December 14, 2017
Ever since the day after the Thanksgiving weekend, Dale and Althea started to wait for each other so they could ride the train together. Whether they were sitting quietly while listening to music or eating while Althea furiously rant about what happened at school, Dale was happy because that train ride was the best part of his day.
Sometimes, they would ran into each other while hurrying to the subway station and laughed and one would drag the other to walk around the block instead of getting into the train. Each day, they would try different bakeries and coffee shops, filling their stomachs with pastries and warming their hands with a cup of cocoa before going down to the station with a dreamy smile on their faces.
One of the best thing being with her was that she let him speak. She never once interrupted him, nor got impatient.
"And when you speak, angels sing from above," she had sang one time, teasing and poking his cheek, when he refused to talk after getting so frustrated. He rolled his eyes, but a smile appeared on his pretty face and continued to sing the next line.
Having her in his life as a friend was already enough for him. He didn't want to ruin their friendship by asking more from her.
But after the night of first snowfall, it was getting harder for Dale to ignore her pleas to listen to his voice, her fingers over his when they sit close, her scent when she leans her cheek on his shoulder. And her eyes and her smile and her laugh — he was now undone. Ignoring his feelings for her was one thing he got under control, but ignoring her feelings for him was another one he couldn't handle.
Out of desperation, he called the only person he knew who could help him.
☀
Scott was sleeping on his textbook and notes, drool soaking up his cheat sheet, when his phone rang for the third time. Annoyed, he finally picked it up to turn it off but the name on the screen made him stop. Heartbeat racing, he answered.
"Hey, buddy, are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine, S-Scott. D-Don't worrry. Uh, s-s-sorry to both —"
"No, no, it's fine," he sighed in relief, sitting down on his computer chair. "You're not bothering at all. Glad you called though, the ring actually woke me up and I fell asleep while I still have papers to finish. But that can wait — what's up?"
Dale didn't know where to start, so he just went straight for it. "I, uh... um, I'm g-gonna ask a girl out. H-Help."
Scott's eyes widened. He placed his phone on his desk carefully, before jumping up and down, throwing punches into the air, and screaming silently like a giddy fanboy. He faced his bed, on the nightstand beside it was a picture frame that he treasured the most. He gave a thumbs up to the girl in it, and smiled, "I told you." He returned to Dale, trying to calm his breathing.
" — s-still th-there? S-Scott?"
"Hey-o! I'm here, I'm here. This girl, is this the one from the train?"
"Y-Yeah, her name i-is uh... Althea." Dale told everything about her to Scott.
He couldn't stop grinning even when Dale finished. "Dude, she likes you."
"Y-You're just s-saying th-that."
"No, I'm not!" he laughed. "You mentioned all the signs. She. Likes. You!" he said the word likes like a little kid would when they're teasing their friends. "What are you gonna do about it?"
"Th-That's why I um... I'm c-calling you. We s-s-spend a lot of t-time to-g-gether, I uh... want t-to ask her out b-but what if sh-she thinks I-I'm a-asking as uh... a f-friend?"
"Then ask her as not a friend."
Scott heard a deep sigh at the receiving end. "How? W-what do I uh, s-say?"
"J-Just ask her ou —" Scott stopped when he suddenly remembered that Dale had been on dates before. Multiple times. "You've asked girls out before, dude!"
"No, I-I haven't! Who a-are you t-talking about?"
"Do you really want me to enumerate?" His voice teasing.
"I... I've n-never asked a g-girl out o-on a date. Th-They asked me out."
Scott rolled his eyes and giggled. "Wow, I forgot how charming you are. Here, ask her this: "Hey Althea, do you want to go out on a date with me?" There, simple, right?" Dale didn't reply for a moment so Scott repeated his question. "Right, Dale?"
Dale took a slow, deep breathe before replying. "I c-can't believe you g-got my s-sis-sister to go out w-with you by j-just asking th-that."
"I GAVE HER BOOKS AND CHO —" Scott began to retort when he heard a beep. "Did he just hang up on me?"
[end of chapter]