𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐲𝐧

c h a p. 2

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Arsyne pushed open the door of Café Mélodie, the familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods wafting through the air. She waved at the familiar barista who had worked at the café since Arsyne's first year.

"Hey, Zervas! The usual?" The barista sent her a friendly smile. She nodded in response before quickly searching the area for a mop of bleached blonde hair. The café was bustling with students, their conversations blending into a low hum of background noise. She spotted Asa at their usual corner table, who was waving her arms everywhere to catch Arsyne's attention, her bright smile unmistakable even in the crowded space.

"Arsyne!" Asa kept waving enthusiastically, her eyes lighting up as Arsyne approached with a matcha latte in hand. "Over here!"

Arsyne slid into the seat opposite Asa, setting her bag down with a sigh. "Sorry, I'm late. My parents needed to speak to me. You know how they get." She crossed one leg over the other, her posture rigid with her shoulders pushed back. It came naturally to her, like a forced habit.

"No worries. You wouldn't believe what just happened," Asa began, her voice brimming with excitement. Which soon simmered as she analysed her friends' figure. "How were they? You seem down. More than usual."

Asa pointed to her eyes, teasing her about the dark circles under her eyes, and the disheveled look of her clothes which was always pristine looking and sharp.

Arsyne hesitated, her eyes glancing around in nervousness before meeting Asa's sharp, gaze. "Well, they found out about a project I was assigned yesterday. They like to be updated by the school about me, my assignments, my pieces. Yet, they never show up, which is funny. But...um, It's a duet."

Asa tilted her head at the words, a frown etched into her brows on the similarities Arsyne's parents shared with her own. "They can back up a little bit."

Arsyne smiled softly at Asa's attempt to cheer her up. Her smile fell slightly at the display of Akira's name on Asa's phone. She groaned at the sound of the ringing and declined his call. Asa tells her friend that this was the fifth time he's called in thirty minutes.

Asa checks her phone while absentmindedly saying, "...At least you weren't locked in a closet for most of your childhood-"

"Here we go again," Arsyne groans in mock annoyance. "Are you going Trauma for Trauma right now?"

"We can go waist for waist if you want,"

"...oh, you're a cunt."

Asa gasps jokingly then laughs in response, she gives Arsyne half of her muffin while apologising profusely. Arsyne scoffs in disbelief and takes her whole muffin.

"Okay, so about the duet, who's your partner? Is it Kenji? Himari? Luca? Oh my god! Is it Cherry?" The blonde squeals in excitement making the people in the booth beside them scowl in their direction, "She is so fine. If you weren't dragging me down to your nerd depths, I would've hit."

"Okay. One, I have no idea who any of those people are. Two, you're a bitch, and three, 'nerd depths'? Really?" Arsyne bit into the muffin for a dramatic pause, "But brace yourself for the reveal"

Asa jokingly does a drumroll on the table.

"...It's your brother."

The blonde slapped her forehead in disbelief, letting out a low sigh, "Wow. That was so anticlimactic. You're so dramatic."

"How did it go?" She drinks her iced americano blankly after asking.

Arsyne shrugged, trying to downplay the mixture of emotions swirling inside her. The most prominent one was annoyance. "It was fine, which is weird. He was disturbingly... cooperative."

"Cooperative, huh?" Asa smirked teasing. "That's not what I expected of my dear older brother. I thought he'd be his usual arrogant, stuck-up, idiotic self."

"I don't think he can stop, but he was okay. Ugh, that doesn't feel right to say." Arsyne sneered.

Asa's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Well, this I have to see. Moving on to more interesting matters-"

"-you're mean, you know that?" The silver-haired girl interrupted.

"-There's a party tonight, and we're going." Asa continues. She jumps in her seat in excitement, making her straight hair bounce around.

Arsyne groaned, her head rolling back in defeat. "Asi, you know I can't. There's too much going on right now. I've got so much work to do, and I can't afford to slack off...my father would kill me if he found out."

"It's okay! It's not on school grounds, they'll never know unless you crack like you usually do, and tell them-"

"Asa..."

The girl pouted, giving Arsyne her best puppy-dog eyes. Her hand came up in a begging position. "Come on, Arsyne. You need a break. You've been working yourself to the bone. A few hours won't hurt. Besides, it'll be fun!"

"If you stop doing that face, I'll think about it." Arsyne looks away with a scrunched look.

"I thought I looked cute doing aikyo..."

Arsyne sighed and shook her head, feeling the weight of her responsibilities pressing down on her. The weight of her picture-perfect image would be ruined if this reached her parents. "I don't know, Asi. I have so much to do, and this project with Akira is just added stress."

Asa leaned forward, her expression earnest. "Exactly why you need to unwind. Just for a little while...but if you're so opposed, we won't go."

"You can't just not go because I won't be there, Asi." Arsyne frowns at the thought.

"Where you go, I go." She pointed out.

Arsyne breathed out heavily, torn between her commitment to her studies, image, and parents and the temptation of a night off with her best friend. "I'll think about it, okay?"

Asa grinned, clearly taking that as a victory. "Yes! I knew you'd crack." Her phone buzzed on the table, and she glanced at it, her smile fading at the display name. "Ugh, it's Akira again."

Arsyne raised an eyebrow. "He's been calling you a lot, hasn't he?"

"Like, what does he want," Asa muttered, declining the call. "Probably to bother me or something."

Just as Asa put her phone down, a deep, husky voice interrupted their conversation. "Ignoring me again, little sis?"

Arsyne's breath hitched, and she looked up to see Akira standing behind them, his friends Riki, Zero, and Kairo flanking him. Akira's gaze was fixed on Asa as he ignored, her friend, but Arsyne could feel the weight of his presence like a tangible force.

"Akira," Asa said, her tone a mix of exasperation and surprise. "What are you doing here and what do you want?"

Akira smirked, crossing his arms over his chest, his muscles bulging out of his stüssy shirt. "Just making sure you're not getting into too much trouble. And it looks like I was right to check."

Asa rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Aki. I don't need a babysitter."

Akira's expression softened slightly, but his tone remained firm. "We need to talk, Asa. It's important."

Asa glanced at Arsyne apologetically, her eyes expressing concern. "I'm sorry, Arsyne. I have to go. We'll catch up later?"

Arsyne nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead."

Asa stood up, giving Arsyne a tight squeeze which she struggled to return due to the angle, before turning to her brother. "Move your big back out of the way. Like, how am I supposed to get passed the four of you."

Riki chuckled at her words while Kairo shoved her shoulder. Akira glanced down at Arsyne with a glare before walking away with the group.

'Girl, what did I do? Rude as hell.' She thought to herself with a grumble

Asa and Akira walked away, leaving Arsyne alone at the table. She sighed then finished up her drink, feeling a mix of relief and frustration. The interaction with Akira had been brief, but it had stirred up more emotions than she cared to admit. With a sigh, she gathered her things and prepared to head back to her apartment, her mind already buzzing with thoughts of the project and the unexpected invitation to the party.

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