| The Summer of My Youth | KTH

35. The missing Neko-chan

"Do you have any plans for this weekend?"

"This weekend...? Um, kind of, yeah." he replied, smiling apologetically.

"Oh?" she was on the verge of giving up now.

It wasn't Taehyung's fault that he rejected her. He wasn't obliged to say yes to everything she asks for. He certainly had the right to say no and it was completely normal, yet, Natsuki felt like crying.

"I'm sorry," Taehyung still apologized, trying to make her feel better.

So, that was it?

"No, no, it's alright. I was just bored at home, so thought we might hang out somewhere, no worries if you already have plans!" she just laughed it off, turning away to look outside.

"Oh, look! The clouds are clearing up now. I should get going, mom must be worried about me." she briefly spared him a glance and a half smile before muttering a bye and ran off outside.

"H-hey," Taehyung was stunned and tried to call her back but she never turned back.

"It's still raining a little..." his voice faded out in the pitter-patter of the rain but she was already out of his sight.

Meanwhile, Natsuki didn't know why she was running away, that also in the rain like that.

It was the second time and she couldn't take it anymore. Why was this happening with her? She knew that Taehyung wasn't a very expressive person but for him to be this confusing? She had never expected it.

"Fumiya-kun, I'm so going to kill you once I see you- this was your plan?" she mumbled as she approached the familiar streets, passed the little hill as she could now see her house. Her feet gradually slowed down.

Poor Fumiya!

"Mom, I'm home." she yelled and went straight to her room.

"Oh, god! Suki, you made a mess here. Why is there water everywhere?" her mother complained, looking at the wet shoes and damp living room floor.

Natsuki didn't listen to her at all though! So, in the end, her mother just shook her head and began to clean up the mess.

•~•~•

"What do you mean?!" Fumiya exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table.

"I'm not going to do anything now." Natsuki said nonchalantly.

"Again," he rolled his eyes, "what do you mean?"

"I don't think he likes me, Fumiya-kun, there's no way!" she sighed, silently eating the last bits of food left in her plate.

"But, Suki-chan, I don't think he meant it like-"

"What could he have meant then? Getting rejected twice is obvious enough." she shook her head, sighing once again.

Fumiya clicked his tongue, in disbelief, "did you actually confess what you felt about him?" he narrowed his eyes on her.

"Um, well," she had no words.

"See!! If you don't tell him, how would he know?" Fumiya smirked, feeling like he had won a challenge or something.

"Oh, whatever! He still rejected my offer-"

And they kept on bickering until it was time for them to go for their next class.

Days passed painfully slow as Natsuki saw less and less of Taehyung who always seemed to be studying or helping out teachers. What was he? A superman?

She realised how hard it was for her to not just forget about everything and go back to Taehyung and talk about random things like she always did without hesitation. She couldn't do it in the end. Not now.