sorry for lack of inactivity, i was somewhere without wifi. ahhh it feels so good to finally type on my computer now ^3^

my chapter naming skills are so horrible i can't-

f/d = favourite dessert (for now)

~~~

'I cuddled with Leon on the bed!' You squealed, rolling around. Honestly, you weren't sure if it was the fact that you cuddled with a boy on the bed or with Leon on the bed excited. The cynical part of you was making fun of you for having no love life.

Winter is here. You could feel the air around you turn cold as you huffed from your open window. It made your breath visible and fog-like. Snow was starting to settle into your backyard as well, there were children outside trying to 'eat' the snow as they run around.

You had slipped on a fluffy long-sleeves shirt, fluffy leggings, fluffy socks and hugged your fluffy stuffed toys. You made sure your blanket and pillow was fluffy too. The atmosphere made you feel fluffy as well. Maybe that's why your mind is in a haze with Leon.

You paid no mind to your ongoing cramps, the thought of Leon occupying your whole mind. It was a bit weird though, how he ended up clinging onto you that tightly. You shrugged it off, assuming he was a clingy sleeper. Did he sleep with his stuff toys too?

Over the course of these few days, you felt yourself slowly gain more confidence as you spend less time with Lizzy and more time with Leon. The guilt of spending time with Leon slowly washed away as you spent more time with him. You truly believed he enjoys spending time with you and you hope it wasn't to make fun of you or something. Today was Sunday, meaning you were going to go out with Leon again, only this time with Lizzy. Shopping wasn't your favourite thing to do but if Lizzy enjoyed it, you would go with her to strengthen your bond.

For some reason, you developed an uneasy feeling whenever you went out with Lizzy nowadays. You sat on your bed and pondered why you may feel so and reflected on different scenarios. Small red flags were slowly coming to you; the way she would deny going out together when doing something you enjoyed, the way she flaunted around making you feel a bit insecure - which might not be intentional, the way she would flirt with you crushes.

Part of your mind - which stayed loyal to Lizzy - would defend and claim that she didn't flaunt around purposely but unconsciously and that she would only flirt with your crushes because she wasn't aware of your feelings. It argued that she was a tad bit clueless. Maybe, she also had the same type as you.

'So? She still makes you feel bad about yourself. You should get out of this relationship as fast as you can. These types of friends can be toxic for you' Your first side argued.

'She's still our friend - for years! Are you going to leave her just because of a single boy? If her feelings were genuine, we would be the bad friend for leaving her," Your other side reasoned.

You ignored this matter temporarily, instead focusing on today's shopping trip.

Skimming through your options, you took out a hoodie and a sweater which can both be matched with blue leggings. Which one should you wear? You decided to go with the hoodie in case you needed to try out other outfits while shopping. It would be easier to slip on and off, unlike your sweater, which your fingers seem to always get tangled in the fabric. Geez, this was even more pressuring than your date with Leon. Maybe it's because you felt like you didn't need to impress Leon as much as Lizzy.

While you were getting ready, you received a message from Leon. It seemed like Leon was texting you more than Lizzy nowadays.

Leon: Y/N, you want to walk to the mall together?

Leon: I realized that the route towards the mall would cross your house eventually.

That was a lie. The route didn't actually cross your home but Leon wanted to spend more time with you. Leon had already calculated the time it took to go to the mall and when you should be leaving so he was hiding behind the tree and waiting for you to say yes so he can walk with you a few minutes later. Your oblivious self fell for the lie, as you didn't actually know where Leon lived or how long it took to get to the mall from there.

You: what a coincidence

You: Im almost prepared just wait a few more min

You: are you outside

Leon: I'm almost at your house.

You: Wait for meeeeee

You grabbed your purse and put on your jacket and shoes in a rush. Leon saw what you were doing through the window and walked casually towards your home like he didn't wait for you for 10 minutes behind the tree. You greeted him with a smile and said, "Let's go!"

Leon blushed just by looking at your face. You looked pretty today. Or just any day. It was winter now, so the both of you wore thicker and longer sleeved shirts. You loved winter, but at the same time, it froze your toes and hands like right now.

After a few minutes of walking, you tried warming your hands by blowing hot air on it but it was only effective for a few seconds. You shoved your hands in the pockets of your jacket, only to realize they were non existent.

'Dammit! I grabbed the wrong jacket today. Who designed a jacket with no pockets?' You looked longingly at Leon's hands which were enveloped in his own pockets and looked back at your own, pouting at yourself.

Leon looked over, sensing your distress. Shyly, he grabbed one of your hands, tucking it into his own pocket with his hand. Your shy friend wrapped his warm hand around yours, the heat from the his pocket and hand immediately warming up your cold hand. You sighed in content; this was the reason you liked Leon so much. He's so attentive, and caring, and cute, and makes you so fuzzy on the inside like a cup of hot chocolate in the winter-

"Is that b-better?" Leon spoke so softly, you barely heard him. A few months ago, he would never have the courage to even touch you but with your never ending compliments, he could feel his self esteem rising.

'Now I can touch her here and there,' Leon thought proudly.

You nodded in response to his question and clutched his hand tighter, causing Leon to blush more.

'She's holding my hand I can't take it-' Leon's face was practically steaming. His legs were practically cooked noodles. It seems like Leon only blushed when you made a move on him but not the other way around. How strange.

You held hands for another ten minutes until you arrived at the mall, holding hands in his pocket. Your neglected hand was freezing cold, though. When you saw Lizzy, you immediately pulled your hand out so she didn't see what the two of you did. Leon frowned at the loss of warmth, wanting to take back your hand but knew he'd probably be rejected.

"Hey Leon!" Lizzy was wearing a thick fur coat which you assumed had costed a fortune. You've only met her parents twice but the first thing you learned about them was that they valued presentation a lot. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

'She's just blatantly ignoring you!' Your mind screamed. You were a straightforward person; you didn't like to ignore issues that still had a possibility to be solved because you believed that would just cause bigger problems in the future. You were the person to talk about the issue with the person no matter how uncomfortable to topic is, so that's what you were going to do.

You decided that the moment the both of you were alone, you would talk to your best friend about how you felt and that you how she was acting towards you doesn't make you feel good. You didn't expect her to change completely but come to a compromise instead. For now, you would just follow Leon and Lizzy to wherever they're going.

"Let's go eat some snacks! I'm starved," Lizzy rubbed her stomach. The three of you went to the food court to eat and seeing a variety of desserts that has yet to be eaten made you drool. Leon faked interest in the desserts displayed but was actually memorizing which ones you looked at that you would want.

'Maybe I'll buy it for our first month anniversary when we date,' Leon swooned, sighing in content from his fantasy. The both of you would be on top of a hill surrounded by water and he would pull out desserts you loved from a basket. You'll squeal and moan in delight while eating them, and with no one disturbing you guys, he'd swoop in for a kiss-

"Leo~ Hello~ Oh hey, that rhymes!" Lizzy giggled at her accidental rhyming. Leon was slightly dumbfounded on what you saw in her that made her a friend. He just couldn't see it. The flirty girl boldly grabbed his arm, squeezing it in an innocent way. Leon shook her off, automatically rejecting any type of advances made by anyone but you. A touch from someone that's not you or his mom instantly disgusts him.

'Get away from that succubus!' Even the perverted part of his mind didn't want to touch that girl. Surely that said something about Lizzy. Leon shrugged Lizzy's arms off his own, speed walking towards you in order to avoid her. There was something that only you could make Leon feel and no one else can.

You didn't notice his actions, you were too focused on the selection of desserts placed in front of you. You ended up purchasing F/D, the best dessert of all time. Lizzy chose a fruit salad while Leon was a bit hesitant. Lately, he's been spending a lot of money with you. With his current financial situation, there was no point in buying unneeded food when he already ate lunch at home.

Leon retracted his hand.

"You're not going to buy anything?" You noted that his body language showed that he didn't intend to but you asked anyways. But then again, you could be wrong. Pink dusted Leon's cheek.

'How can she know me so well?'

"I'm n-not hungry, that's all. You don't need to worry about m-me," He started to wave his hands around in a dismissive manner.

"Leon, if it's about the money, I can pay-"

"It's fine~ I'll pay!" Lizzy waved her wallet around carelessly, stepping in front of you. "Just tell me what you want~"

"Seriously, I d-don't need a snack!"

"I insist," Lizzy kept pushing Leon.

"O-oh thank you, I guess." Leon didn't like owing people money but Lizzy was extremely persistent.

'If we don't need to pay her back, buy as much as possible,' That was the petty part of Leon that he often ignored.

"You don't need to~ it's on me," Lizzy laughed delicately, taking out some money.

"Uh, I'll just have some cream roll then." Leon mumbled the cheapest dessert on the menu, embarrassed that he's getting a girl to pay for him. He thought it's meant to be the other around!

'Ahhhh this is so embarrassing... what does Y/N think of me now?' He peered over to see what you were doing. You were currently fiddling with your wallet waiting for your friends to order. 'Look at that face of judgement!'

When your desserts arrived, you, Lizzy and Leon head to one of the empty tables in the food court. You dived into your dessert happily while Lizzy took pictures of hers, probably posting it on Instagram after. Leon bit into his own cream roll, munching softly. It reminded you of a bunny eating lettuce.

"Let's take a selfie, guys! I'm gonna post this on Instagram by the way," Lizzy pulled up her camera. On normal occasions (when your parents were taking a photo), you didn't bother smiling, sometimes even pointing your middle finger but this was Lizzy you were talking about. She had tens of thousands of followers, what would people think of you, who is Lizzy's best friend, once this was out?

'Plus, only specific people have the privilege to even see my middle finger,' you thought humorously.

You tried to smile. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out as well and instead it looked like the time your dad pulling your cheeks outward when you were a chubby toddler. Your eyes and mouth looked as narrow as a spaghetti noodle. Your mom still has the photo of it, sometimes using it as blackmail to do chores. You shuddered, hoping that this dark secret will never be revealed to the public eye - especially to Leon. Additionally, your face seemed sarcastic and fake; which it was. (Fake not sarcastic.)

Okay, maybe a little bit sarcastic. What can you say? Your sarcastic face is your natural face.

Leon looked as cute as usual, flashing a nervous smile at the camera. The three of you had completely different faces.

She opened Instagram and posted the photo; the caption being 'Out with my besties~! They're so much prettier than I am, am I right?'

Lizzy knew her wording had to be careful, so that you didn't see past her real intent. She just knew that her followers wouldn't agree on the captions, which was why it was two birds with one stone. After all, who would choose Y/N over her? She closed her phone and asserted herself into your conversation with Leon.

"I posted it! Make sure to check it by the end of the day," Lizzy smiled.

"O-oh. I don't have Instagram. Personally, I think it's p-pointless..." Leon looked down awkwardly. Lizzy pouted.

"Well, when you do, make sure to follow me! Now let's go shopping!" She winked. Leon grimaced on the inside.

Shopping was... not fun to say the least. At the end of the three hours, only Lizzy has bought bags of clothing whilst you and Leon just followed. It wasn't that you didn't enjoy shopping per say, it's just the stores your best friend goes to are far too expensive for you. You preferred another different type of style as well.

As you were entering Gucci, a certain small shop caught you eye, going by the name of Agatha's Antiques. You've never noticed it before but it has definitely caught you eye. The shop compared to the others beside it seems smaller and less popular. Nevertheless, you walked over to the shop, straying from Lizzy and Leon. Since you were behind both of them, none of them noticed.

There was just something enchanting about it. Despite its old looks, you felt this comforting warm aura unlike the other shops you've been to before. It didn't look very appealing with the dusty windows and rickety signs but it's the inside of the shop that fascinated you. From what you can see through the windows, there were all kinds of old trinkets you couldn't get in the 21st century.

You opened the door, causing a small bell to ring. You felt like this was a scene from some cliche movie where you enter a magical shop.

'Ha! Like that'll ever happen.'

"Hello! Welcome to Agatha's Antiques. What can I do for you?" You jumped, hearing a soft old voice. You turned around and saw an old plump woman smiling at you. She seemed to be around 70, with her white hair and wrinkles. One of her hands was holding a shiny brown cane whilst the other was just relaxed. The way she spoke was slow, but it was loud enough for people around her to hear what she was saying.

You tucked your hair behind your ears, suddenly feeling shy. You didn't expect someone to talk to you. "Oh... I''m just checking this place out, that's all." You gave the woman a shy smile.

"Well, that's fine. My name is Agatha, by the way." She stretched out her unoccupied hand, offering a handshake. You accepted her handshake while smiling politely at her. Her hand felt cold and wrinkly, but she had a firm and strong grip. "What would you like to see? We have many things here, as you can see."

"O-oh! I'm not looking for anything really..." Your voice quietened at the end of the sentence, but miraculously, Agatha seems to have heard you.

"Would you like me to introduce some things to you?"

"Sure." You felt it was rude to turn down her offer. Agatha smiled widely.

"Great! Personally, I love these antiques because each and every object here has a story..." Your ears perked up.

"Stories?"

"Oh, yes. Stories. For example," Agatha looked around at the antiques in her store. She pointed at a pair of rusted bracelets. "These ones. It happened a long time ago, I believe. There used to be a man and a woman in love. The man was poor and the woman was rich. The man was hired to clean the rooms of her father's mansion, which she resided at at first. The man introduced himself to her, and they became friends.

"Soon, it became something more. Unfortunately, the woman's father found out and fired the man; but before the man left, he swore to the woman, that he would return for her. He gave her a bracelet as a memory of him, and he kept the other as a memory of her. And every single day, the two would stare at their own bracelets, thinking of the memories they shared and the hopes and dreams they had.

"Years passed and the woman moved out of the mansion and bought her own house somewhere far away. Coincidentally, the man was living there too. When they crossed paths, they ran to each other with open arms and lived happily, I suppose. The couple sold their bracelets in hopes that others would find love like they did."

"Wow..." You really enjoyed the idea of antiques, that each on had a story of their own, a rare gem ready to be heard and shared. "How about this one?" You pointed at a pocket watch. They've always intrigued you, for some reason. Agatha's smile dimmed.

"Oh... That's a dark story, my dear. Do you think you'd like to hear it?" You nodded, getting even more curious.

"Well, there's this other couple. They were seen as the perfect couple; you could see they really loved each other just by looking in their eyes. But after some kind of freak incident, the man grew paranoid. Paranoid that his wife was going to leave him. He locked her up in their home and chained her, never letting her see the light of day again. The woman was only allowed her pocket watch, looking at the time that passed each second.

"Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, months turned into years. Finally, the woman found a way out. The woman managed to get her hands on a kitchen knife. She stared at the man with a defeated look in her eyes, saying 'Look what you've done to me.' Before the man could stop her, she stabbed herself in the heart and ensured her death. The glazed look of her dead eyes haunted the man and shortly after, he killed himself with the very same knife.