In Love, Against All Odds

Whispers on the Bus

Saturday rolled in like a chill breeze after a full-on crazy week. The days leading up to it had been nothing short of messy—a mix of non-stop classes, the Bradwin drama still lingering in the background, and the emotional patch-up with Adri. Honestly, I was wiped. I needed something to reset, and spending time with Adri seemed perfect. When I texted her asking if she was free, she replied so fast it was almost scary. She invited me over, and just like that, I felt a spark of excitement—it was so good to have her back in my corner.

Downstairs, the kitchen smelled like home. Mom was making her weekend soup, the kind that instantly makes you feel better even if you didn't know you needed it. She was at the stove, stirring the pot like she always did, humming quietly to herself.

"Mom," I called out, leaning against the doorframe. "I'm heading to Adri's today."

She turned around, spoon still in hand, giving me the classic mom look. "Adri? I thought you two weren't talking. What happened?"

I adjusted the strap of my bag, feeling a little awkward. "We talked it out. She was right about Bradwin, and I didn't listen, but it's cool now. Anyway, she's home alone, so I thought I'd go keep her company."

Mom studied me for a second before a small smile tugged at her lips. "Well, I'm glad you two worked it out. You want to take some soup for her?"

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks, though!" I said, giving her a quick hug before grabbing my stuff and heading out.

The bus stop wasn't far, but I felt like every step was dragging. The week's stress still weighed on me, and all I wanted was to zone out for a while. When the bus finally pulled up, I hopped on, found a seat by the window, and plugged in my earbuds. My playlist kicked in, and I sank into the music, letting the city blur past the window.

I was just starting to unwind when someone plopped down next to me. Startled, I turned, and there he was—Patrick. His chill vibe instantly threw me off in the best way possible.

"Hey," he said like it was no big deal, flashing that easygoing grin of his.

I pulled out an earbud, my brain struggling to catch up. "Patrick? What are you doing here?"

"Heading to the arcade," he said, leaning back like he owned the world. "Meeting some friends. You?"

"I'm going to Adri's," I said, still surprised. "She's alone today, so I thought I'd hang out with her."

He raised an eyebrow, smirking a little. "Wait, didn't you guys have some huge fallout?"

I blinked. "How do you even know that?"

He shrugged, playing it off. "I've got my ways. So, what happened?"

I hesitated for a second, but something about Patrick made it easy to talk. "Well, Adri and I go way back. We've been besties forever. Even joined the same uni—different courses, though. She's doing design, and she's ridiculously good at it. Meanwhile, I suck at anything artsy." I laughed lightly before continuing, "Anyway when I started dating Bradwin, she warned me about him. But I thought she was just being salty because they don't get along."

Patrick nodded, clearly following along. I sighed. "Turns out, she was right. He was cheating, and I didn't believe her until it was too late."

For a second, Patrick didn't say anything, just looked at me with this soft, understanding expression. "That sucks," he said finally, his voice low. "But hey, at least you know now. And you've got Adri back."

"Yeah," I said, smiling a little. "She's pretty great."

We sat in silence for a bit, but it wasn't awkward—just... comfortable. Then, out of nowhere, Patrick leaned closer. My heart skipped a beat as his face got way too close for comfort, and then—he grabbed one of my earbuds and stuck it in his ear.

"Hey!" I laughed, swatting at him. "What are you doing?"

"Chill," he said, smirking. "Just checking out your music. Let's see if you've got taste."

I rolled my eyes but let him listen. A minute later, he nodded approvingly. "Not bad. I thought you'd be into, like, bubblegum pop or something."

"Wow," I said sarcastically. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Patrick just grinned, his vibe so laid-back it was almost infuriating. We started chatting about music, and it was so easy. He told me about this one band he's obsessed with, and I told him about my guilty pleasure playlists. Before I knew it, my stop was coming up.

"Well, this is me," I said, pulling the earbud out of his ear as I stood up.

Patrick looked up, his grin still firmly in place. "Later, Kat. Have fun with Adri."

I waved as I stepped off the bus, feeling weirdly lighter. As the bus pulled away, I stood there for a second, replaying the whole interaction in my head. Patrick was... different. And I didn't know what to make of it.

When I got to Adri's house and knocked, she opened the door with her usual bright smile. But then her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms, her expression full of suspicion.

"Alright, spill," she said. "What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, laughing nervously.

"You've got this weird smile," she said, smirking. "Like something happened."

I sighed, knowing I couldn't hide it from her. "Fine. Patrick sat next to me on the bus."

Adri's smirk turned into a full-on grin. "Patrick? The guy you've been low-key obsessing over?"

"I have not been obsessing," I protested, but she just raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe I've mentioned him a couple of times."

"A couple?" she teased. "Sure, Kat."

I groaned, flopping onto her couch. "It's not like that. We just talked. He's cool, okay? End of story."

Adri plopped down beside me, clearly not buying it. "You've got it bad," she said, laughing. "But honestly, maybe it's a good thing. After all the Bradwin drama, you deserve someone like Patrick."

I rolled my eyes, not wanting to get into it. "Can we just binge-watch something and forget about this?"

"Fine," she said, grabbing the remote. "But don't think I'm letting this go."

We spent the rest of the day lost in Netflix, eating snacks and laughing like old times. But even as the episodes blurred together, my mind kept drifting back to Patrick—his easy smile, his laugh, the way he didn't judge me for opening up.

Maybe Adri was right. Maybe it was time to stop overthinking and just... see where things went. For the first time in weeks, that idea didn't scare me. It felt good. Normal. Maybe even a little exciting.

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