A/N: Yay, this is Elsword's POV, pretty much. This was a lot angstier and fluffier than Aisha's huh... I don't own any of the characters or the plot line. Just my own words and twists.
2. My Confession Practice -next story-
"Aaah, it's like she's reading my mind, what should I say? My hands are shaking, hm. She's blushing so cutely too... Oh, it was a joke?! I got duped! Aw man... Ramen again? She's crazy but I love her."
In the middle of class, I stared at my phone wistfully. My indecisiveness really got in the way of texting her, and admittedly, I didn't want to bother her. But still…. my hand twitched towards it, but my mind pushed it back. I grabbed a pencil to bother myself with, but even then, my eyes kept flickering towards the little object, hoping it'd vibrate. Hoping she'd text me.
I sighed. This obviously wasn't going to resolve itself. Reaching over and careful to not let the teacher see, I pulled the textbook in front of my phone.
Eagerly, my fingers flew over the keyboard, Hey! We walking together after school?
Breathing a sigh of both relief and frustration, I pressed the send button and shoved the phone into my pocket. Maybe that would muffle the sound of a vibrate and give me a mini-massage on my sore stomach. Kendo was such a pain.
In mere seconds, I felt the familiar shake in my pocket and I checked quickly. Yeah! I'll need you to help me with something though!
I pursed my lips.
What the heck did she want me to help her for? My mind wandered away from English and the old teacher droning on and on about some silly grammar lesson I already knew. Maybe she needed tutoring? Or she wanted to exploit money for some new clip for her hair… Aisha didn't return the ED I gave her to buy that silly gold clip she wears all the time now.
I didn't bother to type back. The bell was due to ring in a couple of minutes anyway.
xx
I was bored, to say the least. Also cursing Aisha in my head. She was always, and I mean, ALWAYS, late for anything. The last few entrance ceremonies she'd been late, or "fashionably late," she'd called it. But that smile on her tired, sweating face always made me grin at the memory.
"Ah! Elsword?" I turned around, seeing the purple-haired girl waving excitedly. My heart beat a little faster, but I gave her a small smile and waved back. Her request hit me like a bag of bricks in the chest again and the earnest look on her face made me blush a little. What'd she want? The question raced in my mind and she walked right up next to me.
"Aisha, what'd you want to do?" I cocked my head to the side, hoping she didn't notice the redness in my cheeks. I masked my nervousness with nonchalance, sticking my hands in my pockets, and Aisha took a deep breath.
She looked up with serious eyes and said, "I know this is...sudden… but, Elsword, I like you!"
I felt my heart stop. W-what?! What's going on?! My eyes widened a fraction and involuntarily the blush in my cheeks surfaced yet again. I could feel the burn on the tips of my ears and my face. What was I supposed to say? My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water and I was sure I looked ridiculous! But I was speechless. Was she serious or pulling my leg?
But before I could reply, Aisha spun around with a wide, mischievous grin on her face and chirped, "Just kidding!"
That little sucker. The blush quickly disappeared and my heart slowed down.
"That was so mean, Aisha," I grumbled and began to trudge out of the school entrance. She totally deserved to be left behind for that crappy joke. I actually thought she liked me at that moment. Aisha looked so cute, looking up at me with that blush on her cheeks… I shook my head to clear the image.
"I'm sorry," Aisha's head popped up by my side, smiling as if she didn't do any pranks on me. "Did I trick you though? I'm just rehearsing to say it to someone I like!"
I stared at her, my brain cogs turning. Should I answer her question or blow it off? I wanted her for myself, but in the end, it wasn't my decision on who she belonged to as a girlfriend… I opened my mouth and spoke, "You've gotta be more serious and not yelling so much. It kinda sounds like you're trying to force it onto them, I guess?" I felt my eyebrows twitch as what I said morphed into a question.
Now I just sounded unconfident and lame… But Aisha grinned with her closed-eye, adorable smile.
"Ah, your advice now seems so mature, hm?"
My inner self growled at her words. "Hey, let that go okay? I was an idiot in middle school!" I complained and remembered that retarded haircut I had a couple years ago… I was really an idiot for not confessing to Aisha sooner. That, or she was talking about how I thought shaving cream was edible…
"Let's go to the new ramen shop over by the station today!"
"Eeh? They opened a new place?"
"I heard it's good from Ara, so maybe we can eat then study later?"
"Sounds good to me."
I glanced at Aisha quickly, a smile spreading on my face at seeing her excited grin. She was really the person I wanted by my side.
xx
I sat, a book open in my hands, against the bed. My phone was in front of me and I supposed she was bathing. It was always around this time that she did anyways. But my mind wandered far away from the book about some swordsman and his group going to save the world for some magical shard.
Who did she like? What was he like? Would he treat her right if she confessed? Was it Chung? Or maybe Raven? Or was it some unknown guy that swept her off her feet? Was she confessing tomorrow, or this week, or just preparing herself? The more questions that circled my head, the more frustrated I got.
Ignoring the fact that she wouldn't reply, I texted her: You need to rehearse again tomorrow? When are you confessing? It was simple. I just wanted the question off my chest.
I leaned against the bed, suddenly tired. Bone-tired. I closed my eyes and heard the dull sounds of cars whizzing by my house. Then, I wondered if I sounded too eager. Was it a good thing that I was helping her? One side of me said to be considerate, that I should be the one to make her smile as a friend and a friend only, but the other side… The other side was yelling at me to just confess right now, so she wouldn't have a chance to confess to some other guy without her feelings getting mixed up.
It was a personal kind of dilemma. I couldn't drag Chung into it, or anyone else for that matter.
The phone vibrated before I could formulate another thought. Yeah! Sorry about dragging you along with this, but you're the only guy I can trust with these kinds of things~
Reading the reply made my heart ache a little bit. I was friend-zoned so hard. I didn't want to know who this guy was, but at the same time, I did. I honestly wanted her all to myself. It was a little selfish, but in the end, everyone was a little self-centered, right?
But, for her, I could be selfless. For Aisha, I could support her with all my might and hope that she would smile with this unknown boy. I wanted with all my might to keep that brilliant smile on her face, so, with my heart telling me to confess and my mind yelling to let go, I typed:
Don't worry about it. I'll be cheering you on.
I threw the phone onto the bed, rubbing my eyes with my hand. Was I stupid to do this, or just considerate? No matter how much it hurt, I would smile tomorrow and wish her with the lying words from my mouth, the best of luck.
xx
I got up that morning cranky. My bedhead was impossible to tame, a cowlick in the front and seemingly a cockatiel's butt on the back. The comb broke after trying to run it through the bird's nest I called hair. I forgot to make rice yesterday because I was so occupied with my tireless thoughts about who Aisha would confess to.
Making quick work of my preparations for school, I headed out on my bike with my bag slung over my shoulder to the nearest convenience store, praying to whatever Guardians out there that they had boxed food for breakfast.
When I got there, I had literally ten minutes before school started, including the bell. But before I even made it to the check out line with a small bento that I had hoped to eat before first period, I stopped to watch the television. Bright pink and yellow words were flashing on the screen and the announcer's voice had me captivated for some strange, unknown reason.
"And today's horoscope for XXXX birthday sign includes a favorable rating for LOVE, and not so much for DAILY LUCK. Lucky item to cure your bad luck and enhance your lovey-dovey luck is the good-luck charm from XXXX Supermarket!"
I scoffed and stood in line, muttering, "Who needs that kind of horoscope? It's a load of bullcrap anyways."
The old lady at the cashier stand giggled, "Boys never believe in horoscopes, hm? A girl earlier ran in and bought a whole lot. She seemed so eager. She must be confessing to a lucky boy today.."
I paused to think for a moment, then burst out into laughter. I wondered if it was Aisha and that only made the laughter worse.
"Must've been her," I let out a choked chuckle, before paying and running out the door.
I didn't notice the old lady's knowing smile.
xx
Meet me near the shoe lockers again? I read the text casually and looked out the window. Aisha didn't seem to be holding any charms when she came to school. She only grinned and said her greetings in both Math and Chemistry. Innocently, of course. As if she wasn't going to confess to anyone today. A frown crossed my face and I couldn't help but feel aggravated.
Aisha should like me, after all.
I helped her so many times and we've known each other since forever. Wasn't it only natural? I felt bitterness creep into my heart, and no matter how many times I tried to snuff it out, it wouldn't let go. I, Elsword Sieghart, was just another selfish prick in the world. I couldn't change myself.
Forgetting I didn't reply, I hastily wrote, Ah okay. You'd better get serious after this rehearsal. If not, I'll have to beat some sense into you!
Then, I laid my head down in despair. Chung glanced at me for a second with worry in his eyes but I waved him off with a small grin. He still looked troubled and I could tell. But it wasn't really my worry. Aisha liked someone else, so I had to move on. Lost in my own thoughts and of the sound of my pencil tapping against my leg, I didn't look at the clock. When the bell rang, I was startled and dropped all my stuff.
"Shoot," I growled and leaned down to pick everything up.
"Hey Els!" I heard Chung's slightly feminine voice call and I looked up grumpily at his wide, blue eyes. "You busy after school? I was thinking we could go out for old times' sake."
"Eeeh, Aisha scheduled me for some random crap again. Maybe tomorrow, then?" I replied, feeling a little guilty. Chung was my best friend and lately, all I had been thinking about was Aisha's stupid little confession rehearsal thing.
"That's fine by me! Also, your eraser's over there." Before I could zip up my pencil pouch, Chung handed me the eraser with a grin. "See you!"
I waved him goodbye and felt a little better. I could always depend on Chung, with or without Aisha in the picture.
xx
I was standing by the shoe lockers again, impatiently tapping my foot. Where the heck was that purple-haired ball of energy? Aisha was late, yet again, and it made my bad mood even worse. By now, even most of the students that hung around awkwardly without clubs had left, which meant I was waiting for fifteen minutes, looking like a creep and a lonely guy.
Whipping out my phone, I angrily texted, Where are you? You late? Sleeping again?
But within seconds, she replied in seemingly a hurry, due to her misspellings. Sorry, sorry! Yes, I fell asleep...I'm coming now!
I couldn't help but let out a laugh. Aisha was predictable, but also unpredictable at the same time. A little mystery I had to solve every day. I would really, really miss her if someone else took her. There came that imposing, selfish feeling. I didn't really want to let her go because she was supposed to be mine.
I knew her the best. I could insult her and she'd just giggle and know I was kidding.
Stupid. She'd know I didn't mean it.
xx
"Okay, okay!" Aisha was clearly nervous today. She took a deep breath and clenched her fists. I suppressed a chuckle because she looked adorable, like a small nervous bunny. "I-I like you?"
"No, that's a question."
"I-I like you!"
"There was a stutter."
"I like you."
"Are you a robot?!"
"I like you!"
That one had more feeling in it. It seemed like something she would say to me, as a joke, of course. She was definitely ready to do the real confession; there'd be no way she wasn't confident by now. I nodded and Aisha sighed in relief. At that insignificant movement of her body, I felt an eruption of butterflies in my stomach.
I curled my fist around my bag tightly, to keep it from grabbing her hand.
"Ah, that should be enough, right? Good luck, Aisha. Tell me how it goes, okay?" I moved to turn away. I never did ask her who she would be confessing to… It kind of hurt and I could just find out tomorrow anyway. But before I could leave, I heard a yell.
"Wait! Elsword!"
"It was a lie! I lied! I actually like you! It wasn't a rehearsal at all! I've liked you for a long time!"
I simply couldn't comprehend her words. They were like miracles, coming down from some benevolent god and consoling the pain and the bitterness in my heart. And by the time I understood, a smile was already on my face and I felt the burn of a blush. Goddamn. Aisha was truly a mystery and even if we dated, I'd still be entertained by her every day.
I was sure she was the one.
I was definitely sure I'd be happy with her. My heart raced like crazy, a quick tango that felt like adrenaline in my veins.
"Aisha, you're so stupid!" I laughed and screwed my eyes shut because tears of happiness were starting to form in my eyes. One still leaked out and my hand swiped it away.
"I like you too." I grinned and in a swift movement, I pulled her closer, pinning her head against my heart. She smelled like fresh days after the rain and sweetly of cake. It fit her and I was sure she could hear the beating of my heart against my ribs.
I wished I could feel how fast her heart was beating, but judging by the smile on her face, I knew it was just as fast as mine.
She surely heard the words in my heart and decided to confess to me today.
Aisha had stolen the words from my heart and made them make me fall in love with her all over again.
Reviews appreciated! :3
