Whatever, Josh | ✔

Chapter Seven

THANKFULLY, THE PLACE that Emma takes me to isn't the Froyo place, instead it's an Açaí shop called Playa Bowls, which, if I'm being honest, is way better than the Froyo place, especially since it's much healthier than froyo. And, of course, me being the Nutella lover, I am, ordered a Nutella Açaí bowl, which, I have got to say, probably might bunk down to #2 because of this Açaí. "Mm!" I moan with a mouthful of Açaí. Emma giggles.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," she instructs.

"Sorry," I say, wiping my mouth a tissue, "but it's so good!"

"Right?" Emma agrees, taking a mouthful of Açaí herself.

I nod my head. "How'd you even find it?"

She takes her time to digest the Açaí before saying: "I came here with my parents the first time after a long tour of the campus."

I nod my head, before digging in for more. "I wish I had done the same―I ended up going for some Indian food after the campus tour with my family instead."

"Lucky!" Emma whines. At this, I scrunch my eyebrows.

"Why?"

"I've always wanted to have Indian food, but my parents have never let me have any because it's too 'spicy'." She holds up her hands to make quotation marks.

I snicker. "They're not wrong. One time I had this mild spicy biryani, and I ended up having a runny nose the whole night."

"Ick!" Emma wrinkles her nose. "But I still wanna try it!"

"Really?" I say, settling into the chair.

She gives me her best puppy eyes. "I really do."

"Oh alright," I give in, "tell you what, I'll take you the restaurant I went to with my family tonight. Are you free tonight?"

"Are you kidding? Of course, yes!" she screams ballistically. My eyes widen at her reaction whilst looking around the place, wondering if anyone sees a girl screaming her head off―they do―and that just makes my anxiety skyrocket. 

"Indian food isn't all that good to hype up about," I comment, but Emma doesn't seem to care, already forgetting about her Açaí bowl. 

                     ***

THE WHOLE TIME there to the biryani place, Emma won't stop asking questions about Indian food to the extent that I think I should just 'defriend' her, even though, we just met and I'm not even sure if we are friends. "Alright, we're here." I take my foot off the gas pedal, sighing with relief. Emma looks up from her phone, which she probably was using to search up questions on Indian food.

"We are?"

I nod my head. "Yup."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but," Emma hesitates, "I'm kinda scared now."

"Why? I was joking when I said the biryani is really spicy, we'll just get the least spicy one," I assure her. She shakes her head and I scrunch my eyebrows. "You want the spicy one?"

"No, it's not that, Advika," she hesitates before pointing at the restaurant, "it's that." My eyes follow to where her finger is pointing to―a huge crowd of people at the Biryani place, which is highly unusual. 

"Oh," I say, realizing her anxiety is taking over here. "Well, at least, we have each other, right?" I bite my lip from going any further, in fear, that Emma might back down.

Emma looks down before saying: "Yeah... I guess."

"If you want, I can take it to go."

She nods her head. "That would be better." 

"Okay," I say before climbing out of the car. I look back to see Emma still in the car. "What's wrong?" 

She fidgets with her fingers. "Can I, just, not come with you? I mean, is that, er, okay?"

As much as I'm not willing to go inside by myself, I―somewhat―see Emma's perspective on this, and nod my head. "Yeah, sure. I won't be gone for too long."

"Thanks," she murmurs. I nod my head, swiftly, but as I make my way to the Biryani Joint, I can't help but think why Emma is so scared of going into a large crowd of people. I mean it's a just a crowd of people―and she has me―what's the worst they can do? Unless they know her, I think.

Unless she has bad blood with them.