Chapter 1: One-sided

He always smelled like grass. She was sure of it. It was probably because he's always outdoors, either reading his beloved manga under their tree or napping.

One time she caught him in deep slumber, hands crossed and a peaceful look on his face, she thought it was adorable though. She almost forgot his sarcastic and stoic side, but then he wakes up and as if the spell was broken, once his eyes opened, they returned to their icy furrowed glare but then he sees her, suddenly his brows relax and his gaze softens, she decided that she loved the way she was special to him.

In the first place, why shouldn't she? They were best friends of course. Even if he was angry with her, annoyed at her stupidity, he always seems to handle her gentler than he would to anyone that would act like her. She decides that she loved that fact too.

Another thing that she loved about him, his smile. She would rarely see it though. He would always smirk, but his smile, it was more rare than her passing a test. She also adored the fact that he had a special smile for her.

She loves him.

He loves her.

She's inlove with him.

But he's not inlove with her.

It's just a wishful one-sided love.

She is Sakura Mikan and he is Hyuuga Natsume.

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"Where are you going?" The brunette girl asked her best-friend.

He turned to her with a bored sigh,"Another date."

"Oh," her demeanor became sullen but she understood, it wasn't the first date he went to. Girls always flocked around him for obvious reasons. "Which is it this time?"

"Marina from my class. I owe her and I agreed for her to stop pestering me." He thoughtfully replied.

"That beautiful exchange student?" she asked and he nodded. If she was in Natsume's class then she must also be intelligent. This was also the reason why she would never tell him her feelings, girls that he dated are always both intelligent and a beauty. She was neither.

"What time?"

"I'll pick her up at around 5pm"

She looked at the wall clock on the living room.

"10 minutes from now." she remarks.

"Is it?" he asks, "Oh, then I gotta go."

"Lock the door on your way out."

He pauses, "Your mom's not coming home?"

She shakes her head.

"Will you be safe?"

"I will be, I'll lock the windows so no suspiscious person would sneak in."

"What if they're good at picking locks?"

"Natsume, they are not you."

He shrugged, "It's fun coming and going from the window at times."

"What 'at times'? You always use the windows, and seeing as you're always here, then I would say the correct term is 'most of the times' if not 'always'."

"Whatever." He snorts.

"Why don't you bring all your clothes over too next time?" she sarcastically says.

"Maybe I will."

"Natsume."

"What?"

"You're going to be late."

"Oh," he turns and heads for the door once again.

She was used to this scene. Her sitting and him walking away to go on another date.

It doesn't mean that she was used to the pain of seeing him leave her again and again, each time fearing that he may not come back.

No, it doesn't make it hurt any less.

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"Why don't you just give up your love for him." Nonoko said while she flicked through the movies displayed on the screen.

Mikan sighed, this was definitely what she wanted as a topic for girls' night, "It's not that easy."

"Then, confess." Anna said.

"That's equally as hard."

"Her idiotic mind wouldn't be able to comprehend such things." Hotaru said as she munched on the newly popped popcorns.

"Mou, Hotaru that's harsh." Mikan pouted.

"Don't you think what you're doing to Natsume is also harsh?" The short haired girl said quietly.

Nonoko and Anna looked at eachother. The topic was reaching another level of 'no-no's' and it looked as if Hotaru won't be stopping anytime soon.

"I'm not doing anything to Natsume." Mikan retorted.

"But, you're always expecting something out of him." Mikan stayed quiet, "I see it. You're always expecting him to come back to you after his dates. Don't deny me when I say that I see your eyes shine when he comes back to you after another failed date."

"What does that have to do with me being harsh to Natsume?"

"Everything."

"Hotaru you're not making any sense."

"Look here baka, I say you're being harsh because one day it won't always be that way. One day he's going to treasure another girl more than he cares for you. And when that day comes, I know you Mikan, you will have an outburst and you can't expect him to always choose you. It's either you tell him now or forget your feelings. That is the only way you could save your friendship."

The room became quiet, it was one of those awkward moments where you can't speak or reply because you know that the other person is right.

"He won't know, I promise."

Anna spoke up, "But you'll hurt longer Mikan-chan."

The brunette clenched her jaw and took a deep breath, "Why don't we just watch the movie?" She smiled wildly, her cheerfulness showed but the other three almost cringed, she was too cheery for it to be real. They then decided that she was really a bad actress.

Her fake smile was fooling no one.

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"Ouch!" She rubbed her nose, that was such a painful impact. Who the hell has a chest as hard as that.

She scoffed, apparently the one who she bumped with.

"Tsk, your fault, you shouldn't run like an idiot running away from a dog."

"Oi!" she looked up at her offender. She saw him at times but never talked to him. Now that she thinks about it, nobody talks to him.

"Sakura-san, I'm just stating facts." But before she could reply he already walked away. She stuck her tongue out and glared at him.

That Ichii guy is really weird.

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So...

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