Five minutes passed before I was ready. I didn't have time to change my clothes, so I tried to brush my hair. But of course, my hair decided that it was a good time to get tangled.
'Oh come on, not now,' I said as I tried to detangle my hair. How Ariel managed to comb her hair easily using a fork is beyond me.
Before long, I heard Shu knocking on my door. I knew that it was him because he said, 'Rose, are you there? Your parents told me that you have been cooped up there for ages.'
Uh oh. Time to panic. I started to freak out. I couldn't let Shu see me like this. I quickly tied my hair into a loose ponytail.
'Rose...' said Shu. 'I'm coming in.'
Shu opened my door and gasped. For I had not bothered to clean my room for ages and my bed was in a mess. Shu was a total neat freak and I bet that he wanted to start cleaning up at once.
'It's... It's not as bad as it looks,' I said.
'Not as bad?' asked Shu. 'It looks like a tornado has swept through here. What has happened? You were fine a few days ago. Why have you been so weird lately?'
I went quiet and looked at my feet. How could I explain that I was worried about him? He wouldn't get it at all.
'Rose, is everything okay?' he asked. 'Your parents called me and asked me to try to figure out what's wrong with you? They knew that you couldn't possibly be jealous of the new baby as you have been way too excited for it.'
My new parents asked Shu to figure out what's wrong? They must really trust him then. I didn't know why, but I started crying on his chest.
I have never thought that I would cry in front of Shu Kurenai, of all people. Even though we have gotten really close, he still felt like a celebrity to me. He's famous and I'm a nobody. Shu hugged me and laid me down on my bed.
'Hey, it's okay. Cry all you want, then tell me what's the problem.'
I wanted to point out to Shu that he was always swallowing his feelings, but I was too busy crying. I could feel Shu gently undoing my ponytail and running his fingers through my hair. Slowly I calmed down.
'I'm scared,' I told him.
'Scared of what?' asked Shu.
'Of you getting hurt,' I said.
Shu looked confused. 'Who would want to hurt me?' he asked. 'Lui and I are enemies, but he won't go that far.'
'No, I don't mean physically,' I said. 'I mean emotionally.'
'Rose, you're not making any sense...' said Shu.
'What would you do if Spryzen gets broken?'
Shu looked taken aback. 'Huh? What?' he said.
'Spryzen is badly damaged. You really should be getting it fixed. I know that you won't be able to handle it if Spryzen breaks.'
Shu sighed. 'Rose, it's no big...'
'Please, Shu,' I said. 'You don't understand how painful it is to see someone you love hurt. When you got hit by that car, I thought that my heart was going to stop. I feared that I would lose you.'
'Rose,' he said. 'You almost suffocated to death on Valentine's Day. I thought that I was going to lose you.'
I went quiet. I had totally forgotten about that! 'Did I... Did I look that bad?'
'I saw you lying in that bed in the hospital and you... you looked so pale. And you couldn't breathe properly either. I had to leave that room because I felt sick. Valt came out too to check on me.'
Shu had never told me what it had been like for him when I almost died from the fire. Mostly because he hadn't wanted to say anything.
'And then when I heard that you were going to be alright I was so relieved. I just didn't want to lose you. I love you so much Rose.'
'I love you too Shu,' I said. I kissed him. We probably would have kissed forever, but we eventually had to let go. You know, for air.
'Listen, it's nice that you're concerned,' said Shu. 'But the semi finals are tomorrow. There's no time. But I'll try my best to be careful. I promise.'
'Pinky promise,' I asked. I know that I'm too old for pinky promises, but I felt that Shu needed all the luck he could get.
Shu blushed a little. 'Er, yeah. Pinky promise,' he said.
I smiled. 'And Shu, there's one more thing I want you to do.'
'What is it?' he asked.
I don't think he expected me to say what I said next. He looked quite taken aback when I said it.
'Make sure you get enough sleep. It won't do for you to pass out during your match.'
Shu looked astonished at first. Then he started laughing. 'Rose, you are sure a funny girl. I'll do that if you do one thing.'
'What?' I asked.
'You stop hiding yourself away. Everyone's worried about you.'
Now I was giggling. 'Yes, Shu,' I said.
We both giggled and did a little messing about. Don't worry, nothing serious. Just playful hugs and kisses.