brightwin AUs

07: Little Italy (3)

The next day, Win almost didn't want to go inside. He didn't know for how long he stood across the street but one thing was for sure; he didn't want to find an empty table without a secret note attached to it.

But that was exactly what he got.

Win searched the whole vicinity of his area and even kneeled twice to check the corners of the table but there was no trace of any note. Every nook and sides of the chairs he ended up tapping but still, the wooden furniture remained bare.

"I knew it." He couldn't help but mutter out loud when the thing he was so worried about might be true after all.

His letter was too forward that it scared whoever the stranger he was talking to. A course of disappointment and sadness dawned on Win as he tried to cheer himself up by finishing his usual pizza. But even the savory crust tasted sad and he felt stupid for feeling like he lost something he never really had.

But yet again, he also didn't hold the stranger's time. Maybe they weren't able to come yesterday? They had something to do? Either way, Win decided he shouldn't think of it too much. He hated how attached he was becoming and they were only talking for two weeks at most and not even consistently.

"For all I know, they're old enough to be my grandparents." He tried to humor himself as he finished his food.

Two days in a row, Win was yet again staring back at an empty wooden table. There was no hidden traces of taped letters or even a secret looking tissue paper that could be mistaken as one.

A heavy feeling was starting to envelope Win even if he tried to talk himself out of it. He reasoned that his visits to this pizzeria shouldn't be for those letters. After all, before those he was a normal college student who studies here after his classes so why can't he just get back to that? He didn't understand why he can't shut his mind and body to stop figuring out why he never got a reply letter.

Groaning against his hand, Win ended up ordering the strongest coffee they had along with a Chicago deep dish pizza that kept him inside the bathroom all night.

The Mathlympics took its toll on Bright that he never expected. Surely, he knew it wasn't going to be that easy since he wasn't prepared at all but he never imagined this...situation either.

"Uh, excuse me? My friend wanted to ask if she can have your number." A pretty brunette asked by his station after their first round of games.

Bright was stunned and not because this never happened before but it was his first time getting hit on while he was on campus. He figured, everyone just thought he was too serious to hang with and even his org mates make sure he remembers how uptight of a person he is when he refuses to attend their parties.

"My number?" He dumbly repeated even when he could clearly notice the reddening cheeks of the female.

"Yeah, if you don't mind." The brunette laughed as she leaned closer to Bright. It was then he noticed how her shirt rode a little lower and Bright knew it was time to break fantasies.

"Is it school related? Because if not then I'm afraid I can't." He gave a small smile, meaning to sound kind as possible but the warning bell already started ringing inside the brunette's head.

"I see, girlfriend then?" There was a small pout she didn't tried to hide but the next words that came out of Bright's mouth made her breathe like a fish.

"No, a boyfriend." Bright lied before he excused himself with a polite smile.

After clocking out with his seniors, Bright didn't waste another second as he took off for the cafe pizzeria. He didn't know why he was running so fast or why he felt like he was running out of time but somehow he really did felt like it.