I was sitting on the living room sofa, waiting impatiently for Shu. It was our turn to handle grocery shopping this week, and, as usual, she was taking forever to get ready.
"Shu Hue! Hurry up! I'm not getting any younger!" I yelled, exasperated.
When the silence stretched on, I got up, marched to her room, and pushed the door open without bothering to knock—only to find it completely empty.
What the—did she seriously forget we had plans today?
Annoyed but determined not to brood, I shot her a quick text: Hey, where are you? It's grocery day.
The reply came almost immediately: Sorry, can't make it! Got a project I need to finish.
Great. Just great. I wasn't about to postpone grocery shopping either—there was an ice cream sale today, and I wasn't missing it.
As I let out a resigned sigh, I suddenly felt a presence nearby. Glancing up, I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"Geez, Louise!" I gasped, startled by the angelic figure standing before me.
Ari.
She just giggled softly, her amused eyes practically sparkling.
An awkward silence fell between us, and all I could think about was how badly I wanted to escape. Why was she just standing there like a statue—a ridiculously gorgeous statue?
"Uh… can I help you?" I managed to stammer, my voice betraying my panic.
"Oh!" she exclaimed softly, her voice like a melody. Oh god, that was adorable. "I'm ready to go. We can use my car, if that's okay?"
Wait—what? I blinked, confused, just as my phone buzzed with another text.
I asked Ari if she could go with you, and she said yes. This is the perfect chance for you two to bond ;) ~ShuShu
Son of a biscuit.
I hate you, I typed furiously, but Shu's reply came almost instantly: I know ;) I wab you too.
I glared at the screen, seething, but my frustration was cut short by the realisation that Ari was still standing there, patiently waiting for my answer.
I took a deep breath, preparing to decline her offer. I really did. But then I made the mistake of looking up—straight into those ridiculously gorgeous eyes.
And just like that, I was utterly, hopelessly defeated without so much as putting up a fight.
"Yes… we can," I muttered, my voice betraying me.
Fudge.
Ari's smile widened, effortlessly stunning, and I swear I felt my knees wobble. "Great!" she said cheerily, guiding me toward her car parked near the house.
As we walked, I pulled out my phone and sent an SOS text to Gigi: Help! Shu bailed, and now I'm grocery shopping with Ari!
I stared at my phone, praying for salvation. But knowing Gigi, she'd probably laugh and ignore my call for help. Still, she was my only hope.
Great! Oh, and can you grab some butter while you're at it? I think we're out, Gigi texted back, ever so casually.
I hate you! I fired off, my frustration practically oozing through the screen.
Aww, wab you too ;) she replied, complete with the obnoxious winky face. She was definitely laughing at my misery right now.
Seriously, why am I still friends with these two? They're the bane of my existence. Or maybe I'm just a masochist.
The drive to the grocery store took 15 minutes—15 agonising minutes of me having a full-blown mental breakdown in the passenger seat. I could feel Ari glancing in my direction every so often, probably debating whether or not to start some small talk.
I made it painfully obvious I wasn't up for conversation by keeping my eyes glued to the window, pretending to find the passing scenery utterly fascinating. She must've gotten the hint because, mercifully, she stayed quiet.
It's not that I didn't want to talk—I'm just terrible at it. Especially when it comes to talking with pretty girls. And Ari? Yeah, she's definitely one of those girls I fancy but have absolutely no clue how to act around.
Am I hopeless? Oh, without question. Am I proud of myself? Not even a little.
Ari walked ahead and opened the passenger door for me.
"Thanks," I mumbled, sliding into the seat.
"You're welcome," she replied with a warm smile—seriously, God, could she stop being so effortlessly charming?
At the grocery store, we wandered through the veggie aisle in relative silence, the awkwardness still hanging in the air. My phone buzzed, breaking the tension. It was an annoyingly predictable text from Shu: How's the date?
I rolled my eyes and quickly typed back: Shut up. No gummies for you.
Her reply came almost instantly, No, please! complete with a string of desperate emojis.
I smirked but ignored it, stuffing my phone back into my pocket with a small sense of triumph.
But my fleeting moment of triumph was cut short when Ari's voice broke the silence, making me flinch.
"Yumi," she said softly, her tone almost hesitant. "Can we swing by the cereal aisle, please?"
"Uh, sure," I replied, trying to sound casual despite the fact that her voice was unfairly soothing.
As we strolled down the cereal aisle, I watched her light up at the sight of a specific box. To my surprise, she grabbed not one but two boxes of Crayon Shin Chan toy collectible cereal.
Oh. My. God. She's a dork.
"Thanks. Did we get everything?" Ari asked, gesturing to the cart overflowing with groceries.
"Yeah, I think we're good," I replied casually, trying not to overthink her question—or the fact that she was being annoyingly helpful.
We headed to the cashier, and once everything was paid for, she helped me carry the bags to the car without a word of complaint.
I had to admit, this was getting... oddly comfortable. Ari wasn't much of a talker, which I definitely appreciated. Silence is my preferred love language, after all.
But the last thing I wanted was for her to think I was getting too comfortable around her. So, naturally, I resolved to let the awkward silence stretch on for as long as humanly possible.