Summer Love

Chapter Three: Confession

- - - -

The next morning, I met up with Bijou on the way to the Clubhouse. "Hey, Bij," I greeted when I caught sight of her next to a bush. She waved at me, smiled, and absentmindedly stroked a petal on the large crimson flower beside her. "Hey, anything wrong?" I asked her. She seemed so distracted.

"Sandy, I think you should tell him."

I stayed silent, quietly trying to figure out what she just said. "What!"

"Sandy," she said pointedly at me. I turned my back on her. "You took a chance with Maxwell, and he returned your feelings! If he declines, it won't be the worst thing in the world."

"But Bijou..." I whined. That was the last thing I wanted to do! I reluctantly turned to her. "I'm sure he doesn't like me, like I do to him! Please..."

Bijou grinned slightly, plucked a lovely pink periwinkle from the bush and clung it behind my left ear. "What," she began. "May I ask is not to like?" I couldn't help shooting a smile at her.

"Thanks, Bijou."

- - - -

Max and I were on better terms, although we didn't talk that much anymore. One day, he asked me for a pencil, and when I gave him one, he smiled at me and said, "Thanks." And he helped me get my ribbon untangled. We weren't as close as before, but oh well. He still acted a bit too polite to me, though. I brushed past him through the door of the ClubHouse and said hi before heading off to my usual corner.

"He still likes you," Bijou whispered solemnly into my ear. "He stared at you a long time when you came in...I saw." She added hurriedly.

"He really needs to face the facts that it's over," I murmured back to her guiltily. "He'll come through after a while." I sounded more confident than I felt. Bijou smiled briefly at me and we hurried towards Penelope and Pashmina, my innards feeling tangled up in a knot.

"Should I tell them?" I asked Bijou worriedly. I don't know how much I can trust Pashmina to keep a secret. In the past, some issues had been chaos.

"Should you tell us what?" Pashmina's voice interrupted us. She walked over curiously, Penelope in tow. I looked at Bijou. Her eyes seemed like they were saying: "Go ahead."

"I...I..." I fought my own mind, trying to win. "I...I like Panda!" I blurted out. Luckily, I said it softly. Pashmina immediately squealed in excitement.

"You do!"

"Ookyoo!"

"She's thinking about telling him..." Bijou muttered. Pashmina raised her paw. "Go for it, girl!" I looked at my side, and I felt my face turning red. Panda was across the room, chatting with Oxnard. I sighed heavily.

"Okay, guys, I'm going for it, but please, don't follow me. I'll murder you if you do." Why was my heart thumping so hard!

"All right..." Pashmina's voice sounded reluctant. "Give us the 411, okay?" I nodded briefly, and started to walk my way towards Panda, my legs feeling numb and wobbly.

"Panda?" I got his attention. He smiled at me.

"Sandy, hi. What do you need?" I noticed Oxnard moved away, a weird grin splattered on his face.

"Um." What was I here for, again? "How is the oven coming?" I shifted my weight from one foot to another. Panda responded with a solid: "Great!"

"That's cool," I noticed the girls were watching me carefully. Thoroughly. "Um. Can I talk to you outside...?"

Panda's face flickered with confusion. "Sure." He opened the door for me, and ignoring the other hamu-chan's curious looks, we headed outside. The day was pretty hot, and the sky was the clearest blue I've ever saw. I led Panda to the far edge of the lake, and I stared at its shimmering blues for a while. "Soo..." Panda began. "What's the matter?" I looked up. His beautiful eyes were swirled with confusion.

"Panda, how do you feel about me?" The typical beginning to a relationship. Panda froze as he looked at me.

"What?"

(Um.) "I...I..." I was not the type to stutter. But suddenly, I wished that I was at home, hunder my woodshavings. "I really like you, Panda." I managed to string those words out, but I hadn't realized that I said them. Now I was horrified, my body frozen, not wanting an answer!

Panda turned away, looking towards the lake. "You...you like me?" I heard him say faintly. I nodded, even though I knew he couldn't see me. He turned back around, a small smile blessing his face. His eyes twinkled. "And I, you." Those three words hit me hard, and it took me a while to take them in.

My heart gave a leap, my head airheaded, and staggered to the ground. "You do!" I couldn't help making sure. He was grinning now.

"I do."

I screamed in mirth, and I sprung into his arms.

(But...I shouldn't have thought that this could last forever...)