The Prettiest

"Have you talked with your mom?" I ask Billie over the phone.

"Yes, but she said there's nothing she can do. It's what Christian wants."

"What he wants?" I scoff. I was walking to my next class then decided to call her. "What about what you want?"

"Exactly!" She agrees. "For the first time in my life, I'm not paired with my brother. But he just had to come and ruin it."

"I understand very well how you feel. But the campus is big. You might not come across each other at all."

How I wish that was the case.

Everywhere I went,he was there. The library, the school café, the cafeteria, everywhere and everytime he got on my nerves.

The only time I don't run into him was in my classes.

I had just finished my class for the day and I decided to soothe myself with a fresh cup of coffee. I went to the school's café, got my coffee and bumped into Christian, making my fresh cup of coffee spill everywhere.

"Why does God hate me?" I muttered as I stared at the spilled coffee.

"I am so sorry." My attention went from the coffee to him.

I was already tired. I got scolded by two of my professors today and I had classes all day. I had a terrible headache and I just wanted to relax with a cup of coffee but now…

I walked past him without saying a word.

"I could get you another cup-"

"It's fine." I interrupted him.

I just want to go home, crawl up my bed and cry myself to sleep.

He walked beside me. "I really didn't mean to. I didn't even know it was you." He explained.

"I said it's okay." I sighed.

"Let me buy-"

"I said it's fine Christian!" I snapped at him. He stopped and stared at me. A few heads turned our way and I sighed again.

"It's fine. I already had a bad day, so please don't make it worse. I just want to-" my voice was shaking. The tears were already welling. "I just want to go home and sleep okay?" I said gently and turned away from him.

"At least let me drop you off."

"Just leave me." I walked away from him.

I sat at the bus stop for about fifteen minutes before the bus came. I got the apartment, showered and changed into short pj's and huffed on the bed.

Billie had sent me a text earlier that she wasn't going to be home that night. She's going to stay at Ian's.

Ian is Billie's boyfriend and they've been dating since freshman year. They met during orientation and just clicked.

I sighed. I didn't even have the strength in me to cook dinner for myself.

The doorbell rings and I sighed for the umpteenth time.

"I thought she was staying over."

After Christian lost my key, Billie gave me hers till we had a change of lock.

I stood up grudgingly and walked to open the door.

"What happened to staying over at-" The words got stuck in my throat when I saw who it was.

"Hey." He gives me a small smile.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him instead.

"I didn't want to be indebted to you, so I got you another cup of coffee." He holds up the coffee.

"Indebted?" I raised an eyebrow.

"And I bought you a box of doughnuts." He holds up the box too.

"Doughnuts?" I ask again.

He nods. "So why don't I come in and let's dig in together? I'm starving." He asks and I step aside for him to enter.

He walks straight to the kitchen and brings out a set of plates.

"I got different flavors because I don't know which is your favorite."

"Doughnuts are doughnuts. Either plain or creamed. They're all the same."

"Exactly my point!" He passed me a plate of three different flavored doughnuts. "But the barista stared at me like I had a stick up my head." He places the coffee beside the plate.

"At least someone else notices." I sat on the counter stool.

"Very funny."

I take a bite from one of the doughnuts and nod.

"How good is it?" He asks.

"Pretty good " I say in between bite.

"Great. I was worried you won't like it." He muttered.

"What?". I take a sip from the coffee.

I swear I could feel it go all the way down to my stomach.

"Aren't you having one?" I asked him when I noticed he hadn't taken a doughnut.

He shakes his head. "It's all yours." He takes a sip from his coffee.

"I thought you were starving?" I ask him as I take another doughnut.

"You like it more." He shifts the box to me.

"But there are like nine more in there." I point out.

"And they're all yours." He takes another sip from his coffee.

"Your loss then." I state. He stares at me for a moment before he speaks up.

"You know, this reminds me of 7th grade, when we went for camp and you pushed me inside the freezing lake." He adds and I chuckle.

"Because you called me a fool first."

"And I got punished for it. Thanks to you." I smile.

"You were shaking and shivering." I chuckle. "All your clothes were drenched and you wouldn't stop sneezing."

"You did make me a cup of hot cocoa after." He reminds me.

"Because I felt guilty." I add with a smile.

"Finally." He mutters.

I glanced at him. "What?"

"You smiled." He states and I cleared my throat. "I've been trying to make you smile and thankfully, you've been smiling since I entered. I couldn't get the fact that you looked down out of my head." He continues. "You're the prettiest when you smile." He says with a small smile.

"Thanks." I say softly as I stare at my coffee.

"Rough day at school?"

"Got scolded twice." I cleared my throat.

"Oof."

"I messed up some of the articles in criminal law, and he said if I was going to be like this, I should quit rather than making a mess of myself." Christian rounded the counter and sat beside me.

"It must have hurt to see someone insult all your hard work just because of one minor mistake." He says gently and I nod.

Somehow, I was starting to feel emotional.

He takes my hand and gently rubs it. "Want me to go beat him up for you?" He asks and I scoff.

"You'd get expelled before even getting to settle here.

"Anything for you." He winks and I use the hand he was holding to hit his chest.

"Very funny."

"I'm really serious here. I could even jump in front of a moving vehicle just for you."

"Yeah, sure." I roll my eyes and drink out of my already cold coffee.

He sighs. "I thought I was the reason you were like that." He states. "I accidentally spilled your coffee and I expected you to shout and all, but you remained quiet." He chuckles. "And I feared that. I was so scared because you didn't shout, you didn't curse, you were just quiet. You just wanted to be alone and I thought that was my last straw. I thought you were going to cut me off."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow.

He nods. "Yeah. You have no idea how fast I bought you the doughnut and how fast I drove here." I laugh softly.

"Let this be a lesson that you never mess with me." I point at him.

"Of course." He nods. "You scare me more than my dad."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not."

"It means you have an advantage over me." He states and I stare at him.

Something about him tonight felt different. Something about tonight felt delicate.

I cleared my throat and looked away. "Isn't it getting late? You should go."

"You sending me away, Lockhart?"

"I'm telling you that you've overstayed your welcome and now it's time for you to leave."

He places his hand over his heart and groans. "Harsh."

"As it should be."

He stands up. "Don't worry. I love you either way." He walks to the door and I follow him.

"Okay, first, gross." He chuckles. "Thanks for the doughnuts though."

"Take it as a token of apology from me to you."

"Stop making this cringy."

He smiles. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I hope not."

He opens the door and steps out. "Don't dream of me too much."

"I'll try not to." I wave at him and he waves back. Then he walked away and I gently closed the door behind him.