A/N: New chapter, who dis? Yep, I work two jobs, have a house, husband and dog to take care of, but I STILL managed to update, thanks to you guys. I hope you like this one, let me know what you think!

CHAPTER 3

If Inuyasha could pick a moment in his life to skip, this would've been it. He had been dreading it since the previous day and, unfortunately, he couldn't hide from it.

With a loud sigh, he picked up the phone.

"Hey Kag, what's up?" He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as he leaned his elbows on his desk.

"Inuyasha! You won't believe it!"

"What? Did something happen? Are you okay?" She sounded agitated and he immediately became alert.

"Yes! I simply had the best night of my life! You won't believe it, seriously. Are you free for lunch? I need to tell you everything, like, now."

"Are you fucking serious? All this drama just to tell me you had an amazing date?" He was pissed. Both from getting him worked up over nothing and from hearing that she was practically falling in love with Hojo.

"The date wasn't amazing and I'm sorry, I'm just too excited." She didn't sound sorry at all, but hearing that her excitement wasn't because of bloody Hojo cheered him up.

"Uh, so why was your night the best of your life?" He asked.

"You'll never believe who I met."

"Santa?"

"No."

"Hulk Hogan?"

"No."

"I give up."

"Well, too bad, because I'm not saying it either. You'll have to meet me for lunch." She said. He could tell she was smiling and he couldn't refuse, not when she acted this giddy and playful.

"Alright you wench, you win. Same place, 1pm?"

"I'll see you soon!" She answered excitedly.

Miroku was having a fantastic day. He had woken up that Monday beside the woman he loved, or, more exactly, he was delightfully woken up by the woman he loved, he had gotten 10 likes on his latest Instagram photo (a meme depicting a suggestive situation between a man and a woman) AND he had managed to get to work early. As he was making his way to a coffee shop near his office, to get some lunch, whistling cheerfully and greeting everyone who went past him (and earning some glares from strangers along the way), he thought nothing could ruin this perfect day. Until his phone rang.

"Ah, my good friend Inuyasha, how are you doing?"

"Fuck you."

"Well, that went down fast."

"Did Sango talk to you about Kagome today?" He cut right to the chase. The anticipation was killing him.

"Hm, I don't think so. Actually, Sango and I didn't do a lot of talking today, we preferred to communicate in other ways, if you know what I-"

"Shut up, you pervert."

Miroku sighed. His day wasn't going to be ruined. "So what can I do for you, my sweet pal?"

"So Sango didn't say anything about Kagome?"

Miroku took a moment to think. "No, she didn't. Why, did something happen?"

"Yeah, but she won't tell me what it is. She went on a date with that stupid Hojo, from college, and then she called me today and told me she had the best night of her life, but that it wasn't because of he date. She said she met someone."

"Uh… okay, so?"

Inuyasha growled. "So you know I hate suspense and I have to wait two hours to know what the hell she was talking about!"

"Uh…. okay, so?"

After some more profanities, Miroku tried again. "Inuyasha, what is the matter here? So what if something good happened to her? She's obviously happy about the fact that she met this mysterious person. Shouldn't you be happy? Why are you so on edge?"

"It's not… I'm not… forget it, thanks for nothing."

"Hello? Inuyasha? He hung up…" Miroku took a deep breath. Not today, Satan, not today.

Inuyasha was trying to find a way to calm down after his call with Miroku. He had been having a hard time concentrating on his work after talking to Kagome, but calling Miroku had been a bad idea. Now he was feeling anxious AND angry. At times like these he wondered why he was friends with the infuriating pervert.

But then the voice of reason spoke to him. WHY am I feeling this way? She didn't say anything about meeting a potential boyfriend or anything, so why am I so anxious? Hell, even if it was a potential boyfriend, why should I be bothered? Truth was, his mind had been filled with confusing thoughts ever since he saw her yesterday. He had gone home and done some thinking and, even after Kikyo came to his apartment and they had engaged in adult activities, he still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he had been having.

It was so strange and so new to him. He was happy in his relationship, he had been happy for a while now. He enjoyed Kikyo's company, he was in love, he was also enjoying his friends' company, Kagome's… and then, all of a sudden, Kagome started going on dates and something snapped inside him. He wasn't supposed to be having these feelings and these thoughts.

He felt like an asshole. He had a great woman by his side, a great friendship, and now everything had become strange and blurry. He decided to make a real effort to try and push aside these thoughts. He didn't want to mess up what he had with Kikyo and he couldn't risk ruining his friendship with Kagome. Not over something he wasn't even sure of.

After being unable to concentrate on work, he decided to leave for lunch earlier and walk to their favorite lunch spot instead of taking a car. He told his secretary that he was going to have a long break and not to bother him on his cell phone.

By the time he got to the ramen shop it was almost 1pm and he immediately spotted Kagome sitting at a table. Her eyes were focused on the menu and she had a frown, as if deciding what flavor to get was the biggest decision of her life. She's so cute when she does that, he thought smiling. Then he mentally slapped himself and frowned. You idiot! Stop that!

As if sensing his gaze, she looked up and saw him scowling at her. She gave him a bright smile and beckoned him towards her. He made his way to her, trying to recompose himself.

"Hey! How's it going?" She asked.

"Fine, nothing much. You?"

Her eyes sparkled. "Oooooh, you have no idea."

He was really tired of all the suspense. "Just tell me already. Who did you meet?"

His frustration didn't faze her. She smiled again. "Daniel Williams."

He went silent for a moment, expecting some other piece of information. "Who?!"

Kagome acted as if he was insane. "What?! I can't believe you don't remember him! Inuyasha, Daniel Williams, you know, the actor? My biggest crush since I was 12?"

"Wait. You're talking about that guy that played that alien kid in that old movie?"

Kagome deadpanned. "It wasn't an alien. It was a children's version of Superman."

"Well, Superman is, actually, an alien."

"It was a movie loosely based on Superman, he wasn't an alien!" Kagome was exasperated and Inuyasha was quite enjoying it.

"From what I recall, he had alien parents."

"He was adopted, he wasn't-! Why am I discussing this with you? It doesn't matter, what matters is, I. Met. Him!" She was now wired again and he, temporarily, decided not to try and mess with her anymore. "So, did you get an autograph, a selfie… wait, I don't even know what he looks like now, I haven't seen him since that movie."

"Well, he didn't do any mainstream movies after that. And he didn't need to. He made enough money from that movie to last for his lifetime. But no, I didn't take any selfies and I didn't ask for his autograph, BUT…"

He raised his brows, waiting for her to continue. "And…?"

"I kissed him!"

His mood instantly dampened. "Is that so?" He asked unenthusiastically.

"Don't be too excited for me." She decided not to let him spoil her spirits. "You know how much I was crazy about him, right? I had tons of posters of him in my room, I wrote him letters, I even wrote a song about him." She laughed and blushed. "Oh man, I miss my teenage years…" She said while staring into space.

Inuyasha cleared his throat. "Yeah, I remember. So, you were saying… you kissed him? How the hell did that happen? How did it go from a date with Hojo to a kiss with a former child actor?" He was trying and succeeding in hiding his chagrin.

"Oh, yeah! Ok, so here's what happened. I got home from my date and saw this person sitting on the steps of my building, smoking. I didn't think anything of it, but, as I approached, I got a good look and recognised him. I said 'I know you!' and he looked at me as if I was crazy", she said giggling. "Then I apologised and said I was a fan of his and how random it was seeing him there, of all places, and that it seemed like a weird dream and all… he invited me to sit next to him, so I did, of course. He asked what my name was and we just started talking. He told me he was waiting for his friend to come downstairs, since he had left his phone at his place and was there to pick it up. I couldn't believe my neighbor was his friend and that I had never seen him before, even after living there for ten years and he-"

"Ok, so you guys had a long chat. The kiss?" He was becoming more and more irritated and even her blabbering, which is usually something he found charming, was annoying him.

"Yeah, so we were talking, my neighbor brought his phone, went back to his apartment, and we talked for like two hours. Inuyasha, I never clicked with somebody like that. I didn't realise how late it was until I saw the deli from across the street closing its door. He seemed surprised as well. It was so surreal. I had imagined myself talking to him so many times, and then it happened after so many years and it was even better than I could've imagined. The teenager in me was in heaven and the adult me was impressed at how good and easy it was to talk to someone I had just met. But anyway, I said it was time for me to go to bed, that I had a class at 8, and he got up as well and kissed me. He. Kissed. Me."

It was impossible to ignore the glint in her eyes. He had never seen her like that, not even with Kouga. He felt himself deflating, falling into a dark place he had never been to. And it felt foreboding for him. Like this was something that could change his life, and not exactly for the better. His determination to not ruin her cheerfulness was slowly fading.

"Kagome, that's ridiculous. He was your childhood crush-"

"I was 12!"

"Whatever. You were a kid, he was a kid. You're both adults now, don't you think you're being a little Pollyana? That was a childish crush!"

"Didn't you hear what I just said? We had an amazing conversation! It felt amazing! And the kiss… oh my God, my knees went weak, I couldn't-"

"Ok, got it! Jesus, you women…"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Anyway, it might have been a childish crush, but I met the real Daniel last night and I really liked him. Like, a lot."

"Wait. What about Hojo? I remember you saying something similar about him yesterday?"

Her face fell. "Oh, the date started well, but… you were right. We don't have nothing in common. I just idolised him somehow, always thought I would feel so happy being with someone like him, but in reality-"

Now he was royally pissed. "Isn't that the EXACT same thing that's going on here?! You are talking about someone you hardly know, someone you idolised for years, as if he was the love of your life! You need to get down from whatever cloud you're on and face the reality. Stop being a foolish little girl!"

Kagome gaped. "Inuyasha, why are you being so mean?"

He huffed. "I'm not being mean, I'm being realistic. That's not how relationships work. You meet someone, you find things in common with them, you discover you share the same values, then you fall in love and that's it. There's no daydreaming about a perfect person, someone who cannot live up to your expectations. You're only deluding yourself and when you realise what a fool you're making of yourself it will be too late and I'm the one who will have to listen to you crying."

Kagome was now doing everything she could to hold her tears. She had never seen this side of her friend. He had never said such hateful words, at least not to her. She didn't understand why he was so worried she might get disappointed, but she didn't want to hear his pessimistic predictions anymore. "I'm sorry I bring you so much concern. I never wanted to worry you, all I wanted was to share my excitement with you. Don't worry, if things don't work out with Daniel I won't bother you." She picked up her purse and stood up, wiping a tear from her cheek.

Inuyasha felt his chest tighten. He got up before she started walking and tried explaining himself. "Kagome, I didn't mean that, I was just trying to look out for you, don't leave." He tried to grab her arm, to stop her from leaving, but she deflected him.

"I'm not sure what you were trying to do, Inuyasha, but I don't want to hear anymore. Have a good day." She left him standing alone inside the ramen shop and, for the first time ever, he decided to forgo his favorite food.