The Odds | ✓

1

aden is not in love with neo

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Aden is not in love with Neo.

He just has a crush.

The said crush is moon-sized, but still.

His best friend would say otherwise, but then again, Jia just likes teasing him. It's kind of a shame because he can't talk to her about how fluffy he thinks Neo's hair looks, or how he feels like his heart is going to burst out of his chest when Neo drinks his extra-sweet drinks with a twinkle in his eye, or how he has one dimple instead of two that appears on his right cheek when he smiles.

Okay, maybe Aden knows why Jia thinks he's in love with Neo.

But he's not. He just has a crush.

It's weird, though, because Aden and Neo aren't friends. Even if they live in the same neighborhood. And go to the same school. They have for as long as Aden can remember.

But again, not that weird. Considering Aden is really, really shy.

A coward is what you are, is what Jia would say, but that isn't the point. Aden just finds it a little hard to talk to new people. Doesn't everyone? Plus, Aden doesn't understand the need for more than one friend.

Besides, Jia is already a handful.

Another weird thing is that Aden hasn't felt this way for Neo since the beginning. They've been acquaintances for a while, but ever since Aden started working at the local café — which was over two months ago — and found out that Neo was a regular there, things started to change.

Aden can't pinpoint the exact moment when he looked at Neo one day and went, 'ah, shit', but maybe his newfound crush on the boy has something to do with the fact that the Neo he saw in school was always put together. He walked a certain way, he talked a certain way. His hair was perfect, his smile subtle. As if he was aware that there were eyes on him at all times.

The Neo that came to the café, though? He wore hoodies too big for his slender body. His hair was a mess that needed to be pushed out of his baby blue eyes every few minutes, his smile wide enough to put all of his teeth on display, and he always had a pair of round glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

And he talked to Aden.

It took eight weeks, but Aden has finally decided that he needs to do something about his crush. He can't just stare at Neo creepily from behind the counter all his life, right? Besides, it's a plus that he already knows Neo likes guys.

He's had boyfriends before.

Aden hasn't.

So he sighs.

Fifteen minutes until Neo came to the café and ordered his usual grilled cheese sandwich with a banana milkshake.

He fiddles with his phone, looking at Jia's text for the umpteenth time.

dude . remember
u just have to slip ur number in his sandwich
do it for the gays

jiaaaa i'm nervous. and i have a bad feeling about this,

do u wanna confess f2f

no!! :<

then shut up <3

He can almost imagine her lightly smacking the back of his head before giving him a stern look. So he sighs again, and waits for the familiar tinkle of the bell on the door to alert him of Neo's presence.