Invisible String

Chapter 2

His ebony eyes soften. His hair is different, a bit longer but not too long. He definitely got a few shades darker, probably from the hot Californian sun. 

"Hey Angie!" Even his voice was deeper.

"Hey David!" I pause, not knowing what to do with everyone staring..."How's engineering treating you?" David was always smart, so it was no surprise that he got into one of the best schools out of state. 

"Exams were a breeze! I'm having a lot of fun there...Have you started applying yet?" He replied. A smirk on his face appeared. He knew I've always wanted to go to California for school.

"Yeah! I-" Of course I get interrupted.

"Food is ready! You guys can catch up at the dinner table." Mama instructed, so we did as we were told.

I match David by sitting across the dinner table from him. There's obviously the dumplings, turkey roast, stuffing, wine, but also mochi and my favourite japanese gummies. 

"Cheers!" Uncle Kenny starts. This is followed by a wave of cheers and clinking of wine glasses.

"So David, which Californian schools do you recommend for Angie? She has started applying to some." Baba asks. I roll my eyes, not again. Dad has always wanted me to be more like David. David this, David that. I already started some applications, including CalTech. I didn't want to talk about it during the holiday, especially tonight.

"Which ones Angie?" David eyes gleamed.

"I haven't decided yet...I really just want a school with a good science degree and a nice campus". I can feel my cheeks starting to glow, this never happens.

"I recommend CalTech, come follow my footsteps Angie. They also have cute guys on campus". He winks before laughing to himself. This dude is hilarious.

"There you go Angie! You can find yourself a Californian boyfriend!" I glare at my dad, my cheeks getting rosier. I can only glare to hide my embarrassment but I secretly agree in my head. CalTech is known for STEM specialization, after all it has tech in the school name. Finding a cute guy from the West Coast would also be a plus.

"I'll put that on my list". I cheekily reply.

I keep filling my plate full of food, half of it just being dumplings. I have to stop myself from swallowing the plate. It takes me a second to reflect all the stress I've had since this summer. As much as I didn't want to admit it, David and I got super close over the last two months before he left. It was a different dynamic. It was as if we voluntarily wanted to hang out, instead of being forced to by our moms. We hiked a bunch, he danced when I wanted him to, we stayed up way too late together or on the phone, and David even drove me to when I wanted to. Anytime. Anywhere. But it halted the last week before he left. He had a dumb excuse for why he couldn't see me and I had an unexpected sleepover with my best friend Olivia at her cottage. We never ever discussed what we were that summer, if anything. That's why I was so nervous seeing him again. I can feel the ice melting and the tension softening, but who knows? On top of it, applying to so many colleges have been stressing me out. I've been so focused on my classes and my applications, so that I didn't need to think about David and the summer.

The parents continue discussing at the dinner table. Where was I planning to go to? What was David's roommate like? Interest rates, taxes, death... blah blah blah. I head to the living room with my mochi to watch some Vampire Diaries on the TV and I can feel the footsteps behind me...