Unknown Beauty | ✔️

Chapter Twelve: Beautiful

Callie was determined that my suspicions weren't true and I could only hope this wouldn't end up to be unrequited... like. Sappy and cheesy and ridiculous, but at least no-one could hear my thoughts.

~~~

The three found themselves wandering around from shop to shop, Calbee being the most successful in finding items she desired. Laden in bags of all shapes, sizes, materials, and colours, they sat down at a nearby coffee shop.

Fallon huffed a sigh as Calbee spoke up, "Whoa, I must've broke my record, three hours of shopping... I'm glad you guys could be here for this momentous occasion," she remarked, eyes sparkling comically as the other two looked at her flatly in disagreement.

"That was hell," Asher groaned, face-palming.

He was confident that his face was flat by now by all the smacking he'd done to it, "I regret inviting you out."

At that comment, Fallon looked down at the table guiltily. She had been taken aback when he asked her out on what she now potentially realised could have been a date, but going so far as to invite another person without consent? Fallon felt terrible.

Calbee seemed to realise the tense atmosphere and quickly stood up from her seat, "I'm going to get us some coffees, and hot chocolate for you, Autumn."

The remaining two mumbled brief words of gratitude before settling back into the uncomfortable air suffocating them. Just then, a little girl walked by, stopping at their table as her doe-like eyes gazed up at them. She wore a shirt and jeans with copious amounts of colour, and her hair was accented with mini, polkadot bows.

Her curly pigtails swung from side to side as she spoke, addressing Fallon with a frown, "I'm not scary," she blinked innocently as Fallon turned away, almost regretfully with her hood pulled down as far as it would go.

Asher decided to step in, "She's just shy, why don't you go sit back with mummy and daddy and have that juice box over there?" he said with a faked smile.

The little girl shrugged adorably and skipped off, her positive attitude creating an impenetrable aura around her.

Turning his eyes to Fallon, he shook his head, "How are you so shy to the point of cowering away from little girls? C'mon, Fallon."

Fallon shifted in her seat, bowing her head even more as she felt her eyes well up with tears of anxiousness. She was always a crybaby, and her current situation didn't exactly help the habit fade away.

"Fallon, why do you think you're ugly?" Asher questioned quietly, head tilting to the side in interest, or confusion.

"Because I am," she mumbled immediately under her breath, deciding he deserved an answer.

He sighed deeply and shook his head, "No, you're not. I don't know why you have this mindset drilled into your head but it's not true," this time he nudged her lightly, tempting her to look up.

Afraid the tears might fall, she refused and looked down at the smooth, wooden table. To reply, she quickly shook her head while desperately blinking her eyes to shoo away the tears, leaning down in her hoodie, even as her back ached from the position.

Where is Calbee? She wondered to herself. She sure was taking her time.

A few metres away, stuck at the back of the line, Calbee hummed a song quietly to herself before glancing over and seeing their interaction. Asher leant across the table to whisper something to Fallon. Calbee smiled to herself. The two of them were sure to get together soon and start dating, the undeniable liking they had acquired for each other was so blatant. And then, she would get her candy-floss after having won the bet she and Fallon had made ages ago.