"The course of true love never did run smooth." - William Shakespeare

Chapter 2

Her heart sank from the words she had overheard from afar, leaning back against the skinny trunks of the abrasive trees.

They felt so lively, and all too real... no, she wasn't referring to her herbaceous friends, whose shadow unintentionally cloaked her from the sight of the pair. Instead, she was referring to Chitoge Kirisaki's extremely vocal confession. Given, it wasn't something that she could ever do herself, but she had just witnessed her dear friend shouting it out aloud for everyone to hear, like a lioness marking down her territory; fear clenched her heart.

She didn't want to hear it in the first place. The thought of the gangster heiress eventually falling for the boy actually crossed her mind multiple times; a thought that had kept her worried, extremely uneasy and sometimes deprived of sleep. Kosaki Onodera hadn't even considered running into them on the weekends, and to think that she managed to converge paths with the pair at the wrong place, and at the wrong time. Who would ever thought that a simple Sunday stroll would turn into a one-sided game of hide and seek?

A part of her wanted to leave that place, to vanish into the shadows, while another urged her to stay. Kosaki didn't want to end up getting hurt by what would most likely happen in the next minute, but she needed to hear his response. After all, it would just as likely that he would just reject Chitoge...right?

In that moment, she felt like a soldier hiding behind the broken walls of the enemy base; bullets flying all around her. If she attempted to look out from her hiding place, she would end up getting shot...or realistically, noticed; something that could potentially ruin their small group's friendships.

Despite her somewhat suspicious behavior, Kosaki was dressed in eye-catching attire; a white sundress with frills and laces dangling at the rims. Haru insisted on her wearing that thing before she left the house. Kosaki could help but feel uncomfortable, knowing full well that it would draw the attention of those around her.

Closing her eyes slowly, Kosaki slumped against the rough wooden surface behind her. Maybe I'm just overthinking what could happen next... she thought to herself as her senses gradually heightened. But if I left now...would it be worth it?

Raku couldn't help but notice a happiness bubbling in his stomach. Happiness… was that the feeling that defined the rapid beating of one's heart? The tingly fluffiness that tickled the soul? That it made one smile? That's probably not it, and Raku knew it. As he sat there on the bench staring into her sparkling blue eyes, something told him he needed to think of a response, and quickly. And what would that do then? He thought to himself as he suddenly looked away from her, perplexing the blonde lass to no avail. Would it do any good if I just flat out told her how I felt right now or continue lying to her if I don't?

Standing abruptly, Raku rose quickly to stand in a similar manner to Chitoge's.

He looks like he's about to leave. She thought, her eyes slowly tearing up at the thought.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she called out, with her voice shaken and broken.
"Isn't this supposed to be the part where you say that you love me too?" she continued, her tone slowly turning bitter.

"Who knows?" he responded, his voice sounding stoic and serious. "I could walk away at any moment", he continued, promptly turning his back to her, "So keep your eyes peeled."

That was it! She'd had it with his extremely dense behavior. And what was worse? He even placed those horrid words in the same sentence to mess with her head again. But it looked like he really was going to do as he inferred, judging by the tone of his voice, the firmness of his body and the intensity simmering in his eyes. Chitoge's heart sank rapidly like that of the Titanic in 1912. She had to stop him before he took his first steps away from her; if she said nothing, she might lose him for good. With her eyes closed, brows bent and fists balled, she snapped. She needed to knock some sense into insensitive bastard, no matter how much it would hurt her.

"I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!" Chitoge yelled with all her might, her voice all cracking up at the end, only to be followed by silent sniffles. Thankfully, nobody else was walking through the park at that time, with the exception of a concealed and shocked Kosaki Onodera, who sat within the vegetation, her mouth covered by her pale hands.

"Why did it have to be you that I fell in love with?!" the blonde heiress barked loudly, with the veins in her shaking fists thickening by the minute.

Raku stopped in his tracks, unmoving and unspeaking.

"Say something, idiot!"

It hurt. She wanted to hit him hard. "Face me like a man!" I can't... She taunted, with her face clearly giving away her mixed feelings of sadness and frustration. "Why do you have to be such a fucking-"

"Shut up." He muttered as he finally turned back to face her.

Thump.

What is this warm feeling? The blonde heiress pondered, lost in her confusion. She felt something firm pressing against her body, without the intention of letting go. It was Raku, hugging her in the most awkward way she could possibly describe one to do at a park.

"Do you think I would be stupid enough to just leave you here?" he muttered nervously with his face turning crimson red.

"B-But, you said that..."

"Keep your eyes peeled, right?" he responded calmly.

With her chest pressing against his, she could feel his heartbeat resonating with hers, both rhythms unusually fast for a pair of quarrelling teens held in such relaxed position such as this.

"You're such a dork." she responded with a sniffle, tears welling in her eyes once again. "An idiot beansprout dork!" she exclaimed, with the tears in her eyes gradually thickening like syrup.

"I'm sorry." he whispered in her ear as he carefully caressed her hair in a rather platonic manner. "I shouldn't have said those things to you. It's just that I didn't have the time to think out what happened earlier. And to be completely honest with you, I wasn't prepared to react to your...y-your..."

"Confession?" she sniffed, her eyes sparkling like a horde of shimmering stars.

"Yeah. That." Raku's cheeks flushed as he said it. "It just felt so surreal; like I was in some dream or something; as if you never spoke those words at all." he continued.

"Is that so?" Chitoge asked as her arms started to wrap themselves around his waist. "Then I would say it again, over and over until you would understand. Thick headed idiot."

Chitoge... he thought as he gazed into her sincere looking eyes; her face graced with a smile that would ease any heart of those who looked upon it. That's right. I've been lying to myself this whole time. I've been harbouring some feelings for Chitoge for quite a while now, yet I've been rejecting them and dismissing them over and over again. And now, it turns out that the person she likes all this time...is me.

"I love you, Raku." she whispered, her smile still beaming with unwavering innocence. Even though he had heard those words from her more than once, that sentence still caught him off-guard.

"You don't have to say that again." Raku protested gently.

"Why is that?" she asked, tightening her grip around his waist.

"It's just not...fair." he explained briefly, with his eyes closing as he trailed off.

"Why did it have to be fair all of the sudden? This is not a game of cards you know."

"It's because I haven't told you my answer yet." he stated, a look of determination on his face, like it was his destiny to say those words only to the one closest to his heart. "Listen, Chitoge...I..."

"Stop." she commanded, with a single finger pressing against his lips to silence him. This perplexed the beansprout to no end. And after all what happened today, she would be able to cut him off just like that? He deserved it for unintentionally breaking and fixing her heart all in one afternoon. Silence was probably the best punishment for him, for now, that is.

"I don't want to pressure you into saying the wrong things." Chitoge said, as she slowly leaned towards the left side of his face, her eyes closed and a peaceful look on her face.

She lightly pecked Raku's cheek and gently loosened her grip around him. His heart fluttered as he felt her soft lips touch the surface of his skin. It felt like he could fly around the world in moments; like he could conquer the entire galaxy with the tip of his fingers.

"You can let go of me now." she smiled as her cheeks flushed red.

"What was that for?!" he exclaimed as he nervously let her go.

"Think of it as a little gift from yours truly." she winked as she slightly lifted the rims of her skirt, with the intention of scrambling up his mind into utter confusion.

"T-That's not cool, Chitoge! Not cool!" the flustered beansprout protested, a truckload of steam jutting out of the back of his head like a boiled out tea pot. Naturally, Chitoge burst into laughter.

"W-What's so funny?" he muttered as he crossed his arms.

"The pathetic look on your face looked ridiculous!" Chitoge giggled softly.

"I couldn't help it. That was the first time you've taunted me like that, I didn't know how to react." Raku explained as he gently scratched the back of his head, looking at the ground below him.

"I wasn't taunting." she stated as she jokingly pushed him away on one side. "And plus, you're acting as if I've never kissed your cheek before", the now jovial blonde continued, her eyes finally drying out like the aftermath of a quick summer rain.

"And look at you. Acting all jolly and stuff, as if you never cried like a baby in the first place." the beansprout teased as he gently flicked her on the forehead.

"Hey, that hurts!" she blurted out, rubbing her forehead repeatedly with her delicate fingers.

"Believe me, I did it with only 5% of my physical strength." Raku smiled as he gently nudged her back for before.

"You're lying", Chitoge muttered, her left hand still resting on the surface of her forehead.

"No I'm not", he replied.

"Idiot".

"Gorilla".

After a few seconds of staring into each other's eyes, the pair managed to crack up into a fit of awkward laughter.

"C'mon, we've been standing here for nearly 8 minutes. Go treat me some ramen already." Chitoge smirked as she playfully tugged his shirt like an eager, innocent little girl.

"Fine, just don't eat too much." Raku responded, his hands now buried deep into his pockets.

"I won't... Well, maybe". Chitoge grinned at the thought of her slurping into a steaming bowl of free noodles after going through such an emotional roller coaster of an afternoon.

No, that probably wasn't it

She grinned at the thought of actually kissing him...even if it was only on the cheek. It may not have been a scene straight out of The Notebook, but it was indeed something she would think about in the days to come, like a love struck schoolgirl; a pathetic, love struck school girl who looked like she's going to be married to her crush the very next day.

"What are you waiting for?" Raku called out, with the intent of deliberately catching her attention. "Let's go! Our date isn't over yet." he continued with a smile etched on his face.

"Date...huh?" she muttered silently, but it was loud enough for the beansprout to make out.

"So, um...hold my hand?" the heiress pleaded, her hand slightly extended, craving for his touch.

"Sure." he shrugged as their hands slowly intertwined.

"Promise you won't let go?" she asked, her shimmering blue eyes glistening as the sun's light illuminated them like sparkling gems.

"I won't."

"I love everything about you except the fact that you're not mine." - Anonymous

Kosaki bit her lip. Her slender, pale body had been shaking since she had laid eyes on the pair hugging each other. She had always wanted to be wrapped in Raku's broad and warm arms. She would have given anything for her to have switched places with Chitoge, even if only for a few moments in his arms. No, that's not true. She wanted him to be hers, and hers alone; not willing to share him with anyone else, even if it was someone she deeply cared about.

What the hell was she even thinking? She's was the ever so considerate, kind-hearted and saintly Kosaki Onodera. She shouldn't be considering such grim feelings, even if nobody knew she had them. Normally, she would brush most things off and smile regardless of the emotional pain it caused. But for some reason, she couldn't help but feel angered, annoyed and irritable; she couldn't help but feel extremely disheartened and melancholic; uncertain of what she knew of herself anymore.

It all seemed too wrong for the slender brunette. She wasn't like this; she didn't want to continue acting that way for the next few days; it would only confuse and cause trouble for those around her. But despite knowing this, it hurt to remember the scene that had unfolded before her. Despite her disapproval of how she was responding, she couldn't shake a feeling of anxiousness; like butterflies thrashing in her stomach. That's probably why I hate it.

She wanted to slap herself, reminding herself that it was just for show. After all, they were being forced to date each other to prevent more conflict between their families. So it'd totally normal for them to go all lovey dovey in public for all to see...right? Despite her best intentions to bring rational thought to her darkening, scrambled head, she couldn't bring herself to believe it. The brunette wanted to punch something with her delicate, fragile hands.

I don't want to stir up trouble for my own selfish needs. Besides, there plenty of other men in the world. It's not like Raku was exclusively made for me. He might be just another harsh lesson for me to learn more about life and its mysteries…

…might…

To hell with the other males in the world. She loved him, and she knew that she wouldn't fall for another. It just seemed too impossible and unthinkable to do; the thought of doing so hurt her. Even so, she couldn't blame Chitoge for unknowingly liking the same guy as her. Raku had a gentle soul, and she probably saw that in him every time the two would hook up for their scheduled fake dates; it was only natural that she'd eventually fall for him. But what Kosaki witnessed that afternoon was what she couldn't accomplish; conveying her feelings in the most passionate and vocal way imaginable.

Maybe she was just exaggerating things. Who know, it might be an embrace of friendship. Rejection, perhaps? That's also was a possibility. Whether she liked it or not, one thing was for certain: Kosaki was undeniably jealous.

So, that concludes the first chapter. First of all, I wanted to apologize to you guys for messing with your heads in the first chapter, and for taking a while to finish writing this. I hope I didn't disappoint you guys this time, and if I did, that would be an absolute bummer for me. Well, I wanna give some shout outs to ChaosOmega8, Echopapa1, Shiho M, sv, and Guest for taking their time on reading my flimsy little fic. It really warms my heart to see your reviews, and it gives me a lot of inspiration to write more. Even though I only have like around 1 fave and 3 follows as of this moment, it seems like a huge blessing for me. I hope you guys would continue supporting me on the way. There's still a lot for me to go through.