It's Not What It Looks Like

ᴇɪɢʜᴛ | ʟᴇᴛ ɪᴛ ꜱɴᴏᴡ

The girl in question looks doe-eyed at the gesture.

"For me?" She asks, slightly bewildered.

Silena almost rolls her eyes. Who else would it be for? It's not as though she made two cups of coffee all for herself, and then just passed one to Mena for safekeeping.

She doesn't roll her eyes, and she doesn't say that. It's far too early for words, anyway. Instead, she just pushes the mug into Mena's hands again, this time with more decisiveness.

Mena smiles, and silently brings the cup to her lips.

Her silence, much like her coffee, never lasts very long.

She hums around the rim.

"Who knew you'd make such a sweet fake girlfriend, dollface?"

Silena glares at her over her shoulder, running a brush through her hair.

"Not everything is about you," she says, although this particular thing admittedly kind of is. "I made too much and thought I'd bring you the leftover."

Mena quirks an eyebrow.

"But you don't like coffee."

"I find it perfectly tolerable."

Mena tilts her head, clearly more amused than she's allowed to be.

"Uh-huh. Aren't you lactose intolerant, though?"

Silena turns around, sufficiently silencing her with a particularly nasty look. Mena raises one of her hands in mock surrender, but she's still smiling as she takes the next sip. And then another. And another. And then the entire thing is empty, in a matter of what could very well be milliseconds.

Silena silently thinks of all the laws of nature that are being broken, and of all the sugar presently making its way through her roommate's veins.

"Good?"

Mena nods, eyes bright.

"Best coffee I've ever had."

Figures.

The combination of sugar, caffeine, and Mena's overall Mena-ness makes itself known all through their ride to school. But unlike the morning a few days ago, when she genuinely contemplated jumping out of the car and simply walking to school in freezing cold, Silena finds that she doesn't mind.

In fact, she nearly enjoys it.

Nearly.

At some point throughout Mena and dad's conversation, she catches herself smiling for no reason at all. She frowns as soon as she realises, of course. Still, Lucy is already looking at her with a devious glint in her eyes, and Silena knows that the damage has been done.

"Silena has a cruuuush."

Damn it.

Whoever created younger siblings must have had a great laugh about it after being given the title of hell's employee of the month. They steal your toys, take all of your clothes, and then stab you in the back with a smile on their dumb, cute little faces.

"No, I don't," she says, "Shut your mouth."

Lucy giggles.

Silena looks up, and meets Mena's teasing gaze in the rearview mirror.

The girl quirks her eyebrow.

"Oh? Tell us about your crush, Silena."

She spoke too soon. Morning car rides are awful after all. Even dad seems to be enjoying this, and Silena crosses her arms over her chest.