*April*
She was sitting at the cafe they'd agreed to meet at, adding new tasks to her calender as she waited for him. When she felt him sit beside her, she caught a whiff of bananas.
'What the heck' she thought to herself.
“I didn’t know banana-flavored shower gels existed.”
"Ugh. Please don't ask."
She laughed at his clear distress, finding his grumbling adorable. "Okay." She smiled knowingly, certain he would tell her nonetheless.
"What do you mean okay? Ugh, fine, don’t ask. But just so you know, some kid spilled banana milk all over me—like half the thing! AND THIS IS MY FAVOURITE SHIRT!" He raised his voice slightly, then glanced around sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck to make sure he hadn’t disturbed anyone. He had spent extra time picking out this shirt just to impress her, only to be doused in banana milk as soon as he’d walked into the cafe.
"Aww, poor baby. You favourite shirt got ruined?" She reached out and squished his cheeks, making his lips pouty. She laughed yet again, charmed by his exasperation, making him glare in her direction.
"What's so special about this shirt, anyway? It's just plain," she said, her tone deliberately casual.
"The colour!" he exclaimed, affronted. He gestured to the Tyrian purple fabric, a rare hue in their area. She'd managed to upset him with her declaration. "It’s a hard-to-find shade, and it looks awesome on me!"
He huffed and continued to sulk, making her giggle behind her hands in an attempt to hush down. But as her gaze lingered on his face, she noticed the dimple that appeared when he smiled, and for a moment, she was caught off guard. 'He really does look good in that shirt', she thought.
Clearing her throat, she teased, “Maybe I should tell your fan page about this. They’d get you enough shirts in this color to last you seven lifetimes.”
“Shut up,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. “If my misery has entertained you enough, Leo, can we eat now?”
“Sure,” she said, grinning. “I’ll have a banana milkshake.”
His groan was drowned out by her laughter.
*Earlier that day*
"Dude that's disgusting," his sister declared.
"What? What happened?" he asked, startled, while standing in front of his closet. He was torn between two shirts, humming happily to himself, when her voice interrupted his focus.
"You're so in love," she said smugly, leaning against the doorframe with crossed arms.
"What are you talking about? No, I am not. You're delusional," He retorted, utterly baffled by her bold declaration.
“I’m not,” she said, stepping further into the room. “But you’re definitely in denial, baby brother. It’s so obvious you like her. How have you not realized it yet?”
She picked up his car keys from the desk, twirling them lazily on her finger as she studied his face.
“You’ve been smitten with her since the beginning. And I know because we girls have a sixth sense,” she said, walking backwards toward the door, her eyes locked on his as she watched a series of emotions flicker across his expression.
When she reached the doorway, she paused, gave him a knowing smirk, and shut the door softly behind her, leaving him alone in the now quiet room.
The silence seemed louder than ever.
The realization hit him like a tidal wave, overwhelming and inescapable. His sister was right. He wasn’t just fond of her. He really liked her.
YOU ARE READING
Guitar Boy
Short StoryShort story, 3rd person pov If someone were to tell her that she'll like a boy from her school, let alone fall in love with him, she would laugh at their face and probably throw a physics book at their head. This out of syllabus hassle was so not on...
