"I'm in love with Ara Haan."
Aisha was taken aback by the sudden confession. Still, she managed to control her voice as she uttered her question whilst in the process of climbing the short steps up the PUV in front of them. "Why are you telling me this? That's not something you just blurt out to someone you barely even know!"
Chung shrugged as he followed suit. "I really just needed to get it off my chest."
"You realize that every time I see my boss, I wouldn't be able to shake off the image of your face looking dreamily at her?"
Chung laughed.
Eventually, the two of them found seats at the very back of the bus.
"And you haven't told this to anyone else but me? Why me of all people?"
"Like I said, you looked like someone who wouldn't spill secrets."
Aisha let out a huff. "I wouldn't spill secrets because I barely have any friends to spill them to."
"You're friends with Eve, right?"
"I'm not sure if we've made it past the acquaintance stage yet. But I would very much love for her to be my friend. As in a real friend."
"The very fact that you managed to talk to her earlier means that you're on the right path. Things have been pretty rough for her. I heard that someone was bullying her last year… or was that two years ago? I'm not sure. Anyway, the guy received nothing but a hand to his cheek. It was pretty embarrassing for him. But it ended up backfiring because now, no one would even dare to come near her."
"What did he do to her?"
"It wasn't a matter of what he did to her - rather, it was what he was saying. I guess, he was trying to look cool because of his girlfriend, Karin. One thing led to another, and then Eve suddenly walked over and gave him a good smack."
"Karin? You're talking about Elsword."
"Yeah, that's his name! Though he changed after that. Still popular, but not as much of a jerk as he used to be."
"So you're scared of her because of that incident?"
"Not really. I'm scared because she looks strict." Chung rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
Aisha smiled. At least, even if he didn't talk to her, he wasn't like the others. He had his own reasons. "Join us for lunch tomorrow. You'll get to know her better."
Chung smiled. "We'll see about that."
Aisha and Chung's small conversation finally came to an end and after that, there was only silence - but it wasn't the awkward kind. It was the weird, comfortable kind that you get after conversing with someone you consider a friend. For a few minutes, it stayed that way, with Chung making comments about interesting passers-by along the way and Aisha paying heed to his every word whenever they struck.
And then the bus came to a stop.
Before they made the slow descent out of the bus, Aisha turned around. "Thanks for the wonderful conversation, Chung. I'll send your regards to Ara."
Chung smiled. "Thanks Aisha. See you tomorrow?"
Aisha hopped off the bus and gave her new friend a small wave as he prepared to walk the opposite direction. "See you!"
Once again, Aisha was off to Grail's… to start an entirely new journey in Velder.
…
Later that evening, after her shift, Aisha decided to pay a visit to Rena and tell her about the things that went on during the day - leaving out the details that she needed to keep secret. She was so excited about it that she unconsciously started walking towards Rena's house. Upon realizing that it wasn't her lawn she was walking on, she decided to disregard her mistake and ring the doorbell.
"Coming!" Elsword's voice boomed from somewhere inside.
Great. The last thing I needed was to see his face. Aisha thought to herself in an attempt to ignore her gradually increasing heartbeat.
Sure enough, Elsword's smile turned into an arrogant smirk the moment he opened the door and his eyes fell upon the purple-haired girl. "Well, what do we have here? Came to see me?"
"Shut up, El-jerk. I just wanted to talk to Rena!"
"Rena's not here yet. And so is Raven. Guess they're having issues at the restaurant they're managing."
As much as Aisha was intrigued upon finding out that both Raven and Rena were managing a restaurant somewhere out there, she didn't want to ruin her evening because of this redhead.
"Well in that case," Aisha stepped away from the doorway. "I guess I'll take my leave."
Elsword grabbed her arm before she could take another step further. "You idiot, you're seriously gonna leave me alone here?"
Aisha yanked her arm back and folded her arms. "Well, what were you doing alone in there in the first place?"
"They told me to watch over the house. " Elsword suddenly had a flustered look on his face. "And I was waiting for you too."
Aisha tried to keep her composure but she could swear she could mentally feel her jaw dropping. "But why?!"
"Duh! I wanted to hear how your day went!" Elsword yanked her arm again. "Now come on! Stop wasting time!"
Without another word, Elsword had pulled her into Rena and Raven's house like it wasn't that big of a deal. After which, Aisha yanked herself away from him again and began dusting herself off as if she had just come in contact with something dirty.
"I hate it when you do that."
"Ugh, this is why I didn't want to spend the evening with you. You have the tendency to complain a lot."
"Well your actions give people all the bad signals. This is why you never make any friends."
Aisha walked over to the sofa and threw herself on it, allowing her back to rest in its comfort. Elsword followed her shortly, invading the small space next to her.
"Hey! Go take the smaller couches idiot! I don't want you sitting next to me!" Aisha screeched.
"Whatever, Ai," Elsword stated, yanking her closer and leaning his head on her shoulder casually.
"Aren't you getting too comfortable?" Aisha stated, silently hoping that he doesn't see the reddish glow on her cheeks.
"Just let me stay like this for a moment." Elsword said, his voice suddenly coming out raspy - like he was really tired. "So how'd your day go?"
"It went by just fine. I made an acquaintance or two…"
Elsword let out a chuckle. "Just call them your friends, Ai. You don't have to be so guarded."
Aisha sighed. "I also ended up finding out a thing or two about you… Or better yet, about who you were."
Elsword suddenly sat up. "They probably told you about how much of a jerk I was, huh?"
"I didn't get a lot of details but yeah… I guess I got the hint."
Elsword returned to leaning his head on her shoulder. "Man that's so embarrassing."
Aisha frowned. "Well, you did change… a little. You maintained a bit of your arrogance but I guess you've matured somehow."
"You really think so?"
"I know a bit of the old you and the current you so I have every right to compare both Elswords, right?"
Elsword inhaled loudly. "This might be a weird question, Ai but which one do you like better?"
"None." Aisha stated flatly.
"That's not fair!"
"What's not fair is that I still don't know you all too well."
Elsword shifted, burying his head deeper into her neck. "You know me better than I know myself, Ai."
Silence.
"I have a question for you too," Aisha muttered.
"Well? What is it?"
"Why are you dating someone like Karin?"
Elsword suddenly removed his head from her shoulder and decided to place it on Aisha's lap instead.
"Elsword!" Aisha yelled, trying to push him off. Great! Now he'll be able to see the irremovable redness on her face.
"I'll answer your question if you let me stay like this," Elsword stated, looking up at her from his position.
"Okay. F-Fine!" Aisha stated, embarrassed.
Elsword shifted a little and started talking, "To be honest, I don't even remember why I started dating her. I just know that right now, breaking up with her is impossible."
"Why not?"
"That's not your concern, Ai."
"Sure it is! I'm like your big sister or something…" Admittedly though, her own words hurt. It was like she was friendzoning herself.
Elsword sighed. "Right now, I'm more focused on changing her. So that when I actually break things off with her, I'll leave her with lessons. "
"Isn't that like a poor excuse? I mean, what if you're not the kind of person who could change her?"
"I've thought about that as well…" Elsword paused. "Maybe I still like her."
Ouch.
Aisha inhaled deeply, unconsciously beginning to play with the strands of Elsword's hair. "Hey, El-diot… Just curious... What's to like about her?"
"To be honest, I don't know anymore."
Aisha leaned her head back and slowly started to relax, ignoring the fact that this conversation was kind of painful for her. Even as she told herself to calm down, their little exchange sent small, aching pangs to her heart.
"You want to watch a movie, Aisha?"
"It's a school day, Elsword. I need to study."
"It's the first day of school, they don't give you assignments for what? A week?"
"I do advanced reading."
Elsword propped himself up. "You do more than just advanced reading, Ai. Can't you just relax for once?"
Aisha fell silent.
"Oh, come on, Ai! Lighten up! It's not like you're going to do this every day. Let's watch a movie."
"Okay. Fine. But just this once, alright?"
"Alright!" Elsword rushed to the TV and started poring through the DVDs in the shelf beneath it, pulling out one from the middle. "I'm going to put on Captain America if that's okay with you."
"Yeah, do whatever you like," Aisha said. "I haven't watched that yet so don't spoil me."
"To be young and not have watched Captain America. What kind of world did you live in?"
"My own."
Elsword smiled at her while turning on the TV and the DVD player in subsequent motion. Then he returned to her side, allowing himself to put one of his arms around her shoulder. This caused her to stiffen a little.
"Well, Aisha. Your world wouldn't be so boring from now on because I'm in it!"
Aisha gazed up at the redhead and she started to relax again. "Thanks, Elsword."
"You're welcome."
In the confines of Rena's house, the film started to play. During that still moment, all of Aisha's problems slowly faded away in the background. A day well spent, indeed.
...
Hi guys! Sorry for the incredibly long hiatus but... HERE'S THE UPDATE! Yay! I had a lot of personal stuff to attend to but I promise I will update this story and I'll do my best to do this regularly. I'm really sorry T_T
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for the continuous support!