Keep It Together (OHSHC/Hikaru Love Story)

Chapter 29

My pencil was pressing onto the paper so hard that the lead broke off. I sighed in frustration and threw it across the room, slamming my notebook down on the sofa next to me. Shaking my head at myself, I gave up on any schoolwork I was going to do as I waited and ran my hands through my hair. How was I ever supposed to focus when there was so much going on in my head?

The wedding was slowly approaching, and I could feel it. Eric always seemed to remind me. Once it happened, I was never going to return to Japan. I would never see my friends, the people I cared the most about. I wasn't even sure I would be allowed to remain in contact with them. How was I supposed to survive that? Some of the only people that made me happy were going to be taken away. I mean, one of those people were my twin. I couldn't leave him. Not again.

On top of that, Hikaru and I were closer than ever. That was a major strain on everything I did. When I was with him, I was happy. When I wasn't, I remembered that I was engaged to a guy I didn't want to marry. I couldn't even stop what was going on. I saw Hikaru every day at least once and usually more than that. Between tutoring, the Host Club, and the activities we were beginning to do on our days off together, I was trapped. I hadn't known what to do in the beginning, and my confusion had only grown. I didn't have any options, and it was the most constricting feeling I had ever felt.

My eyes fell on the doors when they opened. I tried to make it seem like I was fine, and I quickly straightened up. Nervousness rushed through me when I saw how angry Hikaru was as he stormed in. "Bad day?" I asked carefully.

"You can tell?" he asked, completely serious, and froze where he stood. He looked at me critically.

"Well, Devil, you're leaving a trail of fire behind you," I joked. His frown deepened as he sat beside me. "Really, what's wrong?"

"My French class," he said. I wasn't all too surprised. He had French right before I tutored him during our lunches, so he was usually in a bit of a foul mood, but I had never seen him like that. "I have a project due next week that's supposed to have a huge impact on my final grade. I really can't afford a bad grade when I barely have a B."

I shrugged, "It's no problem. You know I'm here to help you. What's it about?"

"We had to choose a city and do something that represents the culture, like do a song or write a poem or something stupid like that. I think my teacher forgot that most of us aren't art majors here," he grumbled, resting his head in his hand.

"Which city?"

He answered, "I got Paris. I think she felt bad for me and gave me the easiest one."

I mused, "La Ville de L'amour. I used to live on the outskirts of the city. There's definitely a lot you could do with that. From the history to the customs, you probably got the easiest. Its nicknames are enough to give you something."

He rolled his eyes, though not in an offending manner, "Yes, says the person who can sing and play the piano. I'm not artsy. I might be good at fashion, but Kaoru's much better. Plus, he's already doing that, and I don't want to steal his idea."