Takemichi catches his breath, bending over with his hands on his knees. You wipe the sweat off your forehead, the two of you were in front of Mikey. Your soon-to-be date.
"Takemitchy, don't tell me you're a two-timer," Mikey says. Says looks shocked at first, then he starts laughing, "You're going to get slapped so hard!"
Takemichi got up from his position and raised his voice a little, "NO! It's not what it looks like, she's my friend!" He says quickly and frantically.
"Yeah, we're no way in hell a couple," you said coldly, Takemichi made an odd sound as if he was hurt by your tone and wording.
Mikey looks over at you and then Takemichi, "Say, Takemitchy. Do you and your friend happen to be hungry? I sure am," he says smiling. Moments ago he just scoffed up a kid's meal and he's still hungry.
You saw Takemichi's eyes glint, you can tell this was the perfect moment for him to ask. "Actually, we're starving! Matter of fact, Hina wanted us to go to this cafe she liked, how about you tag along?" Takemichi says, a bit too eagerly.
You tried your best to keep an expressionless face but really you were sweating pellets. You didn't think the date would be so soon. The blonde in front looks over at you, "Is it like a double date?" You and Takemichi jump after his response.
Before catching up to Mikey, you very clearly told Takemichi you didn't want it to seem like a date since you didn't actually like him.
"Yeah!" Takemichi yelps then quickly covers his mouth realizing he clarified it as a date. You side-eye him, making him shake.
I'm going to punch him before he time-leaps back.
Mikey looks at the both of you a bit confused, but he smiles again. "Sure, I'll go on a date with you," he said, looking at you specifically. You feel your face warm-up, you want to say it was out of embarrassment but really it was the first time a guy said that to you. You didn't know how else to react.
Takemichi leads the way to Hina's place. You purposefully fell back behind the two blondes, avoiding conversation with either. They seemed fine talking amongst each other anyway.
Wait, I'm not even wearing cute clothes today, you thought to yourself. Thankfully you live a floor below Hina so it shouldn't be a problem to change real quick.
The three of you walk up the stairs to your building. "Hey, Takemichi," you say, they both turn their heads behind to look at you. "I'm gonna go change real quick I... my clothes are sweaty from running today," you say. You didn't want to tell them you wanted to make an effort to wear something nice, it would embarrass you.
They both give an okay and you sprint down the stairs to your suite. Unlocking the door and shutting it strongly, you panic to yourself.
What are you supposed to wear to a date?!
Going to the bathroom, you wash your face quickly still thinking. Walking out of the bathroom and to your room, you open your closet and scan it. It was your first date, you were torn in between wearing something special or just basic.
You decide to wear something plain, it was just a cafe date. You didn't actually have feelings for the guy anyway. Before you walk out, you double check inside the bag you were going to bring to see if you had your necessities. Finally you lock the door behind you.
"There you are!" You turn and see Hina waving, she looks especially happy. Beside her were the two blondes. You walk toward them taking a few deep breaths, trying to calm yourself from the fact you were about to go on a double date. Speaking of which, you almost forgot.
YOUR DATE HAS BAD TABLE MANNERS.
You hear Hina talk about the cafe you were going to excitedly with Takemichi, it seems like she always wanted to go there with him. You wonder if you should give those two space, but that also means being alone with Mikey. You weren't ready for that.
"Are you always this quiet?" Mikey suddenly sparks a conversation with you. You look over at him, "I guess you could say I'm more of a listener," you answer. You notice he stalls a little, making you catch up next to him rather than be behind him.
"That's no fair, I can't be the only one talking on our date, y'know," he jokes with you. You nod your head and agree with him, feeling awkward. What would you two even talk about? He's literally a leader of a gang, what could you possibly say that could be interesting to him.
Finally, the four of you arrive at the cafe. You all take seats, you sat beside Hina, making Mikey and Takemichi in front of the both of you.
You look up at the large display of items on the menu at the front, wondering if you should get a desert or a sandwich with a coffee. "Hey, let's go take a closer look at the cakes on display!" Hina exclaims, tugging at your arm. As she gets up and you follow.
Bending down to see the cakes through the glass, Hina looks over at you. "I thought it would calm you down if the two of us went ahead first," she says smiling. You turn to her and she had a handkerchief in her hand. You look closely in the glass and notice your reflection. You were sweating.
Frantically dabbing your head with the cloth she gave, you turn to Hina. "I didn't even know I was sweating this bad," you whisper-scream while the pink-haired girl giggled.
"It's your first time, don't sweat it," Hina teases, laughing.
"Very funny," you reply sarcastically.
The both of you continue to look at the cakes, a small breather did help a little. You were still embarrassed that you were so nervous it showed physically. Once you two decided, you went in line, you let Hina go in front of you.
Going back to the table with a slice cake and coffee, you both take your seats. "Must be our turn," Takemichi says before the both went to the front as well.
"How are you feeling now?" Hina asks, already digging into her cake. You look down at your dessert and up at Mikey who was pointing at a parfait.
"Bored."
Hina looks at you skeptically, "Do you actually like Mikey?" she asks curiosly. You make eye-contact with her, wide-eyed. You wanted to come clean but you also didn't want to ruin this double date she planned solely because you said you liked the guy.
Just like the first time you and her talked, you panicked.
"Of course I do! I like his long blonde hair, his fashion sense, the fact he orders kids meals-"
"How do you know that?"
You slowly look over at Mikey who had a parfait in his hand. Takemichi behind him was trying hard not to laugh.
You were so gonna punch him before he time-leaps.
The two blonde take their seat. You wanted to go home after all the embarrassment you've been feeling. The date only just started, you didn't even eat your cake yet. Mikey kept staring at you, waiting for you response.
"I saw you order a kid's meal once... that's all..." You finally answer, shifting your gaze from him. He gives you a shrug and digs his spoon in the parfait he got. You were relieved he didn't seem to care.
The four of you eat dessert together, the most talk from your table was from Takemichi and Hina. You didn't want to chime in and it didn't seem like Mikey did either. As you were thinking of something to say to the blonde, you got a nudge from beside you. You looked down and Hina was passing a folded-up piece of paper to you. You take it, confused as to why she's passing notes and unfolded it under the table.
She made an effort to print what looks like a page of conversation starters from online. You read them in your head, they seem silly, but it's better than not talking at all. "Uh.." you stall, looking at the sheet before looking back at your date. "Do you have any hobbies?" You ask awkwardly. Mikey looks up, thinking, "Does sleep count?" he asks. You can't help but feel like he isn't joking around.
"No," you quickly tell him. He goes back to thinking.
What, is his hobby gang violence? You thought to yourself.
Finally, the boy speaks, "I don't know if I really have one, how about you?" He returns the question. Now making you think, you don't really do much after school. "Walking? I like to go out for a stroll sometimes," you answer and he looks at you with a confused face.
"Sounds boring..." He says honestly. You twitch your eye, offended by the comment before looking back down to the sheet of paper to see if there are more interesting questions. Suddenly he speaks, "Do you live alone?" You were surprised he'd ask that. "Yeah, my mom works overseas, she sends money every month for rent so that's how I'm able to stay," you say, the blonde nods in response before taking a couple more bites of his dessert. How'd he even notice I lived alone, you question to yourself.
"Don't you ever get lonely?" Mikey asks. You take a sip of your latte before replying, "All the time," you said with a sigh. His face stayed expressionless, which made you curious. You didn't care for pity, you hated it actually. The way he was barely responsive confused you, usually people would feel bad after hearing something like that.
Moments after, the four of you slowly talked more and more. About school or even random things. The double date slightly getting better than how it started.
-
"Thank you, come again!" An employee greets the four of you before leaving the cafe. The sun was setting now. You let the couple walk in front, leaving you beside Mikey again. After some silence between you two, he spoke. "What snacks do you have at home?" You thought it was a random question but answer anyway, "Uh... chips, I might have ice cream, taiyaki-"
"I'm staying over then," he says immediately, you didn't even get to finish.
You wanted to reject, but there was a part of you that wanted him to come over.
Chapter four, end.