The Painting I Called 'You'

Ch-3: Clubs and Hearts

Kaiser

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For someone whom I was supposed to meet once, Astrella was growing on me. I only invited her because of the sheer relief she had provided me after my panicked phase of desperation.

Astrella's visits grew more frequent over the weeks, she even bought me lunch at camp sometimes, which, I appreciated, but equally got teased for. It got to the point that I was expecting her to show up.

We'd gotten closer in the past weeks, and I'd begin to love her company. Theo had been my only friend for years now, Astrella changed that, and I wasn't complaining.

"Where's your girlfriend today? I miss her food," Leo whines, he wasn't my friend per se, but we talked during breaks.

"She's not my girlfriend," I denied.

"Sure, she isn't, you two act like a couple," William chimes along with Leo.

"We're just good friends," I say firmly. I want to whack them.

"That's what they all say," Leo snickered. I glare at him.

"It's true, bro, from experience," William says, patting my shoulder. I narrow my at him, and then his hand on my shoulder, he follows me gaze and retracts his hand immediately.

"Shut up and get to work." I snap.

"It's break," Leo says pointedly.

"Then just shut up," I snap, irritated.

"Kaiser?" a soft voice calls out, I turn around and see her standing by the doorway. No one really bothered to stop her from coming inside since she knew the chief personally. My scowl melts as I go to greet her.

William and Leo fist bump each other with boisterous laughter as I do.

I would pay to punch them, at this point. But with Astrella here, she would stop me.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make food today," she hands a bag of food to me, "But, I bought you food instead, since I'm also late," she mumbles, pushing the branded bag into my hands.

"You don't exactly have to get me anything," I tell her.

Her lips turn downward, "But I like to,"

"It's not that I don't like it! It's just, you don't have to bother yourself with it everyday," I blurt out. Astrella laughs at my hasty explanation.

I had gotten so used to her laughs I could hear it in the back of my head, I smile without even realizing. "You have dimples!" she exclaims. "I do," I say, tilting my head.

Was it something special?

"They're cute," she blurts with a wide grin, and then freezes immediately.

My cheeks heat, and my power of comprehension slips away. "I mean- I meant- you know- like-" Astrella fumbles over her words, rambling something I didn't pay full attention to.

Cute?

"I got you." I say for her, avoiding her gaze and trying to prevent the pink of my cheeks to deepen.

Astrella presses her lips together, fiddling with the string of her bag as she nods, "Well," she starts, voice a little squeaky, "I'll get going now and...see you later today," she mutters.

My brows furrow: we had something planned for the evening? "Theo invited me over," she clarifies without me asking.

But Theo wasn't home tonight.