New Feeling

The morning sunlight poured through Kayla's window, its golden beams spilling onto her bed. Her eyes fluttered open, groggy at first, but the memories of last night's dinner flooded her mind, snapping her awake. She rolled over and buried her face in her pillow, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment and excitement.

What was happening to her? It wasn't as if she'd never hung out with a guy before. But there was something different about Matthew—something so genuine and warm that it left her feeling jittery and blissfully light-headed.

"Calm down," Kayla muttered to herself as she crawled out of bed. Her morning routine felt both rushed and sluggish, her thoughts distracted by Matthew's smile, the way he laughed, the soft way he looked at her.

By the time she'd gotten dressed and made herself presentable, her phone buzzed. A message from Laura.

[Meet me at the coffee shop across the school! Got loads of stuff to talk about after I finish the enrollment process.]

Kayla's heart skipped a beat. Right. Laura. Her best friend. The one person she could talk to about anything... well, almost anything. Because despite her resolve to tell Laura about last night, Kayla still couldn't bring herself to spill everything.

Especially not about how she'd spent hours mentally replaying moments from her dinner with Matthew like some silly, love-struck teenager.

She quickly changed into casual clothes, put up a light natural make-up, grabbing her bag, Kayla made her way out of her apartment. She hailed a taxi and gave the address to the coffee shop.

It only took a few minutes for Kayla to reach her destination, and since Laura was still at the campus processing her enrollment, she just took a walk around the nearby park.

Thinking on how to share the totality of her status with Matthew to Laura, she started to piece out her words. Laura already knew that she had an online 'Friend' named Matthew. However, she wasn't updated on their progress.

Kayla fell into deep thought. There were many things that mind across her mind. Just then, her phone rang. It was a call from Laura. Snapping back to reality, she answered the call.

"Yes? Are you done?"

"Yeah. Actually, I'm already at the coffee shop. Where are you? You weren't here when I arrived?" Laura replied in a chirpy mood.

"Oh! I was at the nearby park walking around. I'll be there." Kayla cheerfully replied.

Upon hearing Kayla's response, Laura just replied with one word then ended the call.

Kayla on the other hand, just put back her phone on her bag and started her walk toward the coffee shop. The air was crisp, the scent of roasted beans and fresh bread wafting faintly in her direction as she neared the little café.

Laura was already seated at their usual table, a steaming cup of coffee cradled in her hands. She looked up the moment Kayla walked in; eyes gleaming with the kind of enthusiasm only Laura could muster.

"There you are! I was starting to think you walked back to your apartment." Laura joked; her grin playful.

Kayla slid into the seat across from her, returning the smile. "Sorry, got distracted for a bit. So, how's enrollment stuff? Everything went well?"

"Yeah, all good. Just stressful as always, you know?" Laura answered, waving her hand dismissively.

She then looked at Kayla and eyed her suspiciously, her brow lifting. "You look... different."

"Different?"

"Yeah, like, annoyingly glowy. Like you've been sprinkling fairy dust all over yourself or something."

Kayla laughed, shaking her head. "You're imagining things."

"No, seriously! Are you sick or something?" Laura leaned forward, her gaze turning scrutinizing. "Or... did something happen?"

"What? No. Nothing happened," Kayla blurted out a little too quickly, her voice an octave higher than usual. She cursed herself internally for being so obvious.

Laura narrowed her eyes, her curiosity clearly piqued. "Hmm, alright. I'll let you get away with that answer for now. But I'm onto you."

Kayla managed to laugh again, albeit awkwardly. Her fingers traced patterns on the table's surface as she tried to steer the conversation away from herself.

Their conversation continued, flowing easily between classes, gossip, and random topics that kept Kayla's mind off Matthew for a while. But every now and then, her thoughts would drift back to the way he'd smiled at her, his voice gentle and reassuring.

As Laura rambled on about her chaotic experience at the registration office, Kayla's phone vibrated. She glanced down at it, her heart doing a little flip when she saw a message from Matthew.

[1 Instagram Notification: Matthew sent you a message]

[Good morning! Hope you slept well. Just wanted to say I had a really great time last night. Whatcha' doin now?]

Kayla's lips curved into a soft smile, her fingers hovering over the screen as she tried to compose a response that didn't make her sound overly eager. But her moment of distraction didn't go unnoticed.

"Uh-oh," Laura said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Who's got you grinning like that? Is that Matthew?"

"Huh?" Kayla's head snapped up, her cheeks turning pink. "Oh, just... just a text from my mom."

"Sure, it is," Laura replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "You're such a terrible liar, Kayla."

Kayla groaned inwardly, but her smile remained. The morning was proving to be both comforting and nerve-wracking. And despite her best efforts to play it cool, Laura was far too perceptive to let anything slide.

"Okay, fine! It's him alright." Kayla admitted, her voice lowering as if confessing a crime.

"Who's him?" Laura teased despite knowing the answer.

"My friend, Matthew." Kayla replied while blushing hard.

"Just a friend, huh?" Laura's eyebrow arched again. "Well, we'll see about that."

And somehow, Kayla had the feeling Laura wouldn't rest until she found out everything.

Kayla wrapped her hands around her steaming mug of coffee. The bustling coffee shop provided a cozy backdrop, the soft chatter of students and the hum of coffee machines blending into white noise.

"So, spill," Laura said, eyes glinting with curiosity. "You've been practically glowing since you sat down. Did something amazing happen?"

Kayla couldn't help but giggle. "Well… something like that."

Laura leaned forward; her eyes wide. "Oh, don't leave me hanging, Kayla. You're killing me here."

"Okay, okay," Kayla said, taking a deep breath. "So, remember that friend I've been talking to online? Matthew?"

"The one you were all nervous about meeting. Oh my god, did you meet him?"

Kayla nodded, a shy smile tugging at her lips. "Yes! Yesterday. After my enrollment, I went to meet him at the coffee shop."

Laura gasped dramatically. "And you didn't tell me right away? I feel betrayed!"

"Sorry, it was all so sudden. And I was really nervous."

"Obviously!" Laura chuckled. "So, how was it? Was he weird or creepy? Because I swear, if he was, I'm—"

"He was… perfect. Well, maybe not perfect, but he was really sweet. We had coffee, talked for a bit, and then he took me to dinner. Like, a fancy dinner."

Laura's eyes widened. "Wait, so he's handsome, charming, and generous? Are you sure this guy's real?"

Kayla laughed, her cheeks flushing. "I know, it felt so surreal. And he was really attentive. Like, he even helped me when I hurt my knee."

Laura's grin turned sly. "Oh? Already playing the knight in shining armour, huh? Sounds like one of your novel fictional characters."

Kayla groaned. "Stop it. I mean, he's great, but… I don't know. It's all new to me. I didn't even know what to say or do half the time."

"Well, you obviously did something right if he treated you to a fancy dinner." Laura stared at Kayla in a new light. It was as if she was witnessing her best friend's awakening.