TRUST ME | Brothers Conflict | ✔

14

The sounds of cars and people grew louder as we walked down the alley. Perhaps, we could make it back to the main road unscathed.

Kaname's touch still burnt on my cheek, making it impossible to resist the urge to touch my cheek. My fingertips were cold against my skin, despite the jacket I was wearing.

"Did I hurt you?"

Alarmed, I lifted my gaze, confirming my suspicion. Kaname had caught me marvelling over his touch, looking at me, the shadows hiding his expression. Swiftly, I dropped my hand to my side, trying to pretend like I had done nothing out of the ordinary.

"No."

"Though so," he muttered, cocking his head as if he was trying to figure me out. Did he know that I was experiencing similar problems when trying to give reason to his behaviour?

The next moment, I found myself pinned against a wall, Kaname's breathing fanning over my cheek which was still tingling. He was so incredibly close, his body faintly touching mines, his arms leaning against the wall beside me. My muscles were frozen, my body refusing to move. Kaname's posture was intimidating, the sharpness in the hazel eyes piercing me.

"Can you repeat that promise for me?"

"Which one?" I squeaked, wondering what had happened to the shreds of our friendship.

"Thought so," he said, the two words driving me crazy.

"What do you think?" I asked him, grabbing the collar of his shirt to yank him forward. In retrospect, that hadn't been my smartest decision as our foreheads collided.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kaname protested, leaning back to massage his forehead.

Rubbing my forehead, I pouted, unable to give Kaname an answer. Truthfully, I wasn't so sure what I was thinking myself either.

"Forget it," he huffed after a bout of silence, "that's not important right now."

"Why is what I'm thinking unimportant?" I asked, feeling that I should be offended, but mostly just confused.

"Because it makes no sense," Kaname told me. "I doubt that we're on the same page, anyway."

Although I agreed on that point, I didn't say anything. With a huff, Kaname turned around to look at the end of the alley.

"I should bring your home." Kaname headed down the alley with long strides, making it difficult to keep up. I jogged after him, his back blocking my view, but enabling me to study Kaname.

There was only one promise between us, but I was reluctant about repeating those cursed words.

My reluctance hadn't gone unnoticed, and it was only a matter of time until my embarrassing secret would come to light. Kaname was sharper than he let on, noticing all the small things I was desperately trying to hide.

"If you're going to treat it like a chore, then I wouldn't want to bother you," I told him sweetly, although I didn't feel sweet at all.

"How considerate," Kaname mocked, but he didn't elaborate.

My feelings were out in the open, but Kaname hadn't left me yet. If his current attitude toward me was a clue, Kaname was planning on ignoring my feelings for him completely. Depending on how I would react, he was going to change his strategy, I assumed. He was smart and cunning like that under his flirty exterior.

In short; there was no way for me to win this game we were playing.

Against better judgement, I confided in Sakura, telling her what had happened in detail.

"He's doing the same to you as you did to Kaoru," she told me with a pitying grin that couldn't conceal the triumph in her eyes.

"You're having fun, don't you?" I asked drily, already regretting my decision to consult Sakura.

"A bit," she admitted honestly with an offhanded shrug that told me exactly how much she cared about my current predicament.

Not much.

"It's clear that despite his claim otherwise, he hasn't given up on his sister yet."

"Then, what's the use of pretending to be my boyfriend?"

"That girl, Ema, she seemed relieved that he had found someone else, right? Following that train of thought, she'll be more comfortable around him when they're alone too. I'm not sure whether it was intentional on his part, but it's handy. As long as you're his girlfriend, he can be around that girl without upsetting her. At the same time, you can't interfere as you have no right to do so. After all, you two aren't in a relationship."

While Sakura's explanation added up, I was reluctant to accept it as the truth. Admittedly, I knew that Kaname was sly, but he wasn't the evil villain in this story like Sakura made him out to be.

"I'm not sure," I sighed.

"You would better give up on him before he breaks your heart," Sakura warned me, concern in her voice. "You're the one who'll suffer if he leaves."

"That pain would self-inflicted," I remarked grimly, considering giving up. "Okay. I can try to give up. But how do I stop liking Kaname?"

Dumbstruck, Sakura stared at me, her lips twitching. She lost the fight against the laughter bubbling in her throat in a matter of minutes. Usually, Sakura wasn't one to express herself so loudly, but she wasn't holding anything back, but her laughter echoed in the lobby.

Although she was laughing at my expense, I found it hard to believe that Sakura had sought contact with Kaoru to warn him.

"You better get your act together, because this will end in heartbreak," she predicted with a wry smile.

"You think that I deserve this," I huffed, frowning when Sakura didn't deny that statement.

I wanted to believe that Sakura was a friend who acted in my interest.

I wanted to believe that Kaname was thinking of me as a friend, who he kept flirting with because that was in his nature.

Still, I was struggling to convince myself that they weren't either using or betraying me.

Perhaps, it was better to steer clear of both of them for a while until I had made some decisions that were long due. If I kept hesitating and changing my mind, I would end up with a broken heart. Sakura's advice had been honest, even if her intentions weren't so pure, because I would be the one who would have to pick up the pieces in the end.