Chapter Three
580 Words
The sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee and warm donuts welcomed Sarah the moment she stepped into Dunkin'. The cozy café buzzed with quiet conversations, laughter, and the occasional hiss of the espresso machine.
"There she is!" Joane called from a corner booth. Sarah walked over with a tired smile and dropped into the empty seat.
"I survived."
"Barely?" Marie asked, sliding a box of munchkins toward her.
"Barely."Everyone laughed. Jane adjusted her glasses.
"So... how do you think you did?"
Sarah shrugged as she reached for a chocolate donut.
"I answered everything."
"That's not what I asked."
"It means I'm choosing optimism." Joane laughed.
"Translation: she has absolutely no idea."
"Exactly."
The table erupted into laughter again.
For a while, they talked about school, impossible exam questions, and summer plans.
Then Marie leaned forward with a mischievous grin.
"So..."
Sarah immediately narrowed her eyes.
"No."
"I haven't even asked anything."
"You've got that face."
"What face?"
"The one that gets me into trouble." The girls laughed.
Marie rested her chin on her hand.
"So... how are things with Ace?"
Sarah nearly choked on her coffee. "What?"
"Oh, here we go," Joane teased.
"I knew she'd react like that."
"There is nothing going on." Jane smiled.
"You two have been spending a lot of time together lately."
"We study together."
Marie raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"And... that's it."
"Sure."
Sarah sighed dramatically. "You people create stories out of everything."
Niaña smiled. "We're not creating anything."
"We're observing."
Sarah hid behind her coffee cup. "Well, observe someone else."
Before anyone could answer, the bell above the café door chimed. Joane looked toward the entrance.
"Speaking of..."Sarah turned.
Ace walked inside with Will beside him, laughing about something neither of them could seem to agree on.
As if sensing her gaze, Ace looked up.
The moment their eyes met, he smiled.
It wasn't a big smile.
Just enough to make Sarah's heart skip.
Will noticed first.
"There they are." He waved dramatically. "Mind if we join?"
"Only if you're buying donuts," Joane answered.
"No promises."
Ace pulled out the chair across from Sarah. "How'd the exam go?"
She shrugged. "I think I survived."
"I told you that you'd do fine."
"You also told me not to panic."
"You panicked anyway."
"I did."
He smiled. "I know."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence wasn't awkward. It was comfortable.
Will looked between them before grinning. "You two are weird."
Sarah frowned. "What did we do?"
"You communicate without talking." Ace blinked.
"We do?"
"You've answered each other's questions three times already." Joane burst into laughter.
"I didn't even notice."
"See?" Will pointed at them.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about." Sarah rolled her eyes.
"You're imagining things."
"Maybe." Will shrugged.
"But it's entertaining." Ace laughed.
"You spend too much time watching romance movies."
"They're educational." Everyone groaned.
The waiter arrived with another box of donuts, instantly changing the subject.
As conversations drifted from school to weekend plans, Sarah found herself relaxing again. Every now and then, she'd catch Ace looking in her direction. Whenever their eyes met, one of them looked away first. Neither of them noticed the small smiles they couldn't quite hide.
Outside, the afternoon sun painted the streets of Ogmok in warm shades of gold.
Neither Sarah nor Ace realized it yet.
But somewhere between shared study sessions, quiet conversations, and stolen glances...
their friendship had begun to grow into something neither of them was ready to name.
- Writer
