Mia couldn't wait to get home. She'd been staring at the clock, glancing at it every twenty seconds; the minute five o'clock hit – ten minutes until closing, and then some because she had to close, which always added an extra twenty to her schedule. She couldn't wait to get home, lay in bed, and finish her last essay due on Friday.
She could taste the freedom from mid-term and feel the pain and regret from looking at a drained bank account. All she needed to do was wait a little longer, just a little longer. Her essay was also practically done; she had to write in that last paragraph, along with the conclusion (and the bibliography). Mia had never felt so motivated or excited to get home and write an essay.
She'd been busy—but when was Mia not—the past two or three days, with the stress of finalizing and submitting assignments, finding a house to live in, and calling agencies for viewings. On top of that, she got herself into an unnecessary project, such as promising Luke and Michael she'd help them get into Aeternum—which wasn't bad since it boosted her social life.
It was sad that she classified that borderline neurotic meeting at the boys' house as 'part of her social life,' but Mia couldn't be a chooser regarding the lack of social life she'd dug herself into since term started. Speaking of the boys and a particular blond, she had gone radio silent two days following the 'interrogation' and her reveal of Aeternum's secrets.
Mia had told Luke that Wednesday would be the day they could expect to hear from her, but again, the girl had been busy. Excuse her for not keeping up with Calum or any of his friends when she had to search for scholarly articles and evidence to use in a wordy essay related to comparative politics.
At the moment, Mia was lost in her world—focused on cleaning the espresso machine's group head and the song she had been playing through the cafe-slash-bookstore-bar speakers. Luckily, no customers were around; the last group had left fifteen minutes before and allowed her to play whatever music she wanted at whatever volume.
Although Mia's manager – who also doubled as the owner – had come down from the office space upstairs and asked her if she was still fixated on that artist who 'sang about leaving the church and running away only to get cannibalized by a supposed lover.' He was a little tired of hearing the same songs on repeat for the fifth day in a row.
The door to the cafe opened, and Mia had to resist groaning at the sound of approaching footsteps. She was cleaning the machine! She'd just finished wiping down the group head, and the portafilter was mid-soak – a cappuccino, latte, or mocha was not worth the inconvenience it would cause her. Still, with a sympathetic smile, the girl looked up, ready to politely tell the customer they were closed (even if the cafe technically wasn't).
However, her smile dropped, and she masked her face into neutrality as her gaze landed on a tall blond. She should have expected at least one of them to show up; she hoped it'd happen later instead of sooner. "Oh," Mia said, "it's you." And moved on, wiping down the machine's steam wand, "We're closed."
"A little more enthusiasm would be nice, Corcoran," Luke commented, approaching the counter and drumming his hands against the wooden surface. "I could have been a paying customer."
She rolled her eyes, "Too bad, we're closed."
"Perfect, that means you're available." He retorted, a small smug smile spreading along his lips. Luke was the kind of guy Mia thought she'd like – he was similar to the boys in her favourite books; he was a guy she'd expect to read about in a ridiculous young adult romance or see in a movie or TV show and giggle or obsess over.
She always wondered why the girls in those books never liked or appreciated them the way Mia believed she would. However, upon meeting Luke, she realized that those girls were always right in the beginning because those boys—boys like Luke—were unbelievably unpleasant. They got off on terrible humour, one-liners, and forced nonchalance. And unlike those girls in the books, Mia would not fall for it– not when she had better options and dignity.
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RISK✵ lrh
Fanficit had started as a mutually beneficial relationship, and neither wanted nor expected what would come of it. where luke wants to join an exclusive secret society, and she's his one-way ticket. it's a risk, but he's taking it.
