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Muu has lots of friends, but Rei is her favorite. Muu wasn’t supposed to like Rei like she does, but it’s a secret, so it’s okay.
It was a little before the school day ended, everyone prematurely packing up their supplies, chatting loudly in groups of four or five.
Muu glances at her own friends, they huddle in a corner giggling about something insignificant. She grins as she saunters towards Rei’s desk, where she sits, idly scrolling through her phone.
“ Rei!~”
She glances up and raises her eyebrows as Muu happily says her name.
“ Ah- Are you free later today, Rei?” She smiles, shifting her weight from one foot to another. She feels butterflies as she awaits Rei’s answer. She hadn’t even asked her to go out yet, but she was already so nervous.
“ I guess, what do you want?”
Muu struggles to keep a straight face. “ We could go out and get some food at a cafe, maybe take a walk after~” She has never been this nervous before asking someone to hang out after school. She wonders if her face is red, or if she isn’t acting as casually as she’s trying to.
Rei furrows her brows and glances toward the girls in the corner. She sighs and turns towards Muu, a small smile on her face.
“ Sure, sounds cool.”
She has never been this happy after asking someone to hang out after school.
Muu has never gone on a date before, much less with someone she felt so strongly about.
She is uncharacteristically silent as they walk together down the road. What do you even talk about on a date? Is it like any other time they’ve hung out at school? Why is it so different now in town? Get it together, Muu.
“ So!” Muu starts as she pauses under the shade of a shop. “ Do you have anywhere you wanna go?”
Rei opens her mouth to speak- “ Ah! But don’t worry about the price. Muu’ll pay.” She interrupts, a grin plastered on her face.
“ Why don’t you choose Muu? I don’t care where we go.” Rei responds, glancing around at all the small shops and restaurants lining the street. “ I’m sure you’ve been to more places here than me anyway.”
The two ended up in a small, fancy cafe that Muu had gone to a few times with her friends. They ended up not getting food, but rather opting for getting milkshakes instead. Together they sit across from each other on a white, small table. They sit in silence, Rei staring down into her strawberry milkshake. Muu keeps her eyes directly on her, admiring her half-closed eyes with slightly smudged mascara around them, the way the sunlight from the windows shines on her hair, and her face which always emanates calmness. She was one of the prettiest girls Muu had ever seen, was sitting directly across from her.
“ Rei, “ She pauses as Rei looks up to her, “ You’re so pretty.”
She looks pretty when she’s surprised, Muu thinks. Well, she’s pretty all the time but still!!
“ Ah- um- Thank you, Muu.”
Muu loved hearing her say her name, just as much as she loved saying Rei’s name. She fiddles with her straw, swinging her legs idly as she speaks. “ Rei, I really love spending time with you, you know?”
Maybe she might be a little confused, Muu thinks. The two weren’t the closest friends ever and haven’t really hung out outside of school before. Still, Muu feels closer to her than she does to any of her other friends.
Rei is silent for a while, before she speaks again “ I’ve had a good time today with you.”
Muu feels the butterflies again.
“ I think you’re a great friend, Muu.”
Of course, Muu thinks.
Rei insisted on walking home by herself, therefore leaving Muu alone with her thoughts.
Friends? Is that really what Muu wanted? Did she want to be told she was a great friend or did she want more?
Is it selfish to want something more? Anyone else calling her a great friend would’ve made her happy. But Rei, Rei calling her a great friend made her feel conflicted. It kinda hurts.
Muu has known she loved Rei for so long. Her feelings had made sense, finally. She knew it was weird, that no one else felt that way, but to Muu, it made sense.
She didn’t wanna just be friends, but that’s all they’ll be. It’s just a hopeless, unrequited yearning. And she knew that, yet she continues to yearn.