Trust Me | Tsukimi Shin

(Part Two)

"Hi again, Tsukimi-san."

Shin looks up from his phone, mouth agape from hearing the familiar light, naturally hushed voice. She slips into the seat beside him quietly. "A-Ah, Takahashi-san..." His face heats up when she gives him her signature close-lipped smile before she turned her head to scan the room. Upon closer inspection, he could see her chest rapidly rising and falling, and her bangs flipped back and wind-swept, and her brown button-up was only half-tucked into her pants as well. He realized she was actually later than usual.

"You ran here?"

She cocks up a brow and peeks at him from the corner of her eye. "Yeah, and I guess I didn't get here fast enough... so many people are here." Her knuckles softly drum on the table, "I was hoping it wouldn't be so crowded while we talked..."

He wanted to ask why but he was afraid she would give him an answer that he didn't like, such as being embarrassed to talk to him when others were there.

"Eh, it doesn't really matter, does it? Just a shame..." He didn't know what she meant by that, but it eased his worries a bit. He was probably overreacting. After all, she sat next to him without a second thought. He sees her rummage through her bag, eyes no longer on him when she talks. "So, did you eat breakfast this morning?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, no. Kinda was in a hurry again."

"Geez..." She sighs, pulling out a large thermos and plopping it onto the table in front of them. He stares at it with wide eyes and opens his mouth to speak, but flinches when she gently pats his cheek with a sandwich covered in plastic wrap. He hesitantly takes it, turning it in his hand and realizing it was a grilled cheese, diagonally cut and the bread perfectly toasted. Shin then curiously unscrewed the lid of the thermos and immediately recognized the smell of tomato soup. It hit him once again how hungry he really was, but he furiously shakes his head and screws the lid right back on. "No, I can't take your lunch, Takahashi-san."

"That's not my lunch." She shows him another Tupperware container, then drops it back in her bag, "My lunch is here. I made that for you."

He hears his heart thump in his ears. "You... this..." He spares another look at the food in front of him, "It's for me?"

"Yeah. I, uh, remember hearing that you liked soup."

"How would you-" Rapidly blinking and taken aback, he watches her. "How would you know or-or even remember that?"

Chizue's mouth opens, closes, then she swallows and her eyes dart away. He doesn't miss the flush in her cheeks and his heart hammers louder. "I remember you talking with one of your friends near the vending machine once and I happened to overhear. I think I remembered because, ah, I thought that it would make sense that someone like you would like soup. It's a comforting, warm food, right? I thought it was fitting for you."

He vaguely remembers having a conversation like that over a month ago, with someone he doesn't even talk to anymore because the guy found different friends. How would she remember something like that?

And then what she said entirely sets in, and his face burns. Was she being serious? Did she even realize what she said? "You're joking..."

"Sounds like dead-eyes is hitting on you, Shin!"

Some guy who sat in front of them reclines his head to see them, a large grin on his face. He leans back and throws his arms over the back of the seat and Shin's brows furrow, inspecting the guy's face. "Didn't realize we were on a first-name basis."

The guy was the one that was in a group project with Chizue, and from what he remembered, was dead weight and tried to get her to do all the work. After the little spat that Shin and the guy had got in, he didn't think they would ever talk again.