Masami drummed her fingers impatiently on the table while Haruka smiled at her phone. Masami rolled her eyes dramatically; she could practically imagine hearts circling around Haruka's head. The girl was clearly in love but it wasn't sure if the boy in question felt the same way towards her.

"Haruka, are you even listening?"

"Hm? Yeah, I am. The food in Bali was absolutely divine and you lost weight."

Masami tsk-ed sharply; Haruka was good at multitasking, which was a skill that Masami lacked.

"Who are you even texting, Haruka? I thought you missed me!"

Haruka put her phone on the table and turned her attention to Masami, who was pouting.

"I do miss you, Masami! You know what, you're right. I should be giving you all my attention. Continue on with your story, Masami; I want to hear every little detail!"

Masami continued on with her story but their eyes immediately went to Haruka's phone when it buzzed, signaling that a text message had arrived. Haruka twitched but she bit her lip, reminding herself that Masami was more important than the phone. But still…

Haruka protested when Masami grabbed the phone and unlocked it, her eyes quickly scanning over the text message. She gave Haruka an accusing glare when Haruka successfully regained possession of the phone.

"What is this?" Masami exclaimed, "Since when were you and Kuga-san on first-name relations with each other?" Masami dramatically draped her arm over her brow and slumped in her chair, "It all makes sense now! No wonder you're so lovey-dovey today."

"Wha-wait, lovey-dovey? I wouldn't say that, Masami. It's nothing like that."

"Then what was that? 'We are eating udon today; are you jealous?' What's up with that text?"

Haruka was struggling to explain herself. She took a deep breath and met Masami's gaze.

"To be honest, Masami...I think you were right all along. I like Kyosuke. We sort of had a heart-to-heart talk so we understand each other a little more now and I was the one who accidentally called him by his first name but now he's calling me by my first name and-"

"Slow down, Haruka. Take a breath. Here, drink this; you haven't touched your drink in hours."

Haruka nodded and took deep breaths while taking small sips of her drink.

Masami patted Haruka's hand,

"Haruka, I don't mind that you like a guy. I think it's a great thing! You're making progress in life! It's one thing if a guy hurts you but it's another thing if he hurts you because you allowed him to hurt you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Kind of?"

"What I'm trying to say is that I don't want you to get your hopes up. Sure, he's a great guy and you like him but if he ends up deciding that you're better off as a friend then you've set yourself up for failure by completely opening yourself to him," Masami gently squeezed Haruka's hand, "It's okay to play coy. It's okay to be a little mysterious. I don't want you to get hurt because from what I see, you're going all in, diving head first at full speed."

Haruka nodded and exhaled softly, allowing Masami's words to sink into her head. She glanced at her phone; she hadn't responded to Kyosuke's text message yet. Haruka returned Masami's gesture and she gently squeezed her hand.

"Thank you, Masami. You're right; I need to keep my head out of the clouds and be more realistic."

Masami smiled, satisfied that she had gotten through to Haruka.

"Wanna go to the mall? Kyosuke said that he, Hasekura-san, and Yagami-san are shopping for new running shoes."

Masami's eyes instantly brightened,

"Yagami-san is there? Let's go!"

Haruka laughed and the two girls quickly gathered their things before they sprinted out of the cafe.