Chapter 12: But I Can't Pretend That I'm Not Thinking About You
Mako could sense that Caden seemed distracted today during their cooking lesson. He had almost thrown the milk carton away while it was still half full. The cold cuts had been tossed in the sink while still wrapped in the new packaging. Something was on his mind obviously. When Caden had placed the basic meat-filled sandwich on a plate to try, Mako decided to speak up.
"Something on your mind?" she asked curiously as she lifted a half of the sandwich from the plate, "It's not like you to just place things in the wrong area like that." Caden snapped out of the trance he was in at the moment and quickly tossed down the dishcloth he had been fiddling with in his hands.
"Huh? Oh I guess today is an off day for me," he mused out loud before taking a large bite out of the other half of the sandwich. He chewed quickly and allowed a large smile to come across his face. Mako raised an eyebrow before taking a small bite out of her half. Caden swallowed hard and turned his head away for a brief moment while Mako was busy enjoying her sandwich half. He didn't want to talk about what was bugging him. Well, in this case, who was bugging him.
Adele. When she was a little girl, she was quite round in the face and always wore baggy clothes that came from the boys department. Her hair was short and kind of stick up-ish then too. But he didn't care then because she had been the first person who accepted him for a person of character rather than the new kid who was terrible at speaking English. Holding her last night had jolted him for some reason. Heck, why though? Sure, as they got older her hair grew longer and straighter. And she started losing the oversized sloppy tomboy look from her childhood and wore clothes that fit her better. Now that he thought about it, she looked more...like a adult with her gentle, soft curves that swooped in to form her hourglass figure and outward to form her hips. Not at all like when they were preteens for she was flat and shapeless like a board then.
Mako broke again into his thoughts, asking how she did making the sandwich. Caden quickly took another bite and smiled as he gave her a thumbs-up. She beamed at him and excused herself to greet Kotoha who had come in from training with Chiaki, Ryunosuke, and Adele. Caden turned away slowly and continued to eat and ponder.
Well, then again, some things hadn't changed with Adele. Her clothes did fit her better but she was never a big fan of dresses, short skirts, or overly revealing clothing like the girls on their college campus. She refused to attend any school dances because she thought the venues were an absolute bore. And she continued to tell things like they were rather than keeping her mouth shut sometimes.
"Adele-chan," scolded Mako as she got a good look at a sweaty Adele coming in from practice, "That is not the correct uniform for a girl." Mako was referring to the practice robes they wore for the training sessions they did every day. She and Kotoha wore yellow skirts whereas Chiaki, Takeru, and Chiaki wore dark blue pants. Adele, however, had chosen the outfit for the boys to train in. Mako shook her head at Adele and walked into Adele's room to study the items of clothing that were brought for the trip. Adele folded her arms across her chest and watched as Mako looked in Adele's closet to see only shorts, jeans, pants, t-shirts, and a jacket or two.
"And you didn't even bring a single nice skirt or dress to wear," she noted with a touch of disappointment in her voice. Then, as if she came up with a brilliant idea, she pushed Adele to the bathroom to clean up.
"Once you're done showering," Mako told her, "We are going shopping to get you a new skirt and maybe a nice dress."
"Mako-sempai? I am sorry to tell you this but uh," Adele began to explain as they reached the end of the hallway, "I do not wear short skirts, dresses, or anything that resembles college tramp wardrobe." Mako ignored her and closed the door behind her.
"I really do not need a mother figure right now Mako!" Adele shouted from the other side. Mako remarked calmly on the other side that she did not care and that the trip was taking place, whether Adele liked it or not. Caden grimaced and walked out of the kitchen to meet Mako and Ryunosuke who was coming back from training.
"Good luck trying to get her to cooperate," warned Caden as he stopped briefly to talk to the pair, "She's as stubborn as a bull. And she's probably going to tell you that she doesn't have any funds to purchase extra clothes while here. Her dad put her on a budget for this trip to begin with." But Caden's words fell deaf on Mako's ears and merely reassured him that she had it all under control. He shrugged his shoulders at her before walking back to his room. Part of him did not want to emerge once they got back for fear that all Hell should break loose and Adele returning, giving Mako the silent treatment. Ryunosuke stared at the retreating young man's back then looked over at Mako.
"Obviously," he noted carefully, "You're planning something, aren't you Mako-chan?" She smiled slightly and allowed the corners of her lips to turn up slowly.
"Well, yes," she agreed, "But trust me, it will be good for both of them. Are you with me on this?" He ran a hand through his hair and shrugged.
"I guess I'm in then."
