serendipity | aki menzies

oOo that's my type

"I looked at the game, I ain't got no competitors..."

I chewed on the tip of my pencil, carefully reading over my homework questions. Despite my earlier promise, I couldn't help but think about Aki's reaction to Henry. He seemed soㅡ irritated? Maybe that wasn't the right word, Aki rarely got irritated with anyone.

My mind wandered back to that moment in the hallway. He was so indifferent towards the dimpled man. I wanted to brush it off as his introverted nature but there was always a chance...

"Stop it, you just want him to be jealous." I grumbled. Of course, I had to be projecting my feelings onto him.

Aki had no reason to be jealous of Henry unless he liked me. I was sure that my own feelings were clouding my good judgment. If Aki liked me I would know, wouldn't I?

We were in a good place as friends, I didn't want to ruin anything. Every weekend he would give me skateboard lessons and I started sharing my poetry with him. Sometimes, we would hang out after school or do homework together at my house. He instantly became a favorite with my mother. If there were any lingering glares I assumed I was just mistaking things, Aki did have a knack for staring.

The words on the paper blurred together, my attention now somewhere else. I wanted help from someone who would understand.

There was instantly one person who came to mind. "Nico." I thought, quickly selecting his contact from my phone. There was no one in this world I trusted more to help me.

After only two rings, he picked up the call. "If it isn't the girl who broke my heart." He teased, I could already see the smile on his face. Something akin to a video game played in the background.

"Oh really? I clearly remember you telling me to chase my dreams and follow my heart." I giggled, already feeling more relaxed.

Nico let out an affirmative 'ahh'. He was probably nodding his head along as well, I knew all of his habits by heart.

"And how has chasing your dreams and following your heart been? Have you become a New York hotshot yet?"

I paused to ponder his question. I came to New York to have a closer relationship with my cousins and try new things, had I successfully done any of this?

Swallowing harshly, I mustered the courage to confess. "There's a guy Nic, I don't know what to do."

I could hear Nico pause his game, letting out a gust of air. "Is this a guy you like romantically or a guy you hate?" He questioned.

"I...well I like him, a lot." My fingers clenched and unclenched, the weight of my words lifting off my shoulders. "But I don't know..." I trailed off, scared to even voice my concerns.

Nico's soothing voice came through the line. "You're not sure if he likes you." He finished. "Serenity, you may be thinking too much about this."

"That's easy for you to say, everything about us was so obvious. It was like we fit together instantly, I was never  unsure." I explained, my eyebrows crinkling together.

When I met Nico as a freshmen, everything happened with ease. He spent days wooing me until I became his girlfriend and I never had to worry about ex-girlfriends who hated me. It was such a simpler time and I longed for the simplicity. 

"I was your first boyfriend Serene, we were lucky to have a natural connection..." There was a moment of silence. "But if you compare everything to us you'll never have another one." He asserted, a tinge of worry in his voice.

My mouth parted slightly in surprise at his words. Had I been searching for something easy and running away from the hard parts? It wasn't like Aki would stay single forever even if he didn't date me. I was being unreasonable.

I sighed softly. "Why must you always be right?" I asked, albeit rhetorically.

"Because I know you." He clarified, and I just knew that stupid smug smile was on his face. "Don't let this guy wonder Serene, if he really likes you and you like him, he deserves to know without any confusion."

"I'll tell him soon Nic, I promise." I assured, a gentle smile on my face.

It wouldn't be so hard to tell Aki, I just had to figure out the right words and the timing. Like my mom had said to me before, "love is the only certain in this world." I was certain about my feelings for Aki and even if he didn't feel the same I wouldn't leave myself wondering.

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short chapter to help serenity figure out her feelings. you all met nico finally, he's really nice! I promise everyone won't be as sweet but I didn't want things to be so dramatic (we've all seen the show). thank you for reading and for getting serendipity to 2k reads, I am so grateful and proud of this book. more coming soon, much love <33 -Ess