"Haru-chan, are you okay?"

I shake out of my daydream and regain focus on the little blond boy below me. I nod, and he continues droning on.

Honey's head is resting on my lap and I absently twirl the ends of his hair with my fingertips. "Anyway, as I was saying, this weekend was so great. It was really busy."

"Oh, cool. What did you do?" I'm sure the words come out uninterested and dull, but he doesn't seem to notice.

"Takashi and I went to a party. It was for some lady benefactor, but there were tons of sweets! I had the best time."

"Wow, did you?"

He bobs his head up and down and grins. "Yeah, Takashi even had to stop me from eating so much."

"What a killjoy." As I say this, I give a cold stare to Mori, who's sitting across us. For a second, I see an expression of confusion flash across his face. I roll my eyes at him and look away. "Excuse me, I'm going to get some tea."

Mori instantly stands up- like any polite host should- but I stop him. "I'm not an invalid. I can get it myself." Honey sits up and looks at me, then back at his cousin.

The tea cart is stationed in front of a wide window that overlooks the garden. I lean against the window sill and take a deep breath, admiring the lot of rose bushes. My thoughts are interrupted by two looming figures.

"Hi Hikaru. Hi Kaoru." I say absently. My attention is still on the garden below.

The two boys come next to me, one at each side. The older one speaks.

"What're you looking at?"

I gesture at the flowers. "Can I open this window? Fresh air sounds nice right about now."

Hikaru shrugs and leans forward to undo the window's latch. The glass swings open and I breath in cool, crisp air.

Kaoru puts his elbow on my shoulder. Quietly, he says, "Haruhi, let's talk later. I've got a message for you."

Before I can react, he slides away, pulling Hikaru along with him. When I come back to my table, I see the same look of confusion, this time dashed with concern.

"Wait up!" Kaoru runs down the hall to catch up to me. I look back and see his fleeting figure but keep walking anyway. When he reaches me, he puts a hand on my shoulder and makes me stop.

"Haruhi," he says between breaths, "you could have at least waited for me."

I shrug, then offer a lame apology.

"Moving on. So, what's your deal?"

I cross my arms. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, the whole 'Ice Queen' act."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on, Haruhi. You've given Mori-senpai a run for his money, being so frigid. It's been a week. When are you going to stop?"

"I mean, I guess I have been a little forward," I muse, "But I have my reasons."

"Anyway, he asked me to talk to you. He seems to think he's done something wrong, but can't put his finger on it. Humor me, what happened?"

Kaoru leans in close, intrigued look on his face. As he draws closer, I blink uneasily.

"Well, it's none of your business, Kaoru, but all I'm saying is that Mori-senpai is an emotionless creature unable to feel any sort of compassion."

The younger twin crosses his arms and shakes his head. "No, that's Kyoya-senpai. Mori-senpai is a nice guy, you know. In fact, he sent me to ask if you were free today after school. He wants to take you on a date."

I can't hide my shock. "Why does he want to take me on a date?"

"Nothing romantic, of course. Just a few hours between friends, is all. Think of it as an 'I'm sorry for whatever it is I did, but please forgive me' date. So, being the nice guy I am, I've already told him that you'd love to go out with him!"

Before I can help myself, my fist makes contact with Kaoru's upper arm. He lets out a little yelp, then rubs the wound.

"What the hell, Kaoru? You can't just do that!"

He grins. "He's going to pick you up from your last class at the end of the day."

Before I can protest, he walks away, interlocking his fingers on his head.

"Don't forget to tell me how the date goes, Haruhi." He chimes, laughing.

AN: Sorry it's so short (and that it's been almost a month)! School has me so occupied ._. The next few chapters are going to be much longer, though! x