Chapter three
i gave you a lollypop, and you took my heart with it.
These past few days Cagalli has still been wearing that smile. Milly doesn't say anything because she knows the reason and it can all be summed up to one name: Athrun Zala. Her other non-snob classmates kept pestering her to share to them what happened but cagalli was tight-lipped.
"Ah, cagalli, I won't be hanging around in the garden today. It's my brother's birthday today. I have to buy him a gift." milly said while packing her bag.
"Oh, it's okay. Say happy birthday for me, milly-ah. And that my gift would be delayed." Cagalli wore her backpack bag. "I'm off then. Take care milly."
"Bye! Go home early!" And the two of them headed opposite directions.
As milly went her way to the mall, cagalli headed to the school garden. Without her best friend, the task would add about fifteen minutes more than their usual time. She was having a hard time carrying the water-filled sprinkler. "Aish, where's milly when you need her." cagalli mumbled.
"Is it really that heavy?" A voice a few feet away asked.
"Yes." cagalli replied without looking at the source of the voice.
"Do you need help?" The person asked again.
"Yes, than-" cagalli now turned around and her jaw dropped lower if possible. "athrun-sama..."
"hi." Athrun raised his hand. You know that kind of 'raise-hand' that melts the girls.
"H-Hello." cagalli greeted back and bowed.
"No need to be so polite, cagalli." Athrun approached her. "Hand me the sprinkler."
As cagalli handed over the object, their skin touched for a split second. Their surroundings momentarily stopped. The falling leaves were left suspended in the air. The flowers bent as the wind breezed by. There's no jolting electricity. That's too cliché. Instead, everything stopped as their skin came in contact and their eyes locked.
cagalli broke the gaze and looked somewhere else where she could calm her now racing heart. "Thank you for helping, at-athrun." There she was again - stuttering his name.
"You're welcome. So, how should I do this?" athrun gestured to the sprinkler.
"You can water the plants but please not too much or they'll drown." cagalli instructed him. athrun then burst into soft laughter. And cagalli abruptly looked at him.
"The way you said that they'll drown. It's priceless." athrun burst again in laughter.
"It's not funny..." cagalli pouted and just stared at the plants in front of her.
"You're just too cute, cagalli." athrun said and turned around to water the plants.
Five. Four. Three. Two. One. BEEP! His words had just dawned on athrun. He said I was cute. C-Cute? She felt her face flushed.
They spent the first couple of minutes watering the plants until cagalli broke the on-going silence.
"athrun..." cagalli started. Good going there girl - no stutters at all.
"Yes?" athrun turned around to face her.
"You have soccer practice right?"
"Nope. Coach told us to have the day off." He replied as he finished with watering the plants.
"Eh? You have the day off? Then... Then, you're not supposed to be helping me here." cagalli fidgeted with her fingers looking at him. Quite the nervous girl she is right now. Duh, she's all alone with her long time crush.
"Why shouldn't I? You need help and I'm lending you a helping hand. Would you rather get rid of me then?" athrun smirked at her.
"N-No! It's not that... sports gives you the aches and I was just worried you'd ache more by helping me here..." cagalli trailed off embarrassed by sounding too eager to have him stay.
"This is nothing compared to the practice coach gives us. You're worried... about me, cagalli?"
"In a senior-junior way... that is." cagalli countered so he wouldn't think of her liking him or anything in line with that.
"Oh." Sounded like he was disappointed. Or are we just looking over things too much? "Well, the deed is done. What's next?"
"I-I think that's it. milly and I just fertilized them so today's only watering." cagalli took his and her bag from one of the benches and handed his over. "Thank you for today, athrun-sama. You've been a great help."
"You're always welcome, cagalli." He shoved his bag on his back and looked at the shy cagalli in front of him. He was quite confused as to why she was rummaging her bag as if looking for something so important.
"Here." cagalli shoved something towards him. "A thank-you gift from me."
"A lollypop?" athrun held it up high as if examining the little sweet candy.
"Y-yes, it's my last one." cagalli shifted in her feet. "And my favorite one..."
"Cherry? So cherry-flavor is your type of candy, cagalli." athrun pocketed the little sweet. "Are you going home then?"
"Eh? Yes, I am." cagalli glanced at her watch. It's still early. It's about the same time she and milly go home.
"I'll walk you then."
"Excuse me?" cagalli asked as if she heard him wrong.
"I'll walk you to the parking was... what I meant." athrun cleared his throat.
"Oh. That's not necessary. athrun-sama."
"I'm heading to the parking as well. You have your bike I have my car. So basically I'd be walking with you, right?"
"Right... That's some good logic." cagalli smiled at him.
Other students were just on their way home - some were in groups happily talking, some were couples holding hands and some were taking their time.
When they arrived at the left wing or otherwise known as the parking space, cagalli walked at the end for the bicycles' space were located there while the cars were on the front. She hopped on the seat, put her bag on the basket and pedalled her bike.
As she was on her way out the school gates, a car honked at her. The driver's side window pulled down and revealed the man of her dreams.
"Thanks for the candy." athrun pulled out the sweet from his pocket. "Take care, cagalli." athrunJ waved her goodbye with his oh-so-heart-melting smile.
That night, cagalli couldn't sleep even for a minute or two. Her eyes were still wide awake and heart couldn't seem to slow down even for a second. Doesn't she give us the perfect image of a girl in love? It's all or nothing, cagalli thought. She reached out for her phone and dialled a number.
"hello? cagalli?"
"Oh, milly-ah."
"Why are you calling? It's late already."
"Something happened today."
W-What? Did you get in an accident? Is auntie and uncle alright? Oh! Don't tell me something happened to Yu Na." A frantic milly blabbered.
"No, no. Nothing happened to them. It's... It's..."
"You do know that you have to put it into words, cagalli."
"ATHRUN."
"Okay, okay you can tell me. What is it?" She gave in to her best friend.
"I'm so happy milly!" calli shrieked but not that loud as to not disturb the people fast asleep. "This afternoon athrun helped me with the garden. The sprinkler was just too heavy for me and then he offered his hand. I wonder how you can carry that. Anyways we talked for a while before he... he accompanied me with my walk towards my bike! Geez. And... And he told me I was cute. Telling you this is embarrassing." cagalli giggled like there was no end.
"That's nice of him. I'm glad for you. It's a good thing then that I wasn't there. How about this calli , I'll go home while you tend the plants and then who knows, he might help you again?"
"Yah, Miriallia Haww! You're just trying to escape!"
"Of course not. I wouldn't exchange the plants we have cared for so many months now."
"Right."
"Yah, are you doubting me?" milly played along with her. "It's been a day for you, huh. I wish you all the best, calli!"
"Thanks. But yesterday you told me not to have high hopes. Why are you giving me such encouraging words, milly-ah?"
"Hm. Maybe, this thing between you and him has a potential to lead to a good ending."
"I hope so, too."