Stealing You

A Step Closer!

I was overly busy wondering what was going on between us. Did I truly hate him? Of Course I did. There was absolutely NO doubt about that...He was Rin's bully...Then, why did his tears bother me? Why did his closeness excite me? I wanted to know for myself who Itoshi Sae was. But, if Rin got to know...

"Say, miss (l/n), may I get your phone no.?" I was shocked! Not just by the politeness but also by the overly direct request. How did he get the courage to even do that? Had I been in his position I would have...

"Are you going to keep on wondering or utter something as well? I don't mind a direct rejection, princess." And there it was!! The flirty Sae was back! The Sae that was appealing to me in an overly strange manner.

"And what will you do of it, Sae-san? I hope you don't mind me calling you that." I decided to play along. Were it his eyes, his manner, or my curiosity that gave me courage, I knew not. All I knew was that I did NOT want Itoshi Sae to NOT have my number. And this was the worst approach I could have taken to ensure that, I was sure. But the damage was done. 

At least, that's what I thought. 

"I do mind actually." He had completely disregarded my first question. And, I was utterly downcast. All of the Itoshi family members were the same. They wanted to be respected and considered all other below them. Sae too-

"I would consider it though, if you removed the 'San'." He continued, interrupting my silent thought process. There was an unreadable twinkle in his eyes. Was he playing me? Was he joking? 

But in the next moment, as I saw him raise his eyebrows towards me, I was certain. He was absolutely serious. 

"Well then, Sae, what will you do with my phone number?" I questioned once again. 

"I will text you daily to bother you. Shouldn't that be obvious?" What he said what not particularly funny. But the innocent expressions on his face, the naïve, over-obvious reply shook a part of me as I burst out into a loud fit or laughter. 

And I kept on laughing, for a long, long time. I could feel his overly-tender gaze on me. Was it brotherly? That thought, made me sad...For incomprehensible reasons, I did NOT want to be Sae Itoshi's sister. 

When I stopped, I had rolled onto the grass and there were tears in my eyes. 

"I am sorry, I am so sorry. I should not have laughed like that." I had recovered, and I was wary. Rin had always said that loud laughs were unbecoming of a lady, so I had taught myself to control the urge to even chuckle. But this guy, I just met today, had broken down all my walls. I had laughed out really loud, and now, I was regretting every second of it. 

"Don't be." I was shocked by the reply. "It's the first time I saw a laugh this true. It melted me." And he showed me a breathtaking smile! A smile that could light up the whole world. For the first time, I was led to believe that the real Itoshi Sae was a child at heart. He craved attention for himself, and he was really, really simple at heart... 

"Give me your phone." I demanded and was met by another bright smile, as he handed me the NO WAY!!!! 

He handed me THE APPLE 14 PRO MAX!!! 

The most expensive phone of the present! This guy was only 3 years older than me an owning something as expensive as this of his own hard-earned money. While I was still feeding of all that my dad gave me. 

How pathetic! His voice, however, brought me back to reality. 

"Are you entering your number or not?" Somehow, it was soothing. I could feel that sorrow melting away as I typed my phone number in his Pro Max with a sly but shy smile on my face. He must have noticed my expressions, because he came extra close to lean in and see what I was typing away.

I saved my number with a simple (y/n) (l/n) and handed it over to him. I couldn't quite fathom why, but the idea of my phone number with him was simple thrilling!! It meant, I could call him whenever I wanted to. I was a step closer to him, was I not?!!! 

Somehow, there was magic in that idea!