our sunday afternoons | chanlix

eighteen

1:43 am.

The Ursa Major is quieter than usual, the two baristas doing their own things across the shop. Abhigna glances over her shoulder at Maria every so often, and Maria will sneak looks over at Abhigna when she isn't watching. 

With all the lights off and just the warm glow from the overhead fairy lights, the cafe looks like a secret world. A place just for the two of them.

Abhigna passes Maria to grab the broom, but Maria grabs her wrist first, smiling.

"Hey," she says quietly, looking up at her.

"Hi," Abhigna says, just as quietly.

"Do you remember when we first confessed?"

Abhigna snorts, ruffling Maria's hair before grabbing the broom behind her. Maria narrows her eyes, watching her girlfriend.

"Yeah, I remember. You did this awkward text and then completely proceeded to freak the fuck out." She smiles to herself. "It was kinda cute but very awkward."

Maria groans slightly, irritated. "Yeah never mind, I was trying to be cute and romantic but no, be like that."

"Nooooo, be cute and romantic. I just have to clean first, baby." Maria makes a face at Abhigna before going back to scrubbing at the tables, but more aggressively this time. Abhigna bits the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

"You sent these long paragraphs," Maria mumbles. "And I stared at my phone for the longest time. I seriously thought you had ghosted me because you took so long to respond. But you sent these long sentences about how much you liked me and why you liked me and I freaked out so badly.

"There was absolutely nothing I could've said to match that, you know? And I felt so unbelievably ecstatic that you felt the same that my brain wasn't working anymore."

Abhigna watches Maria from a few feet away, smiling as she notices the redness spreading across her cheeks. 

"I wrote you a letter," Maria's voice is so quiet Abhigna can barely hear her. "And I never told you."

Abhigna's eyes widen before she shakes her head.

"You did not."

"I DID."

"Can I read it?" Abhigna asks, eyes still wide as she processes. Maria makes another face before shaking her head violently.

"No."

"WHY NOT?" This gets no response and Abhigna thins out her lips before crossing across the room. She wraps her arms around her girlfriend before kissing the top of her shoulder. "Can I read it?"

"Remember when you promised you would write me poems?" Maria turns around in Abhigna's arms to face her. "Hmm? Where are those?" Abhigna just laughs and smiles, leaning down to kiss Maria's forehead.

"Secret." Maria huffs before reaching up and kissing Abhigna's cheek.

"I want them."

"You want a lot of things."

"No. Just you."

⁂⁂⁂

someone email University of Washington and tell them to give me more scholarship money