bapa: from here to eternity

chapter 37: love

Andrew POV:

It was Monday, and the whole fashion department was heading to a show in Milan. The group consisted of three students, our department manager Juliette, Mika, and me. We decided to take the bus, a six-hour journey starting at 7 am. We woke up at 5 am, and with a tight schedule, we'd arrive in Milan around 1 pm, with the fashion show scheduled for 5 pm.

I had hoped to sit next to Mika on the bus, but Juliette had beaten me to it. I ended up next to Juliette, who was absorbed in her fashion magazines. It was clear she wasn't interested in chatting, leaving me with no one to talk to. With six hours ahead of me, I was desperate for some conversation, and Juliette's silence wasn't helping.

An hour into the journey, I found myself gazing out the window, my mind racing with thoughts about Bridget and her brother's girlfriend. And so much more random thoughts. I needed to ask someone something, so I turned to Juliette. "Can I ask you a question?" I inquired.

"Yeah, of course," she replied with a polite smile.

"Can pineapple be on a pizza or not?" I asked. It seemed like a trivial question, but it was driving me crazy.

"Yes, of course. It's healthy and offers a nice mix of sweet and savory," she said.

"It's your opinion, but come on. Pineapple on pizza just doesn't work," I countered.

"Uh, sure," she said, clearly uninterested, and returned to her magazine. I sighed, realizing that Juliette wasn't going to be the conversational partner I needed.

After 2.5 hours, we finally stopped for a lunch break at a gas station with various shops and cafés. I noticed Mika stepping out through the middle door, while I had to exit at the front. I quickly followed her.

"Hey Shorty, how you doing?" I called out, trying to catch up.

Mika turned, looking surprised. "Don't call me Shorty and act like we're all friends. I still don't like you and what you did," she said, her tone more blunt than I expected.

"Oh, sorry," I said, feeling awkward.

She sighed. "You're good. It's just that I'm sitting next to a girl who's giving me attitude, and it's annoying."

"Funny, I'm stuck next to Juliette, who clearly thinks I'm weird. She doesn't want to talk," I said.

"And your loud thoughts need to be voiced, huh?" Mika said with a knowing look.

"Exactly. I asked Juliette if pineapple belongs on pizza. She said yes, but I'm not convinced," I explained.

"Andrew, really? You wasted her time with that question?" Mika stopped and looked at me as if I was a clueless kid. But she used my name. That meant something.

"I know, okay? I had a million thoughts buzzing in my head and needed to ask her that to confirm pineapple doesn't belong on pizza," I said.

"You need a girlfriend, or a boyfriend," Mika said as we entered the mini grocery store.

"Well, what do you think? Does pineapple belong on pizza?" I asked, steering the conversation away from my personal life.

"Honestly, absolutely not. It's disgusting. But if someone likes it, fine, but I'm not eating it," she replied.

"Thank you," I said.

Mika grabbed two bottles of water and some European candy. "Why are you still following me? Don't you want to get something?" she asked.

"Oh, sorry. I just didn't want to go back to the bus and face either the students who are all over me or Juliette, who clearly thinks I'm from another planet," I admitted.