Friday
After climbing up the apartment stairs to the third floor, Kirsten walked straight up to room 5C and knocked on the door. When the door flung open, a good-looking, curly brown-haired guy in gray Columbia University sweatshirt and black sweatpants appeared behind the door and a smile immediately curved up as he spotted her there.
"Hey, Kirsy!" His greeting sounded more like a cheer.
"Hi, Harley," Kirsten greeted back. "Thanks for buzzing me in."
"Sure." Harley stepped aside and jovially gestured her to come inside. "C'mon in, c'mon in."
She thanked him again as she got in.
"I'm sure Joey will come back from his classes anytime soon," he informed as he closed the door. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable?"
Just like every time she dropped by Joey and Harley's apartment, Harley started to be busy offering her any food and beverage they had there. After making herself comfortable—like he permitted—on the living room couch, she picked up one of the milk tarts from a rectangular box on the coffee table that he was so eager for her to have a taste.
"Hey, this tastes really good," Kirsten acknowledged after taking the first bite. "What's this?"
"I know, right." A smile spanned across Harley's face as he joined her on the couch after setting two cups of hot chocolate bomb beside the milk tart box. "My dad just got back from his business trip in Bali and he sent me many boxes of these milk tarts yesterday. You can take a box home if you want."
"Thanks," she chirped.
"So, what are you and Joe up to tonight?" he asked.
"We're going to check on my dad's birthday present. You want to join us?" Kirsten took another bite on her milk tart.
Harley gave her a dismissive shrug. "Nah, I'm good."
"Yeah, I can see why," she chuckled, "with you being all comfortable already in your sweatpants at 4:00 in the afternoon."
"Going to enjoy my last Friday night before exam comes."
After a satisfying show of marshmallow explosion from a chocolate bomb, Kirsten opened a new topic by asking, "By the way, I heard you won the photography contest last week."
Harley obviously held back a proud smile. "Yeah, I did."
"That's so cool! Congrats, Harley! Bet it was one hell of a shot, huh?" She cast him a meaningful look. "I saw you teaching some pretty Latina girl how to use the camera at campus café during lunch a couple days ago."
"What, who?" The next second, his eyebrows wrinkled as he shook his head. "Ah, yes. She's my classmate, she came to me to learn basic photography."
Smiling teasingly, Kirsten nodded her head. "Smooth."
"What?" Harley shrugged. "Seemed like she genuinely wanted to learn. I was just being nice."
"Let me guess. She didn't bring a camera?"
"She said she forgot."
"She didn't show you any of her shots?"
"She told me she didn't have nice portfolio."
"Did she ask you to meet up there at the café?"
"Well, yeah, she said it'd be cold outside."
Sighing, Kirsten shook her head as she didn't understand why this guy in front of her could be so clueless about this. Joey had once told her that Harley was this big ladies' man, but the truth she could see from knowing him for a year was Harley was just too friendly that he wasn't aware he might lead the girls to the wrong intentions.
"Listen, Harley," she stirred in her seat. "I know we haven't known each other for a long time and that well, but let me tell you something from a girl's perspective."
His head nodded slightly. "Okay."
"You're a little too... friendly. Since I first met you at mine and Joey's parents' wedding, you've always been so easy to talk to for a guy. If you weren't Joey's best friend, I'd definitely assume you as flirting with me that night."
His thick eyebrows rucked very deeply. "What? Why?"
"I don't know, it's just... the way you talk to girls, I think."
Sheer fluster shaped upon his face. "What's wrong with the way I talk?"
"It's fine, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just, for a guy like you, girls will think you're being flirty with them."
Harley fell silent, listening to her very intently with his stare fixated on her.
"See? You're doing it right now," Kirsten pointed out.
"What?" He shrugged, chuckling. "I didn't even say or do anything."
"Actually, it's not just the way you talk," Kirsten tried to explain. "I don't know, it's something about you. Your charm... your gesture... or, maybe your stare. I don't know."
Harley laughed, definitely not taking her seriously. "You're wrong, Kirsy."
Kirsten clicked her tongue. "I'm serious, Harley. I'm right about this."
"So, being kind is wrong, then?"
"No, but— I mean... Damn, I don't know how to say this to you." She racked her brain to seek the right words to elaborate this to him. "Tell me, then, if a girl you don't have feelings for asked you to go to the movie... or dinner, what would you do?"
"Well, it'd be rude to turn down a friend, right?"
"'A friend'?"
"If she wasn't a friend, she wouldn't ask me to go to the movie or dinner, would she?"
"Oh, okay," was her response because she was bemused by his answers. "So, what do you do to a girl you actually have feelings for?"
"Well, I ask her out on a date."
She peered at him. "And how's that different?"
"Simple, I never ask a girl I don't like to go on a date," he said matter-of-factly.
"Was there ever a girl saying 'no' to you when you asked her out? I figure never, huh?" Kirsten laughed.
He let out a faint laugh then went quiet, suddenly absorbed in thoughts. It looked like he was reminded of something. Or... someone?
"You know what," Harley slit the silence, "if she says 'no', I'll turn it into a 'yes'."
"Honestly, I really can't picture you with a girlfriend," she admitted bluntly. "I mean, wouldn't it make her feel less special if you walked around being a sweet gentleman to every girl you meet?"
He paused. Dwelling on her words, his eyes were no longer on her.
"You know what, my boyfriend is a very friendly guy, too. But, Liam—"
Suddenly, the sound of an abrupt movement at the front door made their heads turn to the door. In a split second, Joey dashed into the apartment straight to his bedroom without looking around. Kirsten and Harley stirred on the couch while exchanging a baffled glance at each other. Not long, Joey marched out of his bedroom in a hurry with a gym bag in his hand.
Before he reached the front door, Kirsten shouted, "Joey!"
Joey made a lurching stop and looked at her direction. "Oh, hey, Kirsten. Didn't see you there. What are you doing here? Look, I'd like to stay and chat, but I'm kind of in a hurry here."
She frowned, springing to her feet. "What the hell? Where are you going?"
"To my practice. Now, if you'll excuse me—"
"What? But we were supposed to go check on Daddy's birthday present fifteen minutes ago!"
Joey froze for a moment then clapped his palm to his forehead while his mouth made a wide 'O', realization washing over his face. "Dammit! I'm sorry, Kirsten, I forgot to tell you I couldn't go. My last practice this semester has been rescheduled from yesterday to..." He checked his watch. "Oh, in ten minutes."
She gasped. "But we already made plan last Sunday!"
"Exactly!" He threw his unoccupied hand in the air. "You didn't give me any reminder."
Kirsten snorted as she clenched her fists beside her thighs, her molars grounded together so furiously. It got her indignant how Joey had made her wait for almost thirty minutes for him, but it turned out he had forgotten their plan just like that. He was unbelievable. Indignation inside her caused her to go speechless.
"I can go with you, Kirsy," Harley came to the rescue.
"Well, it's settled, then! Thanks, bro." Joey patted Harley's shoulder then spun to her who was still giving him a nasty look. "Later, sis. I'm going now, the captain can't be late."
Without waiting for her response, Joey darted off the apartment and left Kirsten and Harley behind. Quietness cloaked the room for a few seconds after Joey shut the door.
"Let me go get changed first, okay, Kirsy?" Harley said casually.
When he was about to walk away, she stopped him. "Nah, it's okay, Harley. I don't feel like going anymore."
"Are you serious? I really don't mind taking you, though."
Kirsten waved her hand dismissively. "Seriously. I'm just going to tell the store to deliver it to LA now." She sighed heavily. "Well, I should go."
"I'm sorry. You can stay here if you want. Or do you want me to walk you home?"
She threw him a little smile. "I'm good. Thanks, Harley." With that, she walked out of his apartment.
***
(to be continued)