Not So Anonymous | ongoing

08︱meeting riele

⋯ SATURDAY, AUGUST 24 ⋯
(VIDA's point of view)

3:10pm

It was a warm Saturday afternoon, the clock ticking away at 3:10 pm as I sat patiently on one of the chairs at the pizza place, eagerly awaiting Riele's arrival. We had agreed to meet here, and I took the opportunity to place an order for a half-barbecue chicken and half-pepperoni pizza just a couple of minutes ago.

While waiting, I decided to occupy myself by editing some pictures on my phone. It had been quite a while since I had indulged in such creative endeavors. As I neared the completion of my editing session, Riele finally appeared and took a seat opposite me. She was dressed in a black sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black sandals. Her brown hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail, and despite wearing no makeup, her natural beauty shone through.

"Sorry I'm late," she apologized, settling into her seat.

I glanced at my phone screen briefly to check if my pizza was ready. "No problem. What took you so long, though?" I inquired curiously.

She sighed and leaned back. "When I was about to leave, my brother came in and started interrogating me again. He does it every time I go out alone, and it's so annoying!"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Ha! Brothers can be a handful."

Her expression turned questioning. "You have a brother?"

I nodded, confirming her curiosity. "Yup. I'm a twin."

"Oh, cool," she responded with a smile. "Now, let's get down to business. How do you know my brother?"

I proceeded to tell her about the dare and everything that transpired on that eventful day. However, I had to pause mid-story to collect our shared pizza when it arrived. Once I finished recounting the tale, Riele's mouth dropped open in surprise. "You stole Granella's phone?!"

I defended my actions with a hint of pride. "I believe I did, but it was returned. No harm done."

She repeated incredulously, "You stole Granella's phone?!" This time, laughter accompanied her disbelief.

"Yes, I did," I replied matter-of-factly. "But please, don't tell anyone unless I permit you. Especially your brother... and your grandma. She might have the power to end me without even laying a finger on me."

Riele chuckled and pinky promised to keep my secret safe. With that settled, I steered the conversation towards the enigmatic individual I had affectionately dubbed "darling."

"So... I have some questions about darling," I confided in her.

"Darling?" Riele repeated, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

I nodded, inviting her to indulge my curiosity. "That's what I call him."

With a subtle nod of approval, she signaled for me to proceed.

"Firstly, is his name really Katie?" I inquired, hoping to unveil the truth behind the nickname.

She burst into laughter, shaking her head. "No, not at all. His initials are K.T, so when you pronounce the letters together, it sounds like Katie."

Ah, that explanation made much more sense.

I prodded further, eager for more insights. "Can he really sing as he claims to?"

"Duh," Riele responded, rolling her eyes playfully. "He's actually a pretty good singer. However, when it comes to art and drawing, his imagination runs wild, but his actual artwork can sometimes fall short. He could envision a mesmerizing drawing like a rose with gold dripping from it, but when he puts pen to paper, it might end up looking like a crying ball."