While Mei sat at a nearby seat, I was scavenging around the store. At first, I tried to narrow my options to whatever suited her the best. But whether it was something formal, flowy, casual—whatever—I found it difficult to imagine Mei looking bad in any of those.
So I scrapped that idea and opted for what she 'needed' instead. That didn't take long to figure out. Mei always wore long-sleeved outfits. To anyone else, it would just read as a preference. But to me, I knew it was to hide the wounds and scars on her wrists.
With that in mind, I ended up selecting a medium-length black skirt, black boots, a somewhat loose—but not really—white shirt, a long black cardigan that ran all the way down, a hat, and pink-shaded sunglasses. The sunglasses were a bonus—but I thought it'd highlight the magenta underdye in her hair.
As I was about to return to Mei, I spotted a boy standing in front of her—and I stopped. From the looks of it, it seemed as though the two were engaged in some sort of playful conversation—as both of them were laughing.
In the middle of her laugh, her eyes darted across the store until they landed on me. We made eye contact for only a moment before she turned her attention back to the boy.
Her lips moved as she said something, and with each word, the boy's bright expression dimmed a little more.
Eventually, her lips stopped. By the time they did, the boy was already walking off, dragging his feet in the process.
It was only then that I approached her and took a seat next to her.
I leaned back against the cushions, sinking in, as if I didn't care about anything else but the comfort of my seat, and asked, "What was that about?"
I already knew the answer; it didn't take much to figure out. Still, I wanted to hear her say it herself.
Mei let out a soft sigh. "I just got hit on. It's rare, but it happens."
She took a quick glance in my direction. She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't frowning either. She was just indifferent. Or at least, that was what it seemed like—until she met my eyes.
In that split second, her eyes flickered, the glint in them sharpening into something almost mischievous.
"Why are you asking?" she asked, tilting her head in feigned ignorance. She paused, as if pondering, then gasped and covered her mouth.
"Were you maybe… jealous?"
I knew she didn't believe that—because I wasn't. Still, if she wanted to play it this way, then I could too.
I rolled my eyes with a sigh. "No. If I were, I would've run over in the heat of the moment as my mind spiralled with an unrealistic fantasy to 'protect' you and said one of those cliché lines they always use in the romcoms like 'She's mine!' or something."
Mei let out a soft giggle. "Hehe, I guess that's true. Still, I was surprised to find you just standing there. What were you doing?"
I thought for a moment before answering. "I was just curious to see how you'd handle it."
I didn't know what it was like to be hit on—its never happened to me. Still, to see it happen right in front of me was kind of entertaining. After all, even if you were a girl, it wasn't an everyday thing, so it was a rare sight. I'd seen Luna handle it horribly—so badly, in fact, that I had to push Yu into getting her out of it—so I wanted to see how Mei would.
"Do you want me to explain what happened?" she asked.
I shrugged. "Go ahead."
Though I kept my gaze fixed in the distance, I listened closely as Mei recounted the events.
"Well, I was just on my phone when he came up to me. Obviously, I knew right away he was trying to hit on me, but I couldn't be a hundred percent sure, and therefore, couldn't end it there."
Huh. I never really thought of it that way.
While it was suspicious if someone you didn't know came up to you and struck up a conversation, there was no way to know for certain. On the chance that they weren't hitting on you, and you rejected them before they could even say a word, it would just make you look like an egotistical, stuck-up person.
"He started talking about random things," she continued. "He laughed, so I laughed along. Eventually, he got to the point and asked if I wanted to go on a date with him. I was going to reject him anyway—but then I saw you, so I decided to be a little more direct about it."
"Direct?" I interrupted, confused. "What do you mean, 'more direct?' How can you be more direct than just a 'no'?"
Mei's smile grew just a bit wider.
"Simple. I told him I was out with my boyfriend."
…
What?
Out of all the things I'd expected her to say, that was the one thing that never crossed my mind.
I replayed her words again and again, but no matter how many times I did, it didn't change the fact that she had called me her… boyfriend.
For some reason, I couldn't sit still. I tried shifting a little, trying to find the right angle, but no matter how many times I did, the comfort I had a few seconds ago was long gone.
...And this ugly, yet warm sense of discomfort in my chest only grew.
I knew I shouldn't have, but just because I knew didn't mean I could stop myself.
Despite every instinct telling me not to, my head turned towards her.
Mei had both hands neatly folded in her lap as she watched me expectantly. The moment we made eye contact, her eyes seemed to shimmer in delight—like she'd just 'won.'
And that was when I sighed and covered my face, blocking her from view.
…She got me.
Now that I was thinking about it, her story didn't make any sense. Mei wasn't the type to crush someone so hopelessly by telling them she had a boyfriend. In fact, she wouldn't normally reveal that information at all. She'd just tell them she wasn't interested.
So why did she tell me this?
It was simple. She just wanted to see my reaction—wanted to catch me off guard. And she got exactly that.
"...Wow. That was awfully conniving of you," I muttered under my breath.
Mei let out a small giggle as she scooted closer to me. "Sorry, but I just wanted to see how you'd react. I like how you are, but every now and then I'd like to see you act more than just uncaring."
"Well, I hope you're happy."
"Oh~ don't be like that!"
Mei scooted even closer until our laps were right against each other. I didn't try running away; I didn't need to.
She pressed both her soft hands against mine—and tried to rip them off my face. Small, almost inaudible grunts slipped from her lips as she put everything into her arms. Sadly, no matter what she did, my hands stayed glued to my face.
Realizing it wasn't going to work, Mei let go and opted for another tactic.
"Hey," she whispered, her warm breath brushing against my ear. "I don't like this. Look. At. Me."
Maybe other people would find this somehow charming, but to me—it was death.
She gave me a little shake, trying to muster some kind of reaction out of me. She didn't get it.
Throughout the whole thing, I didn't move, and I didn't speak.
Was it childish? Probably. Did I care? Not really. I wasn't the type to let someone get a free win.
As a last-ditch effort, Mei leaned her head on my shoulder and rested a hand on my lap. "I'm sorry. You win this one. How about we call it even?"
Who would ever settle for a tie? I wouldn't.
—But it was only then that I slowly lowered my hands and revealed my face.
And what was on it was a cocky, victorious grin.
"Sure. I'll take a tie."
Seeing that she'd been played, Mei pouted and looked away from me.
I normally wouldn't count a tie as anything, but considering how backed into a corner I was, it was the best I could've done.
"Wow," she grumbled. "That was awfully childish of you. I didn't know you had it in you to play something like that."
I just shrugged. "Well, that's just who I am. You should've known this by now."
"I guess so."
Now that the little game was over, it was time to get back to what we came for.
I grabbed the clothes I'd picked out for Mei and handed them to her.
"Here. Go try them on."
Without even looking them over, she took them out of my hands and walked over to the nearest changing room.
I figured she'd spend at least a minute studying what she was getting herself into, but I guess she trusted my fashion sense enough not to feel bothered by it.
I felt strangely prideful about that.
I waited for a couple of minutes before Mei stepped out of the dressing room.
The instant I laid eyes on her, the earlier discomfort from before came rushing back.
Except this time, it was more intense than ever.