Integrity & Melancholy

Recognized

"Hey can I catch a ride home with you today? My feet legit hurt like fucking glass shards are slicing into them." Chris asks while putting down her food on the small table, pulling out a chair for her and Malli, who is right behind her.

"Sorry, I walked to school today." Chris starts choking on her water looking at her friend wide eyed. Malli pats her friend on the back, trying to help her.

"Shit dude are you alright?" She asks her friend worriedly.

"Yeah?" Chris says statingly. "But you? You fucking walked to school? On purpose? are you okey?" Malli rolls her eyes and starts hammering her fork into her poorly cooked meat.

"Don't do that shit you scared me." Malli mumbles out.

"Oh come on, don't be mad. You know how i am. You knew this would come with the package when you accepted me into your life as your forever there 'bad influence'." Chris jokes and Malli can't help but smile.

"True, true. Alright but hey, can I tell you something?" She asks and Chris looks at her with her mouth stuffed full with food, nodding her head.

"This morning, when I decided to get a coffee before school, this guy just came out of nowhere and told me that he liked my sweater." Malli looks at her friend who is looking at her with curious eyes. "I couldn't even stumble out a thank you towards him and holy shit you should have seen his eyes. They were so fucking mesmerizing. The most amazing green I had ever seen." Chris listens to her words and a smile creeps up on her face.

"So?" Malli looks at her friend confused. Chris rolls her blue orbs. "Did you get his number? His name? A date? Anything woman?" Chris laughs out and Malli shakes her head no, smiling however.

"No, he grabbed his coffee and was gone." Malli breathes out a tired yawn.

"Damn girl, you didn't sleep much did you?" Chris utters out. Malli just shakes her head no, almost falling asleep right there.

"Come on, we have math in 10." Chris nudges her friend, picking up her now empty plate, ready to leave.

"Fucking hell." Malli tiredly mumbles as she follows her friend.

*

Walking out onto the streets after a day in university always has Malli excited. It's as if It just continuously surprises her that there is still a world outside of her studies and the people in those hallways. Chris walks beside her, headphones in one ear and hands in the pockets of her flannel.

"If you meet that guy again, would you ask him out?" She asks bluntly.

"I can barely say 'hello' to the person behind a counter in a café. How do you expect me to utter out a single word to some hot stranger?" Malli laughs.

"Believe me I know how that feels but maybe that's your dream guy. You know? Just right there waiting." Chris defends.

"As if you would just go up to some hot stranger and say 'hi' because you believe he could be your dream guy." She jokes out nudging her friend.

"I would! and besides you aren't me, as much as we share everything else but if i have to push you into happiness I damn right will do so." Chris laughs out loud, smiling at her friend.

Looking onto the busy park they are walking through at this point, Malli get's a funny idear to prove her friend wrong.

"So, If there was a person that you would just from the looks consider your soulmate, you would go and talk to them?"

"Pretty sure." Chris answers, looking straight ahead. Malli stops in her tracks, making Chris turn around and look at her friend curiously.

"I dare you right now, to go up to a random stranger and ask them for their number. Do it and I will not only talk to the guy if I ever see him again but I will actually try to find him. As in social media stalking and all that shiss you know." Chris looks at her friend with a raised eyebrow, considering it before taking a glance to Malli's right and walking straight past her. Malli looks after Chris while she strides confidently towards a guy looking to be in his early 20th, sitting on a bench and looking at his phone.

Malli looks shocked as Chris straight up sits down next to him, extending her hand with a smile on her face, talking to this absolute stranger, and giving him her phone. He typed something in and she does the same to his phone. She stands up, waves goodbye and walks back to her shocked friend.

"I can't believe you actually did that." Malli looks utterly stunned at her friend.

"Honestly I want to puke. My heart is racing and I want to go home and hide under a blanket." Chris takes Malli's arm and they continue walking.

"That sounds more like the you that I know."

"Nonetheless, I did my part, now you have to find that guy. I will help you and damn right I'm going to push you down the stairs if I see that you're not really trying." Chris jokes and they both fall into a pit of laughter.

"Dude!" Chris stops her friend in her step. " I feel like pizza. Let's get pizza!" She pleads and Malli is in no position to say no as her stomach growls in hunger.

Chris jumps up in happiness as they cross the street and walk into a less busy pizzeria and find a nice spot by the window, having a perfect view of the people walking by.

They sit down opposite from each other, not even bothering to look at the menú as they both know what they are getting.

A waiter comes to their table with pen and paper ready.

"A Hawaii for her and Arizona for me but with no meat." Chris orders for both of them.

"And Coke for the both of us." Malli jumps in.

The waiter nods and they both start looking out the window. Chris spots an elderly woman with a big jacket walking her dog.

"Her, that woman with the dog." Chris points out.

"Okey shoot." Malli encourages her.

"She is a single mother with three kids, all boys. Two of them got kids and she now has a good amount of grandchildren about to get grown ups themselves. They all moved away and she is living in a rundown apartment by herself, feeling lonely because no one has time these days so she bought a dog to keep her company. Her name is Betty and she is in her mid 70th or early 80th." Chris sits back, looking at her friend with a smile.

"Good good. My turn." Malli laughs. She looks out finding a little boy playing by himself on the playground.

"That little boy by the swings."

"Alright, let's hear." Chris encourages her.

"He has a big sister and a little brother, he is the middle and feels that he isn't getting any attention at home. His parents don't get along too well and he keeps hearing them fight over financial problems. His little brother is annoying to him and his big sister is obsessed with her friends instead of their home life so he has no one to go to, that's why he goes out playing by himself, hoping to someday find a friend to play with at that playground." Mallie looks over at her friend.

"Nice. That was a little dark though don't you think?" Chris laughs out.

"Well life isn't all peachy you know." Malli shrugs.

"True that, alright, my turn again." Chris turns to look out the window again, finding their next victim. Malli thinks back to when they came up with this game. They were bored, sitting at a busstop because they had missed their bus back home from high school. They started making jokes about what might go on is other people's heads and ended up making up an entire life story around them. Since then that was always their go to game for when they had to wait for something.

"Okay i think i have one." Chris snaps her finger at her friend. "Look, the guy by the water fountain in the black sweater." She points and as soon as Malli hears those words her eyes find her mystery man with a coffee in his hand standing right by that water fountain.

"Alright so he is a big brother to a teenage sister and-"

"He's the guy from the café."

-

PLease let me know what you think, I know the beginning is slow but It's building up I promise. Alright have a good one.