Ruby Red

22

"What do you have going on today?"

"A casual meeting with your uncle," the male said tiredly, "again." I chuckled at his behavior and went to take another bite of my slice of pizza.

"I'm one of his only living relatives; let him be protective," I teased. The boy rolled his red eyes as he took another bite of his curry rice.

"What about you?" I sighed and leaned back in my seat.

"Izumi invited me for some more shooting practice in about an hour or so." A small 'tch' sound resonated from Kazama's lips unintentionally. I couldn't help but smirk and cock an eyebrow playfully. "Aww, is my little Soya jealous of how much Izumi gets to be around me?" He growled and looked away from me to nothing in particular. As his silence settled in, I took my chance and leaned over the cafeteria table to prod his shoulder gently.

My poking slowly became more intense since he was ignoring me. Kazama was beginning to get slightly irritated and grabbed my hand to keep it from hitting his shoulder again. He glared at me slightly which only made me giggle. "Hey, I'm just kidding. You don't have to worry about Kohei. He's too young for me."

"That's the only reason?" I dramatically rolled my eyes at his childishness and readjusted my hand to interlock my fingers with his.

"Yes, Kaz. If it wasn't for his age, I'd definitely go after him," I remarked sarcastically. "Seriously, you need to stop worrying." His permanent frown remained glued to his face which made me pout. "How about, after we're both done, we meet up and go to dinner or something?"

"That's if Shinoda doesn't try to mentally torture me for hours." I grinned and squeezed his hand.

"Trust me, he loves you just as much as I do. Maybe even more so..." I put my finger to my chin as I thought about it. When my eyes reconnected with Kazama's, I found a bright blush fanning his cheeks which was rare with his emotionless demeanor. My face flushed at the sight as I stared at him in confusion. "What?"

"Y-You said... You..." My mind went blank until I realized what I had just said previously. I gulped and averted my eyes with a nervous chuckle. It took a moment to compose myself and decide how to disperse the tension.

"U-Um, well... We have been dating for a while now..." I looked down at my lap nervously as I chose my next words very carefully. "I know where I stand with my feelings for you and..." I took a daring glance and locked eyes with him. With a tight squeeze of his hand, I released my deepest thoughts. "I love you, Soya."

Kazama looked taken aback and didn't move a muscle. His jaw had dropped the instant the words left my mouth and his lack of response made me really worried. I began to sweat and drew my hand away from his. His lack of attempt at reaching for it deeply upset me since he would always reach for my hand any chance he got. A lump formed in my throat and my chest began to hurt like my heart was being stabbed. I shakily reached for my phone and checked the clock, praying for the racing time to be my savior.

Thankfully, it was just about time to meet with Izumi in Tachikawa's Squad room. I shoved the device into my pocket and began to stand from my seat. "I've gotta go... Um..." I attempted one final glance at my boyfriend but found his eyes fixed tightly to the wooden table top. My eyes watered a little as I bit my lip. I nodded sadly to myself and turned away.

I lonesomely made my way to the elevator, waiting to feel his hand on my wrist to stop me from leaving. I kept waiting. Then I was in the elevator by myself, completely separated from him. I began to think about when this all started. That day... I had told him I loved him on that day, but not since then. 'Did he think my feelings would've changed?'