A Twin's Love

Chapter 4

On Sunday morning, at 11 o'clock, Karou waited for Jenna outside the town's large mall. His heart pounded nervously as he scanned passing people for her. He checked his watch for the fifteenth time in the last 10 minutes. He knew he was a little early, but he couldn't wait to see her. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his designer jeans, the young man tried to slow his racing heart by taking deep breaths.

Suddenly, a pair of hands behind him shook his shoulders briefly and a voice shouted, "GOT YOU!"

Karou jumped and whirled around to find Jenna snickering. "Sorry, but I couldn't resist sneaking up on you." She admitted after a minute.

He laughed with her, shaking his head. "It's okay."

Leading his date into the commoners' mall, the pair traveled to the second floor, where all the various food courts were. Though he could afford to take her to a fancy restaurant anywhere in the country, the young man wanted to take her somewhere simple for their first date. For some reason, he didn't want to mess this up and was going with what he felt was right.

"What made you decide to take me here?" she asked curiously as they waited in line to order what's apparently known as 'fast food'.

"I've been here a couple of times with the Host Club. It's surprisingly tasty and satisfying. I wasn't sure if you'd been to a place like this before, so I thought I'd show you." Karou looked away from the large menu boards and glanced at Jenna. Her surprised expression made the air in his lungs disappear all at once. "W-we can go someplace else, if you want."

"No, it's okay. To tell you the truth, my family and I have eaten at places like this in America. They were practically everywhere, so it was hard for us to not go at least every other week. In fact, this one is my favorite. For a moment, I thought you had secretly gathered that information somehow."

They laughed as they ordered their lunch. "So, have you ever visited the Host Club?" The young man asked the girl while they ate.

"I can't say that I have yet." She answered casually, taking a sip of her soda.

"You should come sometime. I'm sure everyone would like you."

"Maybe the hosts will, but I'm not sure about your guests."

Karou looked up at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

The girl eyed him curiously before speaking. "Let me ask you something; do you usually take girls out like this?"

"No, this is actually my first real date in a long time. Any other time I've spent with a girl, Hikaru is with me and we simply entertain the girls."

"So, that means I'm the first to have absolute alone time with you and your undivided attention. Does that make me special?" She laced her fingers together and placed her elbows on the edge of the table, resting her chin on the hand-bridge as she looked at him intently. So cute!

Karou felt his cheeks heat up a little as he tried to form an answer. "Um, er- yeah. I suppose." He scratched the back of his head nervously. Why am I suddenly feeling so strange?

"And has anyone in the Host Club ever had a special someone before? Girlfriend or boyfriend, I mean."

"I don't think so."

"Then that makes me a target," Jenna popped a fry into her mouth before explaining. "The fact that I'm special to one of the twin brothers will make the other girls think that I'm trying to separate the Loving Hitachiin Brothers. Plus, they'll most likely get jealous over the fact that I somehow got one of the hosts to spend a significant amount of time with me outside of the club's business hours. So, if I were to come see the Host Club, I'd have to behave as a normal client, unless I want to get into trouble."

The young man chuckled, then reached over and took one of her hands in his. "But you enjoy trouble, don't you? Or did you change more than I thought you did since middle school?"

"Good point. I can never resist a little mischief and adventure." She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling like gems and cheeks turning a little pink. Something about her smile made Karou's heart take flight, making him happy all of the sudden.

He stroked the back of her hand tenderly, then spoke softly. "But if there's ever a time when you are in some kind of serious trouble, I promise I'll get you out of it." Before he could stop himself, he raised the girl's hand to his face and pressed a tender kiss to her knuckles.

Glancing up, he watched as the surprised Jenna's entire face turned a rosy pink, making her seem even more beautiful. "I'm sorry. Does it bother you when I do that?" he asked quietly.

"N-no, it's alright. It's just that. . . Nevermind." She slipped her hand out of his and continued to eat her meal. Karou decided to not let there be an awkward silence and searched for something for them to talk about.

"So, tell me about America. Which part of it did you go to?"

"California, the farthest western state of the USA. It's always hot there, and they never get snow in the winter. I can't say I'm already used to the chilly, early spring Japan has."

"I bet they have nice beaches."

The pair talked for hours, even after they had finished their food. They constantly joked and laughed, sharing stories about their lives and finding things they had in common. By the time they were each in their separate homes, it was almost time for dinner and both of them were smiling.

**************************************************************** So, I'm going to be very busy for a while, and won't be able to post another chapter for at least a week. Thank you for your patience, and for tolerating my terrible story. I promise, I never leave a story unfinished, so there will be another chapter written soon enough.