Root Beer Float (Kaito x Meiko)

Fourteen

It had been a week since the picnic, and it was Monday again. I had gone over to Kaito's apartment last week and we had a great time discussing the shows we watched. The ice cream he had actually wasn't half bad. And today we would do it all again.

When I went into the bathroom to get ready for my day, I realized the bruise on my arm had gotten worse. I was at the bar Saturday night, and somehow when I was drunk I managed to hit my arm, and it looked a lot worse than it felt.

Whatever. Your arms are already ugly anyways because of what you did to them.

I would just wear a jacket when I went out.

Once I headed to the kitchen, I found Luka making breakfast, the kids nowhere in sight. I started to make my coffee and she squished me in a hug from behind. "Good morning, miss Mei-chan!"

"That's Kaito's nickname for me," I turned to face her. "He's the only one that can call me that."

She smiled. "Ooooh, things are getting kinda serious, huh?"

"No, no, not really. He just... likes to call me that and I think it sounds cute coming out of his mouth," I responded simply.

That made Luka pull away and start squealing. I leaned forward. "Hey, quiet down!"

"Oh, honey!" Now she was frowning and she lifted my arm, gently touching the bruise. "This looks bad. Maybe you should stay home today?"

I gave her a strange expression. "Luka. It's a bruise. I'm perfectly fine."

"How did you hurt your arm anyway?" She asked, still examining it.

"Oh, you know..." I shrugged. "I probably bumped into something... or something."

Luka crossed her arms. "Were you drunk when it happened?"

"Luka! It's a bruise!" I threw my arms up. "It's not a big deal!"

"And what if it wasn't a bruise, huh? What if you got seriously injured? Or raped? What then?"

I scoffed. "Stop overreacting. None of that is going to happen to me."

"Oh yeah? How can you be so sure? I know how you get when you're drunk," I thought she was angry, but I could see that her eyes were filled with fear.

I brought my hand up to my head, rubbing my temple. "So, what? You want me to stop drinking?"

"Yes!" she interrupted me. "Like it or not, you're part of this family, and you're an influence on the kids."

Now I was getting angry. "I'm not just going to stop because you told me to. What I do in my free time is none of your business."

"Of course it is!" Luka exclaimed, still talking over me.

"And why is that-"

"Because I love you!"

I blinked. She started sobbing.

"I love you so much, Meiko," I saw her tears fall onto the countertop. "Why can't you see that?"

"Luka," I sighed.

She came over to me again. "I want you to be healthy because I care about you. I certainly wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you."

"And I appreciate that," I said, not bothering to hug her back. "But I'm not going to stop drinking that easily. I'm sorry, but I'm just not."

Her eyes filled with tears again. "Why? Why can't you?"

"Because..." out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Rin was watching us. "We'll talk about it later. I don't want to be late. Oh, and I won't be home for dinner, don't forget."