Chapter 7

Mei sat up slowly in her bed, stretching as she let out a yawn. The sun was already shining in her room and she heard birds chirping. She looked over at her phone and checked the date, it was her birthday and as she scrolled through her phone she smiled at the many birthday wishes she received.

Even Aito had texted her privately wishing her a happy birthday causing her to blush softly.

She heard a knock at the door and quickly got out of bed to open it, her parents on the other side smiling widely "Happy birthday Mei!" They exclaimed.

They embraced her and kissed her on either side of her cheek. Her father pulled away briefly "Get dressed, we're going to take you out for breakfast today, we've invited Aito and his father to join us if you don't mind."

'What!' She opened her mouth but before she could say anything her mom put a finger over her mouth "Come on Mei, it'll be fun! Go get dressed, quickly!" She said, pushing the girl gently back into her room and closing the door.

'Oh no... Aito?? Why him of all people.' She groaned, it wasn't like she didn't want to see him, it was just that she didn't want to be flustered by him in front of her parents. She would just have to pretend she doesn't care about that today. She walked into her bathroom and began to get ready, she washed and blow-dried her hair and began straightening it with a flat iron before she heard another knock at her door "Come in." She said from the bathroom.

Her mother entered the room and bounced over to the girl "Here let me help you with that." She said, picking up the flat iron and passing it through her wavy hair to make it bone straight.

"So, my little girl is already 19, where do the years go?" Her mother said quietly. Looking up Mei saw tears in her mother's eyes.

"Don't cry, mom! It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon!"

Her mother smiled at her and as she finished straightening her hair she took a step back to admire her. "Are you sure you don't want anything else done to it?"

Mei shook her head and ran her fingers through her straight dark brown hair. "It's perfect like this." She said as she began applying some red lipstick. Her mother walked into her closet and after a few minutes came back with a beautiful light blue silk wrap dress. It was knee-length and had a form-fitting top with short ruffle sleeves and a large swing-type skirt.

Once she was finished dressing she admired herself in the mirror, the light blue dress complimented her skin and hugged her waist. She smirked and tilted her head up smugly. 'Aito will be sure to fall head over heels for me, no one could resist me in this.' She thought to herself.

Her mother came over to her and smiled "Whenever you're ready come on down, I'll meet you in the car." She said before turning and heading out of the room.

****

After a while, Mei and her family made their way to an outdoor cafe that had a spacious garden and a small pond with pink and white water lilies in full bloom. There were all kinds of hanging plants all around and there was the soft chirp of birds, adding to the tranquil atmosphere. Mei's father reserved a section for them and aside from a few other customers and workers, the place was pretty vacant.

As they made their way over to their spot, Mei noticed Aito sitting with his back facing her and his father next to him. She suddenly felt a bit shy but she pushed the feeling down as Aito and his father stood and turned to face her.

Aito and his father bowed to her, the boy not looking at her. His father spoke first, "You must be Mei-chan, it's good to finally meet you." He said with a warm smile that reached his eyes. It was the first time she had seen him before and she could tell where Aito got his looks from as his father was quite handsome.

Mei smiled in return "It's nice to meet you too Mr. Shinji." She said softly.

As they began to take their seats Aito reached over and pulled Mei's seat out for her, still not looking at her.

Mei sat and blushed softly. 'If you're going to be a gentleman you could at least look at me or smile.' She fumed to herself.

After Aito took his seat, Mei's father spoke up. "Today we celebrate my little dove who's all grown up now. Time has gone too fast."

She saw her mother start to tear up and Mei giggled "Mom don't cry!"

"I'm sorry!" A tear escaped her eyes and she laughed as Mei's father patted her back.

"You guys say that as if I'm going somewhere!" Mei laughed.

As Aito watched the family he felt a pang of jealousy in the pit of his stomach. He longed to have this kind of bond, but he shook those thoughts out of his head. He didn't want to spoil someone else's day.

As the group dined and chatted, Aito snuck a few glances at Mei, she looked really beautiful today, and he couldn't help but feel a soft blush fall over his cheeks. Just then he noticed everyone had stopped talking and was looking at him. "What." He said, slightly flustered, quickly pulling a frown onto his face.

Mei's father laughed loudly "I see you eyeing my daughter!"

"I wasn't" Before he could defend himself Mei flicked her hair back with an arrogant smirk on her face.

"Of course, how could he not fall for me."

Aito sighed, and they laughed.

After a while, they finished up eating and began to present gifts to Mei. Aito brought his gift to her last and told her to wait until she was home to open it. Mei raised her brow, the bag was huge and when she pressed on it, it felt soft.

Once they finished they began to say their goodbyes and Mei and her mother walked towards the car, her father saying he would stay behind and talk to Aito's father for a bit.

"So what do you think Ikari?"

The man sighed and rubbed his neck "I think it could work... but I think more time needs to pass before we mention it to them."

Mei's father nodded in agreement.

"Mention what?" Aito appeared behind them, causing them both to jump slightly.

"Ah, nothing nothing!" Mei's father chuckled nervously.

Aito sighed and walked away, shaking his head.

"Sorry about that... He can be a bit... Intense..." Ikari said shyly.

"No worries, I'm sure they'll hit it off perfectly."

"Time will tell my friend."

The two men shook hands before heading out.

******

Later that evening, Mei was being driven to a sushi bar with her friends. She had decided to keep her blue dress on and once they arrived she immediately spotted Setsuya and Fugaku holding gift bags.

"Mei!!"

"Neko-chan!"  They both called to her, smiles on their faces.

Mei quickly went up to them, throwing her arms around Setsuya. "Setsu!!"

Fugaku stiffened up and then slumped over "So you're just going to ignore me?" He said tearfully.

Mei laughed before pulling away from Setsuya "Thank you for coming Fugaku-san!"

"Are you guys just going to stand there? Hurry up before our seats get taken." Aito's voice called towards them. Looking over at him she saw he had dressed more casually than before at the breakfast. He wore black khaki pants and a plain white t-shirt, his hair now in a messy bun at the back of his head with a few strands falling over his face.

Mei frowned but internally she screamed 'Why is he so damn hot!'  She thought as they all went to sit down at their table.

"So you're here huh." She said arrogantly.

"Do you not want me to be?" He said, giving her a smirk. Fugaku and Setsuya had taken seats next to each other which meant Mei had to sit next to Aito. She groaned at this before plopping herself down on the soft floor cushion.

Once they were seated a worker came to get their orders and Setsuya turned to them once he was gone. "Soooo, happy birthday Mei!" She smiled brightly while handing her a gift.

"Thank you!" Mei said as she took the bag from her

"Don't open it yet!" Setsuya said, wagging her finger at her.

"Okay okay, I won't."

Mei then looked over at Fugaku and smirked "Well?" She said expectantly.

Fugaku thought for a moment and reached under the table before handing her a small bag. "I was thinking about making a grand display but I didn't have any ideas." He said, scratching his head sheepishly.

Mei laughed as she took the bag, after a while the food came and they began chatting as they ate. Suddenly, Fugaku slammed his fist on the table and pointed at Aito, who had stayed relatively silent the whole time. "You! You didn't give her a gift?"

Aito rolled his eyes "I gave it to her earlier."

"Earlier?" Fugaku looked intrigued.

"Yes, we went to breakfast this morning."

Before Mei could say anything Fugaku gasped "You're dating! Why didn't you tell me! How could you!" He pretended to be heartbroken. Setsuya raised her brows and looked between the two "You're dating?"

"No!" Mei and Aito shouted at the same time, they turned to each other with a glare.

"You should've clarified things more!" Mei scolded, causing Aito to roll his eyes as he shoved sushi in his mouth angrily.

"We went out with our parents. His dad and my dad are close friends, that's all." She stated matter of factly.

Setsuya and Fugaku leaned closer to each other and whispered before they both pulled away with serious faces.

"So when's the wedding," Setsuya asked with a straight face.

Aito started choking on his food after hearing her questions, and Mei blushed a dark red before reaching over to try to help Aito. "We aren't getting married! Didn't you hear me!?"

After Aito recovered he turned and glared over at Fugaku and Setsuya for a moment before clearing his throat. "What's the point in getting married? Especially to some spoiled brat."

Mei stiffened up before looking at Aito who had closed his eyes and continued eating "She would make me go bankrupt within a year from her spending habits. She's too high maintenance for me."

Mei scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest "Oh yea? And why would someone like me be with someone as gloomy as him? He's not my type." She lied casually. 'Damn it why did Setsuya put me on the spot like this! He's totally my type but he's such an asshole.'

"Are you sure about that?" Suddenly Aito was closer to her, staring deeply into her eyes. Mei's heart raced inside of her chest as she stared back, she felt her face heating up as he slowly raised his hand to touch her cheek. "If I'm not your type why are you so... hot?" He said the last word in a low voice, causing Mei to turn away quickly, she felt like her heart was going to explode. She covered her face in her hands as she heard Aito laugh. That was the first time he had laughed in a while and it surprised everyone at the table.

Setsuya nudged Fugaku "Seems like he is her type after all huh." She teased.

Mei cleared her throat and tried to recover quickly, a blush still on her face as she turned back to face them, annoyance in her voice. "Are you done teasing me? I just wasn't expecting him to get so close to me that's all."

Aito chuckled "Sure thing. You're way too obvious."

"What's that supposed to mean? You think I have a crush on you or something?"

Aito turned to look over at her, smirking "As I said, you're too obvious."

"You're too full of yourself!" She scoffed. 'Am I really that obvious?' On the inside she was screaming, how did it come to this! She couldn't admit that she liked someone! "How could I like you!?"

"Don't worry, if I was ever interested, I'd date you," Aito said with a chuckle. The table got quiet as everyone else had their mouths open wide.

"Was that a confession?" Mei jumped up. "See see you confessed!"

Fugaku and Setsuya sat there stunned and gave each other a look. They hadn't seen Aito act like this before so they were slightly suspicious of him. "Aito" Fugaku spoke quietly "What's going on?"

Mei smirked and crossed her arms "He's confessing to me."

Setsuya shook her head and Aito sighed, standing up slowly "It's getting late guys, I think we should start heading home. Mei do you have a ride?"

"Oh uh, no..." She said, scratching her head. She forgot to tell her parents when she would be finished so she didn't give them time to pick her up. "What's wrong with you guys?"

Fugaku sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He knew that whenever Aito had something bothering him he acted out in strange ways. Instead of talking about his feelings, he would bottle them up until they built up to a breakdown. He would either drink too much, blow up on people, or lock himself in his room for a week. Sometimes he did a combination of them.

"Mei you should text your parents and ask them to send a driver, I'll wait with you." Aito said before turning to Fugaku "You take Setsuya home."

Fugaku nodded and as they began gathering their things and paid the bill Mei frowned deeply. What was wrong with Aito that his mood just suddenly changed like that? He went from teasing her, to serious so quickly.

Once they stepped out of the building Fugaku and Setsuya waved their goodbyes and they headed towards the train station. Aito stood off to the side, leaning on the side of the building and staring down at the ground.

"Hey, you." Mei spoke, her hands on her hips "What's your problem?"

Aito looked over at her slowly. "What?"

"You suddenly confess to me, tease me, and now you're back to this gloomy mood. What's your problem?"

Aito blinked at her before turning back to look at the ground.

"Don't tell me you're depressed because I didn't accept your confession" She approached him slowly, arrogance dripping off her lips as she spoke. "As you said, I'm spoiled and high maintenance so a guy like you probably could never handle me."

Suddenly Aito grabbed her and pressed her against the wall, his hands above her head. Mei blinked and blushed darkly, looking up at him nervously.

Aito stared at her for some time before speaking in a low voice. "You think I care about that? I couldn't care less about you liking me or me like you."

Her heart burned. His words hurt.

He brought a hand down to her chin "I couldn't care less about any woman, especially one like you."

He slowly pulled away from her and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes.

Tears welled up in Mei's eyes but she sucked them up and clenched her fists. "Well, you don't have to tell me that." She said quietly. "You're such an asshole."

Before he could respond she took off running, leaving her bags "Wait!" 'Damn it.' Aito cursed himself before grabbing her things and going after her. He chased her for some time before he ended up in a park. It was decently lit up but it was still hard to see since it was now nighttime. "Mei! Mei!" He called out to her. Then he noticed part of her blue dress near a tree. As he approached he heard her sniffling. "Mei?"

"Go away asshole." She snapped. Before she could run off again he closed the distance and grabbed her hand.

"Let me go, you said you couldn't care less about someone like me so why are you even here?"

Aito sighed and looked over her, tears were streaming down her face, the sight making his heartache. "I..."

"Just save it," Mei said with sharpness in her voice.

They stayed quiet for a while before Mei spoke again. "Someone like me shouldn't even care about what others say. In truth I wouldn't usually care... but I guess it's different when you like someone."

Aito's eyes widened. He didn't know what to say, he didn't necessarily dislike her, despite her arrogance he enjoyed her company and found her amusing. "I'm sorry," He said after a while. "But I can't afford to like anyone..."

Mei shook her head. "Of course you can't."

'It's not for the reason you think.' He thought sadly. Mei's phone started to ring, it was her driver. "We should get you home." He said.

He suddenly scooped her up in his arms, carrying her back. Mei stayed silent and once they made it to where her driver was waiting they said their goodbyes.

Aito sighed and looked up at the sky before heading home himself.

*******

Later that night after Mei had a shower she dressed in her pajamas and walked over to the gifts that sat in the corner of her room. Setsuya had gotten her some candies and other treats, Fugaku gave her lavender perfume and some other flowery scented lotion. As she went to grab her last gift from Aito she hesitated for a second before opening it.

"A cat?" She raised an eyebrow as she looked at the cream-colored cat plush. It was more than half her body size and she hugged it tightly. 'So soft.' She thought.

She then noticed something else in the bag, as she pulled it out she gasped "Cat ears? Is he serious?"

Just then a mischievous smile flashed across her face. Since he teased her the whole night and even made her cry she thought he deserved some payback.

****

Aito lay in his dark room when suddenly his phone vibrated, it was a message from Mei.

He sighed before opening it only to shoot up from his bed immediately after seeing her message.

She had sent a picture of herself wearing a pair of cat ears, her button-down pajama shirt had the first 3 buttons undone showing most of her cleavage. She had an innocent look on her face as she did a cat pose with one hand.

A dark blush swept over Aito's face and his phone vibrated again.

M: 'Am I cute enough Aito-senpai?'

The boy sat there stunned and suddenly he noticed a stream of blood coming from his nose. 'A nosebleed? Seriously?' His phone vibrated again.

M: 'Senpai did you die? Why aren't you responding? Am I not cute enough?'

Aito sighed and shook his head. Before he could reply she sent another picture which was worse than the first. She was on her knees, her thighs exposed while she did the cat pose with both hands, looking up at the camera with her big reddish-brown eyes.

M: 'Senpai, I'm going to keep sending them until you admit that I'm cute and you like me!'

Aito grumbled, his face bright red and his ears hot. He quickly went to reply before she could send another.

A: 'You're very cute.'

M: 'You have to admit you like me too!'

Aito sighed and put his phone to his forehead. How did it end up this way?

A: 'I like you.'

M: 'I knew it.'

Aito clenched his jaw and turned his screen off. He got up to wash his face with cold water. He didn't feel like having dreams about what he saw, but as he went to lay back in bed he couldn't help but think about how soft her thighs looked, then he remembered her round lips but before his thoughts could get too wild he sat up. 'Nope! I'm not having those dreams tonight.' He thought as he went over to his desk.

That night he stayed up late, working on a computer to avoid having dreams about Mei.

Mei went to bed feeling victorious.