36
"It'll be a narrow but firm base..." Tahti read out from her tablet that evening as she awaited her dinner in Josh's QSR, that night. Her final documented presentation was the next morning and she was really nervous as it was the last phase of presentation, before the galley exhibition.
A bowl of noodles materialized on her table and she raised her head to see Josh, smiling down at her.
"Thanks." She beamed, putting aside her tablet and phone, as he took a seat beside her. "But, is it okay for you to be here?"
"Sure, just for a while, though." He replied, before dropping his eyes to her tablet. "Is that what you're presenting tomorrow?"
"Well, yes."
"Can I have a look? I'm curious." He said and she noises in affirmation, before he reached out to pick up the tablet.
"it's nothing special." She told him, when he started going through it.
"I'm just going to explain what kind of art piece I'm making...But honestly, I don't know if I came really make it like that." She said as she twirled the fork around the noodles, ready to take a bite.
"This is so cool." Josh complimented.
"This is so good." She said, at the same time after having a bite and they both laughed.
"But how do you come up with this? You're really awesome." He said and she shrugged.
"It's really nothing special. There are a lot of people who are better than me."
"Is there a good and bad for art too?"
"Of course, it's just like..." Her voice faded, as she wondered what to compare it to so he could understand. Her major was a complicated course.
"It's similar to cooking skills." She said, after a while. "You can have different tastes but there is a clear line between good and bad food."
He didn't look like he understood what she was saying, though. "I don't know much about art, but I like yours. I have a good feeling about it." He smiled as he returned the tab.
"Really?" She asked and had another bite. "This is so delicious."
Josh dropped his elbow on the table and cupped his chin. "Can you explain how it tastes in more detail?"
Tahti dropped her fork and massaged her cheek with a finger. "Well...the noodles taste similar to your grandpa's noodles, but the soup is a bit more savory and light. I really like this compared to your grandpa's noodles."
"That's a relief. I want to brag about this to my grandpa." He said and she dropped her head with a smile.
"You shouldn't brag yet though." She said and they laughed again, with Tahti liking the connection with which they'd clicked so well.
"I almost forgot." Josh said and his hand went to the back of his jeans to take out something. "I just picked this up, thinking of you. Good luck with your presentation tomorrow." He cheered as he dropped something in her palms.
"What's this?" She asked before his hand withdrew, to reveal a lipstick and she smiled. "Is this for me?"
"Yeah."
She unpacked it and took it out, rolling it upwards to expose the bright red lipstick before she applied it to her lips.
"How does it look?" She turned to ask and he smiled.
"It looks good on you."
"Thanks." She returned the smile before she packed up the lipstick and dropped it in her bag. "I'll do well on my presentation tomorrow."
"Hey, Josh." A man, who Tahti assumed to be the owner of the QSR, called from behind the counter.
"I forgot about work." He whispered and she chuckled as he rose. "Enjoy your food."
"You're all smiles." His boss noted, when he returned to the counter. "Do you like her that much?"
Josh turned to glance at her before facing her. "Is it that obvious?"
"Yup, son. She's going to find out soon if you keep this up." He replied and passed a plate of hearts chocolates to him. "It's on the house. Go give it to her."
Josh gulped on seeing the chocolates. If he gave it to her, then she'd find out immediately. "But, this hearts... they're a bit..."
"Should I have made a circle instead? Just go..." He said, giving him a propelling push towards her.
"Oops,I got ninety nine problems singing bye bye bye..." Derek's phone sang out that evening as he slumped into the chair, on his rooftop. His recent daily routine hadn't been easy, giving the girl he loved, the cold shoulder during the day and missing her badly while living like a heartbroken fellow during the night.
The music was just getting to the part of 'Singing at the top of both our lungs' when a call came in and he grimaced, wondering who had the guts to interrupt him, that evening.
His guess was Herley, as he was the annoying jerk, who could ring someone up at 2.a.m.
His guess was confirmed when he turned the phone to see the ID and he wondered what favour the mischievous brat, needed this time.
"What?" He barked, closing his eyes as he reclined on the chair.
"Hey Derek, you know where April lives, right? Text me her address." He said.
Was he trying to hit on April, now? That wouldn't be possible, he thought.
"Why?"
"She's totally wasted." Herley said and his eyes flew open, almost immediately. "I'm going to send her home in a cab."
"What?"
"You can come pick her up, if you have a problem with that." Herley sighed and he could hear April rambling in the background.
"Where are you now? Send me the location." He said, picking up his jacket as he rose.
"What?...Are you really coming?"
"Just text me the location."
Derek was just stepping out of his apartment when he spotted a cab nearing and he raised a hand to flag it down.
Herley's text got into his phone as he embarked the cab before telling the driver where he was headed. Fortunately, the location was just a couple of minutes drive away.
He sighed as he turned to look out through the window, wondering why April loved to drink, especially when she wasn't a good drinker, but despite that fact, she was still the girl he had loved, ever since he was a freshman.
"Let's go for another round." A drunk Ramiel screamed at the entrance of the bar, and the crew cheered at the prospect of drinking again, even though they already had a man down.
"That will be after we send her home." Herley hiccuped and Jasmine nodded.
"I'll order a cab."
"I already called Derek. He should be on his way."
"Derek Wright?" Chris frowned. "Why would you call him?"
"You're so dumb." Ramiel started and turned to the crew. "Where should we go next?"
A cab pulled up in front of the bar as Herley narrowed his eyes as Derek alighted.
"Talk of the devil." Jasmine muttered as he walked towards them.
Derek looked frustrated as he looked down at April, who had her face buried between her knees, her hair dropping to the ground.
"You're here." Herley saluted, on sighting him.
"You guys can go ahead. I'll send her home." He replied, keeping a straight face as Jasmine walked towards him, with a frown.
"You expect us to believe you'll just take a drink girl home, without..."
"Stay away from me. You reek of alcohol." He said and Chris reached out to take Jasmine's elbow, before pulling her towards him.
"You don't, to me." He laughed before dipping his head towards her.
"You guys should just go."
"Yup. We should go since Derek's here." Herley repeated as he dragged himself to his feet.
"Send us a picture,when you get there." Ramiel rambled, with a hiccup and Chris sighed as he hipped him on a shoulder.
"We'll see you later, then." Chris said, before he turned to leave, with which Derek responded with a nod.
He sighed as his eyes returned back to April, who murmured something, with a groan, still having her head, stuck between her legs. Did she really have to cause him the trouble? He thought as he walked up to her.
"Hey." He started, with kicking her foot and she groaned again, which seemed like she was stirring awake. "Get up."
April slowly raised her head, her long hair flowing down her back, as she narrowed her eyes, trying to take in the person before her.
"Who...are you?"
"It's me." Derek sighed as he unbuttoned his pull over shirt, before sliding it down his arms.
How much did she had to drink that she couldn't recognise him.
He bent over to drop the jacket over her laps, covering her exposed thighs, before he turned his back to crouch in front of her.
"Get on my back."
He waited in anticipation of feeling her weight on him, but turned back a couple of minutes later, to see her sniffing as she remained seated.
"Wait..." His voice faded as he leaned closer to see she was crying. "Are you crying?"
"How could you do this to me, you jerk?" She whined.
Derek knew that girls were dramatic, but April's case seemed to be on another level. There and then, she was drunk, he reminded himself.
He reached to wipe a year, which has crawled down her cheek but April slapped his hand off. "Get lost. I don't want to touch a traitor like you."
"What is it, this time?" His eyes carried exasperation, when he asked. "What's the point of talking to a drunk girl, anyway?"
April threw a curled fist his way, one which almost sent him tumbling to the ground, and he turned back to glare at her. "Hey, have you lost it or what?"
"You jerk. You said you hated mint ice cream, but you could eat it for another girl... Bastard, you said you only wanted to date me a while ago, how can you have a change of heart, so easily..." She rambled, with another hiccup, before adding. "Too bad, you got rejected even after eating mint ice cream for her."
Derek scoffed, a smile playing on his lips on the realization that she'd probably been going through the same heartbreak he was going through.
"What about you? You were friendly with other guys."
"Was that why you ignored me at the restaurant, the last time too?" She asked, blinking back her tears and he nodded.
"You were with someone else, even after I told you I liked you." He said and raised his hand, to wipe another tear again.
"Honestly... I didn't eat the mint ice cream because she asked me to...I tried it because I heard it was good for stress and insomnia..." He sighed, to lower his voice. "But, it wasn't as effective as I thought it would be. I can't even sleep these days because of you."
*That's nonsense." April replied. "Why would that be my fault?"
"Well, that's because I think of you every night, girl." He blurted, without thinking and April blinked her surprise.
"Even in this situation, you're still trying to hit on me?"
"I don't care." He said as pulled her towards him, kissing her vehemently, her hands racing down his chest, her body entwined with his, while she reciprocated with equal enthusiasm. Neither spoke, communicating only with their roaming hands, their intimate embrace and their interlocked lips.
April sniffed back her tears once he'd pulled away and this time, she didn't slap off his hand when he raised it to wipe her tears.
"We should go now...It's late."
April nodded slowly and he straightened to pull her to his feet, before helping her to tie the arms of his pull over shirt, round her waist.
He dropped to crouch in front of her and April wrapped her arms around his neck as she crawled to his back.
"Hey, stop seeing other girls and just go out with me." April said, when they headed for her place.
"That's a lame line, you know."
"Give me a break. I've never asked someone out before." She said and he smiled.
"You better not go back on your word, tomorrow."
"I can't be sure." She replied and his mind went back to something he had been wanting to say but couldn't.
"And why did you dye your hair like that?...You're already beautiful. " He paused for a minute before throwing another question. "And could you stop drinking so much? Do you know how dangerous it is to get wasted at nights on the streets of L.A?"
"How boring." She snorted and he was forced to raise his head to her.
"What?"
"Everything you say is so boring...but why are you such a good kisser? You're the best kisser I've ever kissed in a while." She replied and Derek couldn't contain his smile.
"Of course, I'm a good kisser."
