Keep It Together (OHSHC/Hikaru Love Story)

Chapter 23

I knew I had messed up. I had never seen Tamaki so angry with me, and it was because I was so blinded by resentment to see what was really going on. He was in the wrong, too, though. He shouldn't have gone behind my back. I refused to apologize until he realized he was just as wrong as me.

I had been holed up in my room since I returned to the mansion, and I didn't want to go out in fear of running into my brother. I didn't want to know what the second altercation would be like. Still, late in the evening, there was a knock on my door. "Mistress Katashi?" I recognized the voice to be my maid, Shima.

I allowed, "Come in."

She cracked open the door and poked her head in, "Mistress Katashi, you have a visitor." The first person who came to mind was Eric. Perhaps he was getting worried that I wasn't answering his calls?

Even though I was not in the mood to deal with him, I told her, "Send him in, please." She nodded once and opened the door fully. I gasped, "Hikaru?"

Hikaru, no longer in his school uniform, walked into my room before Shima closed the door once more. "Hey, Frenchie. Nice room. I like the color," he greeted. He sat in my desk chair, and I moved to sit on the edge of my bed facing him.

I wondered, "How did you know where I live?"

He explained, "Kaoru and I've been here before to see Tamaki. Sorry to drop in, but you weren't answering any of my texts or calls."

"Oh. I turned it off," I glanced at my yellow cellphone resting on my desk behind him. He looked over at it, too. "What'd you need? Help with French?"

"Well, yeah, but that isn't what this is about. I heard you and Tamaki in the hall earlier. I was going to tell you that Nekozawa's servants helped him, which is good since the both of you left him," Hikaru told me.

I frowned and looked down at my lap, "Are you here to tell me I should apologize? Because if you are, you might as well leave."

"No, I'm here to tell you you're both equally stupid." My eyes snapped to his. "Let me see if I have this straight. Your mom has a condition that constantly needs care, but she went bankrupt somehow. Your dad never married after your mom, so to get an heir or heiress, your grandmother traded giving your mom a place to stay and paying her medical bills for one of you going with her to Japan, which also meant you would never see your mom and sibling again. Also, she would never get involved in the person's life again who didn't go with her. You decided you would go, but Tamaki knew you didn't want to leave and went behind your back and left instead, which made you think he was a selfish ass. Also, your grandmother went back on her promise and first made you get engaged to Eric, and still ultimately made you leave your mom with the threat to stop paying her bills. Am I right?" I hated the blank expression he was giving me.

I hesitated, "I wouldn't say I decided it myself." He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I dictated the conversation." He nodded, approving of my correction. I sighed. "Listen, I know I was wrong to assume that, and I believe what he said about doing it in my best interest, but he was just as wrong as me. He didn't give me a choix."