Intermission - Bowling.

Diana sat there, watching along with Oliver and Thomas as Maria took her turn. With perfect form, she sent the ball rolling smoothly down the middle of the lane, ending in a strike that resonated throughout the alley.

“Hah!” Maria turned around and gave the group a thumbs up with a smug grin. Diana sighed and shook her head.

“Can’t you hold back a bit? We’re playing with newbies, you know?” Thomas told Maria.

“Nope. I know your game. I won’t let you catch up to me,” Maria answered, her grin intact.

“Holding back is bad manners, anyway,” Oliver said as he stood up to take his turn.

Diana swallowed as her heart skipped a beat. She was about to say the exact same thing. “Winning against someone who held back feels empty, and losing to someone who didn't try their best is even worse,” she added.

Oliver smiled, nodded silently and went to pick a ball. It didn’t take much to notice he truly was completely new to the game. He picked whatever ball was closest to him and had no technique in his throws. To give credit, though, he was actually rolling the ball down the lane instead of tossing it like a rock.

This was his fourth time delivering, and just like previously, he took his time. He rolled the ball, but halfway through, its spin guided it to the left and into the gutter. Oliver remained with a score of zero pins. He frowned, closing and opening his hand, then tried again.

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” Maria said, wincing. “I don’t want him to get frustrated.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Thomas said, smirking. “If anything, frustration fuels him.”

Diana kept her eyes on his back and watched him try again. This time, the ball had less spin and remained in the lane, knocking down four pins on the left side.

“There you go!” Maria praised, but Oliver didn’t look satisfied. Still, he let out a soft breath and went back to his seat while Diana stood up.

“That was better,” she told him as she walked past.

“I think I’m starting to get it,” he answered with a small nod.

So far, Maria was in the lead with Thomas close behind her. Oliver was completely new to this, so he was understandably in last place, and Diana was comfortably in the middle, being a very casual, average player. After all, one can’t be good at everything, and the weight of the bowling balls was always an issue for her wrists.

As she picked her ball and got ready to throw, she managed to overhear Thomas talking. He tried to whisper, but the sound of other people in the area and the contact knocking of pins falling **** him to speak up ever so slightly.

“So? How are you doing?” he asked with a hint of concern.

“Like I said, I’m getting the hang of it,” Oliver answered.

“Not that.”

Diana tensed up. They were behind her, but she could imagine Thomas nodding towards her.

Oliver chuckled. “Focus on the game or I’ll overtake you.”

“Hah. You wish.”

Diana let out a sigh disguised as breathing to focus.

She felt uncomfortable here, but not through fault of any of them. She just… felt like the odd one out. Oliver was best friends with Thomas, Thomas was Maria’s boyfriend, and Maria and Oliver worked together. Compared to that, Diana was only really comfortable around Maria. But even so…

She focused her own frustrations into the ball and threw them away with it. Whether that had anything to do with her scoring a strike, she didn’t know, but it happened all the same.

“Oh wow,” Maria exclaimed, giving her two thumbs up. “Nice one.”

Diana went back to her seat and Thomas stood up a little too quickly. He also didn’t meet her eyes, not just that time, but every time they crossed paths. She could tell he found it uncomfortable to be around her, too.

Since Thomas’ spot was next to Maria, Diana had been sitting opposite to them and next to Oliver. It was clear that was their friends’ intention from the start, and Diana… didn’t really have any objections.

“So you two played a lot while in university?” Oliver asked, sparing them the awkward silence.

“Yeah, because I dragged Diana here along with my other friends,” Maria said, laughing. “Bowling with just two people is the worst. It’s barely any different to playing by yourself. With three or more, you can get to talking while someone else is taking their turn.”

“Ah. So that’s how it is…” Oliver said, understanding Maria’s train of thought.

“Bowling is, like, the only thing I can beat Diana at, though.”

“Really?” Oliver turned to her, eyes filled with curiosity. “Did you play other games or sports?”

“...Not really. We did play tennis for a couple of years,” Diana said, remembering.

“I was awful at it, but it was fun, so I kept at it until I injured my leg,” Maria said. “You were really good, though. You should’ve kept at it. The coach said you might make it as a pro.”

“You know I never cared about going pro.”

“Right.” Maria turned to Oliver with a grin. “Diana wants to have her own bar.”

“Her own bar?” Oliver’s eyes seem to shine at that. “That’s cool. What kind of bar?”

With a small smile, Diana opened her mouth to speak, but Thomas came back muttering a curse. “Dammit, another spare…! I’m never gonna catch up at this rate!”

Diana turned to look at him along with everyone else, but it was when his eyes accidentally met hers that he flinched and winced.

“Y-Your turn, Maria…” he said with an awkward smile.

Maria stood up, poked her boyfriend on the cheek and sang “You suuuck!” with innocent laughter.

Thomas swallowed and sat down. “S-So… What were you talking about?”

…Was she scowling again? She didn’t think she was, but she looked away regardless. “Nothing in particular.”

She just couldn’t act natural, could she? She felt stiff, awkward and anxious. She wasn’t blind. She could clearly see that Oliver was trying to make her feel at ease, and it meant the world to her, but she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable regardless.

…

No, that wasn’t it.

It was the little things, but so far… The things he said, the way he acted… Diana began to understand what Maria meant. She began to see that she, maybe, truly could click with Oliver beyond a mere first attraction.

Their mutual appreciation for punctuality, for challenges… Like they were on the same wavelength. The way he was so upfront yet proper about the subject of his other girlfriends. The way he spoke in a tone that… seemed to understand her worries, always answering with a smile and never looking away from her.

It was still just a hunch, but one slowly made stronger by these little things.

…

Diana didn’t want to mess this up, and those same nerves made her scowl and look away.

Always the same damn story.

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