|86| • Amelia
Test week was stressful, to say the least. It felt as though I was living in a cycle; to wake up as early as three so I could study and run out before the crack of dawn to meet the early bus and head to class.
I had to admit that Evie made the week a bit more joyful for me.
While running out, I'd open the fridge and see the food he packed for me.
Before each test, I'd see his message wishing me the best and with a smile, I'd start the test. It was Friday now, meaning the test was coming to an end. Today we were having our written test, which involved quite the calculation and memorisation.
Letting out a loud yawn, I quietly munched on the cookie in my bag, studying the recipes and measurements I'd scribbled in my note a night before.
"Early again, I see." Looking up to see Willow Rue, I grinned at her.
She came in with her backpack and a scarf tied on her head.
"Good morning, Willow Rue. Are you still surprised?
" I teased. Come to think about it, I was one of the first to come to class throughout the test. Ever since high school, test week was one of my most stressful weeks because of how my body reacted.
Too anxious to have a good night's rest. My mind ran frantically in circles.
Willow Rue came to my side, taking the cookie from my hand.
"Hey!" I gasped and the girl grinned. "Can I?
" She asked with her mouth already filled with the cookie!
"You're already-" With an eye-roll, I took another.
"Are you ready for the test? I stayed up all night for this.
" She huffed, pulling a chair out to sit beside me.
I could see the bags under her eyes now that she said it.
She rubbed them in circles, taking out her colourful hardcover book.
"After this test, I'm soaking in my tub for at least an hour. "
"With a glass of champagne?" I added and she hummed in delight, snapping her fingers.
"While streaming true crime? Bliss right there, girl.
" Snickering at her version of bliss; I offered another cookie which she took with a wide grin.
Left to me, I'd play board games with Everest while we ate one of his famous pasta bolognese while making each other giggle.
I guess we all had different ideas of bliss.
In a comfortable silence, we began to read once more.
In about an hour, the class was filled and it was time to drop our bags at the front.
Looking ahead, I saw Raul dropping his bag.
As he turned to get to his seat, we locked eyes.
Ever since what ensued between him and Everest, he'd done a good job staying far from me.
Offering a small smile, I looked away, not waiting for him to reciprocate.
I heard him mutter a greeting before moving to his seat.
"By the way, I heard what happened with Raul and your boyfriend, why'd he do that?" My shoulders tensed up at Willow Rue's question. I thought she didn't hear about it since she didn't bring it up until now.
"It's a long story."
"Did Raul hurt you or something?" She asked, caution in her voice. Turning my head, I shrugged. "If you say that. How about we talk later, hm?" Hesitantly, she nodded. "Of course." Her hand rubbed mine in comfort. "Success on your test."
I smiled. "You too."
As the last person submitted, the class got up and scattered around, asking how the test went.
Closing my eyes, I said a quick prayer over my script.
After preparing so hard, I needed to pass this.
With a deep breath, I got up from my seat to meet Willow Rue who was already looking my way with a grin.
"Look at me calculating for dear life." She huffed, shaking her head.
Laughing, I could relate to her words. At a point in the test, I began to freak out thinking my measurements were off and went back to the beginning to see I missed a zero and had to add it up again.
But I finished, hence the grin on my face.
"Girl, I was sweating buckets."
"But we're done now, one more to go."
"I know, right?!" I squealed doing my happy dance.
Willow Rue stood up and we went to get our bags from the front before heading out to the cafeteria.
Our last test was going to be around 3 o'clock right until 5 o'clock.
For now, I was going to take a deep breath before burying my head back into my books.
Securing a two-seater in the cafeteria, I held Willow Rue's bags as she went to get us food.
Without a thought, I grabbed my phone to message Evie and tell him I was going to have my last test soon.
My smile faltered when I saw a text message from an unknown number.
Tilting my head, I wondered if I had given my number to anyone this week but no one came to mind.
I was a bit tempted to ignore it but my curiosity piqued and I tapped the message.
'Hey darling, long time no talk. It's Darrick. How are you? I know it's been a while but better late than never right?'
My stomach turned in both disdain and sadness.
I guess he was doing alright all this time.
That was nice. But did I want to start this all over again?
Nibbling on my lips, I stared at the message.
He had texted during my test so it had been an hour now.
I stared at the number, he had changed his number so I couldn't see his profile picture.
If I did respond, then what? Shaking my head, I decided against it.
"I'm good, thanks for asking.' I replied with my mouth so I wouldn't have to message back. Tapping his contact, I blocked it.
"Sorry, Darrick," I mumbled, feeling a bit of guilt. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too hurt and would go back to living his life just like he'd done before.
"Why the long face?" Willow Rue's voice made me jump, putting my phone away. "It's nothing." Her eyebrows arched up. "Have you always been this closed off?" She asked making me laugh. Was I? That was good I guess, I didn't want to go around spewing my business to anyone who offered an ear.
She dropped the tray in front of me. One juicy burger with onion rings and potato fries. Clapping in delight, I wiped my hands with the wipes I had in my bag, giving her one.
"Trust me, this one is nothing," I said, praying over the food before digging in.
"You know, I kinda had a crush on Raul..
.but I noticed he had his eyes somewhere else.
" Willow Rue said, nibbling at her fries softly while I munched on mine like I hadn't eaten in days.
Clearing my throat, I slowed down. "You did?
" With a mouth full of burger, that came out like a snort or a stuffed pig.
Blushing, I quickly swallowed the large chunk of food.
She nodded, eyeing me cautiously. Thinking about it now, I guess I kind of saw the attraction simmer in her orbs.
I simply thought she was intrigued about him, not attracted to him.
If I'd friend-zoned Raul right away, would they have gotten to know each other?
Now he was probably marked as evil or something.
Shaking my thoughts off, I focused on her.
"Is he a bad guy?" Great, just what I was worried about. Was he the bad guy? If he was then I was the villain as well. That settled it, I didn't know how to answer her question. "I...I don't know."
"But he liked you, didn't he?" Her questions didn't take time to leave her lips. She crunched her fries while staring at me, I almost thought she envisioned as those potatoes fries disintegrating in her mouth. Shifting in my seat, I looked down.
She noticed, I mean of course she did. He didn't exactly make an attempt to hide his feelings.
Shamefully, I nodded. "I admit, I should have told him off sooner and I didn't. That's why it was blown out of proportion.
Look, I don't think he's a bad guy. I just..
.he didn't respect the fact that I had a boyfriend and only wanted friendship.
But I was also to blame you know?" Taking a sip out of my water, I took an onion ring, nibbling on it.
"Do you guys still talk?" She asked again.
Well, I guess this was an interrogation or something.
I did kind of expecting it since I told her we would talk later.
She took that by the word! Huffing, I dusted the crumbs off my fingers.
"Nope."
"I think I'll just forget it." Willow Rue concluded after that and I chuckled, a bit taken aback by her immediate conclusion.
Forget about him? Here I was thinking I was lessening the issue.
"I want a gentleman." She muttered, blushing.
My eyebrows knitted in admiration. She was a beautiful lady, I had to admit it now and then.
"If you say so." I didn't want to pry further, but I knew someday she'd find her perfect gentleman.
Willow Rue was an amazing girl, so I didn't doubt that.
Having that conversation out of the way, we were able to talk about other things. Getting to know Willow Rue a bit more was nice.
"Now that's the smile I want to see." His smooth voice admitted softly, his hands wrapping around my waist in a comforting hug.
I hugged back, his hug as warm as I remember.
"Good evening, Evie," I said with a smile.
I was finally done with the test and I was so ecstatic to not wake up super early to read or watch baking videos. Phew!
Evie massaged my neck with one hand, "Good evening to you too, my love."
"How does it feel to be done with tests?
" He asked with a grin, opening the door for me.
Thanking him, I hopped in. True to his word, he came to pick me up today and I couldn't be more thankful, after two painstaking tests, I was physically too weak to start searching for a bus to come home.
"It was really tasking, and I almost made a huge mistake in one but the other went quite smoothly," I said, turning to him as he buckled up.
"But you corrected it, right?"
"Yeah! If not I'd be sulking right now. Never mind me, how did your day go?
Did you go to the mechanic shop? Oh, right, did you have a session today?
" I was intrigued about every part of his day.
During this test week, we hardly had time to talk and now that I was done, I wanted to know what I'd missed.
"Oh, which should I answer first?" He teased, starting the car.
Instinctively I put my hand on my lap, tracing circles around it.
"Oh, c'mon it's been a while since we spoke. This test stole most of my time with you."
Evie smiled, stealing a glance at me. "Well, my day went pretty good. I did go to the mechanic shop but I didn't stay so long because I had to visit Gabe about something. Then I was brainstorming on which shop to take you to. Also, I and Loren have decided to continue in a week."
"Oh? That's good. Wait, what do you mean which shop to take me to?
Oh my gosh, are we going shopping?!" His words made my ears tingle.
He wanted to take me shopping. Was there anything going on?
I hadn't been shopping in a while -- apart from those little runs to the mall and back.
My excitement couldn't be contained because I let out a loud squeal, clapping my hands.
"Where are we going? Are we going to your friend's wedding? A birthday party?"
This was so exciting!
"If I knew you'd be this excited I'd have done so sooner," Evie said after laughing. "Wait, is the shopping just for me? Like I get to pick? Oh, you're too kind!" Now interested in where we were going, I looked outside to see if it was a shop I knew.
"Well, it's no big event. This is just my way of appreciating you. And yes you get to pick, that's kind of the idea of taking you shopping." Squealing once more, my smile was now stretched wide as I anticipated the experience.
"Thank you. Thank you!"
"You're welcome, baby. We're here."
As he said this, I turned to see a cluster of malls. They were all my favourite malls in one street! Holding in a scream, I brought my palms to my face. "This is so thoughtful, Evie this is so thoughtful. Thank you."
"Like a kid in a candy store." He teased, parking the truck.
Laughing, I nudged him. "Stop, it's your fault.
" Evie snorted, getting out of the truck; I was too excited to wait for him so I jumped out as well, skipping to meet him.
"I'll get a very pretty dress and we can go on a date sometime!
That would be nice, wouldn't it?" I asked and he hummed, squinting his eyes as though he was imagining it.
"It's like you read my mind." To be honest, I had been imagining going on dates with him, but I often got hesitant when thinking of what I'd wear.
"You read mine," I told him; we intertwined our hands, walking into one of the shops.
The scent of new clothes made my toes tingle. The shop was quite spacious and sold mostly summer clothes and bikinis. Still holding onto his hand, I pulled him towards the summer dresses section. My favourite.
They came in all different sizes and patterns, the designs varied too.
Brushing my free hand over the soft cotton, I nodded in approval.
The material was quality as expected. "You're a size medium, right?
" Everest asked, stretching his hand to pull out a short blue gown which had a corset-like fitting on the waist.
It was a gamble because sometimes I was a medium and sometimes a large.
"Well...it's kinda in between medium small and large, I'll just have to fit it to see.
Do you like this one?" I asked, pointing at the one he had.
Like an eager boy, he nodded, a smile stretching across his face.
"This would look good on you." Taking it from him, I measured it by placing it on my body and the dress barely reached my knee.
Chuckling at his taste, I put it into the basket he was dragging with his other hand.
"If you like it, then I'll try it on later."
He grinned, pecking my cheeks.
"Oh! What of this? It's a bit elegant and flirty.
" It was a long gown which had a slit up until the thigh, the waist area was fitted and a strap securing the front part of the dress.
I could imagine myself in this with a pair of platforms. "How do you like it?
" I asked, it made me feel giddy when he loved my choices.
Just like now, how his eyes sparkled as though he was imagining me in it.
"I'm sold." He teased with a wink.
"How about a pair of bikinis?" He asked when we were about to pass the aisle. Humming, I arched my eyebrows. "Are you planning on taking me swimming, Mr. Simon?" He chuckled at this, "Maybe, hope you can at least float."
"I float gracefully, but if I attempt any more than that, I start gagging up the chlorine water," I remembered the last time I tried to swim, it was safe to say I made half the people there scared of being a suspect because I was so close to drowning.
It would be nice to learn how to swim, but. ..I'd prefer to float.
"Oh, you can't swim? Baby, that's the basic life skill. It's just like...riding a bicycle." I scoffed, "No it's not. It's a survival skill."
"Same thing." Everest deadpanned.
Rolling my eyes, I stuck my tongue out at him. Life skills and survival skills were different, I didn't care. He smirked, going ahead to look through the bikinis ever so casually. "Isn't this supposed to be a surprise?" I asked, folding my arms. "Is it?" He hummed.
Chuckling at his attempt of feigning innocence, I picked out two pairs, trying to debate on which I preferred but Evie interrupted, saying I could pick the two which I so gladly did.
This feeling reminded me of when I'd go shopping with my dad and he'd avoid picking which shoe was the best by just getting both.
That childlike feelings were still there and the best part was that I felt safe being so giddy with him. I knew he wouldn't mock me or call me childish. It was frankly one of the best feelings. Quietly, I tapped his forearm.
"Do you want to check them out--" I pressed my lips against his cheeks, cutting him off midway. He cleared his throat, looking flustered but covered it up skillfully with a sly smile of his own, mirroring mine. "What was that for?"
"I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you, a lot."
He grinned, not bothering to cover up the fact that he was blushing. Moving his head a couple of inches down, he pecked my cheeks as well. "I appreciate you too, my love." Sighing, I let our cheeks press against each other, gently massaging his hair.
"How about I go try these on?" I asked after a bit and he eagerly nodded.
"Can I come?" His question made me laugh. Shrugging, I pulled him along.
The way he trailed after me like a puppy was nothing short of adorable. Everest sat down eagerly, waiting for me to try on the dresses I had picked out. We were in a private changing area so it was just the two of us. Smiling to myself, I began to undress from my school clothes.
"You know, I heard from a little birdie that a pretty lady's birthday is coming soon." I heard Evie trail off as I picked up the blue corset gown. A birthday? When he said this, it was as though I was brought back to the reality of time. This was November! My birthday was in November.
Yikes, was it today? I quickly brought out my phone, checking the date; a breath of relief left me but was soon replaced with tense shoulders.
My birthday is tomorrow! How had time passed that much and why wasn't I keeping track as per usual?
! He seemed to hear me gasp when I checked my phone because he chuckled.
"Did you forget, little lady?" He asked again, his teasing tone meeting me in the changing room.
"It's tomorrow? I completely forgot! It's just—the test has been so draining and a lot has been happening.
Oh my, is that why Kaji and Binta kept talking how I'd spend Saturday and I didn't understand why.
" I rambled, pacing around. I didn't have anything planned!
Well, honestly I couldn't even think of how I'd like to spend my birthday.
Usually I'd spend them with Darrick or at home, downing a hidden plate of brownies before Abel would get me my favorite fruit cake and sing for me. My birthdays were usually...just fine. It often reminded me of how I'd spend them when I was younger. We would have a party and everything.
"How do you want to spend your birthday?
" Everest asked gently. With a deep breath, I put on the corset gown, wrapping my braids in a bun while letting two pieces drop.
How did I want to spend my birthday? To be honest I never had anything planned, I would be fine going to my favorite pastry shop or watching a movie.
Now that I was with Evie, I'd just love to spend it with him.
Slowly, I pulled open the curtain, walking out.
The blue dress clung to my waist; the corset structure lifting up my cleavage and making me stand up right. The lower part of the gown flailed until it stopped a few inches above my knee. The gown had detailed designs on the waist and I admired how pretty it made me look.
Evie seemed equally as satisfied because he kept staring.
I didn't need to hear his words because I read his eyes as it said he loved the gown.
"Wow, you look..." He uttered almost breathless, getting up to walk closer to me.
The way his eyes were trained on me made me feel shy.
Giggling, I rocked the ball of my feet. "You like it?
"I twirled around playfully and he held my palms.
"You look beautiful. I knew it'd look good on you." He said, kissing my palms when I was done twirling; this made me giggle again.
"You haven't answered my question, sweetheart." He mumbled against my palms.
"Oh! My birthday? Well, I honestly don't mind anything. How about we spend it together? Are you going to be free tomorrow?" I asked hopefully. It was be great if he didn't have to go to the mechanic workshop today.
"Of course I am. I cleared up my schedule."
My smile widened.
"Really?" This was my first birthday I'd be spending with him. His hand clasped both sides of my waist, pulling me closer. "Yes, really." Everest whispered, placing a gentle kiss on my nose. Gazing up at him, I admired his handsome face; his brown eyes taking in every inch of me.
Hearing that he was going to be free made me feel all giddy inside. I was actually looking forward to my birthday. "I'm glad." I tell him honestly and he laughs.
"You're adorable."