Girl Next Door

Pedaling in the direction of my street, I noticed something in the distance. I couldn't tell if it was moving or not, but as soon as I drew closer, I realized it was a person walking. Based on the figure, I assumed it was a girl.

She wasn't exactly wearing anything to help against the chilly weather. In fact, I noticed all she had been wearing was her basic school uniform. My school uniform.

Someone was walking home from school. But why so late?

That wasn't what bothered me though. What bothered me was that she was hugging herself as she walked. I wasn't close enough to tell for sure, but I imagined she had been shivering while she was at it.

I didn't know what I was going to do once I caught up to her. There was no way I could just whiz past her without doing anything. That was a surefire way to look like a douchebag.

I sighed lightly and noticed the way she was heading. It seemed she had been walking in the same direction I was riding towards. Taking several seconds at most to make my decision, I began racing ahead.

I guess it won't hurt to offer her a ride as long as she's not too far from home.

It didn't take too long to catch up to her. Once she was only a few steps in front of me, I slowed down a bit and called out to her.

“Hey.” She stopped and turned back, allowing me to see a familiar face that I wasn't expecting. “Oh…!” Recognizing her, I approached her and planted my left foot on the ground, coming to a complete stop. “Faith…”

She didn't seem to realize who I had been at first. Once she did, her eyes widened as a result.

“Chase?! What are you doing out here? I thought you had already gone home.”

“I had plans,” I responded with a brief answer. “I’m more concerned about you. What are you doing out here by yourself, walking in the cold like that? Don't you at least have a sweater or something?”

“I don't have one with me right now.” She averted her eyes in a noticeably upset manner. "...I didn't think I would be walking home..."

“What…? Don’t you have someone that picks you up?”

“She couldn’t today. And before you ask, no, I don’t know where the buses are, or how much they are, so I decided to just walk,” she answered, rubbing her arms now and then.

I couldn't stand looking at her. She looked absolutely miserable. I didn't know how far she lived, but it couldn't have been too far considering she was walking home. Even so, I was willing to go the extra mile to get her home safe. I could only hope she wasn't out long enough to get sick.

“Get on. I’ll take you home.”

“Wh-what?” She tilted her head, appearing puzzled over my offer.

“No offense, but I'm not letting you walk alone in this cold with what you’re wearing. I can't. Besides, it’s going to be dark soon and that doesn't make things any better for you.”

“…you really wouldn’t mind taking me to my house…?” she asked with a tone of concern in her voice.

I shook my head. “I live in the direction you’re going, so you can’t be too far away.”

“Burr…” She couldn’t help but voice her shivers. “It is p-pretty cold…” She looked to the side as she observed the slow traffic. “O-okay… But only if you don’t mind.”

“Please,” I encouraged her.

She approached my bike but then stopped and stared at it for a moment. “…h…how do I get on?”

“There’s a seat behind me.” I proceeded to explain to her, just like with Naomi. "Hey, you want my jacket? I can't imagine how long you've been out here."

"N-No, i-it's o-okay." She attempted to climb on to the best of her abilities.

"Are you sure...? I'm not too far off from here, you know."

Once she was on the seat, she made another attempt to keep herself seated.

"N-Neither, a-am I. I-I'm fine."

She didn't hold on to me right away as Naomi did. I guess I kind of understood why. Still, she was shaking like crazy. If she didn't want to take my jacket, I had to get her home quickly.

"Well, try to hold on so you don't fall or anything."

I started pedaling, slow at first. I assumed she had held onto the bike itself. But after the span of a few seconds, her hands slowly pressed against my shoulders.

"...is this okay...?" Her question sounded hesitant.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it." I told her and looked on ahead. "You were going in this direction, right?" I gestured forward with my head.

“Yeah…” She returned a slow answer. I was beginning to hope she didn't get hypothermia or something.

"You should really take my jacket, you know," I suggested.

"I-I'm f-fine..." She managed to say. From there, I began feeling her body begin to press against me. I was now able to feel how much she had been shivering. “It’s not too far. Just move a little and I’ll let you k-know when we get there.”

“Okay.” I began pedaling and increased my speed for her sake.

Let's hope she’s actually as close as she says she is...

“We’re getting close.”

I felt Faith look over my shoulder as I pedaled. It was a little weird hearing that because I was getting pretty close to my own neighborhood as well. As I furrowed my brow and focused on ahead, I felt Faith's grip on me tighten. In fact, she had practically been hugging me from behind now. I assumed it was because of the cold, but I had no problem with it. I just wanted to make sure she got home alright.

Faith shook a bit more behind me.

“I-It’s right h-here…”

"H-Hold on..." I came to a stop and planted my left foot on the ground. If I wasn't mistaken, she was pointing right at the same street I had been heading to in the first place. "Here?"

“U-U-Uh-huh,” she answered. Hearing the shivers in her voice, I gave myself a little push and turned around the corner. “I l-live right at the end of the circle thing. It’s the house r-right on the left.”

After passing my own place on the right side of the street, I was able to get a clearer look at the house she talked about. Something about that house almost immediately clicked in my head. But I couldn't recall what that something had been. Kicking those thoughts into the closet of my mind, I rode down the sidewalk until I reached the end of the neighborhood.

"This is the place, right?" I asked, stopping at the front of the driveway.

“Yes.” A content breath escaped out from her possibly frozen lips. Instead of getting off right away, she remained on her seat as if she couldn't move her legs. As I turned back to check on her, I found her resting her head on my back. She looked like she was ready to pass out. “Thank you…”

"H-Hey...!" I nearly shouted in response. "You need to get inside!"

Her drooping eyelids shot open as a result of my soft outburst. Then, she unhooked her arms from around me and threw herself backwards on her seat. A shade of red began to flood her face. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to hold onto you like that!"

I shook my head. "It's not that. You're freezing and I just wanted you to get inside where it's warm."

She stepped off the bike and backed away a bit as she kept her eyes on me.

"T-Thanks..." She averted her gaze as she began messing with the left side of her hair with her fingers. "It was...n-nice of you to go out of your way to take me home. I'm sorry for being s-such a bother."

"It's no trouble at all," I told her, resting my arms on the handlebars and leaning my body forward a bit.

"Y-You should hurry and get home t-too!" She continued rubbing her arms and took a short glance at the sky. "The sun's almost gone d-down...!"

"It's fine. My house is right over there." I lifted my hand and pointed a thumb right behind me.

Her eyebrows raised as her eyes shot open. “H-Huh?! W-Wait! Y-You live here too?!”

"Yeah, I do. It was a surprise for me too when you told me to turn in here. But let's talk later. You really need to get inside."

"R-Right... O-Okay."

I took a look at her driveway and realized that there was no vehicle in sight.

"It doesn't look like anyone's home. Do you even have a way to get in?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah, don't worry. I'll be fine now. Thanks again for the ride. I r-really appreciate it."

"Yeah, no problem. Just worry about getting warmed up. I'd feel bad if you ended up missing class because you got sick."

She shook her head.

"As soon as I'm inside, I'm jumping straight in the b-bath. T-Thank you, Chase! B-Bye!"

Taking my advice, she turned and made a light jog for the front door. Like Naomi, I watched her for a bit until I made sure she had a way of getting inside. Afterward, I turned and headed for home. As I did, I couldn't help but also keep the girl I just gave a ride back in mind.

Were her parents that busy that they couldn't take her home?

I walked in through my front door as soon as I had put away my bike. With one foot in, I noticed my mom in the living room. She had been sitting on the couch with her eyes on the television in front of her.

“You came home late,” she mentioned with a slight tone of concern. “I was starting to get worried. Did something happen?”

I shook my head and tried to keep it as brief as I could. “I was with a friend for a while afterschool.”

“Oh, okay,” she replied. “Make sure to let me know when you're staying late, alright? There’s some food in the kitchen. It’s a little cold now, though.”

“That’s fine. Thanks, mom,” I answered and began walking up the stairs to my room.

I shut the door to my room as soon as I was inside and began removing the weight of my coat and bag on me, including my shoes. Once I was only in my shirt, jeans, and socks, I allowed myself to fall over on my bed. It wasn't until now when I realized fatigue started to hit me.

After resting for a few seconds, I dug my hand into my pocket and pulled my phone out. I faced the screen towards me and checked for any notifications that caught my eye. As I stared at the empty screen, thoughts of Chasing_Faith entered my mind.

Was she also fighting to keep herself warm during this cold weather? She find anything cute lately? How's it going with her studying?

Ever since school started, we haven't had many chances to talk with each other. That was to be expected though. The only times we were usually free to talk were during breaks aside from the occasional texts.

I felt like so much had happened since I came back from winter break. I had made a huge breakthrough with Naomi today, and now there was something else I was dealing with. After earlier today, I began seeing her in a different light.

Did I...maybe...actually like her? Like her in that sense?

But it all felt too sudden. Maybe I was just really happy that she asked me to hang out with her. Happy that she confided in me about something that I couldn't imagine her telling anyone else.

I exhaled a large sigh.

If there was anything I wanted to talk to Chasing_Faith about, it was definitely this. I felt a yearning for a second opinion, and I was sure that she'd love to hear the story. While she never admitted it herself, she was kind of a sucker for romance.

After thinking to myself for a quiet moment, I decided I would give her a call later on before it got too late. If she wasn't busy, I'd spill what happened today to her.

I got up from bed and got my things ready to take a shower. I was feeling a little hungry, so I made plans to eat first before heading into the bathroom. In the middle of taking out a change of clothes, I heard an unexpected ring from the phone I rested on the desk.

I stretched my hand out and reached over to grab it. When I pulled the screen to my face, I witnessed an ironic turn of events. The person I had just been thinking about was giving me a call.

“H-Hello?” I brought the phone to my ear and answered.

“Hi!” I heard a voice chirp on the other side.

“Hey. What’s up?”

“Guess where I’m at?” She answered my question with another question.

“Uh… I don’t know. Where?”

“Guess! Here's a hint: I'm someplace you wouldn't expect me to be with a phone.”

“No idea. Guess you should tell me, huh?"

“You’re not even going to try guessing?” She seemed to pout for a bit before giving up. “Oh well. I’m in the bath!”

“W-What?!” Realizing that the bathroom was like the worst place to be on your phone, I didn't quite believe her at first. “By 'bath' you mean...in the bathtub?”

“Yep!” By the sound of her pride, she almost seemed unaware of how dangerous that was.

I felt concern strike my face as I repeated what she just told me.

“Calling when you’re in the bath... Isn’t that risky? What if your phone slips into the water or something?”

“Haha. I’m not that dumb. I have some Bluetooth headphones on right now.”

“Oh, yeah…?”

I guess she wasn't as risky as I thought she was.

“Yep. It’s fine.” I heard her release a breath of both pleasure and relief. “Being in a hot bath at this time of year is the best! Aside from hot cocoa with marshmallows. You don’t know how bad I’ve been needing this after a day like today.

“Oh, yeah,” I agreed, having had experienced the low temperature outside for myself. “It has been pretty chilly lately.”

It was silent for a short moment before her voice sprung up once again.

"I hope you don’t think it’s weird that I’m calling while in the bath. It’s just…it’s been a little hard talking to you, you know? I haven't been able to get online much lately. School is such a chore. It stresses me out. Sometimes, I find myself knocking out right after I get home.”

“I understand,” I responded and sat on the bed with my phone in hand. “You also had exams this past week too, right? How’d they go?”

“Mmm…” She sounded like she wasn't too happy with that question. “I don’t know. I guess I won’t know until I get back. I can’t say I did great though…”

“Yeah… A lot of people get worked up about them. Don't worry about it.”

“Hey, don't take this the wrong way, but I actually hate talking about school right now. School sucks. I've been so stressed out lately. I start getting all depressed and everything even by just hearing the word.”

“Oh, sorry. Do you want to talk about something else?”

“It’s fine,” she reassured. “What about you? How do you think you did?”

“Welp. I have to admit that I don’t really think too much about them. I can’t say that I aced them, but I think I at least did a decent job.”

"Luckkyyy! I wish I didn't have to worry about exams. I'd be able to game as much as I want!"

"Heh, sorry," I somewhat apologized in a playful manner before I remembered something else I wanted to say to her. "Oh, hey. I've got some news for you."

"Oh? What is it? Tell me!"

"Easy. That's just what I was going to do. Remember the day I texted you saying that I was sitting with a girl for lunch?"

"Yeah! What about her?"

"She had asked me out for coffee earlier in the week, and I just came back from hanging out in the cafe with her."

"Seriously?! Oh my gosh! I'm so jelly!"

"...'jelly'?" I found her choice of words bizarre yet intriguing to hear.

"Totes jelly! Sorry. I don't have much luck when it comes to love, but I still find it absolutely adorbs when it's someone else I know! So, what?! Is she your girlfriend now?!"

"Haha, no." I began rubbing the back of my head as I felt a surge of heat fill my face. "It's not like it was a date or anything. But still, I got to know so much about her. I don't know. It's weird. Like, I was just interested in getting to know her more, but now...I have these weird new feelings. There's something about her that just...attracts me."

"Aww! You're totes in love! It's official!"

"R-Really...? I don't know..." She sounded completely confident in her diagnosis, but I still had trouble believing it. "You're a girl. What do you think I should do?"

"Go up to her and confess your love on your knees!"

I felt my eyelids lower halfway.

"Yeah. Not doing that."

"Come on! It's so romantic! You'll capture her heart like nothing! That's what I'd want!"

"Yeah, you. I don't think she's the type of girl to fall for that."

"Really? What kind of girl is she?"

"Mm..." The tip of my index finger and thumb lightly pressed against my lips as I thought to myself for a bit. "It's kind of hard to describe her. She's...independent?"

"Independent? What kind of a description is that?"

"Like I said. It's hard to describe her. She's different from other girls. Let's just leave it at that. In fact, that might be a reason why I'm kind of attracted to her."

"Well, to each their own. I'm just happy you have someone you like. Just be careful, kay?"

"'Careful'?" I repeated, finding that odd coming from her.

I then heard what sounded like the movement and splashing of water from the speakers on my phone. “I think I’m going to finish up here and get out. Are you up for some gaming later on tonight?”

“Sure. I was actually about to go eat and then take a shower myself.”

“Alright! I guess I’ll let you go then.”

“Yeah. See you in a bit.”

“Bye bye!” she said and hung up.

I rested my phone on the foot of my bed and let the conversation we just had sink in for a bit. At that moment, I recalled something in particular just before I came home.

As soon as I'm inside, I'm jumping straight in the b-bath. ​

That's what Faith Hills had told me outside. And, Chasing_Faith literally just called me while in the bath...

Before long, I found myself giving my head a tremendous shake.

Am I seriously still hung up about the stupid idea I had when she transferred in? It's just a dumb coincidence. Anyone could be taking a bath at this time of night. Chasing_Faith is not both my classmate and my neighbor. End of story.

Releasing a heavy sigh, I walked out my door and headed for the kitchen.

Saturday morning, I jumped out of bed.

Well, not really. It was more like the exact opposite.

After dragging myself out from underneath my sheets, I rubbed my eyes and walked over to my window with a loud yawn. I pushed the curtain to the side, but, at the time, I hadn't been thinking straight. I had been met with a full blast of the sun's fury straight in my eyes. I immediately flinched backwards and covered my eyes with my hand. Once I got used to the light, a clear view of my street came into view. It was then I remembered the night before.

I had taken Faith Hills, my classmate, back home. That home turned out to be in the same neighborhood I lived in. In fact, she was right at the end of the cul-de-sac.

I shifted my view over to the driveway, which was absent of cars. My parents were out again. Sighing a little, I moved over to my dresser to change for the cold weather outside. Afterwards, I left my room and out the front door onto my snow-covered front lawn.

If there was anything I liked about the morning, it was the quiet ambiance. I liked listening to just the sound of a steady breeze. It was something I wouldn't have minded hearing while I worked outside. Too bad I wasn't really a morning person.

I took a seat in front of my front door and just had a quiet look around for a moment. It was nice to get some fresh air every now and then. As comfortable as I was inside my room, I also felt confined at times. I guess it was kind of like the opposite of being homesick. In a sense, I supposed coming out and remembering that there was a whole world outside made me feel better.

I soon found myself staring into Faith's direction, and that's when it had hit me. I had gotten an odd feeling when I dropped her off last night. But at the time, I wasn't able to figure out what that feeling had been all about. It wasn't until now I understood why seeing that house of hers felt strange yet familiar.

I remembered hearing some kind of commotion outside during this past winter break. There had been loud sounds of a large vehicle outside in the neighborhood that I had heard in my room. These sounds weren't at all common, so I took a look outside to see what had been going on.

I saw a moving truck right outside the same house Faith Hills had gone into. In fact, I remembered that there had been a "For Sale" sign in front of that house too. I just never paid much attention to notice it ever disappear later on until now.

Even so, I could have found this out much sooner. But my parents weren't the type to go out and greet new neighbors. If that was the case, I could have easily met Faith Hills before school even started. In the end, I guess it didn't really matter. I still ended up meeting her after all.

Thinking a little more about her, my eyes remained glued to her home. At some point, I saw a black SUV moving around her location. In a matter of minutes, it faced this way and soon grew closer. I only watched it as it passed by. And just like with any other vehicle, it stopped at the end of the street before it turned and disappeared.

Out of curiosity, I sat up and approached the area by my mailbox. I continued looking out at the direction the vehicle had left. Then, I switched my gaze over to the other side of the street. Having a better look at her house, I noticed someone in the driveway. If I was seeing right, it had been the girl herself.

She was a little far, but by her figure, I was able to see that she had been staring in the direction the car left. She held her hands behind her back and watched for a good moment. At the same time, she vertically positioned her right foot behind the other with her toes facing down.

She looked fine from here, and I was glad for that. I was scared that she'd get sick after walking in the cold like that after all. I continued looking her way for a moment. However, just like the first day in class, she unexpectedly turned my way as if she sensed me.

I wasn't sure if she had seen me, and if she did, I didn't want her to think I had been looking too long. I decided to make a slow turn back to my house and walked out of her line of sight. From there, I sat back down on the front step and continued looking out with an absent mind.

Still...how did I not notice her all this time? It had only been at most a month or so. Even then, how did we not see each other in the mornings? I guess we just left at different times.

I covered my face with my hands and then lightly massaged my forehead with my fingers. For a while, I felt myself stay in that position. At some point, my eyelids began closing on their own. I felt like I was just about to fall back to sleep, but then I heard the sound of distant footsteps getting closer.

What sounded like shoes scraping against the cleared pavement grew louder. I thought about raising my head to see what it was, but I figured it was just someone walking by. That is until I heard their voice.

"Morning, Chase."

I looked up and saw Faith standing by my mailbox. She didn't get any closer, having me wonder if she was afraid to come in. I decided to stand up and walk to her instead.

"Oh. Hey, Faith." I approached her and took a glance at her wardrobe.

She was wearing a hoodie with dark-colored compression shorts. To combat their short length, she wore long knee socks. Even though this attire hadn't been entirely recognizable, something about it was familiar. Other than that, she wore her hair down, almost as if she had just woken up and given it a quick brush before leaving the house. Despite the just out of bed look, she still wore the heart-shaped hairclip I always saw her with.

There was just one thing that was different about her.

"Oh? You're not wearing your glasses?" I brought up.

Her body somewhat jumped.

"O-O-Oh, yeah!" An embarrassed giggle slipped past her tongue. "I, um, I don't really wear glasses when I'm at home."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense," I mentioned as I dug my hands into the pockets of my coat. It was nothing to be embarrassed about. It wasn't like the time I saw her... Yeah, never mind. "How are you feeling?" I asked, making a quick attempt to erase the unwelcomed image in my mind. "Better?"

“I’m fine. Thanks.” She also buried her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and looked away. “H-hey…”

“Hm?”

“Are you busy right now?” she asked.

“No, why?”

“I was wondering… Do you know how the buses here work?”

I wasn’t exactly expecting her to follow up with that.

“Kind of.”

“Do you think you can teach me how they work? I mean like…tell me their schedules or how much they cost to get on,” she clarified. “I want to know so next time I’ve gotta go home on my own, I can take the bus instead.”

“Oh, sure. It’s not that hard, really.” I thought to myself and recalled the spot near the school. “Actually, I think the bus stop is right outside the school. As soon as you get out the main entrance, look to your right. You should see the sign and a couple of benches. That sign should have the schedule on there, but I’ve seen the bus come by a few minutes after everyone is out. I don’t exactly know how much you pay. Last I remember, it's free for students as long as you have your ID.”

“Oh, really?! I didn’t know that! Actually, I don’t remember seeing a bus stop sign on my way home yesterday.”

“You started walking towards the left side on the sidewalk, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You probably didn’t see it because it was on the right,” I guessed.

“Oh, of course! I mean, duh, right?" A burst of short-lived nervous laughter escaped from her. "That makes sense….” Afterwards, she gave off a bit of a disappointed sigh.

“The bus kind of drives around the area in front of the school, I think.” I mentioned a few more important details I was able to remember. “It only goes so far out, but I know it definitely drives through the street this neighborhood is on.”

“Thanks,” she expressed with a small and appreciative smile. “I’ll keep a look out next time I have to come home on my own. Knowing this will be a big help.”

I was glad to be of some help to her, but I was also feeling generous enough to offer her an alternative.

"You know...If you ever need a ride, I can take you. We live in the same neighborhood after all. It's not like it would be a problem."

In response, she faced me with a dumbfounded look on her face. It took a second or two before her lips were able to move.

"N-No! I couldn't! That's too much. I wouldn't want to make you feel responsible for taking me home. I-It doesn't feel right."

"Like I said, no problem at all. Your house is literally just a minute away from mine."

She averted her gaze away from me. Based on the distant look on her face, I assumed she had been considering my offer.

"Hm... Well...maybe..." After a moment, she turned back to me and gave me her answer. "I'm going to try and check out the deal with the buses on my own. But I'll ask you for a ride home if I end up needing it anyway if that's okay...?"

“Sure. If that's what you want."

The two of us then proceeded to exchange a silent smile between us. It went on a little longer than expected, having Faith speak up first.

"Hehehe..." She returned a bashful chuckle as she kicked her foot against the sidewalk. "I guess I should get back home. Thanks again for everything."

"Anytime."

She was just about to turn back around, but then she suddenly froze in place. "Oh...!" She lifted her hand and held it out towards me. "I guess it's nice to meet you...um...neighbor."

"Oh, yeah." I hadn't been expecting a handshake, seeing as we had already met each other back at school. Even so, I didn't want to be an ass and decline, so I reached out and shook hers with mine. "Right back at you."

There was another moment of silence, causing her to respond with a bit of a nervous laugh as a result. She then went on to make slow strides with her legs towards the other end of the street. "See you...later...?"

For some reason, I found her slight awkward behavior welcoming.

"Yeah, see you," I said with a smile stretched out on my face.

She grinned and closed her eyes for a moment before she turned and began walking away.

I observed her leave for a while longer until I felt a sudden vibration coming from my pocket. I pulled my phone out and took a glance at the screen. I noticed a text message from my mom, so I opened it to read the contents.

Could you go out and get us a few things from the store? You can use the credit card in the house but be sure not to lose it!

I stared at the screen for a while before I eventually sighed.

Just what were they doing that didn't let them go to the store themselves?

At any rate, I headed back into the house, picked up my keys, and grabbed the credit card to buy the things she needed. Afterward, I locked the front door, grabbed my bike, and was pedaling out in the street before I knew it.

Going out on errands with just my bike was sometimes annoying, but it was a nice and cool day, so it wasn't a big deal. Getting to the store didn't take too long as the distance from home was around the same as the school.

I looked around a bit just as I walked past the sliding doors. Then, I pulled up my phone and opened the list my mom had sent me. The first item on the list was eggs.

I made my way over to the right aisle and began sorting through different cartons of eggs. I spent a minute or two checking to see that none of the ones I was taking with me had any broken shells. After that, I brought my phone up to my face as I walked past the produce area.

Paper Tow—

A sudden press against the right side of my body tore my focus away from the screen in front of me. As a result, I stopped the motion of my legs and looked up to see who I had just bumped into.

“Sorry.” I already had an apology ready for the stranger that was in front of me. But it turned out it wasn't a stranger at all. Instead, it was a familiar face, and she had been looking back at me with slightly parted lips. "Naomi?"

“Chase,” she said at the sight of me. She didn't sound as surprised as I did, but her raised eyebrows said otherwise.

“H-hey. Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s fine.”

I took a glance at what she had been holding with her left hand. She had a basket with her that was already stuffed with various items. I didn't have a clear view of what they were in detail, but I was able to tell they were mostly ingredients for cooking.

As I trailed my eyes back up to her face, I took careful notice of the outfit she had been wearing as well. The first thing I noticed were her high knee socks and compression shorts, just like Faith had been wearing. They didn't look too tight when it came to her thighs as they gave just enough breathing room to allow crinkles. Even so, I was only able to see the end of those spats until I came across her top. She wore a hooded lightweight jacket that looked like a smaller version of her trenchcoat.

After studying her attire for a bit, I couldn't help but feel ensnared by some kind of trap. It wasn't until I heard her voice when I was able to get out of it.

"Is something the matter?" she asked.

"I-It's nothing," I immediately dismissed and tried to shift away from the focus on me. "S-So, you're doing some shopping?"

“Yes,” she replied and seemed to notice the eggs I had been carrying. “I see you’re doing the same?”

"Heh, yeah." I felt myself force out an unintended laugh. As I witnessed her stand in front of me, a noticeable increase in heat surged through my body. "I can't say I was expecting to see you here..."

“Neither was I.” She returned a blatant response while she wore an unreadable expression on her face.

We hadn't been relaxing in an area to ourselves, so I felt the need to start some kind of conversation. Problem was that I had no idea what to say. Having no time to think of anything, I went for the first thing that came to mind.

"Need help with your stuff?" I asked, wondering if the weight on her was heavy.

Naomi glanced back at the ingredients she had with her.

"No, I don't think so."

The two of us stared at each other in silence shortly afterwards. She didn't take her eyes off me, and that only pressured me to make some kind of move. Having no brighter idea at the time, I decided to go and take my leave. I didn't want to just leave her like that, but I also didn't want to keep her from doing her shopping any longer.

"I guess I should get going then..." I decided with heavy reluctance. "I'll see you later."

Just as I was about to turn and walk away, I heard her call out to me.

“Wait," she said unexpectedly, freezing my feet in place as I faced her. "Do you happen to be in a hurry right now, Chase?"

"Not really. I was just getting a few things for my parents."

"I see," she returned and then rubbed the tuft of hair in front of her left ear with her fingers as she averted her gaze. "In that case, would you like to accompany me?"

Huh? Was I hearing things or did she ask me to stay with her for a second time?

"Y-Yeah, sure...!" I answered without so much a hesitating pause. "I've got time on my hands."

As if wanting to show her appreciation, a soft smile grew from her stoic lips.

I stuck around her as she finished her end of the shopping. I ended up carrying her basket for her as she searched through piles of different produce. Originally, she wasn't so keen on that idea, but with a little insistence, I managed to get through her. After she was done with her shopping, we moved over to mine, which didn't take too much time in the first place.

"Did you manage to get home without any issues?" she asked as we passed through the aisles of the store.

“Huh? Oh yeah,” I responded, keeping my eyes ahead of me. “I got home fine.”

"I'm glad to hear that," she revealed, despite the impassive expression on her face saying otherwise. "It was already late by the time you dropped me off. I was hoping you didn't run into any trouble on the way home. I'm...actually thankful that I got to see you here today."

" 'Thankful'...?" I repeated, taken back by her answer. "Naomi, were you...worried about me?"

"'Worried'?" she questioned and turned away. "I suppose I was."

I didn't know how to take her uncertainty when it came to her own feelings, but I was touched regardless. Her heart seemed to be in the right place, after all. Based on what she had told me before, she didn't have much experience when it came to the subject of friends. I guess it was only expected that she wouldn't know how to best describe her feelings.

"Hey." I caught her attention with a soft smile. "I told you before, right? You can call or text my number if you want to know how I'm doing. You don't have to wait until you actually see me."

"Right," she returned as if she had forgotten about that. "To tell you the truth, I don't use my cell phone that often, much less contact anyone on it. Any kind of interaction I have with anyone else tends to be strictly face-to-face."

"I understand. I just want to let you know in case you're worried about me. Not only that, but you can also talk to me if anything's bothering you. Whatever, really... That's what friends are for, after all..."

I began feeling a wave of heat surround my face after having said those words.

“I see…” She thought to herself for a moment and later had no trouble looking straight at me. “Can I ask you something, Chase?"

"O-Oh?" I nearly stumbled with my words. "What is it?"

"What do you consider a 'friend'?"

"'What do I consider a friend'?" I repeated to myself, trying the wrap the sudden question around my mind as I scratched my cheek. "Well, I guess a friend to me is someone you're comfortable being around and, at times, confiding in. If they ever hurt you, it's never intentional. In a way, they support you in the things you do."

Honestly, it was a hard question to answer. Everything I was saying was really just a small piece of something bigger. Of course, I didn't think she'd be dropping a question like that to me at a time like this. It was the best answer I could come up with on the spot.

"Do you consider me a friend?" She asked yet another unexpected question.

"Y-Yeah, of course. Maybe even more..."

Once realizing what had slipped past my tongue, I almost slapped my lips with both of my hands.

"'Even more'?" she repeated, making matters worse.

In response, all I could do was laugh nervously.

Thankfully, she didn't pressure me to explain to her what I had exactly meant.

"Hm. I think I'm understanding a little more about what it means to have and be a friend. Being together with you, it feels...nice.”

"'N-Nice'...?"

"When I'm with you, everything feels slightly altered in some kind of strange way. Perhaps it's the introduction of a social atmosphere where I can converse casually. In any manner, I suppose I feel welcomed."

I couldn't quite understand what she meant by that explanation. At any rate, I believed it was safe to say that she had a good time when it came to being with me. That was good enough for me.

"Well, that's...good to hear," I said.

She remained silent for a good period, and I was afraid we'd be stuck in a looping scenario like earlier. Fortunately, she spoke up before that could happen.

"Are you done with your shopping?" she asked.

"Huh?" I glanced over at the things I had with me and nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Let's head to the front of the store then," she guided, leading me on ahead.

After paying for our items, we walked with each other until we were outside the store.

"Do you need any help getting back home? I can take you if you want," I offered.

"Thank you, but I'll take the bus back home," she said with her front facing towards the nearest bus stop.

"You sure?"

At that point, she continued staring at me in silence. After a few seconds, her lips stretched into a small smile, and she gave her head a calm shake.

"I don't think it'd be appropriate if you tried to fit not only us but both of our things on that bike of yours. Things like the eggs you have could very well easily be crushed."

"O-Oh." I glanced over to the plastic bag I held with my hand and soon came to the realization that she was right. I nearly let my excited enthusiasm get in the way of my good judgement. "Yeah. I guess you're right. I'll take off on my own then. But just remember what we talked about, okay? If you ever want to talk, you've got my number."

She returned a light nod of her head. "I'll keep that in mind."

“Well then.” I proceeded to secure my things in a rather unorthodox manner on my bike. “I’ll see you later, Naomi.”

“See you, Chase,” she responded. Just as I thought she was about to walk off on ahead, she stopped herself and then turned to me. “…thank you.”

I was caught off guard by that last remark of hers. She had already thanked me for the offer I had given her. So, what was she thanking me for now?

Before I could have the chance to ask her about it, she had already been walking away. I observed her for a while longer before I finally decided to hop on my bike and take off.