Cosmic Love

Q and Me

     Hado and Matthew found themselves in front of the food bar, staring at the menu in dismay. Matthew was conflicted, he didn't want to order anything too expensive since Hado was treating him, but he also wasn't brave enough to chance himself on any of the cheaper options. Hado turned to Matthew with a small giggle. "So, about that grilled cheese? They serve them here apparently."

     "Not a chance in hell I'm eating a grilled cheese from an arcade." An employee behind the counter snickered at his remark, telling the pair all they really needed to know. Matthew leaned over and whispered to Hado, failing to contain a slight chuckle. "I'm not 100% sold on the quality of the food here, I don't see either of us walking away without a stomach ache..." Hado failed to conceal a laugh herself, looking over her shoulder at the exit to the arcade..

     "Say... I noticed a coffee shop across the street from here, how does coffee sound?" Hado tilted her head as she said this, leaning slightly closer to Matthew. "Did'ja know I really like coffee? I can really only drink it with a lot of milk and some sugar, but I usually just make it at home. Yuyu drags me to coffee shops all the time and I never have any idea how to read the menus, so I just don't bother going there on my own. I got a B- in English last year, so-" Hado cut herself off, not wanting to overload Matthew with her usual rants. "S-sorry, I got a little ahead of myself..." Matthew raised his eyebrows in concern, before his expression softened a little.

     "What makes you say that?"

     "W-well, I was totally rambling just now. I know I talk too fast sometimes, and since you're not necessarily fluent-"

     "Don't worry about that Hado, I don't mind. Anyways, you were saying?" Matthew's face was dusted red; he knew he sounded like an idiot, but the words left his mouth before he could think about it too hard. Hado seemed to feel better, so who was he to care about how he looked at the moment? Hado smiled and giggled to herself, toying with a strand of hair around her face.

     "Nothing important. Wanna just go get that coffee?" Hado's demeanor was back to normal, Matthew unsure of whether she had just been acting or simply that quick to move past such a cheesy exchange. Matthew wasn't necessarily trying to flirt, but he wasn't trying to avoid flirting either. The two of them had been going back and forth like that for a week, something Matthew was sure Hado noticed as well. Matthew opted to not push his luck, and just pretended the entire exchange hadn't happened.

     "Sounds good to me." Hado took Matthew's hand in hers again, leading him back to the exit to the arcade. Togata and Amajiki could be heard inside a large, curtained game booth labeled "Mansion of the Deceased 4D," screaming loud enough to remind the pair of Present Mic. "I doubt they'll notice if we're gone for 15 minutes, they seem to be having plenty of-"

     AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

     "...fun?" Hado laughed, squeezing Matthew's hand in hers as they continued forward.

     "I'm sure they'll be there for a while. Besides, I don't mind the quiet with you. You're much less... extreme than Togata, is what I'll say. Not to insult Togata or anything! It's only been an hour or so with you guys, but-" Matthew laughed, finding her statement both funny and embarrassing. She had just said she likes being with just him! It took another minute or so for Matthew to return from cloud nine, having already been led across the street by the time he stopped thinking about what Hado had said. The two entered the coffee shop, a new host of questions swirling around Matthew's mind.

     How was he to go about his situation with Hado? Did he actually like her? Or was he just riding the high of talking to a cute girl? He was a temporary resident in Japan, was it worth dating while he was here? Especially with his home situation...