Purple Ink (SatoGou)

Chapter 11

"Lecture in fifteen minutes," I groan, holding the phone up with my shoulder while I fight to pull on pants. "Can I meet you after, though? Is the offer still there?"

"Sure, what time?" He asks.

"Half one?"

"Alright. Just text me where," he says, and hangs up. I don't have any time to worry about how I'm going to face him after last night's dream, even though it wasn't that bad. I race out of the building and jog the ten-minute walk to the lecture hall, arriving just before it starts, and somehow manage to sit through it.

I text Goh to meet me at a coffee shop between here and the flat in ten minutes, and head over there myself, mentally psyching myself up even though it's definitely not a date. I get there before him and order a coffee, sitting at a table far away from everyone else in the corner of the room, clutching it in both hands and watching out the window, waiting for him to arrive.

He arrives a few minutes later, dressed in a dark red sweater and dark jeans. He waves as he comes in, his smile lighting me up. I wait for him to order at the counter, then he walks over to me, and the nerves start to fill my stomach again.

"Hey." He sits opposite me. He has his hair pulled back into a messy bun on the back of his head, and his cheeks are flushed from the cold outside. "Did you make it on time?"

"Just." I laugh. "I should probably thank you for being my alarm."

"Do you not set alarms?" He raises an eyebrow at me, and takes a sip of his drink, wincing at how hot it is.

"Sometimes I forget," I admit, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. "I'm pretty good at sleeping in."

He chuckles. "Why am I not surprised?" He takes another sip. "Have you seen any of the others this morning?"

I think about Clemont, walking in while Goh was sleeping on me last night, and pray I'm not blushing. "Not yet. I'm sure I'll see Cilan at some point."

"You like him?"

"Yeah," I say. "Do you?"

"Yeah, he's alright." He's gazing at me intensely again. "Listen, Ash... About last night-" He fidgets uncomfortably, turning to look out of the window instead. "I'm sorry about that, I just- I don't know, I suppose I got carried away, with the conversation and all-"

"Goh," I cut him off, shaking my head. "It's okay. I didn't mind."

He looks at me like he's trying to figure something out. I bite the inside of my cheek a little, feeling the nerves swirling again as he watches me. "You said Serena isn't your type, but... What is?"

My heart stutters in my chest. There it is- the first sign of flirting, or at least I think it is. A rush of chemicals runs through my veins, and I hide my hands under the table, afraid he'll see that I'm trembling slightly. "I don't really have one. I haven't... I'm rarely ever attracted to people."

"Is that why you've only ever had one relationship?" He asks, and I can see in his eyes that he's asking genuinely, not to mock me. I nod, sipping the coffee slowly. "I've only had one, too."

"And what's your type?"

His eyes dip to my mouth, just for a second, and all of my skin sets on fire. "I suppose I don't have one either."

"Was it a long time ago? Your relationship, I mean."

He nods, frowning. "Years ago. There was someone else, but... We didn't end up together."

My heart clenches painfully in my chest. It sounds like whoever else he was into... He's likely not over them, at least not completely. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry," I say, frowning too.