Dear Frenemy | BrightWin | 2gether AU

28 - Eyes on the Prize

Earth's POV

"Hey" said Tine, and placed his tray on the table before sitting opposite me.

I was surprised and delighted. My heart did a quick somersault.

"Wow, this is unexpected. Does your boyfriend know or is this our dirty little secret?" I said, smirking at him.

Tine scrunched his nose. I died a little from how cute he was.

"He sends you his regards, if you must know" he said, smiling.

I nodded.

"So, crazy coincidence right, with both of us getting this internship" said Tine.

"Yeah. Honestly though, the credit goes to you.
I tried my very best to get over you, so I immersed myself in studies and sports.

I was the most surprised of anyone when my grades shot up. I ended the semester at the top of my class.

I also won the national tennis championship, just FYI. Turns out smashing balls with a good racquet and a broken heart wins matches" I said.

"Wow, that's a lot to accomplish in a very short time" said Tine, his eyes big and round.

I sighed and rested my chin on my palm. "I had a lot of getting over to do."

Tine turned a little pink and I knew I still had some way to go before I could move on from him.

I changed the topic.

"This is more than just an internship for me. I'm graduating next semester, and I'm hoping to convert this into a full-time placement offer.

I'm actually going to be here for three full months."

Tine looked impressed. Or at least I hoped he was.

"Well, I'll do my very best to finish my part of the project well, if that helps" he said, seriously.

"Just being able to see you every day helps" I said. I meant it.

Tine shook his head and gave me a scolding look. "You have got to stop flirting all the time. It makes it very difficult to talk to you.

I really want some company these next couple of weeks. I was hoping that would be you.

But if you can't keep it clean, I'll have to make do with Mabel from Operations.

She's like a hundred years old, but she's pretty spry after her hip replacement and she knows her food."

I immediately put one hand on my heart and held up the other.

"I solemnly swear that I will keep it clean, as you put it.

I'm dying of boredom already, and it's only been one day. I spent last night watching the seconds ticking on the hotel room clock.

Like for an hour.

I'm pretty sure some of my brain cells just gave up and turned to mush."

Tine laughed. It was the warmest sound I'd ever heard. I resolved to make him laugh as often as I could.

"I found a basketball court just a short way from the hotel. Would you teach me that offensive tactic you played in the third quarter in the semi-finals?" said Tine, his eyes shining.

"I'm surprised you remember it" I replied. It was well over five months ago.

"Some of the plays you ran were unforgettable" he said and smiled.

I knew he was someone else's. I also knew that he would never feel that way about me.

And yet, I hoped.