She didn't have an excuse this time. She didn't have a reason not to see him anymore. There was always some excuse she could use, some distraction so that she didn't have to face him again. Ever since she last saw him, since she told him everything, she's been scared out of her wits to see him again, to hear his response. She's convinced of the inevitable rejection, after all Chitoge wasn't stupid and she saw, more than anyone, how Raku looked at Onodera.
"Shit," She curses, she's stood out in the courtyard now, her feelings and thoughts a jumbled mess in her head. If only she hadn't told him, if only she'd just been able to keep inside her feelings for him, if only the idiot didn't bring out the more vulnerable and raw side of her.
She sees him walking towards her, and the lump in her throat is starting to fall to the pit of her stomach and she's not sure if she can keep herself from running again. He stands in front of her, there's a distance between them and she can't take the suffocating feeling that's weighing down on her chest. He's silent, looking directly at her; she wants to run. He seems to sense her hesitation and steps closer, parting his lips to speak. She turns around and makes for a sprint before he can say anything, she hates this, she hates the anticipation, the fear, she hates the pain she knows is going to come.
His hand wraps around her wrist, "Stop running away." he stops her from leaving. She freezes, but doesn't turn around to look at him, for her heart is beating a mile a minute and she doesn't want him to see her cheeks flushed, her feelings for him so obviously written on her face.
"Chitoge," he says slowly, and it's almost excruciating hearing his voice sound strangely fragile, like he's scared he'll hurt her if his voice is too rough. She hates it. Her teeth grind together, and slowly she turns around to face him, her hands clenched into fists beside her. "about what you said, I - "
This was it, this was the moment she'd been dreading her whole life. Deciding that she'd rather not hear the words she knew was bound to come out of his mouth, she cuts him off with a laugh; it sounds nervous and fake, her hands are shaking. "Don't you dare finish that sentence, Raku Ichijo. I already know about your feelings towards Kosaki-chan, I'm not an idiot you know? But let me just get one thing clear, you didn't reject me or anything okay? I simply have feelings for you and you don't return them, that's all. I mean, Kosaki-chan probably even has the key that fits your locket, it's a perfect match!" She turns to leave, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and hurt, her hand over her heart in an effort to stop it from beating so painfully loud in her ears.
She almost makes it two feet, "You are an idiot."
The pain is unbearable, a lingering sort of stinging feeling behind her chest, but she turns around anyways, her anger pushing the pain to the side, "What?! What did you just -" but she doesn't finish her sentence as his lips suddenly meet hers. Her eyes widened almost comically, and she doesn't respond, she doesn't lean into the kiss until his arms wrap around her waist and she can feel the desperation of how much he's wanted this through his jagged breaths. He's wanted it as much as she has.
When they break apart for air, she feels strangely light, the feeling of his lips still lingering on hers. He presses his forehead against her own and flashes his signature lopsided smile, "Idiot. I don't care about which key fits my locket, I don't care about Onodera, I care about you, you're the only one I have feelings for, it's you Chitoge, it's always been you."
"Don't call me an idiot, stupid."
And as her lips find their way to his again, Chitoge decides, maybe she didn't quite mind being an idiot.