CHAPTER 8 - Girlfriend

"G-going out mean.. going out? Me and you..?" Asked Inessa in hesitant.

"It was because Inessa seems to be a very nice and kind girl. Also, I love your smile." Maeve exclaimed.

Inessa smiles at the compliment. The compliment about something she didn't need from someone she wouldn't expect.

'What is happening right now? I can handle a guy but this is..' She thinks.

'Inessa really don't like it. She maybe thinks I am so disgusting right now..' Maeve also quietly thinking.

"Err... Wren, I'm sorry but, you know... I am right now want to focus on my study so.."

"I understood!" Maeve chirped.

"Eh?" Inessa flinched a bit with that easy pull.

"It's okay if you want to focus on study, I'm just glad you turned me down not because you already have a boyfriend or someone else you liked." She explained.

Inessa just froze.

"I will be very jealous if you do.." She let out a sad smile. Her eyes looked far into Inessa’s beautiful orbs.

"Sorry for taking your time." She let go of her gaze. Inessa like someone who just got free from hypnosis suddenly comes to her sense.

"Ah, then... excuse me.." She slowly turns around and walks away.

"Inessa.." Maeve called.

"Hm?" She stopped and looked back.

"See you tomorrow.."

"Ah, yes.." She replied with a beautiful forced smile.

Inessa left.

'The real reason obviously because you and I are both girls, there's no way we could go out together. But I'm just glad Inessa didn't already have someone else. Because I will always love Inessa.'

She brings the corner of her lips slightly upward and formed a smile. Not her best but still her sincere one.

She then makes her way to Coffee Stop.

A week passed, Maeve continue to check on Inessa every single day. Even if she knew that Inessa don't like her. She just want to make sure she wasn't attached to that guy. Not in a million years. Anyone but him. Please.

On the seventh day, at the library.

"Um... Wren.." Inessa voiced.

"What?" Maeve cheered.

"I... I heard, you had a girlfriend from All-Girls School..?" Inessa, who always with a hesitant attitude.

Maeve always has a sweet smile for her.

"Heeeh~ could it be, Inessa, is jealous?" She teased. With a smirk.

"Eh, n-no.." Inessa quickly denied it.

"It's true. But, I still really liked Inessa. I am such a sinful person, right?"

Her words just grow another concern looks on Inessa's face.

"Hehehe" Maeve just giggled.

"By the way, who are you waiting for? A tutor?" She questioned. Knowing it probably Rou, that jerk.

"Huh? Err.. yeah, kind of... He's a senior, though." Inessa Replied.

"Heeeh~ a guy, huh?" She continues to tease her.

Inessa just gulping as if she makes a big mistake.

"What is this? How long does he plan to make my sweet Inessa wait? Honestly.." She mumbled.

"It's fine, Wren. Sir Crocs probably still hold on to their class right now." Inessa quickly proclaimed.

Maeve just gives her a friendly smile. Then she started getting up.

"Then, I should get going first. Inessa, don't forget to grab a snack though, you'll waste your lunch break. Hehe." She reminded as she pats her shoulder softly.

"Um.. yes," Inessa responded.

"Bye-bye!"

Maeve left. Inessa just send her away with a concerned look. A few moments later she sighs.

"So, you decided to visit Herwin?" Demi repeated.

"Uh-huh! I already let Mr. Bran know." Maeve confirmed.

"I see.." She noted.

"Why don't.. you text your boss and we go visit Herwin together?" Maeve suggested.

"Eh? That's impossible, my part-time boss is.. you know.. a bit.." She scratches her head showing that it wasn't a good suggestion.

"Oh, yea? It's a shame.." Maeve commented.

"Then, I go first. See you tomorrow!" Said Demi.

"'Kay.." She replied as she sends Demi away with a look.

"That Demi, she sure doesn't look really happy. I wonder why.." She muttered.

At Herwin's place.

"Ding dong..." The doorbell rang before seconds later someone questions

"Who?" It's probably Herwin's big sister, Esther.

"Me, Maeve." Maeve quickly reveals herself.

Moments later, the big door opened revealed Esther beyond the door.

"Seriously, his cold didn't so bad for you all to visit him, he will go to school tomorrow, though," Esther mumbled.

"As usual, Esther is always so mean to me. Aren't you supposed to be happy I care about you sweet little brother?" She giggled.

"What so sweet about that sleepyhead? Not sweet at all!" She snapped.

Maeve just chuckled a bit.

"Then, I go up first!" She then extended her steps to the stairs.

"Hey! Don't just invite yourself!" Esther started nagging which Maeve just ignores. She goes straight to Herwin's bedroom ready to open the door.

"Herwin, I'm coming in.." She raises her voice as a short warning. Her hand slid the door with a wide smile a second before she cannot believe her eyes.

Someone who shouldn't be here was there before her. Herwin is sleeping soundly when that person sits still completely calm, opposite to her expression right now.

"Seems like he's so tired, we talked a lot earlier.." The person muttered before standing up and walking to her.

When the person passed her, she calmly said, "I'll text you later.." and left.

'What was that?' Maeve completely left puzzled.

Maeve ended up coming back to the Coffee Stop but she didn't do her shift, just stop by.

"Did something happen?" Mr. Bran is always with his concern.

Anyone would do with Maeve's long face.

"Seems like my girlfriend doesn't love me anymore.." She wept.

"Oh my, that's suck." Mr. Bran commented.

"And you know what's worse, she cheated with my best friend!" She added.

"Oh no! That's really like a drama.."

"Right?" She agreed.

"But, you still have Demi, right? Ain't she is a good girl friend?" Mr. Bran hinted.

'Looks like this Mr. Sweet tooth doesn't understand between girlfriend and girl friend..' Maeve mumbled inside her thoughts.

"Em.. yea. Mr. Bran, customer.." She informed.

"Oh no!" Mr. Bran hastily gets to the counter.

Suddenly, she saw Rou peeking from the shop window, after seeing she's not present at the counter, he got disappointed and left. Maeve quickly chases after him.

"Wait, I'm here!" She called.

Rou turned to his back.

"Huh?"

"I'm not doing a shift today, but something happened, so I just come.." She explained.

"Who said I'm here to see you?" Rou denied.

"Ah, you weren't?" She repeated.

"I just promised my friends to meet up here, but seems like they weren't here yet so I just going to wait outside." Rou proclaimed.

"That Super Robot Monkey guy and Roary the Racing Car guy?" Maeve guessed.

"Yeah," Rou just mark it right even he doesn't know who the hell Super Robot Monkey guy is and Roary the Racing Car guy.

"No, you definitely came for me.." She replied.

It makes Rou flinched.

"Wha- how can you be so sure?"

"Say, do you have time?" Suddenly she changes the topic.

"Isn't you who said: 'don't follow me!' the following days?" He guessed, still hurt by the way with that word from the last time they meet.

"I'm not asking you to follow me, though. I just want to have a little talk, since you're waiting for your friends.. why don't you just, kill the time.."

"Idiot." He responded.

"What?!" She snapped at that sudden insult.

"I can stand you for being stupid in academics, but you're even stupid in all stuff!"

"What did you say?!" Maeve started to explode.

So, they ended up quarreling.

"Why are you here, Rou?" Suddenly a voice was heard.

"Why didn't you get inside?" Then, the second voice can be heard too.

They just continue quarreling.

"Oh, a friend?" The first voice cheerfully guessed.

"We are NOT friends!"

Finally, they responded.

In the end, they got inside and sit down together including Maeve. Maeve hugs herself with a very unsatisfied face to the person in front of her, Rou.

"Because you're being stupid, I couldn't say anything till the end!" She spat.

"It was because you're being stupid first." Rou casually replied.

"Which part was I'm being stupid?!" She snapped.

"Well, well, take it easy, guys. Enough with 'stupid'," Finally the Super Robot Monkey guy joined the chat.

"Hump! If I was on duty today, I'll not serve you any coffee! Bleeeehhh!" Maeve stuck out her tongue still wasn't satisfied with Rou.

"You always serve him no matter what.." Roary the Racing Car guy commented.

"Yeah, this brat will never say no to 20$" Rou added.

"Hump!" Maeve gave him a sharp glare.

"Then, what do you want to say earlier?" Rou began. Moving the topic.

"Not to youuu~!" Maeve with a spoiled kid tone replied.

"Hey, Super Robot Monkey bro, did Rou likes me?" Maeve directly voiced her question.

"Hey!" Rou snapped.

"Huh? Why do you askin' me?" The Super Robot Monkey guy got confused.

"Because he won't tell me when I asked," Maeve answered.

"He likes you." The Roary the Racing Car guy suddenly leaking the truth.

"Hey, Windzy!" Rou called out his name which nobody cares.

"Yeah, he told us properly." The Super Robot Monkey guy who's his name remains unknown supported.

"You guys..." Rou sighed.

"And did he ask you not to tell anyone?" Maeve proceeds with the next inquiry.

"Correct." The Super Robot Monkey guy revealed.

"Including me?" Maeve continued.

"Especially you." The Roary the Racing Car guy rejoinders.

Maeve just moves her eyes to the right and left when these two guys reply to her questions alternately.

"Then why did you tell me?"

"Ya know... if you saw someone puzzling, looking for their missing things, and you just happened to know where it is, or who stole it, you just can't keep it for yourself, right?" The Roary the Racing Car guy came up with an excuse.

"That's right, that's right!" The other guy just bore it out.

"But I'm not stealing anything!" Rou suddenly blurted in.

"Did you guys know that I'm into girls?" Maeve was still with her queued questions.

"Yes." The two of them except Rou, obviously, responded.

"Then, don't you care or feel weird, Rou just liked me?"

"Won't you stop it, please Maeve!" Rou voiced. He's serious.

Maeve moves her glance in Rou's direction.

"We talked about it. I thought we’re done when you left and said ‘don’t follow me!’ Then why did you bring this up again and again? " Maeve just quietly heard him with a serious expression just like how serious Rou was.

The other two guys just left silent.

Maeve dropped her gaze and stood up.

"I understand. I'm going home."

Mr. Bran just sent her away with a confused look.

Maeve gets out of the shop and starts walking home before Rou called out her name.

She turned around and gave him a 'what-do-you-want?' look.

"Can I follow you?"

Maeve froze for a second before she dropped her gaze and turned forward and just continued walking.

"Then, instead of waiting for him to wake up, you just come here?" He commented.

Eventually, he understands the signal, silent means yes. Because he owes something she wants to talk about, they talked.

"Em.." Maeve just says it's right.

"If it was another person, who she cheated with, will it hurt you like this? Or the fact it was Wisteria, that's upset you the most?" Rou guessed.

"I trusted Herwin, though. I knew him. He's not interested in stuff like that. Girls, school, even betrayal. He doesn't need all that. That kid only has about a year left. Why would he waste it for stuff like that.." Maeve mumbled.

"I just knew she wasn't in love with me anymore but I'm upset because she trying to make Herwin looks bad." She continued.

"It's fine then since you knew her.. scheme?" Rou commented.

"But why did you tell me this?" Rou questioned.

Maeve just gave him a look.

"How do you think she knows Wisteria was caught cold today? Why do you think she does that? How did she know his house?"

"Wha- too many questions, you dork!" Maeve complain.

Rou sighed.

"Your face looks like you're about to burst. Why don't you cry?" Rou continued with one more question.

"Why should I? Sure it was so sad but I just felt it was uncool. Who cries over... Love?" Maeve let out her thought.

"I do." Rou proclaimed.

Enough to draw Maeve’s attention.

“Back when my parents died, I do cry a lot. Isn’t that over love? I used to cry a lot when I was a kid. It’s so uncool. It made me hate my own tears now.”

Maeve is still with the same reaction. Slightly paralyzed when the unexpected confession comes from his mouth.

Rou glance at her when he thought she was silent for quite a while.

“Sorry for telling you this out of a sudden. It’s okay to cry over your loved one.” He assured.

“Then, maybe I was.. already hated my own tears too..” She finally responded.

Her gaze dropped as if she don’t dare to face ahead.

“Ow... it’s hurt! What are you doing!?” without a warning, she could feel pain on her cheek. Rou with a straight face pinching her cheek quite hard.

"What was that, you jerk?!" She protests.

“I just want to hurt you so you’ll cry again.” He stated.

Back then, Maeve he knows was a spoiled kid. She will cry if he pinched her cheek like this.

“Idiot, what do you think I am? A kid?” She grunted as she rubs her cheek.

“Say, Maeve..” Suddenly Rou called out her name in a soft voice.

Maeve just gave him a look.

“Can I walk you home?”

She stared into his eyes for a moment then blinked and look away.

“No way.” She rejected.

“Wha-?”

“If you know my home, you’ll come and bother me, like what you did in Coffee Stop.” She gave her reason.

“Idiot! That’s because I loved coffee, if I want to know your address then I’ll just ask your friends or stalk you. Do you think I am that creep?” He snapped.

Maeve chuckled at that reaction and for how logic that statement was.

“Fine, fine, but I wanna go to Herwin’s after all.” She stated.

“Oh, I see.. see ya, I guess..” He assented slightly feels down as he turned back ready to part away with her.

“Bye..” She goes on and walks away.

Rou turned around to see her go.

“W-wait!” He asked.

Maeve stopped and turned around with a ‘what’ expression. Suddenly a deep pink flush hinted on his face.

“Y-you’re an idiot!” He articulated.

“What!?” which is, of course, annoyed Maeve.

Rou just smiled at him, satisfied that he can tease her.

“See you!” He turned back and starts walking, leaving Maeve behind, puzzled and angry.

- CHAPTER 8 ENDS -