What does 'love' mean to you? Part 2

The room... You could hear a pin drop. Futoshi's gaze met the table beneath him. He wasn't used to talks like this and something like this... coming from Reina? You would never imagine it. The tiny girl who always shouts the loudest is the quietest inside. It's cliché if you put it that way. Even if he thought it was cliché, he wanted to help. Even if he didn't fully grasp what she meant, he saw a bit of himself in Reina, because-

"At least you never got cheated on." Futoshi pushed his palm into his cheeks as he lay on the table.  The words, before he knew it, had just slipped out. As if they were a click of the tongue. Why am I telling her this?  The way he said it, it wasn't comforting, nor dismissive. It sounded like something you'd bring up in an everyday conversation. Reina's gaze softened. Up until now, she had always shot daggers at Futoshi at any chance she got. This time was different. The usual sharpness melted at what he had said. Who would've thought the popular guy would be the one too...

"...I bet you scared her away, huh?" Reina tried to force another half-baked smile, but to her efforts, her lip wouldn't curl. It was like it was rejecting her. Maybe they weren't that different. No wonder he rejected love; it's such a simple yet complex reason. One that Reina hadn't thought of till now. 

Just then, Futoshi stood upright as his gaze was still directed toward Reina. He walked over to her side of the table- at the opposite end, before placing a palm atop her Sakura-hued hair. "Cmon... don't look at me like that, I'm fine. And anyway, it's creepy that you show concern for me." As he said that last line, Futoshi wrapped his arms around his body, signaling a shudder. If anything, he hated the idea of Reina feeling concerned about him. It wasn't in her usual way to mess with him, so the thought of her doing it, for lack of a better word, repulsed him. 

A wry smile finally tugged at Reina's lips. He was right. "You should feel grateful a beautiful girl such as I shows so much kindness to you, y'know? Frankly, you should be begging to have your head on my lap right about now, hmph." Reina put a hand to her chest as she spoke. Who was she to stoop as low as confiding in Futoshi? She wouldn't dream of it. 

Seeing her usual aura had finally returned, Futoshi folded his arms. "You wish! And besides, whose head would fit in that tiny lap?" He puffed out his chest at his remark. This is how it should be. They weren't built for that sappy stuff; it just wasn't them. In the face of his mockery, Reina's fist slammed the table before she gritted her teeth. "A lot of boys would love to be in the position you're in, y'know!  I think it's about time you show me some gratitude." Reina averted Futoshi's gaze as she puffed out her cheeks. She was brimming with confidence. Futoshi smiled before covering his face with his palm.

"pph... You think I care about that? Honestly, you're so self-centred." As her attempt at gaining the upper hand failed, Reina's cheeks flushed as Futoshi clicked his tongue."And anyway, look in front of you. I literally just cooked for you." Stood in front of her was a omelet rice in all its glory. He had even written her name in ketchup, so if they were going off who had done more for the other, the scale would tip in Futoshi's favour. 

"They do say food is the way to a woman's heart - or wait, is it a man's heart?" Seeing as Reina wasn't sure about her own comeback, Futoshi decided this was a good time to butt in. "So are you gonna be a scatterbrain, or are you gonna shut up and eat?" Reina looked at Futoshi before scoffing at his intervention.  He was right, though.  If they continued their petty game of back and fourth the food would get cold. So they both decided it was a good stopping point. 

Back in his seat, Futoshi gazed toward Reina as he picked at the omelet in front of him. "So what do we do now?" Not understanding what he meant, Reina cocked her head at his out-of-the-blue question.

"What do you mean?" From Reina's perspective, it was a question that didn't make sense. What could Futoshi be talking about? It was like it had come out of left field- that's what it felt like anyway. Futoshi, who occupied the seat opposite her, just let his brow furrow at her stupid albeit rightful question.

"About the club, we've been official for a while, and we still haven't actually done any work."If you could even call inserting ourselves into other people's relationships 'work'that is. As he said that, Reina's eyes widened. It was like the type of look you make when you make a self-discovery. 

"Oh y-yeah! Hey, did you seriously think I would forget our whole purpose?" Reina scoffed at Futoshi's blank statement. She was deflecting; they both knew that much. I mean, how could she forget? She's the self-proclaimed club president after all; there's no way she'd forget...right?

"Chill out, I never said anything like that.... The way you're deflecting already gives me the answer to that question, though. Am I right?" Futoshi gave a smug look that directed itself towards Reina. From his point of view, it was like she was overcompensating for accusations he never even made. This was all the proof he needed; if this were a case of law, she would definitely be deemed guilty. Seeing his smug reaction, Reina blushed. "Yeah, well... I've been busy. And anyway, how could you even tell? You've been stalking me or something, Creeposhi?" As she said that, Reina pointed a finger toward Futoshi. Creeposhi? Now that's a new one. The only thing that's been "creepy" about this whole ordeal is her. The way she opened up to me...why did she do that? Why me? 

"Yeah, you can call me a creep all you like, it ain't gonna change your klutizness, Klutzeina!" He had stooped down to her level. That 5 or something foot level was where this back and forth had landed them. At the rate they were going, they would have been there all night. 

"You realize how cringey that was, right? You literally just replaced the start of my name with Klutz and then eina. That's bad, even for a perv like you, Creeposhi."
"If you explain the joke, of course it's going to sound bad- don't you have any respect for jokes?" Futoshi slammed his hands on the table. 
"Fine... Enough. Oh, and about that stuff about "work." I, the beautiful Reina, have taken measures already, so don't worry.  If you worry too much, you might go bald."  Futoshi's vein popped at that last comment. However, he decided against pushing it further. 

"Alright, enough yapping. Let's eat," Futoshi picked up the chopsticks that were beside him and continued to eat. 

"Hey! Where do you get off-" 
"Eat."
 Her next line would've been telling me what to do, but Futoshi stopped that sentence in its tracks. He had taken the Chopsticks filled with rice and forced them into her mouth. 

Now that the conversation had reached its natural conclusion, Futoshi decided this was the time to elaborate. "We need to put up flyers advertising the club. It's good for marketing. if we don't, we can-" 

"The cultural festival." 

Reina's gaze locked onto Futoshi. Her lip wasn't curled; it was as straight as a ruler. Her expression? Blank as a fresh canvas. She was serious. Futoshi's eyes widened at her actually decent suggestion. "For once, I hate to admit it, but that's perfect. But, what do we do?"

A wry smile tugged at Reina's lips. This was one of, if not the only time, she had made a suggestion worthwhile, so she should have time to bask in its glory, if only a little. "It's a secret... you'll just have to wait till tomorrow like everyone else, or can you not even do that much?" Reina's eyes cast upward at Futoshi's dumbfounded face. If anything, he should praise her more; she deserved that much at least- or that's what she thought anyway. Futoshi clenched his fists.

"Just because you make ONE good suggestion doesn't mean you get to act all high and mighty."
"Aww... I know you're jealous you didn't think of it, it's fine. After she said that, Reina finished eating her food before pushing her hands against the floor to help her get herself upright.  

"I should really get going; it's getting late." Reina's legs carried her to the door. Her shoulders slouched. After all that had happened today, she was bound to be exhausted. 
Just then, her tone softened. 

"Thanks, y'know... for today? I'm sorry I dropped it on you as I did, I guess... I wanted to tell you. So, thanks for hearing me out." In that moment, she flashed a smile in Futoshi's direction. One of warmth. Hearing her say something like that- With so much heart- would make anyone's heart melt.  As she was leaving, Reina-

"Next time, I'll be the one who cooks for you, got it!  You'd better be ready, Futoshi, they say my dishes are the best in town." Definitely wishful thinking. Futoshi smiled. "Bet it ain't as good as the stuff I make." Futoshi caught his breath.

"In the future, remind me to tell you about that cheating thing." Reina's eyes widened. To hear about something so personal. Were they...getting closer? 

"Someday, I'll tell you more about me then, if that's how we're doing this. Can't have one sob story without the other."