Chapter 12: The Accidental Date

Max had been avoiding Luca and A like the plague for the last two days. He couldn't even bring himself to walk by their building without feeling a cold shiver of dread down his spine. Jaden, naturally, found it hilarious, but Max was determined to put that entire awkward dinner behind him. He had made a pact with himself to never be in a room with Luca again. Ever.

But, as with all things in Max's life, things quickly took a turn for the worse.

It was a regular Tuesday morning, and Max was on his way to grab a quick coffee before class. He shuffled into the campus café, still half-asleep, when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Max! Over here!"

It was Heather. Of all the people on campus, she was one of the few who hadn't made Max feel like he was living in a bad sitcom. She was cool, funny, and most importantly—normal. And to his surprise, she was standing by a table, smiling, with an extra coffee in her hand.

"Hey," Max grinned. Finally, a break from the weirdness!

"You got a minute? I got you your usual." She held up the coffee and motioned for him to sit.

"Sweet! Yeah, totally," Max replied, sliding into the seat across from her. Normal girl, normal coffee, normal conversation. For the first time in days, Max felt like everything was going smoothly.

As they chatted, the vibe seemed chill. Heather laughed at his jokes, and Max was finally feeling in his element again. Until she said:

"So, I have to admit... I wasn't sure if you'd actually agree to this."

Max blinked. "Agree to what?"

She gave him a teasing smile. "Our little coffee date."

Max's brain short-circuited. Date? Date?!

His internal monologue went into overdrive: What? How did I miss this? Is this really a date? Oh God, is it too late to back out? What if I say something stupid? I need to play it cool. Be smooth, Max!

He cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair, attempting to look suave. "Oh, uh, yeah! Totally. I, uh... knew that."

Heather smiled brightly, oblivious to Max's inner panic. "I'm glad! It's nice to hang out without all the noise. You know, just... the two of us."

Max was screaming internally. He had zero date experience, and now he was knee-deep in one without even realizing it. Okay, okay, just act natural. You got this. You can totally—

"Do you like this place? I love their pastries," Heather said, biting into a croissant. "You should try one."

Max nodded robotically, grabbing a pastry as if it were a life raft in a sea of awkwardness. He took a bite—and instantly regretted it. His mouth filled with the driest, most floury croissant he had ever encountered. He tried to swallow, but it was like chewing sandpaper. His eyes watered as he struggled to get it down.

Heather watched with concern. "Are you okay? You look like you're choking."

Max waved her off, his eyes bulging as he managed to swallow the croissant from hell. "I'm good! Just... uh, love these... super dry."

Heather burst out laughing, nearly snorting her coffee. "You're hilarious."

Smooth recovery, Max. Totally nailed it.

Max decided to play along, trying to maintain the illusion that he knew what he was doing. He thought he was doing okay—until Heather casually mentioned, "So, what are we doing for dinner tonight?"

Dinner?! Was this a two-part date? Oh God, is this some sort of dating marathon? Max scrambled for an excuse. "Oh, uh, tonight? I have... class. Yeah, late class. Super long, boring lecture."

Heather raised an eyebrow. "Class? On a Tuesday night?"

Max was terrible at lying, and she was already suspicious. "Y-yeah, it's, uh, advanced... theories of... astrophysical, um... rocks."

Heather blinked. "Astrophysical rocks?"

Max was sweating. "Yeah, you know, rocks from space. Very advanced stuff."

Heather looked at him, amused. "You're cute when you're flustered, you know that?"

Abort mission! Abort mission! Max's heart was racing. This wasn't just a coffee date; this was a full-fledged, full-day event. The kind of thing he had only seen in rom-coms—and not the good ones. The cheesy, over-the-top kind.

"Maybe we could do dinner tomorrow, then?" Heather suggested, leaning in with a smile.

Max felt like he was in quicksand. "Uh, sure! Tomorrow sounds... good." He mentally screamed at himself: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Suddenly, his phone buzzed on the table. It was a text from Jaden, who had clearly hacked into the universe at the perfect time.

Jaden: Emergency. Need you back at the dorm. NOW.

Max looked up at Heather, putting on his best "I'm so sorry" face. "Oh, no! It looks like my roommate is having... an emergency. I really have to go."

Heather looked mildly disappointed but nodded. "Okay, well, maybe next time."

Max shot up from the chair, trying not to look too relieved. "Yeah, definitely! Next time." He bolted out of the café like his life depended on it.

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Back at the dorm, Jaden was sprawled on the couch, lazily eating a bag of chips. "What's up, man?" he said between bites.

Max slammed the door behind him. "Dude, you just saved me from the most awkward accidental date of my life."

Jaden smirked. "Accidental date? How do you even—"

Max collapsed onto the couch, his head in his hands. "I thought it was just coffee! But then she called it a date! And then there was dinner, and... and pastries, man. Pastries! They nearly killed me!"

Jaden chuckled, tossing Max a soda. "You gotta work on your signals, bro. You're like a walking misunderstanding."

Max popped the soda open, gulping it down like it was water in the desert. "Why does this keep happening to me?"

"Maybe it's the way you dress. Or that whole 'astrophysical rocks' thing you got going on."

Max groaned. "I panicked, okay? And now I'm stuck having dinner with her tomorrow! How do I get out of this?"

Jaden shook his head. "Oh no, you're not getting out of this one. You dug your own grave, man. Now you gotta lie in it."

"Great," Max muttered, slouching down further into the couch. "Guess I'm going on another accidental date tomorrow."

Jaden laughed. "Hey, at least you're getting some action. Accidental or not."

Max threw a pillow at his face. "Not. Helping."

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