An awkward meeting.

I think I’ve said this before, but while I don’t hate Eric and don’t hold a grudge against him for the dumb shit he’s pulled before, I also would rather not have anything to do with him. Being Julian’s lapdog, hating me for dating the girl he never dared to talk to, causing a scene in Noelle’s chat room… Okay, maybe I hold a small little grudge, but not enough to hate him.

So… Yeah. Our eyes met and not saying anything would’ve just been plain rude, so I nodded and greeted him.

“Oh. Hey, Eric…”

Then again, I’m not sure if greeting him while Sarah held my hand and Alice hugged my arm made for a very good image.

“H-Hey, everyone…” Eric smiled, or tried to. Can’t blame him for feeling awkward.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him, trying to sound casual. It also didn’t escape my notice that neither Sarah or Alice even tried to move away from where they were.

“Just… Helping my old man pick up some stuff…” Eric said, raising the can of varnish in his hand.

“Ah. Cool. Well, it was good to see you.”

“Y-Yeah, same.”

“...”

“...”

We both nodded and walked past each other. Once out of earshot, I let out a heavy groan.

“That was awful,” Grace said, laughing. “You really can’t hide your distaste for certain people, huh?”

“Seriously? I thought I did pretty well!” I argued.

“Yeah, don’t listen to her, Oliver. That was fine,” Mila said. “Not your fault he was stiff as a board.”

“That’s true,” Grace admitted.

Noelle sighed and shivered. “Good thing that was short. I try not to remember, but knowing he’s the guy, just…”

“Wait, the guy?” Diana asked. “Anyone mind giving me a rundown?”

“Remember that drama with Noelle’s internet persona going viral all of a sudden?” Sarah asked. “With the guy in her chat asking her to marry him?”

“Oh. Oooh! Wait, are you serious? He was from your school?” Diana asked.

“We found out way later, but yeah,” I told her.

“No wonder you don’t like him.”

“It’s more than just that, really,” Alice said. “He gave Oliver more than a bit of trouble.”

“Forget it,” I said. “It’s just dumb high school drama, and we’re done with high school.”

“Yeah, it’s for the best,” Sarah said.

“Still… Did you see him getting uncomfortable? He didn’t know where to look,” Grace said, grinning mischievously.

“Leave him be, he was outnumbered,” Mila told Grace, harmlessly flicking her on the side of the head.

“Let me at least enjoy the discomfort of those who deserve it!”

“I’m actually with Grace here…” Noelle admitted, pouting. “Hopefully now he’s learned to watch his words.”

“To even earn Noelle’s scorn…” Diana mused. “Almost wish I was there to see the drama. Almost.”

“Oh, you should’ve met Julian,” Sarah said, laughing. “Now that guy was a piece of work.”

“No, let’s keep that asshole’s name out of our conversations, please,” Mila said, scowling and grumbling.

Diana narrowed her eyes and looked deep in thought. “Wait, was that the guy who… used magic to try to trick Mila?” she asked, remembering. “The guy you told me Oliver almost beat the crap out of?”

“The very same,” Grace said. “Also the guy who bullied Oliver out of the music club.”

“Okay! Enough of that,” I said, groaning. “I’d rather not even spend time talking about these people, alright? Let’s just move on…”

“Agreed,” Noelle and Mila said in unison.

I had hoped that would be the end of it, but it wasn’t. As the girls and I kept roaming the aisles checking everything we needed, we eventually ran into Eric again. My plan was to just nod in acknowledgement and walk past him without saying anything, but this time it was him who talked to me.

“H-Hey, Oliver,” Eric said, approaching me with hesitant steps. “Sorry to interrupt, but… Could we talk for a bit? There’s… something I need to ask you.”

Oh boy.

“...Sure. You girls go ahead, I’ll catch up.”

The girls walked ahead, leaving Eric and me mostly alone in the aisle with desks and chairs. We watched them leaving just to make sure they weren’t listening, or I thought that was what it was. I was waiting for Eric to say something, but he wouldn’t.

“...So? What do you need to ask me?” I began.

“...” Eric rubbed his face, and for a moment I felt the faint sensation of inner turmoil from him. “Shit, I’m so sorry about this, Oliver but… I really have no one else to ask! You’re the only one who would know what to do! M-Maybe. Actually, you probably don’t even know what I’m going through…”

“Correct, I don’t know. So why don’t you start by telling me what’s happening?”

I knew how I sounded, and it felt weird and awkward, but I couldn’t help it. It was annoyance and that mild grudge seeping into my tone. Had to consciously keep it in check.

“See, I… I started seeing someone. I met this girl some time ago and… and I really like her.”

Yeah, I think I remember seeing him with someone once, but didn’t think much of it. “How’d you meet her?” I asked him in hopes he’d relax a bit.

“A dating app. We matched, we met, we went on like three dates before becoming… a couple, I think.”

“You think?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We haven’t said it… explicitly,” Eric shamefully admitted.

I let out a heavy sigh. “Well, I know what that’s like, at least…” Eric smiled, seemingly gaining some confidence. “So that’s the issue? You want to know how to ask her out officially?”

“N-Not exactly, but also yes? See, I… Um… The thing is… Oliver, do you… Do you ever fear your girlfriends are cheating on you when they’re not with you?”

…

Oh boy, I am NOT the guy to come for advice on this.

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