Luckily I wasn't in the same class as L, though that hardly stopped him from bothering me. Though I tried to keep as low a profile as possible, he always seemed to find ways to come see me and talk to me. 

I even tried eating lunch by myself once, outside in one of the gardens - called "The Rose Garden" - behind the school building. I was leaning against a tree, looking at the pink roses all around me, when I felt hot air tickle my ear and a second later someone pecked me on the neck. 

I jumped where I sat, and before I could do more than catch my breath, he was sitting there in front of me, smiling like he held all the secrets in the world in the palm of his hand. 

"If you want to play hide and seek, you've got to find a better hiding spot than this," he said nonchalantly.

"I can see that," I grumbled. 

"Oh, don't make such a sour face. It doesn't suit you at all."

"I don't care what suits me; I just want you to go away." I tried to put as much force behind my words as possible.

L clearly didn't understand what I had said, for instead of moving away, he came closer, so that our noses were almost touching. He smelled of green grass and spring rain, something which surprised me. 

I wanted to lean away from him, but my back was already against the trunk of the tree, so I had nowhere to go. "Please don't."

"Please don't what?" he asked, barely whispering.

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't. You'll have to explain what you mean, Yeollie dearest."

"Don't be like this."

"Be like what?" He was so close now that I could feel his breath on my face. 

"So close." I felt like I had to push the words out of my mouth.

"What's bad with close?"

"It makes my chest constrict."

He looked at me then with a puzzled sort of expression. "Your chest constricts?"

"Yes! I can't talk straight, much less think straight, and you're so close now that I can feel your breath on my face."

L leaned back, gazing at me all the while, and said nothing. Instead he reached out his hand to one of the rose bushes next to me and slowly picked a rose. Then he gently brought the rose up to my face, presenting it to me. He still didn't talk, but stared at me with a fixed gaze. 

It took me a minute to find my voice. "Are... you trying to give me a flower?"

"Obviously."

"...why?"

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do when you like someone?"

I couldn't help but blush, because the whole thing was just stupid and silly and utterly ridiculous. So I stood up, quickly and without warning, and looked down at L who was still sitting on the ground, looking a bit taken aback.

"You can play those games of yours with someone else because I'm not going to be fooled by you."

And with that I strode away from him, with something that felt like a rock in my stomach. 

Author's note: For some reason my chapters seem to dislike being long... either that or I'm just too lazy. Sorry that it's kind of short, but at least the update was quick, right? Hope you like it, and thank you SO much to those of you who've subscribed! <3