"why are you still so afraid? I understood back then, but now...?"
Haruhi was taken back by Kaoru’s words. She knew how observant the male could be. He always knew the right thing to say, even if she didn’t want to hear it. At this moment, however, this wasn’t the best thing to bring up.
“You’re right, I’m afraid. But why shouldn’t I be?” There was a dull ache in Haruhi’s chest as her face scrunched together. This was really hurting. “This is nothing like when we were back in high school, Kaoru!” It wasn’t often that Haruhi raised her voice, but the inclination was often something that she never planned. But in this moment, she knew full well how she was acting. Irrational. Simply because this had been one of those late thoughts that kept her up at night.
“I’m afraid that I’ll tell him my feelings and he won’t return them. I can deal with that.” It felt like something was getting stuck in the back of her throat and she couldn’t shake away the feeling. “I’m more afraid that we’ll end up together and something will happen. What if something happens, Kaoru, and that cat interferes? What if one of us gets sent home and we’re separated?”
Salt burned her eyes. “I’m afraid to lose him if I get to close. So just leave it, Kaoru.”
