Admitting

"They are so not!" Lina interrupted as she didn't hesitate to kick Alphonse's leg, making him wince in pain while the others simply wore perplexed expressions at Lina's sudden shift in behavior.

"OW...." Shouted Alphonse, his innocent face turning to Lina's frustrated one, "What was that for?" He questioned, completely unable to comprehend the reason behind her actions.

It didn't take that long for the rest of the group to gather in front of the mall and Lina still couldn't shake that annoying feeling that got into her chest a while ago after seeing Julien and Sara together.

"Good morning, Lina." Says Julien, trying to make his friend snap out of it.

"Good morning", She tried to hide her disappointment and forced a smile, then she turned her attention to Sara, "How are you Sara, enjoying your time so far?"

"Yes we are," She grinned brightly and her eyes sparkled with happiness, her arms clutching Julien even tighter, "Thanks for asking Lina!"

"But seriously," added Lina, unable to brush off the topic that easily, "I didn't expect to see you two with linked arms. It's quite unexpected," she tried to make light of the situation and play it cool, but her voice betrayed her true feelings.

"Oh, that... It's just a habit", Sara laughed and looped her arm through Julien's, seemingly unaware of Lina's discomfort, "We always walk with our arms linked when we're together," at those words, Lina lowered her head, her smile becoming weak right away.

"I see...", Smiles Lina weakly.

Feeling her friend's discomfort, Maria chimed in right away, "Where should we go first, guys?" She said, her arm around Lina's small shoulders, trying to cool off the atmosphere with her soft actions.

"How about we visit the place where Lina and I first met?" Suggested Julien, and Maria started patting his shoulders right away, "Straight to the point!" She added, grinning as they walked inside the mall, "That's what I like about you Juju!"

Julien showed the group the stairs where the weird incident between him and Lina took place and both him and Line kept describing how unexpected that encounter was. Afterward, they went to a Café and shared a little snack. Lina was getting rather nervous, seeing those two becoming so close like that, it was really pissing her off.

"Here you go, Julien," chimed in Sara, facing the boy with a forkful of crepe, "Try some of my crepes!" As she fed him the crepe, the girl looked rather satisfied and she couldn't help but let her blush run wild.

"Did you really need to feed him?", Lina's voice is sharp with jealousy, but she tries to hide it with a forced awkward laugh, "He can do that much on his own you know!"

"Relax Lina", Chuckles Edward, "It's not like it bothered him!"

"And why are both of you laughing??", Adds the frustrated girl, pointing at Alex and Maria.

"It's... It's nothing, Lily", Says Alex, trying to hide his laughter by putting his hand over his mouth.

Then there's Anna, appearing to want to join their conversation, "Mmmph mmmph mmph mmmph", She keeps mumbling with her mouth full. Edward, hating to see such a sight, flicks her head gently, "Jeez, speak with an empty mouth will ya?", He adds, shaking his head, "Anna, you're muffling your words!"

"But seriously, Romeo", Says Anna, taking a rest from eating, "Thanks to your help, our grades went up pretty high!", She beams with pride as she speaks, her eyes shining with gratitude towards Romeo.

"And you got yourself a perfect score", Adds Edward, clapping Romeo on the back while trying to hide his jealousy, "Man you must have worked day and night to make it to the top!"

"Last week was tiring, to be honest. I think I studied a bit too much", Adds Romeo modestly, running a hand through his hair.

"Wha...", Gasps Alex in disbelief, "What do you mean got tired? You kept playing with Lina's PS the whole time! I mean, you played for straight six hours every day!"

"I used to play more", Adds Romeo, admitting his past habits.

"Well, what can I say Romi?", Replies Alex, leaning on his chair, "I always knew that you are a prodigy so it's not that surprising for me."

"And the way you simplify things to us. That was quite cool you know!", Anna nods in agreement, her eyes filled with admiration as she sips some of her milk tea.

"You guys were a little pushy with me as well", After saying that line, he switches his interest to Lina, "Especially you, Lina."

"Huh? Me?", Lina seems to be surprised by Romeo's sudden words. He does it gently and affectionately as he reaches out to pat Lina's head. Lina, upon feeling the touch on her head, starts blushing profusely. She can't help but feel her heart flutter a bit as she looks down shyly, trying to hide her embarrassment, "You even made me practice a little on my own", Says the boy, still playing gently with her head, "If it wasn't for that small push of yours, I don't think I would've got a 100."

"F... Fine!", Lina says, trying to hide her shyness with a small laugh, "It wasn't... It's no biggie, y-you know!"

After noticing the cute interaction, Alex and Maria quickly pull out their phones to snap a few photos of the moment. They giggle quietly to themselves as they capture the wholesome scene, "This habit of yours is getting rather annoying", Says Romeo, swatting at their phones in an attempt to stop them from taking pictures.

"Nah just get used to it", Adds Alex as he continues to snap away, trying to tease Lina about her flustered behavior.

"I want him to pat me too", Thinks Sara to herself as she watches the scene with a longing expression.

"Mmmph mmmph mmph mmmph", Mumbles Anna a second time while eating. Edward makes quite a sigh while putting a hand over his head, "For God's sake", Says the boy, "Clear your mouth before speaking!"

"Sorry sorry", Adds Anna, swallowing the last bite, "Hey girls, how about we go shopping?"

That sounds like a great idea!", Answers Maria, "I'm in!"

"As for us guys, we're thinking about going bowling.", Adds Alphonse, raising his hand in excitement, "Want to join us, Romeo?"

"I've never played bowling before", Answers the boy, "but sure, I'll give it a try."

-Alphonse: "Awesome! Let's make it a bowling party for your first time playing!"

"That's the spirit! Let's go!", Says Alex, excitedly punching Alphonse's shoulder and high-fiving, while Maria and Anna are giggling with Sara and discussing where they would go shopping, "You guys are way too energetic compared to me", Adds Romeo, sounding like an old man.

"Hey guys, isn't it getting a bit late for this kind of stuff?", Says Lina, sounding a bit hesitant.

Sara gets closer to her and holds her arm, "Oh, don't worry about it Lina", She says warmly, pulling Lina to the girls' side, "It actually becomes more fun at night! Plus, we have the whole evening ahead of us. Let's start here and see where the night takes us!", And she ends up by joining them in the end.

As the boys are getting ready to start their game, Edward gets closer to Romeo, a fired look in his eyes, then lends the boy a ball, "Get ready Romeo", He says, determined look tags along, "Your rival will defeat you this time."

"My... Rival?", Asks Romeo while taking the ball, realizing that it's quite heavy.

"Me. Your rival! Isn't that right?", Says Edward, pointing at himself.

"Nah I don't really consider you one", He says without hesitation, putting the ball on the ground because it tired him.

"Your words are really savage you know", Says Edward after getting a bit down by what he just heard.

As planned, the girls go shopping and the boys enjoy a little bowling party. Sara takes one dress and shows it to the others, holding it up in front of her and twirling around, a hopeful look on her face as she asks, "What do you think? Would this look good on me?"

"Changing to a more girly style, huh?", Asks Anna, "You want to steal his heart, don't you?" Anna teases with a smirk, noticing the flustered look on Sara's face.

"Th-That's not it", Stammers Sara, her face turning red with embarrassment, "I-I just like this dress, that's all!"

"Admit it already! You've been making plans with him way too much lately." Anna continues to tease, her grin growing wider.

"S-Stop teasing me, Anna!" Sara pleads, her eyes darting around the store as if searching for an escape.

"So, tell me!", Adds Anna after getting behind Sara and putting her hands on her shoulder, "When are you planning to confess those feelings? Is any time soon? Give it a shot!!! Should I set you up or something?" She keeps asking, her tone becoming more serious as she leans in closer to Sara.

"Quit making fun of her already!", Intervenes Maria, her tone firm as she steps in between those two, "She's actually dying from embarrassment.", After that she takes a skirt and asks Lina, "Lily! I actually think this skirt would look good on you. Go and try it!" Maria says, trying to steer the conversation away from Sara's crush and towards Lina, who seems to be spacing out.

"What?", responds Lina, her tone distant as if her mind is somewhere else.

"Huh? Were you just spacing out?" Maria asks, her tone concerned as she notices the faraway look in Lina's eyes.

"I... I'm sorry I... I think I'm going out for now... You guys finish off without me", As Lina speaks, she appears visibly upset and avoids making eye contact with the others. She fiddles with her hands nervously and her voice is filled with uncertainty. Maria looks at Lina with concern and tries to get her attention, but Lina quickly excuses herself and leaves the store. Maria watches her leave, shaking her head and muttering while still holding that skirt, "Jeez, what's wrong with her?".

Then there are the boys. Edward is doing his almost best to get an unreachable score now, pumping his fist in excitement with each strike and trash-talking Romeo playfully. As for Romeo, he keeps holding the ball and staying immobile the whole time, "Another strike!", Says Edward, "Hell yeah! Try getting closer, Romeo!"

"I'm not actually into rivalry, to be honest. It would be such a drag", says Romeo nonchalantly, casually rolling his bowling ball down the lane.

-Edward: "You have quite a lazy personality you know."

"Is that really considered laziness?", Asks Romeo, crossing his hands, "I only do what needs to be done with as less energy as possible!"

"You just defined laziness you dumb fart", Adds Edward in disbelief.

"AND since when did you become all lovey-dovey with Sara?", Alphonse chimes in, teasingly nudging Romeo's arm.

"Lovey-dovey?", Says Romeo, unexpecting such a conversation to join the show.

"Come on already!", Grins Alphonse, "You're always together and you always walk around with linked arms. Everyone's getting suspicious about you two, you know!"

"Really? Is that suspicious?", He says, looking a bit taken aback as he tries to remember the way he and Sara act while others are around.

-Alphonse: "It IS suspicious! Everyone thinks that you're dating."

"We're not dating though", He says, shaking his head, "I don't even love the girl."

"Holy moly", Says Alphonse, starting to press aggressively on Romeo's cheeks, "You don't have feelings for her? She's the most famous girl in the school of course you have a thing for her!"

"Alphonse... It hurts", Adds Romeo while holding Alphonse's arm, trying to prevent him from squishing his cheeks more, "And no, I don't have a thing for her."

"Then why do you always act like a couple?", Asks Edward while raising his eyebrows, trying to get an explanation out of Romeo.

"I'm not doing a thing", Answers Romeo, shrugging his shoulders, "Actually, Sara is the one who keeps making plans with me."

-Edward: "At least you enjoy your time with her, right?"

"Yeah, but it feels comfier around Lina if you ask me", Adds Romeo while noticing that Alex is getting closer to the exit, "Oy, Alex. Missing Maria already?"

"It's not like that!", Answers Alex with a warm laugh, "I just want to get some fresh air, you guys finish off without me, okay?"

Since Lina was feeling down, she decides to leave her friends and wander the mall's garden alone. As she is strolling, she stumbles upon Alex smoking a cigarette, "Alex?", Says the girl, getting surprised after seeing him.

"Lily?", Adds the boy just before throwing the cigarette, "Can you keep this a secret? If Maria finds out I'm still smoking, she'll have my head."

"Sure thing", She answers kindly, nodding her head, "but you should really try to quit."

"I know, I know", Says Alex while walking closer to her, "So, did you finish shopping? That was fast, for a girl that is."

"No, I left them to their own devices", She adds, her voice a little upset, "I needed some fresh air."

"Is everything okay?", He adds, noticing that she's upset, "You seem a little out of sorts, you're not feeling well?"

"Well... Kinda ", She adds, sitting down and putting a hand on her cheek.

"Is it Romi?", Asks Alex with a teasing tone after sitting next to her. The girl jumps off her seat right away, "No it's not!", She stammers.

"Oh sorry, my bad! It's actually Sara and Romi!", Adds Alex after sharing his smirk-gasm and enjoying the sight of Lina's clumsiness, "No! It's not like that!", She adds.

"Geez, at least try being honest with yourself will ya?", He says as he slowly starts to stand up and grips her shoulder, "You're not leaving unless you spell it out okay?"

"I... I have one condition!", She says, finally deciding to share her thoughts with Alex.

-Alex: "About that voice record? I already deleted it to make up with Maria."

"Straight to the point!", As Lina and Alex continue their conversation, Lina becomes increasingly flustered and fidgety. She twirls her hair around her finger, "S-So! D-Did he tell you, t-t-that he's dating S-Sara?", Her voice trembles as she speaks.

"No, he's not", Answers the boy while pinching her nose until she raises her hands towards his, "He doesn't even love her you know!"

"Ow ow ow", She stammers a bit before being free from Alex's hand, "IS THAT TRUE?", Asks Lina anxiously.

"Look at you getting all excited", Grins Alex, starting to pinch her nose again.

"No, I didn't", Denies the girl nervously while hitting his hand lightly, "S... Stop teasing me already!" On the other hand, Alex is more laid back and casual, occasionally smirking and teasing Lina.

"Alright, alright!", He replies, deciding to give her some peace, "And I'm not kidding, Romi doesn't have feelings for her."

"Then... Then why is he always passing more time with her?", She asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.

"Because of two things. First, she's the one who plans. And second, you've been pushing him away you dummy!", He says as he starts pinching her nose playfully again.

"Me?", Adds Lina as her eyes widen in surprise, "I didn't think so!"

"Of course, you did push him away all this time!", He ensures his words while raising an eyebrow, "He actually thinks that you're mad at him!"

" I think I need to apologize to him", Replies Lina, her voice filled with determination.

"Yeah, it's not such a bad idea! Check this out, a while ago, Romi said that he enjoys his time when you're around more than when Sara's around him!", He says, a hint of amusement in his voice

"W-Well of c... Course he will!", Says Lina with a deep red face I-I'm more fun than her!", She keeps avoiding Alex's gaze, trying to keep her emotions in check.

-Alex: "Your heart did choose a nice guy, Lily!"

"H-Hey. Don't bring this up all of a sudden!", Alex notices the embarrassment on Lina's face and gives her a reassuring smile.

As they finish speaking, there is a moment of silence between the two. Lina looks down at her feet, fidgeting with her hands as she tries to gather the courage to speak. She takes a deep breath, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink as she looks up at Alex with a shy and timid expression. Alex watches her with a gentle smile, "Go on, say the magic words!", he adds, sensing her hesitation and giving her the space to speak at her own pace. The garden around them is quiet, the only sounds being the distant chatter of mall-goers and the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze. The moon is shining down on them, casting a warm glow over Lina's face as she musters up the courage to speak. Realizing that he's really not leaving her until she admits it, Lina becomes increasingly flustered and nervous. She fidgets with her hands, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she tries to find the right words to say. She keeps glancing at Alex, her eyes wide and pleading, before quickly looking away. As she finally musters up the courage to spell out the magic words," I... I...", she trips on her own feet before finishing her line, stumbling forward a bit before catching herself and giggling sheepishly. "I... I LOVE HIM," she stammers out, her face bright red with embarrassment, "I'M IN LOVE WITH SUCH A COLD BRAINSTORM FREAK!!", Then she puts her hands over her face, realizing that there's no turning back after such words, "And... And I'm glad that my heart chose him..."

After Lina admits her feelings, there is a second silence, a lovely, adorable silence between her and Alex. Lina's eyes are downcast, her face flushed with embarrassment, but there's a hint of a smile on her lips. Alex's expression is one of joy mixed with fondness, and he reaches out to give Lina's cheeks a reassuring squeeze. He's silent for a moment, taking in Lina's words and trying to think of the right thing to say, while Lina looks up at him anxiously, "I love him...", She adds before biting her lower lip, her voice barely audible then she lets out a content sigh after feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders.

"So you finally admit it?", says Alex with a playful grin, gently ruffling Lina's hair. Despite his teasing, there's a sense of understanding and support in his eyes. Then there's Lina, holding his hand, trying to get what he just said into her head, "You finally admit it?", Repeats the girl in disbelief as her silver eyes start slowly matching the moon's charm, "You... YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT????"