During the Thunderstorm (Natural Disaster) ✔

Chapter Twelve

"Hey!"

The hairs on Ally's back rose at the sound of the deep, dreamy voice.

It was ridiculous that she had heard it. The probability of seeing Federico again was 0%, and the likelihood of hearing his voice was -5%. Though, she had been thinking about the flight and their time together in Dallas, maybe a bit too much; it wasn't weird if she was starting to hallucinate.

She had stopped writing upon hearing the voice, but she shook her head and resumed studying. That was until the deep, dreamy voice spoke again.

"Ignoring me again?"

Ally couldn't resist it; she glanced up and widened her eyes. Right in front of her table was Federico in the flesh. His hair was longer (if it was possible to grow hair at lightyear speed since it'd only been two days since they'd last seen each other) and messy. It was very messy, she wondered why it was so messy, and if it would be okay to fix it.

Her throat knotted when he smiled down at her. "Mad at me again for a reason I don't know?" He questioned when she didn't answer.

She blinked back at him. Her heart was hammering, probably because he had scared her. Slowly, a crooked smile curled on her face, and she couldn't hold it back.

"Hey!" She said, her voice coming a bit hoarse. She cleared it and spoke again. "Yes, I'm still sore about the fact that you made an old lady spit all over my face for three straight hours."

"Don't exaggerate, it was at most 2 hours and 58 minutes," He said and Ally chuckled, shaking her head.

Was it possible to miss someone you only spent 24 hours with? Well, she had been having a boring week, so that could be it...

"Is this seat taken?" He asked, nodding at the vacant chair right in front of her.

Her heart dropped, believing he had only come over to ask for a chair and move to his respective table. He probably had better things to do than to chat with her. He was easygoing, there must be 5 people waiting for him and vying for his attention. So, she forced a smile and shook her head. "Go ahead," She nodded, her lips wavering at the end.

She expected Federico to smile, thank her, and drag the chair away. She didn't expect him to grin and pull the chair away so he could sit down in front of her. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as he settled into the cramped table. A pile of books and a cup of a hot drink were scattered all over it.

He looked up at her and smiled. "Sorry, I swear I won't talk much, it's just that this place is really crowded, and this was the only available seat."

Even though his confession stung a bit, she wasn't bothered. She was far from bothered. She raised her eyebrows playfully. "Won't talk much?"

"Yes, I can't resist not talking to you," He confessed, and a flush spread across Ally's cheeks.

She chortled. "It's fine. I was finishing already."

"Oh," His lips flattened. "You're leaving soon?" He sounded disappointed and Ally felt a twirl in her stomach at the prospect.

"No," She answered. "What I meant was that I was just cramming. Have a test tomorrow but I've been slaving myself for the past three days, studying for the test, I'm sure I can answer it with my eyes closed."

"New traits unlocked since we've met again—imaginative thoughts of dying while flying, curious that might go to shady places recommended by Google, knows how to milk cows, and can present exams with eyes closed, however, can't assure results."

"Hey!" Ally chuckled. "My scenes of dying aren't that imaginative, they are realistic. I can recommend you numerous documentaries in which those sorts of situations happen, a lot. Also, we were going to the same place, and I searched for their social media before venturing. No comments regarding milking cows, only that I did well for it being my first time. And finally, I'm sure I can ace the test."