Chapter 6: Realization

"Aomine-kun, would you like another helping?" asks my mother kindly, as she begins to add more food to my father's bowl. Thankfully it wasn't him who had come up to my room to tell us that dinner was ready. I'm sure he would've had some sort of panic attack.

"Hm? Sure- THE HELL!" growls out Aomine, as his chopsticks slip out from his finger tips, making a clattering sound as they hit the wooden table.

My dad clears his throat, a warning towards Aomine's use of words. Totally oblivious as to what had really just happened.

Continuing to eat my food in peace with my head lowered, I feel Aomine's dangerous gaze seeping through me, as he sits across from me at the dinner table. I was a little surprised that my kick had managed to reach him. If I knew it would, then I would've aimed for what was between his legs.

"Tora," warns my mother, as she grabs Aomine's bowl from in front of him. My head shoots up, staring at my mother's back as I begin to whine.

"I didn't do anything!"

Aomine begins to groan in front of me, rubbing his knee from underneath the table for added effect.

"Tora, did you just kick our guest?" asks my dad, as he pushes his glasses further up his face. He had recently gotten them, and had gone on to boast for a week as to how smart he looked. After that, he was over the whole idea of wearing glasses. He now found it a nuisance as to how he had to keep cleaning the lenses and pushing the frame up his face around the clock.

"He's not our-"

"Tora-chin, please apologize to Mine-chin," orders a calm Atsushi beside me, who finally decides to speak. His eyes are closed in bliss as he raises a huge piece of beef up to his mouth.

"Atsu-"

He cracks his eyes open, glancing at me from the corner.

Lowering my head in shame, I clasp my hands neatly on my lap as I begin to swing my legs back and forth.

"S-Sorry, Aomine," I apologize shyly, as I feel everyone's gaze upon me.

My dad reaches over, placing a hand on top of my head before quickly taking it off out of embarrassment. Realizing that there were other guests at the table today.

Looking up, I watch as a huge, pleased smile overcomes Aomine's face. This time, it's Momoi who kicks Aomine from underneath the table.

"So, Tora tells me that you manage the basketball team that Aomine-kun plays for, Momoi-chan," says my mom, as she takes a seat at the other end of the table.

"I do. Although a certain someone rarely ever shows up for practice," she huffs out, as she shoots a murderous look at Aomine. He responds by taking some of her food. Mostly the beef.

My mom laughs as she watches the pair in front of her. "Are you two going out?" she suddenly asks, her voice far from joking.

Aomine, Momoi, my dad and I all begin to choke at the sudden personal question. Atsushi continues to eat his food, as if nothing had just happened.

My dad is the first to speak up. "Honey, I don't think that's the most appropriate-"

"Why not? Look at them! They're so close and Momoi-chan is very beautiful and Aomine-kun is very-"

"Perverted," I mumble underneath my breath. I hear Atsushi beside me begin to snicker at my comment.

"What was that, Tora?" asks my mother.

"N-Nothing," I stammer, as I quickly begin to down my food at a way to avoiding the topic.

"Like I was saying, Aomine-kun is very talented and handsome. So what if they decide to go out? I'm sure they've already…what's that word? Hook…yes, I'm sure they hook up almost every day!"

Atsushi nearly spits his food out as this time he's the one to begin choking. Meanwhile, my dad shamefully buries his red face in his hands, as Momoi does the same. Aomine's eyes almost roll back into his head. Pervert was probably picturing the scene in his head.

"Ma!" I whine out, as I rub Atsushi's back comfortingly, trying to calm him down from my embarrassing mother.

"That's what all the kids were saying in America!"

"This is Japan! And I'm not sure you know what that term means!" I counter back.

"What do you mean? Whenever you're father and I come home from work, we always find you and Atsu-kun on the couch hooking up!"

A loud, thunderous thud travels throughout the house as Atsushi falls from his chair. Another loud thud is heard as I slam my head against the wooden table. My mom needed to stop with this insane lingo of hers.

xxxxxx

"Sorry about tonight," I apologize shamefully, as I watch Aomine and Momoi slip on their shoes.

After Atsushi and I died of embarrassment, and Aomine and Momoi's heads' were filled with very wrong, wrong pictures of us both, my mom went on to explain that "hooking up" was a boy and a girl who were friends that always hung out with one another. Completely opposite of what the rest of us were picturing.

"No, no. It's fine, really. I haven't had such an interesting dinner in forever! I usually eat instant ramen in my room as I try to finish up my analyses," assures Momoi, as she grabs Atsushi's arm to use for balancing.

"I'm relieved to hear that."

Atsushi says goodbye to the two quickly, as he treads back to the kitchen for the dessert. Dessert being candy, that is.

Opening up the door, Momoi is the first to walk out. Aomine follows right after, but I grab his arm, stopping him from leaving. He hadn't said much after dinner, and I was worried that he might've taken what my mother had said to heart.

"Makes me think. Satsuki and I have been friends for a long time. Maybe it's time I asked her out?" he asks, more to himself than to me. For some reason, I feel my heart beat begin to flutter towards a slower pace than it was already at. Placing my hand slowly up to my chest, I begin to rub it soothingly. I'm not sure if it was physical pain that I was feeling.

"Hm? Something the matter?" he asks.

Shaking my head from side to side, I muster up the courage to look into his eyes, giving him a small, rooting smile. I give him a thumbs up, motioning that he should go for the opportunity. He places his large hand on my head, rubbing the texture of my fine, silk hair rather than my head. "Thanks for the food, kiddo."

With that, he runs towards Momoi who was waiting patiently in front of the house, a large, beautiful smile to her lips as she waves goodbye to me. Hesitantly, I wave back, forcing myself to smile back. Aomine lightly nudges her in the hip, as she begins to stumble towards the floor. He grabs her hand, pulling her body close to his side. I watch as the two of them begin to walk down the street, Momoi with a scowl and Aomine with a light, affectionate smile.

"…kiddo."

Was that all I'd ever be to him? To every boy?

Closing the door, I twist the bronze lock to its parallel position before slamming my head against the door. What was I thinking? Why did I have to grow attached to any boy who showed any interest towards me? Why did I have to have feelings for them, when I was only a friend in their eyes? Why was I so desperate to find someone?

Especially Aomine. He was everything I hated. Loud, obnoxious, arrogant, rude. Yet he was funny, caring, especially towards Momoi and let's face it, he was really good-looking. Plus, we both shared the same interest. Basketball.

Then there was Momoi. Tall, curvaceous, bubbly, beautiful, large breasted. She had to be any boy's type.

And there was me. Short, pale, porcelain, fragile, quiet, annoying, short tempered. For my small size, I was too much to handle. For anyone, really.

After putting myself down even more with my dark thoughts, I make my way towards the kitchen where I find my dad saying goodnight to Atsushi, as he walks by me saying the same thing, while kissing me on the forehead. My dad had grown used to Atsushi's presence, and he realized that Atsushi wasn't the type to pry on any matter, really. Heck, if my dad and mom stood behind him kissing, Atsushi wouldn't even twitch to take a peek. But we all knew that my dad wouldn't be seen kissing my mom out in the open like that.

Walking into the kitchen, I creep up behind Atsushi who sits in a chair with his back turned towards me. Placing my chin on top of his head, I let my hands rest on his shoulders.

"Atsushi?"

"Tora-chin?"

"Promise that you'll never fall in love with me," I whisper quietly, as I deeply exhale a breath of uneasiness.

As long as I had a friend like Atsushi in my life, a friend who I didn't love, who didn't love me back, I think I would be fine with going to the grave as just, "Miss Hayashi Tora."

"If it means taking in a mother-in-law like that, then you having nothing to fear," he jokes casually, as he sticks a spoonful of strawberry ice-cream into the air. Although he couldn't see my face, I couldn't help but smile graciously at the person who was put on earth to keep me sane. I take Atsushi's spoon of ice-cream into my mouth, revelling in the cold, creamy sweetness. Rarely ever did he share his food with me. He must sense that I was feeling uneasy if I had to ask a question like that.