Pursuing Miss Introvert

Chapter 3. Chance Encounters

Monday.

Dressed in a casual v-neck shirt and a pair of jeans, Milly strolled on campus early to make sure she got to her first period on time.

After making sure she located her homeroom, she wandered to check out the library. It was on the second floor of the art building facing the spacious tree-lined campus grounds. Just a few rooms away from her homeroom. She made a mental note to get a library card later.

Her first period was about to start, so she hurriedly went back to her classroom and chose to sit near the window. Her classmates soon filled the room and a low murmur of voices echoed in the small space.

"Hi, I'm Claire!"

A girl in dark jeans and a pink tank top was smiling at her.

She just took the seat next to her and was looking for something inside her bag.

"Hi!"

Milly smiled back.

"I'm Amelia."

Claire pulled out a small pad of paper.

"Amelia Therese... Garcia."

She held out her hand awkwardly.

"Nice name."

The girl seemed easygoing.

"Thanks, you can call me Milly."

She might have just found her first friend, Milly thought.

"Are you a music major, too?"

She asked.

"Yup, trying hard at it."

Claire winked at her.

Milly laughed. She liked this girl already.

When their professor came in an audible silence fell in the classroom.

Yes, Milly thought.

This would mark the beginning of her college journey.

Looking around, she noticed it was mostly dominated by females, but a considerable number of males were also present. She wouldn't know which of those play instruments yet and what instruments they specialized in. She was hoping their professor would make them mention that in the introductions. It would be thrilling to know if her classmates had a variety of musical interests just like her.

Hours later, Milly decided to explore the campus grounds. Her newfound friend, Claire, was in a hurry to clean up her stuff in the dorms and went back early. It was around five p.m. but the sky was still clear, so she walked around the massive school grounds and found a spot under a big maple tree.

Students and some athletes were milling around in groups. A few students were with their guitars from afar, playing subtle notes that sounded cool. They created a soft, relaxing vibe in the afternoon. Judging by their looks, they might be her seniors though she couldn't exactly tell what year they were in.

Milly let out a sigh and pulled out her notebook. The first day of class went by smoothly. Lots of introductions and not a lot of lessons just yet. Those will surely come in the following weeks, but for now, she will enjoy the calm.

Feeling refreshed with the cool breeze on her face, Milly shifted her focus to writing on her notepad. The occasional shouts from afar would make her look up and smile to herself. Although still uncertain, college life was looking quite good for her at the moment.

Laurence gulped down the last of the water in his tumbler. His last class for the day was already done minutes ago when he spotted her wandering on the grounds all by herself. He was waiting for his teammates to come for practice after class but they were taking a little longer. One of his classmates was with him but was busy talking on his phone to pay attention to him.

Laurence huffed. She was definitely a loner, he thought, as he glanced at Milly one more time. She was hunched over, writing something on her notes on her lap. She had her hair up again in a ponytail. Laurence cleared his throat. Why was he paying attention to her? Forcing himself to look away, he spotted Ryan coming from the admin building on the side. Great, he thought. Here comes the cavalry.

"Hey, weren't they here yet?"

Ryan asked when he came closer.

His friend obviously hurried, thinking he was late.

"They might be out in a couple of minutes."

Laurence replied.

He was tempted to tease Ryan for being sweaty already before they even got to the court. But he held his tongue and pointed at his cousin instead.

Ryan spotted her and walked to where she was sitting on the ground.

"Hey, Mil."

Milly looked up from her notebook.

A slightly confused expression was pasted on her pretty face.

Laurence gave himself a mental shake.

Why was he more focused on her face every time they met?

"Oh, I thought you went home already."

Milly stood up and patted her pants to remove the dried leaves.

"I won't be home until later."

Ryan answered, both hands on his waist, looking bossy in his sweaty state.

Milly blinked and smiled at her cousin's unbothered face.

"We still have game practice until around seven, maybe."

He informed her so she could let his mom know in case she asked at home.

"Uhuh, okay."

Milly nodded and glanced at Laurence, who was silently observing them at the side.

They locked gazes for a second and Milly gave him a tight-lipped smile. Revealing a pair of dimples on both her cheeks.

Laurence blinked a few times before acknowledging her with a small wave of his hand.

Shit.

He thought he looked so lame doing that.

It was so unlikely of him to feel intimidated. He was mostly a cool guy.

Feeling uncomfortable with himself, he looked away and pretended to scan the surroundings. Luckily, their teammates were already walking toward them.

Ryan said something about keys to Milly and then patted his shoulder before moving back towards the admin building to join the others.

When Laurence glanced back, Milly was picking up her bag from the ground and then walked along the tree line to the entrance of the school.

Back home, Milly spent a few hours cleaning up the old shed at the far end of her aunt's compound. It's on the right side of the garden close to the tall concrete fences. The roof of it still looked sturdy but the wooden walls of the shed had holes and some missing planks. She didn't mind that at all. She liked it even more for its old and rusty vibe.

Her aunt used the shed years back when she was hooked on gardening. Milly smiled at the memory. She remembered her aunt would spend her afternoons in the shed potting her flowers and painting the small decorative stones she liked so much at that time. It was back when she and Ryan were still in middle school. She and her mom would visit every summer.

Now the shed was surrounded by small shrubs on the side and dust settled on the few gardening tools inside. Milly brought a bucket of water and started cleaning.

She had to ask her aunt later if there was anything she would want to put away. But for now, she would fix the inside of it and organize the tools in boxes so it would look clean and spacious enough for her paintings.

When her aunt told her she could use the shed for her artwork, she was deliriously elated. It was the perfect space for her to play with her drawings and paint pieces. Her aunt knew that she liked being alone and sometimes messy in her own little world when she was working. Ryan had no interest whatsoever in the old structure, so it naturally went to her.

Milly couldn't stop once she started cleaning. She initially planned to just gradually clean up the place. But she kept on moving from one side to the other. She moved back and forth from the main house to the shed a few times to get more things. By the time she finished, it was already eight-thirty in the evening and her aunt was calling her phone.

She heard her car pull up minutes ago. She might have noticed the house was so silent.

"Auntie, I'm in the shed."

She answered while wiping the wrought iron table outside.

That garden set had seen countless typhoons the past few years, but it was still there. It only needed new paint and a little TLC and it would look new again.

"I was wondering why the house felt so empty."

Her aunt sounded tired on the phone.

She must have pulled a couple more hours on her shift at the city bank.

Widowed too early, her husband died in a car accident when Ryan was just one year old but she hadn't entertained any chance to remarry. She mentioned having Ryan was enough. That was also one of the reasons why she and her mom would always visit them whenever possible. Even if her mom was busy, she would stay at her aunt's house for weeks.

"I know, sorry."

Milly laughed a little.

"I was supposed to just clean up a little but got carried away."

Indeed, she was.

By the looks of it, she only needed a few more days of touch-ups here and there, then the shed would be a perfect space for her.

"Alright."

Her aunt said on the other line.

"It's getting late, you better come inside now."

Milly nodded.

"I am, in just a minute."

She picked up the soiled towels she used and put them inside the bucket.

She would list down the things she wanted to put in the space later. And if she had time tomorrow, she would visit an antique store in town.

Her aunt probably had old curtains she could ask for so she wouldn't need to buy new ones. Surveying her work, Milly smiled at herself and walked back to the house.