Night Peril

There's Still Weight on my Back, I Just try to Ignore It

Lin sat in her living room, drinking coffee, and reading an old newspaper she had.

She was going to Tenzin's tonight for a movie. And even though the last one made her want to sink her teeth into a cyanide apple, this time it won't just be her and Kya. Bumi would at least be there to lighten the mood.

But she was still dreading it. Kya's been ignoring her all week. Lin stopped trying to message her. She stopped getting her flowers from Kya's shop, although she still got the same Panda Lilies over and over. She still stopped at the Cafe every so often around the time Kya gets off work, hoping that they'd run into each other. But they never did.

Maybe she should let the whole thing go. She thought Kya was interested, but now Lin can see that she isn't, and never was.

She'll truly love Tenzin someday. She knew that... But waiting was getting on her nerves...

Lin's phone started ringing and she held it to her ear, "Hello?" She said.

"Hey," a shy, familiar voice came from the other end.

"Kya! Hey! It's so good to hear from you..." Lin knew she got too excited, but she couldn't help herself.

"Yeah... uh, Tenzin wanted me to make sure you were still able to make it tonight?" Kya spoke quickly.

"Yeah. Definitely," Lin smiled into the phone.

"Okay... cool... I'll uh, see you tonight then, I guess." Kya didn't sound nearly as excited as Lin hoped she would.

"Yeah." Lin said.

"Bye,"

"Kya, wait-" Lin didn't know what she wanted to talk about, but she knew she didn't want to hang up.

"Yeah?"

"Uh... How's your morning going?" She asked after a couple of seconds.

Kya was silent, Lin thought maybe she was annoyed. "It's been fine. Drank some tea. Made fun of Bumi. The usual." Kya said.

Lin smiled, glad to hear more than one choppy sentence.

"How was yours?"

Now that was unexpected. But as Lin was getting ready answer, Kya stopped her, "Hey, actually, I got to go. I have to work." she said.

Lin's smile dropped and her shoulders slouched. "Alright, I'll talk to you-" Before she couldn't finish her sentence, the line ended.

Lin sucked on her bottom lip and stared at the words 'Call Ended' on her phone.

She'll love Tenzin someday...

Kya stood in front of the microwave, waiting for the popcorn to finish. "Don't forget to make a bowl without butter. Lin can't stand it." Tenzin said as he walked in.

"She can't?" Kya whipped around. Tenzin shook his head. "She says she hates the way it feels on her mouth. And don't get her started on the taste. She says it's disgusting." Tenzin chuckled.

She ate it without a complaint during her and Kya's movie. She could've asked for a separate bag; Kya wouldn't have minded. But she found it bittersweet that Lin put up with 'disgusting' popcorn throughout the whole movie. Kya shook her head slightly, getting rid of her thoughts. The microwave beeped. She pulled the bag out and threw another, butter free bag in, then shut the door.

She pressed the '+30sec' button until it reached two and a half minutes.

A knock came from the door, "Answering it!" Bumi yelled from the living room.