"Any three?" I asked, just to clear it up.
"Any three." He shifted a little, making sure I was still firmly in his grip.
"Okay..." Hm... Maybe I should have let him go first. I couldn't think of anything! "What did you think..." I turned my head, so that I couldn't see him. "When I said I wanted to kiss you?"
"Oh... I thought... um... pass?"
"Roxas."
He sighed. "Okay, fine. I thought that... I would really love to kiss you, but I don't think I'm really ready. I had never really thought about kissing you, so... I didn't really know what to think."
"I want you to do something, then." I moved my head back.
"Anything."
"Tell me when you are."
He was quiet. "Sure."
"Okay, number two. Do you hate me for ruining our date?"
"Okay, I'm going to pretend you didn't even ask that. Namine I could never hate you. I swear."
"So that one doesn't count?"
"No, because it's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
I giggled. "Okay, okay. Um... Why did you come up and talk to me that one day under the tree?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you talk to me? Just... completely random."
"Well, you were always there by yourself, and you looked really nice. I've seen you around school and you were really, really cute. But, I'm not a pervert!"
I laughed. "Okay." My smile slipped away, and I loosened my hands even more. I snuggled my forehead into his neck. "Roxas? Do you think... that your mom would have liked me?"
I was surprised by how quickly he responded. "Absolutely." I smiled, and closed my eyes.
"Your turn." My voice was soft.
"Okay, let's see...What do you think of every boy in the group?"
"What?" I laughed. "Roxas, are you kidding me? That can't be a serious question."
"It is. Dead serious."
"Roxas, it's nice to know you trust me so much."
"That's not it. I trust you. This is just... door open for you."
I smiled and shook my head. "Fine. Hm... Well I'm like madly in love with Riku, and–"
"Namine!"
"Fine, fine. But that's what you get for picking this question."
"Well still, you can't imagine the images I'm getting. If you absolutely had to pick another guy in the group, why Riku? Riku over me?"
"Aw, Roxas. Are you jealous?" I teased him.
"Of Riku? Honestly I never thought I would be, but yes! If he has you, I'm very jealous. Very jealous of the luckiest man on earth."
"Oh my God you suck."
"What? Why?"
"Why do you always have to go and say those insanely sweet things? Stupid!"
"Hey, stop avoiding your question!"
"Fine, but I might forget someone, so you tell me who to describe."
"One hundred percent honest?"
"Nothing less."
"Sora."
"He's nice, and I like his hair. I think he's like... the cutest thing on earth when he stands next to Kairi. They are too cute."
"Hayner."
"Ew." He laughed. "Oh! No, no! Not like that!"
"Oh I am so telling him!" He said, still laughing.
"No! Roxas! I meant like... boyfriend's-best-friend-ew."
He stopped laughing. "N-Namine..."
"Yeah?"
"You said... boyfriend."
"Oh! Sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean that!" I had forgotten, but then, it shouldn't have mattered. If he corrected me, he obviously didn't want what I wanted. Oops.
"Okay... So anyway... Riku? Are you still madly in love with him?"
"Riku? No. Um... I think he tries to be a little too smooth. If he tried being himself with girls, they'd like him a lot more. That's why the twins do. I mean, you can't be any more real than with two little girls. Here, I'll keep going, tell me if I forget someone. Tidus is nice, but he can say stupid things sometimes, and he's really funny, so that's good. Pence is cute, but in like... a little brother way. He's just cool like that, you know? Wakka is... I don't really know... but you have nothing to worry about. And... oh. There that's everyone."
"You forgot two."
"Well, I wasn't counting you. But... who else?"
"Kazuki..."
"Oh, Kazi? How could I forget him? Well..." I started to think, and smiled, just doing so. Kazuki was my best friend. "He's really sweet, he always makes me feel better. I can talk to him without thinking, he knows everything about me. He looks out for me, he's kind of cute... I can trust him so easily. He understands the way I feel."
Roxas sighed. "And me?" He sounded almost sad.
"You... are... the sweetest person I know. You are drop dead gorgeous and I always feel like I can tell you anything. I think that most of the time you– Am I getting heavy?"
"No. Go on."
"I think that most of the time you know how I feel, but what makes you even better is that you try to help... even when you don't." I stopped, realizing that what I said about Kazuki might have had some affect on him. "And I like you... so much more than anybody else I just named." He shifted a little again.
"Wow... okay... question two. What did... you think when you said you wanted to kiss me?"
"Oh. I... didn't expect that question. I thought..." I sighed. Oh my gosh. One hundred percent honest? I couldn't tell him that I said it instead of... "I said it so I wouldn't have to say something else. But I really would like to kiss you. I just have to be patient, and wait for you."
"What was the other thing you were gonna say? And that's my last question."
"The other thing?" Crap. How did I say... I love you? "Um... one hundred percent honest?"
"Nothing less."
"Well... in one hundred percent honesty... I can't tell you yet."
He opened his mouth, but said nothing. "Okay. I guess that's fair." He let me down. "This is your stop."
I looked up at the apartment. "Roxas, do you want a ride home? It's kind of late."
"No thanks. I'll make it."
"Are you sure?" He started to walk away, but I caught his wrist. "I worry about you." He stopped. "And in one hundred percent honesty... noone else." His hand fell and I turned, walking to the stairway alone.
---
"Any three?" She asked.
"Any three." I moved my arm a bit, just to make sure I had her in a good grip.
"Okay..." It was quiet for a while. She was thinking. "What did you think..." She turned her head and faced away from me and I knew it would be awkward. "When I said I wanted to kiss you?"
"Oh... I thought... um... pass?"
"Roxas."
I sighed. "Okay, fine. I thought that... I would really love to kiss you, but I don't think I'm really ready. I had never really thought about kissing you, so... I didn't really know what to think."
"I want you to do something, then." She moved her head back, which probably meant it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.
"Anything." Anything. Anything.
"Tell me when you are."
That was kinda cute, but she couldn't really have wanted to kiss me that bad. "Sure."
"Okay, number two. Do you hate me for ruining our date?"
"Okay, I'm going to pretend you didn't even ask that. Namine I could never hate you. I swear."
"So that one doesn't count?"
"No, because it's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." And it was.
She giggled, the sweetest, most innocent sound. "Okay, okay. Um... Why did you come up and talk to me that one day under the tree?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you talk to me? Just... completely random." She knew she liked it.
"Well, you were always there by yourself, and you looked really nice. I've seen you around school and you were really, really cute. But, I'm not a pervert!"
She laughed. "Okay." She was starting to get comfortable, and she nuzzled her forehead into my neck. I couldn't help but smile. "Roxas? Do you think... that your mom would have liked me?"
I didn't hesitate to answer. "Absolutely." I had a smile on my face knowing that she cared about that, but yeah. My mom would have loved her.
"Your turn." Her voice was light.
"Okay, let's see...What do you think of every boy in the group?" My way of asking... what do you think of Kazuki.
"What?" She laughed. "Roxas, are you kidding me? That can't be a serious question."
"It is. Dead serious."
"Roxas, it's nice to know you trust me so much."
"That's not it. I trust you. This is just... door open for you."
I could feel her moving her head around on my shoulder, before pressing it back into place against the side of my neck. "Fine. Hm... Well I'm like madly in love with Riku, and–"
"Namine!"
"Fine, fine. But that's what you get for picking this question."
"Well still, you can't imagine the images I'm getting. If you absolutely had to pick another guy in the group, why Riku? Riku over me?" Anyone, she has ANYONE and... Riku?! Come on, not that's there's anything wrong with the guy but... still...
"Aw, Roxas. Are you jealous?"
"Of Riku? Honestly I never thought I would be, but yes! If he has you, I'm very jealous. Very jealous of the luckiest man on earth."
"Oh my God you suck." WHAT THE?! I thought I was being nice... and honest.
"What? Why?"
"Why do you always have to go and say those insanely sweet things? Stupid!" Don't most girls... I don't know... like that?
"Hey, stop avoiding your question!"
"Fine, but I might forget someone, so you tell me who to describe."
"One hundred percent honest?"
"Nothing less."
"Sora."
"He's nice, and I like his hair. I think he's like... the cutest thing on earth when he stands next to Kairi. They are too cute."
"Hayner."
"Ew." I laughed. Oh wow. "Oh! No, no! Not like that!"
"Oh I am so telling him!" I said. I couldn't really hold it in.
"No! Roxas! I meant like... boyfriend's-best-friend-ew."
I stopped. Boyfriend. Not that I didn't want it, because I wanted it more than anything, but I didn't want her to think I was being rude if I didn't correct her. "N-Namine..."
"Yeah?"
"You said... boyfriend."
"Oh! Sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean that!" Didn't mean... or didn't want?
"Okay... So anyway... Riku? Are you still madly in love with him?"
"Riku? No. Um... I think he tries to be a little too smooth. If he tried being himself with girls, they'd like him a lot more. That's why the twins do. I mean, you can't be any more real than with two little girls. Here, I'll keep going, tell me if I forget someone. Tidus is nice, but he can say stupid things sometimes, and he's really funny, so that's good. Pence is cute, but in like... a little brother way. He's just cool like that, you know? Wakka is... I don't really know... but you have nothing to worry about. And... oh. There that's everyone."
"You forgot two."
"Well, I wasn't counting you. But... who else?"
"Kazuki..." Only the whole point of the question...
"Oh, Kazi? How could I forget him? Well..." It kind of bugged me that she called him Kazi, but I wasn't going to say anything. "He's really sweet, he always makes me feel better. I can talk to him without thinking, he knows everything about me. He looks out for me, he's kind of cute... I can trust him so easily. He understands the way I feel."
I sighed. Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought. "And me?" I knew I couldn't really beat... 'Kazi'...
"You... are... the sweetest person I know. You are drop dead gorgeous and I always feel like I can tell you anything. I think that most of the time you– Am I getting heavy?"
"No. Go on."
"I think that most of the time you know how I feel, but what makes you even better is that you try to help... even when you don't." She paused, and I knew why. So like Percilla in the way that they couldn't leave someone hurt. "And I like you... so much more than anybody else I just named." I shifted uneasily. She said it so I wouldn't have gotten offended. But did she mean it? We were almost to her house.
"Wow... okay... question two. What did... you think when you said you wanted to kiss me?" And what did she started to say before.
"Oh. I... didn't expect that question. I thought..." She sighed. "I said it so I wouldn't have to say something else. But I really would like to kiss you. I just have to be patient, and wait for you."
"What was the other thing you were gonna say? And that's my last question." The only way she would tell me.
"The other thing? Um... one hundred percent honest?"
"Nothing less."
"Well... in one hundred percent honesty... I can't tell you yet." And even still, she wouldn't.
I opened my mouth, but there was nothing to be said. At least there was a 'yet'. "Okay. I guess that's fair." I set her down. "This is your stop."
We looked up at the apartment building, standing tall and rivaling the night sky. "Roxas, do you want a ride home? It's kind of late."
"No thanks. I'll make it."
"Are you sure?" I didn't answer, but started to walk. Unfortunately, she caught my wrist. "I worry about you." I paused. "And in one hundred percent honesty... noone else." My hand fell and I waited for a while, until I heard her turn and walk away, then I continued on my way, alone.