"Then, take care, dear." Eyes wide with the sudden nickname, Althea hadn't even got a chance to prepare for a comeback before Ray cut the call with an annoying smirk on his face.
"This-- this shameless man!" she gritted her teeth as frustration built up in her. For the rare instances in her life, she wished she had learned more curses or dirty words.
After all, you need to be shameless to defeat shameless people.
'Also, virtual kiss or not, isn't he progressing too fast? Did that man really only know about love a few months ago?!" she scratched her head to reduce the frustration, messing up her neatly tied hair.
Althea was at least aware that she and Ray have a different set of values and practices due to the place and how they grew up. And she had seen enough kissing scenes to know that it's a couple thing.
Of course, seen only in movies.
She never saw anyone hugs romantically in front of her, much less a kiss. Thus, what Ray did despite knowing her circumstances is just...
'Shameless.' She grumbled and pouted her lips. Unlike how she keeps on trying to curse the man she just dated though, her heart felt so happy she needed somewhere to burst it out.
Her pair of white sneakers with blue strips brought her to the meeting point that Karin just shared.
"Theaaa!" Karin waved cheerfully, clearly refreshed by the monstrous ride.
"Hi, had fun?" Althea giggled as she passed a bottle of water she just bought on her way there.
"Yeah! Super fun. Right, Dev?" Karin turned to the man who seemed like he was going to puke, his cheerfulness before riding the roller coaster gone.
"It was... fun..." Dev said weakly and thanked Althea for the water. It was always an amusement to see this duo of one who can't handle vehicles and another who can't bear such rides but completely fine the other way around.
'Like I said that thing is a monster machine. Not amusement ride.' Althea smiled in understanding, her heart in full approval of her decision.
"Dev, Thea, let's ride that!" Had been explaining as she searched for a new ride, Karin pointed at a big ship being swung back and forth with a big "COLUMBUS" word on it.
"I'll pass." Dev who was still tired waved his hand in resignation.
Althea watched as the ship being swung violently with people screaming their lungs out, "Uhh... I think me too."
"Come on, it's not that scary!" Althea switched between Karin's convincing eyes and the ship back and forth.
"As I thought, I--"
"It's perfect to vent up too!" Karin cut her words.
The strange sentence which usually wouldn't change her mind struck her at the moment.
She met Karin's eyes, the gorgeous dark brown eyes look at her back with excitement and understanding.
'Sigh... She really is my best friend.' Althea shook her head and took her friend's arm.
"Let's go then! I need some good screams." Althea laughed as both of them went to enjoy their ride.
***
It's been a few days since Althea and Ray started dating without anyone knowing other than Karin on Althea's side. Unsurprisingly, the two late bloomers had no idea how this 'dating' thing works.
Althea has some friends who are dating, obviously. But none of them are in a long-distance relationship like her. Things like holding hands, hanging out on Saturday night, or any similar types of couple thingy wouldn't be applicable to them.
So instead, they did something less couple does which they always do-studying.
Ray is trying hard to get selected for the scholarship and get into a college in his country just in case, while Althea needed to prepare for it as well next year.
While the relationship hadn't given her much more happiness than she thought she would get from dating, it did give her a new sense of duty as a lover and problems...
A problem she never thought she'd have.
"Ray, what are you doing?"
"Studying."
"Have you eat today?"
"I have."
Althea clenched her teeth. Ray had been like this from time to time ever since they were dating. To be fair, he used to answer in short sentences as well even before they start dating, but aren't they supposed in what people call a honeymoon period? So why is he so indifferent?
Looking at their chat history, it was filled with Althea's questions and Ray's short answer unless she's asking for an explanation of their studying material. Althea pulled her eyebrows together as she realized their talk is becoming more and more like an interview or quiz with yes or no questions.
Althea decided not to send any more message until Ray chatted her first.
At least that was what she planned.
She had been waiting for three hours and still no message came from Ray.
"Are you still studying?" Althea gave up first, as always.
"Yes."
Althea huffed an annoyed breath and scratch her head frustratingly. Are they really dating?
Before Althea got to reply, another message came, "Took you long."
'Took you long?? He dares say it took me long to reply?' Althea glared at the message wishing nothing more than sending those glares to this dense man who just messed her concentration to study.
"Because you didn't reply to me properly." she typed.
"I did."
"No you didn't." Althea rebutted.
"Why so?"
'Did he really just ask why?' Althea grumbled, "Because you have only been replying to me in one or two words."
"And? I always answered this way."
'Yes but now we're dating!' Althea felt like crying of this hopelessly dense man she just dated. Is it that he's too dense or her expectation of dating is too high?
'Damn my inexperience.' She huffed as she couldn't quite justify her wants and decided to somehow solve this, "Then what do I gotta do to make you give me a more elaborate answer?"
"Talk about topics. Random things are not my cup of coffee."
'Yeah but random things are essential in girl's life.' Althea slouched back on her seat. She's originally not a talkative person, well maybe unless when Karin talked to her about random stuff and they just keep going on and on for hours, but other than that she didn't talk *that* much. But Ray is just a whole different level of 'not talking'.
Actually, even in this relation, she wouldn't mind them not talking. In fact, she would be content by just doing their own works while sitting and being close to each other.
*close to each other*
The most impossible thing for them to do.
If they're not talking then their presence just disappeared, and Althea surely didn't want that. She wanted them to be together somehow. And Ray obviously made it that much harder for them.