Hey guys! Sorry this update has taken a little longer. I'm moving into a new apartment on Sunday and classes start on Wednesday so things have been a little hectic on my end and I haven't had a whole lot of time to write. I also struggled with this chapter. I'm not sure I really like it all that much but I'll let you guys be the judge of that. Let me know what you think!

"Rukiaaaa. He's here," Orihime Inoue said in a sing-song voice as she helped her best friend prepare a frappucino for a customer.

Rukia, in response to her friend, immediately looked up at the entrance and groaned. "Ugh, again? When will he just give it a rest?"

"Probably never. He's sure smitten with you. And something tells me that when he likes a girl, he gets her," Orihime said, her voice giving away the slight jealousy she felt about all of Rukia's unwanted attention.

"Not me. I'll never give in. I refuse to be another notch on that guy's bed," Rukia said as she pressed the button on the blender, sending it whirring to life.

"Another what?" Orihime asked in confusion.

"I mean I don't just want to be another number to this guy. And I know that's all he wants from me."

"Are you sure? He's been pretty persistent with you. I don't think he would put that much effort into a one night stand," Orihime told her friend as said man walked up to the counter and gave his usual order to Momo. Once he had paid, he confidently walked over to the counter behind which Orihime and Rukia were working.

"Hello ladies. How are both of you this morning?" he said with an irresistible smile.

"G-good," Orihime stuttered before blushing and running to the back of the store. No matter how hard Ichigo tried to attract her friend, the auburn-haired girl was still a stuttering mess every time she was around him.

Rukia rolled her eyes at Orihime's reaction and turned to the smirking man in front of her. "When will you just give it a rest? I've already told you no about a thousand times and yet you still insist on coming here for coffee every freaking morning."

"What can I say? When it comes to beautiful, stubborn women like yourself, I can't take no for an answer."

Rukia scoffed. "Yeah, no kidding. You also don't seem to take 'hell no' or 'get away from me you creep' for an answer either."

"What is it with you? What do you find so horrible about me that you would refuse to say yes. We hardly know each other."

"You may hardly know me, Ichigo Kurosaki, but I know exactly who you are. And I don't date guys like you. So, for the thousandth time, the answer is no," Rukia said with a smirk.

"You won't even sit here and have a cup of coffee with me?"

"Nope. I'm not interested," she said confidently as she mixed the ingredients for various coffee drinks behind the counter.

Ichigo looked deep in thought for a minute before his face fell and he sighed. "Fine," he said with finality as Rukia capped the lid on a drink and handed it to him. "Thank you. I'm sorry I've been such a bother," he said with a sad smile before exiting the shop, everyone staring at him as he did.

"Aw, Rukia. You made him sad," Orihime said with a pout as she watched the young millionaire leave. Rukia turned and rolled her eyes when she saw her friend peaking from behind the door leading to the kitchen.

"Who cares? He's an arrogant jerk. He deserves it."

"You don't know that. He could be sweet and caring. You automatically wrote him off as a dirty scumbag the moment you met him. That seems a little unfair to me."

"Because I don't have to get to know him to know exactly what kind of man he is. I'm sorry Orihime, but I just don't like getting my heart broken," Rukia said as the image of a certain spikey-haired man with greenish blue eyes flashed in her mind.

"You mean to tell me that the Ichigo Kurosaki is…giving up?"

"I don't know what else to do, Ishida. I've been going to that coffee shop every day for over a week just to talk to her. I've thrown every line in the book at her and she's still as immovable as ever," Ichigo said with frustration as he sipped his coffee in his office at work. The coffee that Rukia made.

"Oh come on, Kurosaki. You knew that this girl was going to take some time the moment you first tried to ask her out. It's only been a week. Give her some time."

"I thought you wanted me to fail, Ishida."

Uryuu rolled his eyes. "Oh please. Despite what you may think, I'm still your friend and I do care about you. I'm starting to think that you really like this girl and that it actually hurts when she consistently rejects you. As your friend, I'm not okay with just standing by and watching you be unhappy."

"Wow, Ishida. That was a surprisingly nice thing to say."

"Yeah, well, you're still a pain in the ass that frustrates the hell out of me-,"

"And we're back to normal."

"But I do want to see you happy. You're an annoying prick when you're depressed."

"I'm feeling the love, Ishida," Ichigo said sarcastically.

"If you really like her, don't give up on her. But if you just want to sleep with her and never see her again, then you need to stop. I actually kind of like this girl. Wouldn't want to see you step all over her, got it?"

Ichigo smiled in understanding and said, "Got it."

"He didn't come in today?" Orihime asked her friend in confusion as the two gathered their things and left after their shift was over at the coffee shop.

"Yep. Thank god. Maybe he finally got the memo."

Orihime eyed her friend with concern and then decided to let it go. Obviously Rukia couldn't see what she could. Her friend would have to figure it out on her own.

"We should be there around noon tomorrow. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine, Yuzu. I don't have any other plans, so come over when you can," Ichigo said to his baby sister on speakerphone as he was changing into his work out clothes.

"Great! Karin and I can't wait to see you! It's been too long," his sister said excitedly.

"Me too, Yuzu. See you tomorrow," Ichigo said as he pulled a loose-fitting t-shirt over his torso.

"Okay, see ya!" she said before Ichigo heard the dial tone. He hung up his own phone and proceeded to slip on his running shoes. One of his favorite things to do (when he wasn't out partying) on a Friday night was take a jog around the city. He could just let his mind and his body run free when he went jogging. Plus it was an excellent way to stay in shape.

And god knows he had to stay in shape.

As Ichigo ran through the high-class neighborhood of Tokyo, his mind wandered back to that frustrating girl from the coffee shop. What was it with her? Why was he so obsessed with getting her to say yes? It wasn't like his ego would be that badly hurt if he just accepted the fact that she wasn't interested. So what was it that made him keep coming back?

There was just something about her. Ichigo couldn't put his finger on it but he just knew that she was different. In what way, he wasn't sure. At first, getting Rukia to go on a date with him was just a silly challenge. But as he kept coming back and talking with her more, he realized that it had become more than that. He was starting to like her.

The fact that his mind had completely changed in over a week was proof enough that Rukia the Coffee Shop Girl was something special.

He chuckled to himself when he remembered a moment he had shared with her a few days before.

"Ugh, you again," Rukia said in disgust as Ichigo walked to the counter to get his drink. It had been the third day in a row he had come back to the coffee shop.

"You know, I'm starting to think you have something against me," Ichigo said with a sly smile.

"Really? What makes you say that?" she said sarcastically.

"I barely know you and already you think I'm the devil reincarnated."

"That's not true. I think you're the devil himself."

Ichigo placed a hand on his chest in mock pain. "Ouch. That one hurt."

"I have more where that came from."

"You're something else, aren't you?" Ichigo said, flashing Rukia his smile.

"What do you want, Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"I want coffee."

"Don't be a smartass. I mean, what do you want from me? Why do you keep coming back to taunt me?"

"Well, I guess I haven't made myself clear enough. What I want, Miss Rukia, is a date. With you."

"No," she said simply, crossing her arms.

"Please?" Ichigo said, still slyly smiling.

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"Stop it," Rukia said, her expression unyielding.

"Come on, don't be like that. What's the harm in a simple date?"

"Oh, there's harm alright. I wouldn't go on a date with you if you were the last person on earth."

"Wow, you really know how to hurt a guy. Are you sure you won't change your mind?" Ichigo asked, leaning his body over the counter to face Rukia head on.

Rukia wasn't intimidated though and leaned forward as well, only a small distance from Ichigo's face. "Positive," she whispered menacingly. Ichigo only smiled.

Boy, was she stubborn. Ichigo couldn't understand why he had so quickly become so attracted to a woman who was so out of his reach.

And Ichigo never thought that there would be a woman he considered out of his reach.

She was special alright.

As if on cue, Ichigo crossed the street and spotted a short, raven-haired woman who was leaving a small studio. Ichigo shook his head when he spotted her.

Very funny, universe.

It was the first time he had seen Rukia outside of the coffee shop. She was dressed casually in a blank tank top and a long, flowing orange and red skirt. Her hair was tied up in a bun and she looked like she had just worked out.

She started walking away from where Ichigo was currently standing and he considered going after her, but he stopped himself. He didn't want to come on too strong. It was obvious his usual tactics for picking up woman were not going to work on this one. He had to play this right.

As Rukia faded from his view, he looked up at the place she had just exited. His brow furrowed when he read the sign. Ayasegawa's Dance Studio.

Interesting. Was Rukia a dancer? Ichigo had never been with a dancer. Well, one that wasn't a stripper.

He realized that there was very little he knew about this girl's life. Maybe if he tried to connect with her in some way that was special to her, she would be more open to accepting him. He made a mental note to jog by here more often before he ran back towards his home.

Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.

Eh, I don't know how I feel about this one. Did y'all like it? Quick note, I have a tumblr where I post stuff from fandoms I like (mostly Bleach) so if you guys want to check that out, please do! My URL is the same as my username here and I'll put a link in my profile as well. And if you have any questions or concerns or just want to know when to expect the next update, send me an ask and I'll answer! Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. You guys are awesome!