One Last Time

Chapter 5 | Millisecond

Kill me now

I groaned, "Ugh! Would you please stop laughing?! You would've done the same thing, too!" I throw my hands to my face hoping to cover the deep blush on my cheeks. Ronnie has been laughing for the past five minutes after we left the library. She drove us back to my place, animatedly retelling the story to herself through the whole ride. I can't believe Reed actually did that.

"Yes, I would! We've already done it a bunch of times before. The only difference now is that you got caught!" Ronnie cackled. We got out of the car and into the house. Ronnie got out her phone to order takeout while I prepare for our movie marathon. I hear her preparing our plates and eating utensils just when I finished stacking up CDs for our movie choices. We made sure to drop by her place to get our girl's night essentials.

"I thought I had the library to myself, okay? It's been forever since I've actually done it, especially by myself," I replied. Ronnie snickers at my explanation. She said, "Well, the main hall does have an echo effect with a big enough room for a dance break. Maybe you forgot to lock the place up like we usually do." My face scrunched at that. I can't believe I forgot to lock the doors! Should I start installing automatic locked doors? What if I get locked out myself? Before I could overthink about it, Ronnie interrupted my thoughts.

"I missed you, Maya."

That caught me off guard. I sighed, "Why do you always act like this after coming home from your trips?"

She doesn't look at me nor reply to my question. The silence between us got cut by the delivery guy calling for our attention outside. Ronnie runs to the door and pays for our meal. We didn't talk much throughout lunch. When we finished, Ronnie helps clean up then goes into the living room to select a film from my movie collection. My eyes linger on a certain DVD that's been collecting dust for years. I should've thrown it away, but I can't find it in myself to do it. So, I left it untouched. Voices of past memories dance in my mind. It took a twinge of my heart to bring me back to the present.

I tear my gaze away to finish washing the dishes. At first, Ronnie places Uptown Girls but hastily ejects it after realizing the type of movie she picked. I shook my head at her with a small smile. She probably did it out of habit. Ronnie decides to replace it with White Chicks. While waiting for the popcorn, I glance towards Ronnie thinking about our earlier conversation. She didn't have to answer me, because her face already said it all.

~ • + • ~

I enter The Salvator Library after properly chaining my bicycle nearby the entrance. Despite what happened between Ronnie and I, we were able have fun in the end. We did the usual gardening at my backyard, unwrapping souvenirs, and went out for a spa to relax. We read books in-between activities. Funnily, Ronnie hasn't broken her habit of treating me like her little sister ever since high school. I'm not sure if she notices it herself, but I'm grateful for it.

I notified Reed ahead of time so he can spend some personal time for himself while I'm gone. I wander to the Adventure section of the library and continue where I left off with rearranging the books since the new shipment arrived a few days ago. During mid-alphabetizing, I heard footstep nearby. It becomes louder as it reaches my direction then stops. I see a pair of sneakers through my peripheral vision, believing it must be Reed's. I saw the same shoes from the first time I met him.

"How're you coping?"

"What are you talking about?" I questioned. He crouches down to my level as he spoke, "Considering how you ran out right after I told Ronnie what happened, I think you've been hanging on to that little 'girls just wanna have fun' moment longer than expected. Plus, you've been avoiding me since that incident."

I cringed as the scene replays in my mind. I stand up from the floor so I can talk to him better. Reed's dressed in gray sweatpants and a plain white shirt. I caught the sight of a hoodie hanging on a chair near his bag. It's not the usual outfit I see him in, but I understand his choice of clothing based on the weather being rainy today. I snatched a books to try and ignore him, only to get a paper cut from one of the pages. I hissed at the sting and held my pointer finger to see the damage. Reed took my hand and led me to sit at his desk. He leaves for a moment then comes back with the first aid kit. I reached for a bandage but my hand was swatted away. Reed holds my "wounded" hand as he cleans the cut and puts the ointment. He lets me help him put the bandage on.

I coughed to clear the air, louder than I wanted to may I add, after registering how I was staring at Reed the whole time. "Imagine being in my shoes. Having someone find you in a childish situation at the age of thirty isn't really flattering," I said. I walk past him and go straight to the Comic Books section. Before I could I make a run for it, Reed stopped me in my tracks. He double checked that no one was around, "Why don't you scream?" I looked at him as if he were crazy. He puts on loud music in the background before coming back to me. "Yeah, scream out the embarrassment away. I don't know any hills or cliffs nearby where you can do it but this place should do. Here, I'll start off," Reed said and proceeds to scream loudly.

"Why'd you scream?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I've been feeling frustrated lately so why not? It felt good anyway. Now you try!" He urges me to do it. I whined saying no but he won't take it as an answer. "Look, I'll even face away from you." Reed does so while turning the music louder. Although the library isn't sound proof, it has thick walls to make up for it. I ended up taking his offer and screamed at the top of my lungs cursing at him in the last part. Reed cheers me on with hollers, which made me laugh despite my sore throat. He then hands me a bottle of water and turns off the music.

"Feel better?"

I put out a thumbs up while emptying the bottle. My face must be flushed right now. "Look, what you did may be out of your age range but it's all good! I've seen 13 Going On 30 and there's nothing to be ashamed of. I actually found it kinda cute," he laughs.

Badump!

I jumped, "Whoa, okay! For a second there you almost got me, hahaha." Reed's confused at my statement. I ignored his reaction, "Let's just accept the fact that it happened and move past it, okay?" Reed hesitantly nods his head in agreement. He moves toward the Thriller section but suddenly halts, turning back to face me.

"You know, I would've joined you if I only knew about it sooner. I was told I'm a great dancer!" He grins then continues to walk away.