Chapter 25 | Country Club

--several weeks later--

~Third Person POV~

Spring break. That meant all students got a week-long break from school.

Arabella decided that she would make this week count--she'd do nothing but relaxing, being lazy, watching TV, and going nowhere.

Arabella and Daniel started their first day of spring break playing video games.

"Prepare to die, Daniel, I've got the highest score and you know it!" Arabella said as she played the game.

Daniel sat beside her. "Bring it ON." he challenged.

Ding dong!

The doorbell.

Both Arabella and Daniel ignored it.

"Um, hello...? Is someone gonna get that...?" Nina called from the kitchen.

"Why can't you?" Daniel called back. Arabella gave him a look.

"Young man, I know you didn't just raise your tone at me! Now, get the door." their mom called to her son.

Daniel groaned as Arabella stuck her tongue out at him. He then reluctantly got up and went to answer the door.

When Daniel opened the door, standing outside was Kaoru Hitachiin.

Daniel eyed him suspiciously. "Hikaru, right?"

"No, Kaoru."

"Damn."

"Can I come in?"

Daniel eyed him more suspiciously. "Depends..."

"On what?"

"It depends on whether or not you're here to take advantage of my sister. That's just nasty."

Kaoru immediately turned red. "N-No!!! I'm not here to do anything like that!!! I just wanna talk to her!!! I swear...!"

Daniel looked him over for about five seconds before he sighed. "Sure. Fine. Come in. Just, try and refrain from locking lips with Arabella, okay? Ain't nobody wanna see that." Then, he shuddered before letting an even redder Kaoru in and closing the door behind him.

"Hey, Arabella! Kaoru's here...!" Daniel shouted.

From inside the living room, Arabella's eyes widened. "WHAT?! No! Don't let him in! I'm in my pajamas!!! He can't see me like this...!" she said.

"Too late." Daniel said as he and Kaoru both entered the living room.

Arabella shot her brother a glare before she noticed Kaoru and smiled nervously. "H-Hey, Kaoru...! What's up???" she studdered.

Kaoru smiled. "Uh, nothing much. I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come to Hikaru and I's country club with us? We've also invited the rest of the Host Club along... So, would you like to come?" he said.

"When?" Arabella asked.

"Tomarrow at 2:00pm." Kaoru said.

"I'll have to ask my mom." Arabella said.

Kaoru nodded. "Alright. Call me when you get her answer."

"Okay. Bye!" Arabella said as Kaoru exited the living room.

"Bye!" Kaoru said before left and closed the door behind himself.

Arabella put her hands on her hips and glared at Daniel. "Ya' know, a heads up would be nice before you just let in a hot boy and he sees me in my pajamas!" she said.

One of Daniel's eyebrows shot up curiously. "So, you think he's hot?" he questioned.

Upon realizing what she said, Arabella turned bright red. "N-No...! I mean, he definitely isn't bad looking!!! But, it's also not like I think he's gorgeous...! Which, he is... B-But, I don't think so!!!" she studdered.

Daniel gave his sister a look. "This is sad for all of us, ya' know?" he said.

"Shut it, Daniel. Or I'll shut it for you." Arabella snapped.

Daniel put his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay, okay! I got it... Jeez..." he muttered.

Arabella gave a curt nod. "Good," she huffed. "Now, let's get back to playing the game so I can kick your ass."

"You can just TRY." Daniel said before they both sat back down on the couch and resumed playing.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mom, where's the sunscreen?" Arabella asked as she got ready to leave.

"On top of the fridge." her mother replied.

"Okay, thanks."

After Arabella asked Nina if it was okay to go to Hikaru and Kaoru's country club and Nina said it was okay, Arabella called Kaoru and told him she could come. And the next day she started getting ready.

She had never been to a country club before and was curious and somewhat excited to see what it was like.

Arabella shoved the sunscreen in her beach bag.

Then, she went into her room to pick out her swimsuit.

She was about to open her closet doors when she noticed something on her bed.

It was a bikini.

Not just any bikini, but the red bikini with the small, yellow flower on the side. The one that Hikaru and Kaoru have been trying to get Arabella to wear since their trip to Okinawa.

Arabella sighed and picked it up. "Will these boys ever give up?" Then, she noticed there was a small note attached to the bikini.

She picked it up and read it.

Arabella,

I hope you like this gift! You may recognize it! Wear it to the country club! I know Kaoru in particular would LOVE to see you in it! ;)

Hope you enjoy!

~your future brother-in-law, Hikaru

Arabella groaned and rolled her eyes. Seriously, Hikaru? Really? How did he even get in my house???

Arabella was about to put the bikini away when her mom walked in her room. "Hey, sweetie! You almost ready?" she said before her eyes landed on the bikini Arabella was holding. "Oooh, honey, what is that? It's beautiful! You should wear it to the country club!"

Arabella immediately shook her head. "Uh, NO WAY. I'm not wearing this to the country club." she said.

Nina frowned. "I'm your mother and you'll do as I say; you're wearing it to the country club. End of discussion."

Arabella groaned and rolled her eyes again. "Do I have to...?"

"YES."

"Ugh, fine..."

"Good. Now, hurry up and change into it so I can see you in it!" Nina said excitedly.

Nina then stepped out of Arabella's room before Arabella reluctantly put on the bikini.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Nina entered Arabella's room and saw Arabella in the bikini. Nina smiled.

"Oh, Arabella! You look so lovely! You're definitely wearing this to the country club!"

"Great...," Arabella said sarcastically. "Super awesome..."

"It is, isn't it? You look great! I hope you have a good time at the country club." Nina said.

"Thanks, Mom. I will," Arabella said before she grabbed her beach bag and put her cover-up on. "I gotta go; Hikaru and Kaoru's limo will be pulling up any second now." Then she kissed her mom goodbye and left her room, heading to the front door.

When she exited her house, not a minute later did Hikaru and Kaoru's limo arrive.

Arabella approached it and climbed in.

"Hey, Arabella. We're glad you could make it." Hikaru and Kaoru said together.

"Of course. I can't wait until we get there--I've never been to a country club before." Arabella said.

"Well, Tono and Kyoya are already there..."

"... and Honey and Mori say they're on their way."

"What about Haruhi?" Arabella asked.

"She's already there too." Hikaru and Kaoru replied.

"Oh."

The limo driver pulled out of the neighborhood and drove away.

Soon, they arrived at the country club.

They got out of the limo and headed inside.

"Welcome back, Mr. Hitachiins!" the lady at the front desk said upon seeing Hikaru and Kaoru. Then, she saw Arabella. "Who's this?"

"She's our plus-one." Hikaru and Kaoru said. Then, they handed the money to pay for Arabella to the lady.

"Have a wonderful time!" she said as they walked outside to the private pool area.

It was huge--about the size of a water park; there were several pools with deluxe pool slides and hot tubs.

"Wow," Arabella said as she looked around. "This place is amazing...!"

"We're glad you like it." Hikaru said.

"We hope you have fun." Kaoru said.

"Oh, I definitely will." Arabella smiled.

"Guys!"

They all turned to see Tamaki and the rest of the Host Club.

Tamaki ran up and hugged Arabella. "My little girl! I'm so glad you came!" he said.

"Yeah, I'm glad I'm here." Arabella said before they separated.

The others approached them.

"Ara-chan! We're glad you're here!" Honey said. Then he turned to Mori. "Aren't we, Takashi?"

"Yeah."

Haruhi smiled at Arabella. "I'm glad you're here; I was worried I'd be stuck all alone without another girl to talk to." she said.

"I'm glad you're here too, Haruhi." Arabella said.

Hikaru clapped his hands together. "So, ladies! How about you two take off your cover-ups and then we'll get right on swimming and having fun!" he said.

Both Arabella and Haruhi didn't want to take off their cover-ups.

"Shady twin! Stop harassing my little girls! They will NOT take off their cover-ups in front of boys!" Tamaki shouted.

"Relax, Tono... It really isn't that big of a deal; they're just cover-ups." Hikaru said.

"Yeah, it's not like they're completely stripping." Kaoru said.

Hikaru nudged his brother. "But, you'd like that, wouldn't you, Kaoru? I mean, seeing Arabella completely na--"

Kaoru gave Hikaru a hard shove and a glare. "SHUT. UP." he growled.

"Yes! Stop it, Hikaru! And, Kaoru, STOP HITTING ON MY LITTLE GIRL LIKE THAT!!!" Tamaki said as he glared at both twins.

"I'll stop when I want to stop."

"I'M NOT HITTING ON ANYONE!"

Tamaki held up his hand. "No excuses, shady twins! Now, both of you stop sexually harassing my little angels and let's have have some fun!" he said.

Hikaru wiggled his eyebrows.

"Some appropriate fun." Tamaki immediately added.

Hikaru frowned.

"Yeah, I like that idea, Senpai." Haruhi said before she and Arabella took off their cover-ups.

"You two look great, Ara-chan and Haru-chan! Nice swimsuits!" Honey said.

Arabella smiled. "Thanks, Honey."

Tamaki turned incredibly red as his stared at Haruhi. "H-Haruhi... what are you wearing???" he mumbled.

Haruhi was wearing the pink bikini with ruffles that Hikaru and Kaoru had long ago picked out.

Haruhi sighed and glared at Hikaru. "Well, someone left it on my doorstep and my dad found it and said I should wear it to the country club--and when I said no way, he made me wear it; of course he had no idea I was going to the country club with you guys." she explained.

"And, Arabella! My little girl, WHY ARE YOU WEARING SOMETHING SO REVEALING?!" Tamaki shouted as he looked, horrified at Arabella, who was wearing the red bikini with the yellow flower. "Girls your age should NEVER wear something like this in front of BOYS! And, a girl should only show off that much skin to her husband and her husband ONLY!"

"Chill out, boss, they look great! In fact, I thought you'd be happier! I mean, haven't you been fantasizing about seeing Haruhi in this exact bikini? Don't deny it; we all know you have." Hikaru said.

Tamaki turned redder and glared intensely at both Hikaru and Kaoru.

Kaoru put up his hands in defense. "Hey! Don't look at me! I had nothing to do with this!" he said.

"He's right; Hikaru somehow snuck into my bedroom and left the bikini there... By the way, how on earth did you even get in my house?!" Arabella said.

Hikaru scratched the back of his neck. "Well, if you want your room safe and secure, you really shouldn't leave a window open..." he mumbled.

"What? It was kinda hot! I was just trying to get a breeze!" Arabella said. "Anyway, my mom found the bikini and made me wear it here."

"Some times, parents can be so annoying..." Haruhi said.

"Oh, most definitely." Arabella agreed.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going swimming!" Hikaru declared before he took a running start and cannon-balled into one of the pools. "Come on, guys! Come on in!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After an hour of swimming, they all took a break and ordered some food.

"I'll go get the food." Arabella said as she stood up.

"I'll come with you, you'll need the help." Kaoru said before he stood up.

The two of them headed toward the place where they picked up the food.

Arabella approached the guy who made the food and told him what they wanted while Kaoru hung back and watched.

The guy standing next to Kaoru watched Arabella. "Hey, man." he said.

Kaoru faced him. "Uh, hi." he said.

"You spending your first day of spring break swimming with friends?"

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah."

The guy nodded and stared straight ahead. "You're lucky, ya' know."

"How, exactly?" Kaoru asked.

The guy nodded his head at Arabella, who was still ordering the food. "Your girlfriend's hot." he said.

Kaoru's eyes widened. "U-Uh, excuse me...?" he studdered.

"I mean, she is your girlfriend, right? Ya' know, the brunette I front of us--short hair, beautiful, great body and curves..."

"I'm just gonna stop you right there--she's not my girlfriend. We're just friends." Kaoru said.

The guy chuckled. "I've heard that excuse before many times... Just sayin', whenever a guy says that, he's always wrong. He always has feelings for the girl. So, don't use that lame-ass excuse; not everyone is stupid." he said.

"Okay. Fine. Let's say I do have feelings for her; let's say I do like her. Even if I did--which I don't--there's no way she'd like me back; she's not at all interested in me." Kaoru said. He stuffed his hands in his swim truck's pockets and looked at his feet.

"You don't know that." the guy said.

Kaoru looked up at the guy. "What?"

"I said, you don't know that."

Kaoru snorted. "Oh please, I definitely do know that."

"Oh really? So, she's told you she's not interested? And you've heard her say she wasn't interested? Really?"

Kaoru looked straight ahead at nothing and pressed his lips together firmly.

The guy laughed at this. "See? You don't know that for certain. You wanna know what I would do? Seize the day. That's what I would do. I wouldn't wait a moment longer. If I liked a girl as much as you like her, I wouldn't wait long for her to make the first move--I wouldn't risk it. I'd make the first move and tell her how I really felt." he said.

Kaoru eyed him. "But isn't that a risk too?" he questioned.

"Oh, most definitely--but it's the right risk. The best risk. The completely-worth-it risk." the guy answered.

"Yeah, but, what if I get shot down? Then what? I would've risked it all for nothing and looked like a complete fool in the process." Kaoru said.

The guy gave him a half-smile. "Well, you don't know if you don't try. What if she's interested and waiting for you to make the first move? And then you don't do anything about it in fear you'll get rejected. Then she would've liked you the whole time but you would've been too much of a coward to take a risk."

Kaoru looked at his feet again. Then, he looked up at the guy and glared. "Hey, what is this? Some sort of counciling session? Well, I don't need it! Who are you, anyway? Oprah Winfrey?" Then, his eyes widened. "Did Hikaru send you??? Well, tell him, for the last time, I DON'T LIKE ARABELLA. I don't know how I can be more clear on that!"

The guy just put one hand on Kaoru's shoulder. "Take care, man," he said before he walked away. "And take a risk. You'll regret it if you don't!"

Then he was gone.

Arabella approached Kaoru. "Okay, I ordered the food. It shouldn't be long. Hey, who were you talking to anyway?" she said.

"Uh... just some guy." Kaoru said.

Arabella nodded.

Then they both went back to their table where the rest of the Host Club was sitting.

"Did you order the food? It took you long enough." Kyoya said.

A smirk crept on to Hikaru's lips. "Oh, I think they were doing more than just ordering food..." He wiggled his eyebrows and gave his brother a look.

Kaoru blushed deeply. "Shut up, Hikaru."

"Fine. But I bet I'm not wrong." Hikaru said before he took out a soda from his beach bag and shook it.

Haruhi gave Hikaru a look. "Ya' know, Hikaru, you really shouldn't shake your soda when it's closed because when you open it, it--"

Haruhi was interrupted by Hikaru unscrewing the soda cap from the bottle and opening it--soda sprayed everywhere. Everyone immediately jumped up from the table and away from Hikaru.

However, the soda spray was mainly directed at Arabella; within seconds the top half of her body was completely sprayed with soda.

Hikaru's eyes widened and he nervously took a step back and dropped the soda.

"--sprays everywhere..." Haruhi finished as she cringed at poor Arabella, who was covered.

Arabella gave Hikaru a glare. "Gee... thanks for that, Hikaru...," she grumbled. "Now, I'm gonna be all sticky... What fun..." She tried to shake the soda off her arms, but it wasn't accomplishing much.

Kaoru just stared at her. "I'm sorry, Arabella... My brother can be really stupid and unnecessary at times..." He glared at Hikaru.

"Okay then..." Arabella said.

After about five seconds of silence, Honey spoke up. "Uh, I'm gonna go swimming again... How about you, Takashi?"

Mori nodded. "Yeah, me too."

"I suppose I'll join you." Kyoya said.

The three of them rushed to the main pool.

Tamaki glared at both Hikaru and Kaoru. "What was THAT?! Why do you shady twins keep on insisting that you mess with my little girls?! What did they ever do to you?! Nothing! So, stop harassing my daughters! Leave them alone! And, Kaoru, STOP TRYING TO GET ARABELLA'S ATTENTION, SHE DOESN'T LIKE YOU AND AT THIS POINT IT'S SEXUAL HARASSMENT!!!" he shouted.

"I am NOT trying to get anyone's attention! I swear, boss! It's Hikaru! He keeps trying to set Arabella and me up! It's all his fault! Don't blame me!!!" Kaoru shouted back.

Arabella sighed and looked down at herself--almost the entire top part of her bikini was soaked.

"Well... I'm having such fun..." Arabella grumbled.

"I can tell," Haruhi said. "I call tell you're having a ball."