By the time Mom gets home, we've mostly stopped trying to kill each other on the futon.
Mostly.
I'm sitting on the floor, brushing out my hair with as much dignity as I can manage after getting half-squashed by Kaito. He's lounging at my desk like he owns the place, spinning a pencil between his fingers.
The front door clicks open.
"I'm home!" Mom calls out.
Kaito immediately sits up straighter, all fake-innocence. I roll my eyes. Coward.
"Ara? Kaito-kun, you're here too?" she says, stepping into my room with a smile. She's carrying a small grocery bag in one hand, her purse in the other. "You should stay for dinner. It's been a while."
"Only if it's not too much trouble," he says with that smooth voice that makes every adult fall for him.
"It's no trouble at all. You're like family," she says warmly, already walking off toward the kitchen. "I actually bumped into your mom today at the mall."
My ears perk up. Kaito glances at me, eyebrow raised.
"She told me your family's planning a beach day this weekend. I thought it sounded lovely. I told her we might come along."
What.
I nearly drop my brush. "Wait—we're going too?"
"Mmhmm. Isn't that nice?" Mom hums, already pulling things from the fridge.
I shoot Kaito a look.
He's way too calm about this.
"You knew about this?"
"Not officially," he shrugs, but the grin on his face says otherwise. "Looks like we're getting a sequel to our last beach adventure, Neko-chan."
I smack his arm with the hairbrush. "Stop calling it that. It wasn't an adventure."
"Sure it was. You got stuck in a tide pool and refused to admit you needed help."
"I didn't need help!"
"You meowed."
"I did not—!"
"Kaito-kun, Ayumi, could you two come help set the table?" Mom calls.
Kaito hops up like a well-trained puppy. "Coming!"
He pauses in the doorway, flashing me a wink. "Better get used to seeing me in swimwear again."
My face ignites. "Get out!"
His laughter echoes down the hall.
And somehow, even with the threat of an incoming beach day disaster, I can't stop smiling.