(Back to Acacia)
The alarm rings. Beep. Beep. Beep.
I groan and rub my eyes as the early morning light filters through the window.
Minutes later, I'm out jogging, my feet pounding softly against the pavement.
"I'm going to take care of my body from now on and be productive," I mutter to myself.
I stop when I reach the old bridge by the park. The railings, worn by years of weather, remind me of how long I've been carrying the weight of the past.
As I gaze out at the river in the distance, where patches of cold fog linger, it feels like winter is quietly approaching.
I whisper under my breath, "Lucas, I'm going to look forward now, but I'll forever cherish the moments we shared."
I exhale slowly, watching the cold breath leave my body.
"For the last time, I will continue writing our stories for the sake of our memories," I whisper, tears starting to well up again.
"Goodbye," I whisper again, letting the word float into the air with a bittersweet smile on my face.
I jog back to the apartment.
Click. The door opens.
"Good morning, Rudy," I greet as I step inside.
Rudy looks hesitant. She walks over and gently holds my hand.
"Acacia, I'm sorry about last night."
"You didn't do anything wrong, Rudy," I reply. "I saw Lucas while I was waiting for you at the airport... though we didn't speak."
"Are you okay?" she asks, worry clearly on her face.
"To be honest, I'm not okay. But I've decided to move forward now. I know it won't be easy... but I'm going to do it. So don't worry about me, alright?"
Rudy gives a soft smile. "Just remember, Rosie and I will always be here for you."
"I know," I say, smiling back.
Just then, Rosie comes into the room and hugs us both from behind.
Trying to hold back my tears, I laugh. "If we keep this up, don't you think you two will be late for work and Rudy's meeting?"
Rudy gasps. "Shoot! I almost forgot!"
They rush into their rooms to get ready and soon leave in a hurry.
After I freshen up and have breakfast, I sit down at my desk and open my laptop.
The screen lights up. Click. Clack. Click.
"Let's do this," I say, setting some music to lighten up my mind.
(Music: "Accidental Love" by JU-NE playing in the background)
Chapter 2
Without even realising it, I—Ella, the girl who once had nothing to do with anyone, especially Lou- have slowly started to look out for him.
Before the class bell rings, Rosie, Rudy, and I enter the classroom and search for our seats. Our teacher has informed us in the class group chat that the seats will be shuffled and our roll numbers will be pasted on the desks. It will be our permanent place for the year.
We start searching from the front row, then the second row, and then the third row. Rosie and Rudy quickly find their seats. They are sitting not too far from each other. My heart sinks at the thought of not sitting near them for the entire semester.
I quickly start searching for my seat, checking each desk one by one.
My heart thuds louder as I approach the fourth row because I see Lou Anderson already seated on the last bench with his friends.
Panic bubbles inside me. Ella, what will you do if you end up next to him? What if he...
I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Sometimes our thoughts attract the universe to make them real.
I continue checking each desk. From the corner of my eye, I see I'm getting closer to Lou.
Please, please don't let me be near him, I pray silently.
Finally, I find my seat. It is three desks ahead of Lou.
I nearly collapse in relief and silently thank the heavens. I quickly settle my things and run over to Rosie and Rudy's seats.
Later, after chatting with them, I walk back to my seat when the bell rings, and of course, they tease me for sitting near Lou.
I roll my eyes, trying to shrug it off. But just then, I see Lou stand up and begin walking toward me as I also walk toward my seat.