Ever since they had bumped into each other at the mall, Aya couldn’t help feeling that Minato’s treatment of her had distinctively cooled, and today wasn’t any different. It was their fifth study meeting, and for once Minato was already at the library when she arrived.
“H-Hi,” she stammered.
“Hi.” His voice was brief, and she gulped hard as she took the seat next to him. He usually went out of his way to make her feel at ease, but today, he only watched her in silence, his jade-green eyes following her every movement.
If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve suspected Minato of being jealous, and that seeing her with Luc had him keeping her at a distance. But – that was stupid. Right?
Besides, Aya reasoned to herself, he still had Ms. Grant. The more time she spent with them, the more the two gave themselves away, which meant…
She had either done something to make Minato angry…or someone said something bad about her. The thought troubled Aya greatly, but she just couldn’t make herself tell him that he could stop tutoring her if he didn’t want to.
The thing was, her parents had been so overjoyed about her grades that they had promised her to buy the newest gaming model from Nintendo. All she had to do was earn a 2.0 GPA, and that was it.
“So…”
She looked up eagerly, relieved that he seemed in the mood to chat with her.
“Where have you been?”
Minato’s casual tone made her relax, which was unfortunate. If she had known Minato just a little bit better, she would’ve realized that the more casual Minato’s tone was, the stronger his feelings usually were.
Lulled into thinking that everything was finally back to usual, Aya happily answered Minato’s question. “I came all the way from the gym, that’s why I’m a little later than usual. Raven and I went to watch Luc play---”
“I almost forgot to ask.” Minato’s voice was very curt. “What’s your assignment today?”
The change of topic flustered Aya. Had she pissed him off – again? She hurriedly told Minato about her assignment, and thirty minutes later, Aya was near to tears. Minato was exceptionally harsh today, and he criticized her for even the smallest mistake. That Ms. Grant kept glancing at them worriedly from her place behind the counter only made Aya feel worse – it did not feel good at all, to be treated by one’s crush like an idiot…and in front of one’s love rival to boot!
“That’s not the way to do it,” Minato snapped when she showed him her latest attempt to solve the problem. He furiously jabbed a finger at Aya’s jumbled calculations. “That’s wrong. I keep telling you that’s wrong so how can you not get it?”
The slight rise in his tone was too much, and Aya had enough. “I just don’t. Okay? I’m sorry that I’m so stupid, I’m sorry I wasted your time, so you know what?” She jumped to her feet and started stashing her stuff back into her bag. “Let’s not do this---” To her horror, tears suddenly started to fall, and Aya stopped speaking.
Minato appeared stunned, almost as if he had no idea what he had been saying or doing the past sixty minutes. “Aya---”
But Aya had already run away, unable to even look at the librarian or let herself react to the older woman’s gasp of dismay.
Karin glared at Minato. “What the hell was that?”
Minato didn’t answer.
“You made her cry!”
“Don’t you think I don’t know that?” Minato’s tone was filled with self-loathing. “I’ll just say sorry tomorrow---”
“You don’t meet on Wednesdays.”
“Then the day after that.”
“I doubt she’ll come back after this---”
“Will you just please tell me what your point is,” Minato grated out.
Karin threw the younger man a look of disgust. “You are so bad at this.” She pointed to the door. “You’re supposed to run after her, you idiot.”
“H-Hi,” she stammered.
“Hi.” His voice was brief, and she gulped hard as she took the seat next to him. He usually went out of his way to make her feel at ease, but today, he only watched her in silence, his jade-green eyes following her every movement.
If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve suspected Minato of being jealous, and that seeing her with Luc had him keeping her at a distance. But – that was stupid. Right?
Besides, Aya reasoned to herself, he still had Ms. Grant. The more time she spent with them, the more the two gave themselves away, which meant…
She had either done something to make Minato angry…or someone said something bad about her. The thought troubled Aya greatly, but she just couldn’t make herself tell him that he could stop tutoring her if he didn’t want to.
The thing was, her parents had been so overjoyed about her grades that they had promised her to buy the newest gaming model from Nintendo. All she had to do was earn a 2.0 GPA, and that was it.
“So…”
She looked up eagerly, relieved that he seemed in the mood to chat with her.
“Where have you been?”
Minato’s casual tone made her relax, which was unfortunate. If she had known Minato just a little bit better, she would’ve realized that the more casual Minato’s tone was, the stronger his feelings usually were.
Lulled into thinking that everything was finally back to usual, Aya happily answered Minato’s question. “I came all the way from the gym, that’s why I’m a little later than usual. Raven and I went to watch Luc play---”
“I almost forgot to ask.” Minato’s voice was very curt. “What’s your assignment today?”
The change of topic flustered Aya. Had she pissed him off – again? She hurriedly told Minato about her assignment, and thirty minutes later, Aya was near to tears. Minato was exceptionally harsh today, and he criticized her for even the smallest mistake. That Ms. Grant kept glancing at them worriedly from her place behind the counter only made Aya feel worse – it did not feel good at all, to be treated by one’s crush like an idiot…and in front of one’s love rival to boot!
“That’s not the way to do it,” Minato snapped when she showed him her latest attempt to solve the problem. He furiously jabbed a finger at Aya’s jumbled calculations. “That’s wrong. I keep telling you that’s wrong so how can you not get it?”
The slight rise in his tone was too much, and Aya had enough. “I just don’t. Okay? I’m sorry that I’m so stupid, I’m sorry I wasted your time, so you know what?” She jumped to her feet and started stashing her stuff back into her bag. “Let’s not do this---” To her horror, tears suddenly started to fall, and Aya stopped speaking.
Minato appeared stunned, almost as if he had no idea what he had been saying or doing the past sixty minutes. “Aya---”
But Aya had already run away, unable to even look at the librarian or let herself react to the older woman’s gasp of dismay.
Karin glared at Minato. “What the hell was that?”
Minato didn’t answer.
“You made her cry!”
“Don’t you think I don’t know that?” Minato’s tone was filled with self-loathing. “I’ll just say sorry tomorrow---”
“You don’t meet on Wednesdays.”
“Then the day after that.”
“I doubt she’ll come back after this---”
“Will you just please tell me what your point is,” Minato grated out.
Karin threw the younger man a look of disgust. “You are so bad at this.” She pointed to the door. “You’re supposed to run after her, you idiot.”
“Aya!”
Aya quickened her footsteps at the sound of Minato’s voice. Oh God, what did he want now? She tried to run even faster, but Minato still managed to catch after her, his long fingers cupping her elbow to hold her back. His touch burned all the way to her bones, weakening her, and she lost the strength to struggle as he made her turn around to face him.
Minato swore under his breath at the sight of her tears. “I’m sorry,” he bit out. The hurt wariness in her gaze remained despite his words, and he couldn’t blame her for it. “I know…I know the past week was hell, and I know it’s my fault.”
Jade-green eyes captured Aya’s gaze, and idiot that she was, she could feel herself drowning in the sheer intensity of it.
“I had things to sort out, and I unfairly took my anger out on you. I’m sorry.”
Aya knew she shouldn’t give in so easily, but this was Minato –
He took a step closer to her. “Will you forgive me, Aya?”
And he was…irresistible.
“Okay,” she whispered.
The smile that curved on his lips made Minato look a hundred times more gorgeous, and her heart skipped a beat. Any girl would give him anything he asked with that smile of his!
“Shall we get back to studying?”
Aya’s happiness faded a bit. She did want to spend more time with Minato, but the thought of going back to the library, knowing that Ms. Grant had seen Minato get mad at her…
“How about a change of place?” Minato asked, seeing Aya’s hesitation. “The library’s obviously not working for you today, so what do you say we study somewhere else?”
Aya’s heartbeat was back to making as much noise as a pyrotechnic concert as Minato helped her inside his car. His hand on her back was gentle and respectful, but even so, it still left her thrilled to bits.
A moment later, he slid into the driver’s seat next to her, and her throat tightened. Was it just her or was the car’s air conditioning not working? It was so, so HOT!
Minato kept a steady stream of conversation as he drove, and Aya was quietly relieved that all he required of her was to nod or shake her head. She honestly didn’t trust herself to speak right now. Her mind was still reeling, unable to believe that she was in Minato’s car. She had devoutly followed every tidbit of news about Minato, and as far as she knew, he had never given any girl in school a ride before.
So why her?
Ten minutes later, and Aya was in for a greater shock. “Are we…”
“Yes.” Minato’s grin was pure wickedness, and it wrecked her heart to bits. “We’re at my place. Scared?”
“Of c-course not.”
“That’s very convincing,” Minato said politely.
Minato’s place was at the twenty-first floor of a condominium, a spacious three-bedroom unit that offered amazing balcony views of the city. It also looked very empty.
Aya cleared her throat. “So, umm, your parents…”
“I live alone,” Minato answered easily.
OH.
Minato laughed at the look on Aya’s face. “It’s not that bad. If I need company, there’s always my – I mean, there’s always Ms. Grant downstairs.”
Aya felt like she had just been punched in the guts. Ms. Grant lived in the same building? No wonder Minato liked to stay behind after their study sessions. It was all because he and the librarian went home together...and God knew what else they did together, too!
Just between you and me, there's nothing I find more frustrating (and sexier) than a hero who seems to blow hot and cold. It just makes him more of a challenge, you know?
Also, one quick disclaimer, which I forgot to make clear from the start - ALL CHAPTERS OF ISWAS ARE SELF-EDITED. :) That said, apologies for any editing mistakes. My bad! > . <
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