Jealous of Her

Chapter 4

Asuna's POV

The next morning came way too quickly for me. What was I going to do during lunch, when I would have to sit with Kazuto and the others? A few friends told me that he had left early yesterday, but today I probably wasn't going to get so lucky. I sighed but got my breakfast and headed out the door, not even bothering to say goodbye to my mom. I walked to school, lost in thought. Memories of better times flitted through my head, bits and pieces of conversations and jokes that I once held close to my heart.

"Watch out!!!" A voice screamed, and I snapped back to reality, but not before a man tackled me to the ground, and a speeding black car rushed by on the same spot that I had just been in if it hadn't been for the stranger. He was on top of me, his sparkling baby blue eyes wide and his shiny, soft blond hair brushing his face. He quickly got off of me and helped me to my feet, leading me over to the sidewalk. "Are you hurt?"

"You- I- uh, no, I'm not. Thank you," I said breathlessly. He smiled and sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness. I wouldn't be able to bear it if I hadn't been able to save you in time. I'm just glad that you're not hurt, Miss...?" He trailed off, looking at me expectantly.

"Oh, uh, Asuna. My name is Asuna Yuuki."

"Asuna... What a beautiful name. It suits you. Your looks, your personality... amazing," He sighed. My cheeks involuntarily lit up with pink from his praise. "Ah! Right, I should tell you my name too, shouldn't I? My name's Kou Rosu, but you can just call me whenever~" He winked at me, sending my heart into a crazy little tap-dance.

"I- uh... thank you. Again," I repeated myself, unsure of what else to say. "How can I repay you?"

"Oh, but you've already paid. My reward was getting the chance to meet such a beautiful woman," Kou smoothly spoke, and combed his fingers through my chestnut hair. I shivered at his touch.

"But- I mean, you just saved my life. That deserves more of a payment than... you know..." I trailed off, unsure of how to phrase it.

"Ah, well... if it isn't too much of a hassle, how about your number? It would be amazing if I could keep in touch with you, Asuna." He flushed and looked away, biting his lip.

"It's no problem!" I answered without thinking. My heart pounded in my chest as I spoke, hardly believing what I was saying. "Here, I'll enter my number on your phone."

"R-Really?!" He whipped his head back towards me, his eyes sparkling, but then he cleared his throat and said, "Uh, I mean, yeah, I know you can't resist my looks!" I gave a soft laugh at his antics as he passed me his phone, and his hands were so shaky that he almost dropped it in the process. I punched in my phone number, then handed Kou's phone back to him.

"Thank you, Lady Asuna!" He bowed to me, and then his eyes widened. "Gosh, we're going to be late for school!"

"Oh, yeah, right!" I hurriedly agreed. He grabbed my hand (my heart fluttered), and we ran for our lives.

All throughout the day, we chatted and laughed, and I was almost able to forget the heartache that Kazuto had put me through. Almost.

"Lady Asuna? Lady Asuna!" I blinked, coming back to reality. I guess I'd spaced out.

"Sorry about that, Kou," I apologized, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly.

"Are you feeling alright? Do you need anything? Did something happen?" He blurted out all at once, a little too fast. I held up my hands.

"No, uh, I'm fine," I said, taken aback a bit by his outburst. "Well... it's just... I broke up with my boyfriend. Yesterday." His expression changed drastically.

"Oh, oh! Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Lady Asuna! What happened? Did he cheat on you or something? If he did, I bet he was just a good-for-nothing loser. Guys who cheat are nothing but garbage."

"You don't have to keep calling me 'Lady', you know..." I muttered at first. Something about that nickname... bothered me, but I just couldn't place it. I spoke louder. "You probably know him... I think everyone in the school knows him. My boyfriend was Kirito." Kou stared at me in disbelief, his jaw hanging wide open.

"What?!" He yelled. I would've laughed, had it not been about Kazuto. His face was so expressive that it looked like he could be an actor on a TV show. "Kirito? You mean, like the Kirito?! And... wait! That makes you...!!"

"Yep," I confirmed, leaving him shocked. He blinked a couple of times, then looked away.

"My gosh, so I've been making a fool of myself in front of the Lightning Flash?!" I heard him whisper-yell under his breath. I put my hands up in front of myself again.

"Hey, that was only in-game," I said. "I'm not the Lightning Flash anymore. I'm just plain old Asuna Yuuki now."

"P-Plain?!" He shrieked, looking openly hurt and almost offended at that. "What do you mean, plain? You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met! Not to mention your sense of humor, personality, and everything else!!"

My face started to feel warm and my heart fluttered yet again. Was I falling in love with Kou, who I had just met today? Well, he is a nice guy... Should I shoot my shot?

"Lady Asuna?" His soft voice called me. "I-I've been thinking about something, and I just need to tell you. Um... I don't know if you'll accept me or not, but... will you... go out with me?" He looked away from me, his cheeks tinged pink. His blond hair fluttered in the wind.

"I..." Should I accept? Decline? I just dumped Kirito yesterday... Was it really okay to do this?

"It's okay if you don't say yes," he mumbled, staring at his feet so intently he could've burned a hole through his shoes. "I just... wanted to tell you. I know I've only known you for one day, but you're th-"

"Yes," I whispered. Was I making the right decision? "Yes, I will, Kou Rosu." I smiled. This must've been right. It must've been fate that Kou was asking me out right after Kirito cheated on me. It must've been the world's way of compensation. Right?

Kou looked up sharply.

"Whoa, whoa, wait, really?!" His eyes were wide and his mouth was open. "You're sure?"

"As sure as I can be," I smiled at him, and he hugged me tightly.

"I won't ever cheat on you like Kirito did, alright?" He murmured into my ear. "Kirito was a bad person, but I'm here for you now. I won't ever let you get hurt, my princess, my Lady."

I smiled and blushed, but my heart just wasn't in it.

I'm moving on, aren't I? I'm getting better.

So why does my heart feel like it's shattering?