TRUST ME | Brothers Conflict | ✔

13

"I'm not obsessed with laundry," I protested. The girl handed us two plates, interrupting the flow of our conversation.

"I'm Ema. Nice to meet you, [Y/N]. I didn't know that Kaname had a girlfriend."

A tense silence fell, the brothers facing each other with something close to aggression. Ema's smile faded, replaced by discomfort.

I tugged at Kaname's sleeve, but he didn't correct his sister, instead focussing on his brothers. The atmosphere turned hostile, caused by the brothers who seemed stuck in a silent argument.

"Kaname?" I asked hesitantly, tugging at his sleeve again. He turned his head toward me, ferocity shifting into a tense smile.

"What's wrong?"

I stuffed a sandwich in his mouth, taking a bite from mines. He laughed, the sound muffled by the sandwich, which he plucked from his mouth.

"Was that a hint, sweetheart?" he asked me, his eyes shining with mischief and his words sickly sweet.

"Pick another pet name, I was already using that one," I protested, hoping that Kaname's brothers would calm down as well.

Ema smiled at me, partly grateful and partly embarrassed.

"Ukyo and I made the sandwiches," she told me, which made the brothers focus on the box which contained sandwiches.

Something fishy was going on here. The boys were giving me the creeps, though they all seemed kind. It was the way they were competing for their sister's attention, ignoring Ema's growing discomfort.

While I wanted to discard the suspicion I harboured, they only grew stronger.

It was a relief when Tsubaki, Azusa headed over to the lake. Subaru joined a group of teenagers who were playing basketball in the park, trampling on the grass.

Wataru used this opportunity to climb on his sister's lap, which the small mammal on Ema's shoulder couldn't appreciate.

The interesting dynamics between the family members distracted me from the cold, but I couldn't help shivering when the sun started to set. Long shadows fell over us while the sky grew darker, red streaks mixing with the blue.

"Are you cold?" Kaname asked me, drawing my attention from Wataru's antics to monopolise his sister.

"I forgot my coat home when you called," I explained sheepishly, shrugging. "It isn't that cold, so I'm fine."

He huffed, giving me a smile that made my heart skip a beat. Sometimes, it was difficult to remember that most of Kaname's smile and grins were fake. His kind smiles were worst, the fondness making me believe in a fairy tale.

He shrugged the jacket he was wearing off, dropping the piece of clothing on my lap.

The kind gesture reminded me of the night we met, and I wasn't the only one to think so.

"Just like when we met," he commented with a sly smirk. "Do you remember? That was when you date-." I covered his mouth with my hand, hoping that I wouldn't burst out laughing.

"You don't have to elaborate, Kaname. In fact, I would appreciate if you didn't talk about ridiculous notions like me stealing your happi."

"That's because you did," Kaname said, his words muffled by my hand.

"You're such a cute couple," Ema commented, clapping her hands in glee. And in the one instance that Kaname should have elaborated, he didn't. Did he know how cruel it was to use me as a fake girlfriend without any warning whatsoever? Admittedly, even with a warner, I wouldn't be prepared, but at least, my heart wouldn't ache so much.