Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo.
Title: Box of Chocolates
Pairing: One sided Ichigo/Orihime, some Ichi/Ruki
Inspiration: Heartbreak
She was right all along. He never loved her.
"So what do you think?" He looked at her expectantly.
Even though the freshman were playing in gym, even though the track team was practicing, even though you could hear the traffic from the highway, Orihime felt like she was lost in a silent world.
She thought for what felt like a century, but it was truly a second. She took a steadying breath and looked him in the eye.
"No." She said assertively.
Ichigo crinkled his hazel eyes. "Why not? You're friends with Rukia." He didn't understand. He never did.
"Ichigo, I can't really…just…not now, okay?" Orihime stood up, and bent down to get her backpack. She could hear the freshman play in their gym class. She could hear their happy chatter, the hits of the ball, the whistles.
"Orihime, I really want to do this right, I mean, Rukia's the only girl I ever truly loved and I wanna…" Ichigo rose to his feet and walked to Orihime.
Orihime turned around sharply, her dark auburn swinging wildly around her.
"I've known you my entire life. And then all of a sudden, you fall head over heels for some girl you don't even know!" She cried out. Her voice wanted to crack, her heart wanted to shatter, her brain wanted to scream.
"She's not 'some girl'. Rukia's the most amazing girl I've ever known and I love her more than anyone…" Ichigo snapped back.
But he was cut off because Orihime had reached out and slapped him straight across his cheek. The freshman gym class had stopped what they had been doing, and everyone, including the gym teacher was staring at the two.
"Orihime, I…" Ichigo rethought his actions and words, but it was too late.
"I'm sorry. I can't help you." Orihime started to head back to the B building. She wouldn't be late for AP English because of this.
But Ichigo turned her around and caught her before she could go. He put his hands on her waist and drew her in close to him.
"Look, you're a really great friend and all, but…" Ichigo tried to apologize, but it didn't help. He pursued the girl with gray eyes in front of him, but he couldn't catch up to her. So he put his hands on her waist and drew her in close to him.
Orihime paused, letting the words sink in. Then she put her hands on his chest and pushed him away.
"A 'really great friend'? Is that all I am to you?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper. Wisps of wind swirled around the pair, making Orihime's long hair dance around.
"Orihime," Ichigo rushed to eat his share of humble pie, but Orihime was already leaving him as the five-minute bell rang. He reached out and grabbed her hand from behind.
"Let me go, Ichigo." She snapped, pulling her hand away harshly from his. His hand tried to grab at the empty air, but it was a failure. She was gone.
Orihime realized that she hadn't called him Kurosaki-kun until it was too late. But she knew what it meant.
He wasn't hers anymore.
Was it too rushed? ANY IDEAS FOR NEXT CHAPTER? (And thanks for all the reviews! Reviews are love, so I LOVE YOU GUYS!)
~A