*:･ﾟHard To Love ･ﾟ:*

CHAPTER 23 - aegen

SOUSUKE
—❁—

"They seriously said all that?" My eyebrows stay raised while I stare at Kou in disbelief.

He nods before taking a sip of coffee, pointing at me as he brings his finger up to point at me.

"I need you to tell me everything that you know."
"What! Me?!"
"Yes, you. You have answers.. I know you do."
"What are you talking about? I don't have answers to anything."
"So you can't tell me why they would want to bring him back?"
I glance off to the side, inhaling and holding it for a second before exhaling and looking back at him.

I always knew they wanted to bring someone back, but I never realized it was this evil guy that no one likes.

"I don't get why they want to do it now." I sigh and lay on the table, setting my arm out and laying my head on my arm. "I spent a whole summer with their sorry selfs, they could've done all that crap then."
"So then you know about it."
I bring my other hand up and start stirring my cappuccino, staring at the spoon as I spin it around and around.
"I didn't know it was him. I thought that they just always meant that if I left, they could replace me with the guy that they were talking about. I didn't know that it was him though."
I hear Kou softly exhale once more, and I glance up at him as I move my face in his direction.

I couldn't tell if he was sighing because he felt bad or if he was sighing because I didn't have the information that he needed.

I then sit up straight and stretch my arms back behind me in the seat. "I'm sorry I don't have much info.. I always just figured that they didn't like me and wanted me gone." Kou sips his coffee as he watches me set my elbow back down on the table, his eyes following mine once my chin makes it into my rested hand. "So you know what I did about that?"
"Hm?"
"I left—" I give a playful smile. "—and I didn't look back."
"I'm glad you did. There's no telling where you would've been if you stuck around.."
"I don't like thinking about that. I hate thinking about being replaced, you know?" I grip my spoon with my fingers and bring it up to my lips, freeing it from any coffee before pointing at Kou with the end of the spoon. "I'm one of a kind, and that's why I hate the idea of being replaced." I then softly toss the spoon down in my napkin on the table and tuck some of my hair behind one of my ears to get it out of my face. I watch as Kou softly smiles and glances down at the table, setting his mug back down. "You're cocky—" His eyes come back up and meet mine. "—that's what you are."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Not at all. You're cocky and arrogant, and that's what everyone loves about you."
"You're hitting on me.." I softly smile at him.
"Of course I am." His arms cross as he sits back in his seat.
"I appreciate you Kou, I really do."
He smiles at me before glancing back at the counter, noticing that our orders were ready.

Once he got up to go grab our orders, my eyes followed him and watched as he allowed someone else go before him.

He was so gentlemanly and nice.. no wonder the girls in class love him. It's hard to believe that I'm the one he's so invested in, even after sharing whateva that was last night.

I was afraid to make anymore moves after that. I couldn't bring myself to ask him if he wanted to take our relationship seriously. Things would feel too different, and it hurts me to think that he'd be stuck with someone who's nothing but trouble for him.

"Alrighty.. your day old flan, sir." He smiles and sets my dish of flan in front of me before taking a seat.
"May I try one of those?" I point at Kou's sweet potato turnovers as I look at him. "Even though I hate sweet potato?"
"What! You hate sweet potato?"
"Of course I hate sweet potato.. but I'm thinking maybe if I try something you made then I may like it."
He softly scoffs and tears one of his turnovers in half, handing me the smaller half in case I hated it.
"If you hate it then it's all your fault."
"Whatever!" I smile at him before taking a bite of the turnover half, my eyebrows raising as I chew it at look at Kou.
"Good huh?" He smiles back and eats the other half. My hand brought itself up to my mouth as I consumed it entirely, then I balled it up into a fist and softly pounded the table once.
"Holy crap.. and you're sure that was sweet potato?"
"100%. I'm just that good, what can I say?"
"And to think your ass deciding to follow me instead of going to culinary school.. that's a shock."
"I had my priorities set."
"It sucks that you made me a priority. I mean sure, it makes me feel special don't get me wrong.. but I still can't help but feel bad."
"I know I threw away opportunities.. but who cares? It's not like I'm dying anytime soon. I could always go back and get a culinary degree."
"Why do you like me so much anyway?"
"Like is an understatement.. love sounds more right to me."
I softly smile and eat a bite of flan before wiping my mouth and looking at Kou.
"Okay then. Why do you love me so much?"
"Because you're an asshole."
"Yeah right.." I shake my head and get another sip of coffee.
"I mean it. I love bitchy people, they keep my life interesting."
"You're weird." I smile once more. "No, but it just shocks me because no one has ever been as into me as much as you are."
"Yeah right, I see the way people look at you. They admire you.. and they all wish that they were friendly with you. It's no surprise actually. You're like, crazy awesome and cool."