hi guys this chapter is severely unedited so beware but yeah here you go. enjoy. in the meantime while u wait for another update after u quickly finish this one, go check out my other book, 'the pursuit of felicity' (which will be updated probably wednesday) so yeah :)
I stop by the coffee shop on Monday and Maya eagerly invites me to hang out after her shift. I happily agree and ask if 5 will work and she tells me that anytime before 7 will do. So why is it that I'm standing in the middle of her living room but she's nowhere to be seen? I even peek my head in her room, which is dark. The kitchen is also empty, as well as the bathroom. The only room I haven't checked is Asa's.
I stare at the closed door, wondering what it's like in his room. He's a very neat person, I know that. Would it be weird if I looked in? I wouldn't walk inside- just open the door a crack and look around. He wouldn't notice, right? I slowly approach the door, feeling my heart hammering in my chest. What if he walks in while I'm checking?
Suddenly, his door swings open and I'm left standing a foot away with a dumbfounded expression on my face. He gazes back at me, only slightly alarmed at my presence. I move to the side and let him pass me. When he does, I take note of his casual apparel. He must've been changing out of his work attire. "Maya's at work. They called her in early," he informs me.
"Ugh," I grunt as I drop onto the couch. My heart has yet to recover from him appearing from the unknown depths of his room. He hovers beside the recliner, awkwardly glancing at me every couple of seconds. I can tell he wants to say something.
"I'm about to go grocery shopping," he responds, which is his way of telling me to leave. Slightly surprised at how kind of a dismissal that was, I pull myself up to go when he speaks again. "Do you want to come?"
I peer at him in slight confusion. "Seriously?" I ask after a three second gap of us just exchanging glances with each other.
"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't serious," he replies as he starts in the direction of the front door.
"Okay," I say and slowly, I follow behind him.
"Come on," he insists. He leads the way out of the apartment, only this time, he turns and uses the key I marked to lock the door.
"You guys have started locking it?" I wonder aloud as he drops the key ring back into his pockets.
"No," he replies in short. I don't bother waiting for further explanation, knowing he won't say more than asked.
"You're welcome, you know, for marking your key," I respond as I tuck my hands in my sweater pockets.
"So the red heart was you?" he replies as he walks towards the staircase. I decide to join him on the journey and he seems a little startled. He holds the door open for me and we descend down the steps together. I can tell he's going slower to match the pace of my short legs.
"Yeah, I did it when your vision was impaired," I respond.
"Interesting," he mumbles thoughtfully. We eventually reach the lobby, where we exit the building and approach the parking lot. I get into the passenger's seat of his car and lean over to put my bag in the backseat. He waits until I'm buckled in to exit the spot, which surprises me. I half-expected him to floor it while I was in limbo between the front and back seat so that he could break hard and I'd fly through the windshield. I hesitantly turn on the radio and he doesn't say anything, which only startles me further. Remembering his comment about my singing, I stick to humming along.
We quickly reach Food Mart but one of my favorite songs comes on just as we pull into the parking space. "I love this song!" I announce as the familiar tune fills the spacious car. I hope he's the kind of person that'll sit and wait for it to finish before getting out, even if it's just us sitting in awkward silence while using our phones.
"Really?" he asks in a perky tone.
"Yeah!" I reply as I grow hopeful.
"I don't," he says as he shuts off the car. I gape at him in annoyance before unbuckling my seatbelt. With a prominent pout and crossed arms, I trail into the grocery store behind him. He grabs a cart before risking a glance at me. I note the entertained smirk on his face as he leans against the trolley and strolls through the aisles. He's clearly amused by my irritated expression.
We go through two irrelevant aisles before coming upon the cereal aisle, which causes a bit of excitement in Asa. He stops and gazes at the boxes and bags with eyes of endearment. I watch as he grabs two different boxes and glances at me. "Are these good with you?" he asks as his eyes fall down at my arms, which are still crossed. The corners of his lips shift upwards into a small smile.
"Yeah," I mutter. He chuckles quietly as he drops them into the cart. We turn down the next aisle and get toilet paper and paper towels. We reach the snacks and he grabs his familiar box of granola bars. He goes for a bag of chips before turning to me.
"Anything?" he inquires, to which I shake my head. We reach the dairy aisle and he peers into the freezer at all the available ice cream. He grins widely when his eyes fall onto cake batter, which he wastes no time in grabbing and delicately placing it into the cart. I am no longer annoyed, but amused by his adoration of food. I now see why he does all the grocery shopping. He grabs a carton of milk before looking at me. He then reaches for chocolate milk, which gets a soft coo from me. "I swear, you're 11."
"You got excited for cake batter so I don't want to hear it," I tell him as he places it into the cart.
He rolls his eyes and turns towards the check out. At a casual pace, he meanders along the open registers until he spots Maya, who is stocking up her station with bags. We turn into her lane and her bored eyes fall on us and immediately fill with excitement. A sly grin pulls onto her lips and her gaze drops to the contents of our cart. "Did you find everything okay?" she inquires as she begins ringing up the items Asa puts on the conveyor belt.
"Yes," he plays into her game. His face is slightly amused as he loads up the items and watches Maya ring them up.
"You guys look like a married couple shopping for food," Maya notes as she glances between the two of us.
"You sound like you don't want a ride home later," he retorts almost immediately. I chuckle at this and help fill up the belt, watching as the items in the cart slowly dwindle.
"What? I was just saying..." she mumbles back, knowing good and well what she said wrong.
"As was I," he retorts dismissively. "Now ring me out so I can go eat some ice cream in peace."
"Are you going back to the apartment, Ivy?" Maya inquiries and I shrug in response. Asa glances at me before returning his attention to loading up the cart with bags.
"See ya," Asa blurts once the transaction is complete. He starts off towards the exit and I give a fleeting glance at Maya, who winks at me. I repress a grin and rush to catch up with Asa.
"Do you think you can drop me off at my dorm?" I request as we drive in the direction of the apartment.
"You didn't drive?" he questions me casually.
"Obviously not," I retort with a tilted head.
"Where do you live?" he continues, not even blinking at my sarcasm.
"Woodson," I answer and he sighs dramatically.
"If my ice cream melts..." he trails threateningly as he regrips the steering wheel.
"And if it does?" I retort with a small grin. "What are you going to do about it?"
He gives me a side glance before chuckling to himself. "Nothing, Poison. I will do nothing," he gives in.
"That's what I thought," I bite back as I allow the satisfied smile to take over my face. We slowly pull up to the entrance of my dorm and he looks up at the big building.
"I've never been in this one," he comments as his eyes continue to assess the large, gray building. "It looks a little bit like a prison."
"So does the inside," I inform him as I unbuckle my seatbelt.
"Hurry up. Get out. My ice cream is going to melt," he hisses when the frozen treat in the backseat is brought back to his mind.
We both reach for my bag, which results in us getting a lot closer than we're used to. For a second, his face is only inches from mine and our eyes briefly lock and that's all it takes to get the blood rushing to my cheeks. We both retract and he hesitantly moves to get my bag. I let him, watching as he slowly hands it to me. I decide to brush off the awkwardness. "Thanks, Asiago."
"You better drink the chocolate milk I got you. Don't let it go bad," he replies, falling back into regular conversation. I roll my eyes as I shut his car door and approach my dorm building. Does that mean he wants me to come over more often?
+++
In preparation for our exams the following morning, Aaliyah and I camp out in the library until late on Thursday night. She managed to get permission from her parents by begging them to let her study with me. "Can we take a break?" she complains at half past 11.
"Sure," I mutter as I place my laptop on the table in front of me.
"How are you?" she inquires with a curious grin and I want to sigh. This was just a plot to get me talking.
"I'm fine, how are you?" I reply with a small smile.
"I'm great," she admits. "I couldn't help but notice that you've been hanging out with Asa and Maya a lot recently."
"Yeah..." I agree. Here it comes...
"How is Asa?" she inquires.
"He's good..." I respond hesitantly.
"In bed?" she blurts, which gets a surprised blink from me. Her long braids are tied out of her face and her large eyes are sprinkled with mischief.
"I wouldn't know," I answer slowly.
"Good kisser?" she inquires.
"Don't know that either," I inform her before reaching for my laptop in an attempt to end the conversation. She slaps at my hands so I stop and drop back into my seat with a loud sigh of defeat.
"Do you like him?" she continues to press with a wondrous expression on her face.
"No," I respond quickly as I stare at my fingers. When she doesn't speak, I peek over at her. She's grinning at me and I'm trying my best to remain strong but a small smile breaks through my pursed lips.
"Oh, you don't like him?" she teases as she all but punches my thigh. "Why are you cheesing?"
"I don't like him," I claim before backtracking a bit. "I like teasing him and talking to him. That's it. He intrigues me, I guess."
"So you're interested in him?" she asks with raised brows. "Do you get excited when you see him?"
"I don't know...kind of," I explain with a sigh. "Either way, his personality is...weird. He's funny and nice at times, but then he's also kind of mean..."
"Do you think he's mean because he likes you?" she hypothesizes and I waste no time in giving her a flat look.
"Aaliyah, I can barely tell if he likes me as a person," I retort. "Actually, we've just established that we're friends, so he likes me enough to associate himself with me.
"You should flirt with him," she encourages.
"I do...sometimes," I reply before clarifying. "Only when we're alone, which is very rare."
"Does he flirt back?" she presses in an eager tone, which earns a shrug from me. I suddenly think about almost every conversation we've ever had in a car without Maya. I'd count those scenarios as flirting but who knows? "Do you think Maya would mind if you two got together?"
"Maya is playing matchmaker," I respond with a dry laugh.
"I want to meet them," she insists which earns a pointed look and a scoff.
"Definitely not," I dismiss the idea before it can even really come up. "You'd expose me and my miniscule crush."
"I would not," she assures me as she perks up a bit. I can tell she's going to take her role of convincing me seriously. "I just want to meet them. I promise I won't say anything." She extends her pinky for me to take and I do while giving her a wary look.
"I swear, if you say anything, I will tackle you through their front door," I threaten her in a deeper voice.
"My lips are sealed," she confirms as she pretends to lock her mouth. I give her one last dubious glance before sighing quietly. Well I guess this has to happen now.
+++
I'm sitting alone in the dining hall around noon, enjoying my salad and revelling in the fact that it's finally the weekend. I took my exam this morning and felt pretty confident about it. So here I am, celebrating alone. Maya had to skip out on our usual lunch date to go talk to her advisor and Aaliyah is still in class.
"Ivy?" I hear a voice say from a few feet away. I lift my gaze from my phone and find Zack, who is being trailed by a disinclined Asa.
"Hi," I greet him with a small smile. My face blushes as I remember how hard we flirted at the party and how much harder I cooed about him to Asa. Speaking of the latter, he's standing there with a wrinkled nose as he watches our interaction closely.
"Mind if we join you?" Zack asks and I shrug and motion to the two available seats.
"Go ahead," I insist. They take the seats and join me for lunch.
"How was your day so far?" Zack starts a conversation and I glance between him and Asa before speaking. I think Asa can tell that I'm a little thrown off at the way we're jumping straight into discussion. I was under the impression that we'd all sit here on our phones before awkwardly dispersing.
"It was okay. I had an exam," I explain vaguely as I struggle to obtain a forkful of pasta.
"How do you think you did?" he wonders with a quirked brow. He takes a slow bite of his sandwich as he waits for my response. It takes me a second to drop my gaze from his widening mouth to gather my thoughts. I hear Asa give a little scoff as I stare at the table before speaking.
"I think I did fine," I admit with a nod. "What about you? How was your day?"
"It was great. I only had one class and then work, which I have to get back to after this, but I get out around 5 today," he explains his morning to me with a shrug.
"My day was great, thank you guys for asking," Asa cuts in rather sassily and I can't help the noisy sigh that escapes.
"How was your day, Asa?" I press as I tilt my head and dramatically hold my conjoined hands under my chin. He acknowledges my expression for a second before returning his gaze to his lunch.
"Horrible," he drones weakly, "I've been working since 8 this morning and I had to speed over here just to eat for twenty minutes. Then I have to speed back and return to work."
"Where do you work?" I attempt to get more information out of him. The fact that he even attempted to join the conversation is surprising enough so maybe he's in a social mood.
"My job," he retorts dryly while simultaneously disproving my hopeful theory. I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to Zack, who looks amused.
"What are you doing tonight?" Zack asks as he adjusts the bread on his sandwich. "Any wild parties with Maya?"
"No..." I trail off as I offer up a chuckle. We all know how that last one went. "I don't think I'm doing anything. Maybe Maya and I will hang out. Maybe she'll hang out with a girl. Maybe I'll spend the night writing last minute articles for the paper? Who knows?"
"Well, if your plans don't get secured by five-," he starts but his phone buzzes noisily. He glances at the screen and groans noisily as if genuinely annoyed. "They need me back at the office," he sighs as he gathers his half eaten meal in one hand. "I'll see you guys around."
"Bye," we say in unison. I sound more surprised, while Asa sounds slightly relieved. He stands up and starts walking backwards, offering me a flirtatious grin as he does.
"Ivy, don't think I forgot about the date I owe you," he comments with an index finger pointed in my direction. Before I can respond, he turns back around and exits the dining hall. Hoping that Asa let's it slide, I return my attention back to my food and let out a low sigh.
I can't go on a date with him knowing I may have feelings for someone else. Not only would it be cruel to him, but it'd obliterate any chances I have with Asa. How would I look if I went on a date with a mutual friend, even if Asa refuses to call him that? How am I supposed to shoot Zack down? 'Oh, yeah, sorry I flirted with you last weekend at the party; I was just really drunk and kind of lonely. You're really cute and really nice but I think I'm interested in your friend Asa. Yeah, the asshole one that I know close to nothing about. Have fun on your path to becoming a lawyer, you handsome angel!'
"You don't seem too excited about the date," Asa acknowledges from across the table. I look at him and repress the urge to sigh. If only Asa didn't exist, then maybe I'd be ecstatic about that date with Zack. Alas, he does exist and I am not ecstatic about that date. In fact, I'm far from it.
"That's because I'm not..." I admit when I decide that honesty is better than any lie I can come up with.
"What happened to wanting yourself a Zack?" he recalls with a smirk. He takes a large bite of his burger as he waits for me to reply.
"He's cute...and nice...and funny...but I'm just not interested," I reply vaguely. Hopefully he doesn't pry for more information.
"Why not?" he continues to question, doing just as I hoped he wouldn't. "If he's cute, nice, and funny, what's holding you back?"
"Uh..." I trail, unsure of what to say. "I don't know. I just don't like him. I don't know what else to say."
"A week ago you were droning on and on about how perfect he is and you were out there advising everyone to get themselves a Zack," he teases curiously. My face begins to warm as I shift in my seat.
"Okay, first of all, I was drunk," I excuse, which gets a chuckle out of him. "Plus I've seen him all of three times."
"It could be four if you go on the date," he answers with a small shrug. He gives me a pointed glance before biting into his burger.
"Why don't you date him?" I grumble back as I shove a single pasta noodle into my mouth.
"I wasn't the one that was going on and on about how perfect he is," Asa comments quietly, as if mumbling to himself.
"Drunk me has good taste. Sober me doesn't," I explain and he shrugs as if considering the concept.
"I can see that," he concurs with a brief nod.
"Don't you have a job to get back to...Asa Carmichael?" I stare at the nametag on his chest and repress a chuckle. His name sounds like someone running a car dealership.
He gives me a slightly confused look before he traces my eyes to the engraved tag on his chest. "Yeah," he says grumpily. He gathers his trash and offers me a long, dramatic sigh.
"See you around, Poison," he sighs before grumpily heading in the direction of the exit..
+++
On Friday, I find myself driving Aaliyah in the direction of the apartment with a jittery leg. I trust her. She's my best friend. I just think she's a little too forward and will probably end up convincing Asa that I'm in love with him. Maya will definitely enjoy that conversation.
"Don't say you've heard a lot about Asa. Don't try to get any information out of him. Don't call him cute. Don't ask me if I think he's cute. Don't mention that he's my type. Don't say anything about us looking cute together. Don't point out any flirtatious activity if it happens. Don't try to get information out of Maya," I list as I get closer and closer to the familiar street.
"I know how to conduct myself," Aaliyah informs me with an eye roll.
"I swear, Aaliyah," I grumble as I park in my usual spot. I lead the way upstairs and she trails right behind me, taking in our surroundings curiously. I open the door and she follows me in, making a move to take off her shoes. I wave it off and she joins me in the living room, where Maya is sitting.
"Is this Aaliyah?" Maya inquires as she looks at my short friend, who gives her a large smile and nod.
"No, I found her in the hallway. She was lost," I comment as I sit on the couch. Aaliyah follows suit and Maya rolls her eyes.
"It's nice to meet one of Ivy's friends," Maya notes as she stares at Aaliyah.
"I can say the same," Aaliyah replies with a short glance towards me. The two of them go back and forth for a little while, talking about Aaliyah's experience here so far. I look at the time curiously, wondering where Asa is. Only a couple moments later does the front door open and close. I listen as he walks down the hall.
He attempts to stride right past us but Maya stops him. "Asa!" she blurts, which causes him to stop walking.
"What?" he replies as he slowly turns to face us. He gives a short glance at Aaliyah, who is admiring his professional apparel silently.
"We have company," Maya comments as she motions both hands to Aaliyah.
"Hi," he says briefly before turning towards his room. I hear him exhale and I can tell that's his 'I have to wear clothes now' sigh. I excuse myself to the kitchen, where I pour a glass of chocolate milk. When I'm returning to the living room, Asa is joining us with an unenthusiastic look on his face. Maya, however, is grinning excitedly.
"Asa, this is Ivy's friend Aaliyah," Maya introduces and he gives another fleeting glance towards Aaliyah. He nods briefly in slight recognition before turning to me.
"I wasn't aware you had friends," he comments and I narrow my eyes at him.
"I wasn't aware you had friends," I mock him as he drops onto the recliner.
"A child," he mumbles before his eyes fall on my chocolate milk. He gives me another pointed look and I just sip it slowly with a small grin on my face.
"So how do you know Ivy?" Asa surprises me by asking Aaliyah.
"We went to high school together," she explains with a shrug.
"Has she always been this annoying?" he ponders with a quirked brow. Aaliyah laughs and shakes her head.
"I think it's gotten worse since she's been here," she mumbles sadly. I offer up a laugh before turning to Maya, who seems to have a question of her own.
"Was she a nerd in high school?" Maya asks as she assesses me for a few seconds.
"No..." Aaliyah trails in thought. "She did good in school but we went to our fair share of parties. She helped sneak me out a lot."
"Did she talk to a lot of guys?" Maya questions and I turn to Aaliyah, who purses her lips.
"Not really. Other than..." she stares at me hesitantly and I shrug, "other than Drew, she wasn't much of a dater." Everyone in this room already knows about my failed relationship. "So...tell me about you guys. She spends a lot of time with you both."
"What have you heard?" Maya wonders with a tilted head.
"I'm not allowed to disclose that information," Aaliyah explains with an entertained grin. "I've been barred from discussing that, alongside a bunch of other stuff."
"Really?" Maya asks with raised brows. Asa stares curiously at me and I sigh loudly.
"Fine, what have I told you?" I ask Aaliyah, who smirks at me.
"She said that you're very nice," she informs Maya, who coos happily, and then turns to Asa with a tight lipped smile, "and that you're...not so nice."
Asa snorts as he shrugs briefly. "That's not new information," he announces as if dissatisfied by the reveal. He seems a little offended, if he's even capable of feeling that.
"Okay, I didn't only say that," I tell him, feeling the need to backtrack.
"She also said you were funny and nice on occasion," Aaliyah comments, which earns a curious look from Asa. His eyebrows are now high on his head as he looks from me to her curiously. "She also mentioned that she thinks you're-."
"Alright, that's enough from you, Aaliyah. You've had your fair share of inflating his head," I cut her off before she can say what I think she was going to say.
"Hey, you can't just stop her there!" Asa rebuts but I wave him off.
The conversation is carried for a bit until Aaliyah eventually has to get home. Her parents want her home by 8 on Friday nights so I have to drive her back to my dorm so she can retrieve her car. "Are you coming back?" Maya asks.
"If you want me to," I reply with a shrug.
"Yeah," she says. I nod in agreement and lead Aaliyah to the front door. Asa trails behind us with his keys and I repress the urge to ask where he's going.
"It was nice meeting you," she tells him and he offers her a small, forced smile and a nod.
"You, too," he replies as he pushes open the door to the stairs. Before it's even anywhere near closing, she turns to me.
"He's even cuter up close," Aaliyah announces loudly. I gape at her.
"You know he probably heard that, right?" I ask.
"Probably!" he calls from the stairwell and I want to groan. I knew she'd mess up.