II. NOT CUDDLING

Are you coming to Blake's party tomorrow?

Maka read the text message from Soul. They've been exchanging messages, having friendly chats and those daily 'good morning's and 'how are you's text messages but they never actually tried to meet up after that club night - the first time they met - which was two weeks ago. It was impressive how they could talk about the most serious subject to the most random ones. This time though, they were talking about Blake's invitation to his birthday party.

I have to. He'll throw a fit if I don't go. Are you?

She replied before going back to her story. Again, she was at lost. Soul told her to take a break when she was feeling a bit confused or experiencing another one of those 'writer's blocks'. She actually obeyed him, though she doesn't purely acknowledge that she's doing it because it was his orders. She'd never admit to that. Maka stood up to walk towards her refrigerator and grabbed some rootbeer. She heard her phone vibrate against her computer table. She got her phone before sitting down on her couch and raising her feet on the foot rest. Slouching her position to be more comfortable, Maka read the text.

Guess I'm going then B]

The writer laughed after reading the text. He was being playful again, with all this 'cool guy' emojis and - she wondered, can I even call this flirting? The young woman blushed at the thought of Soul actually 'flirting' with her. That can't be right.

Great! I'll see you tomorrow then!

She hit the reply button and thought about whether she sounded too eager or something. She settled her phone on her stomach, like she always did, watching it rise and fall from her breathing. Truth be told, she really wanted to see him. She enjoyed talking to him, texting him, telling him about things and hearing about things from him. The past two weeks, Maka felt a bit lighter since she had someone whom she could rant to and truly understand her frustrations and, Soul told also said that he felt the same and that the friendship was 'mutually beneficial'.

Not that she never could rant to Tsubaki, Liz or Patty before. It's just that, Tsubaki is a barista, she had recipes written down for her and sometimes, she does make her own mix of coffees and all that but, still, she had something to follow. Liz was a hairstylist, she's practically good with her hands. She asks customers what they want and she does it for them. Patty was an artist. She sells paintings, her illustrations are all over the place; magazines, newspapers, fliers. Though Patty seems her most likely go-to person if it's work related problems, the younger Thompson can't seem to get it because she was naturally gifted and she could produce anything out of anything in a matter of minutes. That wasn't the case for her.

She could say the exact thing for Soul. Blake was a gym instructor and a really hyper guy. Maka doubt if Soul could get the blue-haired monkey to sit still in a room for even a minute just to listen to his music or listen to his music problems and actually understand him. Kid was a bank employee. Though he's rational to talk to, he's got things to worry about as well and, she heard Kid wasn't very musically inclined, much like herself.

As for her, Soul liked telling her about music and she liked learning about music, to her own surprise. The things Soul introduced her to Pachebel and Bach just the other day saying that she probably heard one or two of their songs already. True to his words, Maka did hear 'Canon' and 'Air' before. He even joked about the Canon one, saying that it wasn't the canon in her field of work's jargon.

Also, the musician told her that she could understand him because the two of them share the same frustrations which is why he often told her when he was stressed or tired. Somehow, it became a mutual agreement between them that they become each other's go-to person to cope with stress.

The vibration from her phone sopped her train of thoughts and she looked for it. It somehow fell from her stomach while she was thinking. She patted the couch and found it.

Want me to give you a lift?

It was a simple question but it somehow made Maka smile. He was even willing to go out of his way to pick her up. As much as she'd like to though, she might be of inconvenience to him so she texted back.

I don't know? Don't you live a little bit away from here? 5th Avenue, up town, right? The venue of Blake's celebration is nearer to your place. You don't have to go out your way to get me. I can take a cab.

The musician's reply came quicker than she expected.

Don't care. 'Sides, I already told Blake I'm picking you up. So, 4 pm?

Maka forgot how Blake told her how stubborn Soul was. So this is what he meant by stubborn, Maka thought, unconsciously smiling a bit wider than earlier.

Looks like I can't stop you. 4 PM it is then. But do I really have to ride that death trap of yours?

Soul stared at his phone, Maka's message to be exact. She agreed for him to pick her up. Though, he felt somewhat insulted. Did she just call his beloved bike, death trap?

Hey, hey, this death trap you're calling is one of my most prized possession. Better watch your mouth, woman.

He chuckled, holding his phone in one hand and covering his eyes with his free arm. He had been lying on his bed since he woke up. And it was already one in the afternoon, for goodness sake. His phone's message alert tone rang and he raised it to his face to read the reply.

Oh sorry, Mr. Cool Guy. Sorry for insulting your dearly beloved wife. :P

The pianist laughed this time, sitting up and deciding that it was about time he start his day - or in his case, afternoon. He texted her a quick reply before heading to the shower.

You better be. Oh, brb. Gotta go hit the showers and eat something. Or not. I'll think about it.

He got his boxers off and stepped into the bath, turning up the heat of the shower. The water was hot on his skin. He leaned both his hands against the wall, the water hitting his back. Again, he heard his phone from the outside and he smiled. Maka was probably going to scold him about not eating anything yet.

Sighing, he let his eyes lower down to his feet. He was really, really having fun, talking to Maka. She was, as Soul described her, different. Not the typical kind of person who'd just talk to him for the heck of it. He could feel that she wanted to help him, make his day better, assure him that he can do it. "Oh man…" Soul groaned, closing his eyes and letting out a huge sigh.

What were the chances that he liked this girl? Soul heaved out another sigh. A lot, probably. Was that possible though? Liking someone that much even if he just met her once in person and have been texting the past two weeks?

He let himself get drenched in the water before he got the soap and actually started taking his bath for a few minutes then started to rinse.

Stepping out of the bathroom with only his towel wrapped around his waist, he moved his way to his bed and took his phone to read that text earlier.

Hang on, we've been texting for hours Soul! Why haven't you eaten yet? You're lucky I'm not there or I will spoon feed you myself! Go eat! Hurry up, geez, you dummy!

Soul couldn't help but smile after reading Maka's message to him. She's too adorable, the musician thought to himself. He typed in his reply a few seconds later.

Whatever. I'm gonna eat already; now, shh :P

He settled his phone on the counter and walked to the fridge to get some milk for his cereal. He didn't feel like eating anything heavy today. In fact, he actually didn't feel like anything at all if only Maka didn't scold him. At least he settled for some cereals.

The young pianist spent his day trying to comprehend this strange attraction for his 'new' friend' while said friend contemplated on what she should wear for her friend's birthday tomorrow.

The sudden downpour of the rain made Maka stare at her apartment window in shock. It was 3:46 PM and Soul was on his way to pick her up with his motorbike and well, Maka shrugged, motorbikes don't exactly have a roof for the -

A knock on the door interrupted Maka's thoughts. She immediately ran towards it and the sight of a drenched Soul appeared on her doorstep. "Oh my gosh, Soul! You're soaked! And, oh no… are you cold?!"

"M'fine." He flashed her a toothy grin, running a hand through his silvery-white hair which stuck to his forehead. This action didn't go unnoticed by Maka as she noted how cool he looked. "Guess we can't really go unless the rain stops. Or, we can get a cab." He suggested.

Maka nodded in agreement. "No kidding. But I doubt we'll get a cab that easy. It's raining cats and dogs." She replied, walking to her bedroom but stopping when she noticed that Soul didn't follow her. "What're you still doing there?" She asked, turning to look at the pianist.

"You didn't invite me in." soul told her with a blank expression. There he goes with that expression again, Maka thought to herself as she watched the pianist stand on her doorway. "So, can I come in?"

Rolling her eyes, Maka walked back to the door and stood by the side. "Please come in, Mr. Evans. Welcome to my humble abode." She mumbled, imitating what seemed to be her impression of a butler. She earned a poke on the forehead from Soul as he went past her and stood on the doormat. "Stay here for a while. I'll get you a towel and… I think Blake left some clothes here that you can use." She proceeded to her bedroom.

Soul took note of Maka's clothes. Black leather pants, boots, a checkered black and red polo shirt over what seemed to be a plain, black tank top. Damn, that's hot, Soul thought before slapping himself lightly. Geez, what was he thinking?! "Hey Soul," Maka called out, nearly making him jump. "Can you call Blake and tell him about the situation?" She shouted from inside her room.

"Err…" He coughed, scratching the back of his head then composing himself. Thank goodness no one saw him. "S-Sure Maka." He said, fishing his phone out of his pocket. He searched for Blake's number and called it.

"YOU'RE TALKING TO YOUR AWESOME GOD, BLAKE STARR! What's up?" His friend shouted.

The musician groaned. His ear's probably damaged from that shout. "Yeah sure, a god alright. Make the rain stop if you're so great." He smirked when he heard the guy on the other line scoff. He knew he should just let it go since it was Blake's birthday but, annoying his gym instructor friend was one of his favorite past times - as long as the blue-haired monkey doesn't start hurting him, that is.

"Whatever bro." Blake groaned. "So what's up? This weather sucks." No kidding, Soul thought. "Where're you right now?"

Shuddering due to the cold, Soul tried not to sneeze. "Eh, I'm at Maka's apartment at the moment." He replied. "I got caught up in the rain.

There was a loud snort of laughter on the other line and he didn't know if he should be impressed or disgusted… maybe both. "HOHO!" Blake yelled, causing Soul to lean away from his phone. "I see…" Blake sounded mischievous. "I bet you planned this all up. You knew it was going to rain today and you want to keep Maka all to yourself! That's okay Soul. You should've just told me bro."

The pianist had a huge urge to smack his head on the white, concrete walls of Maka's apartment. "No dude! What the fu-" He stopped himself from saying the curse word so loudly and peering over the room where his friend was at. "-hell are you talking about? Besides, if that's the case, I'd be way better at planning than you are. Maka's your friend as well. Why would I want her all to myself?"

"Dunno buddy," Soul swore he could see Blake shrugging at his words. "You tell me."

"You're annoying" Was the musician's answer.

Blake laughed before Soul heard Tsubaki's soft voice call out to Blake. He couldn't make out what she said but he heard a 'damn' from the gym instructor. "Liz and Kid won't be able to come. Looks like it's a storm and it's pretty bad. Guess this calls for a resched."

If Blake admitted defeat to the weather, it must mean that there's really no way for him to push for the party to happen. "I guess that's for the best." Soul agreed.

"I'll just use this opportunity to spend some time with Tsubaki then!" Blake mentioned. "What about you bro? You probably can't go back home in this weather."

He's right, the musician thought. There's no way he's going to risk his beloved motorbike in this weather. Maybe, he can stay the night? He already secured his motorbike's parking anyway. But staying the night at Maka's... "I'll think of something." He replied.

"Maka's gonna insist that you stay over anyway bro." Blake said, sounding really sure about that. He didn't doubt it too. "Have fuuuun with Makaaaa!"

That voice Blake just let out sounded so malicious that Soul had to growl. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean? Hey!" It was already the familiar beeping that replied to him. He rolled his eyes, scowling at his phone.

"You okay there?" Maka asked from the bedroom. Soul heard the sound of closing cabinets. She must be coming out already.

He cleared his throat and straightened himself. "Yeah." He shouted. "Blake's just being weird again." Soul reasoned out. It was true though. What on earth was Blake thinking anyway?

"He's always weird." Maka emerged from the room holding some pieces of clothing. "Sorry I took so long. Had to find these." The author raised the clothes in her hand. Soul wondered whether those will fit him. "What did he say?" She asked.

The pianist tucked his hands in his pockets, making sure to leave out the unnecessary parts of his conversation with a certain birthday boy. "Just that he might reschedule the party since the rain's being a party pooper." He said. Clearing his throat, he looked at Maka who was smiling at him, still holding the clothes in her hands. "You look err… great, by the way."

Maka suddenly looked like a fish out of water before color flooded her cheeks. "T-Thanks?" She gulped, playing with the hem of her polo shirt. "You look great as well… minus the whole, drenched in water part." She smiled shyly.

"Whaddaya mean?" Soul cocked his head, smirking at her. "Isn't the wet look a thing that girls like?" He asked, chuckling when Maka's cheeks turned a darker shade of red.

The author shook her head, giggling. "Whatever, dork." She said, handing the clothes to Soul. "Bathroom's over there. That door to the right." Maka pointed out. "There's hot water if you'd like. You should take a hot shower so you won't catch a cold."

Soul followed what he was told to do after thanking Maka. He entered the bathroom, the smell of strawberries and mint quickly invading his nostrils. This is where Maka takes a bath. He felt like he was invading her privacy all of a sudden. Her bath's really clean, Soul noted. Stripping his clothes and placing the replacement clothing that Maka got for him on a shelf, he got in the shower, much like how he did yesterday and earlier today only, this wasn't his bathroom.

A slight turn of the shower knob and water was already pouring down on him. It was cold at first, making him gasp and shiver afterwards but, the water slowly went from cool to hot. The hot liquid slid on his back and he sighed in relief. At least I'm not cold anymore, he thought to himself.

Once he felt like he's fine already, he got the towel provided for him and got in Blake's clothes which, to his surprise, fitted him nicely. Blake may not look like it but he had broader shoulders than Soul. He wasn't exactly buff to begin with. Making sure that his hair was dried and that he was already as decent as Blake's clothes allowed him to be, that of a black KISS band shirt and jersey shorts, the pianist stepped out of the bathroom.

Another scent welcomed him and this time, it was the scent of coffee. Just in time as he went out of the bathroom, Maka came out of what seemed to be her kitchen, carrying a tray of mugs which probably contained coffee. Next to it are two more small containers that Soul deduced as cream and sugar. "I didn't know how you liked your coffee so I made it black. There's cream and sugar here, if you'd like." She settled the tray on the wooden coffee table in front of her couch. To his disappointment, she already changed out of her clothes and was wearing an oversized shirt that had an emblem of what seemed to be a wolf and plain black shorts.

"Thanks." He smiled, rubbing the towel on his hair. Soul watched as she sat down on the couch. Guess he's going to have to sit next to her again, much like at that night out weeks ago. Not that he minded it. He walked over to her and sat down beside her.

Maka gave him a smile as a reply before adding two teaspoons of cream and a cube of sugar in her coffee. She stirred it, looking out the window. "Blake should've asked Tsubaki's help planning his birthday party. She never forgets to check the weather when planning for something." The author said, taking a sip of her coffee. Soul nodded in agreement, putting two cubes of sugar in his coffee. "I mean, there's a typhoon today."

"Really?" Soul wondered how long has it been since he last listened to the news or watched the television or even read the newspaper. He had been so focused on his song, which he managed to start writing but he's, again, lost at what to do next. "Seems like everyone's been busy then if no one found out that there's a typhoon today."

It was such a mystery to Soul how the two of them are so casual around each other. He finds comfort in talking to her. It's not just this incident but those times that they've been texting and during their first meeting as well. He had no problems talking to her at all.

"In case you're wondering, no, I'm not going to let you go out in that rain." Maka said, crossing her arms. "Blake texted me about letting you stay here for the night."

Nodding his head, Soul was actually glad Blake at least took the initiative to tell Maka about that. He didn't know where to start. "Thanks Maka. I owe you one."

She waved her hand in front of him. "Nah, no biggie. Anyway," Maka said, looking over to her television set before looking back at him. "Want to watch some movies?" She inquired.

That wasn't such a bad idea. At least they don't have to talk the whole evening. Again, not that he minded. It's just that, he was feeling anxious that he might bore her out or that he might say something she won't be happy about. Usually, he's careful about talking to others but this is the first time he felt that concerned about it. It's like he's trying to calculate his every move when he's with her and he doesn't know why.

Was it to leave a good mark on her? Soul didn't know. All he knew was that as much as possible, he wanted to make sure that they're cool and that Maka's comfortable around him. He nodded his head to her offer. "Yeah, that'll be a good way to pass some time." He answered.

They ended up watching a movie called 'Memento'. Then, Maka suggested that they watch a suspense movie so she dug out for her copy of 'The Shining'. He had heard of these movies but he had never been a huge fan of those which is why he was impressed to find out that he actually liked watching movies. That, or that he was just enjoying how she curled up into a ball next to him when the suspense kicked up or how she jumped slightly during those jump scare scenes. Maka even grabbed the sleeves of the shirt he was wearing during that one scene in The Shining.

It was during their third movie, Hugo, when Soul noticed the author touching her neck and bending it slightly to the side. "You okay?" He asked, looking at her.

"Hmm…" She mumbled and the pianist raised an eyebrow at her. "My neck's just hurting. Probably just tired from all that typing and stuff I've been doing." She replied, still watching the movie.

Soul didn't respond which made Maka look at him. He tapped his shoulder. "Y'know, you can lean on my shoulder, if you'd like." He suggested, smiling at her. "You're tired and I actually feel bad you have to entertain me when you're already letting me stay."

"Which you'll probably do as well." She interjected and that earned her a raise of the eyebrow from the musician.

Sighing, Soul shook his head. "Who knows?" It was Maka's turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "Okay, okay, I would do that." He chuckled when she let out a giggle. "Just do it, Maka." He wiggled his shoulder which only made the writer beside him laugh out loud. "I won't do anything, I swear. I just want you to be all comfortable."

"I wasn't thinking that you're gonna try something, dork." Maka grumbled. She noticed how Soul slouched from his earlier sitting position. There's no harm in doing it, she thought to herself. With a gulp that she wished Soul didn't notice, she leaned her head on Soul's shoulder.

They were both silent and Maka did feel comfortable, having her head resting on Soul's shoulder. They stayed like that quietly, both of them enjoying the movie. Maka liked the movie a lot since it showed a quick glance of the history of film. Soul would ask her a few things and she'd answer his questions.

During the end of the film, Soul heard light snores from the girl beside him. He looked at her to find her sleeping, Crap, what should I do? He asked himself. Bringing her to her room was the first option he thought of but he might wake her up in the process and he didn't want that. She really seemed tired. It was nice of her to make time for Blake's celebration then, despite how exhausted she felt.

Carefully, he reached for the television remote in Maka's hands and gently took it from her. Soul searched for the power button and pressed it to turn off the TV. He then glanced at Maka who had wrapped her arm around him as she slept. Great. Soul sighed. It looked like he wasn't going anywhere so he decided to simply place his arm around her shoulders and rested his head on hers. He should at least try to be comfortable. He was sleepy so maybe he might as well grab the chance to snooze.

The morning after that was awkward. Very awkward. He woke up to a very red-faced Maka, looking up at him. The pianist swore his face could match hers - probably. They immediately jumped away from each other, the two of them apologizing about that and then telling the other that there was no apology needed. The author quietly cooked breakfast for the two of them and they silently ate as well.

Somehow though, Soul always found a way to go back to her apartment and she'd always invite him to watch a movie with her. All of those times, they'd end up sitting closely to each other on the Maka's couch, Soul's arm wrapped on her shoulders while her head was on his shoulders and her arm was around his waist, much like how they slept during their first 'movie night'. The only difference though is that they're awake and were watching the movie as this happened.

"In short, you really were cuddling?" Soul groaned at Kid's question one time after he and the bank employee met each other at their favorite burger joint for lunch. Kid was smiling playfully at him as if telling him something. Kid Death was a perceptive person and Soul knew that Kid was often right about his observations.

The pianist shook his head. Why did he even thought of talking about this? "No, Kid. For the last time, that's not cuddling." Soul said in annoyance. "You could say that we just got comfortable with each other?" He shrugged when Kid laughed at him.

"Soul, here's an honest opinion." Kid raised his hand slightly to stop his friend from saying further. "From what I see from you while you talk about her, you're happy. And from your stories, she's welcoming you and she seems happy too. I think that the two of you should try hooking up. I mean, if you're already cuddling-"

"Kid, geez, for the love of god." Soul rubbed his palm on his face. "We were not cuddling."

A groan was Kid's reply to him. "Well, whatever you want to call it then. I'm just saying, you two seem to make each other happy. Why not give it a go?"

If Maka liked him, why not? But he wasn't sure about that. What if she was like that to Blake as well? Maybe she's just really comfortable around guys?

"Nope. I doubt Maka does that with other guys." Tsubaki told him the next day after meeting up with Kid. He and Tsubaki would always see each other since he visited the coffee shop she worked at. He usually ordered a takeout but that time, he stayed and waited for her break time. "How cute. You two have been cuddling huh?"

"Why does everyone insist that what we're doing is 'cuddling'?" Soul asked, drinking his coffee.

Tsubaki laughed and Soul scoffed at her. "Because, you told me that she's hugging you while you have your arm on her shoulder while you're both sitting on a couch, watching a movie in her apartment." She replied in a 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone. "That sounds like cuddling to me."

Whatever, Soul thought the next time he was in Maka's apartment. Again, they fell into that same position after a few minutes. They weren't cuddling. Definitely not.

Then again, he inwardly groaned when it was Maka's turn to confront him about it. "You're such a cuddly person, Soul." She mentioned all of a sudden.

"What? You're the one who always likes to get close to me." He protested.

Maka pouted and cocked her head to the side. "Would you rather that I don't?" She was about to raise her head from Soul's shoulder when the said pianist wrapped the arm which was previously placed on her shoulders, on her neck and gently pulled her closer to him.

He sighed and looked at the television. This time, they were watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. "I didn't say that, didn't I?" He mumbled, not looking at her.

The novelist giggled before sighing contently, her head now resting against his chest. "I thought so." She whispered, smiling to herself.

Again, Soul insisted, not cuddling.

(A/N: My stories are so random. This was actually supposed to be for my first day. They were supposed to be geeking out over Game of Thrones but, geez, my mind betrayed me. Hope you like my second entry for SoMa Week! How's your SoMa Week so far? So many good fanfics and fan arts over at tumblr so you buddies check 'em out, m'kay?)