It was a quiet afternoon, the kind where even time seemed to laze around. Nandya and Seraphine sat on a wooden bench by the bustling marketplace, basking in the golden hues of the setting sun.
Nandya held her phone, her fingers idly scrolling up and down the screen, though her mind was clearly elsewhere. Every now and then, she'd glance at the screen with hopeful eyes, waiting for a notification.
Beside her, Seraphine leaned back against the bench, her golden eyes scanning the crowd with a mix of boredom and curiosity.
"One," Seraphine mumbled, her gaze fixed on a man wearing a red scarf as he walked past.
Nandya barely noticed, still engrossed in her phone.
"Two," Seraphine counted again as another figure in a red jacket strolled by.
A few moments passed in silence.
"Three."
Nandya finally turned her head slightly, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
"Counting people wearing red," Seraphine said matter-of-factly. "I'm at six so far. Or was it five? Anyway, I'm bored."
"Why don't you do something productive?" Nandya sighed, returning her attention to her phone.
"This is productive. It's important to know how many people prefer red around here," Seraphine replied smugly. She paused for a moment, then turned her head toward Nandya. "Speaking of things people are bad at… why are you so terrible at chess?"
Nandya froze mid-scroll, her eyes narrowing as she slowly turned to Seraphine. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," Seraphine said, unfazed, folding her arms. "I mean, I've beaten you so many times I've lost count. And let's not forget that time you flipped the board in frustration. Very undignified, by the way."
Nandya glared at her. "First of all, I don't always lose. And second, I only flipped the board because someone wouldn't stop trash-talking every five seconds during the game."
"It's called strategy," Seraphine said with a smug grin. "If you can't handle the pressure, maybe chess isn't your thing."
Nandya sighed dramatically and put her phone away, glaring at Seraphine. "At least I don't spend my afternoons counting people wearing red."
"At least I'm not sitting here staring at my phone like a lovesick teenager," Seraphine shot back, her grin widening.
Nandya's cheeks flushed as she quickly looked away. "I'm not—ugh, you're impossible!"
"And you're predictable," Seraphine teased. She leaned back and smirked. "So, no message from the handsome mystery guy yet?"
"Mind your own business!" Nandya snapped, though her face betrayed her embarrassment.
Seraphine chuckled, clearly enjoying herself. "You're adorable when you're flustered, you know that?"
Nandya groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Why do I even put up with you?"
"Because deep down, you love me," Seraphine said with a playful wink.
"Deep down, I want to throw you into the fountain," Nandya muttered, but a faint smile tugged at her lips.
The two sat in silence for a moment before Seraphine pointed at another passerby. "Seven!"
Nandya let out a resigned laugh. "You're unbelievable."
"And you're terrible at chess," Seraphine added with a cheeky grin, earning herself a playful shove from Nandya.