Hanataba-kun’s face was coming closer to mine and his eyes were closed.

Kyaaaa, what was I supposed to do?

Our lips were barely touching and I was about to close my eyes when he suddenly opened his eyes and backed off.

“That’s what you call a kiss, Kitagawa-san. Or what was suppose to happen anyway,” he said as he sat down on the floor.

“Huh? Is anything wrong?” He asked when he saw me blushing and avoiding his gaze.

I really thought that he was going to kiss me. That was supposed to be my first kiss after all. But I should have realized that he wasn’t serious. He has a girlfriend anyway, that girl on the phone that he said “I love you.”

Argh, I couldn’t believe that I thought I was falling in love with this guy. I wasn’t falling in love, was I?

“Hey, Kitagawa-san, is anything wrong? I’ve been asking you for a while now. Or did you really think I would kiss you?”

“What are you saying?!? Of course not! Haha, I would never want to be kissed by you, stupid!” I exclaimed with much annoyance.

“Who are you calling stupid? You’ve never been kissed before right? Old lady!” He answered back.

“Shut up and get the hell out of my apartment. And who are you calling an old lady! I’m only sixteen!!”

“No way! So you’re just the same age as me?” he joked.

“Get lost!”

“No way. I’m having fun annoying you. But tell me, did you really think that I would kiss you?”

“Of course not! I already know that you have a girlfriend, right?” I asked him with a smile.

“A girlfriend? I don’t have one at the moment, why did you ask?”

He didn’t have one at the moment. At the moment, which means he might get one some time later. Is Hanataba-kun a playboy?

“But who was that girl you were talking to on the phone?” I asked.

Probably an old flame of his?

“Oh that time, ha ha. That was nothing. I was just talking to my little sister,” he said as he stood up.

I didn’t know that he had a little sister. I thought he was an only child judging by the way his apartment looked like. His unit was almost bare and empty. I never thought he was the type who would speak to his little sister with sweet words.

“I didn’t know that you have a little sister. You don’t seem the type who has one,” I said.

“Eh? What are you talking about?” He asked me with a puzzled look on his face.

“Oh, he he, nothing. What did you bring me anyway?” I said with a smile.

“Here,” he said as he threw me a plastic container.

Strawberry pudding? What does he think of me? A kid?!?

“Hey, I’m not a kid!” I shouted.

“I just figured that you would like that since you like strawberry milk a lot. Have you tasted that before?”

“Err, no.”

“Then try it at first. You would never know if you like it if you haven’t tasted it yet, right?” He said.

Ah, what was he talking about? He sounded like he was talking about something else besides the strawberry pudding.

“Well, I got to get going now. Tell me if you like the strawberry pudding, alright? Bye Kitagawa-san!” He said as he closed the door.

Oh right, he was talking about the strawberry pudding. For a while, I thought he was talking about having a relationship.

Argh! Why did these thoughts always come to my head? I’m not falling in love with him. I’m not falling in love with him. Never.

000

That same night as I was walking towards the garbage bin at the side of the apartment, I felt a crumpled paper hit the back of my head.

“Hey, who was that!” I shouted.

“You shouldn’t throw stuff outside your window, you know,” the voice said.

“Hanataba-kun?”

He stepped out of the shadows and picked up the paper that he threw. He smoothed it out to reveal the drawing that I did last morning. It was my drawing of him with the devil’s horn and tail.

Oops, I’ve been discovered.

“Oh that, ha ha, do you like it? You can have it if you want to,” I said with a sheepish smile.

“You really are in love with me, eh?” He suddenly asked with a serious expression.

What-?! Could he see right through me? Wa-wait a minute, what was I saying?! Ha ha I wasn’t in love with Hanataba-kun. Never. Never.

I just stared at him dumbfounded until his serious face broke off and he laughed.

“Ha ha, I sure did fool you, Kitagawa-san. How was my acting? I’ve been taking acting lessons since the summer vacation,” he explained.

No, I was fooled again by this stupid perveted yaoi superstar. And I decided to play along.

“Sure whatever you say,” I nonchalantly said as I walked pass him and dumped my trash at the large garbage bin.

“Hey, you can’t fool me with your acting skills. You sound too forced,” he shot back at me.

“Fine, you win. Just give me back that drawing,” I angrily said as I snatched the drawing out of his hands. But he held it up high so I could not reach it.

“Tsk tsk, you’re too small. But you draw well. It really looks like me. Except for the devil’s horn and tails, though,” he said in an annoying voice.

“Hey, give that back to me. And for your information, those devil add-ons sure suit you well,” I snapped at him while trying to reach the drawing on his hand.

“Oh, is this a fetish of yours, Kitagawa-san? You were fantasizing about me before you sleep?” he said in the most annoying way I have ever heard.

In my annoyance, I lunged at him but I lost my balance and held on to his sweater for balance.

“Hey, wait a minute, there’s a puddle below,” he warned me but it was too late.

We were already sprawled on the cold concrete floor and both our clothes were soaked in the puddle.

“Errr, I won’t apologize since it’s your fault anyway!” I said.

“It doesn’t matter, hehe. It’s alright,” Hanataba-kun said and he pinched my left cheek.

“Hey, what did you do that for!”

“You’re too cute,” he answered.

In the dim side of our apartment, in an awkward position (me lying on top of him), with our clothes soaked, I felt something deep in my heart stir. There was really something about this guy that interests me. It didn’t matter to me how many times he annoys me, how he would endlessly tease me or how he would make stupid remarks, because the feeling still remained there.

“Ha..hana..tab..a-kun…I…” I stammered not knowing what to say.

“Tsk tsk, look at how kids are nowadays. They would do everything at the dark. And in public, too!” someone suddenly remarked from the left. Without looking, I already knew that voice. It was my neighbor, the old deaf man.

I stood up and faced him even if my face were red.

“Hey, we weren’t doing anything!” I shouted.

“Fuu, fuu, I saw everything with my little eyes,” he said with a perverted smile before leaving.

Everything!?! Argh, stupid neighbors. I was about to run after him but I felt a hand on my arm.

“Hey, just leave it, Sakura-chan.”

“Hey, you called me by my name just now,” I said hiding the blush on my cheeks.

“Oh well, your surname is too long! Just call me Kei, since we’re okay with each other.”

Okay with each other? What does he mean by that?

“Sakura-chan, I think we should head back up now. Our clothes are wet, we should get changed,” Kei-kun said as he walked towards the stairs without letting go of my arm.

“Hey, Kei-kun, you live on the other side,” I said as he walked up the stairs with me.

“I know, I just want to walk you to your apartment. That’s not bad right?”

“Oh, well, yeah. I’m sure it isn’t bad.”

What happened to our annoying conversations? Why did it turn awkward and shy all of sudden?

“You shouldn’t be living all alone. It might be dangerous,” he said in an almost whisper when we reached the second level.

“Oh, don’t worry…” I said as we climbed another flight of stairs. It was the longest and most awkward moment that we had. And it ended when I reached my door.

“Well, here I am. Good night, Kei-kun,” I said as I opened the knob.

“Good night, Sakura-chan! I didn’t know you were still in to polka dotted bras,” he suddenly exclaimed in his annoying voice.

Wha?! What in the world was he saying?

He pointed to my shirt which was almost see-through. It was still soaked and wet.

“Pervert!” I yelled at Kei-kun and slammed the door.

Well, at least he was back to his annoying side again. But that isn’t something to be happy of, right?

Kyaa, I'm much happy that I had put some progress on both of their characters now. (and probably in their relationship as well.) Please review...
On the next chapter: It's the first day of school for Sakura-chan! She woke up super early to prepare for her first day. When she stepped out of her apartment in her cute uniform, she saw...!! Wha-?!

Haha, just wait for the next chapter! swee-chan