trying to speak, and it's clear how reluctant he feels. "I just want you to myself, Rin." He uses as little words as possible… And suddenly, I can feel a warmth on top of my hand. My eyes grow wide in surprise as I realise… I slowly trail my glance down to where I rested my hand, and I can see Len's palm covering mine over.
For some reason, my heart begins to pound a bit faster in my chest, and my chest itself grows tighter. My cheeks become lightly stained pink in what can only be described as embarrassment and nervousness. I'm unable to take my eyes off Len's hand on top of mine. The tension is almost unbearable. When I finally trail my eyes back up, and connect gazes with my brother, he's already looking into me deeply. What… What the hell is this…? It feels almost as though this shouldn't be happening. A nagging feeling tells me this is wrong, forbidden, and there's so much more to this situation than meets the eye.
Listening to my subconscious, I slowly retract my hand from under Len's, yet I'm unable to take my eyes from his. "Len…?"
For the first time in a while, my brother gives me a genuine, warm smile. "…sorry. I'm just worrying as your brother." I have no idea why, but I still feel empty even after hearing his explanation. It still feels like I need the full truth; like something is still missing.
Despite this, I can't go on like this. I still want to know why he constantly flips his attitude around me. And so, giving a deep sigh, I pull myself up from the edge of Len's bed and turn to face the bedroom door. "I'll need more than that…" I quietly say, unable to look him in the eyes. Without waiting for a response, I hurry myself out of the bedroom. It pains me so much to distance myself from my own brother. But it's going to be this way for a while, I imagine, until he finally gets the hint and tells me everything.
When I make my way downstairs, and into the kitchen, I'm greeted by both Mother and Father. Looks like I'm not the only one who's awake so early. I suppose they'll be off to work soon. And as soon as Mother sees my outfit, she begins to fuss over me. "Ooh, sweetheart, you look so nice! Don't tell me you've got a date?"
"A-Ah…" I choke, caught off guard by Mother's straightforward question. I hesitate to respond, glancing to Father who is sipping at a cup of coffee. I can say 'yes' and make Mother happy, but at the same time, Father will probably want to 'pay a visit' to Kaito beforehand. "N-No, no! Don't be silly, Mom. I'm just going out with, uh… M-Meiko…"
She raises a brow, probably not at all convinced due to my stuttering. It's not like I can control something like that. "Mmhm, I see. And when can we expect you back home?"
"Uhh… P-Probably… around 3 or 4pm?" I nervously rub at the back of my head, having no clue how late Kaito and I will stay out.
"Rin, if that boy lays one finger on you, I'll make sure he can't use his hands again," Father pipes up, in a serious tone.
This only makes me feel even more nervous. I knew he didn't buy it…! I begin to laugh rather hysterically, treating the situation as if it was a joke. "E-Eh—Wh-What boy? I said, don't be-…" My words trail off as I notice Father blankly staring at me; from the corner of my eye, I can see Mother frantically shaking her head at me. Oops. I just talked back to Father. "R-Right…" I hang my head low for a second, sighing in defeat.
"Good girl," Father beams brightly again, his mood flipping like a light-switch. So, that's where Len gets it from. "Dear, would you mind starting breakfast?" He looks to Mother with a softer expression, and though I would usually want to gag from how they stare lovingly at each other, I can't do that today. Mother nods at Father, and she begins to prepare some ingredients for breakfast.
"Sooo, you're, uh… at work today, Dad?" I move myself over to a free seat at the kitchen table, casually propping my elbows up and resting my palms against my cheeks.
"That's right. It seems like they need an extra pair of hands during the morning shift," Father responds, in that typical hard-worker voice. Like, far too seriously. I suppose I can understand his approach to work, considering he works at some hospital in town. But still, can't he lighten up just a little bit? "Anyway. You understand I mean well, don't you, Rin? I don't want anyone to hurt you."
I let out a sigh, feeling a similar lecture to Len's coming on. Something like, 'dates are meant to be special' and 'you can't rush into it' and all that crap. To cut him short, I simply nod and reassure him. "I've known the guy for a long time, Dad. Honestly, we're just going out as friends." Ugh, am I seriously having this conversation with my father, of all people? I wish parents would learn to butt out once in a while.
A few moments later, after Mother switches the stove on, she turns to look over her shoulder. "Rin, sweetheart, could you go wake your brother up? I'm making eggs and bacon!" She smiles with an excited sparkle in her eyes. She wants the whole family here, it seems. Geez, of all days, she has to pick today as a family bonding day, or whatever the heck this is.
…
After sitting through a painfully awkward breakfast with my family, I'm relieved when it's time for me to leave and meet Kaito. The entire time Mother asked me about my date, such as where I'm going, and all those typical questions, Len looked completely miserable. I manage to make my way out of that uncomfortable situation, a few minutes after 11am. I take in a breath of the fresh summer air, ridding myself of all that tension and embarrassment.
I take a slow walk towards the bus stop, which isn't far away from home. I admire my surroundings as I pass – though they're so familiar, since I walk by each day, today the scenery feels refreshing. The bright sun beams down, warming my skin, and the scent of freshly cut grass – which was once awful to me – is surprisingly pleasant. I lightly clutch the bag hanging from my shoulder, feeling it bounce up and down ever so slightly while I skip along.
The bus arrives on time for once. Whenever I take the bus on any other weekend, to meet with Meiko or Miku, it's always 5-10 minutes late. Perhaps the drivers tightened their schedule, but on this day, it feels as though fate is giving me a helping hand. I take my seat on the bus, somewhere near the front, since the back is always full of noisy children and their parents. The children's chatter doesn't irritate me; nothing can ruin my mood. Or so I desperately hope.
Finally, the bus pulls into the stop just in the centre of town. I'm one of the first passengers to get off, and I feel kind enough to say a polite 'thank you' to the driver. Once I'm in town, I glance around momentarily to remember exactly where the meeting point is. It only takes a couple of moments, and then I begin to walk straight ahead. I end up approaching the meeting point at around 11:20am, or perhaps a few minutes later than that. When I catch a glimpse of blue, I start to feel nervous. It only just hits me that this is a very real date.
Gulping lightly, I push myself towards the meeting point. And then I finally lock eyes with Kaito. I wonder how long he's been here? Anyway, he looks pretty excited to see me – but once our eyes connect, I can sense a hint of nervousness within him, too. I give a shy smile, tightening my grip on my bag. "Hey…"
Kaito seems to relax a bit once I greet him. "Hey. Wow, Rin… You look, uh, super cute." He chuckles softly, appearing to be almost stunned by my outfit. I knew it'd be a good idea to wear something new. When I quickly take in Kaito's appearance, he's in mainly casual clothes. Ones I've seen before, but I'm not complaining. He looks extra good today, even if he's only wearing a plain shirt and jeans.
"S-Super cute, huh? You look… kinda cute yourself," I respond, speaking in a quiet voice out of embarrassment. I take in a deep breath. Come on, I can do this. It's just Kaito. I gently bite down onto my lower lip, lowering my glance; I can't stand to look right in his eyes with this tension between us.
"Aw, you flatter me. I look as plain as ever," Kaito laughs, and when I peek up, I can see that he's rubbing at the back of his head, acting modest. "So… Where did you feel like getting lunch?" Thank god he finally asks.
"Ah… Well, there's this café that Meiko always makes me go to," I begin to respond, laughing slightly at all the memories she and I shared there. I figure it'd be best if we went to somewhere familiar for today. "It's really good. It serves all kinds of food, so you can get practically anything you want!"
"No need to sell it any more than that. You had me at 'it's really good'," Kaito says, grinning in a teasing manner. …Damn it. I started to ramble nervously just then, didn't I? Stupid Rin, stay focused on your date-! "Well, let's go. Lead the way, princess." When he says the same nickname as yesterday, and winks in the exact same heart-melting manner, I swear I feel my heart stop for a second. I almost forget to breathe, never mind trying to walk.
Snapping out of my love-struck state, frantically shaking my head like an idiot in front of him, I quickly begin to lead the way to this café. If we're walking from this particular fast food restaurant, it shouldn't take more than five minutes to get there. Once we're walking together, silence falls between us. This gives me an opportunity to compose myself, and take in a few subtle deep breaths. At least it's not completely silent – there are many people walking throughout town already, and there are a lot of different conversations. Not a single one matters to me; I can barely hear their voices, anyway. I have enough on my mind.
Breaking the tension and breathing out almost too heavily, I announce that we're approaching the café. "Oh, look, here it is." I speak as casually as possible, trying not to let my lack of confidence show any longer.
Kaito gives a nod, and he steps forward to open the door for me and let me enter first. Once we're both inside the café, I take us to a table near the window – for a view of the outside world, of course. I have fond memories of this place, since Meiko was the one to take me here first. It's kind of small inside, but it has an old-fashioned feeling to it, with dark walls and beautifully decorated display counters. The smell of all the different baked goods has to be my favourite part of coming here. It feels nice to share this experience with someone else.
There is a menu set up on the table, and I let Kaito flip through it first, since I already know most of the food that's sold here. So far, I'm enjoying our time together, even though we haven't been out for more than half an hour yet. I'm reminded of what my brother said to me yesterday. About the fact that Kaito doesn't really know me. What he said is right – but today, I want to change that.
My train of thought is interrupted by Kaito eventually deciding what he wants to order. "Mm, all of this looks delicious. But I might just keep it healthy and get a salad. I've been in the mood for something like that for a while, anyway." God… Even when he's talking about freakin' salad, he's so interesting.
I nod attentively, before answering rather indecisively. "Mmhm, sounds good. I might just get some sort of sandwich, I guess." Truthfully, I always end up spending at least ten minutes tearing my hair out over what I should order, whenever I come here. I mean, how am I supposed to choose one thing from so many delicious things? I'm sure Kaito's already aware of this habit, but I don't want to make him wait forever.
"Ah, sounds good. Here, how about this? I'll buy your lunch for you. Think of this as my treat," Kaito offers, giving a smile. I open my mouth to refuse, since he shouldn't have to do something so generous on our first date. But… "And I know, you're about to refuse. But don't worry. I don't mind doing this at all."
"O-Oh…" I mumble, awkwardly rubbing my cheek with one finger. He really isn't going to take 'no' for an answer, is he? "W-Well, as long as you're sure."
"Mhm!" Kaito grins brightly, nodding once to confirm his words. "So, what kind of sandwich were you thinking of having?"
Oh, no. That painful question. Practically almost sweating from nerves, and screaming at myself internally to 'just choose!', I fall silent for the longest time. Ham and cheese? No, wait… Tuna and cucumber? No, wait…! Chicken salad, final answer! Nooo, wait…!
Almost cracking under pressure and breaking down in frustrated, indecisive tears, I let out a shout in defeat. "I don't knoooowww!"
…
Kaito and I enjoy a peaceful lunch together. Apart from the slight disruption from my inability to make a simple decision, everything goes smoothly. I decided in the end to order the same thing as Kaito – a simple salad, with bits of chicken in it. Halfway through my lunch, I find myself regretting my decision, and feel guilty for leaving behind the other delicious food – but I mentally slap myself and get a grip. The two of us make small talk during our meal, but it's nothing significant.
I let out a content sigh once I finish my food. I've never tried the salad from here; it ends up tasting pretty great. Surprisingly, I'm a slow eater, so I end up finishing a little while after Kaito. He waits patiently for me, watching the world outside pass by from the other side of the window. He must be daydreaming, because he doesn't quite notice when I say I've finished.
I turn to look out the window with him. The view is nothing extraordinarily brilliant; it's just a crowd full of different people passing by. "So, you enjoy the view here?"
"Hmm…?" Kaito mumbles in slight confusion, snapping out of his daydream or thoughts, and blinks twice before turning his eyes to me. "Ah, the view? I wasn't looking, really. I just had some things on my mind."
"Hmm, I see, I see." I pull my eyes from the window, and turn to face Kaito again, while leaning back in my chair. "Feel like sharing?"
"Ahh, well, it's nothing too important. I'm just… grateful." He says those words sincerely, a genuine bright expression crossing his face. "I've wanted this day to come for quite a while. And now, here we are…"
Wow. It seems like Kaito has liked me for longer than I could tell. I couldn't pick up on the signs about a month ago; only recently I noticed, after he became more obvious with his admiration of me. It really is sweet. It makes me feel happy, knowing someone finally feels something for me. "Well, I… I don't really know what to say," I admit, in an honest tone. "I kind of noticed that something was different. And it really made me feel special. So, I just, uh… thought we should give it a try."
Now that I think about it, the way I asked Kaito out had been rather unexpected and out of nowhere. I hope he doesn't think I'm just pitying him or anything. I just want to experience the feeling of being appreciated, and have a good time – and in return, I'll give him that same appreciation and affection. 'Shit… I'm being selfish, aren't I? I don't even know if I have an actual crush on him… No, I can't think like that…' My happy thoughts are now plagued with those of guilt and anger at myself. There's no need to worry though, is there? As long as I start to like him, it'll be okay.
"I really am glad," Kaito softly says, and he seems to gaze almost lovingly right into my sparkling eyes. He really is so sweet. I'm sure I'll end up slowly falling for him, after we spend more time together. "So… Should we head over to the park now?"
I almost forgot that's our next stop. I give a nod in response, and regaining my excitement, I quickly stand up from my chair. We've probably spent around half an hour in this café by now, so we'll probably be at the park for a little longer than that. My nerves have melted away completely though; I'm hoping we'll get much more time than half an hour at some park.
The biggest park in town is roughly a ten-minute walk from the café. As we walk through the streets, we end up talking more than we did before. It seems as though we're both completely at ease with each other now – it's like we really are just two friends out on a fun trip. I don't know what I was so worried about earlier. I realise why Kaito is one of my good friends in the first place; we talk about common interests, and it turns out we both like a lot of the same things. This goes on for a while – I'm not sure how long, since I lost track of time altogether. It might have been fifteen minutes, or maybe even half an hour. All I know is, we've already been talking for what feels like forever.
"No waaay!" I laugh out in disbelief of what he just told me. We're in a section of the park that's covered in shadows from the tall trees above, taking a slow stroll along one of the paths. We seem to be the only ones here, which makes this date feel even more perfect. In this almost secluded, private section for just the two of us, the scent of the surrounding flowers is rather noticeable but very pleasant.
"Yes way. I can't believe no one else does it."
"Seriously!" Kaito had just informed me that he enjoys orange sauce poured over his ice cream from time to time. He says it's one of his favourite, strange guilty pleasures. "I thought I was the only one who did that."
"I thought the same thing," he chuckles, seeming genuinely shocked along with me. "I can't believe it isn't more widely appreciated. It tastes especially good with-"
"-with chocolate!" I finish his sentence, as though I just predicted what he's about to say. I mean, that's the only possible, weirdest combo. And it seems as though I'm right, because after he blinks at me with a blank expression, he bursts out into giggles with me.
"You do that, too? Ah, no way…!" It's his turn to speak in disbelief, and finally, he lets out a deep sigh once he's done laughing. "We really are weird, aren't we?"
"Oh, absolutely," I say, giving a nod in agreement. "But that's why we gotta stick together." I teasingly jab my elbow into Kaito's side, snickering quietly.
"Yeah, you got that right." A few moments later, we see a bench coming into view, so we decide to take a short break from walking. When we approach, we both set ourselves down and sigh in unison. "I can't remember the last time I experienced so much excitement in one day."
"Mm, me too," I giggle, answering in agreement.
"I hope this isn't too forward, but we should definitely do this again. I mean… another day, another activity together," Kaito suggests. When I look at his face, there's no way I can say no.
"Yeah! Mm, I don't think I can do Sunday. But… Hmm." My words trail off as I try to think of when would be best to plan our next date. I quietly hum thoughtfully to myself, tapping lightly at my chin with a finger. "Oh! How about Monday, after we've finished the school play? I could go around to your house for dinner, maybe." I hope that isn't too forward either, actually. "Oh, but… you don't have to introduce me as a date or anything. Just call it inviting a friend over."
Kaito shakes his head, a saddened smile pulling at his lips. "No, that'll be okay. My dad is at work pretty much all day and all night, so it'll be just the two of us. But hopefully you don't mind that."
"Nope, that's okay," I say, giving a shrug. It's just dinner, after all. We could even watch a film or play some games after we've had food. Now that I think about it, and especially after he mentions it, I don't know much about Kaito's life at home. I think I remember him mentioning a couple times in the past that his mother isn't around, but of course, I never asked for details. He seemed to be rather apathetic when talking about her though, so perhaps she isn't deceased, but she ran away or something. Either way, it has nothing to do with me, so I remain silent regarding his family.
"Great. Anyway, we shouldn't end our fun here. How about we go watch the ducks? Or maybe, go over to the playpark?" That's another thing we have in common. We're both big kids at heart – we love playing on swings and other things like that. And since we're together, we don't have to worry about looking stupid in public, as opposed to playing on swings alone.
A light grin pulls at my lips, as I'm overwhelmed with excitement once more. "How about both?"
Kaito and I spend the rest of our time messing around in the park. Well, watching the ducks slowly swim around in the water isn't exactly messing around – but we certainly did put our own twist on it. Kaito had acted first, scaring off a duck that was innocently waddling along on land. Yes, that is the height of our immaturity. Scaring ducks, like five-year-olds would. Don't knock it until it's tried. After being told off by an adult, once we scared quite a lot of ducks, we moved away from where the pond was located and headed over to the playpark.
There had been two free swings left, the rest of the area taken over by young kids and mostly fed up parents. There was some competition for the swings, but it was nothing we couldn't handle. Well… Being tall and scary teenagers, we effectively caused a kid to cry and scream for his mother. We received several dirty looks from parents, but that wasn't enough to stop us, obviously. We triumphantly dominated the swings for at least twenty minutes, taking turns pushing each other and all.
Once we're done at the park and once we've finished creating mischief across the town, we decide to call it a day. By the time we're done with all our fun, it's around 3:30pm. It barely feels like an hour has passed since we first met up. I'm unable to believe time passed by so fast. We sit at the bus stop, close to where our meeting point was this morning. Kaito offers to ride the bus with me and even walk me home, but I politely refuse, not wanting to waste so much of his time.
"Ahh…" I let out a sigh in relief, before stretching my arms out. It feels good to catch a break after acting so childish all day. Don't get me wrong, it's ridiculously fun to piss adults off, but it's also exhausting after a while. "Can't believe this day's over already."
"Yeah," Kaito says, letting out a quiet yawn himself. There aren't many people at the bus stop at this time, so it feels like it's just us. A relaxing cool breeze surrounds us, as we sit and wait for the bus to arrive. "Hey, at least we have Monday to look forward to."
That's right. The school play. I don't feel as reluctant about that kiss scene anymore. Even if Kaito and I end up as just friends after all that's happened, I won't regret giving my first kiss to him. It would have been nice if we had an opportunity to share a short first kiss today, just so it would feel more special than something on-stage, but I understand now that those things truly can't be rushed.
We sit in silence for a few minutes, though it's not as if it's an awkward silence. Soon, the bus can be seen approaching the stop. Hopping up from the seat, I turn and smile at Kaito. "Well, this is my bus. Thank you for today, Kaito."
He's hesitantly biting down on his lower lip. "…yeah. I won't forget this day, y'know."
"Of course," I say simply, with a nod. Just before I turn back around to catch the bus, I can rather suddenly feel a warmth against my cheek. My eyes widen slightly in surprise, and the warmth spreads to my other cheek from the sheer embarrassment. Kaito had moved forward pretty quickly, wanting to stop me before I turned around properly… And gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek. I'm stunned into silence; I've never felt something so blissful… something so amazing… It makes my heart pound in joy.
"See you on Monday, princess." He acts all calm and cool, giving me a wave before I turn around to board the bus. I still can't believe it. My first real kiss from someone other than my parents. I send him a final smile through the window, as soon as I take a seat on the bus. I still don't know how to react, but I know one thing for sure. Kaito is the first one to make me feel special. And I'll never forget that, no matter what happens between us.
…
I arrive back home no later than 4pm. I almost feel sad that I have to return home after such a wonderful day, but there's always Monday, where I can spend another full day with Kaito. Wow… I really can't stop thinking about him, can I? I'm far too caught up in my anticipation to see him again. Sighing and clearing my thoughts for now, I approach the front door of my home. I think Mother will be at work by now, along with Father, so that just leaves me with… Len. Can't say I'm too excited about that.
I push the door open and kick my shoes off lazily, due to how tired I feel now. I close the door behind me, calling out "I'm home!" for my brother to hear. That way, he'll know not to bump into me 'by accident' or anything like that. It's an efficient way for us to avoid each other. Anyway, as much as I want to crawl up into bed already, I should probably start preparing something for dinner. Knowing Mother, she'll have left a note on the fridge or something, to remind me to eat a healthy dinner. Rolling my eyes at her predictable nature, I move towards the kitchen.
When I open the door, to my slight surprise, my brother is already in there working on preparing something. I groan lightly to myself, realising I shouldn't have expected him to avoid me at all. I close the door a bit harshly, to make my presence known without it being an awkward cough. I watch as he lifts his eyes from the chopping board, and turns his head to look right at me.
"Oh. Welcome home." Oh, there's that voice of his that he always uses whenever he wants me to feel sorry for him. Something so annoyingly grim, something that just screams his selfish intentions.
I fold my arms over my chest, staring right back at him with cold, unforgiving eyes. "Whatever you're making, I don't want any," I simply say, deciding to be as stubborn as ever. It looks like he's going to make salad anyway, and I've already had that.
"It's not like I knew you were coming back at this time. I may be a mind-reader, but I can't literally predict what time you'll be home," Len responds, in an argumentative, bitter tone.
"Tch!" I scoff in utter disbelief, shaking my head slowly. And there's that same old arrogant, snappy tone of his. That didn't take long at all to return. Even though he's obviously irritated, I foolishly decide to provoke him further, just to prove him wrong about his pessimistic rant from yesterday. I casually stroll over to where Len stands, stopping a space to the left from him and leaning my back against one of the kitchen counters. He's chopping up some vegetables, and he had been calm. At least up until now. "Oh, yeah, my day went great. Thanks for asking."
Len mutters a sort of 'ugh' noise, and the hand he clutches a cutting knife with, twitches slightly. It seems as though my remark catches him off guard, and that only angered him. He realises he was wrong about everything he said… Or so I hope. "Why don't you go do something else while I'm making my food?"
"And not tell my wonderful brother about the most amazing date I had today?" I speak in a sickly-sweet tone, one that's dripping with veiled malice. It's my turn to make my brother squirm uncomfortably, and make him see the error of his ways. Maybe I'm just a bit fucked up like that. "Honestly, you're so inconsiderate."
He tuts in frustration, and calmly sets the chopping knife down on top of the board. He lifts his head up, glaring at me. "What's your point?"
"Heh. My point, dear brother, is that you were wrong. And completely out of line when you said those things to me yesterday." I try my best not to sound too offended or hurt, and instead just laugh at him and tell him exactly what he did wrong. See, at least one of us can offer full explanations. "Don't pull some bullshit like you're 'just worried' as my brother again, either."
"So, he's stringing you along. How does that make it an amazing date?" Len narrows his eyes, voicing his opinions so matter-of-factly once more. He's being so unfair. I bet he knows how stupid he's being, but he's going ahead with all this anyway. "You really should cut your relationship short before you get hurt."
"Seriously, this again?" I grumble, growing tired of him repeating the same things. I don't get what kind of point he's trying to make – nor do I understand his motive, nor his jealousy. "Sorry- Well, actually, I'm not sorry. I'm staying over at Kaito's house after the play on Monday. Just try and stop me."
"Wh—Have you lost your brains from all that lust?" Len seems to choke, stuttering and struggling to get his words out at first. "Geez, and I thought only boys used their privates in place of their brains."
My face flushes a deep red at his ridiculous suggestive comment. I clench my fists at my sides, sharpening my stare at my brother. "A-Are you implying I'm—I am NOT that cheap, or that desperate, Len Kagamine!" It's extremely obvious what he just implied. I only want one thing from Kaito, apparently. "You know I'm not that kind of girl."
"…Do I?" is all he asks, raising a brow. I grit my teeth together along with tightening my fists, unable to believe what I'm hearing. "I can't say I blame you, after so many one-sided crushes. But you're being extremely reckless by deciding to stay at his house." He speaks bluntly, in a tone that makes me want to send one of my clenched fists right under his chin.
I tremble on the floor beneath me, just seething with fiery rage. "I can't believe you think I'm really that desperate! I'm just going to have dinner at his house, and that's it…!"
Len lets a long sigh pass his lips. He picks the cutting knife back up, and it seems as though he's going to leave the argument at that. "Hah. Alright, do whatever you want. But if Mother catches you, or if something else goes wrong, don't come crying to me."
Taking in a deep breath to try and calm myself down, I give up with shouting in his face. I lower my voice to a low, sharp hiss. "In your fucking dreams, Kagamine." Unable to stand being in the same room as him any longer, I begin to move towards the door. When I pass my dick-head brother, I bash my shoulder against his with as much force as I can muster, hoping to shove him at least a step away from his original spot. But I don't bother to check if he's been pushed or anything – I can't bear any of it anymore. I keep my eyes forward, breathing heavily from the after effects of such a strong temper, and silently leave the kitchen.
Don't come crying to me, he says? As if I'd do such a thing. Nothing is going to go wrong – I guarantee it. Not after today being so great. If anything, he'll be the one who comes crying to me, after he realises how much he screwed up.
…