How We Broke Up

26

THEN

"If you need something, just tell me. Good luck on your report." Ro felt shy when her mom walks out on their living area.

They were supposed to do their report on the library. Unfortunately, it is already closed when they tried to come in. Thomas suggested to do it on their homes. She expected separately, but he cleared out that they need to work on this together.

That is why they are currently at Ro's.

Both of them are sitting on the floor, quietly working on their project. If only Ro was listening from her teacher, she might have said no on this.

"Here's my research. I think you should do the outline." Thomas suddenly said, Ro was busy...thinking.

"If that's fine by you." He added. She grabbed his papers and started working on the outline. Ro stayed quiet. She doesn't want to open up anything because this will surely lead for them to be friends again.

As long as she can keep staying out of the danger zone. She will.

"I saw your piece from the last writing contest." Ro stopped writing. "Didn't like it." She looks at him.

He chuckled, "I love it actually. Never thought I would love reading articles. Thanks." Thomas glances at her, he was surprised to see that she is already looking.

Ro didn't say anything, she goes back on writing their outline. All the time that passed were preoccupied by them working with their report. Thomas understands why Ro wants to work silently, though he wants to talk to her anything under the sun.

At exactly six, they finished their report.

Her mom invited him for dinner but he respectfully declined her. When he bid goodbyes, he smiled, she also did.

Next week came, they were talking again. Every now and then, Thomas asks her questions and Ro will gladly answer him. They were not like before but it's a first step. Their classmates felt the atmosphere to become lighten, so they started interacting with her again, freely. It is like the wall that Ro has built were being torn down, slowly.

Before the report, Thomas walks up to her, "Where's the flash drive?" Ro searches for it on her bag. "Here." He smiled. "I'll set up the projector later." She nodded. When she turns her head at her friends, they suppressed their screams. Ro told them to stop but she then laughed at her friends.

The report went well. Both Ro and Thomas are smiling all throughout their report. Their classmates also enjoyed their report. They casually tease their two classmates in front of them and they will all laugh when their cheeks turned into red.

It was the beginning of the new leaf.

After that report, the wall she has built were almost completely torn down. She didn't mind. Ro has nothing to think about, no elite group, no big project, no pressure...

One afternoon, Ro and her friends are having lunch on cafeteria. Thomas walks up onto their table.

He greeted them all, he paused for a moment and smiled sweetly, "Good afternoon, Ro." She didn't hesitate to return the smile.

He sits up beside Ro and eat with them.

Phoebe and Samantha finishes first. When they stood up, they grin and giggled at Ro. Both of them bid goodbyes. Ro was about to react but they ran.

She looks at Thomas and awkwardly chuckle. He said it's fine, he's almost done. "No, take your time."

They sat there at the cafeteria, silently. When he is finished eating, he looks at her. "What are you thinking?" She turns her head.

"How we ended up here. It's funny how I ignore you for months, or even years, but here we are."

"If I was brave enough, I bet were best friends now." They laughed with what he said.

"Just like I told you. I've been seeing you, and I wanted to be friends with you but..."

"Your elite groups butted in." Ro is joking but he did not laugh. Thomas nodded.

"I somehow regret that decision. Letting them be my friends. I can't accept how blind I've been for years."

"Don't be hard on yourself. It's impossible to know at first, right?" Thomas nods. He opened about how he cuts off his friends. Ro was proud of him, Thomas said he feels the same thing.

Every day that has passed, their friendship grew stronger. There were days when they will eat on near establishments. Some with Phoebe and Samantha, some were just the two of them.

One random day, they were teased by their classmates that they are dating. Thomas and Ro laughed at them and said no.

She never knew that the cold-hearted person she is, can feel warm. Ro never felt so good feeling that warmth in her heart.

She may have said to not treat herself badly. But how bad can it be when she allow Thomas to be in her life again... I hope nothing goes wrong.