Rachel Wells has always liked Arjun Kumar since sophomore year of high school, but always kept it to herself as he was dating another girl. Ethan Lin, one of Arjun's best friends, notices her feelings towards Arjun and befriends her, hoping to comfo...
I wake up to the sound of my phone vibrating and I reluctantly open an eye to check the time. 9.00AM. I turn it off and slowly get up, stretching out my arms and neck. I look around and see Liz sprawled across her bed, still dressed in last night's outfit. Someone's getting a headache I think to myself, rolling my eyes. I climb out of bed and head to the bathroom, grabbing my phone along the way. As I brush my teeth, I check through any notifications I received overnight.
I suddenly choke on my spit when I see text from an unknown number.
From: Unknown Number Good Night Love ~ E 12.38AM
Love? Ethan? It should be Ethan. I text back in order to confirm.
To: Unknown Number I apologize but is this Ethan Lin? 9.11AM
I wrap up in the bathroom and head to the kitchen to grab a snack while I nervously wait for a reply back.
Ting! A sound alerts me and I rush to check it out.
From: Unknown Number I don't know love, is it? 9.32AM
I frown slightly at this but before I could send a reply, I receive another text.
From: Unknown Number This is Ethan, love. I was just teasing you. How did you sleep? 9.32AM
I sigh in relief that it wasn't from a random creep. Reading his text over again, I smile at his words. Since when was he so nice to me? And love? He's probably just being friendly. I was growing fond of that nickname.
To: Ethan You dumbass, I thought I got text from a random creep. And I slept well, thank you for asking. I fell asleep right away, so I missed your text. Sorry about that:/ 9.34AM What about you? How was the party? 9.34AM
From: Ethan Sorry to disappoint that I wasn't the random creep you were expecting love 9.35AM As for the party, it was decent. I stayed for a while and I came back to my room. I slept fine. I was working out when you texted me earlier.
I nod silently, and chuckle at his teasing. Working out? With that much physical activity, I bet his body's- wait nope. I'm not interested in that. I shake off those thoughts as a slight blush rushes to my cheeks. I quickly type back a reply.
To: Ethan You are insane to wake up early and workout right after a party. I don't understand how you have the motivation. 9.36AM
From: Ethan It's called staying in shape love. Wouldn't want to mess up in tryouts, would I? 9.36 AM
He replies quickly. Hmm..I guess he does have a point. Before I could answer, he types out another text that surprises me.
From: Ethan Do you have any plans for today? 9.37AM
My heart stops for a second and I begin to panic. But eventually I reason with myself. Maybe he's just asking to be polite.
To: Ethan Not really. Liz's still asleep so I might just check out some cafes next to campus. 9.38AM
From: Ethan If you don't mind, can I join you? 9.38AM
To: Ethan
Are you sure? It might not be as fun as you expect it to be.
9.40AM
I reply, unsure and confused as to why he'd want to explore cafes with me. I receive a text within a few seconds saying "I'm not complaining". This draws a smile onto my face and I let him know that we should meet outside our dorm building at 1pm. I then return to my room to look through and choose an outfit. Wait, this isn't a date. But I still have to look good. At least for myself. I think, and go back to choosing an outfit.
"Why are you harassing your clothes so early in the morning?" I hear Liz ask me, while letting out a painful groan and massaging her temples. She walks up to me and leans against the wall next to me. "You heading out?" She asks curiously.
"Yep. Also I made some green tea. It should help with your hangover. What time did you get back?" I tell her, ignoring her questions. "I love you Rach. You're the best! And I got back at like 1 am. Not too late" she exclaims, giving me a quick hug. I giggle at her antics and proceed to tell her about Ethan.
"Guess who I saw last night" I call out to get her attention. "Who?" She yells back. "Ethan Lin". I hear Liz run to me with her green tea in her hand, eyes wide in shock, clearly not expecting this. "Ethan Lin. As in Arjun's best friend, Ethan Lin" she states, trying to reconfirm what I had said. I laugh at her quiet state, trying to absorb the information I just dropped on her. Immediately she starts shooting off a series of questions.
"What was he doing there? Did you guys talk? What did he say? Does he still look the same? Has he changed? Did you ask him about Ar-"
"One question at a time. He was there because he was going to try out for the team. We did talk. He walked me back. I guess he got taller and his body's more well defined? I think. Probably training for the team. And I didn't ask him about Arjun because I don't like him like that anymore. Oh also, he's in the same building as us" I cut her off, while also answering all of her questions. Her mouth falls open in shock at this new information before she puts down her green tea and runs up to me, jumping up and down in excitement.
"Girlllll!! He walked you back AND he's in the same building. He likes you. Forget about Arjun" she exclaims loudly with a wide smile. I snort at her words and brush her off. "Ethan. He likes me? Nope. I don't think so" I deadpan, rejecting the possibility. "I'm also meeting him at 1pm today to check out some cafes near campus. He said he wanted to join me" I inform her, before returning to choosing my outfit.
"He totally likes you~" she says in a sing-song voice, giving me a teasing look before walking away. I ignore her and I decide on wearing a baggy shirt and shorts since it was hot outside.
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I spend the next hour watching a movie with Liz, while putting on minimal make up and getting ready. Just then I receive a text from Arjun saying he was waiting outside. Feeling excited, I grab a mini backpack with all my essentials and leave. When I reach the entrance, I see Ethan standing outside, looking at his phone. Deciding to scare him, I sneak up behind him quietly. However, before I could tap on his back, he turns around, scaring me instead.
"Hi Love" he greets me, with a hint of a smirk, knowing that I failed in my plan to scare him. Looking up at him with a playful glare, "You scared me idiot. How did you even know I was behind you?" I ask him curiously. "I'm just very observant" he states smoothly, pointing towards my shadow. Scoffing at his comment, I proceed to walk ahead first. I hear a small chuckle from him and he then catches up to me and matches my pace.
"So where are we headed?" He asks. "We are going to Cafe Bean first. It's like a 10 minute walk from here" I say, gauging his reaction. I didn't want to make him walk too much and bore him. But seeing that he wasn't affected by my words, I abandon my concern and we continue our walk.
The chapters so far have been really focused on Ethan and Rachel's time together. Please let me know what you all think. Would you like me to include more on about background stories like college events and maybe Liz's POV? Comment on this please!
