The 2 Million Subscriber Special (JaidenAnimations fanfic feat. theodd1sout)

Chapter 5 - Peanut butter sandwiches

I couldn't believe my eyes.

The car was parked near my old campus at the foot of a mountain I knew all too well. I immediately let go of James's hand.

"You aren't trying to recreate my college nightmares, are you?" I asked half-jokingly and half-terrified.

"This was the most suitable place I could think of. There really isn't any other mountain in the area and I thought some mountain hiking would do good for our health. We can't have this good-looking guy here get fat, can we?" He pointed at his belly which had a non-existing six pack. 

Ever since that "awkward first kiss," I've avoided A-mountain at all costs. I even felt uneasy while looking at it. The mountain was a reminder of why I was so terrible at "human interactions," and I'd rather not be reminded of that person anymore.

The mountain's shape loomed over us as we stood at his foot, the sun just barely rising above the peak. Except for one person walking his dog, the winding mountain path was deserted at this hour. I couldn't help but wonder at that surprise James was talking about, but I felt like it wasn't the time to ask. Right now, all we did was walking side by side while trying to keep a normal conversation going.

We could both feel the tension between us. From the moment James mentioned the "pretend-dating", our exchanges became more and more forced and formal. I just wanted this day to be over with.

Halfway on our hike, I began to feel tired and hungry. It was sunset and we skipped dinner, since James was so insistent on driving to this location. 

"I'll eat my bird seeds if we are going on like this," I complained.

James didn't respond. He was worse than I was, panting with every step and his sweat dripping down at the same speed of a waterfall. 

"I *huff* I haven't *pant* exercised this much *huff huff*"

He stopped in his tracks, searched for a bench on the side of the mountain path and plopped down.

"- since I started getting active with Youtube."

"We're not even halfway," I said as I sat down besides him. He took out his bag and handed me a bottle of water. He also brought some peanut butter sandwiches. 

"I'm sorry that I've been such a bad date. I should've at least taken you to a fancy restaurant first before hauling you all the way over to the middle of nowhere, huh?"

"It's fine. I could eat anything right now."

I took a bite of the sandwich. A few birds noticed my dinner and flew down in front of me, begging for a few breadcrumbs. As a bird lover, I couldn't resist and gave a few pieces of bread to them.

James yawned and stretched out while wrapping his arm around me. I should've felt at least some kind of happiness, but instead I only felt annoyance. Why was he trying this hard? Couldn't I just have a moment of peace by myself? Combined with my tiredness, hunger and overall bad memories of the place, I really didn't feel the need to produce a reaction. We sat there quietly for a while, deep in our own thoughts, until James suddenly broke the silence.

"You know, I really admire you," he began. 

"Hm? Why are you suddenly saying that?"

"I was just reminded of that when I saw you feeding the birds. You haven't eaten dinner, yet you still give your food to the animals around you. Your compassion for others is amazing. You're always putting the needs of other people in front of your own needs. Not many people are as selfless like you."

 "That's not true. Anyone who loves birds as much as I do would've done the same."

"See? You don't acknowledge how caring you are. If it were me, I wouldn't even have noticed these birds around me."