Girls With Luv

FOUR Spencer

"I am going to ask you one last time, April. Are you secretly dating that cute guy with blond highlights?" I ask seriously as April, Liya and I walk down the streets that lead to our favourite hangout spot.

"What cute guy? What blond highlights?" April mutters and I share a look with Liya, who is really enjoying this conversation.

"You know, the one who is always looking at you."

"Why are you being so vague? What guy?"

"Katie's puppy-boy. God, April. You're being a dum-dum. Is it on purpose?" Liya waggles her eyebrows like a cartoon and I laugh out loud.

"Excuse you, Mike isn't Katie's puppy-boy. He's her intern."

"Potayto-potahto." We reach Home for a Cafe and I push the door open. The soothing blast of the cafe's infamous air conditioner makes my entire body relax. After a long-ass photoshoot that was practically forced on me, I feel like I need to go on a soul-searching expedition and having the buffoons by my side isn't unacceptable at all. Somehow, we all managed to take a breather and extended our lunch hour without much trouble. I mean, I ran away without informing anyone except Cynthia and there is a text message waiting patiently for me, but who even cares when ignorance is the real bliss? I love having meals together, it is so vibrant and wholesome. I can ditch my job meetings if it means that I get to eat with my chingus. Life is boring anyway, at least they make it slightly entertaining now and then. Hehe.

"April, stop being so shy. If you're going out with the blondie, just tell us!" Liya whines as we settle down in our reserved booth. We're like the main cast of our version of F.R.I.E.N.D.S in which one particular booth is always empty and reserved for us. And we make the most of it. It's by the window and has the view of a very aesthetic book shop. Yeah, we can't see the whole of it but even the entrance of that place is like a mini version of paradise. Last month, I went there to buy some books and ended up spending three hours because I felt like I was thrown into a time capsule. April actually thought that someone had kidnapped me, she was ten minutes away from organising a search party. Yes, I keep my phone on silent mode when I'm not working because I hate the sound. No, I don't have the time to sit down and change the ringtone.

"I'M NOT DATING ANYONE. PERIOD!"

I love it when Liya and I annoy the shit out of our eldest momma. It's not that hard, to be honest. And we gel back into what is usually called normalcy after cracking three more jokes. Isn't that just great? We don't ever have to worry about offending each other, such is our inbuilt level of understanding. Granted, we often take advantage of this freedom, but who cares when the entire aura that we carry is that of utter lunacy and crackhead energy?

"My daughter is dating a guy and I don't even know about it?" Mrs Gilbert, April's mom, asks us as she joins in. She owns Home for a Cafe and we practically grew up writing last-minute college assignments under her gaze as she pampered us with her heavenly cookies and mugs of cold coffee. Even today, whenever the outside world gets too much to handle, we grab our laptops and official documents and make a beeline for this place because it legit feels like a comfortable home, a safe refuge that we can fall back on.

"Oh my god, why is everyone suddenly obsessed with my non-existent dating life?" April whines and chugs down an entire glass of ice-cold water. The sole sight gives me a brain freeze, I don't know how she did it so easily.

"Because you'll be on the cover of your own fashion magazine! It's a big deal. There will be a ginormous line of fanboys falling head over Adidas for you, so if you are dating someone, you need to warn him." I state the obvious because duh. And also because putting April on a spot is always hilarious.