I Don't Need Your Attention!! {xiaoven} {Albexiao}

Ch.5 ★ Fluttering Feelings

2/3

"Do you like me, Xiao?" Albedo asked, looking at me with pure eyes.

I nearly choked on my almond bar, having to pause for a minute to take in what he'd just said.
"L-like..—as a friend?" I coughed, wiping away at the spit on my chin.

"Of course?" He answered, clueless as to what I meant before immediately realizing his mistake with his wording. "Ah-, sorry, you must've been confused with my words." He apologized, quickly drawing back.

"Oh no no, it's fine—, I do..I do like you." I mumbled out the last few words, suddenly getting flustered as my cheeks brightened.

Venti, Gorou, and Scaramouche stared at us before exchanging glances with each other. Venti looked like he was trying so hard not to laugh and embarrass me while Gorou brushed it off as an everyday thing. He'd already adjusted to me.

I hope.

Scaramoiche raised a brow, leaning into Venti and whispering something into his ear before laughing to himself. Venti didn't find it half as amusing as he did, and nudged his arm, seeming to scold him as he told him something inaudible to me.

"Jeez, didn't know it was that deep. I'll lay off it now." Scaramouche snorted, raising both his hands in the air to try and satisfy Venti.

Scaramouche was Albedo and Venti's friend. Gorou and him were only acquaintances, and I had only ever passed by him in the hallways. I didn't have a big social group, but I had enough to keep me company in every class.

"That's good." Albedo smiled. "I like you too."

Before I could get the chance to melt on the spot out of bliss and joy, Venti broke through us.

"Ladies, ladies, save the sweet talk for later when we're not around." He said, only bringing more shame to my face. "The three off us are gonna head out now. I gotta go meet up with Kaeya and Gorou and Scaramouche wanna tag along." Venti explained, shoving the two of them away from me and Albedo.

Gorou shot him a confused look.
"We are?" He probed, turning his head around to face Venti as Scaramouche did the same.

"Who the hell is Kaeya?" The dark eyed boy sneered, scrunching up his nose.

Venti cupped their mouths, dragging them down the hallway, too busy trying to get them to corporate to even wave Albedo and I goodbye.

There was total silence in between the two of us at first, before I spoke up.

"Can..I get your number?" I managed to squeak out, nervously shuffling my feet around "So I can—y'know, call and text you." I muttered, my voice getting lower and lower with each word I said.

"Of course. I'd wish you'd asked sooner." Albedo had said it so casual that I nearly hadn't fully caught his words.

My cheeks exploded into the colors of red, and pink when I took into full account of what Albedo had just said to me. I tried not show that I cared so much about it, but that seemed practically impossible.

Was I always this bad at hiding his feelings? Maybe Albedo was just an exception. I felt that everyone could see through his silly facade whenever I even got so close as even a meter of Albedo; losing my cool, and stuttering like a child.

In easier ways to put it, I felt like a love sick teenage girl. The only difference was that I was a boy.

Handing Albedo my phone, the blonde input his number into the other's cellphone, titling his name as: Albedo. Simple, and nice. Albedo as so simple and so nice. That was something I really liked about him.

Actually, it was only two of the many things I liked about Albedo.

☾————————————☼

🅃🄷🄸🅁🄳 🄿🄴🅁🅂🄾🄽

Passing period.

"So how was it?" Venti glanced over at Xiao, his back rested against the rooftop's metal fence, and his arms dangling at his sides.

"It was good." Xiao said, crouched down on the ground, staring at his phone, looking at Albedo's name in his contact list. A goofy smile was plastered across his face.

"Mm. I can tell." Venti hummed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Are you gonna text him?"

"Ehh, not now.. I'm waiting for a good opportunity to text him."

"Just text him. He likes bold people."

"Does he really?" Xiao looked up at him, untrusting of his words.

Venti shrugged.
"He likes me."

"A friendship and a relationship with someone are two different things! Maybe he looks for a bold, outward spoken person as a friend, and possibly a quite, polite person as a... a lover." Xiao argued, suddenly getting lost in thought at his last few spoken words.

Seeing how heated up Xiao was getting from talking about this, Venti backed off the topic, and instead changed the subject.

"Well, I think that Albedo's into you." Venti claimed, bending down a little just to try and take a peek at Xiao's face. "He's never given someone his number before without getting to know them for at least a good few weeks. It's odd, but it's a good feeling when you finally get it."

Xiao's eyes lit up.
"Really??" He nearly pounced on Venti, a big bright smile stretched right across his face. Venti had never seen him so joyous before. It surprised him so much that he had to take a step back, only pushing his spine farther into the wired fence. "Does that mean I'm special to him?"

Venti nodded, unsure of how to properly act with the way Xiao was.

"Mhm.., I think you have a pretty solid chance with him." He said, sounding slightly hesitant, but Xiao was too busy gushing over Albedo to notice the tone changing in his voice.

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