Touko released a sigh of relief when Belle plopped down beside her at lunch time. She was beginning to worry that something had gone wrong with her friend and considered dropping by the blonde's apartment but still felt that pang of unease.
"Long time no see," she greeted before picking up another french fry from her tray.
"Indeed," Belle smiled brightly and began to dig into her own food. "Sorry I didn't contact you earlier. There was something important I had to do."
"Oh? What?"
"Nothing to worry about," Belle waved her hand, trying to assure her friend.
Touko wasn't biting, but decided to drop it in favor of keeping peace. "Sorry."
"Eh, for what?"
"I'm still seeing Natural."
"... Touko," Belle hunched forward with a heavy sigh. "I told you before, he is bad news. I'm just trying to protect you."
"Protect me from what? What exactly did Natural do so horrible that you are actually trying to forbid me from seeing him?"
"I can't say, I'm sorry."
"Then I won't stop seeing him."
"Touko!"
"No! Unless you convince me that he has committed some serious crime, I won't stop seeing him. Or... if you still have feelings for him, then I will back off."
"That's...," Belle bit her lip and looked down.
Touko held back her sigh and brought her friend into a hug. "Please don't cry. I just want an explanation on this. He makes me feel, I don't know, alive? It's different with him."
"Who's the one reading too many romance novels now?" Belle sniffled and blinked back her tears.
Touko laughed softly. "I am serious. Give me a reasonable explanation for all of this and I'll cut off any relations with him."
The blonde started to shift her eyes, wondering if she should just go ahead and spill the beans, since she was so down deep in trouble anyways. But it would probably turn more disastrous than everything already is now.
"Touko. If Natural starts acting strange in anyway, tell me."
"Pfft, he is already strange."
"I suppose so."
"You're strange too."
"Eh, you suck."
Belle swatted away the fry that had flung in her direction and teased her friend to no end. She could only hope and pray that everything continued to run smoothly and that Natural would get bored and leave this place.
. . .
N watched the female flutter around in the small kitchen with concealed amusement. Ever since he had asked to 'hang out' in the apartment, the woman had a skip in her step and a tune in her tone. It made him smile, almost, against his will that such a small simple request would give her such happiness.
'Understanding females, perhaps I'll write a report on it one day to help other researchers,' N mused to himself.
"What'cha thinking about?" The brunette settled down a place of some orange looking food.
"You."
Touko nearly toppled her plate over. No matter how many times she heard that exact same answer, it always sent her heart into a painful yet hopeful stammer. "R—really?"
"Yes. Your moods are so... what is this?" He questioned suddenly, pulling a fork with some left over orange residue from his mouth.
"Mac and cheese, straight from the box!"
"It has strange texture and tastes a bit odd. I've never seen food like this in the market."
"Ah, healthy and wealthy," she snorted, scooped up some elbow noodles and shoved it into her mouth. She chewed quickly and swallowed before continuing, "it's a superb delicacy! For the college going people. Although I go to the market a lot, it is only to get a little bit of this and that. I never have enough money to just splurge." 'And to check you out. Can not forget about that.'
"It is interesting," he murmured softly, scooping up more and chewed thoughtfully. "Is it better than the food in the market?"
"Hah, no way, more like ten times worse! But, uh, it's still a blessing for those who are low on cash," she added quickly after seeing a look of mild horror come over his face.
"I see," he sniffed in suspicion but continued eating anyways.
Touko kept her trap shut for the remainder of the meal, afraid of saying something really stupid to make the food go to waste.
Once finished, she brought the plates over to the kitchen and placed them into the sink, deciding to clean them after N decided to leave. She turned around and did not spot him at the table, but in the small living room looking at some paintings on the well. A wave of relief washed through her, thankful that she had been lazy the many times before she questioned wether to put up pictures of her friends, including photos of Belle.
Her blond friend puzzled her to no end. She was anxious to know what went on between the two, and resisted the urge to 'innocently' pull out a picture to show N, just to see his reaction or response. Would he sneer in disgust? Would his eyes widen and lips fumble to form words? Or would he just keep his nearly emotionless face in tact and not comment?
"You are thinking of something unpleasant." The rich deep voice startled the brunette, whose eyes shot over to her companion. He was looking at her from the corner of his eye, standing in front of some abstract painting above her two seater couch.
"I guess. Just wondering about this essay coming up before break," she lied quickly. The essay part was true, but it would give her no problems.
"Hm." Natural looked disbelieving but did not comment, deciding to turn back to the photo and tilting his head to the site. "These pieces of art, I have absolutely no words for them because they all look like blocks and blobs of nothing."
"Pffft, you got that right. I bought them at the Pika-Mart because they were cheap and looked pretty. The colors are nice and plenty, it definitely brings some life to these white boring walls."
"Yes," he breathed, as if finally understanding the purpose picture. "The room does look a little less dull with these hanging."
Touko grinned and showed him the rest of the art blobs hanging around her apartment.
. . .
Touko frowned and slumped her shoulders, guilt overwhelming her at such an intense weight that she could not keep them up. Belle sat in front of her, with her arms crossed and resting on the desk, chin on top. She had a look of sadness and slight disappointment and was not even trying to hide it.
"Are you sure you can't join us?"
"I'm... " The brunette bit a small part of the inside of her mouth in a sudden burst of frustration at being bothered, immediately followed by the guilt multiplying tenfold.
Belle had asked at the beginning of class if she had wanted to hang out with their friends, the ones she had been neglecting in favor of being with Natural, and shot her down without a second thought. They both had been shocked, because Touko was always one of the most pumped about going out, to take a break from her normal routine.
Belle said nothing more until class ended a couple minutes ago, pinning her friend with an accusing, knowing stare.
"They have come to the conclusion that you have found a guy and are wondering if... you are one of those kind of girls."
Those kind of girls. Yes, Touko knows all too well about them. She complained, on more than one occasion, that it was annoying and disgusting to see how a girl can just give up on all her friends in favor of a guy. It made her turn her nose up into the air to look down on them, thinking how pathetic it was to give up the important people in your life for one sole dude. It did not work for many people. Friends became alienated. If and when the guy dumped you, or vice versa, you have no friends around to comfort you through the ordeal because it was you yourself who shoved them away.
When Belle got no response she let out a loud sigh and stood, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder before heading to the door.
"Wait," Touko demanded in a desperate voice, eyes wide with a tinge of fear. She swallowed thickly, mouth suddenly feeling dry. "I—is he that kind of person?" Will he snatch her heart, hold it in a tight grip and throw it when he was done?
Belle turned around, her brows pushed together and lips tugged downward into a small frown. She did not answer, but her expression said it all.
Touko stood up abruptly, and slammed her hands onto the cheap wooden table. She needed a verbal answer and her eyes begged for it.
"I know that in the end, it won't be happy. You both will fall if you continue this, and not in a good way. He will definitely skip out—"
"Let's go. I think I need some alcohol in me." The brunette spoke in a calm tone in favor of using her willpower to keep her tears at bay.
'Heck, here I want to cry over some guy who isn't even my boyfriend! I don't even think he considers us best friends.' Touko breathed with tight control through her nose, inhaling sharply and deeply, exhaling slow and smooth.
"We both could use a drink." Belle agreed.
"Or ten."
"Either way, Touya is inviting us to this bar he goes to every Friday with his homework club buddies since he is the only one able to make it out tonight out of all the rest of the gang."
"Really? Isn't this going to be the first time he's introduced us to them?"
"It is! It's only been, what, two years since he's mentioned them? Makes you think who he is more ashamed of, them or us," Belle lifted a hand to her mouth and snickered.
"Huh," Touko mused, finding it easier to deal with her feelings if she ignored the source of them and focus on something else. "Now that you got me thinking—"
. . .
A/N: Anoooother chapter up! Thanks to my beta, BlackRose105 from dA! I hope all my American readers have a happy thanksgiving and a safe Black Friday.