"We meet the people we're supposed to when the time is just right."
— Alyson Noel, Shadowland
I can still remember the day when my mother told me to "socialize" with other kids in my age when I was eight. My only friends back then were Cass, Max-Ernest and Yo-Yoji from The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch and Hiccup and his gang from How To Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell.
I was only eight when I already started reading immediate novels.
My mother told — actually forced — me to interact with other kids because that's healthy, and what I was doing wasn't— hiding in my bat cave.
I could still recall my feelings towards my mother back then — I loathed her of course — and what I did to the other kids who were supposed to be my playmates.
Let me tell you something, back then, I always bring scissors everywhere, not just a book. I bring scissors everywhere I went because what if there's an emergency? Like there's a loose thread in your shirt and you need scissors. Or you need an emergency haircut? Or what if you're trapped somewhere and the only way out is cutting through the walls? Then no need to worry because I have my mighty scissors here to help.
Anyway, the day I was forced to "socialize" with other mundane kids, I brought my scissors with me. And because I was snappy that day, I told my playmates, "let's play a game. I'm going to be your hairstylist and ya'll be my costumers, okay?"
The brats agreed with me and I did style their hairs.
Let's just say, the parents of the kids almost made my mom go to jail because of my actions, ergo, my mom confiscated my scissors. Ever since that day, I wasn't allowed to hold any scissors.
"So you wanna help me cut these?" Luke said, snapping me out of my thoughts, giving me a scissors.
I blinked twice. "Uhh, sure." I reached out my hand and grab the scissors out of his hand.
Luke suggested that we could spend our time here by doing something together. He recommended things to do like making DIY stuff. And since I love to read, he said we'll make some DIY bookmarks. We ran towards the art room and we collected the stuff we needed.
Ultimate silence covered the room except for the subtle sound of our scissors cutting colored papers.
"You know, I thought you would've laughed at my idea of doing something together." Luke said, breaking the silence.
"Why so?" I asked him, frowning yet still concentrating in cutting the paper.
"I thought you would think it's girly." He said, chuckling.
I stop cutting and look at him. "Girly? Well aren't you sexist." I shake my head and chuckle.
"I'm not sexist!" He protests.
"Then what did you think that I thought would be," — I say the next word like I'm disgusted, — "girly?"
"Because mostly, girls do DIYs not boys!" He points out.
I give him a stink-eye, "yeah right."
"Sexist." I murmur.
"I heard that!"
When we were done cutting the papers he said that we needed something to decorate it. I suggested glitters.
We found different colors of glitters and placed it on the work bench.
We sat down and started putting glitters.
Magnus Bane would love these.
I thought while I spread out glitters.
"Stop humming." Luke says abruptly.
I look at him, "I wasn't humming!"
"You were!" He argues. "You were humming the beach boys," he says and hums Wouldn't It Be Nice.
While he hums I sing along, "have to wait so long, and wouldn't it be nice to live together," — he stops humming but I still sang the rest, — "in the kind of world where we belong." I finish and give him a mocking smile.
"See?" He huffs loudly. "You even know the song!"
"Okay, I admit I was humming," I say and he pulls out his tongue. "But I wasn't aware. Nice, you know that song."
"Of course I do, if you have a mother who,"
"Always watches Fifty First Dates or anything that had Adam Sandler in it, you'll know." I finish his sentence. I continue, "however dear Luke, my father is the one who is addicted to Adam Sandler, not my mom." He stares at me, impressed.
"You're not that bad, sport." He praises me. "Isn't that a big coincidence that one of our parents is addicted to Adam Sandler and we both got snowed in here?" He asks me.
"Coincidence, it might be. Or maybe it's the universe telling us something."
"And what might that be?" He questions.
"That you're not the only one who's struggling with that kind of parents." I smile widely, showing off my teeth.
We get back to work and I notice that he starts humming the song I was humming so I smile at myself genuinely.
Minutes after, we were almost done, we just needed to make it more look like a bookmark.
While he was thinking, I thought of my precious books. I thought of what's Duncan and Kenna doing right now. I thought of that I could finish a book right now. I thought of that I'm wasting my time, so I suddenly said out loud, "why do we need to this again?"
Luke looks at me and frowns. "Because I was bored. No signal, so my phone is useless." I sigh, defeated.
I start to think about what could make the bookmarks look better but the awkward silence is getting on my nerves. "I'm not good at this!"
"Good at what?" He says, still continuing what he's doing.
"Once upon a time, my parents, they're both super friendly. When my mom was pregnant with Charlotte — my sister — she drunk up all the 'friendly' gene. So, when my mom was now carrying me, I didn't have any 'friendly' gene. Long story short, and to answer your question, I'm not good at socializing!" I spurt out.
"Yet we're doing it right now." He said, calmly.
"Look kid," he calls me and I grimace. "You're doing fine."
I roll my eyes as a reaction. "Okay, if you don't believe me I'll tell you something out of the blue."
"Pancakes." He says out loud, randomly.
I stare him like his a crazy person. "What about them?"
"Did you know that," He states and I murmur no. He glares at me and continues, "every Saturday morning, I eat at Omni's Bed & Breakfast."
"Wanna know why I eat there?" He asks me.
"Not really." I blunt out.
He glares at me again. "You know, I'm starting a conversation here." He claims, annoyed with my attitude.
"I wasn't aware that you were." I said being crusty that made him back off.
He inhales deeply and continues to think in silence again.
Once that I realized that he was giving me the silent treatment, I regretted immediately my rude actions towards him.
"Alright, I'm sorry, Luke. I was just a little snappy because I've thought that I could use this time to finish reading." I tell him, being honest.
"Then go finish reading your book." He blunts out at me.
Here's my chance. I could finish reading, hide in Doon or I could make a new friend, here in real life. Which should I pick?
In matters like this, I think of characters in books I've read. I'll think of what they'll do in this situation. I play a character from a book to be brave.
So I asked myself, what would any heroine, will do in this kind of scenario?
He or she will do the honorable thing.
And what is the honorable thing to do?
"I'm sorry. I'd rather talk to you than read some silly book." I apologize, sincerely.
I grimace ,"woah. Never in my lifetime could have thought that I would have said that out loud." I say in my realization.
"You really mean that?" He inquires.
"My old self would reply 'in your dreams', but I enjoy your company Luke. So tell me, why do you eat at Omni's?" I ask him and I could see that his old playful self is back.
"One time, I didn't want to go home so I went there. The owner's daughter makes the breakfast. When I tasted their food, ever since, I eat my breakfast there every Saturday morning. The owner's daughter's name is Isabelle. She always made my breakfast, oh the eggs! God I loved her eggs. So soft. So warm. So perfectly shaped..." he tells me, daydreaming.
I hit his arm playfully. "Are we still talking about her food, the eggs?"
He chuckles as a reply.
"So am I forgiven?" I ask him, pouting.
"Yes."
"Thank you."
"Than you?" He asks me.
I shrug, "I don't know. I never apologized to someone before."
A/N: Gwen and Luke are interacting, isn't that nice? Have you guys noticed that Luke never called Gwen in her first name? He may or may not still know the name of the girl he's with. 😬
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, see you in the next update!