Guys Don't Like Me

Chapter 7

  The next day, Ryuu had a rather surprising request.
"You want me to what?" Kazuhiko repeated, blinking as he tried to process.
Ryuu shrugged. "Come have lunch with us this weekend." That part of his invitation wasn't the odd part; the weirdness was in the other present company. "It's about time you met my girlfriend properly. I want to introduce you guys, and she already agreed to meeting up on Saturday. So, are you in?"
Kazu just shrugged, looking troubled. "It's just..."
Ryuu nodded. "I know that it sounds exactly like what Taro did to you, but..." An awkward moment of silence passed before Ryuu stretched. "I can promise you that I won't drag you away into a secluded building and attempt to beat the crap out of you."
Kazu was quiet for a minute. "So you really like that girl, huh?"
Ryuu hesitated before looking away. "Yeah," he murmured softly. "I really do." He turned back to Kazu. "I wouldn't ask you to come if I didn't."
Kazu gave Ryuu a half-hearted, slightly nervous smile. "All right, then. Where should me meet?"
Ryuu slapped Kazu on the back. "Thanks, man. I'll message you the address later. Is that all right?"
Kazu nodded. "Sure."
***
On Saturday, Kazu met up with Ryuu and Momo outside a cafe. Ryuu held Momo's hand in his own, breaking away only to open the door for her or pull her chair out. Each time he did something so gentlemanly for her, she would blush and look away before smiling sweetly at him.
Kazu just watched them and tried to hide the bored and slightly irritated expression from his face.
When she left to go to the bathroom, Kazu turned to Ryuu. "So," he began slowly, finally having the chance to speak with him. "How long have you know her?"
Ryuu gave that soft smile that Kazu had learned to realize meant that Ryuu was thinking of her. "I've known her since we were kids, and although I've had a crush on her since I was old enough to realize it, we only started dating two years ago."
Just then, Momo got back and Ryuu went back to talking with her before he finally turned back towards Kazu. "Sorry," he said, wincing. "I didn't mean to make you feel like such a third wheel."
Kazu glared at him, but Ryuu just laughed.
"Momo, I want you to meet my friend, Kazu. Kazu, this is my girlfriend, Momo." Ryuu saw that their order was ready. "Hey, I'll be right back."
They both nodded respectfully, and Momo cleared her throat as soon as he had left. "Ryuu...told me a little bit about you."
Kazu was instantly wary of her, but he trusted Ryuu so he just nodded. "What did he say?"
"He just told me about Taro. I'm really sorry, Kazuhiko. I'm sure that you must have been lonely before."
Her insight surprised him. "What do you mean?"
She bit her lip. "Ryuu just told me that you had problems making friends because people take advantage of you. I just wanted you to know that Ryuu isn't like that at all."
Kazu smiled for the first time since they'd all met up, and Momo blushed. "I know that. Ryuu's a good guy."
"Of course I am," he said, sitting down with their food, and their conversation was soon forgotten.
They spent the day together, and when darkness began to fall, Ryuu was going to walk Momo home. Before he did that, he pulled Kazu off to the side. "So?" he asked. "What do you think of her?"
Kazu smiled. "She seems like a nice person, Ryuu. Why do you ask?"
Ryuu sighed and shrugged, scratching his head. "How to explain...I don't know. I guess I just wanted my best friend and my girlfriend to get along."
Kazu's eyes widened. "Wait, I'm your best friend?" *chibi form activate*
Ryuu laughed and punched him lightly. "Oh course, man." He turned to Momo. "Didn't I tell you that this guy gets all weird about friends and relationships and all that stuff?"
Momo laughed softly as Kazu's chibi formed reverted to his normal, slightly pissed-off self.
"Whatever," he muttered, glaring at Ryuu, who just laughed and took Momo's hand in his own.
"See you, Kazu!" he said, waving before they crossed the street.
Kazu nodded at them, and once they were gone, he turned and went back to his own apartment. Even the thought of his friends' smiles couldn't warm the darkness of an empty house.
***
Ryuu stopped outside Momo's family's apartment. "Thanks for agreeing to meet Kazu today," he said, and Momo nodded, turning slightly to hide her guilty blush as she thought of Ryuu's extremely attractive friend. "I know that he's a little moody, and kind of a loner," Ryuu said, and Momo felt a surge of sympathy for Kazu. "Anyhow, it seems like everyone always tries to take advantage of him, and he's the one who always ends up getting hurt in the end, so I'm happy that you could meet him. Kazu needs all the good people in his life that he can get."
Momo paused, her heart aching slightly for the boy that hated waking up and would prefer to be napping all day. Maybe Kazu sleeps to avoid people and the pain they cause? "What's his family like?" she asked, and Ryuu hesitated, frowning.
"I'm not sure. He's never talked about them, and I've never been to his house." Ryuu was quiet for a moment before turning to Momo with a smile. "Well, I'll see you on Monday."
He kissed her, a sweet and gentle kiss, and made sure that she got inside before he left, waving and then sticking his hands in his pockets. As soon as he was out of sight of Momo's house, he dropped his smile and exchanged it for a frown as he considered Kazu. That guy, he's never told me about his family situation. I don't know if his parents are even alive, or if he has siblings...he might live with his family, or he might live alone, for all I know.
Why does Kazu always make me feel so lonely? Or am I just perceiving his own emotions?
Ryuu sighed and kept dwelling on the matter until he went to sleep that night, still worrying over his strangely distant friend.