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“Inej, do you happen to know where that extra waffle I saved from breakfast is?” Nina slammed the door to their mini fridge shut before poking her head up to look at her roommate. “I thought I put it in the fridge, but it's not there anymore.”
Glancing up from her laptop, Inej didn't pause in her typing for even a moment. “Really? I could've sworn it was still there when I pulled out a bottle of water an hour or two ago.”
Nina’s brows furrowed in confusion as she opened the fridge again to check it once more. “It's… not there.”
The styrofoam container holding her precious leftover waffle from breakfast was missing, and she didn't know where it could've gone.
That particular morning, she and Inej had eaten out for breakfast, a welcome change from the food in their dorm building’s shoddy cafeteria, and she'd gotten a stack of her favorite cinnamon waffles. Knowing she'd need to review for a really important calculus final, she'd set one of her precious waffles aside, deciding she'd eat it later when she needed to refuel while studying.
But now her waffle wasn't there, and Nina Zenik desperately needed one to kickstart her brain.
Calculus was not her forte, and the thought of eating her waffle had been pushing her through the first few units of review she'd done that afternoon.
Only now her waffle was missing, and she was rightfully pissed off.
Then, she froze, allowing the fridge door to fall shut again. “Wait.” She stood upright, padding across the carpeted floor over to her roommate. “Wasn't Jesper in here earlier this afternoon?”
With a sharp nod of her head, Inej barely broke her concentration as she replied, “Yeah, I think so. Why?”
“He ate my damn waffle,” Nina spit. No one messed with her waffles.
Inej finally glanced up from her screen, her typing coming to a slow halt. “Jesper ate it?” Then, her eyes lit with recognition. “Saints, you’re right – He did mention raiding our fridge while we were both out to pick up notes from Kaz.”
“I’ll get him back later,” Nina vowed, her voice tinged with slight annoyance at their friend. “I don't have time for this right now.” She really didn't. She had calc notes to study. “You know what? I'm gonna go out and buy a box of those crappy microwave waffles. Do you have anything you need me to pick up while I'm out?”
Surveying their little dorm briefly, Inej took a moment to consider her offer before shaking her head. “I think I'm good, unless you see any skillet bread.” Then, her lips quirked upward slightly, “Have fun on your outing. I'll scold Jesper for you later.”
“Thanks, Inej,” Nina grinned. Grabbing her keys and checking her wallet to make sure she had some kruge and her ID, she then slid a bright red rubber band off her wrist and tied her dark hair up in a long ponytail. “I should be back in thirty minutes or so.”
“If you're gone any longer than that, I'll make sure that Kaz starts sending out the search parties,” Inej replied lightly. Then, she set her jaw, “Or I’ll come get you myself.”
“Love you, Inej,” Nina called back with a smile, already halfway out the door.
With a small wave, Inej was quick to reply, “Love you too, Nina! Be safe!”
And then Nina was off, striding through the corridor quickly before jogging down the stairs of her dorm building. The supermarket was fairly close to campus, just a few blocks away, and it was still light outside so she decided that she'd walk the distance instead of driving there in her small clunker of a car.
Despite the fact that Jesper had eaten her waffle, she was in relatively good spirits. After drowning in her calculus notes for so many hours, it felt good to step outside and feel the setting sun against her skin, shivering as the wind blew past her.
As she stepped through the sliding doors of the supermarket, she picked up a small basket and headed straight for the frozen foods section, nodding her head to the beat of the song playing on the radio overhead. After tossing in a box of biscuits and a bag of toffee, she slid into the right aisle, full of frozen goods like waffles and ice cream and pizza.
Then, the song on the radio changed, and her spirits lifted even more. The new tune’s infectious rhythm carried her body as she searched for her favorite brand of trashy microwave waffles, and she was able to lip sync the words because she knew them all by heart.
Honestly, Nina knew she looked silly, but she couldn’t find it in her to care. Gliding through the aisle as though walking on clouds, she opened one of the freezers and reached for a box of waffles. Just as she was about to drop it into her basket, she locked eyes with a man who was staring at her.
Being the object of people’s attention was nothing new to Nina. In fact, she was quite used to it. However, being the object of people’s attention as she was singing off-key and dancing through a grocery aisle late in the evening was definitely a first for her.
The man couldn’t have been more than a year or two her senior… He had a head of wild blond hair that hit around his shoulders. He wore a loose T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers. His ice blue eyes were locked on her green ones as he adjusted the way his sunglasses rested on his head.
Nina was never really one to get embarrassed so she flashed him a flirty smile, intending on turning her back to him and heading back down the aisle. Instead, when he called her name, she froze. “Do I… know you?”
The man’s stoic features morphed into a sheepish smile as he also reached past her for a box of frozen waffles. “Well… I don’t know if you know me, but I definitely know you. I’m Matthias.”
Her favorite song still playing overhead, Nina found herself rocking on the balls of her feet and swaying her hips as she replied, “Matthias?” Her brows knit together as she searched through her memories for a Matthias. “Matthias Helvar?”
“That would be me.” The man nodded, adjusting his grip on his basket. “And you’re Nina Zenik. We share a calculus class together.”
Lips twisting into a pleasant smile, Nina nodded, her eyes lighting in recognition. “You passed me notes when I was sick last month.”
“That would be me as well.” Matthias shoved one of his hands back into a pocket. “I assume you’ve been studying for that calculus final we have tomorrow morning?”
Panic seized Nina. “Yes and my brain is absolutely fried because of it . Hence the waffles.”
“Do waffles help one study better?” Matthias asked, a brow arching upward in amusement.
Nina patted her box lovingly. “Of course they do. That’s why I bought them.” With a sigh, she added, “I really suck at calc so I gotta run back to my dorm and keep studying, but it was really nice to see you again, Matthias!” She began to spin on her heels as her skirt flared out slightly at her hips and her dark hair whipped behind her.
With a shrug, Matthias called after her, “Hey, if you ever need help with calc, let me know. Waffles are great brain food, but I make a pretty decent tutor if you ever get stuck.”
Pausing to glance back at him from over her shoulder, Nina felt his gaze burning into the back of her soft white crop top, “Are you really now, Mr. Helvar?”
Matthias’s lips slid into an easygoing grin, and she decided right then and there that she wanted to see it again sometime. “I am. I actually put together a fairly comprehensive study guide for all the units we’re going to be tested on if you’d like me to pass it to you.”
“Actually, Helvar,” Nina interjected, batting her dark lashes. “I have a proposition to make.” She flashed another brilliant smile, stepping toward Matthias and curling a hand against his chest. “After all our groceries have been bought, you should come back to my dorm, and we can study together.”
At her bold advance, Matthias seemed rather breathless, and he studied her features closely. “Will there be waffles?” His blue eyes flickered to her glossy lips for the briefest of moments.
Nina’s lips curled into a roguish grin at that. “A man after my own heart. Of course there’ll be waffles.”
Then, Matthias lifted his chin up in a sharp nod. “It would be my pleasure to study with you, Nina.” He seemed entranced by her as she continued to dance to the music playing overhead. “Are you… Are you planning on dancing through the aisles until we finish making our purchases?”
Tossing a smile over her shoulder, Nina didn’t cease swaying her hips or bouncing on her toes. “Absolutely.” A mischievous look entered her eyes as she teased, “Got a problem with that, Helvar?”
Matthias shook his head, although his brows creased in amusement. “That’s your dignity you’re sacrificing, not mine.”
With a careless smile, Nina led him through the aisle and down to the checkout line. “You’re the one choosing to walk with me, Helvar.” Then, she couldn’t help but add suggestively, “And you’re coming back to my dorm.”
“To study!” Matthias clarified quickly, cheeks flushing.
Nina schooled her features into that of perfect innocence, masking the mischief twinkling in her eyes with ease. “We’re just a pair of perfect study buddies, aren’t we?” She allowed her lips to tug into a wicked grin before winking at the cashier.
“Uh… yes. Study buddies.” As Matthias’s breath caught at the back of his throat and his cheeks continued to blush bright red, her lips curled upward in victory.
With a quick wave of her hand, Nina motioned for Matthias to put all his items on the conveyor belt so that they could get scanned. “Don’t worry, Helvar. It’s on me.” And as she swiped her credit card, she allowed herself a smile. She had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time she’d be dancing through the grocery store with Matthias Helvar by her side.
Matthias instantly lost his blush and protested against her attempt to pay for his groceries by shoving his own credit card at the cashier. Then, he grumbled beneath his breath as she continued to sway to the music, occasionally testing the waters by reaching for his hand.
At first glance, Matthias didn’t exactly seem receptive to her advances… But, from the way his stoic demeanor cracked every time he stole a glance at her out of the corner of his eyes, Nina could tell that perhaps he had the same feeling too.