Chapter Text
The moon blooms and the stars peek at the vast darkness of the sky, but only the woman beside me radiates such heat despite the cold. It was late at night, and the breeze swayed her hair in the most beautiful way life has ever seen.
Ava Silva glows with such beam as her smile and laughter wave at me. Wearing her favorite denim pants and white shirt, her simple outfit looks high-end compared to my sweatpants and oversized shirt.
“Bea! I never knew you could run like that! You are fast-fast!” Running out of breath, hands cupping her knees, Ava looks at me and laughs. I just gave her a smile, not knowing what to reply after admiring her presence next to me.
Ending up in this situation is bizarre. How did we go from watching the sunset together on our school rooftop to running our lives out because the school guard saw us sneaking in the hallway?
And how did I end up following her sneaking up?
Ava Silva always gets my attention in every situation. In the library, cafeteria, hallways, and even on the walk home. She is everywhere, even in my mind.
“You know my name?” Finally, thinking of what to reply and had the courage to do so.
“How could I not?” She shrugged her shoulders as she walked ahead, me following her from behind.
“What do you mean?” I swallowed the saliva forming in my mouth, making a sound in my head and ringing in my ears. She looked at me like I asked the second most dumb question in the world, the other question I asked being the first.
“What do you mean, what do you mean, Bea?” She laughed and waved her hands at me. “Do you know that you’re fucking smart, top of the batch, the teachers love you, and you’re very beautiful. The girls and boys like you at school.”
“You think I’m beautiful?” My mind is getting lost in a haze. Hearing my name coming from her pretty mouth sounds euphoric, like only a drug can produce in my brain.
“Selective hearing, much?” She laughs as she continues to walk, and I just casually follow her, not knowing where we are heading.
“I don’t know what you are talking about, to be honest. But thank you for the kind words,” I replied, trying to process what she just said, especially the part where she said I’m beautiful.
“Well, I assumed you wouldn’t know. You are always cooped up in the corner of the library, reading or typing on your laptop. Sometimes, Mary and Camila join you, but most of the time you are just alone.” Ava explained, looking at me while her eyes were glistening from the gleam the moon gave.
“Quite observant, I see,” I commented, dragging my palms along the side of my pants. Ava looked at my hands, following the gesture before going back to my face.
“Of course,” she replied shortly, turning her back on me and continuing to walk. “I am Ava, by the way,” she added, still walking.
I know, silly.
“Glad to meet you, Ava.” God, I am so stupid. She stopped for a bit before continuing to walk. Looking at her back like I always do in the hallways, and when she watches the sunset every Friday afternoon.
“Not bad for a first interaction, right, Bea? Running out of breath on a Friday night?” She said, still with her back to me, walking. I hummed in response and managed to laugh a little despite the growing nervousness inside me. “How come you ended up on the rooftop?” She continued.
“I followed you. Everyone else is rushing to go home, but I saw you going a different way.” I explained. Everything is true, but she doesn’t have to know that I watch her watch the sunset every Friday.
“And here I thought I got no one’s attention,” she joked, but none of it was a joke to me. You had mine the very first time I saw you.
“You got mine,” I whispered, hoping she heard it. And I knew she did, because she stopped walking and finally looked at me.
“By climbing up the rooftop?” She asked, and while I fought the urge to answer her that everything about her has got my attention, I stood with content and nodded.
Of course, I can’t just admit that. What would she think of me?
“You know, Bea,” she started the conversation again and breathed, and I apologized to the atmosphere around us as I breathed the same air as her. I hummed, letting her continue what she was saying. “I enjoyed your company tonight.”
“I did too, Ava.” I smiled at her, and she smiled back. And I felt like all the achievements I have in life suddenly felt so small because that’s the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I hope I get to see it every day; I hope I get to be always the reason for her smiles. I want to make her laugh, feel giddy, and make her happy every day. If the universe persists, so do our hearts.
“I’ll get going now,” she said, nodding at the street following her home. “Yes,” I replied shortly, not knowing what to say because, admittedly, I don’t want this night to end.
“See you next Friday, before sunset?” she added, looking at her feet as she sways back and forth. Shock evident in my pulse, I stuttered and muttered a reply, “Of course.”
She pursed her lips together while I fought the urge to squish her cheeks. She nodded and turned her back to me again, walking to go home while I stood there watching her back as her hair flowed intricately like a delicate art piece that has only one copy in the world.
“You’ll see me on Friday,” I whispered, and finally walked on my way home. Heart pulsing fast, and a smile couldn’t be contained inside my chest.
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Song of the Chapter: Wasteland, Baby! by Hozier