ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀꜱ : ᴛʜᴇ ᴜᴘʀɪꜱɪɴɢ

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• ＲＡＩＤＥＮ •

Shopping for the house had always been a necessary evil. The dozen people cooped up in the same space created a lot of wear and tear, not to mention the obscene amount of food they consumed. Each week, a duo was assigned to manage all the purchases, and this time, it was Aria and me. But I was more interested in my research than in running errands.

"Come on, grumpy boy, it's time to go shopping!" Aria smirked as she threw my vest at me. I glared at her but reluctantly got up and shut down my computer.

"You should turn it off. You don't want Eth spying on you while we're gone." She smiled, knowing full well Ethan would do just that if given the chance. We really needed some parental supervision around here.

"Can you get me some perfume, mate?" Ethan said, passing by in his sports gear.

"Why? Nobody wants to smell you, dickhead."

"You're just jealous of my natural attractiveness." He winked at Aria, who pretended to choke.

"At least I'm not a guy who can't admit he's obsessed with a girl," he added, earning a high-five from Aria.

"There's no point in continuing this conversation with brainless people like you." I walked out to wait in the car.

"Don't forget my perfume!" I flipped him off as I left.

"So, where are we going?" she asked as I took the driver's seat. I shrugged and started driving, letting my mind wander. After a few minutes, we ended up near a small grocery store. I parked, and we headed inside.

"Why here? You could have chosen closer to the house," she complained.

"I don't know, just felt like it." She pouted but picked up a bag and walked into the store, me following behind.

"You're lost in your thoughts again. What's on your mind?" she asked. Aria had always been protective, maybe too much. She thought I needed her to survive, and sometimes she was right.

"Maybe. I don't know. I think I'll walk around a bit, maybe find something for the dickhead," I said, referring to Ethan. She laughed but gave me a suspicious look.

We split up, and I wandered through the aisles aimlessly, picking up a few items on the list. My thoughts kept drifting to her. I saw her everywhere, heard her voice. It was driving me crazy. I couldn't stop thinking about her and the mystery surrounding her.

"Wait here, I'm going to grab some things for my brothers." I knew that voice—Willow's energetic friend. I wasn't going crazy; she was really here. It was a strange coincidence, or maybe something more.

I followed the voice and found her in the hair dye aisle, too absorbed to notice me. She loved changing her hair color, one of the things that intrigued me when I first saw her.

I should have left, but I couldn't help myself. "A new color?" I said. She nearly knocked over everything on the shelves in surprise.

"You scared me!" She put a hand on her chest and looked at me, curious. She was really cute right now, and I needed to get a grip.

After exchanging a few sentences, we stood there in silence. I should have left, but I couldn't help wanting to know more about her.

"Look, Willow, I—" Aria interrupted me.

"We need to go, Rai." She was cold around Willow, and I didn't understand why. Or maybe I did but still that didn't mean I tolerated it.

We left, and I knew Willow was still watching us. I shouldn't have talked to her. Aria was annoyed.