Title: A Table at the Corner

Summary: A library. Two people. One story.

Disclaimer: No. Never.

A/N: This is a true story. Well, kinda... I just changed some details, on their conversation... and so on. This was how the two characters in real life met, and how they ended up together. That couldn't be shallow, no? Still unedited.

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. –Cicero

He never wanted to stay inside the library for hours, but there he was, sitting on a chair, with a pile of books in front of him.

Natsume Hyuuga cursed as he scanned through the page of the book he was holding.

"Damn, Narumi," he whispered as he harshly threw the book to his side. He wouldn't care less if the old librarian would scold him after. He just wanted this project of them to be done with as soon as possible. He then got up and got all the books on the table to put them back to their shelves.

The raven-head returned each and every book to its proper place, securing them as he went to search for another book. He then stopped on his tracks as he saw a girl of his age, sitting at a deserted isle with a book on her lap. A pair of earphones was inserted on both of her ears, as she softly hummed to the music she was listening to.

Natsume saw her tilt her head towards to look at him, her hazel eyes lingered on his face for a short while. He felt his heart being squeezed for an unknown reason, as the girl put her attention back to the book that she was reading.

Shaking his head, Natsume walked towards the shelf he originally planned to go to before seeing her, her eyes and face etched into his memory.

He hated the library before he saw her sitting on one corner, because the silence seemed to suffocate him every time he was there. The silence… it made him remember the things he might as well forget, the circumstances in his life that might as well be erased from his memory. But then, Natsume saw her there and everything seemed to fall on their proper places.

The silence he once considered as a menace seemed to calm him, giving him some peace of mind he hadn't had in years.

Since the first time he went inside the library for that project, he went there occasionally, hoping to see the girl with the bright hazel eyes.

He came back to that place twice after the first time of seeing her, and even a lot of times after that.

He never saw her again.

He didn't go back to the library after a few times of trying to find her, of trying to see her so that he could go talk to her. Because he was thinking, and at the same time hoping, that the girl would be there, too, even though he knew that there was only a little chance for that to happen. But then, here he was again, silently cursing their teacher because he gave them another project.

Unconsciously, he walked to the direction where she saw her last time.

Natsume stopped on his tracks when he heard someone humming to a song… the voice was sweet and gentle and kind.

He couldn't help but smirk when he saw her there, leaning on the library's wall. She looked content and happy as she held a book on her hands with her earphones on her ears.

The next thing he knew, he was walking towards her.

Mikan stopped humming as she felt someone approached her. She then looked at his handsome face, as he stared down at her. She plucked her earphones from her ears as she stared at his face.

"Yes?" she asked him, her voice was soft and uncertain.

She saw him shake his head before sitting down beside her.

Mikan then looked at him incredulously.

"There are a lot of vacant tables around here, you know. You could sit on one if you like."

"No, thanks," he answered quickly as he looked at her, as if he was trying to memorize her face.

She blushed faintly before putting her attention back to the book that she was reading.

"The Works of Hotaru Imai? You read that book?"

She giggled and nodded before answering him. "Yes because apparently, the great Hotaru Imai is my best friend."

The brunette heard him sneer as he put both his hands over his head.

"What? You don't believe me? Fine then," she said, annoyance was evident on her voice. She tried to stand up but then, his hand got hold of her wrist just before she could walk away, preventing her to move.

"Err, uh, sorry. I was just asking."

She rolled her eyes at him, as she tugged on her wrist. Once she got free from his grasp, she walked and looked back at the bewildered Natsume who stayed on his place, still sitting on the spot she was just occupying a while ago.

Mikan hugged the book she was reading close to her chest as she titled her head.

"Let's go seat on that table, Hyuuga-kun," she said as pointed at the table at one corner. It was almost hidden from everyone who was inside the library.

She saw him raise his eyebrows on her and she almost laughed.

Who wouldn't know who he was anyway? All the teachers, his fangirls (he was hawt and gorgeous according to them), his friends loved him. Even his classmates respected him.

But then he stood up, dusted his pants and walked with her to that table and sat with her.

That became a routine. Every day they would meet there.

Mikan would read a book with her earphones on her ears, and Natsume would just close his eyes and pretend to sleep. That was, if he's not busy reading a manga while looking at her.

The raven-head would smile and talk a lot when he was with her, teasing her about the littlest thing he could just to hear her talk. He remembered one time when she told him, 'I want to be a dog someday.' He almost laughed out loud that time, if he hadn't only seen the seriousness on her voice.

He just smirked and answered, "I'd rather be a cat, baka. A black one."

She whined at that time, about how black cats could bring bad luck to everyone they meet on their way.

He just shrugged his shoulders and secretly thought… maybe, he wanted to be a dog someday, too.

They were seated on that table once again.

"Natsume," she called him. She was calling him with his given name comfortably. Not that he minded anyway. "Do you know why I'm always in the library every after classes or during break times?"

Natsume looked at her, as she continued to talk while reading another book. This time, it was a fairy tale where the princess would wait for a hundred of years before a prince could finally kiss her and save her from the witch's spell.

He shook his head as he looked at her, waiting for her answer. A lot was happening to him now… his father demanding him to do things. And then, his little sister.

"Well, I was afraid of you."

He raised his eyebrow at Mikan's answer. Why would she be afraid of him? "Me?"

"Yeah, you," she said, before closing her book. She was slightly blushing as she looked at her.

"I was afraid that you will catch me always looking at you."

Natsume heard her sigh, as she opened her book and closing it once again.

"Why?" he asked. She giggled as she set the book on the table.

"Well, because I like you."

He looked at her like she grew another head. "Really?" he asked afterwards.

Mikan nodded her head and opened the book again, now pretending to concentrate on reading well in fact, she was waiting for his answer.

Natsume's mind couldn't process what she just said. She liked him? She really did?

"I-" he started. The brunette suddenly turned her head to look at his direction. He secretly smirked. "I have to transfer to another school."

He wished he didn't tell her. He really wished he didn't, as he saw her eyes shine with tears welling up on the corners of her orbs.

He could tell her he liked her too, but there's something in him that was stopping him from doing so. Whatever it was, he didn't know, too.

He was surprised when she playfully punched his arm. Natsume then looked at her smiling face, tears were freely falling from both her eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"You jerk," she answered as she gently wiped the tears on her cheeks. "I just told you I liked you then…"

She sighed before shaking her head. "I'll still wait here. At this table."

He smiled at her sincerely, nodding his head to her and silently making a promise to her and to himself.

I will come back. When that time comes, I'll tell you I like you, too.

The next day, he transferred to a new school, just like what his father wants him to do.

He couldn't even say goodbye to her.

Two years had come and went like nothing happened. A raven-head in his senior year stepped into the library.

He remembered the last time he was here, in every step he took.

Mikan cried after her confession to him. No, he didn't reject her, but he didn't answer her either. It was kinda confusing if you ask the author of this fanfiction. But anyway…

He was back. He walked the familiar path to the table where they usually met back then.

She was still there, seated on the chair. She was facing the other direction, that's why she couldn't see him.

His smile widened as she neared them but it turned into a frown when he saw a blonde beside her. They were seated awfully close to each other, their faces almost touching.

Natsume felt his blood boil at the sight.

Glancing one more time at the two figures, he left the library without a word.

But he didn't know what the two figures were doing on that table, why they were seated so close to each other. It was because…

"Iinchou! I really can't understand this part. Help me! I have to pass Jinjin's quiz tomorrow!" the brunette whined.

Yuu, the blonde, with pity written all over his face, got a pen and a blank paper and moved a little bit closer to her.

"Mikan-chan, you just have to…"

And their tutoring sessions ended half an hour later.

The brunette sighed as she waved goodbye to the class president. He was kind enough to teach her for their upcoming quiz in math tomorrow.

She then rested her chin on her palm, as she opened another book to read. She looked at the direction where Natsume always walked back then, to that table where she was currently seated.

Yes.

She was still waiting for him to come back.

Days passed. He then decided to go back to that library again. His feet brought him to the table at the corner of the library, but she wasn't there.

Deciding that it was better if he would just leave, he took another glance of that table. But then…

"Natsume," a voice called her. He turned around, only to find her there, leaning against a sturdy shelf, hugging a book against her chest as she smiled at him. "Welcome back."

Mikan rushed over to him and hugged him so suddenly.

He was taken aback. Wasn't she with a guy just a few days ago? He couldn't understand what was happening now.

"I missed you, Natsume."

Another smile.

She released him then looked straight to his eyes.

"Talk," she said, pouting. "I didn't wait for you for two years just so you could look at me like you want to kill me now, you know."

"You waited for me?"

She laughed. "Of course. I promised you, right? So, what's your answer now? I said I like you before, didn't i? I think I need to know now if I'm rejected or not. Two years is such a long time, Natsume."

He suddenly hugged her and whispered, "That's all I wanted to hear. I missed you, too, Mikan. I'm glad you waited for me."

They sat on the table once again, this time beside each other, with both of their hands linked under the table.

End. :)

A/N: I was in the hospital when I made this. Lolll. The things boredom could do. XD

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