At some point, after Kaname's companions had left, the blond had moved to Nagisa's seat. The waitress would already have sent us away if it had been busy, but many tables remained empty. Both Kaname and the waitress looked at me with pity, which was somewhat embarrassing. The silence that had settled between us was uneasy, but I was uncertain what to say, so instead, I stared at the moving hands of the clock.
"You don't seem pissed off at all," Kaname said after seventy minutes.
"It happens," I sighed, "and it wasn't like I didn't know that this date would be horrible."
"Am I off the mark when I assume that you didn't expect to end up in a pizzeria?" The caution in his voice was making it difficult to deal with the realisation that my date had fled -again.
"Not really," I answered, forcing myself to smile. "I'm not sure whether it matters, though."
"I wonder why," Kaname mused.
"So do I," I agreed, keeping my gaze turned to the clock.
"No, I meant, I wonder why you date scum," Kaname elaborated.
Laughing, I shook my head, wondering how it was possible that Kaname had elevated my mood somewhat with just that one line.
"Well, I guess I'll pay, then. Thank you for keeping me company." Before I had opened my purse, let alone found my wallet, Kaname had placed some bills on the table top.
"You shouldn't pay for someone else's date," I lectured him, uncertain of what to do next. Although I was tight on money, I didn't want to take advantage of Kaname's generosity. He was a combination of mockery and kindness, which made having him around confusing.
"Don't stress it. I would feel bad if I let a lady dressed as lovely as you pay for her food," Kaname assured me.
"I'm not quite sure whether you're mocking me or not," I commented, but I closed my bag nevertheless.
"You shouldn't go on dates with people who'll treat you like trash anyway," he said, "although it was funny to see you struggle through that date. You didn't listen to him at all, did you?"
Huffing, I headed to the exit, stopping when Kaname brushed past me to open the door.
"You're so chivalrous that it's starting to get on my nerves," I told him as I walked past him through the doorway.
"That's because you're used to your dates treating you like dirt." The explanation Kaname offered was as good as any, but his smirk didn't sit well with me.
"I'm pretty sure it's because you're acting like you're a little bit of a sexist."
He laughed loudly, seemingly unperturbed by my snappy remark.
"Most women love it, though."
"That was even more than a little bit sexist," I pointed out, "but it's nice, I guess."
"Anything to serve you," he teased, the amusement heavy in his voice.
"Don't go overboard with it," I quipped, unable to suppress the laugh that had been rising in my throat. When I had calmed down again enough to breathe normally, I noticed that Kaname had fallen silent in favour of studying me intently.
"I bet I'll see you again on one of your dates," he said suddenly, which was as good as a goodbye as anything.
"Yeah," I agreed, wishing that this evening could last a little longer.
Kaname started walking, leaving me behind in the circle of light cast on the pavement by the streetlight.
I had always thought that if I didn't give up, I would meet Prince Charming one day -and these two miserable dates wouldn't make me change my mind. With newfound determination, I headed home.
I was struggling with the key and the keyhole when my phone rang, the ringtone too loud in the silent neighbourhood. Cringing, I dug in my bag to find the source of the discriminating sound.
I didn't recognise the number, which made my heart skip a beat. Because in an unguarded moment, a part of me thought of Kaname. Regardless of how impossible that was as we hadn't exchanged phone numbers.
"[L/N] here. To whom am I talking?"
"Hi, I'm the waitress at the pizzeria where you ate this evening. Is any of your companions missing his cell phone?"
"I don't think they could have called me if they had lost their phone," I answered honestly. Kaname and his two friends didn't have my phone number after all, and I was sure that Nagisa didn't have the guts to call me after the trick he had pulled on me.
"You're right," the girl muttered, laughing nervously. For a long moment, I stared at the keys in my hand wondering what exactly was happening. She hadn't meant to tell me that there was no chance a boy would exchange numbers with me, right?
Then I realised.
"No, not at all! I'm sorry, I meant... well... anyway, are you still opened?"
"We'll close soon, but I'll wait for you at the entrance if that's okay with you," the girl suggested.
"Thank you so much," I thanked her, putting the keys in my bag again.
Running was never a good idea, but the combination of high heels and blisters made it a new form of torture. When I stopped in front of the pizzeria, my hair was greasy with sweat, my breathing coming too fast.
Leaning heavily on my knees, I looked through the locks of hair that had escaped the braid. The waitress was standing on the pavement, one hand resting on the saddle of her bicycle and a sleek smartphone in the other.
As soon as I had accepted the phone, she hopped on her bicycle, taking off in the night at a neck-breaking speed.
"I had wanted to say thank you," I complained, staring at the crack that ran over the screen of the cell phone.
Determining to who the cell phone belonged was a piece of cake as Nagisa's number was still in my contacts.
I had either expected the phone in my hand to start ringing or buzzing or to have a phone somewhere else in the city go over a couple of times before Nagisa would pick up. Admittedly, he wouldn't be inclined to talk to me after what had happened, but I hadn't expected this act of utter cowardice.
Then I remembered that Nagisa had no reception in hell, where he belonged. Glaring at my cell phone, I pocketed the smartphone carefully, not wanting to break the expensive piece of technology.
Again, I was wandering around outside in the middle of the night. If I kept this up, I would be walking around with even darker circles under my eyes and a severe case of chronic sleep deprivation.
With a sigh that came from the tips of my toes, I put my cell phone back in my bag.
Tomorrow, I would have to drop by at the temple again.
Heaving another sigh, I wondered whether I should take a cab to go to the temple. Well, it wasn't like I could charge Kaname for the cab fare after what had happened in the pizzeria. I didn't want to take advantage of him.
Realising that I had never been in such a situation before, I felt giddy. Of course, I knew that this meant nothing, but for a moment, it was nice to imagine that my concern was something more than just my stubbornness and pride.
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FanfictionMeeting Asahina Kaname during a festival starts a chain reaction of events that all lead to one conclusion: Asahina Kaname is the worst kind of paranoia. Since you like him anyway, it's time to convince him that you're not a stalker but the love of...