As Kaelan wandered down the hallway, on her way to the Host Club, her head was in the clouds. Summer vacation was about to begin, and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. Obviously she was excited for the break, but she wasn't sure what would happen with Kaoru. It was just a day away, and they hadn't said anything about spending time together. Of course they had each other's cell numbers, so they could always make plans later on, but she wanted some sort of assurance that they would. She really liked him, and she didn't want him to forget about her over their 6-week break.

She shrieked as a pair of arms suddenly shot out from the dark adjacent hallway; one hand flew over her mouth, the other arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her into the darkness. She thrashed around, and was about to jab an elbow inter her assailant's sternum when a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

"Shh! It's just me!"

She froze, and his grip slowly loosened. When she was free, she rounded on him.

"Kaoru!" she hissed. "What the heck?! You scared me!"

"Sorry."

He didn't look sorry at all. There was laughter in his eyes, and he didn't even try to hide his grin. She huffed.

"Whatever. What do you want?"

His grin disappeared, and he blushed; she was instantly intrigued, and tilted her head curiously.

"Ah, well…." He trailed off, looking away with a nervous expression.

"Kaoru? What—"

She cut off as he suddenly gripped her face between his hands. He just stared at her, red-faced, and she opened her mouth to speak again when she was cut off once again—this time by his lips. He kissed her hungrily, devouring her, his left hand sliding to her waist and pulling her against him while his right gently cupped her cheek. Her eyes widened in surprise for a split second before she squeezed them closed. Her hands rose to his chest. He spun her around, pinning her against the wall, his right hand moving from her face to the back of her head, tangling in her hair as his left hand caressed her side. She slid her right arm around his neck, gripping the lapel of his jacket in her left hand. Although her body's reaction didn't lag in the slightest, her brain was having a hard time keeping up. They had shared a handful of kisses before, but never anything this passionate—a smattering of sweet, chaste kisses. This…this was entirely unprecedented. His hand slowly slid up her side—her breath caught as his fingertips grazed the side of her breast, although to her surprise his hand did not linger there, instead continuing up to her shoulder, up her neck, up the side of her head and then down her hair. He pulled away, playing with her hair as they stared at each other, both panting heavily. When she'd caught her breath, she spoke.

"Kaoru…" she breathed. "What…I'm not complaining, but…what…?"

"What are you doing for break?"

"Huh?"

"Come to Italy with me."

"W-what? Kaoru—"

"Come with me!"

"Slow down!" she said, brushing his hair out of his face. "You're going to Italy?"

"Yeah."

"And you want me to come with you?"

"That's what i said, isn't it?"

"Why?"

"Huh?" he blinked.

"Why do you want me to come with you?" she asked, tilting her head. "I'm not saying no—i just want to know why."

"W-well," he blushed. "I…I just do, ok?"

"Mm, wrong answer!" she giggled. "You're as bad at expressing your emotions as Hikaru."

"I am not!" he protested.

"Then tell me," she pressed. "Why do you want me to go with you?"

"I…I don't want to be apart," he mumbled, looking down and away from her. "I don't want to leave you here and…and come back to find you with…with someone else…I don't want you to move on and forget about me."

"Kaoru…." Her eyes widened in surprise. She felt tears prick at her eyes, and her bottom lip started to tremble. She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Kaoru!"

"K-Kae…." he sounded bewildered, but his arms wrapped around her waist without hesitation.

"I was just thinking the same thing," she mumbled against his neck. "That's…exactly how i was feeling. I was afraid I wouldn't get to see you over summer break, and you'd forget about me."

"Like I could ever do that."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"I…." he hesitated, his face red.

She stared at him, waiting.

"I…." he stopped again.

She stared, waiting.

"Kae…will you…" he paused, taking a deep breath. "Will you…gooutwithme?"

She blinked.

"Huh?"

"F-forget it—" he started to move away from her, his face redder than she'd ever seen it.

"D-did…."

She gripped his wrist tightly, and he paused, looking at her. She felt her face flushing as she processed his words—they were fast and slurred together, so it had taken her a minute to realize what he'd said, but….

"Did…you just…" she looked up into his eyes; she smiled and flung her arms around his neck once again. "Kaoru!"

"Kae—"

"Of course I will!"

"R-really?" he pulled back to look down at her. "You…you mean it?"

"Of course!" she leaned up and kissed him.

"Kae….I've…never had a girlfriend before," he whispered, holding her close and pressing his forehead to hers. "I don't really…know what I'm doing, but I'll do my best."

"Me, too," she giggled. "I've never had a boyfriend before, either, but I think we'll be fine."

"Yeah," he smiled. "So, does this mean you'll come to Italy with me?"

"I'd love to! But…."

"But?" his smile flipped into a worried frown. "'But' what?"

"Well, I…Kairi…."

"She can come, too," he said, his smile returning to his face—she loved that smile. "I mean, she's cool, and I think Hikaru would like it if she came—even if he doesn't realize it."

Kaelan beamed happily up at him. She pressed another kiss to his lips and pulled away with a grin.

"When do we leave?"