Chapter 27: Underwear, Heart-shaped rice balls, and a Candle.

Chip’s POV

The bed was warm.

But not unusually warm—like last time. It was just warm. Warm and fuzzy.

And somehow, I convinced myself to come to a conclusion that perhaps, I was already familiar with this warmth. And that this warmth was perfect.

Then I thought of how I managed to wake up every day, without this certain warmth. And I started to wonder exactly how, I managed to live without his warmth.

And then somehow, I ended up thinking—If only I could feel this way for the rest of my life.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

U-Uwaa, this is so embarrassing…should I pretend to be asleep? O-Or should I just wake up now and go down early to prepare breakfast?

I fidgeted under the covers, feeling a familiar heat rise to my face as I registered Xander’s legs entangled with mine.

H-H-His legs! This…th-this feels like we’re married—I-I mean…um…isn’t this too intimate? Uwah, what am I thinking, so early in the morning. Snap out of it Chip!

Opening my eyes was a bad idea, because Xander’s face was just really, really, r-really close to mine. I almost forgot to breathe.

Trying to save myself from embarrassment, I gently retrieved my legs from the entangled mess, keeping my arms to myself.

And then I realized Xander had his entire arm draped over me, his hands at the small of my back.

…

How do I get out of this…?

After staying still for a minute or two, I carefully lifted his heavy arm off my waist, placing it on the pillow beside his head.

Xander stirred, growling huskily.

I froze, feeling my face flush at the sound.

Th-that…that was appealing…

I caught myself. Snap out of it Chip!

Slipping gently from the bed, I replaced the covers neatly, tip-toeing to my drawers to get clothes and a towel—before making my way to the bathroom silently.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I…I can’t believe I actually said all of that to Xander.

It’s really not like me to say so much at all!

J-Jealous of the person I love?

Xander must have been so mad…

I wonder if he’s okay now.

B-But well, he…he actually said that he wouldn’t leave me.

It made me feel warm and fuzzy all over.

I should work on my trust issues.

I…I must trust Xander with all my heart!

Mm!

Yes!

Y-Yes…

I-I’ll try…

Ugh. I’m hopeless.

After showering and dressing, I headed down to the kitchen to make a bento box for afternoon lunch at school. It was really early—even Rose and Coco weren’t awake yet, so I decided that maybe I could make some rice balls and octopus sausages. And eggs! Eggs are yummy.

I should make one for Giselle too. She was jealous over Gretel’s octopus sausages the other day. O-Oh! Maybe I can make a box for Xander too.

But will he eat it?

Mm…w-what if he decides to eat with his friends today at the cafeteria?

O-Oh well…

I decided to make enough food for three people, and packed them nicely into three separate bento boxes. Hehe, I even made a kitty design on the rice balls with the seaweed. I hope Giselle likes it.

Placing two of the boxes into my book bag, I proceeded to heat up the ovens and wake Rose to ready the first batch of cupcakes and bread.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Xander was just…being Xander.

“Hey Angel, what color is your underwear?”

I jumped at the question, immediately whipping around to check whether my pants were slipping down or something. I felt the tips of my ears grow hot.

“W-Why would you ask that?” I stuttered indignantly, proceeding to tug at the hem of my shirt.

Xander smirked, shrugging off the question. “Just wanted to know.”

My mouth parted in disbelief.

“Y-You can’t just…go around asking people about their underwear you know?” The heat rose to my face and I can’t help but look at my feet as Xander rose from the bed, stretching lazily.

H-H-H-H-His clothes were missing!!

Xander leaned dangerously close to my ear, and I felt his warm breath tickle my earlobe.

My eyes scrunched shut automatically.

“It’s your underwear I’m curious about. Not others,” He straightened up, winking playfully before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his hips.

…

…

I think I fainted.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Xander was in an unusually good mood today. He descended the stairs noisily (his muscles make him awfully heavy), and entered the kitchen with a fresh look.

He didn’t seem as tired as he was a couple of days before—and maybe that was because of…last night.

A part of me felt glad that Xander had accepted the ugly, selfish side of me yesterday—and even told me that he would never leave me. 

But there was this tiny slit of glass in my chest, refusing to budge.

It ached, and it was uncomfortable.

Something was wrong—

But I couldn’t figure out what it was.

.

“Hey! Uh, Rose—“ Xander said suddenly, rising from the breakfast table, “you know, uh…”

The tall figure inched closer to my sister, who was eying him warily.

“What’s wrong dear? I hope you’re not here to ask for sexual advice, because I sure do not want the bakery to be filled with—“ Rose began suspiciously, waving the rolling pin in Xander’s line of sight.

Xander raised his arms in defense, instantly shaking his head like a child caught red-handed. “No! No, that’s not it Rose, damn, I would love to, though, but—“

Rose glared.

“I-I—mean uh…” Xander scratched the back of his head sheepishly, something I rarely witnessed, and proceeded to take Rose by her arm and guide her to the corner of the kitchen.

“H-Hold on young man…what do you think you are—“ My sister protested indignantly, her mouth open in shock.

Coco and Gretel at the table were eying the situation in slight amusement.

Xander began to talk to Rose in soft whispers, and I couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying. Rose was frowning at first, and then her face softened a little, then she began to nod, and she replied Xander in a similarly hushed tone.

You know that feeling when everyone’s talking about something over the table and then a pair start giggling and whispering as if they are sharing a secret?

It…It makes me die a little inside.

I-I’m just so curious b-but…

My sister was laughing, and she had a rare smile on her face.

Gosh…

Curiosity really does kill the cat.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Xander and I finally reached school, we were five minutes late.

The discipline master was standing outside the school gates, in her usual fuzzy pink cardigan and awful magenta stilettos. Once her sharp, hawk-like eyes spotted us, they narrowed into slits, and I gulped involuntarily.

“You children are terribly late. What do you have to say to account for your tardiness?” The discipline master demanded, crossing her stout arms across her chest.

She reminds me of a teapot. A boiling teapot.

“Ma’am, we’re just five minutes—“ Xander began, only to be cut off.

“Uh-uh,” She wagged a meaty finger, “no excuses children. Now, give me your names and your classes. We will arrange for this incident to be recorded in your report book.”

My mouth dropped and I stammered a weak ‘w-what’, looking up at Xander to see him giving the discipline master a ‘what-in-the-world’ look.  

“What the fu—“

“Young man, do you wish to commit an offence twice by being horribly late and insulting a teacher?” The discipline master asked cleverly.

I tugged at the Xander’s sleeve, making sure he didn’t make any rash actions.

Looking down, Xander grabbed my hand and proceeded to guide me past the school gates.

“Young man! What do you think you’re doing? Come back this instant—“

He only ignored the teacher, walking straight past her and into the school grounds.

When Xander and I were in the main hallway, he sighed, turning to me. “My bad. We wouldn’t have been late if—“

“I-It’s not your fault at all!” I piped up immediately, waving my hands to return his apology. “It…it was my fault too, I should have…”

All of a sudden Xander’s face was the only thing in my line of sight—and my words were cut off by something pressed against my lips.

My face flushed immediately and I felt the back of my neck grow so hot.

Xander straightened up from the kiss and smirked. “So…”

“I-I-I-I-Ihavetogothiswaynow! I-I’lltakemyleave! UwaaI’msosorryyyyyy!!” I ran in the opposite direction, although not too sure where I was going.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

(A/N: I wrote this when I was so tired and thinking about my horrible results so…)

Kim and Jack caught me doodling Xander’s name in my notebook.

H-How embarrassing can this get? Oh Gosh…

“You lovesick son of a bitch,” Jack rolled his eyes, jabbing me in the ribs.

I yelped and turned to him, pouting. “That’s not a nice thing to say!”

Kim clicked her tongue. “The truth isn’t always the nicest thing to say Chippy. But,” Kim sweeped the chemicals on the workbench aside, proceeding to lean forward in interest, “do fill us in about the sex.”

My arms turned into jelly at the word and the usual heat spread across my cheeks, causing me to fumble with the conical flask in hand.

“W-W-What? We didn’t—there wasn’t—“

“Aw, look, he’s all shy.”

“Friends share the good stuff!” Kim winked.

Jack coughed. “I don’t wanna hear about it.”

“Tsk, how could you? It’s our baby Chip’s precious virginity—we all want to hear about it.”

“G-Guys…we didn’t do anything, really!”

Kim raised an eyebrow, “with Xander’s amazing sex drive? No way in hell.”

“We…We just…kissed. A-And s-stuff…” A stronger heat rose to my face as I thought about the night I was so hopelessly wanton.

“Lalalalala they did it.”

“Sounds like it.”

“Looks like it.”

“Feels like it.”

“G-Guys…”

“Xander must be a diamond because Chip gives him the hardness of ten.”

“G-Guys…”

“If Xander was an endoplasmic reticulum would you like him smooth or rough?”

“Xander and Chip are exothermic because—“

“G-Guys! The solution is overflowing!!”

“OI YOU OVER THERE TURN OFF YOUR BUNSEN BURNER!”

(A/N: Vote if Kim and Jack reminds you of your friends XD)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hey Angel, wanna sit with me at lunch? ;)

I felt my spirits literally lift when I read the message, and I couldn’t stop my heart from racing just a little.

Kim peeked over my shoulder. “Oooo, text from sexy boyfriend?” She teased, nudging me playfully.

I snapped my phone shut instantly, feeling a blush coming on.

“U-Um…I…”

“He asked you to sit with him at lunch?”

Kim…seems to really know what’s on my mind every time. Or maybe she managed to get a glance at the message. But I doubt so.

I nodded my head guiltily, looking at my shoes.

“Go on then, it’s a rare chance you know. But,” Kim smiled evilly, “REMEMBER TO TELL ME EVERYTHING BECAUSE I’M DEPRIVED OF BOY ON BOY ACTION PLEASE PLEASE,” Kim practically hollered in the middle of the hallway, and several heads turned.

I face palmed, turning away from my best friend.

Kim grinned triumphantly as we entered the cafeteria. She made her way towards the stalls, giving me a thumbs up for encouragement as she went.

I fidgeted uncomfortably, clutching the lunchboxes in my arms while my eyes searched for Xander.

.

E-Ehh…he’s not here yet…

Flipping open my phone, I went through my contacts, finally arriving at ‘Xander’—where I pressed the ‘call’ button.

T-This…might be the first time I’m calling him, I thought in embarrassment, wondering why it was so hard for one to make a call nowadays.

It rang once.

Twice.

“Hey it’s small fry!”

I have no idea how I knew someone was addressing me, but—I turned around, only to see Xander and his friends at the entrance of the cafeteria.

Quickly snapping my phone shut, I turned to Xander, who looked a little disturbed.

He closed the distance between us, while the rest of his friends made way for the stalls.

Xander leaned down and caressed my head. “Hey Angel.”

“Xander!” I found myself whining in embarrassment. “N-No public display of affection please…”

The tall figure laughed, leading me to his usual table. “Alright. I’m just going to get some lunch, you stay here—“

“A-Ah! Wait,” I held onto Xander’s shirt as he was about to leave, then, realizing that some people were looking, I quickly let go—feeling the heat claw at my cheeks terribly.

“U-Um…I…I made some extras this morning…so…um—if you want that is, you could…have this bento—it’s okay if you don’t really want it b-but…”

My head was lowered and I was speaking really softly. I wasn’t even sure if Xander could hear me. I couldn’t see much of his face or reaction, but before I knew it, someone pulled up a chair beside me, and the lunchboxes wrapped in cloth slid out of my arms.

“Thanks Chip, you’re really an angel,” I heard Xander’s low voice just beside my ear, and I swear I thought I melted like ice cream.

“N-No I’m not…” Fidgeting uncomfortably in my seat, I watched as Xander unwrapped the lunchboxes. He reached for one of them, but I stopped him halfway.

“Wait!” Xander turned to me, an eyebrow raised, “U-Um…this one’s yours,” I swapped the one he reached for with a bigger bento box.

Just then, his friends arrived at the table with trays laden with lunch.

“What? Xander you’re not getting anything?”

“What’s that box thingy?”

“Who is this guy?”

Xander draped a lazy arm across my chair. “This is Chip Honeycutt.”

“El-oh-el at the name, haha—“ I heard someone say, and I cringed.

Xander raised an eyebrow. “I think it’s special. Jealous?”

The girl rolled her eyes, taking a seat opposite me.

I was relieved that it was Blake who took the seat beside mine—I’d feel so awkward if it was someone I didn’t know.

“So…what’s inside the boxes?” I recognized the person who spoke as one of the school team’s footballer.

Xander shrugged, popping open the bento box.

I knew that it wasn’t entirely healthy for Xander’s diet to be filled with meat b-but…that’s what he really likes, and I guess once in a while won’t harm...h-hopefully.

Inside Xander’s lunchbox were rice balls—without seaweed because Xander doesn’t like sea weed—seasoned with chili flakes and of course, octopus sausages and fried crispy chicken. There were also sweet Japanese rolled omelet (A/N: picture by the side if you don’t know what it is ^0^) which Xander loved…basically no veggies.

“Woah…rice balls? In the shape of a heart?” Blake coughed, teasing Xander.

I felt my ears and cheeks heat up immensely, almost forgetting that I shaped the rice into hearts because I thought no one else would be seeing them.

Xander had a hand over his forehead like a visor, and I couldn’t read the expression on his face.

“Did you make this yourself?”

“OmyGod this is so weird,” Some of Xander’s friends cracked up, and I blushed even more for embarrassing Xander in front of his friends.

“A-Actually,” I spoke softly, hoping to redeem some of Xander’s pride, “th-that’s mine so...it’s not Xander’s, and um…”

“Nope—I asked Chip to make it for me,” Xander interrupted, placing a sudden hand on my knee.

I jumped a little, and I hoped no one noticed because I think I’m getting redder and redder by the second.

The rest of Xander’s friends were shocked, and Blake rolled his eyes, chuckling.

“Well…okay. Is it that nice?” The girl opposite asked, gathering her hair into a high ponytail like those that cheerleaders did.

“None of your business,” Xander replied, and the group was silenced.

.

Several minutes passed as everyone ate quietly, occasionally pulling out their cellphones to check their texts.

“Xander, have you submitted the form for the scholarship?” Blake asked suddenly, turning to Xander.

The tall figure beside me froze.

“Uh…no. Not yet.”

“Tsk, don’t make me remind you every day. Such an asshole. Why can’t you get it over and done with?” Blake complained, gulping down his soda.

“I’m still thinking okay?” Xander snapped in irritation, popping an octopus sausage in his mouth.

“Fine. The deadline is next week so you better hurry up okay? I don’t see what there is to think about.” Xander’s captain sighed, defeated as he got back to his lunch.

Several members of the group exchanged glances, but didn’t prod.

I only shifted in my seat, somehow wondering whether I made a right choice in telling Xander about how I felt.

.

Just as Xander was onto his second-last rice ball, a basketball player piped up.

“You look like you’re in heaven,” he said, staring at his lunch.

“Can I have one?” He continued.

Xander narrowed his eyes, placing a protective hand over his bento box. “This is mine.”

“…okay now I want to try it—“ Said the guy from the football team, and he lunged over the table to grab a piece of Japanese omelet.

“YOU ASSHOLE—“ Xander began, but the former had already popped the rolled egg in his mouth, chewing slowly.

“Woah…it’s sweet.”

After a swallow, Xander’s friend declared: “Hey…It’s actually pretty good.”

Everyone eyed Xander’s lunchbox, and suddenly hands were reaching for the food—

“—the hell? Eat your own food people!” Xander growled, protecting his heart-shaped rice balls.

I offered my bento box to Xander’s friends, and even though Xander seemed awfully against the idea, he let it go anyway.

As I watched the group around the table snatch at the food in the box, I couldn’t help but think: It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Xander’s POV

Heart-shaped rice balls?

I need to hold him.

Now.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

-A couple of hours later-

Chip’s POV

I was waiting for Xander outside his class just before the last bell, and when it finally rang, the seniors began filing out of the class.

“Chip?” Raising my gaze, I spotted Blake crossing the hallway in my direction.

I straightened up, clutching the books in my arms. “H-Hi Blake, um…is Xander out yet?”

Xander’s friend seemed to frown, and then he snapped his fingers. “That idiot said he wasn’t feeling very well after lunch, and went back home. Didn’t he tell you?” 

I froze, stunned.

The first thing that came to my mind was the bento box.

W-Was something uncooked in there?

Was it the eggs?

Maybe it was the chicken…

Oh no…

I instantly turned onto Blake.

“U-Um, do you feel unwell anywhere? Like…a stomach ache or something…you ate the rice balls and sausages right? Are you feeling okay?” I asked worriedly.

Xander’s captain scratched his head. “Uh…no? Should I be? I ate a lil’ of everything. I’m feeling okay though…” Blake’s expression softened, “If you’re thinking about the lunch you made for Xander, don’t worry about it. He said it was a headache.”

I nodded, still anxious.

“O-Okay, thank you. I’ll be going now,” I said quickly, taking a quick bow before gathering my books in a hurry and rushing to the entrance—Xander the only thing on my mind.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When I turned into the street of the bakery, I realized that the bakery was really dark. 

The usual warm orange lights were turned off, and I couldn’t see anything through the display window.

Oh God, what happened? Where’s Rose? X-Xander? Oh no…

My heart beat painfully against my chest, as I pushed open the door of the bakery, hearing the familiar jingling of the bells above—but there was only darkness.

The sound rang in the empty shop, and the dark anxiety in my chest grew venomous. It engulfed my thoughts—casting a horrible shadow over my fear.

“Rose? Coco? Giselle? I-Is…Is anyone there?”

I inched towards the counter, groping around for the light switch.

I flicked it on immediately, feeling slightly better with vision.

But the bakery was still empty.

“X-Xander?”

Where is everyone?

I crossed the bakery in tentative steps, making my way to the door of the back kitchen. Turning the doorknob, I caught a glimpse of an orange spark in the middle of darkness.

Fire?

“H-Hello? A-Anyone—“

“Angel?” A familiar voice sounded from the darkness and the shadow over my heart vanished.

“Xander! Xander w-where are you?”

Oh. It’s a candle.

“Here I am Angel, I’m here. Sorry if I scared you, I just wanted this to be a surprise…” I heard the sound of a scraping chair, and then a gentle force on my shoulder settled me down.

Under the candlelight, I could see a plate of pasta set on the table, along with a bowl of soup.

“X-Xander? What’s…What’s this? Weren’t you sick? I was so worried—“

“Ahh…well, about that,” Xander smiled cheekily, “I lied to skip class.”

When he saw the look on my face, he quickly added, “But I didn’t mean it! I just wanted to make sure I got everything right you know? I even begged Rose to teach me how to make Mac’ and Cheese!”

“B-But…where’s everyone?”

Xander smirked. “Well, I persuaded them to relax and take a night off the bakery, so that you and I can have some alone time together.”

I felt a huge rush of heat to the tips of my ears but I prayed that Xander couldn’t see it in the darkness.

“C’mon, let’s eat first okay? I bet you’re starving already,” Xander winked, taking a seat opposite me and digging into his plate of Mac’ and Cheese.

“Th-Thank you so much for the food…” I began, but I was unsure of what to say.

Why would Xander make dinner for me all of a sudden?

A-And…a candle-lit dinner.

It wasn’t like him to be all romantic and stuff, so why…now?

“So…I was thinking about what you said last night—“ Xander began.

Somehow I thought: I knew it.

“To be honest I was quite shocked at what you said.”

Does that mean…

“Because I thought that you know, I can’t possibly stay here forever—living off your family’s money,”

But you said you won’t ever leave me.

“So I’d thought you’d feel that way too. It sucks to be leeching off you guys without really doing  anything—I should be getting a job, or at least some money so that I can pay you guys for rent—“

Who was I kidding? Xander needed that scholarship.

Was this it?

A farewell dinner?

For a split second, Xander stopped talking.

No, don’t stop talking.

Don’t stop talking.

Don’t end.

Please don’t let this end.

And I was so worried.

So afraid.

So scared that he would just get up and go away.

So scared that he would just board that train.

And never look back.

But who was I—

To stop him from pursuing his dreams?

After all, if I really did love him, wouldn’t I let him go?

I wondered if every other human would have done that.

Because sometimes Love makes you hopelessly selfish, and hopelessly selfless at the same time.

“Chip? Angel?” Xander’s hand was on my cheek. “Are you okay?”

His hand was cold.

And I vaguely remembered Rose telling me that cold hands belonged to those who were kind.

I touched mine.

They were warm.

Maybe I wasn’t really that kind after all.

And perhaps that was why I was so selfish to make Xander choose between me and his future.

I got up from my seat, taking baby steps towards the person I fell hopelessly in love with.

At that moment, I felt stupidly courageous, as if I had all the bravery in the world to do the next thing that I did.

I climbed onto Xander’s lap, straddling him.

His face was pure shock and his hands reached up hurriedly to hold my hips. “Angel? Are you okay? What’s wrong—you didn’t touch your food at all…”

“Xander?”

 Love comes with stupidity. So does bravery. And many other good things in life.

“It’s okay if you go for the scholarship you know.”

And perhaps that was why I didn’t seem to stutter at that point of time, and perhaps that would account for the strange courage I had.

It’s so funny how people can do crazy things when they are in love.

“I feel horrible for being the one to hold you back. I’m sorry…I’m really sorry…” My body leaned forward as if on instinct, and for a fraction of a second, my lips met Xander’s cheek.

I realized that Xander’s face was wet.

Or was it mine?

There was something warm and wet gushing down my face, and then all I could think about was the person in front of me, holding me like I was some sort of precious diamond—as if I was even worthy to be in his arms.

I felt giddy.

It felt like it was a dream.

“Hey, this feels like a dream,” Xander whispered in my ear and my eyes widened.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m going crazy you know—how is it possible for someone to think about only one thing for the twenty-four hours a day? You’re here, in my arms, by my side, in my dreams—fuck, you’re everywhere.

And maybe that’s why I feel like I’m going crazy because now that I think of it—I don’t want you not to be on my mind twenty-four-seven.”

I felt something bloom in my chest, and then I couldn’t help but think: Hey, same here.

“There’s this crazy warm and fuzzy feeling I get whenever I’m around you and it feels so good that I’m so scared of losing this feeling. I keep thinking about you and it never stops—there was this one day when I was at the traffic light. I was so lost thinking about you that I missed the light twice. It feels like—“

It feels like—

“I have been in love with you for a thousand years,” Xander breathed, and I thought I was going to die.

“Yeah. That’s it,” His arms came around me to encase, to embrace.

“I’m freaking, crazy, insanely, desperately, hopelessly—

“In love with you,” He whispered.

Me too.

“And I can’t fucking do anything about it.”

I sobbed—sobbed like I never had before.                                                 

I was going crazy.

My chest was so full, so tight—like it was going to explode.

It took me forever to calm down, and I was breathing really heavily—face flushed and eyes watery. Xander held me in his arms, whispering sweet nothings into my ear.

My hiccups broke the silence.

“Shit, I really want to hold you right now.”

I had the honor to blush like a maiden in love.

Maybe I was after all, I laughed to myself.

I didn’t say anything—just held onto Xander really tight like my life depended on it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N: I’m so sorry my Bakers! >_< I know Xander said he wanted to hold Chip b-but we’ll have to wait until next week :’( It’s going to be worth the wait though! ^0^/

Thank you yaoigoddess01 so, so much for helping me once again ^^ although I have to split the chapter into two, your ideas gave me the inspiration I needed  *-* hehe.

-Cuppiecake