𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒊 𝒎𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 - 𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘰 𝘬𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘰

9: double trouble

Rini, in her typical busybody fashion, kept herself as preoccupied as she could over the remainder of the week. She didn't want to think about Kuroo, so she didn't.

Kaneko invited her to go shopping on Saturday, and Rini accepted without a moment's hesitation. She'd never really been much of a shopper, but going to the mall with Kaneko sounded like fun.

"Let's go to the food court, I'm starving," Kaneko said after only a half hour of browsing.

Rini agreed with a laugh. She was a bit hungry too.

The two got a pizza to share and found a table near the fountain. They talked and people-watched as they ate.

"Omg look at that guy," Kaneko said under her breath, staring towards the fountain.

Rini immediately caught sight of the handsome stranger Kaneko was referencing. He was sitting alone at a nearby table on the other side of the fountain.

His black hair was the kind that probably curled when it became wet, as it fringed upwards in tiny waves over his temples and the back of his neck. She could only see the most obscure features of his face like his high cheekbones and his eyes, since he wore a black mask that concealed his mouth and nose. Even with his most prominent features covered, you could tell that he was proportionate and good looking.

"He's so handsome," Rini responded. "You should go talk to him,"

"Me? Why don't you go talk to him? You've been sulking about you-know-who all afternoon,"

Rini bit her lip. So Kaneko had noticed. She glanced back up at the stranger. She had to admit, it was very tempting to go up and say hello. But then, Rini wasn't the type to just approach random people.

"One of us has to go talk to him," Kaneko said. "If we don't, we'll live the rest of our lives regretting it."

Rini smiled. Kaneko had such a simple yet complex thought process.

"Fine, I'll go. But what should I say?" Rini asked, setting down her slice of pizza.

"Just go up and say hi, make small talk. Anything beyond small talk has to happen on it's own,"

"Fair enough," Rini stood up.

She walked towards him. "Hi," She said with a smile.

He looked up and Rini immediately noticed how beautiful his eyes were. They were dark cyan blue and he had the prettiest eyelashes she'd ever seen. She swallowed and had to recollect her thoughts.

"May I help you?" He asked, and she was startled again, this time at his polite yet cold disposition. His expression was entirely placid, but she felt the weight of his gaze.

"Me and my friend noticed you sitting alone. Are you waiting for someone?"

"No, I'm just enjoying the atmosphere," He answered directly.

"Am I disturbing you?" She asked carefully. He was clearly a tsundere type but she couldn't tell if he was actually irritated at her presence or not.

"Aren't you a part of the atmosphere?" His left brow quirked slightly, which was the first remote change of his expression he'd made since she'd walked up. 

For a second, Rini thought he was flirting, but the frankness of his voice and overall disinterested air told her otherwise.

"Are you writing something?" Rini asked, motioning to his phone. She was trying her best to hold onto the conversation, although she felt herself faltering. His coldness combined with the heat in his eyes filled her with nervous butterflies.