On a seemingly ordinary summer day, timid Alice Gardner crosses paths with Kai Anderson, a notorious figure in their small town. As serendipitous encounters bring them together, they find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other, driven by a mutu...
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"Kit!"
The tanned man stopped in his tracks when he recognized the mellow voice calling him. He turned around to see Alice catching up to his position, face brimming with glee.
"Hey."
Anyone could easily fall for Keith's smiles. They were the kind that makes his bright eyes squint adorably. The way he naturally has a full grin that makes his lips look plumper without even trying was one of the first things most people notice about him. No doubt they would.
"Where you heading?"
"Music Theory. What's up?"
"Are you free on the weekend?"
"Not really. But I could skip jamming with the guys if you're planning to hang out in my house."
"What?! You don't have to!"
"Why not?" Keith tittered. His was one of the more unique laughs Alice has ever heard. It felt light as a feather.
"Diego's been missing you lately."
"Aw, really?" Alice cooed.
It was then that Keith noticed the girl hiding behind Alice. It was Daisy, who felt like she was bothering them and thus decided not to announce her presence.
"Hey Alice, why not introduce me to your friend over there?"
Alice felt bad for forgetting to introduce Daisy to Keith as she apologized over and over. She grabbed Daisy by the shoulders and made her stand right in front of Keith, making the blonde agitated.
Keith couldn't help himself swooning over her faded green eyes and dainty, pointed nose that whatever Alice was telling him ended up becoming background noise.
Just a bit.
" . . . But we have different schedules now unlike before so we don't really get to spend much time."
Keith snapped back into reality, but too bad. It was after Alice had already said so much, so he didn't catch her name.
"Anyways, you might run late for your next class." Alice checked her phone for the time, "I have to meet Esther at the café. I'll text you, 'kay?"
They were already waving goodbye before Keith could say another word.
"Psst! Alice!"
The girl was too busy picking a drink to hear it the first time.
"Alice!"
"Cold hibiscus tea please."
Xavier frowned marginally, his glasses slightly slipping down his nose. "Were you even listening?"
"Huh?"
"I asked if the person you're with is Esther Jones."
"Oh. Yeah, why? Didn't you know her?" Alice raised a brow, recalling that Xavier did acknowledge knowing Esther when she asked about his major.
"Not really far-sighted, you know." He tapped the rim of his glasses. Alice nodded with her mouth forming the shape of an 'O'. She remembered how sometimes, people with vision problems would find it hard to recognize even their closest friends in a crowd. Oh, the struggle.
Seeing how Xavier wouldn't take his eyes off her friend who has her attention rooted on her phone, Alice giggled to herself, as if keeping a secret only she will ever know.
"You like?"
"Bwah, like, what?!" He held the 'A' in 'what' a little longer, "She's Esther Jones!"
The exaggeration in his words shocked Alice a bit.
"And?"
"She's this super popular figure in our course! What's a nerd like me gonna do?!" Xavier scratched his forehead; the pinkish tones of his nails contrasted the rest of his lean, ebony body.
"You won't know unless you try!"
"Maybe in the farthest, far-off future, but I ain't seeing it happening anytime soon." Xavier shook his head, preparing their order.
"Anymore talking and the boss might kick my ass. She wanted a Matcha Frappuccino right?"
Alice pouted at the generous amount of whipped cream and matcha powder Xavier threw in for Esther. If only everyone would add a little extra whipped cream whenever she orders a frappe.
It was Friday afternoon and classes ended early because the professor for her last subject had an urgent meeting. While waiting for the bus in a downtown avenue, Alice couldn't help but notice a poster advertising a certain testing preparation center.
The model in the poster was a man with a silly, scripted gummy smile, holding a stack of books on one hand and a thumbs up on the other.
It was Kai.
And it was the funniest thing she stumbled across that day.
Of course, she had to take a picture.
She would laugh her head off if she could, but she was on a public vehicle, and all she could do was snicker while zooming in and out his deliberately ridiculous face. The 'enthusiasm' to 'encourage' students to apply for their services was bursting out of the poster.
Alice wiped the tears from her eyes formed from trying to suppress her laughter too much.
