Kitato wedging his finger against the receiver was the kind of thing she’d have swatted Naho’s hand away for. It probably made her some kind of bully, because she didn’t even make an attempt to give his little brother the same treatment. Nahoya would have been teasing, though, and withdrawn at the first protest. On some level, she recognized her inaction. She blamed it on her effort to concentrate on Nahoya’s voice.<br/><br/>Rei laughed, but she looked a little miserable. She’d never thought much about how gentle Nahoya’s voice sounded. It was soothing, even now. She probably didn’t deserve that kind of calm. “I don’t know if I’d say I inspired anyone…” she began. Really, class had gone alright by the end, but she’d not felt terribly proud of the whole thing. She’d certainly envisioned it going better. She glanced at Kitato. “I did my best. I think things will pick up, either way.” She said, and there was a thread of confidence there for her to nurture. “Um, how is your day going?” she asked, decidedly more comfortable with turning the conversation toward him. Kit handed her the paper he’d been folding and she frowned at him. If he hadn’t been trying to distract her, it was apparent he still had. When he had been younger, he’d sometimes petition for her or Nahoya’s attention by doing little things like that. It felt much the same now, and she didn’t know where to place that kind of nostalgia against the things he’d done to her just moments before.<br/><br/>She watched Kit cross for the door and winced a little when Nahoya asked her to drive his brother home. “Yea, of course. Wouldn’t want him to develop any bad habits.” She said, gaze dropping to the floor. “Okay. I’ll talk to you later. I love you.” She murmured, before she ended the call. When she looked back at Kitato, it was with that same façade of nonchalance she seemed to like trying on so much. “You heard him, I suppose. I’ll wait for you in the parking lot behind this building.” She said.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Rei’s car was one of the last in the parking lot. The sun was already drawing low on the horizon; she’d stayed longer in her office than she’d intended. Aside from her class, she had her own graduate coursework to attend to and lesson planning for the following day. She’d thrown herself into that work with even greater vigor than usual, as if each stroke of her pen might push the lingering taste of Kit’s lips further out of her mind.<br/><br/>It must have worked somewhat, because she had been startled by the time when she looked up. Now, waiting in the driver’s seat, she wondered if Kit had gone on without her. She wouldn’t have blamed him. Unsure of how much longer she should wait for him, it occurred to her that she’d never even bothered to get his phone number. She’d not had a need for it, and Nahoya had put them in contact on the off chance it had been relevant. Rei sighed. She’d wait just a bit longer. Even if Kit didn’t show up, she supposed it was another few moments before she had to face Nahoya. The very thought made her squirm in her seat. How on earth had she allowed herself to be so awful? And Kit, too. How dare he. And how dare he leave without coming by her office. He knew where it was, for one, and they’d both done enough wrong against his brother today. Surely he could’ve been cooperative on this front, at least.