Silent Resilience

The Grade School Host is in Love!

"Hey, slow down!" Asher huffed, leaning his hands on his knees. He panted for a few seconds, breaths loud against the sounds of the city behind them.

The girl turned around, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Hello to you too?"

After her performance at karaoke, she felt pretty worn out. As much as she loved it, singing ate away at energy too quickly. The reddish-brown haired girl had planned on taking a stroll through the park before heading home, when her walk had been so kindly interrupted.

Asher gulped as he stood up straight, staring into her eyes. It was silent for a few seconds as he blanked.

For such a star student, Asher sure knew how to make any situation awkward. He had left the club after her performance, chasing her down only to stop and stare dumbly. Inwardly, the boy was panicking, yelling at himself to say something.

And it showed on his face. The girl smirked, an amused glint in her eyes. "You okay, kid?"

Asher seemed to snap out of his stupor, tilting his head in confusion. "Kid? We go to the same school"

Looking him up and down, the girl took note of the school uniform he wore. She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "Guess we do"

Asher was glad it was night out, as her staring brought a red hue to his cheeks. It spread all the way to his ears, bringing a tingling feeling to his stomach. One that he had never felt before, in all his years of highschool.

Clearing his throat, he glanced off to the side and cleared his throat. "I-uh, just wanted to say that um, you sing pretty good"

'God, that sounded so weird!' he inwardly screamed, only growing redder in embarrassment. At that moment, it seemed as though all his literacy skills had left him.

As he was busy trying not to die of his inward dilemma, the girl stifled a laugh. His embarrassment was kind of adorable.

"Thanks. You know, I've never seen you around school before" she commented, walking a bit closer.

I'm, uh, not that popular" he stammered, calming his pounding heart. Letting out a sigh, the boy held his hand out. "My name's Asher. Asher Min"

She stared at the outstretched hand for a moment before smirking. Lifting her gaze, the girl's brown eyes seemed to stare straight into his soul as she took his hand.

"Nice to meet you, kid. It's Mila"

Ching!

The sounds of windchimes clicking together rang through the small shop as Adriel stepped inside. Nearly tripping over a stack of books, he staggered for a moment before balancing.

It was a tiny place. He had to squeeze through the crowded aisles, filled with crystals, candles and various fruits. Tinted lamps hung from chains sprouting from the ceiling, each giving off a hued glow. Potted plants and wooden shelves were stacked around, snuggling into every free space there was available.

A black cat sat on the counter, perking it's head at Adriel's entrance. From behind the wooden counter, a girl turned around at the sound of the windchimes. Her ebony skin seemed to glow in the gentle light of the shop, charcoal dreadlocks swept behind her shoulders. Her eyes widened slightly behind her round glasses. She wore a white blouse with wide lantern sleeves and a ruffled neckline, tucked into a calf-length black shirt fitted with a brown belt. Black boots adorned her feet, with golden buckles shining from the lamplight.

When she turned around, she seemed to blank for a moment before a smirk etched onto her lips.

A small smile crept onto Adriel's face at the sight of the girl. "Hi Aaron"