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› 4 › no longer broken

"okay, glad you got that out of your system? ...excellent! page 53?"

"nini?"

the girl stops moving the moment i call out. i'm surprised she can even hear me. there's a considerable amount of distance between us since i took so long to decide whether or not to say anything.

she slowly starts to turn around and an intense, maybe even desperate feeling of anticipation overwhelms me. it seems like my heart is pumping faster than usual too.

this is stupid...

come on bowen, get yourself together. it might not even be her.

after what felt like centuries, she finally faces me completely. she's wearing a dark blue ucla hoodie over denim shorts. a black face mask covers her face, as well as a pair of sunglasses.

the excitement i was feeling a second ago is replaced by disappointment. nini doesn't go to ucla.

despite my slight embarrassment, i manage to say, "sorry - i thought you were—"

"you thought right actually," the girl says. she takes off her sunglasses and runs a hand through her long hair.

"it's been awhile, ricky."

° ° °

"latte, please."

shifting uncomfortably in my seat, i watch nini pay for her drink by the register.

this is insane, i didn't think... i couldn't have imagined...

i don't even know what to say.

not gonna lie that whole "reunion" was strangely dramatic - it's dark out now but earlier when i called out to her, the sun was setting and the sky had this violet tint to it. it was perfect, too movie-like. i have to remember that scene forever.

wait, snap out of it. none of this means anything. seeing her doesn't mean being friends again. we're just talking for the niceties... that's all...

anyways we exchanged greetings - stiff ones if i'm being honest - and she asked what the best cafe in the area was. me being me, my brain was not functioning at all so i brought her to the nearest one.

"sorry about earlier," she says, pulling me back into reality - eyes fixed on her immediately. sitting down across the table, she continues, "no one has called me 'nini' in so long... you caught me by surprise."

"crap, sorry. do you want me to call you nina or—"

"no, don't," she takes a sip from her cup. "it would be weird coming from you."

i nod slowly.

this is awkward.

i don't know... but...

nini's different. not that it's a bad different, but something about her is off.

she looks the same. she has a different clothing style for sure but that's not what's changed. the way she speaks... the energy she gives off...