Root Beer Float (Kaito x Meiko)

Twenty-Four

(Kaito's POV)

I really wanted to talk to Meiko, but I was scared.

If she wanted space, it was space she would get. I didn't want to bother her. There were a couple of instances where I thought she wanted to speak too, but I must've been wrong. She brushed it off every time.

After that dinner, Luka pulled me aside and asked, "What do you mean you're not part of our family anymore?"

"Well..." I shrugged and smiled sadly at the ground, not looking her in the eye. "If Meiko doesn't want to be together, then I guess it's over. You guys don't need me, anyways. You have him."

"But... the kids love you. They don't know what's happening between you two. You can still babysit, right?" She looked as if she were about to cry.

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay," she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. "See you later, then."

I patted her on the back in return, and as I left I saw her evil boyfriend giving me a death glare. I also passed by Meiko, who was standing with her back facing me, not daring to turn around. She was so close, and yet so far away.

Technically she never said we were breaking up, but if I wasn't talking to her and she wasn't talking to me, then we weren't doing a good job as a couple.

So talk, then. Just do it, my conscience yelled. I tried to drown it out. She wanted to be alone, after all. I had to respect that.

Finally, we had our first talent show rehearsal since Yohioloid showed up. We had scheduled Saturday as a practice day, but that obviously didn't happen. When I got there, Meiko and Yohioloid were probably threatening each other over whispers while Luka was setting up.

I walked over to the only calm one. "Uh, Luka?"

"Kaito, darling!" She greeted me with a hug, giving the other two sour faces. "I'm very glad to see you, after what you said at dinner the other night I was worried you weren't gonna come!"

I shuffled my feet. "Yeah, um, about that. I think I'm going to have to drop out."

"What? Why? You're such a good singer!" Luka exclaimed.

"Thanks," I smiled a tiny bit. "But I don't think those two want me around, and I don't want to cause trouble for anyone."

All three had different reactions. Yohioloid smirked, Luka looked as if she could cry, and Meiko just stood there and stared at me with hurt in her eyes.

This is for the best.

As I walked away, I heard Luka speak. "W-Well, I guess you'll have to take his part, Meiko."

"Nah, Meiko is terrible at singing! She sounds like she has a kazoo shoved down her throat!" Yohioloid cackled.

No she doesn't, my mind whispered. I love her voice, even if I've never heard her sing.

But she would never get to hear those thoughts. She would never know how much I loved her.

"Hey, what happened to your hot girlfriend?" asked Gakupo, shoveling the spoon into his mouth. "I barely hear about her these days."

"Don't talk with ice cream in your mouth, dude," I responded, licking my own ice cream off the cone.

It had been several days since I'd last heard from anyone in the Megurine household. This is what I had asked for, to separate myself from all of them, but it felt... wrong. I was lonely. I don't know how I did it before I met them. Every day was pretty much just the same thing over and over.