Drive-Thru

Where They Met Again

My friend and I (met her during my OJT) co-wrote this!

--

They didn't know that they met first on a coffee shop way back first year in college. She was with her friends, he was alone. She was cheerfully chatting with them, he was just haggling the free WiFi.

They just knew that they met at that place when she was browsing her past photos, and there he was--sitting in one corner while watching in front of his laptop.

Then, they met again three years after, in a library. She was in the table near the plug first, beside a pile of books that supposed to be her references to her thesis. There were no tables free that was near an extension cord or even a plug, so he had no choice but to sit beside her.

She was engrossed in reading an online journal, but in reality she was half-asleep that time. If it wasn't for him tapping her to ask if the chair beside was occupied, she would be drooling in front of her laptop. Good thing she didn't.

And he... just wanted to sit. That's all.

After a few minutes, she tried (she tried so hard) not to fall asleep, only to be woken up by him again.

"Sorry to disturb you, uhm, sleeping..." he was scratching the back of his head, his eyes not meeting hers at all, "...but are you still charging? I, uhm, kinda need to charge."

All she could comprehend was, uhm, uh, charge?

"Fuck, sorry," she said. She took the two ports, one for her laptop, the other for her phone. She unplugged them both.

"It's okay, I just need one for my laptop," he hurriedly said the moment she swooped down to unplug.

"No, no, it's okay." She was so ashamed of herself that time. The nerve of her to haggle all the outlets!

He just shrugged his shoulders.

Thankfully, she went back on reading after that. Probably woke up because of the spark from the outlet. Or was it between them?

"The Connection of Everything?" She looked up to see him staring at one of the books in her research pile.

"Yeah. Thesis," she stuttered, half-asleep and half-surprised at the interruption.

"Oh. Well, sorry to bother you. Good luck," he said, before opening his laptop and starting on his own work.

She could have left the interaction there, of course - as nothing but polite conversation. Now that he'd said something, however, she felt obliged to continue talking - or at least, that's what she'd tell herself later that night when she asked herself why she'd followed with, "You know The Connection of Everything too?"

"Yeah, made that as a reference from my English class once," he replied, then smiling like an idiot after. He didn't know why, or was it a vague memory of his English class that he remembered? He just wished he didn't look like an idiot to the girl.

"Great then," the girl said. Oh God, she muttered in her mind, swallow me whole. This conversation is so awkward.

"What's your thesis is about?"

"Uhm, neural networks."

"That sounds interesting."

"Of course the name's good," she silently cussed, "but believe me, I'd rather be dead right now."

"Hey, don't say that..."

"It's a laughing matter, believe me. I'm this close--" she made a hand gesture "-- on clawing my head out."

"Do you need some help or anything?" the boy asked. He put down his laptop and took his phone to his bag.

"Actually..." she said, before smiling.

She won Best Thesis.