Chapter Four

"Is Mei here?"

Everyone in the classroom paused what they were doing to stare at the guy standing in front of their homeroom door, trying to register what he just said.

Wait, isn't that Rui? Looking for a girl? And Mei of all people?!

"Mei?" the guy Rui was talking to cocked his head.

She was that one person in school that nobody talked to. She was always alone, quiet, and usually kept to herself. Sometimes you have to see her to remember her existence.

So why was the most popular guy in their school, looking for this loner?!

Mei stood up, and everyone shifted their attention towards her.

Ignoring the odd looks she was receiving, she briskly walked towards the front, only to be greeted by Rui's warm smile. He was blinding.

"Hey."

"Hi." From her back, she could feel the stares of everyone boring holes at the back of her uniform. She could feel her stomach twist into knots. They were monitoring them, listening to their every word, trying to figure out what was going on between the two of them. She could feel her face heat from embarrassment. Rui, didn't seem to notice or care.

"Should we go eat already?"

Eh?! They were eating lunch together?! A murmur rose from the crowd, as a gossip sparked among those witnessing this occasion. One that would surely reach the whole school in no time.

"Let's go?" He was about to reach for her hand, when she flinched and slapped his hand away. Somebody in the room gasped.

This absolute loner just rejected the princes' hand!

Rui blinked, a questioning look on his face. He didn't look annoyed at what she had done, in fact, he looked very amused.

"Let's go," Mei half-whispered, as she sped past him, and he followed. Then they were gone, leaving everyone in the classroom reeling over what had happened.

Eh?!

.

.

.

.

"Mei, slow down!"

She did not slow down, and kept her brisk pace creating a short distance between the two of them. They were already out of school grounds, out of sight, walking along cheap restaurants that lined along the busy streets, which catered to the students in their school.

And yet, this did not help her calm down in the slightest bit. Her mind was whirling of thoughts about how this was going to happen.

This was stupid idea. Asking a guy to be her pretend boyfriend for a book!? Yeah, the concept sounded great in her head, but the execution is...difficult to say the least.

How does one act like a couple? Is she even a good girlfriend? What did she know about this guy she's "dating?" What if he was a serial killer?

Yeah, she did not think this through. What was even more stupid was that the guy agreed to it.

Oddly, they seem to match in that area.

Oh well, there were pros too. She wasn't as alone as she used to be.

Rui sighed, stopping in his steps. It was clear that she wasn't listening, probably lost in that crazy head of hers. He smirked, an evil plan forming on his mind.

"Baby, wait for me," he called out, his voice sickly sweet. Mei shuddered, as she felt shivers on her spine and stopped. Rui unhurriedly caught up to her side, only to see her face which was a burning red. He chuckled.

"Yah, what are you shy for?"

"Y-you're being weird."

"What's weird? Aren't we a couple?" Mei groaned, as she continued walking, while Rui laughed.

"Why? Do you regret it now?" She rubbed her nose. She would be lying if she said she didn't at least feel a little bit excited or fun.

"Not really." He smirked, taking a quick glimpse of her hand before looking away.

"So, can we hold hands now?" Mei shook her head.

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"We're not a couple just yet." Rui blinked.

"What?" Did they just break up after getting together?

"We need to do things in a chronological order." She was back to thinking about her book. Before he could ask her what it was, they entered a small restaurant that served good ramen at a cheap price. They took their orders and sat on a small booth at the corner of the store.

"What do you mean?" Rui asked as they sat down.

"First, we need to do a confession." He cocked his head.

"Eh?"

"That's how my characters started dating," she said, as she took a slurp of her noodles. "We have to do that first before we become a couple."

"Didn't we already do that?" Mei slightly choked on her food, her ears starting to tinge pink.

"That wasn't confession, that was a request." Rui placed a hand under his cheek as he stared at her in interest.

"Huh. So, how do we do it?" Mei hummed, as she stared at the ceiling.

"We could do an enemies to lovers storyline, or something dramatic like in the rain—but that'll probably take a while-"

"How about a public school confession?" Mei paused her train of thought, as she looked at Rui, bewildered.

"Eh?"

"Isn't it fitting? We're both in high school, and school doesn't end in a couple of days. We could make the last days of this year unforgettable for a lot of us. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"..."

Rui grinned as he leaned in, seeing from the look on her face that he's got her quite convinced.

"Aren't you a writer? Isn't this the experience you were talking about?" She sighed. He got her. He leaned

back in his seat, satisfied and continued to eat his noodles.

She, at one point in her life, had wanted to experience a public confession, as cliché as it sounds. She never thought she'd be able to, but not that the opportunity has presented itself, wouldn't it be wrong to refuse?

"Okay so I confess-"

"No, I'll do it." Mei cocked her head.

"You will?"

"You're not the only one who wants to try it you know." She mouthed an 'ah', before hiding her smile behind her bowl of noodles. They continued to eat their food in silence, enjoying their meal as the noise of the small restaurant surrounded them in the background.

"So, what happens after?" Rui asked, as he took a sip of his water.

"Well, after we 'officially' date, we could go the movies, or an amusement park-"

"What about kissing?"

"W-what?"

"Isn't it normal for couples to kiss. Should we do that?"

"....." She didn't know if he was serious or if he was teasing her again.

"Yah, your face is burning again."

"....."

"Wait, have you kissed?"

"Have you?" she retorted back.

"I have."

"Of course, you have," she murmured snarkily, looking away from his innocent stare. He must've received a lot of confessions growing up, why wouldn't he accept a few of them? He was the type that attracted everyone. She was left with a bitter taste in her mouth.

"What about you?"

"I've kissed the ground."

"....."

"....." He continued to stare at her with a deadpan face.

"It was a jo-"

"You don't have to explain it to me." Her face was burning with embarrassment, as he nonchalantly took a sip of the soup.

"So, I haven't. Is that really a surprise?" she murmured, half-heartedly stirring her bowl.

"Yes." She scoffed.

"Why is that?"

"You're pretty cute. I bet you were cute as a kid, too. Nobody asked you for a kiss then?" Back then, rowdy little boys would always ask one from girls they found pretty. They were really carefree back then. If that happened in their current stage most of them would get a slap on the face. She sighed.

"No."

"Too bad," he replied, as he licked his chopsticks clean.

"Why?" He smiled, his cute dimple popping out.

"I would have definitely asked you for a kiss." Her chopsticks dropped on the table, as she used both hands to cover her mouth. Her face was a burning scarlet red.

What is this? Her heart skipped a beat!

Damn, she should write that down!

Rui laughed at her reaction.

"I think I might have to add that to my book." Rui smiled.

"I give you permission." Mei smiled. For the first time, she was excited to see that blank page on her laptop, her fingers urging to write. Her head was full of ideas itching to be released.

"Wait...does that mean, I get to be your first kiss?" Mei paused, slowly swallowing her food, as the tips of her ears turned red.

"I guess we'll have to see?"

"The first obstacle of hand-holding should be overcome first, right?" They both grinned at each other.

"Right." That wasn't a worry for now. They'll think about it when it's time to think about it.

They silently finished their food, as they soaked in the bustling atmosphere. Feeling satisfied, they exited the restaurant and headed back to school.

They walked side by side, their hands brushing against each other. They didn't seem to notice or care, as they continued on, quietly observing everything around them, with their stomachs full.

One step at a time.