To my dear readers, I am so sorry to have kept you guys waiting for so long! I was so busy with school and everything was kinda in a mess. I started writing again since this summer vacation but I have to stop for a few weeks because I went and had an operation. But anyway, everything is okay now. I might be able to write/finish this hopefully by the end of this year. I'll try my best to update as fast as I could.

Anyway, I would like to thanks those who left reviews saying that you guys really like this and were encouraging me to continue. I hope you guys would like this chapter. :)

Chapter 10: Coffee Shops and Jealousy

When we arrived at the café, there was a small que at the counter. Natsume fall in line and I followed suit. My whole attention was on the menu above. It was really weird, I have the habit of looking at the menu of the coffee shops I go to even when I know I'll end up ordering the same drink I usually order. "Caramel macchiato, right?" I heard Natsume say in front of me.

My eyes shifted from the menu above to Natsume. "I'm sorry," I said unsure if I heard right.

"Why do you even bother looking at the menu when you'll end up ordering caramel macchiato since you're too afraid to try different drinks when trying out new cafes," he said.

I felt my blood rush to my cheeks. "Hmmp," I said and crossed my arms. I wasn't about to give in that he was right. "Well, if you know me so well how about you make my order and let's see if it's the right one I'm thinking."

Natsume let out a smirk and looked me in the eye. He slowly moved his face near mine which made my blush deepen. "Is that a challenge?" he asked.

I looked away on reflex and immediately regretted doing so. I tried to compose myself but his close proximity makes me conscious. "I…," I said not sure what I wanted to say. But after a while I looked back at him. My face was defiant. "Yes it is," I said finally.

Natsume's expression remained playful even after he pulled back. "Go and take a seat, I'll order for the two of us," he said.

I nodded my head and was about to retreat to go find a seat but I was reminded of the payment. I turned back and tugged on his shirt. "What?" he asked.

"Money…" I said which made him raise hid eyebrow in question. "We need to split the bill."

He shook his head which made me frown. "I'll take care of this one," he said. He must have caught on my expression since he added. "And you can take care of the bill next time."

I thought about it and smiled a little. "Hmmm… I could work with that," I said before turning around. I found a nice spot in the corner and settled there while I wait for Natsume.

Not long after, Natsume arrived with our orders. He placed a cup in front of me and the other cup to this side before placing a slice of strawberry cheesecake in the middle.

Before I knew it I was smiling. One of my weaknesses is cheesecakes. And apparently, Natsume has caught up with it. The thought that Natsume pays attention in what I like made me smile wider. I looked at him as he took his seat. "Thank you," I said as I took a sip on the drink that he ordered for me. It was caramel macchiato. My smile widened.

"Got it right?" he asked as he too took a sip of his drink.

I nodded my head as I reached for the fork and took a bite of the cheesecake. "Mmm… I didn't know you were paying attention," I said more to myself but Natsume heard it. "Of course I would," I barely heard him say.

In shock, I looked up from my food and looked at him. I could my feel my blood rush on my cheeks. He wasn't looking at me. His eyes were focus somewhere out of the window and he had his chin propped onto his hand as he did so. I could see a small blush on his cheeks which made me blush more.

For a moment, I didn't know what to do or say. I just kept on staring at him. I didn't intend for him to hear it in the first place. But for him to reply to it without any playful remark was unexpected. I heard him clear his throat which brought me back from my thoughts. "What are you staring at?" he said with his usual uncaring tone.

Immediately looked down on my food and reached out for a bite of the cake. "Nothing," I said in a hurry. I was about to put the fork in my mouth but was stopped midway. Natsume's hand found mine and he guided my hand towards him making me feed him the cake.

"Whaa-," I said. My eyes were wide and I was blushing hard and yet Natsume was composed. He directed his smirk at me as he ate the cake that I fed him. His hand was still holding mine. "That tasted good," he said.

I retrieved my hand from his reluctantly. His touch was nice, it was gentle. My heart was beating so fast but I tried composing myself. I don't want to be more obvious than I already am. "You could have told me you wanted one instead of doing that," I managed to say.

"Hmmm… where's the fun in that?" he said as he took a sip of his drink.

I let out a pout and once more reach out for the cake to have a mouthful. I have already got a bite of the cake when I realized that in this way, we are sharing an indirect kiss. I suddenly felt shy but kind of happy at the same time. It was weird how he can make my heart skip a bit and make me feel like there are butterflies fluttering in my stomach just by doing small things like this.

We spent the rest of our time there in comfortable silence which was broken sometimes with our teasing and whenever I remember something I wanted to share to him. My eyes widened when I looked at the time. It was almost 6 pm. "Aaah," I said. "I have to be home for dinner."

Natsume stood up. "Come on," he said. "I'll drop you off."

I smiled at him and followed suit. Before I knew it, we were already in front of my house. I took of my seatbelt before facing him. "Thanks as always," I said. And before I could think it through, I leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Natsume's eyes widened a bit and he looked at him. I felt myself blush a little but instead of being embarrassed, I gave him a small smile before going out of his car. I gave him a small and then closed the door. I walked over to the gate but before I could reach it, it opened.

"Oi, Mikan where did you come from?" Tsubasa said in greeting.

"None of your business," I told him with a huff. "Where are you going?"

"I just happen to see a strange car stop by the gate and you emerging form it. I got curious what you were up to," he said in a nonchalant tone.

"Hmmm," I said. Just then I heard a honk. It was Natsume. He hasn't gone yet. I turned around and looked at the car. He has turned down the window facing us. "I'll see you tomorrow!" he called and it must have been my imagination but he gave Tsubasa a glare before turning the window up and driving home.

I watch him leave before turning around and going inside the house. Tsubasa was silent as he stared at the way Natsume disappeared into. I tilted my head to the side. "Aren't you coming in?" I asked.

In a matter of seconds, Tsubasa turned into his playful self and gave me a cheeky smile before following me inside and closing the gate behind him. "What are you doing here anyway?" I asked.

"I'll be staying here for a few days or weeks depends how long they get my loft fixed," he said with a shrug. I nodded my head in response.

Once we're inside the house, he made his way to the living room. The television was on, he must have been watching tv before he went outside to check up on me. I gave him a cheeky smile. "You sure you prefer watching there than in the entertainment room?" I asked.

"I'm fine here," he called in return.

"Hmmm," I said before disappearing in my own room and changing into home clothes. I was with him minutes later. I sat next to him and stared at the television. "So what are you watching?" I asked.

"Not really sure, I was just flipping channels and this seemed interesting," he said.

"Want to watch a movie instead?" I asked and he looked at me. His eyebrow raised. "Not outside. There's a bunch of movies in the entertainment room that I haven't seen yet."

"Sounds nice… but I want to pick the movie," Tsubasa said which made me pout. "You're just going to pick some romance movie that's so cheesy."

"I won't!" I said which made him laugh. I led the way to the entertainment room. And just like that, the two of us settled on the couch and watched a movie.

It was in the middle part of the movie that Tsubasa spoke in a serious tone. "So, who was that guy you were with earlier," he said which caught my attention. "Wasn't he the same guy I saw you at school with?"

I stole a glance at him before returning my gaze to the movie. He was having a serious face one but I didn't mind the meaning of it. It was just probably because of the movie. "Oh, Natsume?" I asked. "Well, he's a friend. We always hang out with each other." And I happen to like him, I added in my mind.

"Hmmm," he said. "You two seem awfully close. Do you like him?"

I felt myself blush as I turned my attention to Tsubasa. "I… I," I said a bit flustered because I didn't think Tsubasa would say something like that. "I don't." I let out a huff and crossed my arms. "Why are you asking that kind of questions anyway. Let's just watch the movie."

I returned my gaze on the movie and didn't notice that Tsubasa was still looking at me. I didn't even notice that he has a weird expression… and that all the while as I was flustered he had his fists on a ball.

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SilentVisionary

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