I laughed softly; its strange how my imagination can take over. But its what keeps my mind busy; even if all I'm thinking about is pure poppycock.
Bear dropped me off a few blocks from my dorm even though he insisted that he left me at the dorm instead; but being the stubborn lass that I was, I declined. I needed time to think; my room mates would probably be home by now and I didn't feel like engaging myself in some gossip-filled conversation. We didn't leave right after we finished reviewing since some of the guys wanted to chill for awhile; soon the TV was on, the computer was running and the kitchen's stock was disappearing at an alarming rate. It was already dark outside when we decided to call it a day.
Its hard to imagine that any street outside the campus can be filled with tress but can still manage to hide cafes, grocery stores and even amusement parks in between them. And yet, that's what I'm passing through. Despite the darkness, well, its not completely dark since there are a few street lamps, just a bit dim, a bright patch of light would sometimes catch your eye like a beacon. Already I could see QuickShop, with its red neon lights flashing, the nearest grocery store to my dorm, separated by a few more trees before the pavement broke for me to cross the street; I could still see people lining up at the counter through the glass windows.
A red car whizzed by as I stood there, before walking on. An ancient-looking two-story house was on my left with its well-kept lawn and a bed of wildflowers that made me breath the air more deeply than I should. It was one of those old houses that were renovated to be used as dorms; in this case, it was a male dorm. The porch lights were on and one of the windows on the first story was open; a head peeked out and waved at me.
"Hey, Kelsey!" I heard in greeting.
"Hey, Benedict!" I called back, slowing my pace until I was in front of the window, only a few feet away.
"Isn't it a little too late for you to be out?" he teased.
"Just got back from my friend's place. Group study", I said, shrugging.
"What do you need to study for? I'm sure you got it easy". His smile was evident even in the dim light.
I laughed. "I wish!"
"I should be saying that", Benedict answered. "Well, see you around, Kels".
"You too. Good night!" I said as I waved at him and continued down the street.
I turned a corner, and another pool of light caught my eye. The twenty-four hour cafe, Crostinni's, was bustling with activity. A few students were seated on red leather chairs with laptops and books stacked on the table next to them under huge black umbrellas outside. A waiter was carrying a tray of steaming mugs of coffee as he emerged from behind the counter. I stood there, debating whether or not I should go in. I don't drink coffee, but there are other drinks that I could take that won't keep me awake the whole night. Thinking that it should buy me some time into letting my mind wander, my feet were already dragging me there.
A few heads turned as I stepped in, but none of them were interested enough to look at me for more than two seconds. I took a quick glance at the high ceiling, the cream colored walls, the lamps that hung over every table and the black-tiled floor as I made my way over to the counter. There was no line, so the cashier looked at me with a smile on his freckled face. I vaguely recognized him as one of the many students I must have passed in the university since I first entered. I bet he's about my age or just a year older. Working students are pretty popular so it didn't surprise me to see one at the moment. And from the way he saw me, I could tell that he must have recognized me, too.
"Good evening, ma'am. What can I get you?" he said politely. My eyes flashed to his name tag, out of habit; I liked knowing people's names even if I don't really call them or bothered remembering after a while. His name was Prince. But I wasn't going to call him that. He could have switched name tags with the other employees for all I know.
I scanned the list of drinks above him written in chalk against a long blackboard, before turning to him. "Any recommendations? What's your best-seller for today? That's not coffee", I quickly added with a smile.
He grinned at me. "The vanilla-caramel frost is selling like wildfire", he said.
"Then I'll have that. But if it doesn't taste good to me I'm demanding a refund", I said playfully.
"I'll see that it's properly mixed", he said. "Regular or large?"
"Regular, please", I said. He nodded as he punched in my order at the cash register, the sides of his mouth twitching slightly.
I paid for my drink and thanked him before I went to sit by the glass wall that separated me from the outside world to wait for my order, not far from the counter. It was supposed to be for two people since there was a low table in front of me and a vacant seat right after it; but it was the only available place that was pretty bright. I pulled my binder out of my bag and flipped through the pages, but my mind wasn't into studying.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how fast things were happening between me and Anthony. Everything always starts out as acquaintances, then friends, then affection, then, if Fate wills it, love. I fidgeted nervously; the word "love" sounded strange to me now. As if it were the first time I've ever heard of it in a million years. Looks like I was more damaged by my previous relationship than I thought. I'm over it, of course; I just didn't realize that I'd be thinking this way.
Love. Love?
How long will it take for me to love Anthony? How long will it take for him to love me?
It has only been a few days, four days to be exact, since we first met. I'll admit that I wasn't drawn to him at first; he looked like any other ordinary boy to me. But after talking to him, I don't know, I started seeing him differently. He wasn't arrogant as I expected most guys to be, which slightly surprised me. He's funny, I'll give him props for that. He's handsome, as I have mentioned a few times, and he's very sweet. We only talk for a few hours through texting because of our different schedules and study times, but they feel like forever. Our conversations were always lively and interesting; we'd always ask questions about each other or we'd comment on this or that. He once told me that his older sister once dressed him up as a princess when he was six; imagining him in a pink dress with a tiara on his head sent me into a fit giggles. I never stopped teasing him about it and I'm sure he's regretting that he ever told me that.
"Excuse me, miss?"
I jolted out of my reverie and looked up to see the cashier standing beside me and holding out my drink.
"Oh, I'm sorry. How long have you been standing there?" I said quickly, taking my drink from him.
"Not too long", he said, as he shrugged. "That must be some lesson". He gestured to my notebook which lay on my lap. I didn't even realize that I dropped it.
"Yeah, well, exams", I said gloomily.
"I know what you mean", he said seriously. "Well, good luck. And enjoy your drink".
"Thank you", I said as I raised my plastic cup in a toast to him.
He gave me one last smile before he turned and walked away.
I took a sip and shuddered a little; the room was pretty cold and I only made it worse by drinking something that was possibly colder than my surroundings. But it tasted good. Too bad I wouldn't be getting my money back.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Around this time, anybody could be texting me; I wasn't expecting him, though, since he said that he was going to be doing his homework. I remember feeling a little sad that we wouldn't be able to talk longer but then I laughed at myself; this is getting serious. But to my surprise, it was him.
Hey, Kels. Are you home?
I considered telling him that I was still stuck at Carly's, reviewing what we were supposed to review for tomorrow and that we were being held hostage against our will, but I didn't think it would feel right.
No. I'm at the cafe, Crostinni's. Are you done with your homework?
I laid my phone on the table then I crossed my legs, shifting comfortably in my seat. There were still a lot of people outside and yet I couldn't find one familiar face. I'm used to going to places alone, but there are times when I wish that I still had someone to talk to. Talking to myself is out of the question.
A buzzing sound distracted me; I picked up my phone instinctively, without even looking at it.
Yup. Done. What are you doing there?
Curious, as always.
I didn't feel like going home yet. And besides, I was craving for something sweet
Which was partly true. I couldn't say that my day was complete if I hadn't had anything sweet. I'm a growing girl, I need my sugar. You should see me when I'm depressed. I would crave for ice cream or chocolate or cake and I'd finish everything without me being aware at how much I've consumed; I once ate a whole gallon of ice cream after my grandmother died about five years ago. Needless to say, I got a really bad tummy ache after that, but it didn't stop me from splurging again a few hours later.
His reply broke into my thoughts.
Is that so? And what time do you plan to go home?
A bit inquisitive now, are we?
I don't know. Depends. I'm not feeling really homesick--yet
I sighed after I sent my message. This is so like him; he'll keep on asking and asking just to keep the conversation going. You know how you ask for something, then after you get your answer you say "thank you", expecting that they'll just say "your welcome" and leave it at that? Apparently, he doesn't do it. He starts a new topic or he'll ask why I asked him that particular question. It was a bit refreshing, knowing that someone actually bothers to talk to you, even though you made it clear that you weren't expecting anything less than a no-response.
I pushed the READ button at the first vibration.
Then you wouldn't mind if I joined you?
My eyes widened a little bit. Clearly, I wasn't expecting that. But wait, he was home, right? I mean, he said he just finished doing his homework, then that must mean that he's home.
Unless..
But I didn't need to finish that thought, because someone slid into the seat in front of me. I felt the blood pound in my ears as I saw a pair of black Nike sneakers tap in front of me, all the while hoping that it was anyone but him.
Against my better judgment, I looked up, and there he was, with a huge smile on his face.
So much for my thinking time.
