Chapter 31: Catching up and awkward moments

~Third Person POV~ For the next twenty-four hours, Byakuya and June sat in Byakuya's dorm room alone, catching up with each other and filling in the blanks that have surfaced during the five-year gap they hated each other.

"So... do you still love gymnastics as much as you did?" Byakuya asked.

June nodded. "Yes. Most definitely. Gymnastics is my life, just as it was before. I'm training more so I can be ready for the tryouts for the Olympic team."

Byakuya smiled. "Still chasing after that dream, I see."

"Yes. And I can feel myself getting closer and closer to achieving it," June said. "What about you? Are your dreams still the same?"

"They are. My dream is still to take over the Togami corp. and be in charge of it." Byakuya said.

"What about your cousin Takahiro? Isn't he older than you? Wouldn't that mean he gets the Togami corp.?" June asked.

Byakuya shrugged. "I don't think so--Takahiro's never been interested in or wanted the family business, in fact he says I can have it."

"Awesome. If I make the Olympic team, it looks like we'll both get our dreams." June said with a smile.

Byakuya smiled back. "Yes, it certainly seems so." he said happily.

June sighed, still smiling. "I'm glad we're friends again."

Byakuya nodded. "I am, as well."

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

Word eventually spread around June's group of friends that June and Byakuya were friends once again, after all those years.

The story of how they stopped being friends in the first place was spread around the group as well by none other than Erin, who June had told.

"Honestly, June, it's so stupid you and Byakuya ended an amazing friendship and your undying love for each over a card." Erin shook her head before she took a bite of the sandwich she was eating.

June and her group of friends were all sitting together at their usual lunch table after the three days of Byakuya's suspension was over on Thursday, eating lunch.

June turned pink. "God, Erin, would you NOT say things like that in front of people?" she said through gritted teeth. "Also, what gives you the impression that Byakuya ever felt the same way about me?"

"Um, hello, have you seen the way he looks at you? Especially back when you were kids, he was infatuated with you, June! And, something tells me he still is." Erin said.

Sayaka smiled. "That's so sweet...! He so likes you!" she said.

Leon nodded at June. "She's right! It's true, he totally wuvs you~!"

June, with an irritated look on her face, reached across the table and gave Leon a smack on the arm, a hard one too.

Leon reeled away, holding his arm. "Ow! That hurt!" he whined.

"Please, Byakuya doesn't like June; he's too much of a jerky prick." Hina said.

June gave her a look. "Hey! He is NOT a jerky prick!"

Hina arched an eyebrow. "Oh really? Then what is he?" she asked.

June played with the sleeve of her sweater. After she dumped Leo, she began wearing her normal cothes again, and all her friends were relieved to see that all of June's new "outfits", along with all the other influences Leo had on her, had gone away for good. "He's misunderstood, that's all." she said.

"Don't make excuses for him, June! Just last week you hated this guy!" Hina said.

"Correction: I thought I hated him. I never actually did, I was just pissed off," June shrugged. "It happens. People get pissed off every day."

"How can you just forgive him so easily after all that he's done to you?" Hina demanded, throwing her arms up in the air.

"As I told you before, we had a nice, long talk over it and we worked it all out. We both apologized, and we before forgave each other. Everything is fine." June said.

Hina just grumbled incoherently.

"Look, the reason why Byakuya acts jerky some times is only because of how we temporarily ended friendship all those years ago; I guarantee if we stayed friends, he would've turned out much different. But, this is just how it happened, and the past can't be changed. However, the future can. So, I'm going to make the most of it and patch up all the damage that's been done," June said with a hum. "And, trust me, Byakuya is like a sweet, warm and fuzzy teddy bear if you take the time to get to know him."

"Oh yeah, he seems like a real people person...!" Leon said sarcastically.

"Yes, are we talking about the same person?" Ishimaru asked. "Because, I can guarantee Byakuya Togami is NOT a sweet, warm and fuzzy teddy bear."

"Yeah! Maybe she thinks we're talking about a different Byakuya," Ibuki put in. "I mean, is Byakuya really that much of an uncommon name???"

"Maybe she does think we're talking about a different Byakuya..." Sayaka said.

"June, it is obvious that you see something in Byakuya that we do not. But it is going to take us some time to get used to you hanging around with him." Sonia said.

June sighed as she looked at the food on her tray. "Yeah, I know." she mumbled.

"I personally think we owe Byakuya a second chance," Kyouko said. "He saved June from an unhealthy and abusive relationship with a guy we all thought we could trust. So, what I'm saying is don't judge a book by its cover. Though Byakuya may have had his shortcomings, that doesn't mean it's right for us to judge him straightaway."

June smiled at her cousin. "Thanks, Kyouko." she said, relieved that at least one person was on her side.

Across the lunchroom, Byakuya and Makoto exited the lunch line with their trays and headed towards their usual table.

Makoto sat down and Byakuya was just about to when he caught a glimpse of June's group of friends at their usual table, laughing and smiling.

Byakuya just stared at them, and Makoto noticed.

"Hey, maybe we should sit with them?" Makoto asked Byakuya.

Byakuya kept staring at them. "I... I don't know, Naegi. June may like me, but I'm not sure that goes for her group of friends... Besides, what if they don't want me to sit with them?" he said.

Makoto snorted. "You're Byakuya Togami. Since when do you care what other people think?"

Byakuya stared at them for a second more before he smiled and chuckled. "I suppose you're right, Naegi." he said.

Then, they both picked up their trays and headed over to June's table.

When they stood right in front of it, Byakuya cleared his throat. "Hello."

They all looked up at him and Makoto.

June smiled. "Hey, Byakuya. Hey, Makoto." she said, her tone friendly.

Byakuya blinked. He still wasn't quite used to hearing June's voice in a friendly tone toward him. "Um, yeah, hey." he said.

Makoto nudged him.

Byakuya gave him a slight glare before redirecting his attention back on June. "Uh, June, do you and your friends mind if Naegi and I sit with you?" he asked politely.

It was silent. June's friends looked at her, obviously silently stating that she was in charge of making this decision.

June just smiled nervously at them before she turned back to Byakuya. "Of course! You and Makoto are my friends, and I want all my friends sitting with me." She gave them a friendly smile and patted the spot next to her.

Which Byakuya immediately realized as Leo's spot.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed. Leo used to sit in that very spot, his arm almost always wrapped around June's waist, holding her close and looking at her like she was his property. He would whisper in her ear and flirt with her shamelessly, especially when he knew Byakuya was watching. Byakuya would even some times see Leo's hand sneakily trail down June's side and touch her thigh or her butt or do something else disgusting. Byakuya knew every time Leo did that June was uncomfortable, and Byakuya also knew that Leo knew that as well, but simply didn't care as he would keep running his hands all over her.

Byakuya felt fury bubble up inside of him thinking about Leo. And, not just that, but Leo's hands all over June.

Byakuya's hand made a fist and he squeezed it, trying to calm himself down. Eventually, Byakuya stopped squeezing and noticed the inside of his hand was white and had fingernail marks.

Calm down, Byakuya told himself. She's not with that bastard anymore and he's not going to touch her as long as you're around. And this isn't his spot anymore.

Byakuya stared down at the spot that was no longer Leo's.

It's yours.

The corners of Byakuya's mouth turned up into a smile. He would be the one sitting next to June, not Leo.

Byakuya kept smiling at the thought, hoping that wherever Leo was in the lunchroom he was watching.

Byakuya sat down in Leo's previous spot next to June as Makoto sat down across from them.

An idea suddenly popped into Byakuya's head. Well, I really hope Leo's watching THIS...

Before he fully grasped the concept of what he was doing, Byakuya casually slid an arm around June's waist and held her close.

Byakuya smiled smugly when he noticed a couple of tables in front of them, that Leo was indeed watching.

And he was furious, his glare locked on Byakuya's arm around June.

Byakuya kept smiling.

June froze when she noticed where Byakuya's arm was. "U-Um... Byakuya...? What are you doing...?" she studdered, her cheeks turning rosy-pink.

That very awkward question seemed to pull Byakuya out of his smug victory and back to the real world with everyone else, where what Byakuya did didn't go without embarrassing looks and questioning gazes and embarrassed blushes.

Everyone at their table cast questioning looks in Byakuya's direction.

With that Byakuya's confidence and smugness disappeared almost as soon as they had come, deflating like a balloon as he watched everyone at the table stare at him.

He quickly removed his arm from around June's waist before he turned as pink as her. "U-Uh... I... June had... Uh... June had some fuzz on her sweater and I was just trying to... rub it off..." He coughed into his arm, wishing he could disappear like his confidence.

Leon watched with an amused look. "Uh huh, sure, whatever you say, dude. We all know you were tryin' to feel that u--"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because Hina kicked him hard under the table.

Leon stuck his hand under the table and rubbed where Hina kicked him. "Um, OW!" he snapped. "Why do you people keep hurting me???"

Hina glared at him.

"What???" Leon asked, confused. Hina just sighed and rolled her eyes.

June rubbed her arm awkwardly. "Uh... Um... Th-Thanks... thanks for getting that... fuzz off..." she said to Byakuya.

Byakuya looked down at his food, not daring to meet June's eyes. "You're welcome..." he mumbled.

Silence.

No one talked, they just all either stared at their food or stuffed their faces with it.

"So," Makoto said, breaking the silence. "Did you guys hear the Christmas Gala is coming up in about a month...?"

June slowly nodded. "Y-Yeah..."

"I did too." Sayaka said.

"As did I." Sonia said.

"I think everyone did," Leon said. "But, it's in a month, so it doesn't really matter right now."

More silence.

They all ate that way until the bell rang, announcing the end of lunch.

Byakuya practically jumped up from his seat, eager to escape the awkwardness. "Well, that's the bell. We'd better be getting to our classes, right Naegi?"

June shot up out of her seat. "Let's go. We don't wanna be late...!"

With that, Byakuya basically yanked Makoto out of his seat and dragged him out of the lunchroom and into the hallway before they began to head to class with the rest of their classmates.