The next afternoon, Oddey was in the Usagi cafe having her lunch there. She was reading her book to pass the time until a paper rose popped up before her. Surprised, the girl looked up, and Gage was there with that irresistible smile of his. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey." Gage sat down with her. "Thought I'd find you here. What are you doing?"

"Well, I finished all my assignments, so I just want to chill here for a while. What about you?"

"Not much. Gonna have lunch here, too. I just ordered a fish and chips."

The art student beamed. "Cool." Then held the paper rose in her hand. "Thanks for this."

"Yeah, it's just a little... or big apology from yesterday," the guy clarified.

"Yesterday?" Her brow lifted.

"About the ki... I mean Courtney. I just thought she upsets you."

"Oh... That's... not a problem. I'm okay."

"Good," he muttered. "Honestly, I don't know how I felt about yesterday."

"What do you mean?" Oddey asked.

"The kissing scene. I know it's all an act, but it's just so... ugh... weird. I don't know how other people do this."

"Yeah... I don't get it, too."

"Gosh." Gage cringed. "It's so annoying when everyone has to make a big deal about it. Courtney and I are just friends. Kissing Courtney is like kissing my sister."

The girl let out a small chuckle. "Yikes."

"I only did this just to make it up to her. It kinda sucks that I had to delay my internship for the play."

Oddey sympathized with him. "Gage, don't get me wrong, because I really understand where you're coming from, but I don't think you had to do all this just to prove your friendship with her or anyone. Supporting her in the play is more than enough."

The architect student thought about her advice. "That sounds just about right. Thanks, Oddey." Without realizing he held her hand.

"Anytime." Then the girl held his hand. "That's what I admire about you, Gage. You're a talented, smart architect but also very true-hearted. It's the reason why I love you."

Gage was stumped after hearing that last part. "Huh?" However, he was not sure if he heard it right. "What was that?"

Oddey freaked that she had a slip of the tongue she quickly pulled her hand away from his. "...What I... like about you," she stuttered. "What I like about you."

The guy knew that was not what she uttered from her mouth. "Order number six," the barista interrupted.

"I'll just get that." Gage stood up to get his food and drinks from the counter.

While his back was turned, Oddey could feel her heart beating uncontrollably, and she was starting to sweat a bit from almost confessing her true feelings towards her Romeo. "OMG!! What did I do? What did I do?" she mumbled to herself.

It felt like the cafe had the heater up on high, that she had to fan herself with her hands, then take a tissue from the holder to wipe those cold sweats. Also, she hoped that her crush just shook it off.

Not long after, Gage went back to his seat until Felix came in and spotted them. He ordered his drink first and then went to his two friends. "Hey, man," he said to his roommate.

"Hey, are you gonna have lunch here?" Gage asked as he started eating.

"No, I'm just gonna get coffee. Oh, sorry, are you two... on a date or something?"

Oddey exchanged glances and then shifted back to Felix. "No... we're not," she said. "We.."

"Oh, okay. Good." Felix pulled out a chair from another table and sat with them, then faced towards the art student's way. "Because I have something to tell you. Well, Jerry is also going to the silent movie convention."

"Wait. You're going there too?" The architect student questioned his Juliet.

"Yup," Oddey answered, and immediately she assumed that her Romeo would be going as well. "Are you going too?

"Uhm..."Gage became even more gobsmacked because he felt like he got blind-sighted by that.

That was the part that Felix enjoyed witnessing. "No, he's not. He thinks it's lame and dorky."

The girl tried not to look disappointed. "Oh, that's okay. Different people like different stuff."

"Anyway." Felix continued to speak to the Oddey before being disrupted. "Jerry coming with us. I just want to know if you're okay with that. You know, me and Rita, and you and Jerry."

Gage could feel his heart being punched that his best friend arranged another double date with the girl he had very strong feelings with and another guy who was not him.

"Uhm... yeah, awesome," Oddey said, yet she wished it was Gage who went with her.

"Awesome. Thanks, Oddey, you're the best," Felix responded with glee, then the barista called him to let him know that his drink was ready, so he stood up from the chair. "Well, I'm gonna go edit my movie now. See ya, guys. Especially you, Buddy."

When Felix left with his warm coffee and a smug face, Gage looked over to his Juliet while munching on a tuna sandwich. "I didn't know Felix invited you to the silent movie convention," he said to her.

"Yeah, he asked me last Tuesday, I think," Oddey replied.

"Really?" Gage began doing the math from the day she was asked and when he was asked by Felix.

"I know it's a lame and dorky thing to do," She added, just for humor, and let out a light giggle.

"No, it's cool. No judgment."

Oddey just smiled and continued eating. "This is just between you and me, but I think he just wants to go on a date with Rita."

"Yeah... probably," Gage stammered.

----

The art student met with her best friend after their classes in the art studio while she worked on a painting. She told her about what had happened that afternoon in the Usagi cafe. "I almost told Gage that I like him," she squirmed with embarrassment.

"NO WAY!" Rita reacted in disbelief. "Did he hear it?"

"No. I'm not sure. Oh, my God, what if he did?" Oddey felt this overwhelming feeling of shame that she took it out on her artwork by aggressively dabbing her paint on the canvas with her brush.

"Okay, okay, calm down before you poke a hole in your painting. Did he say something?"

"Sort of," Oddey replied in a whiney tone. "He kinda had this clueless expression, so maybe he didn't hear it."

"Yeah... maybe," Her best friend responded and even shrugged her shoulders. "But who knows, maybe he would have felt the same way had you told the truth."

The lovestruck Juliet sighed. "You know I can't. He and I can't be together. Remember?"

"Oh, right. But he gave you a paper rose. If that's not a sign that he is into it, I don't know what is."

"He just did that to apologize."

"Pfft... Courtney should be the one apologizing, not Gage. Geez... So she kissed him during the rehearsal. Big deal. She's delusional if she thinks that Gage is into her. And the fact that he told you that kissing Courtney is like kissing a sister. He wouldn't say it if it's not true, right?"

"Yeah..." Oddey nodded and saw her best friend's point of view.

"I think he's just making reasons to give you a paper rose. My guess is he's practicing to be your boyfriend by doing little things like being around you," Rita teased.

"That's an interesting theory."

"It just sucks that he's not coming with us."

"Yeah, it is," Oddey moaned. "But not everyone likes watching old movies that have no sounds and colors."

"Still. I mean, Jerry is cute and all, if you like him, but it'll be better if it's with Gage," Rita moaned.

"Well, erm... I think Felix doesn't want to repeat what happened last time," Oddey said.

"Probably. So you're okay that you go with Jerry?"

"Yup, I agree on a date, not a marriage."

"Good point."

----

Later in the boy's dorm, Gage was still bothered that Oddey would be going to another double date that his buddy arranged. He sat up on his bed with the laptop on his lap to do an assignment, yet he could not find himself typing anything as he watched Felix picking a shirt for the double date.

"Can't wait to go tomorrow, you know," Felix expressed. "Going to the convention with Rita."

"Yeah," Gage replied in a bitter tone. "With two others."

"Me too, but hey, the more the merrier, right?" Felix, with his back, turned so that Gage could not see that he was smirking.

"I didn't even know that Oddey was into that stuff."

"That's why I invited her."

"With Jerry?" Gage questioned with a brow lifted.

"Yeah, because he likes it too," Felix said while picking what pants to wear with the shirt he chose.

"So that's why you set Oddey up with Jerry?"

"Yeah," Felix shrugged. "They have one thing in common, so they might as well date, right?"

"Why not... invite me?"

"Because you told me you don't like that stuff, and the other time, you said it's lame," the roommate reminded him.

"But you didn't tell me that Oddey will be going," Gage snapped.

"So? What difference does it make if I invite her or not?" Felix quipped while acting coy about Oddey and Gage's feelings towards each other. "It's not like she's your girlfriend or anything."

"Well... I..." The architect student uttered, not sure. However, he got tongue-tied.

"Besides, there's no room for Courtney."

"What are you talking about? Who says anything about bringing Courtney?"

"The last time I asked you to go do something that you're not interested in, it ended up in a disaster," the best friend argued back in a calm tone. "You had to invite Courtney, you splashed soda at Oddey, we didn't get to watch a movie, and worst of all, I almost lost my chance with Rita."

"You're still going on about that?"

"Because you had to bring Courtney..."

"She was not the problem," the architect student defended.

"Oh, come on," Felix scoffed."

"First of all, we splashed soda on Oddey, and it was an accident. Second, I didn't even want to be on that double date. Third, I felt bad for Courtney because we were fighting," Gage retorted. "And lastly, I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

"I'm sorry too, but I'm not gonna make the same mistake twice. No offense, but I want this night to be perfect, and what's your problem? I thought you'd be glad that I don't have to drag you to another double date."

"But..."

"It's not your kinda thing. Trust me, I know you are not going to like to be there anyway."

"Oh?" Gage crossed his arms and gazed at his buddy suspiciously. "I'm just curious. Why did you have to ask me when you know that I'm not into it?"

Felix, with his back turned, became all flustered, which made him freeze for a second. "So I want two of my best friends to be there, I thought it'd be cool, you know. I gave it a shot on asking you guys, but you and Courtney don't want to."

"Hold up. So you already planned that it's a double date when you asked me and Courtney?"

"No," His buddy denied it. "When you guys said no, then I asked Oddey and Rita. After that, I thought to make it a double date, and that was when I asked Jerry to go with Oddey.

Gage could see that there was no point in debating it, even though he was not convinced by that explanation. "Right," he sighed. "I... It just bothers me that you trust Jerry more to go with Oddey... than me. Had I known it was a double date?"

Felix turned around with contentment, though, once he watched Gage a little longer looking all glum that he was starting to feel bad. "Listen, dude. It's not like that. I just like Rita so much that I want this date to go well."

"Yeah... I get it," the poor guy replied and plastered a smile on his face.

"If things don't go well with Oddey and Jerry." The roommate knocked on the closet door so that it did not jinx it. He even let out a heavy yet quiet sigh.  "Then, next time, I'll set you up with her. Even if... we had to bring Courtney along."

Gage's face lit up. "I won't, I can promise you that."

"Okay." His best friend acknowledged that.

"Thanks, man." Gage and Felix fist-bumped each other.