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Please enjoy the continuation of Covers!
Chapter 5
"Yahello, Ryuu-chan!" Ami greeted happily as I approached our arranged meeting place at the local convenience store. We had chosen it because it just so happened to be on the main road to school, and we were likely to be seen by everyone as we walked to school, which was our intention. It was simple misdirection. By seeing us together so much in public, people would never realize that we didn't have a true relationship, and eventually, the questions would stop and Ami would be able to live out her high school life in relative peace from secret and public admirers alike.
It was still early in the morning, and I didn't understand exactly how Ami looked so energetic. Personally, I needed my eight hours just to function, and even more if I wanted to be anything more than a swirling mess of grouchiness. I supposed that my hatred of mornings only added to the intimidation factor of my face, but really, I was too tired to even care about the various girls that shrank in fear as I passed by them to reach Ami, who didn't seem at all bothered by my countenance. Maybe she was just a morning person.
"What's with that greeting?" I mumbled, definitely not in the mood to be assaulted by Ami's blinding smile. Seriously, it's like she just got back from some photo shoot and they forgot to turn the flash off. How anyone can have so much energy this early in the morning, I have no idea. Maybe some things were just better left as mysteries.
"I was just trying to be cute! You know, how a couple is supposed to act." She added with a slight edge to her tone. Despite her innocent expression, she was actually being quite forceful with her words, and it didn't take much for me to get the hint. But if you think that I'm going to stoop that low, you have another thing coming! I actually have a bit of self respect, believe it or not.
"Because we're a real couple!" Ami added, with a strained smile that translated roughly to, "Answer back or I will murder you right here in the middle of the street." Naturally, in the interest of self preservation, I shook off the sleep and lifted up my hand in a weak attempt at a wave.
"Yahello!" I answered with a giddy smile that was much too large to be natural. Of course, anyone with half a brain would be able to see through my wooden acting, and it was a miracle that no one had called me out right then and there.
But, it looked like Ami had deemed it acceptable, because the next thing I knew, she had her fingers laced in between my own and was dragging me in the general direction of school.
By the time we got to the front gates, I knew exactly what to be expecting from the few who had not witnessed Ami's "confession" last week, or from those who had heard about it and were simply coming to confirm the validity of the rumors that were no doubt swirling around the school. Well, I guess if I had heard that the most popular girl in my grade was dating the most feared guy in that same grade, then I would have to go check it out for myself as well. But still, can't people be more discreet about it?
There was an abundance of hanging jaws as we entered the classroom, hand in hand. I gulped slightly, as I saw Ami's friends, one with brown hair that I recognized as Kihara Maya immediately, and another with violet hair that I knew as Kashii Nanako. Maya approached us with a sense of urgency to her movements while Nanako struggled to keep up with the more energetic girl. I'll admit, I had thought that both of them were pretty attractive in their own right, and there was a time when it could have been said that Kihara Maya was the prettiest girl in our entire year. But by hanging out with Ami, it wasn't really surprising that they had been overshadowed recently and relatively forgotten, although they were definitely still several levels above me on the social pyramid of high school.
I took this moment to excuse myself, gladly seizing my chance to flee from a potential encounter with Ami's friends, who frankly scared me. I admit that I was afraid of even Nanako, who was relatively harmless, at least, as far as her appearance went. Ami seemed reluctant to let me go, as I suppose any girlfriend would logically be, but she relented after I shot her a pleading look, and allowed me to sneak away to my desk while her friends dragged her as far away from me as possible.
I dropped my bag on my desk and plopped down into my seat, feeling absolutely exhausted by the day's events, despite the fact that school hadn't even started yet. Who said that being Kawashima Ami's boyfriend was easy work? Even though I was only playing the part, that didn't stop me from being subjected to glares from a slew of admirers who wanted nothing more than to see me completely erased from Ami's life. Needless to say, it wasn't the most pleasant experience I have ever had.
I turned to face Kitamura, who had been sitting with a sly grin on his face that told me that he was dying to say something to me. Sometimes, I just don't know about that guy.
"So, Takasu-kun, I got a phone call from Ami last night about how you went over to her apartment." Kitamura informed me, "What did you two do?"
"Wh- nothing!" I stammered, which was the truth. We had ended up just having idle conversation over the movie, given that I had a hard time understanding it. I'm not the best at English class, and I was barely able to keep up with the speed at which the characters had talked, so I settled on focusing most of my attention on Ami, who I found to be surprisingly easy to talk to about normal things. I had never really thought about it before, but I guess that Ami was a pretty normal girl, all things considered.
"Don't be afraid to tell us!" Minori added from her seat, nodding in assent with Kitamura. Of course she was. You know, I was starting to reconsider my entire crush on her with this latest reminder at exactly how unaware she was of how I felt about her. At this point, I get the feeling that she would totally misinterpret my confession if I ever got the guts to make one.
"There's really nothing to tell!" I insisted, although I had a notion in my mind that neither of them was going to accept my answer. However, I never got the chance to answer before Ami interrupted us by taking a seat on my desk, scaring me with her sudden appearance. This relationship really was doing a number on both my mental and physical health, you know.
She looked at all of us with a confused expression, "Nothing to tell about what?"
"About how Ryuuji stayed over at your house yesterday!" Minori replied a little too loudly. Okay, maybe it was way too loudly, because the next thing I knew, the entire classroom was huddled up around my desk, eagerly awaiting a response. Damn it Minori, can't you be more discreet about these sensitive topics? Now the rumor that Ami and I had been sleeping together was probably bound to spring up within a couple of days, and that was before I could even wrap my head around some of the more ludicrous theories that I had overheard so far.
"Well, I don't think that I'm really comfortable talking about what we did." Ami muttered just loudly enough for everyone to hear, adding a small blush with her words. It was a scandalous statement, and Ami knew it, if the discreet wink that she gave me was any indication. Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it definitely isn't working! Not at all!
"No really, all we did was watch some movies!" I insisted, waving my arms in a desperate attempt to make everyone forget about what Ami had just said, but my efforts were fruitless as my words only helped to fuel the heated discussion that had started.
"So you aren't denying that you were at Ami's house yesterday?" Someone asked, and immediately, the whole group burst into pandemonium, with so many conversations springing up at once that it made my head hurt just trying to keep track of them all. Pretty soon, I gave up and just watched Ami as she absent mindedly began to doodle on my notebook, seemingly oblivious to all that was going on around her. I knew that it was all an act, and I couldn't help the helpless groan that I emitted as she allowed the mask to crack for a moment, revealing a devilish smile at the stir she had caused.
Damn, she was good at what she did.
I think that the following school day was the longest I had ever experienced in my life. First off, I received several notes from my classmates during each of my periods, asking if the rumors about me and Ami were true. Naturally, I crumpled them up and tossed them back at their owners. I wasn't about to dignify them with a response that could incriminate me any more than Ami's constant "affectionate" gestures already had.
Say what you want about her, but Ami was truly a great actress. Between the constant winks she fired at me, that had no intention of being discreet, and the origami hearts that she made from scraps of paper she had lying around and proudly displayed on her desk, to the fact that she had been writing, "I love Ryuu-chan" all over her notebook, which everyone had witnessed when she was asked to stand up and read out one of her responses to the reading we had done, I was sure that everyone was convinced that we were nothing less than the perfect couple. And when I had shared some of my bento with her at lunchtime, well, let's just say that I won't be doing that anytime soon.
But I think that the most impressive segment to her role came right after school ended and we were packing up to leave. I had already had my books stuffed into my bag and I was about to help Ami out with some of her stuff when I found myself pushed into a corner by Maya and Nanako. Well, more like Maya had pushed me and Nanako had been silently accompanying her.
"I have no idea what you're blackmailing Ami with, but you better stop right away." Maya spat in my face, stabbing an accusatory finger into my chest, while Nanako nodded along in agreement from behind her. I opened my mouth to retort, but I found that my throat dried up as I witnessed Maya's acrid glare that burned a hole through my head with its intensity. Why do all of the girls in our class have to be so intimidating?
"Maya, what do you think you're doing?" Ami's voice suddenly rang out, with a noticeable edge that instantly made my blood run cold, despite the fact that she was rushing to my defense. I couldn't even imagine how those two must feel right now. I imagine that it was something between shaken and terrified. Despite the fact that she normally kept up appearances in public, I think that even Maya and Nanako knew that messing with Ami was not a wise decision, or one that was conducive to staying alive.
"Oh-A-Ami! I was just checking out Takasu to make sure that he wasn't trying to take advantage of you or anything!" Maya laughed, desperately trying to save face in this moment. However, both of us knew that Ami was secretly furious, although she was doing an admirable job of hiding it.
She just kept her usual smile on her face and forcefully nudged herself in between her friends so that she could stand by my side and clutch my arm with a grip tight enough to cut off my circulation.
"Well, I appreciate your concern, but if Ryuu-chan was really doing something inappropriate to me, I would have the right mind to call the authorities." She said, her smile disappearing, replaced by a nasty snarl that I was glad not to be on the receiving end of, "Or are you saying that I don't have enough common sense to think of that myself?"
"Oh, no, Ami-chan! We were just trying to be good friends!" Nanako laughed, her hands trembling in fear. If it wasn't for the fact that those two had thrown me into the situation I was now in, I would've felt a little bit sorry for them. But a part of me found that I actually really appreciated Ami stepping in on my behalf. Even if it was just to keep people thinking that we were going out, I never had a girl actually stand up for me before, and it felt strangely fulfilling.
Instantly, Ami's scowl disappeared and the more docile smile she normally wore reappeared, much to our collective relief. I don't think that I could have handled another second with that heavy atmosphere.
"Well then, Ryuu-chan and I were planning on spending some time together after school today, so if you have any, tell me more concerns you have now!" She added, receiving two heads furiously shaking no in reply.
"I guess then we don't have anything else to talk about then. See you guys tomorrow!" Ami said, dragging me past the two stunned girls.
We didn't say a word until we reached a small café a couple of blocks away from school that we knew was frequented by a lot of fellow students, which made it a perfect place for a first date. Silently, we slid into a booth that was right by a window, allowing us an unobstructed view of the street outside. Immediately, Ami ordered an iced coffee while I asked for a Coke, with the server all too excited to get away from our table.
I sat stiffly, just hoping that Ami would say something to break the silence. Anything would have been appreciated. What I didn't expect was for her to start chuckling softly, half to me and half to herself. Did she need to see a therapist or something? Had she gone crazy already?
"Sorry. It's just that, well, saving the prince was a bit more satisfying than I had expected to be." Ami apologized, easing her laughs and settling back down into her normal state.
I smiled, seeing a bit of the irony in the situation as well, "Yeah, thanks for stepping in earlier."
"Think of it as me repaying you for taking care of me yesterday." Ami replied with a dismissive wave.
"Oh, believe me, getting to work with your kitchen was enough for me. I mean, just the way that your stove boiled the water like it was nothing! Usually, we have to wait for at least ten minutes for the water to boil on our stove. And I've never worked with better ingredients before in my life! Sure, it was just rice and some seasonings, but still, I don't think that I've cooked using something of such a high quality ever!" I began rambling a bit, but I didn't care. Ami deserved to know exactly how great her kitchen really was. I mean, if I didn't tell her, then who would?
To my surprise, Ami just sat there and began laughing again. And it wasn't forced in the slightest. Kawashima Ami was genuinely laughing. Her normal smile was gone, replaced instead by a wide grin that I had never seen before that made no attempt at quelling her chuckle. Her usually polite laugh was now punctuated occasionally by less than attractive snorting, which somehow only managed to add to the appeal with its honesty. It occurred to me in that moment that I had never seen Ami truly happy. I'd seen her fake happiness to the world, but I had never actually seen the part of her that had been hidden from the public eye, buried beneath the layers that she had put up as a front. And it was, dare I say, beautiful.
If I didn't know any better, I would have said that my heart skipped a beat just by staring at her.
"Jeez, Ryuuji, didn't you it's impolite to stare?" Ami pouted as she finally calmed herself down, but not before drawing looks from everyone else inside of the café, though I doubt she really cared about them.
"Sorry, I was just thinking of how much better you look when you're truly smiling, and not faking it. It feels more…human." I replied, adding, "You should do it more often."
"Oh, okay." Ami said softly, turning her head away from me, so that I could not see her face.
"But you know, you really are funny, Ryuuji." She whispered softly from her position, head adamantly facing the window and refusing to look back at me, "And it's a lot easier to laugh around you."
I smiled, not really knowing how to respond to that, and yet, feeling touched at the same time. Instead, I settled on a question that had been gnawing at me, "So Ami, I've been meaning to ask you this. Why exactly did you wait until now to ask me for my help? Couldn't you have asked me or someone else right when you transferred?"
Ami finally left her self-imposed exile and turned her head to face me once more, "It wasn't until I saw the way that Taiga was honest with herself that I really thought about it. I don't want to hear another confession to my fake persona. All of these boys only know my fake self, and they are only in love with an illusion. It sickens me."
Well, I could understood how she felt. I hated how people just assumed things about me for my appearance. I'm no delinquent, no matter what kind of face I had. And Ami was not the girl that her public persona had made her out to be, no matter how much her fans hoped and wished.
"I guess we are who we are, and nothing anyone says or does can really change us." I sighed, reclining back into my seat as our drinks arrived. I gently tore off the top of the paper sleeve that my straw had been hidden in before I slid it into my cup of dark brown liquid and took a deep sip, easing my parched throat. Meanwhile, Ami had left her coffee sit, making no move to touch it at all since it had arrived.
"For someone who's pretty dumb, you actually say some smart things." Ami admitted before she tipped her cup, the light brown coffee dancing over her lips, ice cubes clinking softly as she slowly drained the cup of its contents.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" I grumbled, affording us one last laugh before we focused on our respective drinks. I enjoyed the relative silence of the café, where thankfully, no one had bothered to approach us, with those who were curious content to merely observe from afar. After what I had just dealt with, I definitely appreciated the break from everything.
The sun had just begun to sink over the hills in the distance, with its faltering rays saturating the entire room a warm orange. In particular, Ami's face was bathed in its glow, accentuating her soft features and creating an inviting atmosphere to her entire appearance, free from any sort of sinister smirk or fake smile. Her eyes were closed and her head was tilted slightly back, almost as if she were taking a nap. Gently, her eyes flickered open, revealing her almost crystalline violet irises.
"Hey, Ryuuji, what would you do if I said that maybe I didn't want to just pretend to be your girlfriend? That I wanted to date you for real?" She asked after some careful deliberation on her part.
I shrugged my shoulders, "First, I would ask if your head was feeling okay."
"And why is that?" Ami asked curiously.
"Well, you could have anyone you wanted, right? Why would you choose me over anyone else you could date from the world of showbiz?" I replied, finding no problems in my reasoning. She was a model, I was just an ordinary guy from a small town. When you thought about it, we were from two different worlds, and the fact that we had even interacted to this point was actually quite remarkable.
"I should ask the same question. Would you choose me? I'm manipulative, self centered, and borderline sadistic, while you're kind and selfless." Ami retorted, hanging her head slightly in a dejected manner.
Well, I couldn't exactly deny that. She was all of those things, I supposed.
But I couldn't just let her say those kinds of things about herself. I don't know why I felt so strongly, but I couldn't help the words that spilled from my mouth, "But I know that there's a lot more to you than just that. You're a great actress. And everyone seems to like you, which is more than I can say for myself. I'm just the reject, while you're the star."
I noticed Ami fidgeting around nervously in her seat. Hm, that's odd. Kawashima Ami and nervous weren't usually words I associated with each other. But, it seemed that mustered up the courage to speak, "You know, I was really being serious about what I just said. I really do want to try dating you for real."
"Huh?" I managed before I was assaulted by a pair of lips smashing upon my own. The first thing I noticed was the way that Ami's still wet lips mixed with my slightly chapped ones, starting a small spark of electricity that ran the entire length of my body, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up on edge in anticipation.
I had no idea of how most people act when they're kissing, but I followed the lead of the manga I've read before and I closed my eyes as I savored Ami's taste. I don't know if it matters, but my first kiss tasted of coffee, with a slight hint of Coke at the end.
Did the kiss come kinda quickly? Maybe, but I've always gotten the impression that Ami was aware of her own feelings ever since the stalker incident, give how cognizant she is, and if she had just disregarded Taiga, she could have confessed to Ryuuji in the series. Does this mean that the story is over though? No, far from it. Some of my favorite romance manga and anime have been Itazura na Kiss and Say I Love You, which go far beyond the first kiss, which is my intention, because if you think that a relationship between Ami and Ryuuji was going to be perfect, then you have another thing coming.
Hopefully, you guys will want to keep reading and you'll help me out by leaving either a review or PM. Thanks so much for reading so far!
