TRUST ME | Brothers Conflict | ✔

11

"Everything," I declared, which didn't seem to faze Kaname, who grinned.

"Don't tell me that your date has run off again," he said, genuine concern lacing his voice.

For a long moment, I stared at him, wondering whether he had accidentally seen what had happened in the restaurant. Then, I burst out in tears.

I hadn't intended to, didn't even want to cry. Everything that happened with Kaoru was only my fault after all.

"Oh shit," Kaname blurted, looking at me with wide eyes for a long moment.

I turned my back to him, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my blouse. Therefore, I didn't notice Kaname approach me until he pressed me against his chest, his arms slung around me.

"It'll be alright," he whispered in my hair.

"It's all my fault," I told him, keeping my voice low in an attempt preserve this moment. "It's all my fault."

His only response was a pat on my head, where he let his hand rest. The smell of wash detergent hung in the thick ceremonial clothes he was wearing, but I could still smell something that was just Kaname.

"What happened?" he asked me eventually, still mumbling in my hair.

"Someone told Kaoru that I was going out with you," I answered, wondering whether that statement would scare Kaname away.

"I didn't tell anyone," Kaname said, completely shattering my expectations. "Is it a bad thing that he dumped you? I didn't like him, anyway."

A stifled laugh managed to escape past my lips which I had pressed tightly together.

"That's my girl," Kaname murmured, petting my head with the hand that was still resting on top of my hair. Sighing, I gave it some thought, wondering how I was supposed to answer his question.

"Some people have great difficulty finding a boyfriend. Not that we were a couple yet..."

"You weren't?" Kaname asked, surprise lacing his voice. "Good."

"I don't see how that's 'good' at all," I huffed, the sobbing fading He would let go of me any minute now that the sobbing had stopped, and that time limit made me more reluctant to move.

"They were right." The statement was harsh and filled with bitterness. Jolting in shock, I strained my neck to look over my shoulder.

Kaoru was standing in the alley, facing us with balled fists and a sneer on his face.

"Step away from her," Kaoru demanded, drawing back his upper lip.

"You dumped her, so she's mines now," Kaname told Kaoru, a laugh in his voice.

Although Kaoru had somewhere found the courage to confront Kaname, he didn't appear to have thought further than his first step. He was staring at us, his anger slowly transforming into uncertainty.

I felt just as uncertain, wondering why Kaname kept blurring the lines between us. The promises were always on his mind, weren't they?

"Then she was cheating on me."

"She wasn't," Kaname assured him, placing his chin on my head. Kaoru's eyes lit up, his lips twitching as if he had found something he could use to his advantage.

"If she isn't going out with you, then she has no reason to let you manhandle her," Kaoru stated, grinning broadly.

Was someone interested in my opinion on this matter? Kaoru was snarling at Kaname, ignoring me. I couldn't judge what Kaname was thinking, but he was having way too much fun with this anyway. Neither seemed particularly interested in what I was thinking.