Over the next few days I spent a lot of time hanging out in the Pension sitting room or at the tables on the lawn using my laptop to work on developing my investments. Haruhi offered me service like I was any other customer at the inn. I missed our conversations, but steeled myself to treat her with no more than ordinary politeness, for Tamaki's sake.
He and the twins were around but conspicuously less visible than usual. Honey and Mori returned after a couple days and were put to work luring Haruhi into staged scenarios and backdrops.
Honey finally blew the whole thing up. He was waiting at a table in the breakfast room, swinging his legs happily, and Tamaki was quietly trying to persuade him to get Haruhi to sit at the piano for a covert photo session. Tamaki made a grave error in cajoling Honey so close to his nap time. Honey bellowed, "I'm not playing your game until I get to eat my cake!"
Having just returned with Honey's order, Haruhi ground out. "What…game…?" The culprits shrank visibly, and Mori stepped closer to Honey's side. And then the truth came spilling out.
Tamaki protested that it was all in pursuit of a passport for her, and wouldn't she love to visit France sometime… and then proceeded to drift off into one of his fantasies, which didn't help his cause. Haruhi was livid.
With Honey wide-eyed in fear, and Tamaki off in dreamland, she rounded on me. "And I suppose you're not playing?" It sounded like an accusation.
"I needn't bother. I'll see the pictures when they send them to me to post for auction." What came next I can only excuse by stressing how I'd been restraining myself from teasing her for so long. "Unless," I murmured, looking up at her seductively from beneath my lowered lashes, "you're volunteering to pose for me, Haruhi?"
Her eyes grew and her face flushed rapidly, causing my heart to trip in response. She quickly covered it by clenching her fists and narrowing her eyes to slits. "In your dreams," she growled.
Returning my attention to my notebook I sighed quietly, "Yes, unfortunately."
"Perfect!" the twins chorused, popping up from behind the staircase. One held the weighty camera aloft.
"Give me that, you perverted paparazzi!" She yelled, chasing after their fleeing forms.
When the twins sent me the picture, I had to afford them the win. They captured her reaction to my flirtation, a visceral response to my seduction. The vulnerable expression on her face, the longing in her eyes, the tinge of pink on her cheeks—any man would want to claim that. The prize I awarded them was to prepare Haruhi's passport application, using one of the bland head shots Tamaki had captured.
I was back in my bedroom at home. After Haruhi's blow-up, the rest of the club agreed it was in our best interest to clear out for the last few days of her sojourn at Pension Misuzu.
Stretched out on my spacious bed, I put my laptop aside and lay back, interlacing my fingers behind my head. That picture haunted me. Haruhi wasn't one to embarrass easily—especially after all the harassment she'd been subjected to last semester. But she blushed for me, and that, well…
I shook my head to clear it. I had to remember—she chose Tamaki. Tamaki deserved her. Tamaki was my best friend. The only one I trusted to be my friend just because he wanted to, not because he wanted something from me. Whatever drew him to me, I'd never know, but one thing was certain. We were worlds apart. I was dark to his light. His motives were pure, and mine… Well, Haruhi believes mine are self-motivated.
For once, I would not be selfish. The only thing in it for me this time was seeing two dear friends find happiness together. Even if that made me miserable.
I'd get over it.
I rolled onto my side and reached for my laptop. With one last lingering look at the photo, I deleted the file.