ADMIRE ME |Brothers Conflict

09

I couldn't suppress a triumphant smile when I added Fuuto's number to my contacts. My triumph didn't last long, though, quickly morphing into puzzlement as I tried to figure out how Fuuto had got hold of my phone number. Putting aside the issue that my smartphone was still brand-new, I had never given my phone number to Fuuto.

So, how had he managed to contact me?

Shrugging the question off, I placed my phone on my lap, figuring that I had far more pressing problems to worry over. For example; how was I going to convince my dad to let me go on a date with Fuuto, the cause of everything?

Mulling over my options, I almost forgot to disembark when the train rolled to a stop in the station. Scenarios played out in my mind as I headed home, the stories getting increasingly convoluted.

In spite of all the effort I put into coming up with a good excuse, I asked him a single question in the end.

"Hey, dad," I said, drawing his attention to me. "Can I go on a date tomorrow?"

He lifted the spoon from the pan on the furnace to wave it threateningly. "[L/N] [Y/N], what would the use of detention be if I let you have fun?"

"I figured you would say that," I sighed, standing up from my chair at the dinner table. My dad's gaze followed me as I left the kitchen for some privacy. Whipping my smartphone out of my pocket made me grin, anticipation leaving me giddy despite the nature of the news I would have to convey.

Fuuto accepted the call quickly, mumbling a greeting that I couldn't quite discern.

"[Y/N] here," I introduced myself, although he probably already knew. "I talked to my dad, but I can't attend this 'double date'-thing tomorrow after all."

Fuuto sighed deeply in response, and the weariness conveyed in that deep exhale made me feel guilty.

"I can ask again," I offered, yearning to hear him laugh genuinely instead.

"I don't want to make things too difficult for you," Fuuto said after a long pause.

Surprised, I squeaked, wondering whether I had at some point slipped into a coma and was living in my imagination.

"You didn't used to care about me at all," I prodded.

An awkward silence fell, only static on the line while we both waited for something to happen. I was quiet to give Fuuto the time to come up with a solution for me. Fuuto, on the other hand, was probably attempting to keep his scathing comments to the bare minimum.

"I don't specifically care about you," he explained, his words slow as if he was contemplating each one carefully before uttering them. "In a sense, we aren't so different. I only care about what you can do for me, while you only care about the persona I play when I'm on stage."

It made sense to treat the person you relied on civilly, so I could understand Fuuto's statement to a certain extent. Nevertheless, I couldn't agree with him, not when that would mean cutting off every road to my happy ever after. Swallowing with difficulty, I organised my thoughts, composing a short speech on the spot.

"I think that it's time to straighten out this misunderstanding," I said. "When I said that Asakura was the only one who mattered to me, I was angry. You could argue that I wouldn't have said if those words didn't possess a grain of the truth. Notwithstanding how sensible that sounds, it isn't a correct assumption. Perhaps, I was super fond of Asakura at the time, but that was because I only knew this alter ego of yours. Now, however, I have got to know you, and I feel that I seriously don't mean those words. Never did, but, I digress."

Fuuto listened to my rambling with unfamiliar patience. The feeling that I was digging my own grave was growing stronger with every nonsensical sentence that fell from my lips as did the fear that I would accidentally reveal how much I cared for Asahina Fuuto.