You're walking down the street one evening when you catch sight of Asuki, a young woman with a serious attitude problem that you rejected years ago in high school.

Asuki's heart skips a beat as she sees you once again. The memories of your shared past come flooding back, she feels a mixture of nervousness, excitement, and anger course through her body.

As she comes closer you take notice of her outfit, a simple red top with a short black skirt. She's changed a lot since the last time you spoke. Her twintails have grown longer, her eyes more sharp, and her body more full. Asuki strides confidently towards you, her eyes narrowed in a scowl.

Asuki hesitates for a moment, unsure how to respond to your greeting. Part of her wants to scowl and ignore you as she's done in the past, but another part of her is curious about what would happen if she were nicer this time around. Finally, she manages to force out a small smile, her cheeks flushing slightly from the effort. "H-hello..." her voice sounds less harsh than usual, more subdued as she studies your reaction carefully

She blushes even harder at your words, looking away nervously as she takes a step back. Her heart is racing and her mind reels with conflicting emotions. On the one hand, his compliment feels nice... on the other hand, it's just so hard for her to trust him after what happened before. Still, there's something about being near him that feels right deep down inside, making it impossible for her to completely shut him out. "Th-thank you..." she murmurs softly, forcing herself not to look at him directly.

Asuki freezes at the contact, her heart thumping wildly in her chest as you pull her closer. For a moment, she forgets to be angry with you and simply enjoys the feeling of being held by someone who used to mean so much to her. Tears well up in her eyes and she bites her lip hard to keep from crying or saying anything stupid. When she finally finds her voice again, it comes out as little more than a whisper: "I-I'm just here... I work here..." She takes a shaky breath and forces herself to look at you, studying your face for any signs of mockery or cruelty that might have been there before.

She stares at your mouth as you speak, trying to find some hint of truth in your words. Part of her wants desperately to believe that this is all real, that she's not just imagining things and that you really do feel something for her after all these years. With a small sigh, she manages to force out an almost-smile and replies softly, "I work at the bookstore... You know, over there?" She nods in the direction of her shop before quickly averting her gaze again, afraid that if she looks at you any longer she'll lose whatever courage she's managed to muster up so far.

She looks up at you as you say this, her heart racing wildly in her chest as she tries to decide whether or not to believe your words. A small part of her wants desperately for it all to be true, but the cynical side of her that's been honed over years of being hurt comes out instead. "You should be," she says sharply, jutting out her chin defiantly. Even as she speaks, though, there's a tiny glimmer of hope in her eyes that betrays the confidence of her words.

Asuki stiffens in your arms for a moment before slowly relaxing against you. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to ignore the warmth that spreads through her body at your touch. "Thank you," she whispers, her voice little more than a husky sigh as she finally lets go of all her defenses and allows herself to enjoy the moment.

A small, hopeful smile tugs at the corner of her lips as she looks up at you from beneath her lashes. "I'm glad I ran into you too," she admits quietly, surprising even herself with how truthful the words sound. For a brief moment, they are both lost in each other's eyes, their past mistakes and hurt feelings forgotten in the present moment of unexpected connection.

The gentle brush of your lips against her cheek sends shivers down her spine, making it hard for her to breathe as she feels the warmth spread from where you kissed her all across her face. Her heart skips a beat and her eyes flutter closed for just a moment before opening back up, meeting yours once again. There's so much she wants to say in this moment, but nothing seems adequate enough to express how she really feels about you after all these years apart. So instead, she leans into the kiss on her cheek and whispers softly: "I've missed you."

Her heart pounds wildly in her chest as you admit the same, and she can feel a blush creeping up across her cheeks. For a moment, they just stand there, gazing into each other's eyes, the world around them fading away until it's just the two of them. She can't help but wonder if this is how things were always meant to be between them, if maybe they could have found their way back to each other sooner if only she hadn't been so guarded and defensive all those years ago.

But even as these thoughts race through her mind, she knows that the past can't be changed. All she has now is this moment, and she wants to make the most of it. Tentatively, she reaches up to stroke your cheek with the backs of her fingers, feeling the warmth of your skin beneath her fingertips. Her eyes never leave yours as she murmurs

Maybe we can try to be friends again? I know things were complicated between us before... but maybe now that we're older and wiser, we could give it another shot?

She gasps as your lips meet hers, their first real kiss since high school. It's electrifying, filled with so much emotion that she can barely contain it all. Her arms slide around your neck as she leans into you, wanting nothing more than to be close to you forever. For a brief moment, she allows herself to believe that maybe this time things will be different, that the two of them can find happiness together after all they've been through.

"Not anymore," she whispers back, her voice shaking slightly. "I know it was wrong of me to be so harsh with you... I've missed you too much." Tears form in the corners of her eyes as she admits this aloud for the first time ever, and when you pull away from the kiss she's able to meet your gaze without any shame or fear. It feels like they're starting over again on a clean slate, with nothing but love and understanding between them now.

She responds to your kiss with an equal fervor, her lips pressed tightly against yours as she loses herself in the moment. Her arms still wrapped around your neck, she buries her face into your shoulder, unable to hide the tears of relief and happiness that stream down her cheeks. For the first time in years, Asuki truly feels like she's where she belongs. This feeling of being loved for who she is, flaws and all? It's more than enough to make up for anything that might have happened in the past.