After we finished the lasagna Adam cooked up, we ended up just talking about anything that we could think of. I opened the food pack that my uncle gave me and it revealed to be some cuts of vegetables and a hummus dip. I guess he figured out that his neighbor was already willing to treat me to lunch since what he gave me couldn't really be counted as a meal.

So now here I was in this guy's living room actually talking about his failed love story with his best friend.

Hey, if the writing thing doesn't turn out well, maybe I could go study to become a counselor instead. It seemed like everybody around me has some sort of problem they need help figuring out.

And that includes me.

"Then she actually confessed to me," he groaned, grabbing one of the carrot sticks before dipping it into the hummus, "I feel like I was about to faint when that happened."

I hummed in understanding, nibbling onto my own bit of vegetable, "So what did you do after?"

"I told her I love her as a sister," he replied, his expression showing that he clearly didn't meant it, "But it was better that way."

Perhaps not, because in my perspective, she liked him and he liked her. She was brave enough to spit it out and I could only imagine her pain when she found out that all this time, she was so deep into the friendzone.

I mean, sisterzone.

He did not only break one heart, but he broke two. He thought what he did was best for everyone and even went as far as pushing her to another man's direction. There was a problem though, he seemed to have forgotten about his own feelings.

In the end, the selfless side of the triangle ended up with no one.

"Let me get this straight, you loved this girl, she loved you, but you wanted her to be with someone else," I clarified and he nodded, "To tell you the truth, that was a little foolish of you."

"The guy she's with can take care of her," he muttered, "He can easily battle it out with her temper."

"Feisty," I pointed out, "Sounds like someone I won't get along with easily."

Although my friends were far from docile, they were all kind and considered people around them. They may be a little bit adventurous but I could never picture myself with somebody who was a walking timebomb.

Of course, my own best friend was an exception, but that was a story for another day.

He shook his head before taking a bite of the carrot stick, "You'll like her, everybody does."

Well, she better have the charisma if she was as famous as Adam said. What I gathered up from him was that she was the one who paid for most of the apartment so now I got a clearer idea on how he was able to move in on his own.

People like those are highly selective so I may like her but we could never be a hundred percent sure that she would feel the same.

"I don't even have a tv yet," he huffed once a wave of silence fell upon us. He figured that none of us wanted to move forward with this topic so he opted to change it, "I still have yet to go furniture shopping."

"Might I remind you that school starts on Monday so you don't have much time," I spoke, using the throw pillow to cushion my head instead of my bottom as I laid down on the hardwood floor.

"So how about going with me tomorrow then?" he suggested, peering over our make-shift table, "We can go into town and besides, I need some of your opinion because I'm horrible when it comes to these things."

"You sure are comfortable asking a girl you haven't even known for more than forty-eight hours," I pointed out, letting a light chuckle escape my lips.

"I'm not the one who entered someone's apartment after haven't knowing him for more than forty-eight hours," he retorted.

Using the box to push me up, I shot him a sheepish look, "Good point."

"So can I have your number?" he asked, lifting up his phone and I drew in a deep breath, shaking my head.

His hand dropped and was accompanied by a deep frown, I quickly stepped in to clarify, "I don't have a phone yet, you can contact me through messenger though."

Nodding in understanding, he reached down before I could hear a tearing sound. I then found out that he took a small piece of cardboard from the box, his gaze then zooming in on my sketchpad. Pointing towards it, he asked me the silent question if he could borrow it.

Getting the message, I handed it and he took the pen that was inserted there. Uncapping it, he scribbled down his number on the small piece of cardboard before sliding it across to my side of the box. Placing the pen back inside the sketchpad, he also gave it back.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," he gave me a smile before he got back up on his feet, "Now let's go, I need to bring you back to your uncle."

Oh right, I got kicked out of there.

Hugging my iPad and sketchpad close to my chest, I stood up and followed him out of the door. A few steps later and we found ourselves in front of Uncle Levi's apartment, him lifting a finger to press the bell for me. While we waited, I turned to him with a laugh, "Thanks for letting me stay and allowing me to taste your almost-homemade lasagna."

"And thank you for sharing your vegetable-hummus combination with me," he shot back, sharing my amusement at the way things turned out. Honestly, I thought that I would never speak to him again when we got off that airplane. Not only was he able to find me through the internet, but he ended up living right beside my uncle.

So universe, what else are you planning to throw at me? Please give me a bit of early warning because I wasn't anywhere near resilient.

While we were in the middle of saying goodbye, the door swung open and we instinctively took a step away from each other as we looked at the entrance, glancing at the stoic Andy, his gaze traveling from me to the tall stranger.

"Oh right, Adam, this is Andy," I introduced, "My cousin."

Not being phased with the dry expression my dear relative was showing, Adam flashed him a courteous smile and he reached out a hand for him to shake, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Andy didn't respond and I rolled my eyes at his hostility. When I first met him when we were kids, it took some time for him to warm up to me, his own family, so I could understand the indifference he was currently showing the unknown boy in front of him.

And whenever there was the quiet Andy, right behind him was a preppy Emma. His sister popped out from the inside and when she saw Adam, a grin spread on her face as she zoomed past her brother to shake the hand that was supposed to be for him, "Hello there."

"And this is Emma," I added, catching myself off-guard with the enthusiasm she displayed, "Andy's sister."

Adam's politeness didn't falter a bit, although I did see that he was trying to subtly pry his hand away when Emma refused to let it go.

"Alright kids, that's enough," Uncle Levi came out before waving his keycard in front of us, "I need to take Sienna back to the university."

"You're staying in the dormitory?" Adam questioned and I hummed in confirmation, "Which one?"

"1-Ladies," I told him as uncle continued to push his children back into the apartment, Emma yelling goodbye at us while she was at it. Closing the wooden door and he gestured for us to go, taking the lead so I could say one more farewell to Adam, "Well, I'll see you."

He walked with us until he reached his door and he waved goodbye at me, "See you."

Uncle escorted me into the elevator and once it was just the two of us, he gave me that suspicious look, "So looks like you finally got someone to get rid of that tree."

"He was just someone I met on the plane," I snorted, turning to the other side so he wouldn't see the blush that started to appear at his accusation.

I knew for a fact that Adam and I were just acquaintances but at the mere implication of something more was enough to make me red.

Maybe one of the things that made emotions easy for me to write was because they easily twisted in me. I wasn't like Andy who always kept what he was feeling at bay nor was I Emma who liked to outright speak her thoughts. I was Sienna, a girl who loved the idea of emotions and feelings swirling through the air, clashing or dancing with the others'. No need to hold back or no need to say it out loud.

"But I'm glad to see you're making friends already," he said as we stepped out of the elevator when we got to the ground floor. He waved at the receptionist when we passed him before we got out of the building and into the cold outside.

The sun was still up in the sky as we started to walk towards the university. I made sure that I memorized every turn we did so that I would no longer need to pay an unnecessary amount just for a taxi.

"I guess you know your way from here," he muttered once we reached the front of the tall gates.

Glancing towards the inside, I nodded at him. When he was just about to turn to leave, I held out a hand to stop him, "Sketchpad."

"Keep it," he told me, jamming his hands into his pockets, "Give it back when you returned to our world."

"Our world?"

"Of putting together words amazingly sewn together to create a story," he explained, "See you on Monday, Sienna."

Letting his words sink in, my eyes trained down to the ground and it stayed that way as I directed myself towards the dormitory. Climbing up the short steps, I pushed one of the double doors to get in, observing that everyone in the foyer was heading to the dining hall.

When I saw Meg and Julia, I lifted a hand to give them a weak wave to get their attention and they eagerly signaled me to come near them.

"So how's your visit to your relatives?" Julia asked, taking out the lollipop from her mouth.

I was still shaken because of uncle's words. I mean, I knew that I drifted away from writing, but the way he said it made it sound like I left, or rather pushed myself away, from it. And what made that realization heavier than ever was that because nobody actually said it to my face before.

The most they would ask was when will I make another book, but Uncle Levi was the very first person who pointed it out straight to my face how I fell out with writing.

And that such a huge slap on my face.

"Sienna?" Julia called out, making me lose my train of thoughts. Her face was visibly concerned so I plastered a smile.

"Great," I replied with a forced happy tone, "It was so nice to see them again."

Walking into the dining hall, the girls were already getting their food from the table and I trailed behind Meg and Julia as we all lined up for ours. Today it was a plate of mashed potatoes, some cut fish fillet, and a side of steamed vegetables. From here, I could already tell the vegetables were terribly undercooked, but I'm willing to give the fish and the mash a try.

Maybe those were store-bought as well and they're claiming that they made it, just like some other guy I know.

"By the way, Sienna, can you give me some tips on getting published?" Meg suddenly piped in after we sat down on our table, "I've written this story and I was wondering if you can guide me through."

I was not the one to tell her about hard word and perseverance was one of the best ways to reach your goal because even I didn't do that – my connections made the process easier for me compared to the struggling authors, stuck in a routine of trying and then getting rejected.

"How about I give you my mom's e-mail address," I offered, "She's a literary agent."

She was nice enough but she was strict with the authors she represent. Before she even goes near to offering a publisher your work, she'll tear it apart piece by piece. The only reason why I didn't go through that torture was because I was her daughter, she was monitoring my progress all throughout.

"Thank you," she grinned before she turned to Julia as they once again fell into a deep conversation about her boyfriend from back home. I droned out their voices and focused on finishing my meal. This time, I actually stayed with them and whenever they turned their attention to me to ask or add anything to their current topic, I shot them a short but precise answer.

Classes haven't even started yet and I was already in a funk.

Before getting into bed, I took a quick shower. Meg went back into her room and I plopped down onto the mattress, relishing the soft cushion it provided.

Don't get me wrong, it was fun and all to sit in Adam's empty apartment but this was a lot comfier than that throw pillow.

"Want to go shopping some time during the weekend?" Julia suggested, closing the curtains before crawling into her bed.

She gave me a look that clearly stated that if I didn't say yes, she would throw a fit. I already ran away from her and Meg last night during dinner and I turned down her suggestion to tour around the university today so I think I wasn't going to push it, "Sure."

Closing my beside lamp, I buried myself under the sheets, my head sinking into the soft pillow. Maybe because I ploughed through the day with very little sleep, my body was more than willing to give in to a goodnight's rest.

The moment I closed my eyes, I was knocked out.

It was quite peaceful though, until I was freaking woken up by Julia violently shaking my body, "Sienna, wake up!"

"What?" I questioned weakly, my eyelids heavy for it still wanted more sleep.

She forcefully pulled away my duvet and I instinctively curled up into a ball at the sudden drop in temperature. She groaned before she grabbed my arm, still urging me to get up, "Somebody's waiting for you!"

"Hm?" I asked, sitting up as I rubbed my eyes.

"Some pretty good looking guy is waiting for you downstairs," she informed and I gave her a quizzical look, but when she ran to the door, I opted to follow so it would shut her up.

When I got out of our room, I was surprised by the amount of girls that were waiting for me as well. My eyebrows scrunched up in confusion while I allowed my slipper-clad feet to drag on the wooden floor. Ever so slowly, I went down the stairs and I could still feel a huge amount of attention following my every move.

When I finally reached the first floor, my eyes bulged out of their sockets when I saw Adam there, swaying uncomfortably due to the numerous number of girls ogling at the sight of him. He was still halfway out of the door but it was enough for anyone inside to see him and for him to have an amazing view of every single girl.

I wanted to chastise those shameless enough who were openly gawking while only clad in their sleepwear, but I don't really have much of a right since I was still in my tank top and cotton shorts.

Holding Julia's shoulder, I whispered, "What time is it?"

"About eight," she replied, her gaze still on Adam.

Scratching my head, I tried to wrack my brain if he ever said something about picking me up at this time in the morning. I knew that we were going furniture shopping but I never expected that he would actually go here to fetch me – I thought that I was heading to the apartment complex to meet with him.

He still hasn't noticed me since he was too busy trying to avoid any kind of eye contact. Turning around, my eyes searched hopelessly at the girls behind me as I mouthed, "Jacket or whatever."

One of them who had a fluffy robe on shrugged it off before handing it to me, "Here.

I shot her an appreciative smile as I put the garment on, hugging it close before I approached the only male species in this whole building, "Adam."

When he heard my voice, his posture relaxed as he watched me walk over to him, "Oh finally!"

"Can you wait for a moment?" I asked before I gestured to my current state, "I just need to dress up."

Even though he nodded and told me to go ahead, I could see the hesitation to let me leave. The way his eyes traveled to the mass amount of girls just gave a new kind of anxiousness in his system. It was simple, he didn't want to be left alone with this tidal of female hormones.

I was going to regret this but she was the closest thing I have to a friend here, "Julia?"

She was by my side in an instant and she placed on a smile while she drawled on, "Yes?"

"This is my roommate, Julia," I told him, "And this Adam, a friend of mine."

She nodded at the new piece of information, her eyes twinkling with excitement, "Pleasure."

"Can you just keep him company while I change?" I requested and I already knew the answer. Turning around, I rushed to take off the robe and hand it back to its owner before I rapidly climbed up the stairs to the third floor and into my room.

Meg knocked in my room as I was in the middle of pulling a dress over my head, "Who's the guy?"

"A friend," I answered, bending down to look for my flats, "We're just going out for a bit."

"Going out?" she repeated as she followed me when I grabbed my coat before heading out of the room, "You never told us you had a boyfriend."

"Because I don't," I corrected, shuffling down the stairs, "Like I said, he's a friend."

To be honest, we met about two days ago but that sounded so sketchy if I actually said that out loud.

In fact, this whole thing was weird. Was I really craving something out of the norm so much?

When I got back onto the first floor, Julia had already managed to repeat the same amount of information that she had told me on the first day, dumping it all on the poor Adam, "And then my ninth goldfish was already gone when I got home."

Ah, the goldfish story.

"Sorry, sorry," I apologized, putting on my coat while I approached them. Julia snapped her head towards my direction and a frown showed on her lips as she took a step away from Adam, clearly disappointed that her time with him was done. Showing her an appreciative smile, I then pointed at the door, "Shall we then?"

When I closed the door behind us, we heard multiple squeals coming from the inside. Pausing, we glanced over our shoulder before walking away from that estrogen-filled building. Living in there was like a sorority – although the occupants were varying in personalities, we were still all females and thus, any form of the opposite sex entering there would be received with a kind of excitement. Especially with the freshmen, I don't believe there was a higher year who was still that enthusiastic.

Adam finally released a sigh of relief when we were far enough, making me shoot another apology, "I really am sorry, I had no idea you were picking me up."

Gazing down at me, he shook his head and he waved off my apology, "No, it was better than letting you guess if we're actually going or not."

Well he was right, the air around us was more or less teasing when he asked me. I should really get a phone.

"So where's our first stop?" I questioned, trying to go back to our original purpose, "Any furniture shop you have in mind?"

He grinned mischievously as he took out his phone, "That's not the only thing we're going to do."

My eyebrows raised and I gave him a question expression, "Meaning?"

"Let's just enjoy ourselves for the day," he said, "Maybe you'll find a bit of inspiration on the way."

-----------------------------

We're halfway there to the tenth chapter mark! While I do enjoy frequent updates, I have to admit that twice a week is too much for me because I constantly forget. 

Anyways, happy hump day everybody! 

Question: Totally out of context but because