If I had to choose the one person who I would’ve never written into my life, but has unexpectedly become one of my favourite parts of it as of present…
I would probably choose him.
“Jas, are you listening?”
A pair of fingers come to view, snapping just centimetres from my eyes. It does the trick and I jolt, not realising I’d drifted off into my thoughts again. Kiara glances at me, not so much unimpressed but amused.
“Are you thinking about your bookstore boy again?” she whispers, with an affectionate snicker.
“Yep,” I respond, plastering a sheepish smile.
Except, while I daydreamt of seeing Rafayel again, my mind seemed to keep morphing his features into Marlon’s.
“Anyways, sorry,” I continue, veering the conversation back onto its course, “What were you saying?”
“I was just saying that if you have any ideas for locations, let us know. Especially for the scenes set in a school.”
I noted down the task in my laptop notes.
“Can do that, don’t you worry,” I assure.
Kiara had called together a production meeting for the morning regarding her project that I’d decided to join for ourend-of-semester assignment. Her idea aligned alot with my interests, so I joined her crew as producer.
She’d decided on a short horror, silent film inspired by a horror anime visual novel game she’d played before. I enjoy the concept of producing, but didn’t realise that it came with so many responsibilities. On top of sourcing locations for the shoot, I’ve also got to send out crew agreements, and call out for actors on our public forums.
As the list grows, I seriously contemplate why I didn’t just take on a simpler role.
The production meeting comes to an end after another ten minutes and I note down tasks that each crew member should accomplish within the next couple weeks. As we pack up our items, Diane and Kiara wait for the others to leave before surrounding me.
“Getting more and more distracted there, I see,” Kiara teases, nudging my sides.
I swat her hand away, not without shooting her an affectionate smile.
“Shall we pay a little lover boy a visit?” Diane suggests, linking her arm with mine. My heart speeds at the thought of seeing Rafayel, as always.
“I’ve uh - I’ve actually got a date with Riley tonight,” Kiara reveals bashfully.
“Oh my gosh!” I exclaim, slapping her excitedly. “How did this happen?”
Kiara explains how she and Riley have been chatting more over the weekend. They’ve been clicking so well, that Riley asked her out on a date. They’re having dinner tonight at a Japanese bar in the city.
Once we reach the crossing, we bid Kiara good luck.
“You better update us,asap,” I say.
“But if you don’t, we’ll know what you’re both up to,” Diane teases, poking at Kiara’s side.
Diane and I make our way toward the Books and Bricks, my heart raising with every step. Once we reach the building, she pulls on my arm.
“Okay, let me give you a tip, hon. Eye contact. Make sure you hold eye contact. And compliment him, boys love all the compliments,” she emphasises, leaning forward. She reaches for my braid, placing it over my shoulder, and lowers the sleeves of my puffy blouse a little. I pull back, and gasp, a little scandalised.
“Diane!”
“We need to make sure he finally makes a move,” she whines, “Your boy seems to need a big nudge.”
Her eyes give me a once over, before nodding, seemingly satisfied. She swivels my body toward the door, slapping my butt.
“Go get 'em!”
