Senri blinked in surprise as his eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he regained his usual composure,

"When did he tell you this?"

He asked me stoically, his gaze locking with mine as he watched me. I regarded him calmly as I replied,

"Earlier today before Bex and Riki showed up."

I leaned back against the headboard,

"You know, a cynic would say that he's right and that you did stage all of this. The million dollar question, then, is why? Why would someone like you feel the need to do all this. You're not the kind of person to do something like this on a whim. You have an endgame and I want to know what it is. I want to know why you convinced Jackson and everyone else in this house to play along with your little game. It doesn't benefit you in any way to have him pretend to be an alcoholic."

I said calmly as I watched his reaction. His lips twitched upwards into a smile for a moment before settling into a predatory smirk,

"You're smarter than I gave you credit for, but not quite smart enough."

He said to me as his amber eyes burned into mine. I knew he was waiting for me to back down like the others and cower in submission. I stared back at him without a trace of fear,

"You still haven't answered my question, Senri."

I stated flatly. His smirk grew as he reached forward and took my hand in his,

"You want to know why I did all of this? The answer is simple, of course."

He leaned in close to me; a predator stalking his prey that he's cornered. He seemed amused at my lack of fear,

"I did this for you, my dear."

If I didn't know better I'd say his tone almost took on a loving tone. But as I said, I know better. I knew he was trying to manipulate me like he does with the others and I didn't miss the hint of amusement in his eyes as he watched me. I regarded him coolly as I spoke,

"With what in mind, exactly? Don't tell me you had some plan to sweep me off my feet like some fictional prince rescuing the damsel in distress."

Senri scoffed at my words and rolled his eyes,

"Certainly not. At first when Bex and the others took an interest in you, I couldn't see why. I knew March had a history with you, but as for the others I found their antics childish at best. It irritated me how they'd prattle on about you when you weren't here. I didn't really hold you in high regard until the night after your shift at that cafe. When you slapped me after what I said about you, I saw the look in your eyes and it was a look I knew well. Initially I was furious. How dare she raise a hand to me? Once I had returned home, I began to do my research on you and I discovered what happened to your parents. That was when I realized that you had also suffered in your past. I understood your struggle and why you acted the way you did. I realized you weren't leading the others on as I initially thought, but you were trying to balance your past trauma of loss while also moving forward. When you came to me that night to check on me, I was truly stunned. Never before had someone asked after me purely because they cared for my well being. The others had tried only once, but when I yelled at them they left and never tried again. You were not deterred by that, however. You still came in and tried to help me even after the way I had treated you in the past. You reminded me of my mother before she died. After that I thought about her and you much more. The memories became painful and that led me to lash out at you like I did the night you were abducted. You were like a toxin that had seeped into my mind, taking it over until all I thought of was you and it angered me. Never before has someone had that much of an influence on me and I hated it. Part of me wonders if I scared you on purpose so that you would leave, and then maybe my mind would be able to stop being clouded by you. Maybe my heart would not feel so empty every time you leave the room."

Senri paused to gaze deeply into my (E/C) eyes before he continued,

"But the feeling didn't go away. If anything, it grew once I realized you had really left. I figured you'd be back eventually, but when I found out what happened my mind became clouded with you once more. Once I saw you in that house, I felt the emptiness inside me slowly fading as a new feeling replaced it. A feeling I have not felt in many years--happiness. I was happy that you were alright. I was happy we found you. I was happy that you were coming home with us--with me."

Senri leaned forward so our lips were almost touching,

 "You've captivated me, my dear."

He whispered, our breath mingling as he closed the space between us and captured my lips in a deep, yet passionate kiss. For a moment I was stunned. Senri never struck me as the type to like PDA or touchy feely stuff. Before I realized what I was doing, I had begun to kiss him back as I felt his right hand move to hold the back of my head gently while his left went to cup the side of my face. I gently rested my hands on his chest, feeling his warmth through his shirt. He deepened the kiss as he moved closer to me, holding me closer to him as our lips met again. My hands slid up his chest to cup his face. I'd be lying if I said I didn't find him (and everyone else in this house) attractive. He was actually a very good kisser, something you wouldn't guess just by looking at this straight laced, no-nonsense honor student. 

After a few more moments, he pulled away slightly, his lips still ghosting over mine as he looked into my eyes. I couldn't quite place the emotion they held as we both caught our breath. He smiled softly at me before leaning back and standing up, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear as he spoke,

"You must be tired after what happened downstairs. You should get some rest. I'll have dinner brought up to you."

He said, placing a soft kiss on my forehead before walking out and gently closing the door behind him. I laid back down in bed as I thought about what just happened,

That was out of character for him. Since when is he so lovey dovey? He's never come off like that. He's never really shown any affection; not like the others, anyway.

I thought as I stared up at the ceiling, one thought prominently swirling in my head,

Mini make-out session aside, he never answered my question.