If Aria thought she was dense then Adrian was something else. It took her fifteen minutes with extensive explanations that she did indeed like him, and that she was more than willing to be ‘just friends’ if it didn’t work out. That reassurance must’ve triggered something within him because the next thing she knew they were all giggly and blushy about what their first date might be like.
Speaking of dates . . .
“Why aren’t you leaving?” Mira huffed out in annoyance.
“Rude.”
She scoffed, “You guys have a date and you aren’t even ready. Showing up late is hella rude.”
“I have time.”
“Ugh, just go early or something.”
“You can’t get rid of me that easily.” Aria pretended to be haughty. “That’s almost insulting.”
“Who are you? Carmen?” She sassed back.
“Oh yeah, totally.” Aria rolled her eyes. “Anyway, get your ass back in bed. You have a ton of homework to do.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.”
“Well, I mean, you could stay back a year.” She shrugged.
“Gross, I didn’t come this far to not graduate,” Mira complained. “I still have a scholarship to keep.”
“Well, then you better get back on your bed and to your laptop.”
Mira pouted like a child.
Although this was a drastic lifestyle change, Aria wouldn’t hesitate to tie the girl down with restraints if she didn’t listen.
For two weeks, Mira was bedbound and couldn’t move, the added injury from the car crash made it even more difficult for her to move. She might’ve been discharged from the hospital, but her physical therapist had yet to give her the ‘okay’ to try walking on her own.
The entire month of January was an interesting one. The whole winter holiday was spent trying to recuperate and attend therapy sessions, which in itself, was an experience as she had to learn to open up to a stranger. However, in the longrun it really did help, but if she were honest, the beginning of the new year was still a struggle for the three of them.
Although school wasn’t a new environment, it sure felt foreign. It used to be such a boring part of her life, but now it gave off a sense of normalcy that didn’t feel quite right.
Still, no matter how much she would complain about it all, things were slowly but surely returning back to ‘normal’.
“Hey, I gotta go.”
“Finally.”
“You don’t have to say it like that.” Aria crossed her arms. “Why do I even visit?”
“Because you love me.”
“True that.” Aria collected her things. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“And don’t get pregnant.” Mira stuck her tongue out.
“Oh yeah, for sure. Don’t forget that you have that twenty-page essay due tomorrow.”
“Ugh.”
***
Aria thought that maybe she was starting to get a little too fussy about things these days, because for the last thirty minutes, she had been changing outfits like crazy. Aria had been trying to figure out what combination would look cute without it appearing like she was trying too hard, even though it was painfully obvious that she was in fact, trying a little too hard.
Some days she just wanted to just wear whatever because Adrian had already seen her in casual wear. After all, it wasn’t like she needed to impress him or anything. Then again, he was her prospective boyfriend, and she did like it when he complimented her outfits.
After realizing that she only had ten minutes left before he showed up, she settled on something casual.
When the bell rang, she rushed towards the door to meet her soon-to-and-hopefully-be boyfriend. Like usual, he held a smile on his face which made his eyes as gorgeous as ever.
“Hey,” Aria greeted.
“Hey, are you ready?”
“Yeah, where are we going again?” Aria snagged her jacket off the rack and walked outside.
“I was thinking about this new café that just opened. I hear they have milk tea or something like that.”
“Boba?” Aria got excited. “Like boba milk tea?”
“I dunno. I just know that they have milk tea. You locked your door, right?”
“Yeah . . .” Aria turned around quickly to check. “Yes, yes I did.”
He snickered at her.
As Adrian drove to the new café, Aria sang along with the radio. Her voice was a far cry from being the next pop idol, but that didn’t stop her from singing.
Once they were inside the small café, Aria almost immediately admired the vibe of the place. The style was distinctly Taiwanese mixed with a splash of uber cuteness. Even the color scheme of the café was so aesthetic that Aria wished she had chosen a cuter outfit.
“This is the tea that you like, right?” he asked as he pointed at a picture of the tea on the menu.
“Yeah.” Aria smiled. “I can’t believe there’s one here.”
“We’re in the right place then. I’m glad,” he muttered softly.
“Right place?” Then it hit her. “You remembered?”
“Well, I mean you’ve mentioned it quite a few times so . . .” Adrian simply shrugged.
“Awww, Adrian, you’re so cute.”
Adrian blushed a little bit and turned away to ask the cashier about the teas. She couldn’t help but reflect on the fact that he remembered her favorite drink, and even took her to a place that specialized in it.
Aria was totally going to gush about this to everyone alive. As they ordered their respective drinks, she was a little surprised by his choice which was a lavender milk tea mix with small pearls. Typically, people avoided floral flavors because it often reminded them of their grandma’s perfume, but then again, Adrian wasn’t like most people.
“And I was like, uh yeah?” Adrian finished his story about a girl who got on his nerves in his culinary class. “I mean, I don’t want to be rude but how freaking dense can you get?”
She shook her head
