Comfy Closets

17|| Secrets and Dates

After settling on that, we proceeded to the doors and unlocked it, but before she opened it, I stopped her. “Wait! One more thing.” Giving her a quick kiss at the corner of her lips, I pulled back and flashed her a teasing smile. “Something to remember me by till the date.”

With that, I pulled open the door and headed down the now crowded corridor, not looking back but relishing in the fact that the blonde was left stunned, and I walked away with a large goofy smile on my face.

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“Gia, you alright over there?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah, I’m good. Just thinking,” she responded, trying to dismiss my worry, but failing.

The boys had some basketball practise scheduled at lunch today, resulting with Gia and I being the only ones at the table. The moment I sat down, I knew something was off about the redhead. She didn’t seem as lively or as willing to talk like usual. Instead, she ate her meal in silence, staring off into nothing as she popped in a French fry every now and then.

“You don’t seem alright. Is this about Zach?” She didn’t answer to that, confirming my thoughts. “What happened?”

She wiped her mouth with a tissue then rested her head in the palm of her hands. “Well, I did what you said. I asked Zach whether he felt the same way I felt for him.”

“And?” I prompted gently, but I was internally dying to know.

“He said no. He said he had his eye on someone else he liked and wasn’t looking to date anyone else,” she summed up dejectedly, her light blue eyes looking so sad, it made my heart hurt.

I went to sit by her side, putting my arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. “I’m sorry you had to hear that. He’ll be missing something very special, but at least you know where he stands now. You won’t have to wonder about a ‘possibility' or a ‘chance’, and instead, you can move on,” I said, trying to show her the bright side of this situation.

“Yeah, I guess,” she muttered in a small voice. “I just want to know who he likes.”

“Oh no, don’t you go down that rabbit hole,” I warned, trying to stop her train of thought right then. “It will only continue to occupy your mind until all you can think about is that. Don’t turn this into an obsession while you still can, because you shouldn’t be comparing yourself to whoever he likes. You are a strong, funny, beautiful and badass girl, and any boy is lucky to be your boyfriend,” I stated, trying to make her see that too. She deserved someone who would return her affections equally, if not more than she was giving.

“Thanks, Al,” she mumbled. “I know, and it's hard not to compare, but I’ll try damn hard not to.” She nodded resolutely at that.

“That’s my girl,” I said, giving her a nod of encouragement as I stole one of her fries before sitting back in my own seat.

“Hey! My fry!” She indignantly yelled, using her arms as a barrier to shield her food from me. “You cannot cross this border. It is forbidden,” she declared in a dramatic narrator voice. I was just glad she was acting like her usual self again.

Chuckling to myself, I settled down and decided to steal another one later. I knew she didn’t actually mind; she does this every time out of habit, because of us.

Looking out into the expanse of the filled cafeteria, my eyes were subconsciously searching for a certain someone. They craved the beauty that she possessed and the joyous energy she emanated. I spotted her in the centre of the room a few tables away, surrounded by her popular friends who I’ve always been too intimidated to ever talk to. But unlike before, where I felt like she was surrounded by an air of untouchability and unapproachability, I now saw her in a different light.