Strangers | ✔️

five

thursday ☾

It was hard to keep track of my conversations with Damien. I tried to run them through my mind, tracing my steps back, footprint by footprint, word by word. Everything seemed blurry. But not in a bad way. Blurry, like there was too much adrenaline running through my veins and reddening my cheeks. Blurry, like I spent too much time smiling with my eyes contently half closed. Blurry, like time flew by too quickly the way it does when you're happy.

I bit my lip in an attempt to hide a smile. The thought of brunch brought butterflies into my stomach (no, I didn't eat butterflies for brunch, I promise). At one point, Damien had nudged me lightly on the shin, and a game of footsie unfolded between us. Above the table, we sipped at our drinks and pretended nothing was happening.

Mind ridden with thoughts of him and him alone, I was happy for once and for twice, then maybe for a lifetime—

If only Raegan hadn't taken hold of my hand and squeezed, hard, pulling me back into the harsh reality of his cold eyes taking my breath away until I was just a frozen and scared little girl once again.

* * *

Damien was there. All too sudden, materializing from my spiral into memory lane. His eyes were no longer on me, but his unsmiling coldness still sent shivers down my spine. Like before the ice pop and the risotto and the footsie. It was like he housed two different people sometimes; one devoid of emotions, the other brimming with a rosé that made me giddy.

And of course, his friends followed in his tracks, striding towards us. I ducked my head and eyed the queue in front of us. Four more people. Just four more. Raegen clearly noticed the boys too, or her hand wouldn't have clutched mine so tight, and Allie's chatter wouldn't have gone unreplied to.

I winced when a wolf whistle passed into my ears, and I closed my eyes.

Please. Leave us alone.

We'd been waiting for long enough. Just let us enjoy tonight. Have some concierge-recommended-sushi. A girl's night. No drama. Just us. Please.

"Allie? Hey! It's Allie! It's Allie Gracelyn!"

Gracelyn. I winced, once again.

Allie's middle name was spat out of their mouths with practice. The girl hated being referred by her middle name, and she'd mentioned this many, many, times.

The hollering started. Names jumbled, nicknames thrown. Too little space, voices and snickers and body heat making my vision swirl. Laughing faces as his friends ignored the onlookers and blurted unwanted names and pulled strings of painful memory from all of our minds.

"Hey, Allie Gracelyn? Allie, I love you, I swear, you gotta believe me—"

"Allie, I'll follow you till the end of time!"

"Marry me, Allie Gracelyn! I promise I'll—"

The mockery in their voice twisted their grins.

Allie stayed dead still, facing the sushi restaurant, gripping Raegan's hand like her lifeline depended on it. The three of us stood silently, trying to ignore the whispering onlookers and the brimming of tears in Allie's eyes. Raegan was shaking with anger, but she stayed silent because her fiery replies would only encourage the boys. The damn childish boys.

I turned my head to look at Damien, a certain pleading in my eyes that I've never directed his way before. And yet he was typing away on his phone, brows furrowed, an expression of annoyance... directed at his friends' childishness. But with no intention to stop them.

A fire of rage rose within me.

Damn you all. Damn you all.

I pulled at Allie's hand and dragged her out of the line. Raegan followed with no complaint, face cold with suppressed tints of fury.

* * *

The night ended with supper at a small, Italian restaurant, and junk food in our hotel room. A popular action movie we've all already watched played on the television, volume turned down. Allie snorted as the main character took a bullet for his lover.

"As if," A slice of potato chip crunched in her mouth, and she swallowed, "screw boys."

"Hmm," Raegan dug into her bowl and devoured a mouthful of overly salted popcorn, earning her a glance from Allie.

"Ew," Allie spat, elegantly stuffing another piece of chip into her mouth.

"Don't ew me, woman," Raegan threw a piece of popcorn at Allie, "who the hell likes sweet popcorn, anyway?"

Allie protested with a groan but said nothing. I brushed the popcorn off her sweatshirt. She muttered a thanks and the room became silent once again, intense music anti-climatically playing from the television. I shifted in my pile of pillows, and Raegan pulled at my sleeve, eyes still fixated on the screen. I faced my bag of salt and vinegar chips towards her, and she took a handful without even looking. Allie soon followed, completely turning on her belly on the pile of pillows and taking a handful from the family-size bag, too.

"At least we can agree on salt and vinegar," Allie smiled at me and licked her fingers clean. "Delicious."

"Hmm," Raegan said, distractedly. "Maybe sweet popcorn isn't that bad either, afterall." Allie didn't push her luck, just grinned and ducked her chin, strands of her hair falling into her face like a perfectly timed movie scene. Raegan finally turned her head away from the television and faced Allie and I instead.

"We're all okay, right?" The three of us cuddled in our messy pillow fort (it was more of a mountain, really), and Allie kicked her feet as if they were fitted with heels. She flipped over and squiggled until she took up most of the space on the pillows, but neither Raegan and I moved a single inch. She took our sticky hands in hers, eyes wide and staring at the ceiling as if she could see the star-ridden night sky.

"We're alright," She whispered. Maybe she saw galaxies. "We're alright."