Clumsy at Love

Chapter 16: Like A Fool, I Fall All Over Again

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2

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The party was about to end, but she was still unable to talk to Ranma. She tried but failed miserably. He was always surrounded by people, talking to him endlessly, while his angel Ukyo filled in the gap.

She heaves a sigh of resignation, thinking it's hopeless. She then started walking out of the party. It's not like he wanted to talk to her anyway. Actually, it seemed like he's been deliberately refusing to look her in the eye the whole night, avoiding her like the plague.

Suddenly, the last conversation she had with him flashed through her mind.

"Why not? I want to take it back, and I'm taking it back, right now!" she fumed. "I already told you that I'm not hungry, didn't I? But you're annoyingly persistent. Honestly, I hate pizza, I hate being caught up with you, and most of all, I hate you."

But she's didn't stop there. "What's that for? Why are you being nice? Why are you acting that way? Stop it, will you? It's disgusting. Drop the act already, Ranma. Show me who you really are. Because it seriously gets into my nerve every time you act all nice and friendly with me when we're not even friends at all."

She felt her heart drop into her stomach, burying her face deep into her hands.

Why is she so tactless, and reckless, and simply horrible. She shouldn't have said those words to him and acted like a kid throwing tantrums. She groaned inwardly.

"Are you okay, miss?" asked someone from behind her back.

She pries her hands away from her face. "Ah, yeah... I'm fine, thank you." She replied, hurrying out to find her room.

She peeks at the key card inside her pocket. "Of course, The Presidential Suite," she grumbled, looked around, and jumped back up in surprise to find Ranma behind her.

"Shit, Ranma! You're going to give me a heart attack! Don't sneak up on people like that."

He chuckled. "What are you? A grandma? And I made myself known, but you ignored me."

"I did not." Then her eyes widened, remembering the "Are you okay, miss?" remark earlier. "That's you?!"

"Whatever." She shrugged. "What are you doing here anyway? The party is not over yet."

"I should ask you the same question."

Her lips twitched. She had no answer to that. No. Actually, she had so many answers to that. But somehow, she won't want to let her mouth start running wild.

"It's because you're bored and tired and really hate parties. Actually, you have been itching to make your grand escape since it's all started." He said, answering his own question for her.

Bull's eye! Her mind screamed as her mouth hung open while her chocolate eyes gaped at him. "You're scary." She uttered.

He laughed at her reaction then stood in front of her. "Should I walk you to your room?" He asked, "My room is next to yours,"

She shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. You should go back to the party, or we'll be both in trouble."

"But I'm tired, too." He whined, following her. "And I still have a lot of paper works to do."

"You're still working?"

"It's for our family's future, honey." He joked, winking at her.

"Very funny." She snorted. "B~but... What about Ukyo?"

"What about her?"

"Are you just gonna leave her alone?"

"She already left. Thanks to your Grab apps, I didn't have to send her back to her hotel."

"Ah." She uttered. Of course. He wouldn't just leave her angel alone. She felt her heart throbbed but dismissed it in an instant.

She glances at Ranma, who's casually strolling beside her. So, he's not angry, so it seems. She noted. The thought she had earlier is rather silly now. He seemed normal towards her, it was as if her memory of their last squabbles didn't happen at all.

So, what does this mean for her? That she doesn't have to say sorry anymore? And it's time for her conscience to stop bugging her?

But remembering how troubled she was for the past few days then seeing how he is so annoyingly calm right now is somehow upsetting her. Did she not affect him even a bit? Were the hurt and the surprise she saw that day was just her imagination?

"Ouch!" She squealed as she bumped herself hard into the solid muscle in front of her.

"Watch it," warned Ranma to the hotel personnel with a cart full of things.

"Are you okay?" He asked, turning on her.

"I'm fine," She mumbled, "No, actually I'm not. You've got a tough back," she complained, rubbing her harmed nose.

"You should have watched then where you're going." He preached.

"What are you thinking so hard anyway?"

She flushed. She couldn't just tell him that it's him that she's thinking of, could she? She was sure that it would creep him off.

"It's none of your business." She blurted out. Ugh! There she goes, again.

"You're right." He agreed, nodding his head. "My bad." He added, followed by a long, excruciating silence.

"This is you. The next door is mine," He told her.

"Got it, thanks..." She muttered.

"Good night," he muttered, then turned his back on her while she remained standing and watched him go.

But to her surprise, he turned back on her. She instantly retrieves her gaze and rummages through her pockets for the key. "Ahhh, where's that damned key?" She mumbled.

"Akane..." There's something in the way he called her name that made her heart beat frantically.

"What?" She asked, trying to calm her tenses down. He was now strolling towards her.

He stopped and bent in front of her, picking up the key she didn't know she dropped. Why the hell he's looking at me that way?

"I really do hope to see you tomorrow," he said, almost a whisper.

He sounds like... begging? Seriously?! "Don't worry, I won't run." She replied, snatching the card key from his hand and immediately tapping it to the door, mumbling thanks without ever meeting his eyes.

While opening the door, she stole another glance at Ranma and found him still staring at her. "What now?" God, is he trying to give me a heart attack?

"I also wanted to say sorry for having a tough back."

That one did the trick and made her smile. "Yes, you should be sorry about that. Anything else?"

"Yes. One last thing."

She rolled her eyes. "What is it?"

"You looked gorgeous tonight." He told her and took her breath away.. ".. even your outfit doesn't match well." He added, pointing at her dress and sneakers.

"Right." She agreed, chuckling. "You won't believe how hard the battle I fought, so I could get to wear this."

" I had a hunch." He said, smiling.

And that smile is the end of her. She got to run, or else she'd melt in front of him. "Well, then... Good night." She said, before breaking into her room, and closing the door on his face.

She was catching her breath and holding onto her dear life when she slid her back down against the cold door.

This is the worst ever so far.

This time, she was bubbling, fumbling, and giggling like a kid in front of him.

Everything about him is making her heart goes off, knees go weak, or mind go crazy.

He could play her emotion without even trying.

The truth is she knew exactly what was going on.

All this time, she had been so scared to fall hard for him again, but deep in her heart, she knew that it had already happened.

She was trying too hard not to acknowledge but knew that it had already begun... ever since the very night she first heard the name Ranma Saotome again... and fell for him hard, the moment her eyes first laid on him again.

That's why she ran away that day.

"Like a fool, I fall all over again." She cried, utterly disappointed in herself.

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He thought this night was special. He thought she was going to say something that would make his heart jump for joy. But it seemed he assumed too much... expected too much.

He had been such an ass. He means, what? Did he say, "Prolonging the amusement his currently enjoying"? He exhaled and shook his head, utterly disappointed in himself.

He should be the one who had approached her first and told her everything that's been going on in his mind these past few days and asked her everything he's dying to know. He should not have waited for the night to end before finally deciding to approach her.

Well, it's not like he didn't try his best in the end. He actually went out of his way just to approach her in the best way that he knew. But like a fool, he got distracted. Her smile and stare, and everything she says and does, made him forget every witty thing he wanted to say, making him spout nothing but foolishness. Ugh! He grunted. If he's always like this, there's no way he could ever accomplish half of his goal.