When Spring First Came

🌸Chapter Seven🌸

She'd arrive at her house, breezed through the dining room and sank in her bed, but what they'd done still hasn't sunk in her brain and what this meant going forward.

For one, she hadn't told any of this to her parents, obviously. Rui lived next door. Everyone in school knows. That's what they wanted after all, an audience. How were they going to keep this up? Will they be able to keep this up?

It felt like they were eating a delicious gooey lava cake. There's an explosion of sweetness at the center, a welcomed surprise, but eventually you get sick of it, and it gets messy. Maybe they'll get tired of it halfway and just stop. What happens then? Can she go back to how it was before and pretend as if nothing happened?

Before she could ponder her situation carefully and reflect on her impulsivity, there was a knock on her door, followed by her mom peeking through the frame.

"Honey? Are you studying?" She shifted in her seat, although not less distraught than before.

"No. Why?"

"Dinner's ready. Let's eat, I made your favourite," and just as she came, she left just as quickly. Mei was about to follow her mom when her phone dinged, which surprised her.

Have you eaten?

She nibbled on her lip. Who else could it be?

Nope. I'm about to.

She kept fidgeting with her thumbs. Was this the appropriate time to tell him about her concerns?

I see. Look out your window.

Her head perked up and met with dark obsidian eyes, much like their first meeting. This memory made her jolt, and the person from the room next to her laughed. His hair was wet, fresh from the shower. He wore a loose white shirt, a stark contrast to his tanned skin. He gestured with his hand, as if scooping air.

Eat well, he mouthed. She smiled, the one that made him want to squish her cheeks.

You too, she mouthed back, pointing a finger gun at him before slowly putting it down awkwardly and going to the window to close the blinds.

He had said something else before that, but the blinds had already closed and she was now trying to calm her racing head.

"Mei!" Her mom shouted from across the living room.

"Coming!" She replied, running out the room. As for her thoughts, they were running faster than her.

[Post: Oh my God, can you believe what happened earlier?]

[Comment: Wait, I skipped class haha tell me]

[Reply: BITCH YOU MISSED OUT ON A LOT!]

[Reply: WHAT]

[Reply: Absent pa more hahaha]

[Comment: Wait, who's the girl?]

[Reply: I think her name is Mei. She's from a different section]

[Post: To all the couples out there, I wish you all a very well, you're going to break up <3]

[Comment: ☠︎☠︎☠︎]

-Refresh to see new posts-

There were more. Oh gods. Nearly 200 posts, she wanted to faint but couldn't. Her stomach was churning her dinner as she scrolled through post after post, about her and Rui. They were the hot topic.

She was foolish to think that only a large few would talk about this and that this would die down in a couple of days. Now, she wasn't so sure.

It was an error on her part, not properly gauging Rui's popularity among her peers. She always had, to a certain extent, distanced herself from her surroundings, drowning herself in her own interests and daydreams so much that she's starting to think it might be a problem. Rui was kind of the first person she ever let into her life, that wasn't a figment of her imagination.

Oh well, who else was crazy enough to do this with her? Plus, he's a convenient choice and well...he looked really cute in that skirt-but no one needed to know.

Her phone rang and she picked it up, surprised. It was Rui again.

"Hey."

"Hello, uhm...how was your day?" Rui laughed, that rich, deep sound reached her ears and made her fingers tingle.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She winced.

"Yeah, I'm sorry that was stupid but-"

"It's not stupid. I assume you don't get calls often?"

"Yeah, only when my parents need something. Do you need something?" He chuckled.

"Nothing in particular. Can't I talk to-you?" She noticed the pause in his words but didn't say anything. She wondered what he was going to say instead.

"Like a conversation?"

"Yeah."

"I mean, sure but we can always meet up to talk about stuff. Also you know for my book..." She was fidgeting in her socks, and her guts were a tangled mess.

"Ah yes. Your book, how could we forget?"

"Yep. So uhm do you wanna meet tomorrow? But if you have plans that's okay-"

"Sure. I'm free tomorrow. Where do you wanna go?"

"Hmm," now she seriously had to ponder. She didn't even think about that. Wait, why did she ask him to go out with her tomorrow? Sensing her dilemma, he laughed again.

"You have no idea, do you?"

"I mean don't couples usually go for something romantic like an amusement park maybe? There's restaurants nearby too so we can't eat lunch."

"Okay. I'll pick you up at 9?"

"No," she blurted. She wasn't ready to tell her parents yet. "Let's meet at the playground, at 9."

"Sure." She nodded her head, even though he couldn't see it.

So what happens next? What does she say afterwards? Is this how it ends?

"Okay then," she added awkwardly, "see you."

"I still wanna call you to talk about stuff, will that be okay?"

"I guess, but don't you have interesting people you can talk to?" She laughed dryly.

"I'm already talking to her. You're the one I'm dating aren't you ?" That made her shoot up from her bed.

"I guess you're right," her voice was calm but her eardrums were filled with the heavy beat of her heart. Fake dating. It's all pretend.

Wait so does that mean-

"So tomorrow-"

"It's a date. See you then. I'll sleep now, you too. Night."

"Bye," she hung up, staring at her laptop in disbelief.

Omg! OMG!! OMG!!!

She was going on a date! For the first time in her life!!

Granted, technically it's a fake date since what they're doing is basically just a social experiment of sorts to get the romantic noggin in her head working but still. He said it himself. It's a date!

What should she wear? She can't go out dressed like her usual self, that'd be a disgrace. She should dig through her closet right now and see if she finds something.

She could feel her creative juices flowing. Her excitement was so overwhelming that she procrastinated before doing the things she needed to do.

This feeling of anticipation. To meet someone and spend the day with them. She should write it.

Heaving her tired body out of bed despite her complaints, she opened her laptop while looking through her closet, waiting for it to load.

She wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Unbeknownst to her, Rui couldn't either.

I delivered! Idk how long I'll keep this up, but, I'll try until I finish this sksks. Also, we reached a hundred reads which is very cool. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!