BLOOM [OHSHC]

Chapter 31 - Kiss the Girl

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You have to tell her.

He ran. Tamaki's words echoed over and over in Kyoya's mind, a broken record. Somehow, Tamaki's voice sounded more and more desperate, more urgent with every repetition. Go. You have to tell her. Go, Kyoya!

He ran. Michiyo's knowing gaze popped into his mind, the look she gave him when they were on exactly the same wavelength. She smiled, and his heart sparked.

He ran. Pushed farther than he'd ever physically exerted himself before, the burn of his lungs grounded him in the frigid rain, reminding him of his mission and his purpose and his goal.

He ran. The sound of Michiyo's laugh ricocheted in his veins, warming him through and through until he couldn't feel the icy wind any more.

He had to tell her.

Despite never walking these streets before, Kyoya never found himself lost; her house stood clearly in his mind and the way, the path, the route never wavered. His heart slammed against his ribs, screaming to be let out. Once again, her smile bloomed up in his mind's eye, the flick of her perfect lavender hair over her shoulder, that unforgettable orange dress... and he knew.

He wasn't sure how long he'd harbored feelings for Michiyo, because that would be like trying to choose exactly where the sea met the sand — that elusive moment changed all the time. The night before when he couldn't sleep, Kyoya initially thought maybe he fell for her at the host club talent show, when it felt like she sang for him and only him... but then again, he thought perhaps he grew feelings that night he saved her from her stalker, when he saw her at her most vulnerable, or maybe even the night of the host club sleepover. Despite all of those valid events, Kyoya truly believed the first flicker of feelings began that day... the day when she brought his planner to the host club carnival, left him that innocuous pink sticky note, and irrevocably altered all of their lives forever.

His heart grew in his chest, uncomfortably tight and overflowing with feelings and warmth and, dare he say, love. If Kyoya didn't tell her, she'd never know. And Michiyo needed to know.

She deserved to know.

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I didn't bother calling Ellis for a ride, even though I probably should've.

The cool autumn rain soaked my uniform in no time, but I didn't even notice until I already walked all the way home; my mind was spinning in a million different directions, thinking about a million different things, and I admit the rain was not one of those things, and neither was worrying about my stalker. Oops. I opened the front door with my key and water squished between my toes as I stepped inside, soaking the rug.

Mei paused her movie—the animated version of The Little Mermaid—and leaned back over the couch to say something, but stopped when she saw me drenched. "What happened to you?" she asked.

"Forgot an umbrella," I grumbled half-heartedly, peeling off my shoes and socks. Admittedly, my brain wasn't completely focused on the conversation; Kyoya and Kaoru and Takashi's faces kept swirling around in my brain, their confused and hurt expressions from when I eventually broke one or both or all of their hearts. Maybe Kaoru didn't count anymore, but that was hardly a positive thought. On that sobering note, I put on some house slippers and said, "I'm going to go dry off."

Mochi writhed in Mei's lap, and she shushed him. "Take a shower so you don't catch a cold," Mei yelled to me, turning back to her movie already.

The familiar voices began playing once more, and I smiled weakly to myself as I shucked off my soggy uniform blazer and drenched backpack, lugging them upstairs to my room. A scalding hot shower sounded nice... but...