Sitting near a large window, Kuki flipped to the next page. The sunlight brightened the library and warmed her skin. After a month into her study abroad at the University of Adelaide, she found her niches on campus, this area being one of them.
Kuki sighed in content. It took a couple years but here she was, studying in Australia. She turned her wrist and checked her watch. 5 more minutes. Her new friend, Rachel, planned to meet her for coffee downtown. Yet, the second hand on the white wristwatch seemed to move extra slow today.
She pulled down her mint sundress, caught under her thighs. Despite her appearance, Kuki's favorite genres consisted mainly of underdog, action-packed dystopian themes. They've been her go-to genres for as long as she could recall. I hope I find myself a real adventure-I wonder what Australia has in store. She smiled to herself and daydreamed some more.
In the corner of her eye, she noticed a guy hiding behind a nearby bookcase. If he thinks he's being discreet, he needs to try harder. Kuki ignored him and went back to reading. If she ignored him, he'd probably leave.
Are all Australian guys like this?
Seeing her idly reading in a corner of the library, he took a careful first step towards her. Now was the moment...just do it.
Ten feet. Nine feet...five feet. By now the title of her novel, 1984, clearly shone. She appeared hooked on the words, not even a fallen bang distracted her.
I've read that book...it could be a good conversation starter. Only a few more steps away, Wally raised his hand, steady for waving. Her fingers moved slightly as she closed the book and lifted her head.
"Hey girl, did you wait long?"
Immediately, he pivoted himself as a friend of hers walked up and gave her a quick hug. Pulling a hood over his head did little to cover his flushed cheeks. Walk faster, legs.
Wally mentally hit himself. Why he embarrassed himself in front of a stranger happened because of an earlier agreement.
Wally walked quickly across campus, airing out his sweatshirt. Had he checked the weather, he wouldn't have thrown on the closest article of clothing. But he wouldn't have had to rush out if his roommate didn't mistakenly turn off his alarm.
"Wally! Hey, Walls! Don't usually run into ya this time of day, wait up!" Speak of the devil, should he explode now or back in the room...Ace caught up, wiping sweat off his forehead. Out of breath, he rummaged through his backpack and handed Wally a peace offering.
Ick it's diet. I guess I'll settle for later. Wally glanced at the Coca-Cola then back at his roommate. "You waited all day just to give this to me?" He took a quick sip. It was luke-warm but it did the job.
Ace scratched the back of his head in relief. "Actually, I wanted to ask ya a favor, but maybe this makes up for earlier." Nope. "Do you have a few minutes to talk?"
"Sure. Entertain me." The two headed over to the campus lawn and sat under the shade.
Ace took off his sunglasses and stretched. "Ya know I usually don't attend lectures in the morning, but today the craziest thing happened." Wally nodded with little interest.
"You finally found a sugar mommy to set you for life?" Ace chuckled and patted his friend.
"A man can dream, Wally. So the first time in awhile I attended my politics lecture. Five minutes in, the professor calls on me about trilateral relations in Asia, and my hours of video game marathoning paid off! He said my comment about technology import/export sales on the domestic economy was insightful and even better, the discussion was graded! I should go to class more often." Even in the shade, his face beamed brighter than his hair. He went off tangent about some pretty girls in his class; by then sleep started creeping under Wally's eyelids.
"Hmm, you don't say." The spot on the grass felt nice against his head.
"And that's where I want ya brilliant expertise to come in." Eyes shut, Wally responded, "Flattery will not convince me, you'll need to do better than that."
"Then how about I throw in borrowing my motorcycle and a few days free of cleaning duties..."
"What do you want me to do." Ace slipped his sunglasses back on in victory. "Help me with gettin' a certain girl."
Wally sat up with a raised brow. "And why can't you do it yourself?" He wasn't going to add that his social skills with girls were lacking.
"Well, I'm a little preoccupied with acquainting myself with some other ladies..." Ace averted his attention from Wally's judging look, "plus I know ya have some experience with Japanese culture, Beatles sensei." Wally rolled his eyes at Ace who looked incredibly proud of his joke.
"...Ace, a layover in Tokyo for four hours doesn't make me an expert...my wild guess is that she's Japanese."
"No, she's actually Puerto Rican. What do you think."
Wally narrowed his eyes, "Do you want to help you or not? I'm only considering this because you're a friend, alright?"
Ace stood up and patted Wally on his head, rustling his hair in the process. "And that's why you're my bud. Anyways, I know you're better at being personable than me. Thanks again, I'll see ya later."
Fixing his hair, Wally sighed deeply. "It's just one girl, Wally. Nothing serious."