Shadgirl2: We're getting to the end of this story (finally)! Only a few chapters left to go.

Midna Azusa: This was actually ready awhile ago, but it took me awhile to get it to Shagirl2. Sorry about that!

Disclaimer: We don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX.

Judai's POV

Having given up on making any sense out of what was going on, I decided to focus on the more important part of my day—finding a safe place to hide so I wouldn't get kidnapped and assaulted by Ai again. Hoping Ai wouldn't think to look for me there, I went down to the cliffs, where I was out of sight.

Asuka's POV

Okay, what gives? Why couldn't I find anyone I know today?

After breaking up with Kyle, I headed over to the beach again, hoping to find Judai and tell him how I felt. But I couldn't find him anywhere. The beach was full of tourists and as crowded as ever, and the construction crew was hard at work building in that ridiculous construction site. There was no way Judai could be there with that in mind, and even my other friends were missing from that place today! What gives? They always came to help out, or, in my brother's case, get in the way. So why weren't they there? Had I missed something?

Anyway, I wasn't too concerned about that right then. I had to find Judai, so I headed into the crowd of people, looking for him. I cupped my hands around my mouth and called out, "Judai! Hey! Where are you!?"

I was hoping he'd answer me and come out from wherever he'd run off to. Honestly, I don't know why he was always so hard to find. The beach isn't that big, after all.

Judai's POV

I heard Asuka calling me and started climbing back up and through the rocky cliffs. After all, that wasn't Ai calling for me. I poked my head out from behind a boulder on the edge. "Asuka?"

Sure enough, Asuka was down below, off on the main part of the beach. She had her back to the cliff and was walking away, still calling for me.

"Judai!" she called, drawing out my name. "Hey! Where—"

"Asuka!" I called.

She stopped and turned around. When she saw me, she looked up, curious. "Judai!? What are you doing over there!?" she called as she walked over.

"Ai's not over here!" I answered.

Yeah, Manjoume's card was definitely going to come in handy.

Asuka climbed up onto the rocky path, heading over to me with a grin. From the look of things, she thought this was cute. Personally, I didn't find anything cute about having to hide from a crazy stalker who was willing to knock a guy out. No, I classified that as more of a horrifying thing than a cute one.

"Judai, you dunce," Asuka said. "I told you she's done with you now."

Sure, but since when was that ever a lasting statement?

"Yeah, except that barrier's still up, so..."

Asuka walked up to me, a mischievous grin on her face. She looked more like Ai or Rei than herself with that look, like she was up to something. I wondered for a second if that wasn't Ai in disguise or something, but her voice sounded like Asuka's. Ai didn't sound anything like Asuka, so it couldn't be her.

That didn't change the fact that she was up to something. "True," she said. "But not for long!"

And, without warning, she grabbed my arm and pulled me in for a kiss. I'm not talking some little peck on the cheek—I'm talking a real kiss, the kind a girl doesn't give to a man who isn't her boyfriend. I definitely didn't expect it from her, considering her stupid boyfriend, so my eyes widened in shock. It felt like something Ai would do. But I'd been wanting to kiss Asuka for a long time, and what did I care if she had a boyfriend? If she wasn't worried about Kyle, I didn't need to be.

All those thoughts ran through my head in the span of about half a second, then I closed my eyes, wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her back. In case you couldn't tell, I really didn't care if she was already taken.

Asuka broke the kiss sooner than I wanted to, pulling back slightly and looking into my eyes. She wrapped her arms around my waist and smiled warmly at me as she explained, "See, I broke it off with Kyle. I've decided he's just a little too perfect for my liking. I need some insanity in my life. Someone who can keep me on my toes and keep me guessing about what's gonna happen next! It gets boring when everything in your life is all perfect, and I can't think of a better way to liven it up than sharing it with a guy like you."

I suppose I should have been bothered that she liked me because my life was crazy and I was unpredictable, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I just smiled at her, still holding her, and said, "Good to know you're into insanity. Because that's pretty much what my life is."

Asuka laughed, then looked at me, hopeful. "You know, Ai's not after you anymore because I told her you had a girlfriend. So, how 'bout it? You interested?"

I was dreaming, wasn't I? I mean, there was no way that Asuka was actually trying to ask me out. After everything I did, all the fighting, the distance I'd accidentally put between the two of us, why would she want me for a boyfriend? Why would she break up with the perfect replacement just to ask me out?

"Yeah!" I said, hoping this wasn't just a dream. "Definitely."

"Promise not to disappear like that again?"

She was looking at me so seriously that I knew that wasn't a joke—she really wanted me to promise that. Not that it was something I was unwilling to agree to, considering it meant I'd finally have Asuka. I only disappeared the first time because I thought they wouldn't mind.

"Promise," I said, and I meant it.

Asuka smiled again, closing her eyes. She looked relieved. "Good." She leaned in and kissed me again, wrapping her arms around my neck. As she did that, the barrier started fizzling and the Monarchs cracked and crumbled. But I wasn't paying a lot of attention to that as I joined Asuka in our second kiss.

Third Person POV

As the kiss deepened, Judai wrapping his arms around Asuka and pulling her closer, the barrier began falling apart around the new couple. The Monarchs' bodies fell apart as they came crashing down, causing waves in the ocean and small earthquakes in the areas the Monarchs had been stationed. Across the beach, people started seeking shelter, running for town. Some heard a sound as loud as thunder as the fragments from the Monarchs on land hit the ground, and the barrier faded completely. This lasted but a minute or two, but many watched in awe, unsure what was happening. Most couldn't even see what was happening beyond the waves and the quakes.

Manjoume and the others stopped and stared at the large waves as the ground shook beneath them. Seeing the monster fall to pieces before his very eyes, Manjoume told the others what was happening, and they all hurried to the beach to check it out.

Judai and Asuka, however, noticed none of this. They were only aware of each other—the rest of the world seemed to have disappeared. That is, until Yubel had enough of it.

"Hey! Estupido! Take a look!" she yelled loudly, extremely annoyed at the display of affection happening before her.

Judai pulled back, much to Asuka's confusion. She looked at him curiously but let him break the kiss. "Huh?" Judai asked Yubel.

"Look up, you idiot." Muttering, she added, "Honestly. One kiss from a girl you like, and—" She cut herself off, not only annoyed but also jealous.

Ignoring his partner's feelings, Judai looked, noticing for the first time exactly what had happened. "Hey...the barrier's gone!"

Asuka looked at him happily. While she couldn't see the barrier, she knew Judai could, and she was glad to hear him say it was gone.

Judai's POV

There aren't words to describe how glad I was that stupid barrier was gone! I mean, it had been ruining my life for weeks now, shrinking and making it easier and easier for Ai to get me. And Asuka had just saved me from it. I picked her up and spun her in a circle before putting her back on the ground and hugging her tight, her giggling the whole time. Not to sound dramatic, but that girl was my hero. I could finally leave this island and put this whole mess behind me!

"You're the best, you know that?" I asked her.

She giggled again, giving me a look of longing. "Thanks."

This was the best day of my life, hands-down. I'd finally gotten the girl, been freed from my tropical prison, and would be getting away from the psycho who'd trapped me in the first place. Even Yubel's jealous attitude wasn't going to bring me down today.

I leaned in to kiss her again, but before I could, I heard another voice say, "Pinch me! I'm seeing things! W-why, this is too good to be true!"

Ugh. Really? Right now? Talk about lousy timing!

Asuka pulled back. "Huh?" she asked, turning toward the speaker.

Fubuki was the one who'd spoken, but he wasn't the only one standing there. Jim, Manjoume, Sho, Kenzan, Fuyuko, Natsuko, Akiko, and Haruko were all there, too, just watching Asuka and me. Sho looked disbelieving, eyes and mouth both wide. Kenzan was grinning, his arms crossed, and he looked proud, for some reason. Fubuki had his hands cupped together and was leaning forward, eyes sparkling. I guess he approved. Manjoume's arms were stretched out to his sides, his mouth forming an O. Haruko looked like she was watching a good romance movie, hands clasped right beside her head, which was tilted sideways. Jim was grinning, one hand on the brim of his hat. Natsuko looked pretty excited himself, grinning from ear to ear. Akiko just had her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised, making hers the most tame reaction anyone was having.

Considering how Sho felt about Asuka, this was bound to be interesting...

"Well, well," Jim said, smiling. He held out a shirt and jacket as Manjoume crossed his arms and smirked, looking happy now. Jim asked, "These yours, mate?"

"Uh..." Asuka let go of me, and I walked over and took my clothes off Jim's hands. "Thanks."

Okay, this was mildly embarrassing.

Sho ran over and hugged me from behind. "Aniki! Congratulations! I'm so happy! You're finally together!"

...Well, that was a total flip-flop. Sho went from hating Asuka to being happy she was dating me. With a big smile on his face and laughter coming out of his mouth, there was no way Sho was only pretending to be happy. What was wrong with him? And, even weirder, nobody else was saying anything about it. Did I miss something, or was this just Sho being Sho?

"Eh, heh. Thanks, Sho," I said, a bit uncomfortable with everything.

"So? Does this mean the barrier's gone now?" Kenzan asked as he walked over, grinning.

"Yeah, it's gone."

"Hey! What do ya know! Congratulations on that also!" he said, wrapping his arms around my torso higher up than Sho could reach. Now I had both of my "little brother-like friends" clinging to me, and Kenzan was kind of crushing Sho.

"Wait a moment," Fuyuko said to Asuka. "Didn't you already have a boyfriend?"

She turned to face him, her arms crossed and a nasty grin on her face. "Well, I did. Until 10 minutes ago."

"Dude, you two are way cuter together than you and Kyle!" Natsuko said.

Now that was good to hear. I mean, not that I had any reason to care what Natsuko said, but I still liked the idea that somebody thought Asuka and I were better together than she and Kyle.

"I always knew you two would get together!" Haruko added.

Fubuki smiled and said, "Yeah! Well, we thought you would, at least." He cupped his hands together and leaned the side of his face against them, all dreamy, and added, "Since that one time you dueled her, I just knew it was—"

Looking a bit annoyed, Manjoume pushed Fubuki aside—and, since I was pretty sure Fubuki hadn't been there anytime I'd dueled Asuka, I was actually kinda happy about that. He was creeping me out a bit. Manjoume stood in front of me, crossing his arms and smirking. "So, anyway, how'd you feel when that thing came down? It was quite the spectacle, right?"

"Uh... I didn't see it," I admitted, rubbing the back of my head.

Manjoume's eyes widened in shock and his arms fell to his sides. What? Was it that bad that I'd missed that? "What!? Surely you had to have noticed something! That was louder than thunder cracking! Don't tell me you didn't hear it!?"

...Okay, with my heightened senses (thanks, Yubel), that should have been pretty obvious to me if it was that loud. Now I could see why Manjoume was so surprised.

"...I was...uh, distracted," I answered, eyeing Asuka.

Asuka looked back at me, blushing. I guess she hadn't noticed anything, either.

Manjoume gaped at us, kind of looking like Sho. If Sho did an impression of Manjoume again today, I'd accuse them of trading bodies. "WHAT!? Geez!" he exclaimed, flinging his arms out in exasperation. "You guys can't keep your hands off each other, can you!?"

Fubuki closed his eyes and...swooned? Why was he always like that? "Ah. A lack of proper affection from the most desired other." He put his hands on his hips then, grinning, and teased, "Well, I hope you two've got it out of your systems now, at least! I'd hate for you to catch a cold from being out here half dressed all day."

Asuka and I blushed, looking away. "Nii-san..."

Muttering, I said, "Yeah, well, I already caught a cold, so..."

Everybody started laughing.

Sho grabbed my hand, still grinning and looking a lot happier than he had been lately. "Come on, Aniki. Let's go back to the villa," he said, pulling me along.

I protested, "But—"

Seriously, Sho, I didn't want you dragging me off! I just got a girlfriend, and it was Asuka! Was there a reason he was doing this? Was it because he still didn't like her? Maybe he was happy she'd broken Ai's spell but he wanted to find me a new girlfriend now that I was free. I didn't know for sure, but I did know I wanted to spend some time with my new girlfriend.

Fubuki grabbed Asuka's hand while Sho was dragging me off, saying, "You two, sister! We've got some serious celebrating to do! If you know what I mean." Looking back, I saw him wink at her, grinning, and then he started dragging her away, too.

"Nii-san! Cut it out!"

The others laughed a bit and followed. Well, Fuyuko wasn't laughing, and neither was Manjoume, but they did follow, and Manjoume was smirking again. Did Fuyuko have emotions? I was starting to wonder. I was also wondering if anybody cared about Sho's sudden change of attitude toward Asuka.

We headed back to the Tenjoins' villa for the celebration Fubuki mentioned. He, along with Lisa, Asuka, and Natsuko cooked up a feast. The food included enchiladas, lobster, and curry. They even bought a cake in the town's bakery, a really big one. Natsuko and Fubuki also brought alcohol for the party that they were throwing that evening—four different kinds, and Natsuko was talking about mixing drinks, too.

Johan, finally dressed as himself again, helped Jim, Sho, and Kenzan decorate with streamers, balloons, red table cloths, decorative napkins, and whatever else they could find in the "party supply closet." Yes, that was the actual sign on the door of said closet in the Tenjoins' villa. I didn't think I wanted to know why they had a party supply closet.

Natsuko had talked Fuyuko and Haruko into staying for the party. I guess they'd been planning to leave, but they were staying to "celebrate everything that needs celebrating," as Natsuko put it. Haruko said it sounded like fun, so Fuyuko agreed to stay.

Akiko and the Kaiser found a boom box and some music, but they couldn't seem to agree on what kind of music to use. Asuka settled that problem for them—she told them to pick songs I would like since it was my party. Reluctantly they agreed.

It took all day to get ready for this out of the blue party of ours, but everyone seemed to be having a good time once it got started. Dinner was first, followed by the cake, then music and dancing for the rest of the night. That was also when Fubuki and Natsuko really broke out the alcohol. Their goal seemed to be to get everyone drunk or, at the very least, a little tipsy. The kept offering everybody drinks, either those they'd bought or those Natsuko's wife had mixed. I guess it was fitting he'd married a waitress because, as luck would have it, that waitress was also a bartender at some point in her life. Great, at least he knew his wife could fix a drink.

Drunk and wild-eyed, Fubuki held up his glass as everyone gathered around the couches at the villa. "Here's to all the wonderful things that this trip created! To Fuyuko's girlfriend; Manjoume's freedom from stalkerdom; Sissi's new, better boyfriend; Natsu's wife; and the end of Judai's problems! Congratulations to you all!"

We all toasted to that, even if he was making up words like "stalkerdom" in his drunkenness. Still, at least the long list he'd given was a clue as to why this party was so huge. It wasn't just my party, like Asuka had said earlier—it was everyone's party.

Sho, himself a bit tipsy, held up his glass and gave his own toast, "I second that movement! Here's to great friends! May we all stay friends forever!"

He was smiling, a huge grin on his face, and everyone toasted along with him, although some of the newcomers looked like they'd be okay with leaving. Specifically, Akiko and Fuyuko didn't look like they were really interested in staying connected, and Rei didn't seem all that happy at all that night. But all three toasted, and I'm sure Akiko and Fuyuko were doomed to stay involved in this group of mine if Fubuki and Natsuko were friends.

For my part, I wasn't sure if Sho's toast was related to that talk we'd had about Dark World and what happened there. Either way, I appreciated it.

Kenzan held up his glass, grinning and closing his eyes as he added his own toast. "And this one's for Marufuji-senpai! For finally calming himself down!"

Sho sweat, laughing awkwardly, but he toasted along with the rest of us. Well, at least I knew I wasn't the only one who'd been worried about Sho—Jim, Manjoume, Johan, Rei, Fubuki, the Kaiser, and even Natsuko looked thrilled about that one. I was still wondering if they all knew something I didn't that was keeping them from asking questions, but I didn't ask any myself.

"Yeah..." Sho said lamely.

Natsuko held his glass up, and he was at least as drunk as Fubuki. "And here's to Fubuki not committing murder while he was trying to help build that dumb house!"

For proof the guy was drunk—even Fubuki toasted that one, seemingly unbothered by it. Given that Fubuki did cause a few injuries out there, it made sense everyone was else was eager to celebrate that one, but why was he so interested?

"Yup! That's right!" Fubuki said in response to the toast. Then his eyes snapped open, suddenly wide in surprise. "Hey! Wait a minute!"

Okay, maybe he wasn't so drunk after all. He was just slow. Everyone laughed at his reaction, even Manjoume, Akiko, and Fuyuko, which is a surprise, given how little those last two ever laugh. I guess it's kinda hard not to laugh at something like that, though.

Fuyuko's POV

As the drunken members of our party finally decided that they were through with the toasts, everyone moved off to chat with their friends and enjoy themselves. Manjoume, however, turned to me.

Here we go again, I thought. I'd had more than enough of his questions and pestering. But, this time, he had a mischievous grin on his face.

"Seriously, though. Congratulations on your newfound relationship with the world's most annoying stalker girl. Think you can handle it?" he asked, and I could tell he was teasing, given the grin that remained fixed upon his face.

Well, if he wanted to play that way, I was up for the challenge. I smirked and returned, "Better than you would have."

"Great. Good luck with that. Trust me. You'll need it," he responded, his grin replaced with a wicked smirk.

"I know Haruko. And I know that I won't need 'luck.'"

Manjoume held both hands up in a gesture of surrender, grinning. He closed his eyes. "Whatever you say, man. Whatever you say." Then he laughed.

I suppose it was difficult to deny that, while Manjoume had been unbelievably irritating in recent days, I usually found his company quite enjoyable. Just not when Haruko was a topic he wanted to discuss...usually.

About that moment, I noticed Natsuko and Fubuki talking. From reading Natsuko's lips (a skill I have mastered), I decided they must be discussing honeymoon plans. I decided to join them, leaving Manjoume to find someone else to amuse himself.

"So, bro?" Fubuki was saying. "Where are you and the missus gonna spend your honeymoon? 'Cause, if ya want, you're able to crash here. All ya gotta do is ask." He was grinning and looking like a completely drunken fool. He was also holding his 7th margarita of the evening.

"Dude, I've got it all planned out!" Natsuko answered. "We're going to Paris!"

Fubuki gave him a thumbs up and a wink, a crazy smile plastered to his face—at least, as far as I was concerned, it was crazy. "Sweet, dude! Have a nice trip!"

Uh-huh. No, those plans weren't going to work. I knew Natsuko's parents—they were like a second set of parents to me, and I knew they would never let their son engage in the sort of behavior he'd been involved in lately. Sorry, Natsuko, but your honeymoon would have to wait.

"When you get home, you're having a ceremony so that your parents don't find out about this little faux pas, and then you can go to Paris for your honeymoon," I interjected.

"Oh, yeah, Dad totally wouldn't take this well," Akiko said, and, for once, there was no hint at all of a tease—she was dead serious.

I knew exactly what Akiko meant, too. Their father had a bit of a violent temper, just like Akiko. It wouldn't be the first time Natsuko found himself on the receiving end of that anger, either.

Natsuko sweat, realization creeping through, alcohol or no alcohol. "You're right..."

Fubuki, looking far too drunk for his own good, wrapped an arm around Natsuko's neck, still grinning like a recently-escaped mental patient. "Aw, it'll be okay, bro. Just hit him up with a couple shots first, and everything will be smooth sailing," he said, waving his free arm through the air as he cooed out those last words.

Was it really safe for Fubuki to be so drunk? At what point should we cut him off?

Fortunately, Natsuko had enough presence of mind to know that was about as intelligent as going to poke a hungry bear while wearing a suit made entirely of meat. But it was unusual seeing someone who was more drunk than my idiotic and immature best friend, for a change. Usually he was the life of the party, the "one in every crowd," as it were.

Ryo sweat, closing his eyes. He sounded exasperated as he said, "Ignore him. He's had one too many drinks tonight. You can tell by the way he moves."

Oh, yes, I do believe I could. Like the night we'd accompanied them to the bar—and Natsuko had proposed to Lisa—I could tell that he was exasperated by his friend's behavior. Like me, he seemed to accept the drunken idiocy as normal. In other words, he and I had about as much in common as Natsuko and Fubuki.

Ryo eyed Fubuki, who was now moving his arms in a waving pattern, like a worm, while he made strange noises—swooshing and cooing. No, now that I thought about it, I'd never seen Natsuko quite this bad. Although that one trip to Berlin had certainly come close.

Asuka sweat, closing her eyes and putting a hand to her head. "I don't know him..."

And now she was reminding me of Akiko. It seemed the three of us were another variation of the three of them.

"It's quite amusing, really," Akiko said, her arms crossed as she watched. "Surprised Natsuko's not that wasted yet."

"...Shut up..."

...Yes, Asuka was Akiko, Fubuki was Natsuko, and Ryo was me. The six of us would get along swimmingly together—assuming the clowns didn't get us all killed, of course.

Judai's POV

Kenzan came over and plopped himself down on the couch beside me as the party continued. He had a beer can in one hand and a huge, excited grin on his face. "So, Aniki? How's it feel?" he asked me.

"How's what feel?"

Sho, who'd been there since the toasts, grinned excitedly at me, too and answered, "You know! How's it feel to have that barrier gone and to find a girlfriend because of it!?"

Right then, Johan leaned over the couch from behind, also smiling as he added his two cents. "But not just any girlfriend, either, Sho! The girlfriend! We're wondering how it feels to have all that?"

Should've known. Admittedly, that was a good question. It was a lot to process. I mean, I was relieved the barrier was gone—ecstatic, even—and still not sure I believed Asuka had left Kyle for me. In about a couple of minutes, I'd gone from thinking I'd have to start dating someone, like her or not, to making out with my high school crush.

But, on an unrelated note, Sho was excited and seemed bursting with anticipation for my answer, same as Kenzan and Johan. Why was Sho excited, seriously!? He was furious at Asuka the last time I checked, then he finds out I'm dating her, and suddenly everything's cool? What did I miss?

I took a moment to answer, trying to sort through my emotions (and put my concerns about Sho aside). "I'll let you know when I figure it out," I said.

Johan looked at me curiously at that. "Really? What part?"

"The part about having a girlfriend?" Sho teased.

"The part about the barrier coming down?" Kenzan asked.

"Or the part about the girlfriend being Asuka and not Rei, like we'd all been hoping for?"

The three of them crowded me, grinning, and teased in unison, "Well?"

Everyone wanted me with Rei? Guess that made sense, considering I was stuck on the island without a girlfriend. Rei was still single and interested at the time, after all.

"...Ha ha, guys, very funny," was my answer to their teasing.

That was when Rei walked over, looking really upset. "So you really do like her more than me, don't you?"

Ugh, yeah, that was going to be an uncomfortable situation. Rei had only come here to become my girlfriend so I could get off this island, found out about Asuka and me sharing a bed one night, and then seen me hook up with Asuka instead of her. I knew Rei was mad at Asuka for that whole thing, so of course she'd be less than thrilled about it.

I sweat. "Uh..." That was a loaded question—never tell your stalker (former or otherwise) that you like someone else better. There's no good way to answer that one...

Rei sighed deeply, closing her eyes. "That's what I thought..." she said, dejected.

Talk about awkward. "...Sorry?"

"So? How's it feel? You do know Asuka's yours now, don't ya?" Sho asked, and he looked a bit annoyed. I guess he was getting impatient, probably thinking I didn't understand. Sheesh, Sho, I'm not that stupid!

"And the barrier must be down since you're here with us and not on that stupid beach anymore, right?" Kenzan joined, acting like he agreed that I was an idiot. He was clearly teasing, though, because he was grinning.

Johan grinned at them both mischievously and said, "Come on, guys. Leave the poor guy alone. It's not his fault he's slow."

Oh, gee, thanks, Johan! I really appreciate that one!

I pouted, and Manjoume came walking over with a smirk on his face. "Yeah, guys. Cut him some slack. It's not his fault he's stupid, either. Right, Judai Yuki?" He drew out the last three words, talking as if he were speaking to someone deaf or too stupid to understand anything.

Well, if he was going to draw his words out like that, I had a retort in mind. "How drunk are you?"

Manjoume's smirk turned to an annoyed glare. He humphed and shoved me, knocking me out of my seat. The other three laughed as I got up, Manjoume turning his back and crossing his arms, his nose in the air. Hey, Manjoume, if you can't take it, stop dishing it out.

My girlfriend came to join the excitement, but she also had a teasing grin on her face. Aw, man, why do my friends all like teasing me so much? "Aw, come on, guys. There's nothing wrong with that," Asuka said, teasing me, like expected, as she rocked me a bit by pushing on my shoulder. "Why, those are some of his best qualities, really. They make him so much more fun to tease."

Oh. Guess that answered my question.

"Aw, come on! Not you, too!"

The whole group of them laughed, even Manjoume, so I guess he wasn't that mad after all.

Still grinning, Asuka gestured to me and said, "See what I mean?"

I pouted again, and they laughed again. Yeah, this was about right for my friends.