He stood there motionless. A classic fool.
She looked like the type of beauty that writers agonised over.
“Have you been waiting long?” she asked as she reached him, huffing slightly.
He shook his head, remembering how to move.
“Well, that’s a relief. Actually, you’re here a bit early, it’s still 10 minutes to go,” she pointed out, as she peered at the time projected on the train station screens.
He should say something witty. Something bantery. Instead: “Yeah.”
Nina chuckled softly. It was then she took the time to take him in, to, dare he say it, check him out. Her eyes raked over his figure, her eyebrows perking up.
“I love what you’re wearing today,” she said, clearly impressed. Seth resisted the urge to blush, and even harder the urge to smirk. “And wow, look at your hair.”
Before he could comprehend what she was doing, she had reached up and felt the strands of his hair between her fingers. The sensation sent shivers through him, as if he was cold, even though all he felt was heat.
“You look good,” Nina said it like she’d come to a conclusion, nodding in approval, with a thumbs up.
He laughed.
“What?” she asked, her smile wide.
“You’re acting like I’m a project or something. You look good, with a thumbs up and everything,” he said.
Nina rolled her eyes, punching his bicep.
“You know what I mean.”
She was blushing. He realised she was blushing. That little detail, one he could’ve easily missed, enlightened something in him.
Maybe.
Maybe this was their second chance. A rewritten story, one that slipped from them in high school.
He had to remind himself that it was only a second chance, because he hadn’t grasped the importance of the first.
If only…
13
Now
“I’m a bit nervous,” Nina spoke suddenly.
They were walking toward the spot that they’d meet Jae and Anya, which was just outside the tattoo parlour Anya worked at. It was situated in Darling Square, a bustling area at the heart of Sydney, nestled between high rise apartments that were full of various restaurants.
“What are you nervous about?” Seth asked. He wondered if it was for the same reasons that his pulse was beating rapidly. He doubted it, but only in the slightest.
“Meeting your friends,” her voice had grown a little quieter. He noticed she did this when she was not in a comfortable state.
“My friends are really chill,” he said, hoping it was the right answer to make her feel better, “I wouldn’t hang with them if they weren’t.”
Nina paused, as if hesitating, taking a second longer than usual to answer. Seth turned to her, unsure of what he had said and if it had offended her somehow.
The moment passed, and Nina shook her head.
“You’re right, I’m just nervous meeting new people sometimes. I’m sure they’ll be great.”
