those tiny differences

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Chapter 2

[Song - Angela by Flower Face.]

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AFTER MINUTES of staring into the eyes of Aaron Cho, I finally agree to his request. I did not know why I did not tell him off, but maybe it was because a part of me hoped that something could come from this interaction. Meantime, another part of me blamed it on his brown eyes that sparkled underneath the light. They hindered me from refusing.

But what exactly could come from this interaction? My mind asked. He has probably evolved from needing someone like me, Tayla Freeman, a sarcastic and invulnerable human being. A person who expected a lot without mouthing their wants. Or maybe it was the other way around because I too, felt as if I've evolved.

I walked off to pay for the vanilla candle and paintbrushes. Aaron stood in the line some steps back, his figure towering over me. It made me feel like a patient on the operating table examined with much precision and carefulness. Now, as the thought roamed my mind, I should have worn something more attractive and less comfortable. We had not seen each other for about four years, and I casually needed him to be in shock. Mind-blown.

Instead, I wore baggy jeans and a tank top covered with a cardigan. And my hair—the only thing that probably struck him with unfamiliarity—was cut low and dyed in a ginger-blonde colour, with edges that seemed to be done by a raccoon. It had been that way since I passed a sign which read Welcome to Lockley.

We moved from the pharmacy to his car by 1:15 pm. 

I sat in the passenger seat, seatbelt across my chest with my head leaned back on the headrest. He sat across from me, but I did not look at him. Maybe it was better that way. Four years ago, he had no piercings, and his hair was not so long. Now, he seemed as if he had grown into his face. So, maybe if I looked at him too long, I would drown in his eyes and get lost in his words.

"Where do you want to go?" His voice spoke and gripped me from my thoughts.

"Umm...I don't know."

"Any suggestions?" He asked, getting me to rummage through my mind for a place, but my search proved to be in vain.

"I haven't been here for a while, so I'm not sure what they have..."

"Okay, I'll drive around and see what I can find."

"Sure. That's fine."

My eyes watched the scenery that came at me through the window intently. The sky and its shades and tints were enough to drown that unsettling feeling that once rose in my stomach. But that remained so until we sat around a table at an ice cream shop called Icy Bites, where the sky was no longer in sight, and I was the subject of his gaze.

"Chocolate for me, thanks," I said, pulling my chair closer to the table.

The interior of Icy Bites looked more colourful than the rainbow itself. The tables were of a medium brown tone with a solid colour around their perimeter. And whatever that colour had been, the chair would copy it. We sat on pink chairs while surrounding people sat on blue or purple ones. The place was also well-lit, with white and even red lights spilling from bulbs.

"Okay. What about you?"

"I want vanilla," Aaron said, and the lady wrote it down in her book.

Soon the waitress walked off and left us there—two people with a past soon to be dug up. I sat with my legs crossed at my ankles and my hands rubbing together, looking everywhere except at him. What had he wanted me to say in the pharmacy? I had just met him some hours ago, and he had already tackled my peace of mind.

"So, it's been like three years, huh?"

I stared blindly for a few seconds until I realised he was talking to me.

"I think so..."

"Your hair is different. It looks good."

"Thank you. My hair was a lot to deal with, so I just cut it off."

"It fits your face and stuff."

"Yeah," I said unhurriedly, forcing down a shot of my spit. The only thing I could do was add a nod to accompany my words. I felt like I would take out my headphones and hide in the haven music provided me.

"So...how has university life been going for you?" He asked, and I stared at the floor in hopes of an answer.

"Trying to survive. I'm focusing on the nice things about being an art major and I'm hoping they will keep me from complete insanity."

"Physics and math are driving me to insanity." He replied, taking off his beanie and putting his hand through his hair.

I pretended as if I was not overly attentive to all his movements. I wished this was a bar instead of an ice cream shop, even though I did not really drink. The only flavour close enough to subdue my thoughts was rum and raisin. And I knew the alcohol content wasn't enough to melt away my troubles.

"Physics...only weirdos like that subject, and only insane people like math." I said, trying to brush off the feeling of longing that settled over my head, like a halo.

"That is quite shady."

"It is."

His only response was a wistful giggle, the one dent in his right cheek showcasing. I forgot about his smile too, and I tried not to look as if it affected me.

"Right." He said as if something else roamed his mind. "Have you...umm...have you met anyone?"

"What do you mean?" I knew what he meant.

"Anyone special?"

I said what came to mind first, "Everyone is special, but there were no superheroes or telepaths. Not that I know of, at least."

He leaned on the table and said, "Tayla, you know what I mean."

"I don't think I do," I replied with a weird smile. Perhaps a smirk. "And what would you even do if I said yes?"

He slinked from the table and leaned back on the chair. His eyes gazed at me for so long that I thought something was on my face.

"Maybe I can make you forget about them."

I stopped myself from widening my eyes, though my breath stopped momentarily. I gulped and harrumphed away from the tension before I said another word.

"Don't say stuff like that."

"Then don't tease me."

The waitress returned with our ice cream just as I was at a loss for words.

"Chocolate for you and vanilla for you."

"Thanks," I said, and Aaron reiterated it sometime later.

I was not the biggest fan of coincidences, but maybe it was fate that I met him at the pharmacy. Maybe, we could be better to each other this time around. But the question to ask was if I would risk everything for it? The road of heartbreak wasn't one I wanted to tread again.

"My mind ran on you the other day..."

"It could've walked since I'm here now. " I said, my eyes meeting the melting surface of the chocolate ice cream. The man in front of me said little, but when he did, he said it perfectly. Though I knew how skilled he was, sometimes even I got lost in his words.

"It's a good thing it ran. I'll get to say all the things I've been thinking..." He half-whispered, and I looked up at him once again.

Those tiny differences are interesting indeed.

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