Neither of us seemed ready to leave the pastoral spot. "Maybe we should have our lunch here?" He seemed to ask my permission.
"Oh, I hadn't thought about lunch," I admitted.
"I had our cook pack a cooler. I assumed it would take awhile to drive here."
"Wow," I smiled, impressed. "Good thinking."
He gave a derisive snort. I guess 'good thinking' is what he does.
"I'll be right back," he said, intent on returning to the car.
"I'll help," I said, hurrying to his side.
He opened his mouth to correct me, then shook his head and shrugged. What does that mean?
Popping the trunk, he lifted it to reveal two coolers. He slung the soft-sided one over his shoulder. "There are some drinks in there." He indicated a smaller, hard-sided one. "I'd like a mineral water." He waited for me to make my selection and closed the trunk again.
The sunny day was getting warm, so when we returned to the rear of the house I took a seat on the shaded steps of the porch where I could take in the view I adored. In one smooth motion Kyoya slid the bag to the ground in front of us and folded his tall frame into the spot next to me. It was a bit tight fitting both of us side by side. As he reached between his feet to unzip the cooler bag and dig inside, I noticed how long his bent legs were next to mine. The dark jeans stretched taut over lean muscles.
"Here" he said, startling me by turning to offer me a napkin and fork. I felt my face flush, but he was busy sliding the bag in front of me. "There's plenty to choose from. Pick whatever you like."
Embarrassed by the fine foods, some of which I didn't recognize, I grabbed the first familiar thing I saw and unwrapped an omelet. Kyoya reached for the bag again, leaning his broad shoulder into my knee. He pulled out a couple containers. As he sat up he offered one to me. "Don't you like fancy tuna?"
"Um, yeah," I said, surprised he remembered. I took it from him, using my knees as a table for the omelet container. I took a bite of the tuna and closed my eyes in rapture. It was seriously the best I'd ever tasted. I heard a chuckle next to me.
"What?" I demanded. "It's good. Here, try some." I lifted a forkful toward his mouth. Instead of looking at the tuna, his amethyst eyes stayed glued to mine.
Geez, he actually is that gorgeous up close. High cheekbones and a perfect, aristocratic nose...
When I slid the empty utensil from his lips, I almost swooned. Oh, crap! Won't be doing that again. What is wrong with me?!
Hastily I looked down at my knees and popped another piece in my mouth, followed quickly by a swig of spring water. I coughed noisily.
"Are you alright?" Kyoya asked mildly.
I nodded while still sputtering and dabbed the cloth napkin to my mouth. I cast about for something casual to say.
Kyoya beat me to it. "Have you heard from your father lately?" The conversation flowed easily after that and continued until we had left the farm behind and were pulling into a parking lot of what appeared to be a walled garden.
"What's this?" I asked.
"It's one of those tourist attractions I warned you about," he said, quirking that half-smile I was coming to love. "Kitasaku Park. I haven't visited for a number of years, but I recall my sister especially enjoyed the butterfly garden."
"I didn't know you had a sister," I said with some surprise.
He breathed a 'hmph' that might have been a chuckle. "I do."
Before I could ask more, he was walking briskly around the car to get my door. "Thanks," I said, clambering out ungracefully. We walked side by side toward a wrought iron entrance wound through with flowering vines.
"You're much better at planning a date than Hikaru," I joked.
"High praise," he scoffed. "But in Hikaru's defense, it was Kaoru who was supposed to do the planning."
"True." I sighed. "Those boys. And you!"
He slanted me a surprised look.
"It's your fault I'm in this mess," I told him.
He opened his mouth, but I cut him off. "That stupid vase."
"Oh," he said, understanding dawning. "Well, in fairness, Tamaki is the one who decided the manner in which you would repay the loss."
I realized he was right. "Well, you keep the accounts. Why don't you cut me a break?"
"Suggesting unscrupulous business practices? Why, Haruhi, I wouldn't have thought it of you," he jested. "Besides, it wouldn't be any fun without you," he gave an exaggerated sigh. "I'm afraid we must keep you as long as possible. We are very selfish creatures, you know. Used to getting our own way."
"True again," I grumbled. By now we were ambling along a landscaped path bordered by one shade of flower after another. The pungent smell of standing water came from a koi pond ahead where our path intersected others that branched off in several directions. Two preschool boys crowded each other beside the pond, pointing at the brightly colored fish. Their parents stood nearby and another couple snapped pictures of themselves and the showy flowers along the walkway. When he had covered the circumference of the pond, Kyoya asked, "Would you like to visit the Rose Garden next?"
"Sure." A bright green sign directed us to the right path, this one lined with ornamental grasses of various shades interspersed with succulents. "So, speaking of the club… You and Tamaki founded it together." He nodded. "No offense, but you seem an unlikely pair."
He chuckled. "You could say that."
"So how did you end up starting the club together?"
He slid his hands into his pockets in that 'cool' stance the ladies loved. "When Tamaki first came to Japan four years ago, my father suggested I befriend him if possible. His father has significant dealings with our company, and sometimes we find ourselves in competition, you see." He glanced at me, lifting an eyebrow.
I nodded my understanding but kept silent. "I was Class President at the time, so I was introduced to him right away and offered to show him around."
"He had some odd misunderstandings of Japanese culture. It was incredibly irritating." I couldn't help but laugh at this. Kyoya spared me a fond smile before continuing.
"It seemed the more time we spent together, the less I could understand him. His whims, his mood swings…"
I sympathized.
"With very little effort he could have persuaded his father to name him as successor for all the Suou holdings, including their businesses, but he was ambivalent." He sighed. Looking up I saw lines of tension in his face. "This frustrated me. I may have even harbored some jealousy. As the third son in my family line, everyone knew I would not be named the successor of the Ootori group. Yet my father hinted that he might pass over my brothers if I proved myself better than they. My entire life was dedicated to meeting his expectations." He looked away, lost in the memory.
"Then Tamaki came along, dragging me into his crazy schemes and caring less about whether he met his father's expectations. I thought he was the most foolish creature in the world, and yet…" He removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose while he thought.
Replacing them he said, "He's so guileless. But I think it's because he gives his heart away so easily that he sees into the hearts of others."
I hadn't thought of it before, but I had to agree with Kyoya's insight. I looked at him with new respect. So often I saw him with that considering look. Who knew he was reading us all so deeply?
He stopped at the garden entrance, staring off into nothing. "He saw through me and called me on my cowardice…"
"You?" I cut in. "You're a lot of things, but you're not a coward," I decried.
Reminded of my presence, he flashed me a look of gratitude. A smile lifted one corner of his lips. "Not anymore I hope. In his own way, he challenged me to be my own person, to stop living in the shadow of my father and brothers. We've been friends since that day."
I could see his fondness for Tamaki in his relaxed stance. It resounded with me as well. Tamaki might act like a goof sometimes, but he had a big heart that understood people intuitively. It was what made him hard to resist. Even when he wasn't playing the prince.
My conscience pricked at me. I was carrying a heavy pile of sheets upstairs when Tamaki interrupted to tell me he would be away for the weekend. I had huffed, "Good. Maybe I'll be able to get some peace around here finally." His hurt look flashed before me now.
Attempting to shake it off I asked, "But the host club. I can see Tamaki coming up with the crazy idea, but why did you go along with it?"
"Because it was crazy." After a moment of introspection a wistful smile pulled at his mouth. "My life had been pretty predictable until then. I found I…liked having a little foolishness in my life," he admitted. Seeming to realize how serious the conversation had become, he added. "And he needs me. Heaven knows what would happen in that club without me," he joked.
"Well, they'd definitely be bankrupt by now," I said. "I guess you do complement each other. I mean, behind every successful dreamer stands an exceptional manager, right?" I chirped.
He deflected the praise. "If you say so."