Hellhound At Supernatural Academy-Chapter 46: I Have to Tell You Something

Saturday, May 25—the day I was supposed to meet up with Maimai. Our meeting time was set for 12 noon. I had already messaged her the necessary information about where we would be meeting. About half an hour before the designated time, I left my dorm room and headed for Infinity Mall, making sure to pick up the gift I planned to give her. I went to the café where I had been with the group before.

It was even more packed than before, likely because it was the weekend. Luckily, there was one empty spot at a table for two right beside the window. I waited for roughly another 15 minutes before she arrived.

She was well-dressed, wearing a yellow knee-length dress. To complement the dress, she had on a light denim jacket, giving her a casual look. Her hair was nicely styled, and her hands were adorned with various stylish accessories.

She gave a polite wave and came over to where I was sitting.

"I’m sorry for being late; I got caught up in something else. Please forgive me."

"Don’t worry, it’s fine... you look lovely, by the way."

"Uh... I do? Thank you for saying so. You look great too."

She sat down, picked up the menu, and we both ordered a cup of coffee.

"Are you okay with us meeting here? It’s a little crowded," I asked.

"Yeah, it’s fine. I actually come here a lot with my friends. What about you? Do you come here often?"

"Not really. I came here once with a group of friends and thought it would be a good place to meet."

"You know, I was really happy when you texted me. I thought you’d forget. I kept getting the feeling you weren’t interested in going out with me."

"You said you had something to tell me, and it seemed important."

"Oh yeah, I did," she said, her nervousness evident.

It might be better to change the subject and wait until she was ready to talk about whatever it was. It wouldn’t hurt to ask her a question.

"Hey, Maimai, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah! Sure, ask me anything."

"How much do you know about Sarah?"

"Sarah?"

"Yeah, the two of you are close, aren’t you?"

"Oh, I don’t really know what to tell you... but um, why are you asking about Sarah?"

"I’m just curious about her, that’s all."

"I see, so that’s how it is," she mumbled under her breath.

"What do you mean?"

"Is the reason you came out with me to ask about Sarah? Maybe because you like her? The two of you are always together lately, even though she has Finn. Why is that?"

"Because we’re partners. She’s helping me secure the class. As you said, I’m not good at socializing, so I let Sarah handle the communication with our classmates. Since we work so closely together, I just wanted to know more about her to improve our communication. It’s just that I didn’t have the guts to ask her myself."

"Oh, I should’ve known that’s what it was about. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions."

"It’s fine."

She seems tense, maybe it was time to give her the gift I brought. I opened the bag I had with me, took out another clear plastic bag, and handed it to her.

"What’s this?" she asked.

"They’re cupcakes. You said you wanted to try them, remember? I baked some yesterday and thought you’d like them."

The truth is, I really wanted a reason to bake something. It had been a while since I did.

"Oh really! Thank you very much." She excitedly opened the bag, took out one of the cupcakes, and took a bite. "It’s delicious! I can’t believe you actually baked these. Here, have some too," she said, shoving one toward me.

"It’s fine; I brought them for you."

"I want us to eat them together," she insisted, still holding out one of the cupcakes toward me.

A little reluctantly, I took the cupcake from her and began eating. The two of us spent the next few minutes eating and talking—well, she mostly did the talking while I listened and nodded along. She talked primarily about her friends and how they spent their time together.

"Hey, Sin, I think I’m ready to talk about what I wanted to discuss with you."

"Okay."

"Not here, though. Let’s go for a walk."

We got up and left the café. I followed her lead as she headed toward the mall exit. We walked side by side, neither of us uttering a word. I wanted her to be the one to initiate the conversation; if I started talking, it would likely cut her momentum. After a while, she let out a deep sigh.

"Um... Sin," her face flushed red, and her voice quivered. "I like... I like you! Will you please go out with me?"

"Go out with you? You mean on a date?"

"Well, yes... but this time as lovers. I’ve fallen for you, Sin Tenshi, and I want you to be my boyfriend. I want to be yours."

Fallen for me?

"May I ask why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"I mean, what do you like about me?"

"Um... I don’t... everything, I guess. Yes, I like everything about you Sin. I like how it feels watching you from a distance. I like how cool you are and I like how you’re always calm and nothing seems to phase you. I want to be even closer to you."

So that’s what it feels like to like someone. You want to keep them all to yourself and be with them forever. Maimai was being honest about her feelings toward me, so I needed to be honest with her. But how did I feel about her? Honestly, I was happy that at least one other person, apart from Nina, liked me.

"I’m not experienced when it comes to romance. Honestly, I’m still trying to figure out this friendship thing right now. What you said made me realize something, Maimai: I want to feel what you are feeling..."

One day in the future, when I don’t have to look over my shoulder.

"I’m sorry, I can’t be your boyfriend."