Chapter Thirteen: Change of Heart
"I didn't know that you're on the school swim team," Hitomi said to Van as she took a sip of her French Vanilla coffee. They were sitting across from each other, in a small coffee shop, enjoying a warm drink.
"Yeah, I heard that this girl is supposed to interview me tomorrow for the school newspaper. Her name is-"
"Merle..."
"Right, isn't she one of your friends?"
"She was..." Hitomi replied sadly, thinking about their recent fight.
"What do you mean? She seems nice, very shy, but nice"
"Ha! Merle shy? We must me talking about two completely different girls here, Merle is anything but shy!"
"No, I don't think so. Pink hair, big blue eyes, good looking, and I think that she's one of the MGW." Van said with a look on his face as if he was picturing her in his mind.
"Yeah that's the one, I guess she's just shy around you because she..." Hitomi stopped just in time before she revealed one of Merle's top secrets.
"Because of what?" Van smile playfully. Somehow Hitomi got the idea that he already knew the answer.
"Never mind, can we talk about something else?" she asked nervously.
"Sure, so how's it going with Allen?"
`Great the one subject I didn't want to bring up...' she thought than said quickly, "Hey, we're always talking about my life, how's it going with you, beginning to feel at home yet?" Hitomi tired to sound as causal as possible. She didn't want to talk about her love life; especially not with Van since.
"Look Hitomi," Van said with a serious tone, reaching out to hold her hand, "I know that you don't feel the same way about me..." He stopped for a moment, as if wanting her to correct him. "and...I ...I accept that, but I want us to be able to be friends."
She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.
"Just because I'm new, doesn't mean I'm deaf." Van continued, still hold her hand tightly. "I've heard about Allen and Meredith. Believe me, that girl doesn't stop until she gets what she wants. I've only known you for a little while but I really care about you and I don't want to see you hurt."
Hitomi was struck by a sudden rush of emotions. Everything around her became a big blur and the only thing she could see was Van.
Right at that moment, Hitomi didn't want anything else but to feel his arms around her. Slowly, she found herself moving towards him until his face was close, she could practically feel the warmth of his breath. She liked the way he smelled, like the scent of fresh grass carried by a light summer breeze. She liked every detail about him. The way his hair fell in front of his eyes; the way his shirt was unbuttoned on the top, the way he smiles at her and the way he always knew what to say.
Their lips were now barley inches apart. Although her mind was screaming for her to stop, the rest of her body refused to correspond. "Van..." her murmured, not caring if he actually her.
"Hey Hitomi!" The call snapped Hitomi back to reality, and she quickly pulled away.
Afraid to see Van's reaction, she looked around the café to see who called her. Standing at the door was Yukari, Merle, Amano and Millerna with her arms wrapped around a handsome young man.
Hitomi smiled awkwardly while waving to her friends. `I hope they didn't see what just happened. I'm not even sure what just happened. Did I almost kiss Van?'
"Hey girl, we went to school to pick you up but you were gone already so we thought we'd drop by to get a cup of coffee." Yukari said smiling, "and I see you had the same idea."
"Hey guys," she said to her friends, trying to sound normal. "Why don't you join us?"
Merle, Millerna and her date sat on Van's side of the table as Amano and Yukari sat with Hitomi. Millerna was the first to break the silence, "Hitomi, I don't think you've met my boyfriend yet." She smiled at the brown haired guy beside her, "this is Dryden."
"Hey," Dryden waved causally. Hitomi gave him a warm smile and said, "it's nice to finally meet the guy who Millerna has been talking about for days." Seeing Dryden blush, Hitomi continued, "you guys remember Van."
"Hey, aren't you the guy who fought with Allen at the dance?" Amano asked after everyone greeted Van.
"Amano!" Yukari snapped.
"Oh sorry," Amano chuckled, "I didn't know that we weren't supposed to talk about it."
"It's okay... I think I should go," Van said as he got up, "nice meeting you guys a and I'll see you later Hitomi."
"Wait you don't have to go!" Hitomi called out without thinking. She found herself wishing that her friends showed up and wanting to stay with Van.
"I'd like to stay but I should be getting home." He replied smiling.
"Oh I see," she said trying to hide her disappointment, "thanks for the coffee."
"Anytime, later."
***
"Okay Hitomi, out with it, what's with you and Van?" Merle asked with her arms folded in front of her chest as soon as Van walked out of the Café.
"Hi merle, I'm glad to see your finally talking to me," Hitomi said sarcastically.
"Yeah, I'm curious too," Amano said smiling evilly, "was it just me or did we interrupt some intimate moment between the two of you when we came in?" Everyone laughed except Merle.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Hitomi said feeling blood rush towards her cheeks. "We're just friends."
`I think...'
***
"Thanks for the ride home, I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Hitomi waved to her friends as she got out of the car.
"Wait Hitomi! I need to talk to you!" Merle shouted, following Hitomi up the driveway.
"What's up? You still mad at me?" Hitomi asked as she approached.
"No, I'm not mad, more like curious. I don't care what you say but I know something is going on between you and Van. It's clear how he feels about you, so it's no use for me to continue being pissed. The question is what do you feel towards him?"
***Hey! I finally got to updating my story...I guess I was a lil discouraged by a few flames I got...but I realized there are people who actually like this fic and I don't wanna disappoint them. So anyways, hope you liked it! Plz R&R!"
"I didn't know that you're on the school swim team," Hitomi said to Van as she took a sip of her French Vanilla coffee. They were sitting across from each other, in a small coffee shop, enjoying a warm drink.
"Yeah, I heard that this girl is supposed to interview me tomorrow for the school newspaper. Her name is-"
"Merle..."
"Right, isn't she one of your friends?"
"She was..." Hitomi replied sadly, thinking about their recent fight.
"What do you mean? She seems nice, very shy, but nice"
"Ha! Merle shy? We must me talking about two completely different girls here, Merle is anything but shy!"
"No, I don't think so. Pink hair, big blue eyes, good looking, and I think that she's one of the MGW." Van said with a look on his face as if he was picturing her in his mind.
"Yeah that's the one, I guess she's just shy around you because she..." Hitomi stopped just in time before she revealed one of Merle's top secrets.
"Because of what?" Van smile playfully. Somehow Hitomi got the idea that he already knew the answer.
"Never mind, can we talk about something else?" she asked nervously.
"Sure, so how's it going with Allen?"
`Great the one subject I didn't want to bring up...' she thought than said quickly, "Hey, we're always talking about my life, how's it going with you, beginning to feel at home yet?" Hitomi tired to sound as causal as possible. She didn't want to talk about her love life; especially not with Van since.
"Look Hitomi," Van said with a serious tone, reaching out to hold her hand, "I know that you don't feel the same way about me..." He stopped for a moment, as if wanting her to correct him. "and...I ...I accept that, but I want us to be able to be friends."
She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.
"Just because I'm new, doesn't mean I'm deaf." Van continued, still hold her hand tightly. "I've heard about Allen and Meredith. Believe me, that girl doesn't stop until she gets what she wants. I've only known you for a little while but I really care about you and I don't want to see you hurt."
Hitomi was struck by a sudden rush of emotions. Everything around her became a big blur and the only thing she could see was Van.
Right at that moment, Hitomi didn't want anything else but to feel his arms around her. Slowly, she found herself moving towards him until his face was close, she could practically feel the warmth of his breath. She liked the way he smelled, like the scent of fresh grass carried by a light summer breeze. She liked every detail about him. The way his hair fell in front of his eyes; the way his shirt was unbuttoned on the top, the way he smiles at her and the way he always knew what to say.
Their lips were now barley inches apart. Although her mind was screaming for her to stop, the rest of her body refused to correspond. "Van..." her murmured, not caring if he actually her.
"Hey Hitomi!" The call snapped Hitomi back to reality, and she quickly pulled away.
Afraid to see Van's reaction, she looked around the café to see who called her. Standing at the door was Yukari, Merle, Amano and Millerna with her arms wrapped around a handsome young man.
Hitomi smiled awkwardly while waving to her friends. `I hope they didn't see what just happened. I'm not even sure what just happened. Did I almost kiss Van?'
"Hey girl, we went to school to pick you up but you were gone already so we thought we'd drop by to get a cup of coffee." Yukari said smiling, "and I see you had the same idea."
"Hey guys," she said to her friends, trying to sound normal. "Why don't you join us?"
Merle, Millerna and her date sat on Van's side of the table as Amano and Yukari sat with Hitomi. Millerna was the first to break the silence, "Hitomi, I don't think you've met my boyfriend yet." She smiled at the brown haired guy beside her, "this is Dryden."
"Hey," Dryden waved causally. Hitomi gave him a warm smile and said, "it's nice to finally meet the guy who Millerna has been talking about for days." Seeing Dryden blush, Hitomi continued, "you guys remember Van."
"Hey, aren't you the guy who fought with Allen at the dance?" Amano asked after everyone greeted Van.
"Amano!" Yukari snapped.
"Oh sorry," Amano chuckled, "I didn't know that we weren't supposed to talk about it."
"It's okay... I think I should go," Van said as he got up, "nice meeting you guys a and I'll see you later Hitomi."
"Wait you don't have to go!" Hitomi called out without thinking. She found herself wishing that her friends showed up and wanting to stay with Van.
"I'd like to stay but I should be getting home." He replied smiling.
"Oh I see," she said trying to hide her disappointment, "thanks for the coffee."
"Anytime, later."
***
"Okay Hitomi, out with it, what's with you and Van?" Merle asked with her arms folded in front of her chest as soon as Van walked out of the Café.
"Hi merle, I'm glad to see your finally talking to me," Hitomi said sarcastically.
"Yeah, I'm curious too," Amano said smiling evilly, "was it just me or did we interrupt some intimate moment between the two of you when we came in?" Everyone laughed except Merle.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Hitomi said feeling blood rush towards her cheeks. "We're just friends."
`I think...'
***
"Thanks for the ride home, I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Hitomi waved to her friends as she got out of the car.
"Wait Hitomi! I need to talk to you!" Merle shouted, following Hitomi up the driveway.
"What's up? You still mad at me?" Hitomi asked as she approached.
"No, I'm not mad, more like curious. I don't care what you say but I know something is going on between you and Van. It's clear how he feels about you, so it's no use for me to continue being pissed. The question is what do you feel towards him?"
***Hey! I finally got to updating my story...I guess I was a lil discouraged by a few flames I got...but I realized there are people who actually like this fic and I don't wanna disappoint them. So anyways, hope you liked it! Plz R&R!"