Jia's POV:
The lunchtime was quiet because Mom and Dad were not home, and Amara was still a little zoned out. After lunch, it was time for our guitar classes, and we both got ready. She planned to complete the guitar lessons before joining the Defence ones because she thinks we should still practice the music we had already learned.
After finishing guitar class, I could see she was a little cheered up. Music has something that gives you joy and inner peace for no reason—but another reason is her crush on one of our batchmates, Matt Boluci.
"I want ice cream," said Amara, turning towards me."Ok," I replied with a thumbs up.
We headed towards our favourite café, Brew & Cream. As we sat, a waiter came to attend us."I'll have mint chocolate chip, and she'll take strawberry, please," I said."Ok ma'am, anything else?" asked the waiter."No, that's it for now, thank you," I replied with a smile.
"So, how was the stare contest?" I asked with a teasing smile."I wasn't staring at Matt, I was just focusing on the chorus," she replied rapidly."Wo, wo, wo, relax—I didn't mention any name yet," I said, quirking my eyebrows."Ahh, please Jia, don't do that. I just… it's just… I am… no, no," she fumbled, words falling apart into broken sentences."Relax, Ama, I'm not saying you kissed or anything. I was just asking about the eye thing," I teased again, knowing she couldn't answer."Shut up, shut up," she said, smiling."Now okay, feeling lighter?" I asked in a serious tone."Yeah, you know perfectly how to uplift my mood, huh," she said, just as the waiter returned with our order."Thank you," she said to the waiter, then looked at the ice cream with her puppy eyes."Enjoy, girl, and get fat," I said while taking mine."Shut up, I'll still look sexy as I am," she said, squinting her eyes at me.
Amara's POV:
I felt a little better after music class and of course after having my favourite ice cream. But the sight of Julian was enough to make me rethink my choice of college. If he is also going to the same college, then it will be impossible for me to avoid him. After all these years, even if I can pull a smile on my face, I can't forget the haunting past. Those were the worst days of my life—days I can never separate myself from.
"Don't you need to revise any lecture or assignment?" said Jia, entering the room, pulling me out of my heavy thoughts."Yeah, I got an assignment, but I'm just waiting for Dad to come. I'll get my new laptop today, so why not start fresh with a new laptop?" I replied with a smile so she wouldn't notice what I was really thinking."Got it, but to accept new things, you need to let go of some old ones," she said, seeing straight through me."Yes, sorry… I just can't help but hold it tight. It can't be—" I stopped as Mom entered, telling me Dad had come.
"Come, my sweetheart, see what Dad got for you," said Dad as Jia and I entered the living room."Oh my god, this is the one I saw on the internet! But Dad, the price was a little out of budget. Why did you buy this one? Why didn't you get the model I sent you?" I asked, a little serious."Easy, Ama, we're not that broke," said Jia, flopping onto the couch."It's okay, Ama. The shopkeeper told me the battery life and other features are excellent and long-lasting, so it's worth every penny," Dad said, squeezing my cheeks.
"Here's my little Jiu's gift," Dad said, handing a box to Jia."Really? It's for me? Oh wow, I wasn't expecting anything," Jia said, her face glowing with excitement."Ahhhhh! It's a telescope! I always wanted this. Oh Dad, you're the best—how did you even know?" she said, literally freaking out with joy."Relax, Jia, we have neighbours around us," said Mom, smiling."Let her be, Jenna. My little princess is just happy. Let her be," said Dad, watching Jia fondly.
"Let's go, Ama, check it out!" said Jia, running towards the terrace with her telescope. She set it up on the balcony, adjusted the lenses a little, and after watching by herself, she called me over."Wow, it looks dreamy," I said, keeping one eye on the telescope lens."Oh, I'm really happy today," said Jia, almost skipping with excitement.
"Come kids, dinner is ready," called Mom from downstairs."Yeah, Mom, coming," I answered."Let's go," I said to Jia, who was still busy with her telescope. Of course she would be—she had always wanted to be an astronaut, but because of the course fee, she couldn't. If she were the only daughter, all her dreams might have been fulfilled without budget issues."Daydreaming again?" said Jia, snapping me out of my thoughts."No, let's go, I'm hungry," I said, walking out.
"How was the first day of college?" asked Dad as he joined us at the dining table."It was all good for both of us—we both made one friend," said Jia."Ama, you need to put in extra effort. Tech jobs are facing a recession, so jobs will be tough to find," said Mom, who works as a DevOps engineer."Yeah Mom, I'm thinking of taking some online courses as well to strengthen my basics, because I don't know why, but college teachers don't seem too interested," I replied."Jia, what about you? How were the lectures?" asked Dad."Mine went smooth, and if I work hard and score well, I can get an internship at the end of the year from college," she said with a smile."Yeah, that's the spirit," said Dad with a proud grin.
We all laughed together. Like this, we wrapped up our day and headed towards our rooms.