Gods, she's cute.

I stared into her chocolate-brown eyes as she rambled about something from school. I wasn't really paying attention to what she said, but I was watching her
movements and her mannerisms. It's not that she bores me; I just can't concentrate around her. There's a loud buzzing in my ears, and my knees get all weak, and my heart is pounding about a zillion miles a second. Okay, so it's cheesy, but I guess this is love.

Gods, I sound like Shuichi.

Involuntarily, a sigh escaped my lips. She blinked, and looked up, her nearly endless cycle of words broken.
"Do I… Bore you, Nakano-san?" She asked, all slow and hurt-sounding.

"Of course not, I was just thinking about something…" I smiled, hoping I didn't sound too fake. She nodded.

"Ah."

An awkward silence passed, and we both flashed grateful smiles as the waiter came to take our orders. She ordered a salad; of course, what girl wouldn't? I ordered some soba dish, its name so unimportant that it was forgotten before the words left my mouth. The waiter left and we were alone again. She turned to me and smiled, and I knew I had to tell her then. Why? I don't know, but I had to. A sick feeling came over me, and I thought surely I would spill the contents of my stomach on her dress.

"Ayaka-chan?" I squeaked, my voice cracking out of nervousness

"Yes, Nakano-san?" She asked, polite as usual. I wish she would call me something more endearing, at least Hiroshi-kun…

"Uhm…I have to tell you something…" I swallowed hard, this was it.

"Yes?" She looked intrigued.

"I-I-" I stuttered and cut my sentence short.

"You… Yes?" She blinked, a bit confused.

"I-uh… Will you… I think… Ayaka-chanIthinkIloveyou." Finally, I had said it! The only problem was that I ran it all together, and it didn't even resemble anything remotely intelligible. I could tell from the blank stare that she hadn't caught any of this.

"I'm sorry, Nakano-san… Could you repeat that, please?" She asked politely. So polite…I would've just said "What the fuck? Talk much?" After a quick, bracing sigh, I try again.

"Ayaka-chan, I love you." There we go; normal human speed.

"I love you" I repeated it so that this time I could be sure she heard me. The look on her face showed me that she understood…but wasn't happy. Why wasn't she happy? No! She was supposed to be happy! She was supposed to blush and admit that she felt the same! Why wasn't she doing that?

"Oh, um… Nakano-san, I thought you understood. We're just friends." She was even formal and polite as she ripped my heart out and stuffed it calmly into a blender.

"I'm sorry if you were mislead…" And now she was just rubbing salt into the open wound. Not cool. Way not cool. My ears started buzzing again, this time louder and more painful. My stomach turned to lead, and I saw her mouth moving, but I only caught bits and pieces, a I Really Value Your Friendship here or a We Can Still Be Friends there. Friends. Yeah. Friends. Friends don't giggle at everything you say. Friends don't smile shyly and blush every time you call them "Ayaka-chan." Friends don't rip your heart out and make a smoothie with it. Friends don't spit "friendship" crap as they slowly sip the aforementioned smoothie.

Gods, now I really do sound like Shuichi.

"I understand." I cut into whatever the hell it was she was saying, and cracked a fake smile.

"I'd better get going." I grab my jacket and made to leave, before she said a word, not caring that I had left her with the bill.