Losing You's a Thing That I Dread

Chapter 14: Archie

A/N: Alam kong marami ng nauumay kay Pablo and Roxy. I hear you, all! 🤭 And aaminin ko na, na-miss ko rin naman talaga yung mga landian nina Archie and Roxy dito. 🫶 So here's a new chapter (bago ako manakit sa WU). This isn't beta'd. Read at your own risk. Lol! 😅

***

Thursday, 02:11 PM

He was running late, and it was not really the impression he was going for on a sorta-first date. To be fair, calling it a date was sort of a stretch.

They were meeting for their holiday break project that would be due in less than a week. It was also the first time he was seeing her since they became official.

Life at home got in the way.

His phone alerted him to a text message, and a smile tugged on the corner of his lips when he saw who it was from.

MINE: Pringles or Pik-Nik?

He's been walking for the past 20 minutes, a little unfamiliar with that part of the mall, so he paused in the middle of an empty aisle to send her a reply.

ARCHIE: Can't we just get a bucket of popcorn like normal people?

MINE: Eh di bumili ka. :)

MINE: Malayo ka pa ba?

Ignoring the colorful packages in his peripheral vision, Archie gazed up to the thin board hanging on the ceiling and informing him of his whereabouts.

ARCHIE: I'm in aisle 11. Where are you?

MINE: Yay! On my way :)

Relief coursed through his veins as he pocketed his phone. Spending a day without seeing her felt like pure unadulterated torture - he honestly didn't know how he survived the last 72 hours. Archie was well-aware that he was a tad grumpier and snarkier than usual, but he was so miserable, he didn't find it in him to care. Call him clingy and -

A high-pitched squeal interrupted his musings.

There was a little girl in front of him - too young to be roaming the supermarket alone. She was staring at him, eyes wide like saucers, a million stranger-danger stories probably running inside her head. Her hair was styled with braids and lots of butterfly clips, it easily brought a smile on his face.

"Can I help you?" He asked kindly.

The girl looked at him shyly before nodding and pointing to the top part of the shelf, definitely outside of her reach.

He turned and grabbed the first thing his hand touched when she spoke quietly.

"With wings po."

It took him a second, but then he realized where he was.

She said a quick thanks and hurried back as soon as he got her what she needed. He tried to follow her with his gaze, seeing if a parent or a guardian was waiting on the other end of the aisle, but he got distracted when he heard someone snicker behind him.

He felt a tad dizzy after turning too quickly, his eagerness undeniable.

And right there, surrounded by a wide variety of sanitary pads and feminine products, the stress of the last three days melted away.

Roxy was standing next to the shelf, looking totally bemused. He shook his head and allowed himself to laugh at the hilarity of the last five minutes.

"Bakit dito ka naghihintay?"

He took the shopping basket from her and answered, "Your fault," before pressing a brief kiss on her lips. He spent a few seconds taking her in - she looked just like a dream. He almost pinched himself to prove his mind didn't make her up.