Pedri

01

Catalina let out a deep sigh as she surveyed the scene before her. The shoddy house party she had decided to attend on a whim had turned out to be a complete bust, and the only person she had come with had run off with some guy, leaving her stranded and alone. She knew she should have been more responsible; after all, she had an early morning class to attend the next day. But after having her college experience cut short by the pandemic, she was determined to make the most of her time now that classes had resumed in 2021.

Resigned to the fact that she wasn't going to get her college experience back that night, she made her way over to the kitchen and took a seat on a bar stool, away from the noisy crowd. She absentmindedly scrolled through her phone. She didn't have a single drink tonight, causing her to feel grateful that she would at least be able to function properly the next morning.

"Can I have some water?" a voice interrupted her thoughts.

Catalina looked up to see a guy standing in front of her, his arms resting on bar. She bristled at his request but quickly composed herself, replying curtly, "I'm not a bartender. Get whatever you want."

He didn't seem fazed by her response, instead, he leaned in closer, "I know, but your arms are on the case of water."

Catalina inwardly cringed at her mistake, quickly removing her arms from the case.

As she watched him take out a water bottle, her gaze slowly trailed up to his face. If she was going to embarrass herself, it better be in front of someone ugly. But he was far from it. His chiseled features and piercing eyes made her heart skip a beat.

For a moment, she struggled to place where she had seen him before. But then, it clicked.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands once in excitement.

He raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by her sudden outburst. "Oh?"

"I know who you are," Catalina confessed, "Sort of. I've just seen you around."

He blinked slowly, clearly intrigued. "Who am I?"

Catalina flashed him a mischievous smile, "We share the same class, HR504, right?"

"I don't go here."

Catalina laughed, "I'm kidding. I do know who you are."

"I don't think I believe you,"

"Is your first name actually Pedri or is it something else?" Catalina asked.

"It's Pedro," He answered.

"Then how did Pedri come along? Is it your last name?"

Pedri shook his head, "My grandma called me that, and when I was at school, there were two Pedros, so I just went by that. It stuck."

Catalina nodded, grabbing a water bottle for herself.

"It's only fair if I know your name as well," Pedri said, breaking the silence.

"Catalina," she replied after taking a sip of water.

"I like it," Pedri said with a grin, "I've never met a Catalina before."

"It's a boring name," Catalina shurgged, "How in the world did you get here?"

"It's a long story," Pedri shook his head leaning on the counter, "What about you?"

"My friend dragged me here, God knows where she went. This party's so dead."

"You're right. I was honestly just about to leave after getting the water."

"Same! I was just about to book my Uber."

"Thank God, I was starting to feel bad for wanting to leave. I've only been here for half an hour."