The club has moved upstairs to a separate room decked out with several sleeping bags and an endless amount of pillows. Tamaki insisted on his bag being close to mine so he could protect me "in case of an intruder", much to my obvious reluctance. Honestly, I think it's because he's convinced Hikaru and I legitimately made out in the closet, and he's trying to prevent us from "doing anything else". When we came out into the living room, he tackled Hikaru and interrogated him to the fullest extent before we could pry him off.

Of course, Honey and Mori's bags are side-by-side. Tamaki also concluded that Hikaru and Kaoru should be kept apart for the night, just to break up the whole twins-conjoined-at-the-hip cliche.

After spin the bottle ended, we went on to watch a few movies (one scary, but we forgot to remember Honey in that decision so that was definitely a bad idea; it took hours for the crying to stop). In the process, I introduced the club to the wonders of microwaveable popcorn, to which they, both in awe and amazement, consumed an extreme amount of. By the end of the third movie, Kyoya decided it was a good time for everyone to go to bed. It took some serious willpower to get Tamaki to brush his teeth and wind down, but with a firm hand, Kyoya was able to manage it.

The lights in the room were shut off, everyone settled comfortably in their sleeping bags, and it was, at last, silent.

Thirty minutes in, and I can't sleep. My stomach is writhing, making little noises. I reach over to my side and check the time on my phone. It's 1:15 AM.

I haven't eaten since lunch. No wonder I'm so hungry.

Carefully, I unzip myself from my bag and stand up. I might as well go downstairs and find something to eat. I tread lightly pass Tamaki as to not disturb him (or his teddy bear), and tiptoe out of the room, careful not to accidentally step on someone.

When I finally get downstairs to the kitchen, I stumble around looking for the light switch. My fingers graze the plastic switch, and I flip it on. Sitting on the marble kitchen island in front of me is Mori, digging into a tub of ice cream.

"Mori-senpai, what are you doing here? I thought everyone was asleep."

He holds up the carton of rocky road for me to see. "Probably the same reason as you." He leans over, grabs a spoon from a nearby drawer, and offers it to me.

I lift myself up onto the island next to him and take the spoon. He places the tub in between us and I scoop out a little of the ice cream, then shovel it into my mouth. It dissolves immediately, leaving a rich chocolaty taste.

For a while it's just us taking turns at the tub. My heart warms with each decadent spoonful. The only ice cream we have at home are those freezable popsicles, so this is definitely the highlight of my day.

"That was a good question, you know." Mori suddenly says, eyes forward.

"What are you talking about?"

He scoops another bit of ice cream, then brings it to his mouth. "To Kyoya. He'd never answer it, but it's still good."

"Oh, yeah. He dodged the question so quickly, I figured it was best to let it go. Do you know anything about Kyoya-senpai? It's just that he's so detached sometimes."

"You have to understand that he's a third son, so there's no hope in him becoming a successor to The Ootori Group. The CEO titles rightfully belong to his older brothers. They're already brilliant on their own, so Kyoya is constantly under extreme stress to impress his father's high standards."

That sounds awful. I could never imagine never being good enough, no matter how hard I tried.

"That aside," he continues, "he knows the situation he's in. He's keeping himself confined into an impossible expectation for some reason. Still, everyone cracks eventually. It's just a matter of time until he becomes self-aware, too. That's probably why he hangs around Tamaki so much. Tamaki lives in a different world."

"Wow, senpai, you're really observant. I've never heard you speak this much."

"The 'strong and silent' type is fitting."

I laugh. "My title sounds just as stupid. Being a 'natural' is easy. All it takes is good manners and genuine conversation. Throw in a smile or two, then you're good to go. I'm surprised that the girls request me at all."

"Kyoya is glad that you're so popular, though. Makes for good business. There'd be a lot a sad faces if you left."

"You think so?"

"Definitely. Tamaki, for one. I'm sure you know about him. Hikaru would be pretty torn up, too."

"Why him?"

Mori looks at me and blinks. "Because he's in love with you."

My spoon falls out of my hand, and it rattles as it hits the tile floor. Hikaru is in love with me? Shaken, I ask what him what he means.

"It was quite clever what you two pulled, back in the closet," he says, "I figured Hikaru would be too scared to try anything. You're quick on your feet."

"That explains why he was so nervous; I just thought he was shy. I didn't think it would really mean anything for him. Was it obvious that we faked it?"

"It was believable enough."

I leave it alone at that, then scooch over closer to Mori. I lean my head against his shoulder and sigh. We sit quietly for a while, staring at blank the kitchen walls.

Moments later, I ask, "Would you miss me if I left, Mori-senpai?"

Mori gets up and stands in front of me. He smiles and ruffles my hair. "Of course I would, Haruhi." He walks away, leaving me alone in the kitchen.

I smile at the sound of my name- he hardly ever says it. I pull my legs up onto the island, hugging them. My face flushes when I replay the conversation in my head.

Hikaru loves me?