Chapter 7

"We should wake her up, right?" Ren whispered to Shun as they stared at Misaki, asleep on the couch, from the entranceway to the kitchen.

"I'm not sure. She's probably been stressed lately, and with a moment to finally relax, she fell asleep," Shun whispered back, folding his arms as he thought.

"That means she's at least comfortable here, right? I can't help but feel like she's a little chipmunk ready to scurry back home at the drop of a hat." Ren sighed, biting his lip.

"A chipmunk, really? Cute, but I thought maybe a bunny or kitten—"

"Does it matter what animal?"

"Kinda, but I get your point. She didn't use to be like this. How much damage did Aki cause?" Shun gritted his teeth, thinking back to the cheerful girl they knew back in training days. "Even that bully couldn't take her down back then, not really."

Ren nodded. "Any way to help her get her confidence back? It'd be a shame for her to stay hidden for the rest of her life."

"Honestly, I think being around you might help her."

"Really? Why?"

Shun stared at him for a moment. "You have a larger-than-life personality, and you like to put a positive spin on things. I think just the way you are might help anyone you're close to."

"Dunno about that, but if I can help, I will."

"Don't try too hard, or it might have an adverse effect."

Ren narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure how to take that."

"Don't worry about it." Shun patted his shoulder. "How about we eat before it gets cold?"

"What about Misa? Should I wake her? Bring her to one of our spare rooms? Get her a blanket?"

"Calm down, for one. I'm not sure we should move her, but I doubt her neck will be happy in that position for long."

"Okay, so I'll lay her down on the couch carefully and give her a blanket." Ren tiptoed closer, trying not to wake her.

"Hmm?" Misaki's head snapped up, and she looked at him, still half-asleep. "Ren?" What happened? Did I fall asleep? What's he up to?

He froze mid-step and put his hands down. "Uh, food's ready!"

Oh my gosh! I did! How could I fall asleep here? She rubbed her eyes and stood up straight. "G-great, I can't wait to try it." Smooth move, Misa.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask about preferences or allergies before," Shun said as they followed him into the dining room with three plates set up at the six-person table.

"It's okay. I don't have any allergies, and I'm not picky when it comes to food." Though I can't say that I eat too much of a variety at home. She thought about the ramen cups filling her cupboards.

Ren pulled a seat out for her.

"Thank you." She sat at the mahogany table, and Ren sat next to her. "It smells delicious." Her stomach grumbled, but the boys ignored it as Shun served them a plate of chicken pesto pasta.

"Thanks for the meal," Ren said and dug in. "Mmm... So good."

Misaki nodded in agreement as she ate. When's the last time I had a home-cooked meal? She wiped away a tear before the boys could notice. Now is not the time to get emotional, Misa.

"If you like it enough, we can send some leftovers home with you," Shun suggested. "I always make extra so we have some quick meals to grab when we're busy."

Misa raised an eyebrow, her fork midway to her mouth. Should I? Even as leftovers, Shun's cooking is an upgrade to mine. "S-sure."

"If I knew food could sway you, I would've offered Shun's cooking right away." Ren sighed and cleaned the last bit off his plate.

"Likely without asking me." Shun shook his head. "But since you're not picky, it's not an issue." Shun took their empty plates.

"Let me help! You cooked, so it's only proper I clean the dishes."

Shun pointed below the counter. "Or we can both avoid it and use the dishwasher."

"Oh, okay." Misaki laughed awkwardly and looked away as he took her plate from her hand. Why didn't I think of checking that first?

Shun set a plate of shortbread cookies in the middle of the table. "And something for dessert, if you have space."

"Uh, a little bit." She took one, and it instantly melted in her mouth. Geez, he wasn't kidding about being good at baking. It's so buttery!

"I don't know how you can just eat one." Ren moved onto his third before she finished one.

"And I don't know how you keep your form when you eat like a bodybuilder," Shun said as he took one.

"That's the point. Exercise a lot, and you get to eat more."

"I doubt that'll work forever unless you're lucky."

"We shall see in the future, then." Ren plucked another cookie off the plate.

I should stick to one unless I want to add an extra hour of exercise. Misaki sat back and glanced at her watch. She stood and gave them a small bow. "Thank you for the meal. I should probably head home."

"You make it sound like I'm not driving you home." Ren stood beside her.

"I can walk home." Work off some of the food and get some fresh air.

"A bit late at night for us to be comfortable letting you walk that far. For our peace of mind, let me drive you." He wiggled his car key in the air.

Shun grabbed a container and filled it with pasta. "Here's your to-go meal."

"Thanks, Shun." Misaki smiled as she took it, and they headed out.

"I'll see you soon. Bye." Shun saw them off at the door.

Misaki sat in Ren's car with the container held firmly in her lap.

Ren dropped a baggie with two cookies in it on top. "I couldn't help myself and made sure to snag you these," Ren said as he buckled up.

"Thank you." Eat sparingly. Ugh, Aki is still in my head. He barely let me touch cookies. Or sweets in general. Or junk food. Well, I don't know how healthy my ramen cups are these days...

Ren drove off and glanced at her. "You know what? I can't believe you're still crushing on him after all these years."

"Wait, what?" Heat rushed to her cheeks. "What are you talking about? I'm not crushing on anyone!" Her grip on the container tightened. "I don't know why you think that."

Ren raised an eyebrow, holding back a smirk. "I've known since our training days, and you're not that subtle. Ever since he first stepped in to help you with that girl, you've had hearts in your eyes whenever you see him."

"I-I do not!"

Ren chuckled. "Yes, you do, as you always have. Not uncommon for women to swoon for Shun—"

"I wasn't swooning."

"You're definitely shier with him than with me."

"We're the same age."

"Is that all it is? I've seen you around others, and other than he-who-shall-not-be-named, Shun's the only one I've seen you look at like that."

He's relentless. Misaki huffed and turned away, staring out the window at the stores they zipped by. "Why are you even saying these thoughts out loud? I don't need to hear it."

"Ouch. I was just surprised. You're a big star—"

"Was a star, as in I'm not anymore."

"I was wondering why not me," he mumbled to himself. "I'm sorry I blurted that out, but it's been on my mind since you met Shun again." He stopped at a red light and looked at her. "Seriously, Misa, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"More like you shouldn't assume things."

"Complete denial, I see," he whispered to himself. "Well, to be fair, sometimes that first real crush lasts a lifetime."

I guess that could be true. I wonder who he's thinking of; who's Ren's first crush?

Ren pulled up to her apartment building and got out, opening her door, and held his hand out.

"You kinda stand out, so maybe you should—"

"Ahem." Ren wiggled his hand until she took it. He pulled her up, the container bumping into him.

"Oh!" Still as abrupt as always. Her heart raced as she looked around the greenway entrance to her apartment, avoiding his gaze.

"Seriously, sorry about bringing it up, but I... Never mind. I look forward to our collaboration." He looked around and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Goodnight, Misa." Ren stepped away and bit his lip, hoping he didn't mess up again.

"G-goodnight." She rushed off, hugging the container as her heart went into overdrive, thudding out of her chest.

"And here I told myself not to scare her away." Ren sighed and sat in his car. "I better not have screwed up the collaboration before we started. It was only on the cheek. She's used to more than that... But maybe not since she left the spotlight. Geez, what was I thinking?"