ANNTONIA's POV
She rolled her eyes, groaning out loud and slamming her book shut when she read Michelle's message.
This was the third time this week alone, not to count the other four times last week. At this point, she wasn't even going to fight her on this anymore. The sooner she get this over with, the sooner she could get back to her study time. Besides, she had plans tonight and she definitely didn't want the girl interfering with those.
As soon as she sent her reply, she's already halfway out of the door.
She rolled her eyes again as if Michelle could see her doing it.
So she wasn't the brunch kind of person huh? What an absolute shock.
But she was getting tired of this little charade of theirs in which she had to save her ass when the girls she picked to date turned up to be too much of a complication for her. But if she had to be completely honest to herself, she had to admit it was fun at times. She disapproved of how Michelle was treating those girls, like they were some disposable pair of socks, but she considered herself their savior. Because she saved them from an awkward morning after and from weeks of waiting for a phone call that would never come.
This was silly. She thought.
She didn't know what the girl was so scared of when she did brunch with her and Freen every weekend and she'd never seemed particularly scared of it. But then again, this was why she was slowly starting to feel safe in their friendship. The fact that Michelle could do brunch with her meant she wasn't taking her seriously. At least not in the way that mattered. That indifference of her towards her was what kept her safe. Or so, that's what she liked to think.
Wrapped in thought, she made it to the café whose address Michelle had texted earlier. And before walking in, she took half a second to run the scenario of the act she was gonna pull off this time. Just because she disagreed with the girl's methods didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the process. Besides, she made sure that the process involved punishment for said methods.
Smirking to herself, she walked inside. It didn't take her long to spot her friend and was instantly drawn to her misery like a bee to the honey. Right next to her was sitting a girl that she had come to recognize as her exact type. Long hair, long legs, a tank top that was anything but modest, a whole lot layers of make-up. For a second, she wondered what the hell it was with men and gay women like about that. But it dawned on her that this kind of people were easy prey, easy to get into bed and easy to leave in the morning. It didn't excuse the behavior, but it explained it. People like Michelle never really went for girls like herself, she thought. Feisty and opinionated. Not even the girl, who was the very definition of a dirty womanizer, had dared venture so far and honestly, she didn't mind. Intimidating unworthy people for a living was her favorite way to pass the time.
For a moment, she checked her watch. It's half past 10 so better to get this over with. She was already in a rush.So she put on her best act and an angry face and started making her way toward their table. At her sight, Michelle did her best not to look too relieved to see her and before she could open her mouth to say anything, she grabbed her drink and splashed it in her face. The look of utter shock at the girl's face followed by sheer resignation was just precious.
Serves you right, Michelle Dee! She said to herself in a mock.
"You fucking bitch! Cheater!" She started yelling, not even bothering to keep her voice down or to struggle not to make a scene. It wasn't herself she was embarrassing at the first place though. "How could you?!"
"Ann—" Michelle tried, wiping her face and reaching for her, but she stepped out of her reach.
Oh my God, I'm getting good at this.
If this law school thing didn't work out for her, she could easily pursue a career in acting because she even mustered a few tears. All in all, she was pretty proud of her performance.
"Ann, please. Let me explain." Michelle said in a begging tone and she almost laughed at her but she firmly hold her self. Her act shouldn't have gone to waste. No way.
"Don't dare fucking touch me! How could you, Daniela!? We had brunch with my parents tomorrow, for crying out loud and what??? Just to caught you with someone else?! Fucking cheater!"
She gave her all in this performance and she saw Michelle's eyes flicker with amusement and her shoulders tense with held back laughter and, at the edge of her peripheral vision, she saw her date let out a gasp and shock painted all over her face.
"Your name is Daniela?" the girl shrieked and it took every ounce of her self-control to not burst into obnoxious laughter. "I thought you said it was Myrtle."
"And you bought that? That's the name of the ghost in the bathroom in Hogwarts!" She looked at Michelle's date incredulously, breaking characters for just a second. Where did she even find these kind of girls anyway? "Unbelievable. You know what Daniela? I'm out of here. Good luck finding another girl who'll love you despite your anorgasmia!"
And because she was totally positive she couldn't top that scene, it felt like the perfect time to storm off. So she started turning around.
"Hey! It's a medical condition," she heard Michelle's voice follow her and she could barely hold back the laughter until she was out of the café. This one had been one of the good ones and she wished she still had the time to wait for her friend and laugh it off together, but she was on a clock.
She was already quite a few corners away the café when her phone buzzed in her pocket, Michelle's contact name popping up on her screen. She should've known. Hers was the only rejection she seemed to take hard.
"Anorgasmia? Really???" The gleeful voice on the other line greeted her when she picked up and she laughed whole-heartedly.
"I don't have time to think of other things. Besides, you can't put boundaries on art."
"I bet," Michelle mocked. "But it was still better than last time when you slapped me."
"Or the time before that when I throw the whole bowl of risotto on you." She reminded her and then proceeded with a laugh that she had been holding since earlier. She heard the girl groaned at the memory.
"You're enjoying this way too much huh?"
"Well, that's the price you have to pay for my services, my friend,"
"Yeah, I guess. But why'd you bail and leave, though? What happened to our post-humiliation drinks?"
She shook her head at that. It had indeed become a sort of tradition between them that after she got Michelle out of the date, she bought her drinks and they spent the whole time joking around. Not once had she lectured her about her bad habits when it came to toying with girls though. Partly because she knew Michelle was a lost cause, so there was no point to even bother at all, so she could settle for saving as many girls from her sexy clutches as she could. But then, again, it wasn't just that. There was something about her friend that made her break her own typical rules. There was just something about her that drew her in, despite her being everything she stood against. So since those two matters cancelled each other out, she was forced to take a couple different stands. Nothing too radical. She was still bound to kick Michelle's ass whenever she needed bailing from a date. But two months ago, she never would've imagined being friends with someone like her; a play girl and heartbreaker, let alone begin to trust her. She was changing her. Slowly, but surely and she wasn't sure she liked that.
"Well," she shook away those thoughts. "I have a date tonight so I need to catch few hours of beauty rest before I get ready." She answered cheerfully but suddenly, Michelle fell silent for a few heartbeats, making her wonder if she'd hung up.
"Y-you have a d-date?" Hint of disappointment and sadness can be felt in Michelle's voice but she brushed it off and rolled her eyes.
"Yep. I do have a date." she replied a bit sharper than she'd intended. "You know, like those you have about 15 of a day?"
"I didn't mean it like that," Michelle was quick to defend himself. "I just... Didn't you said you hate the idea of it? Is it a girl or a guy?"
She huffed as the sudden inquisition and same old assumption.
"I don't hate dating, Dee. I just don't take shit and it's not my fault most of people I met are full of it. But last time I checked, I was neither an anti-romantic nor nun. I am tragically still like to date someone who caught my interest. And it's a guy. His name's Irfan."
"Huh," was all Michelle had to offer, confusing her at some point.
Wait, what was up with that reaction?
"I see. Well, text me if you need me to repay the favor and save your ass." Michelle said lazily but that made her laughed out loud at the idea.
What a joke.
"Yeah, like that's gonna happen. Unlike you, I know how to pick a good shot. I have standards, remember?"
"We'll I never meant to imply otherwise, Brownie," the girl said, her tone still a bit weird in a way that she didn't know what to make of, but again, she let it go. Michelle will always be Michelle and she's acting weird. "Well then. Have fun."
"I intend to."
***
This had to be the worst date in the history of her dates. But it's not because the guy was bad. He wasn't at all. He was handsome, well put together and a perfect gentleman that at some point, she actually wished he could say something like how women belonged in the kitchen so that she could give him a piece of her mind and storm off, but he just had to be so goddamn sweet.
The only problem was, Irfan was so fucking boring.
She could basically feel her eyelids falling and had to constantly pinch her thigh to stop herself from falling asleep. The guy was a good fellow, but he just couldn't read a room. Like, if a girl is all but snoring at your stories about soccer, maybe it's time you take a hint and change the subject.
"Can you believe some people don't actually consider soccer to be a fun sport?" Irfan expressed, shaking his head as his brow furrowed.
"Hardly." She answered plainly as she downed her vodka.
"I know, right?" The guy kept working on his steak, completely oblivious to her sarcasm. "If anything, it's one the most fun sports to watch out there."
That was it. If she had to sit here through one more speech about soccer, she was gonna crack his head open with a fork and knife. Subtly, she pulled out her phone under the table and typed a quick text to Michelle.
SOS! It said.
Then she added the address to the restaurant, hoping the son of a bitch had the decency to pull off the same schemes she'd been pulling for her for the past weeks.
After her message was sent, she let out a deep sigh. Suddenly, she hate what she's feeling. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with Irfan. Sure, he was as interesting as a brick, but she couldn't hold that against him. Not everyone could read the same books she did, not everyone could hold a conversation about The Great Gatsby for hours on end and not everyone could sit through her rant about Harry Potter while offering arguments about its depth or lack of, for that matter. And it dawned on her that not everyone could be Michelle Dee.
The thought nearly sent her into a fit of rage because why would she think that way? She didn't need Michelle in her life. In fact, she'd done her best to avoid people like her all her life. Not Michelle's sexuality, but her attitude and behavior.
But it wasn't like that, she tried to convince herself.
She'd had fun with the girl for the past two months, more than she'd ever had with anyone. she hate that she just added another standard to an already growing list. Turns out, she now needed someone who could make her laugh, as well as challenge her in ways she'd never even thought about.
Just as the thought caught shape in her head minutes later, a familiar figure burst into the restaurant, sprinting toward their table.
Woah! Talk about a dramatic entrance.
She didn't have time to react or to prepare a portfolio of reactions for whatever scenarios Michelle could've come up with when she caught her hand and pulled her out of her chair.
"I've been looking for you. For God's sake you gotta come with me!"
Michelle rushed on, breathless. "Your dorm's on fire. The whole thing is burning. There's firefighters, ambulances everywhere. Hurry the fuck up!"
The girl didn't even wait for her reaction when she pulled her after him, not even waiting for Irfan to react. She paused and looked over her shoulder at him.
Oh God, this poor guy didn't deserve what we're was doing to him. She told herself.
"Sorry!" she called over at him. "I'll call you." She added with a telephone hand sign and he just nodded with a worried expression on his face.
Michelle didn't wait for the guy's answer when she pulled her out of the restaurant, still running down the street until they were a couple of corners away and when they were at a safe distance that there was no risk of her date walking out and finding them there, the both of them leaned against the wall and burst into laughter.
"That was—" she tried to articulate a sentence and was immediately cut off by another waterfall of giggles.
"Better than anything you could ever pull off, you gotta admit," Michelle finished the sentence for her, still shaking with laughter herself.
"No! That was stupid and crazy! Fire really?" She shook her head at her.
When she looked sideways and their gazes met. And for a tiny moment, they both froze. But it wasn't like in the movies. It wasn't romantic or magical or charged or whatever your typical romance novel sells. No. It was a challenge. For what it's worth, they both smiled slowly at each other because the spark of adventure still fresh in their bones. The night was young. And they'd both ditched their dates today. Thinking about it, she didn't believe in destiny or the universe, but she was pretty sure tonight was meant to be spent with Michelle Dee, whether she wanted to or not.
And if she's being honest, she wanted to.