Ouran High School Host Club Fan Fiction ❯ Moving on in Life ❯ Ferris Wheel ( Chapter 4 )

[ A - All Readers ]

A/N: Wow, I haven't written in a really long time. To be honest, I almost forgot about this fic. Sorry everyone! But thanks to a nice review by cowgirlkitten2000 I will now present you with the next chapter! (And hopefully the chapter after this won't take as long to write.) Oh, and by the way, I was rereading what I had written previously and I cringed at some of my dumb grammar mistakes. So if you are doing the same thing, forgive me please. ^^;; Read and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club. (Do I really have to say this every time? I would think it was obvious.)

Kyouya

To say I was elated to find out Haruhi wasn't engaged to Tamaki is an understatement. I was ready to jump for joy or laugh out loud or just pull Haruhi close and kiss her. But I was Kyouya Ootori, I would not lose my control.

Although that same control was being sorely tested as I walked hand in hand with Haruhi. It had to be the twins' doing that she was dressed up in a cute blue sundress that made her look so... Stop thinking about that! Yeah, yeah. I didn't need my own mind to tell me that. Besides, I still didn't know if she was in a relationship or not, barring the host club. Men must have come into her life at some point, and seeing her now, I couldn't believe any of them would not take the chance to ask her out. But she is holding your hand and she isn't showing signs of letting go anytime soon. Shut up.

“Ano [1]… Kyouya?” Haruhi's voice cut into my thoughts.

I turned slightly toward her and inclined my head in acknowledgment. “Yes?”

She gave me a smile - breathtaking smile - before speaking. “Would you like to go on the Ferris wheel? I've heard that you can see the entire city from the top and it's supposed to be really beautiful.”

Like I could deny her anything after she smiled at me. But all that would come out of my mouth was, “Sounds interesting.” I really should think of more adequate replies.

As we were seated into the little compartment and the ride jolted into motion, I looked out the little window. I needed something to distract me from the fact that Haruhi was sitting across from me in a space so small that our knees touched if we moved slightly - I personally blamed the jolting of the ride as to why I kept touching her accidentally. I knew my face was getting continually hotter and I couldn't face her. In all the time in the host club at Ouran, I didn't actually entertain girls that much for a reason. I wasn't comfortable touching and caressing girls that I just wasn't interested in. My only customers were won over quickly by my rather rare smile or my words, with none of the fancy moves that Tamaki pulled.

But touching Haruhi… Well, that was almost awkward because I didn't know what to expect. All my life I had been planning, whether for my future, my grades, or the Host Club. In fact, that was the only reason such a ludicrous club at Ouran which spent astonishing amounts of money could stay afloat. But Haruhi was like a wrench thrown into my perfectly executed plans. I never expected to fall in love. I fancied that I was to marry a rich and beautiful woman after I had established myself that would leave me alone most of the time. So imagine my surprise when I fell for the poor scholarship student who had shown up in my life dressed in baggy clothes that got her mistaken for a long time as a boy. I was tortured with the knowledge that I would never be able to find another woman who would fulfill me the same way.

I rested my forehead against the cool glass as the city was slowly laid out before my eyes. Haruhi was right, it was beautiful. I chanced a look at her to see if she thought so as well, only to find that she wasn't looking out the window at all. She had her eyes riveted on the only other occupant of the little box: me.

I cleared my throat quickly. “Haruhi,” I started. Then I paused. What was I supposed to say when I found the woman of my dreams staring at me? Oh, right. Ask her why. “What are you looking at?”

Her eyes were thoughtful, but I thought I saw a flicker of amusement in them before she answered. “You.” Blunt as always, my Haruhi. She must have known I would want to know why, because she continued without any prompting. “I was wondering why a handsome eligible bachelor like you is still single.”

I stuttered. I'm not proud of it, but my mind shut down slightly at that point for two reasons. One, Haruhi just said I was handsome. Sure women have said that to me before, but this was Haruhi. I don't think I need to emphasize how her words mean much more to me than anyone else's. Two, she just asked me an impossible question. What was I supposed to tell her? That I was secretly in love with her and that I had been holding out in hopes that she might one day look at me the same way? Yeah, she'd probably run away. Or she would run into your arms and you could live happily ever after. Why is the voice in my head so hopelessly optimistic?

I cleared my throat again before formulating an answer. “I have my reasons.” Idiot. Haruhi was looking at me strangely so I tried to elaborate. “I'm not interested in the women that are only interested in my money.”

Haruhi's face closed in slightly and her eyes shuttered as she spoke, “Oh, I see.” I was bewildered. What did I say to make her pull away? The rest of the ride was spent in silence, and when we left the Ferris wheel she didn't even try to hold my hand. What did I do?

[1] From what I know of Japanese (which is very little), “ano” is usually equated to “um” in English.