Chapter 12: Accidentally Becoming a Girlfriend

According to Google, the Myosotis flower, also called the scorpion grass is most known as the Forget-me-not flower. The flower is small and blue, simple but pretty and delicate, as if one touch was enough to kill it. Ryder could understand why Midnight liked this flower. The problem was the fact that Midnight described this small and delicate flower as doleful. Was it because of its name?

The more Ryder thought about it, the more the furrow between her eyebrows deepened, the frown on her lips looked as if it would never leave.

He said that if he was a flower, he would be the Forget-me-not flower. That he would be a doleful flower. Why?

The expression on her face was grim as it was, but when Ryder read the story behind the Forget-me-not name, her expression darkened more. The story was about a French knight who was walking along a river with his lady. He bent down to pick her a pretty little blue flower, but his heavy armor caused him to lose his balance and he fell into the current. Before sinking forever, he tossed the flower to his lady, shouting "ne mobiles pas" (forget me not)!

Now Ryder usually wasn't the one to dwell to much in thoughts about small things like the meaning of a flower's name or the story behind it. But this was Midnight she was talking about. That young man was like a locked box that no one knew what it had inside. Ryder could peak inside it through the keyhole but she wouldn't be able to make out its contents, just small fragments of it.

Her mind couldn't help but have dark thoughts. Midnight sounded enough in pain as he was. What was she supposed to think when he compared himself to a flower with such story and name? Did he have a girlfriend who abounded him? Or worse… died? Ryder felt even worse when thinking this, not even noticing that in between the blue feelings of sadness for Midnight, there was also a streak of sour and bitter vinegar like feeling. It was faint and so undetectable; she didn't even know it was there.

The next day, Ryder dragged Jasmine to a flower shop to buy the tiny blue flower's seeds. Along with the seeds, she couldn't help but also buy a bouquet with the flowers which was carried all the way home as if they were made of glass.

Jasmine just couldn't understand why Ryder had gotten such an interest in this flower in particular. The way Ryder looked at the flowers was too weird. Her eyes were soft and gentle, but they would flash with sadness every few minutes. Just what the fuck was this this girl into?

That night, when Midnight came to visit her again, after jumping over the fence and sat by her side on the blanket just like last night, Ryder handed him a small cube. The cube was made of resin, clearer than water and it wasn't bigger than a ring box. Right in the middle of the cube that looked as if made by glass, was a tiny fragile blue flower. A single Forget-me-not frozen in time and space.

"I have to wait until it's warm again to plant the seeds of the flower in the garden, but I bought a small bouquet of it. They're very pretty." Ryder was blushing even more than the time she threw the small plush cat in Midnight's hands. She didn't know why, but for some reason in her heart the desire to give Midnight this flower increased the more she thought about it. From the moment she found out what flower the Myosotis was, that flower and Midnight was all she could think about. She really, really, really wanted to gift it to this friend of hers who still was a stranger.

Midnight was just simply speechless, but his heart felt as if being stabbed by joy, like sunshine penetrated his soul, lightening and warming him inside out, sweetly melting him.

On the other hand, Aiden was feeling as if things were getting a bit out of hand. Ryder lately seemed to be lost in her thoughts more than usually. This led to her forgetting he was there almost all the time. It was too distressing and painful to his pride. How could he get ignored like this? He was right here, in front of her, yet Ryder's eyes not only didn't focus on him, but they had a somewhat dazed look while she stared in distance.

What kind of situation was this?

This went on for a whole week, during which this girl also got a bad habit of dropping by the "Wooden Lord" bookstore every day. What's worse, Jasmine would appear out of nowhere whenever Aiden took the chance to be alone with Ryder. And if this wasn't enough, that freak Remy had also started to hang out with the two girls. Aiden just couldn't help but feel frustrated beyond words. He simply had no chance of being alone with Ryder even for a moment. When the hell was, he supposed to make any moves? He had just decided to not hold back, and this happened. Is this a sign from above or what?

Not being able to hold the frustration and anger from the situation he was pushed into unwillingly and unable to bear his friends constant teasing for not being able to get the girl, by the time Friday came, Aiden had made up his mind to kidnap Ryder, everyone else be damned. Humph!

As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of the last period, Aiden ran out of the classroom as if his ass was on fire. Ryder was just getting out of the Literature classroom when a hand snatched her away from Jasmine who was talking about how she could win in a fist fight against Phoebus de Catnapers from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. When suddenly her daughter disappeared, for a second, she thought Phoebus had jumped out of the book to make her pay for her words. Only when she saw Aiden holding Ryder's hand, did Jasmine understand that things weren't as she thought. They were worse.

If this was a normal day, Aiden wouldn't have dared to face Jasmine like this, especially when yesterday she "jokingly" punched him in his arm so hard, the poor limb was numb for the rest of the day. However, Aiden had borne for so long, he was like a balloon finally exploding.

"I have something to say to Ryder." He merely excuses himself before dragging Ryder away from the damned chihuahua before she could stop them. When they were finally alone, entering the empty chemistry lab, Aiden let out a sigh, almost doing a happy dance. It felt like he had finally won first place in a competition he had worked all his life for.

Goddammit, so much struggles just to ask her out. What is this crap?

"Did something happen?” Ryder was worried. The expression on Aiden's face was strange. She didn't know what to make out of this. The guy had been looking irritated the whole week but Ryder couldn't figure out why, so she had thought that maybe he was like this because of private matters, so she thought it would be better to give him some space. After all, Ryder didn't know how to comfort others. Besides, she hated when she wasn't in mood and people kept nagging her or trying to comfort her with words that just felt empty to her. Keeping this in mind, she thought maybe Aiden was the same and she didn't bother him.

If only Aiden knew this… he would die of infuriation and exasperation.

Facing Ryder, Aiden smiled one of those blinding smiles of his and fixed his eyes on her with a gentle look. "I wanted to ask you something."

Even though the sudden smile took her by surprise, Ryder still had a hint of worry on her eyes as she looked at Aiden, convinced that something bad had happened. "What?” In her heart she was panicking. What happened? What if he seeks comfort from me? How am I supposed to comfort him? What should I say to him? I should have googled it first, before letting him drag me away. What if he cries? Oh God, please don't let him cry!

"Go out with me tomorrow."

...

...

…

What?

Excuse me young man, what the fuck did you just say?

Ryder's mind went completely blank.

How the fuck is this related to any of his private matters? Or is he… pooh… is he trying to ask me for help? It must be that. Definitely that. We're friends, right? It's natural for me, his friend, to help him. It must be a problem that needs a girl to solve it or he would have asked those two guys that hang out with him. Okay, okay… I understand. This way I can pay him back for that coffee and ice cream.

Thinking this, her brain going through these thoughts in an astronomical speed, with a solemn look in her face, Ryder nodded.

Aiden was taken aback from the solemn expression on her face. That wasn't the reaction he was expecting. What's up with the solemnity? Whatever, she nodded. That means yes, right? RIGHT?

"Is that a, yes?”

Once again Ryder solemnly nodded, looking at Aiden as if he was someone who had just lost a family member and she was trying to tell him to be strong. Even though it was a weird reaction, Aiden suddenly felt as if he was comforted for all the suffering he had gone through this whole time while failingly trying to chase after Ryder, when it should have been the total opposite, mind you. He almost tensed up and Ryder who noticed this, thought that she was doing a good job at being the supporting friend. Maybe she didn't need to google it after all.

Blinking away the tears that still needed to gather in the corner of his eyes, Aiden had a sudden surge of confidence now that this girl had agreed on being his girlfriend. (A/N: I'm dying, poor Aiden)

“Then can I pick you up at noon tomorrow? Is that okay with you?”

Ryder nodded and patted his shoulder. "MH. I'll be ready by noon."

Aiden felt once again comforted by that pat almost tearing up again. BAH! What the fuck is this situation? Fucking hell, I did suffer a lot to get here. I deserve this pats. I deserve more actually.

And so, Aiden leaned forward to steal his well-deserved smooch, but before his lips could get any closer to Ryder, the girl who thought that Aiden was feeling a bit dizzy because of distress, patted his shoulder again and rushed by his side and wrapped an arm around his waist to help him stand.

Poor guy. God knows what has distressed him so much. Ryder patted Aiden's back. "Let's go."

Aiden was dumbfounded, but quickly pulled himself together. Fair enough, she must be shy. Yeah, that's definitely it, Aiden comforted himself and gladly accepted Ryder's "half-hug". After all Ryder was still a hermit, he knew this much. A dense hermit like her wouldn't go right to kissing so quickly. Aiden understood this and sighed.

Little did he know that the level Ryder had reached in being dense was sky-scraping, going beyond his expectations. If he knew he would have given up by now. It was simply a lost case.

Ryder on the other side, very solemnly walked Aiden to his car, and then walked on the other direction. Aiden didn't know just what the fuck was going on in that head of hers. Did she just shoot him away? For real? What the fuck? "Where are you going?”

Ryder turned around and looked at Aiden lost. He can drive, can't he? He's not expecting for me to drive him home, is he? I don't know how to drive that metal box! "To the "Wooden Lord" bookstore."

Ryder knew very well that after that night when she had tried to trick Midnight into revealing his identity, he wouldn't dare even look at the bookstore's direction, let alone set foot inside it. This was also proved by the worker whose hostility was on another level, blaming Ryder that her crush hadn't shown up ever since she appeared. The poor girl was burning up from the desire to kick Ryder out of the bookstore, but her employer, an old lady who had a bad habit of getting into conversations with everything that breathed, had taken a liking to Ryder because she would listen to her rants and occasionally buy a book or two.

Yet Ryder still hopped that she might be lucky one day, so she didn't want to give up.

Aiden almost swallowed his tongue to prevent himself from swearing at loud upon hearing this. That fucking Boner Boss again. Because of that fucking bookstore Ryder had dodged him countless times.

"Why are you going there again?” Why aren't you staying with me? Your new, fresh out of oven, dazzling, handsome boyfriend? Girl, do you even like me? What is this!

Ryder was unaware of Aiden's thoughts and smiled as she thought of the possibility of running into Midnight today. "To catch a sly fox."

Before Aiden could say anything, Ryder left after muttering a quick 'bye'. He took a few breathes to calm himself down. No need to get exasperated. All he had to do was to wait for his chance tomorrow. There was no need to rush anything. It's not like there was any other guy trying to steal her from him. And Ryder liked him anyway. She already accepted to be his girlfriend; the battle was already won.

However, the newly assigned girlfriend that night, like usually, met with a young man in her backyard, (A/N: who was trying to steal her from Aiden (. ᴗ.)) chatting and laughing as if they had been friends for years.

Michelle's birthday was in two days, and the garden was mostly over. Even though there weren't many flowers planted because of the weather getting colder, the backyard still had turned into a simple garden but nevertheless, nice to the eyes. Ryder had brought out of the attic a stand hammock that had gathered enough dust to cover her whole, to replace the blanket she and Midnight sat on the first two days of that week. The hammock was more comfortable and Midnight seemed to love it.

Midnight showed up at the same time as usually and didn't even hesitate before jumping over the fence with one swift move. Ryder had been waiting for him while sitting on the hammock with her laptop on her lap.

"What are you doing?” He walked to her.

Without looking up at him, Ryder shifted aside making room for Midnight to sit by her side as if this was a natural thing to do. Under the hood, Midnight's eyes sparkled in excitement as he sat by Ryder, trying hard to hide the goofy grin on his face. He knew he couldn't hide the fact that he liked sitting on the hammock, but Midnight also knew that Ryder was unaware of the reason why he liked it. How could she know it was because this way they sat close to each other, shoulders and legs touching?

“Looking for something new to do." Ryder answered. Her soft cognac eyes left the laptop's screen for a brief second, long enough to flash a smile at Midnight before looking down on the screen. "The garden is over, so now I can start a new project."

"What do you plan on doing? Do you want me to help you?” Midnight asked, then slowly, like a sneaky little snake trying to act innocent, he leaned over, his eyes on the laptop's screen, very "attentively" looking at the different pictures and videos Ryder was scrolling through.

"I can't use the backyard anymore for my projects so I plan on doing something small in my room."

The expression on Midnight's face suddenly turned gloomy. Does this mean he wouldn't have the chance to see her working on her projects anymore? He felt like a child losing his favorite toy. "You won't be doing any of your projects out here anymore?” His voice almost sounded like a pout, not even trying to hide his disappointment.

Noticing this, Ryder looked up at his hidden under the hood face in a daze. She had noticed that Midnight still felt a bit uncomfortable whenever he came by, anxious if his hood hid his face well or not, if the lights on the garden betrayed him or not. So, after a couple of days, Ryder had started to unscrew the light bulbs in the garden before Midnight came, leaving only two or three, enough to make out the surroundings, but also enough to let Midnight hide his identity in the shadows. After he left, she would screw the light bulbs again before going back inside.

Ryder closed the laptop and turned to Midnight, her eyes focusing on the pair of lips, the only thing she could see from his face. It's Not like she was complaining. Those were a very fine pair of lips. "If I work out here, I will eventually trash the place again."

"But I like seeing you work." Midnight sighed sadly.

Her cheeks turned red, and Ryder could only be thankful that it was dark enough for Midnight to don't notice it. She wouldn't want to look like a tomato with two eyes only because of such words. Then because she felt embarrassed Ryder pushed Midnight's arm playfully, trying to sound mad.

“Don't talk nonsenses. What is there to like in seeing me stressing over my projects?”

While working on her creations, Ryder would feel stressed beyond words, feeling as if things were almost slipping away from her grip. It was because she always tried to do new things but wasn't skilled enough to do so and every single mistake made her anxious. The process of making her projects was truly stressful yet still pleasant… even Ryder herself knew that there was something wrong with her to enjoy intentionally going through this.

"The expressions you make are cute." Midnight poked her cheek as he chuckled.

The blushing on her face worsened. Who's cute? Your sister is cute. You can't tell someone such things so casually. What if I'm not mentally prepared? Huh?

Midnight noticed that she was getting flustered and laughed some more. He found it fascinating how agitated this girl became every time she received a compliment, as if she couldn't swallow the fact that she had been complimented and started choking on it.

"Can I make something for you?” His voice softened as he asked that, hiding a streak of hesitation and shyness in it.

On the other hand, Ryder looked at him in confusion. "What?”

"You gave me a stuffed cat and the Myosotis… I want to gift you something too."

Upon hearing this, Ryder felt her heart being enveloped by a warm feeling and a gentle smile softened her expression. However, she also felt uneasy. As mentioned before, Ryder hated being spent money on. She had already suffered in Aiden's hands, deeply regretting not saying anything to him about it. Ryder didn't want to make the same mistake again. "I don't like it when people buy me things, even if it's just a gum or something." Her eyes had fallen on Midnight's hands that were fidgeting with his hoodie's zipper.

It had become a habit by now, her eyes would subconsciously fall on his hands, looking for the tiny mole. Then she would always fight the urge to grab that hand and bring it closer so she could look at it better. After that one time she had carelessly grabbed Midnight's hand, she wouldn't dare again, yet Ryder was starting to feel as if she was slowly losing her patience. The urge was itching her so badly it was almost unbearable.

“I'm doing it myself, not buying it." Midnight muttered, feeling a bit disheartened by her response. What he said sparkled Ryder's curiosity.

"What is it?”

Midnight chuckled at this cute curious kitten. "I will give it to you tomorrow."

"Ok."

"No take backs, okay?”

"MH." Ryder smiled and opened the laptop and started scrolling through the page she had opened again. Midnight looked at her with a small smile hanging lazily on his lips for a while. She looked so adsorbed into anything she was doing, be it cleaning a backyard, making a table or just surfing the net. The sight of her being so engrossed into something… he could never get tired of it.

"Ry…”

"Hm?” Ryder tried to play it cool, but her heart skipped a bit and her face flushed when she heard the way he called her.

"Nothing… just felt like calling you."