Roommates, apparently (GxG)

Chapter 22 - "You get me"

꧁•⊹٭𝙹𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚎𝚛٭⊹•꧂

"Jesus, it's fuckin' hot today..." I whisper to myself, half panting after finally coming to a stop on my run.

I stand outside of a small Starbucks store at the edge of a gas station, not too far from the apartment complex but far enough that I'm exhausted, leaning against one of the metal bike racks in order to catch my breath. I relax for a second and wipe the sweat beading on my brow as I take in my surroundings. Fresh air, fields and trees for a few miles between here and the campus, a peaceful atmosphere only accented by the local blackbirds every now and then. Nothing but a small and half empty parking lot sits before me, the few parked cars sit sizzling in their bays under the scorching sun, heatwaves visible atop each one.

I snap back from my - possibly heat induced - daydream and slip my phone out from my pocket, just to check in case I've missed anything important. Thankfully my notifications remain empty other than a few social media tags, but I do notice that it's been over an hour since I left. I figure that since I'm here, I may as well grab an iced latte to cool down before the jog back - that way I can pick something up for Alissa as a surprise too .

So, I pop inside. Thankful for the strong blast of cool air that the industrial air-con provides upon entering. Luckily, there's not much of a line at the counter and it isn't long before a member of staff is waving me over.

"Hey, Could I get a venti iced matcha latte with whole milk, a shot of hazelnut syrup and strawberry foam please?" I relay Alissas favourite drink from the top of my head, hoping it's correct.

The girl across the counter nods at my request, clicking various buttons on the screen of the electronic till, nails tapping loudly against the screen as she avoids all eye contact. I wait patiently, expecting her to ask the usual 'anything else?' before continuing, but instead we remain in an awkward and suspended silence for a moment. The girl proceeds to raise her eyebrow, throwing me an annoyed glare.

"Uh- sorry, I'll also take a regular caramel iced latte as well, no additions. That's everything, thank you" I apologise, cringing internally at my lack of social awareness.

With a heavy sigh her nails begin tapping away once more at the large screen before she grabs the card machine, swivelling it around to face me. She points at the device and walks away, leaving me to pay as she prepares the order elsewhere. Not a word crossed her lips the entire interaction.

It'd be easy for me to get mad at her attitude, but I don't see the point. If anything, I kinda empathise with her. After all, these places are always under staffed, over worked and under paid. After waiting patiently for a few minutes, she reappears at the counter and slides the double drink holder towards me, nodding at it with an empty smile.

"Thank you, come again" She says almost robotically, immediately leaning on the counter and whipping out her phone, likely to scroll on TikTok.

I retrieve the drinks with a light 'thank you' and head out of the shop, dropping Alissa a quick text to say that I'll be home soon. Once I slip my phone back into my pocket and secure the drinks in the holder with both hands, I set off at a quick walking pace toward the apartment. The whole way back, I can't help but wonder if the bounce in my step looks as obvious as it feels today.

Honestly, I half expected the fort to cave in on us at some point despite my tests, or that Alissa would flat out think it was childish... but she didn't. She embraced the romantic principle as well as the childish nature of the surprise, and after today I've never been more sure of us, of how I feel about her. It's never been clearer to me that I'm head over heels for the auburn haired girl. The girl who has swiftly booted my ego into position, so swiftly in fact that it was a shock to even the people closest to me.