Chapter Three.

Len paced backwards and forwards in his room, anxious. It was Sunday morning, and he was awaiting the arrival of Luka. He twisted the skin on his fingers, murmuring to himself. What if he looked too casual? What if he said something stupid, or offensive?

What if she just didn't like him in general?

He had brushed his teeth twice; eaten a tic-tac that tasted like vanilla; smothered his under-arms in deodorant; brushed his hair and tied it up; thought about breakfast, but was too nervous to eat it; tried to distract himself by reading a book; thought about Luka.

It was just one of those days. Like the first day of a new school. That sickly feeling in the stomach, excitement and anxiety - the feeling of growing up. Afterwards, pretending that the day was no big deal, just another day. More school, that was all.

Len rubbed his neck, smiling at himself in the mirror. All the days he had spent with Luka, not once had they felt this personal. He hadn't even seen her yet.

When the doorbell rang, Len clattered down the stairs, dressed in jeans, T-shirt and hoodie. His sister answered the door, and as the two females spoke, Len tied up his trainers, checking he had everything he needed afterwards. Wallet. Key. Ipod. Phone. Spare Change.

"Is he nearly ready?"

Rin turned to look at her brother, rolling her eyes as he stood up. "Yeah, yeah, he's ready. I can't believe you're actually going with him."

Len stuck out his tongue at his twin. "See you later, idiot."

"Have fun, prat."

And with that, Len and Luka were left alone. Len paused in the doorway, taking the sight of his crush in. His eyes skimmed over every detail, like skipping a million stones on a lake. She looked tired, but the light touch of mascara made her look more alert - it brought out her eyes. In the haze of a slightly foggy morning, her blushing hair looked slightly dulled. 'Grey sweater and jeans. Simple,' Len thought to himself. Simple, but sophisticated. It summed her up.

"Where are you taking me today?" She wondered, pushing her hands into her jean pockets, leaving her thumbs to wander the outside of the denim. She was smiling at him.

"I thought I could take you to the cinema," Len said coyly, thinking about the films that were showing. "There's a new film out, you know-"

"The one with what's-her-face?"

"Yeah, that one."

The grinned at each other. Maybe to the outside world, they looked like siblings. Cousins? But they knew, that they were friends.

However, in the young person's book of knowledge, it clearly says that one side of a friendship must fall for the other. The statement is underlined, highlighted and must be taken note of.

The pair caught the bus from the nearest bus stop, sitting down and chatting to each other. If anyone else on the bus had been paying attention to the two, they may have guessed that the blonde haired teen was romantically interested in his companion. He leaned in slightly closer when she was speaking, smiling to himself. He laughed at her jokes loudly, appreciating her conversation.

The two soon got off the bus, walking a short distance to the cinema. When they got there, Len offered to pay for Luka, but she refused stubbornly. He did, however, buy a large popcorn for them to share, and two cola's - diet.

They sat in the middle row of screen four, waiting for the movie to begin. The cinema was not very crowded; most people had probably gone to watch the film the day before. In partial darkness, they sat together.

"I've never had a guy offer to take me to a chick flick," Luka said. Len couldn't see her very well, but he could hear the smile in her voice.

"I've never had the honour of taking someone like you," Len replied, his eyes widening when he recognised the flirtatiousness in his comment. He had slipped up; he was supposed to act like little Len Kagamine, the sweet fourteen year old who usually turned a blind eye on his affections towards girls.

Luka giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. Len chuckled along with her. They just managed to stop laughing when the film began.

"Did you like it?"

"Did you?"

"Predictable," Luka murmured, brushing strands of hair out of her face.

"Unrealistic," Len mumbled. It was. It was that typical romantic comedy plot line, done a thousand times, but still tolerable. True, they had laughed at some parts, and felt bad at others, but, they knew what was coming all the way through.

They walked out of the cinema, noticing how grey and sad the sky looked.

"Did you have fun on Friday?" Len asked. He had forgotten to ask her about it, her Friday with the gang.

"It was fine," Luka told him. "We just met up at Pizza Express and talked, I guess." It wasn't fine. It had been awkward. Lily had been uncharacteristically quiet, forcing Kaito and Meiko to keep the conversation going. Compared to the rest of the group, Meiko had been loose and easy-going - probably due to the fact she had noticed the atmosphere and ordered an alcoholic drink. Only one though, to be fair. She was trying her best to keep things moving.

Kaito had had little to talk about. He and Meiko had bantered back and forth, trying to drag others into the conversation. Gakupo hadn't eaten much. He had looked tired and bored.

Honestly, Luka wanted to take him outside and cry with him. How had this happened? Why had it happened? Why had their little friendship group been turned upside down? She wanted to kiss it better, like when Len and Rin were little and she would kiss their scraped knees. and muddy cheeks. But she was a grown up now. She couldn't just kiss her problems away, however she might try.

The whole evening, the ex-girlfriend and boyfriend had avoided eye contact. They ate with blank expressions, keeping their masks firmly on. Gakupo had given everyone a lift home afterwards, and unfortunately, Luka's home was the last stop.

When they were alone together, in the front seat of his car, Gakupo turned off the radio. Luka stared out of the window, thinking about how dark the night was. She wondered what her parents would be doing.

Occasionally, the purple haired man had glanced over at her. Why had they broken up again? When there were other people around, it was easier to forget about what had been and what had passed. But when they were alone, memories filled the area, suffocating both of them.

Luka had asked him to drop her off at the end of her street. When he didn't, she sat in silence, watching the road pass by slowly as he parked outside her house. For a moment, a long, long moment, neither of them did anything. In the silence, the faint hum of the car's engine filled their ears. They could hear their own heartbeat's, just like they used to listen to each other's.

If ever there was a temptation to reunite, it was then, in that silence.

"Thank you, Gakupo. I'll be off now." She fumbled with the seat-belt that held her to the car. The gentle fingers of Gakupo paused on hers, before clicking the belt open. They looked up at each other. Everything was being played in slow-motion.

"Goodnight, Luka."

Then, she had rushed out of the car, back to the safety of her home.

"Oh, sounds nice," Len smiled, bringing Luka out of her thoughts. She looked at him, and smiled back.

Yet, the smiling was short-lived. As the two were walking together, it began to rain. Tiny pin-pricks at first, but it turned into lashings and lashings of water, soaking through clothes. Len and Luka ran together, to shelter in a nearby McDonalds.

The found a table in the crowded establishment and shared a serving of warm chips. Dollops of ketchup and mayonnaise were added, of course, and another round of cokes were bought. The food helped to warm them up; they were wet and cold, shivering.

"I look like a rat," Luka snorted, twirling one strand of wet hair. It was beginning to dampen, but it still hung around her face, dripping.

"You're a rather lovely looking rat then," Len grinned, helping himself to a chip. His clothes were clinging to his skin, and he could feel a little water sloshing around near his socks. It wasn't a wholly unpleasant feeling, though. Wiggling his toes around and feeling dampness wasn't all bad.

"You don't look like a rat though. A wet Labrador, perhaps?"

Len shook his hair with his fingers, hoping to dry it slightly. Droplets of liquid were falling on both of Len and Luka's noses. Why hadn't they brought an umbrella?

After finishing the chips, they went to the bathroom and tried to dry themselves with paper towels. They came out looking even scruffier than before.

Luka's hair was beginning to frizz slightly, and her clothes were patchy with rain water. Len looked just as bad - his ponytail was still dripping, and his hoodie was soggy.

What a pair they looked like!

They once again got the bus, and went back to their road. It was still raining outside, but not nearly as bad as before. More of a drizzle.

Len invited Luka to come inside and watch another movie with him, and maybe Rin. The twenty year old agreed, chuckling. They all settled down in the living room, Len and Luka clad in blankets, drinking tea.

And although he was only fourteen, Luka realised that she had had a good time. It didn't matter if she was twenty - they were friends, tied at the roots.

AN: I wasn't too sure on this chapter. I don't know why though... How about you readers?:) Thank you for the reviews, favourites and alerts - hope you enjoyed this chapter!