"I am sooo tired." I groaned. "Sorry little baby." Andrew consoled, grinning. I gave him a stink eye look and walked away from him.

"Oh, come on, what did I do?" He asked, feigning a surprised look on his face. Ignoring him, I continue to walk away from him.

He walked faster to catch up to me, "okay I'm sorry, Meggy." He applogized with an insincere look. I raised an eyebrow at him to let him know that I wasn't moved. He let out a snort while trying not to laugh.

I turned around and we continued walkin towards the cafeteria to get something to eat. "I need to go to the library later to work on my assignment. I'm slacking off because it's too bulky and I'm lazy." I complained.

"Wow! Did you just realize that you're such a lazy student when it comes to school work?" Drew questioned me.

I pouted in annoyance, "you didn't need to point it out, young man."

He smirked in response. Drew and I hung out a lot more after the babysitting incident and over the time, we became close friends which surprised me because I never expected us to hit it off that fast. I guess I'm a likeable person.

After getting our snacks from the cafeteria, we parted ways. Drew had another class to go to and I have to visit the library to finish my assignment.

A couple of hours later, the librarian came to me and said he was closing up. I had to leave and decided to finish up at home. I called Amber to know if she was still in school so she could give me a ride home.

"Hey, yeah are you still on campus?" I asked.

"Yeah but I'll be leaving in 30. Why?"

"I need a ride, if you don't mind."

"Sure, I can do that." She replied. "Okay, I'll wait for you by the library, thanks!"

" What! No! The lib-" I ended the call quickly with a grin on my face. I knew she would protest about me staying back at the library because it's a whole different route from the road she'll take when going home and I'm feeling too exhausted to go to her.

My phone rang and I saw Amber on the caller's ID but I refused to answer. She called a couple of times before she stopped calling. I'm pretty sure she'd be cussing me out right now.

I sat by the pavement to wait for her while scrolling through Instagram reels.

A car's horn honked and I looked up. Seeing that it was Amber, I smiled at her and got up from the pavement, walking towards the car.

"You my dear, are a lifesaver." I said to her with a sweet smile on my face on getting into the car.

"Don't even start with your flattery. Why didn't you answer my calls? And don't you dare say you weren't aware because I saw you on your phone." She looked annoyed.

"Well... I was tired. I didn't have the strength to answer calls." I told her.

"Oh but you had the strength to watch TikTok videos right?"

"Wrong! So wrong my love. It was Instagram not TikTok. See, there's a difference." I countered.

She gave an exasperated sign, "how do I even get the strength to tolerate you?"

"Because you love me. Now drive, we're running late." I said and rested my back to make it look like I want to relax and sleep and closed my eyes.

"What were you doing by the library?" She asked, starting the car' and drove on home.

"Finishing an assignment." I answered drowsily.

On getting home, I took a nap before my night shift at the restaurant as a waitress.

******************

The alarm woke me up and I took a quick wash of my body and wore a long sleeved shirt and a combat short. I tied my hair backwards, put shoes on and informed Amber that I was headed to work. I left and took the bus and got to work few minutes to six. My shift starts at six pm and ends by eleven. It's a high end restaurant owned by Mr Iginio.

I went to the locker room to change into my work uniform and headed out to start my duty.

"Hi Sam." I greeted my fellow co-worker who just finished her shift and I was to take over from her.

"Hiya, Megan." She replied and told me the tables assigned to me.

"Alright, bye!"

She waved back at me and headed to the locker room.

I saw a group of people getting seated at one of my assigned tables and I took some menus and went to them.

"Good evening, welcome to The Food House. I'll be your waitress for tonight, what can I get you?" I greeted, handing over the menus to them. They were four in number, two boys and two girls. I brought out my jotter and pen from my pocket, ready to write down their order.

As I was writing down their orders, one of the girls spoke up, "shouldn't we order for Harry?"

"How'd you know what he wants to eat?" One of the boys asked her.

"I'll call him." She said and typed on her phone and then placed it on her ears.

"Should I wait?" I asked to know if I should proceed with their orders.

"Please hold on a bit." She said politely. It's good to know that some rich kids still have manners. I smiled and nodded.

" Hey Harry, we were thinking we should order for you. What would you want to eat?" She asked. She picked up the menu and started listing out the dishes for the person to choose from.

"Add the Beef Wellington and white wine to the order." She said after ending the call.

"Okay. Your meal will be ready shortly." I responded and wrote it down and went to the kitchen to give the chef their orders. I served them the drinks they ordered while they waited for their meal to be ready.

A boy came and sat down while I was serving the drinks.

"Kathy had placed your order." One of the boys informed him.

"Okay." He said. After serving them, I turned to leave and I heard a 'wait' directed at me.

I looked at them and said, "yes?"

"It's you, the girl from the club." The boy who joined them said, surprise coating his face.

I looked at him and tried to recall his face but nothing came up. "Uhhhhh sorry?"

"You don't recognize me? Are you joking right now?" He asked.

I gave him a blank stare in response. I have been to a couple of clubs and he doesn't expect me to remember everyone I danced with.

"Soho. You were with your friend who got drunk and you had to leave suddenly." He explained. "Oh! Yeah. Wow, we meet again."

He nodded and smiled, "its great running into you again."

"Uh same here. I had to grace my sight with a reminder of a good looking dude." I wiggled my eyebrows at him.

"Hello! We aren't invisible, you know." One of the males exclaimed.

" And flirting while on the job, what a slut." One of the girls said, giving me a look of disgust.

"Lacy, what the hell? Why'd you have to be rude?" The Soho dude say d to her scoldingly.

I had to literally hold my tongue from spewing out sarcasm that murders self esteem so I smiled sweetly at her.

"Darling, now be nice. You don't address people as such." I spoke to her in a tone as if I were talking to a child.

"Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?!" She fumed at me.

"Megan, your waitress for tonight." I gave a slight bow of my head and walked away from their table.

"I need to see your manager! How dare you talk to me like that?" Her voice echoed behind me in anger as I walked away.

I went to meet another waiter, Jason with a pleading look. " Jason, could you please switch tables with me until the customers at table nine leave?"

"Why? What did you do?" He inquired.

"Hey! Why is it that I'm the one you're suspecting to be at fault?" I frowned at him.

"Because your words lack filter." He shrugged his shoulders.

"No it doesn't!"

"Yes it does. Sharp like the edge of a dagger."

"Okay, fine but I didn't say anything to them so I'll be able to keep my job. There's one extremely rude girl among them. So please switch with me, huh? I pleaded with him.

"Alright." He agreed. "Oh Thanks." I explained their order to him and that was how we switched for the night and I was able to avoid trouble.

*************

I had just finished my last class for the day and a smiled stretched on my face when it came to mind that it's Friday. I get to sleep in tomorrow since my shift doesn't start till 2pm.

My phone began to ring, I checked and saw it was Drew calling. "Hello,"

"Hey Megan, where you at?" He asked.

"I'm at the broadcasting studio. I just finished with class." I replied.

"Great! Let's hangout, I need your help with something. Could you come meet me at the sculpting studio?" He said.

"Sure." "Alright then, see ya." He ended the call and I began my journey to where he was.

"I'm outside." I told him on the phone when I had gotten there.

"Come inside, go straight and enter the second door by your right." Came his response.

I signed and ended the call, following his descriptions, I walked inside the said doorway and saw a group of four boys in the room chatting away.

"Hey," I said, to catch their attention.

"Hey Meggy," Drew smiled at me and got up to meet me. He ushered me to where the rest of the boys were sitting.

"Guys, meet Megan, my friend. Megan, meet my pals, Ryder, Niall, Louis and Harry."

"Fancy seeing you again." Harry said.

"You again?" I recognized him to be the Soho dude.

"You know each other?" Drew asked.

"Yes" "not really". Harry and I said in unison.

"Okayyy, tell me, how did you meet?" Drew asked.

"At a club and then we ran into each other last week when he and his friends came to dine at the restaurant." I explained to him.

"I apologized for how Lacy spoke to you the other day. I tried to find you but I was unable to get to you. We were served by another waiter and I asked him how to reach you but he didn't disclose anything." Harry said.

I shrugged and said, "apology accepted."

"We need to get going. Goodbye guys." Drew bid them farewell, picked up his bag and lead me out of the room.

"How are you friends with Harry?" I asked him.

"His parents and my parents know each other so we've been around each other while growing up, not frequent though." He answered.

"Oh. So what do you need my help with?"

"I'm in need of some inspiration. I was painting a piece some days back and I got a dead end so I need to come alive." He said. We got into his car.

"So my job is to be the muse?"

"Somehow." He replied.

"Okay, let's go. Let me see what you're working on." I said. He nodded in response and started the car, heading to his studio.

"Yeah, and you'd better be inspiring." He said with a threatening look.

"Don't you worry my dear, I give the best" I said, assuredly. He shook his head in self pity while starting up the car and I laughed at him.

"Dai, andiamo amico!" (Come on, let's go friend.) I said, tapping his shoulder.

******************

A couple of hours later, we came a field. It was getting late. "Where's this place?" I asked, both of us coming out of the car.

"I stumbled upon it during a road trip sometime back." He said.

It was a vast field from what I could see. I walked towards it, totally awed by the sight. With is being the time of sunset, it gave a mesmerizing view.

"It gives a calming aura, like everything is at peace here." I said, turning to take a look at what Drew was doing.

"Yeah, kinda." He responded, bringing out supplies from the trunk of the car. I continued to look around while he set up his painting supplies. After a while, I didn't hear anything from him and turned to look for him, only to see him painting with a serious look on his face.

The late afternoon sun spilled golden light across the open field, casting long shadows on the wild grass. I stood still, gazing softly on the horizon, where the trees blended into warm skies. A light breeze blowing strands of my hair, making them dance gently across my cheeks. Behind an easel set up a few feet away, Drew worked intently, brush moving steadily over the canvas.

"How am I doing?" I asked.

"You're doing great," he called out, squinting slightly as he mixed paint on his palette.

"I better be," I replied with a small laugh.

"You've had me standing here like a tree for almost an hour. My feet are going numb."

He grinned without looking up. "Well, you look like art right now, so it's worth it."

I rolled my eyes playfully but held my pose. Truth is, I didn't mind being Drew's subject. The calmness of the field, the quiet focus of his work, and the sense of being a part of something beautiful felt oddly comforting. It wasn't every day someone painted me, after all.

I waited a bit before I spoke up, "you brought food right? Perché muoio di fame." (Because I'm dying of hunger.)

"Hai sempre fame." (You're always hungry.) He replied.

I gasped in bewilderment, "no I'm not!"

"Sì, sei tu." ( Yes, you are.) He dropped a deadpan look my way.

"Mangi decisamente troppo per essere una Signora." (You eat way too much for a lady."

I made a 'hmph' sound giving a defiant look in response. I threw myself back on the grass, trying to annoy him. I broke out in a song,

"Ho fame, ho fame, ho faaameee, ho fame, ho fame, hoo faaamee." (I'm hungry.)

"Alright," he said with a laugh.

"Done for now. Let's go eat and go home. We can't keep the lady hungry." He said and started packing up his things.

"Yay!" I cheered happily and got up to assist him with it. He covered the painting he was working on with a plastic wrap and put it in the back seat of the car.

We drove into town and stopped by a cozy restaurant tucked between a bookstore and a flower shop. The scent of freshly baked bread greeted us at the door.

"Smells like heaven," I muttered, already scanning the menu before we sat.

We ordered pasta and iced teas, then sat across from each other, the air between us warm with familiarity. I twirled my fork through the pasta, taking the first bite eagerly.

"I love you, do you know that?" I said to him with food in my mouth.

"Yeah, because I'm feeding you right now." He said, eating his meal.

I threw him a meaningful look and replied, "I can't really argue that."

"So," Drew said, "Are you always this good at standing still, or is it just for me?"

I chuckled, "only for artists with charming smiles."

He raised an eyebrow, "so I'm charming now?"

"Don't push your luck," she replied, smirking.

We talked about random things - old movies, the weather, art exhibitions that Drew had attended. For a moment, the world felt slowed down and simple. No rush, no pressure, just us, the food, and the soft hum of conversation around us.

After dinner, Drew dropped me off at the apartment I shared with Amber. I thanked him with a quick wave and a smile before heading up the stairs.

As I stepped into the apartment, the first thing I heard was Amber's voice - sharp, tense, and hurried.

"No, I told you-listen, I don't care anymore, okay?" Amber was pacing near the couch, phone pressed to her ear.

I paused, surprised by the tone. Amber hasn't noticed me yet.

"I'm done talking about this." Amber said, turning abruptly. Her eyes met mine. In a flash, her voice softened. "I'll call you back."

She ended the call quickly, slipping the phone into her pocket.

I raised an eyebrow. "Everything okay?"

Amber forced a small smile. "Yeah. Just... drama. You know how it is."

"Drama with who?"

"Doesn't matter," Amber said, waving it off. Her expression, however, didn't match her words. Her eyes looked tired, lips pressed together tightly.

I stepped closer. "Amber, talk to me. What's going on?"

Amber shook her head. "Nothing worth discussing. Really. I'm fine."

Before I could press further, Amber changed the subject. "Anyway, how did your day go? Have you finished working on the assignment you had?

"Yeah, but I'm still waiting for it to be graded so I can know how well I did it."

We eased into conversation, Amber slowly relaxing as she listened to me retelling of how my day went - the field, the painting, the food. Amber shared a bit about her own day, carefully avoiding any mention of the earlier phone call.

As they curled up on the couch, Amber looked over and said, "We should do something tomorrow. Just us girls. You know, unwind."

I smiled. "I'd love that."

*****************

The next afternoon, I and Amber went to a popular hangout spot in the city - a blend of café and lounge, buzzing with people. Laughter echoed from tables, and the scent of coffee lingered in the air. As we settled into a spot near the window, a familiar voice called out.

"Megan?"

I turned and saw a tall figure approaching. It was Harry. He looked different, he had his curly hair pulled back in a bun, making him look more manly.

"Harry!" I stood, surprised. "Wow,"

"We've been coming across each other more frequent, I think we're meant to be. Don't you think so?" He smiled at me. We exchanged a brief hug.

"Uh, no, I most definitely do not think so." I answered firmly.

"What brings you here?" I asked.

"Meeting some friends. Looks like we found more."

Amber waved politely from the table, and Harry introduced himself. We chatted for a bit before he left to go meet his friends.

Later, I excused myself to the restroom. On my way back, I almost bumped into someone exiting the men's room.

"Careful," the person said, catching my arm lightly.

I looked up - it was Harry again.

"Wow, again," he laughed.

"Guess fate's playing tricks," I replied with a grin.

Harry reached into his pocket and brought out his phone, saying,"We should catch up sometime. Here, let's exchange numbers."

I handed him my phone, and he typed in his contact.

"Talk soon?" he said.

"Hmmm, I'll think about it."

As I walked back to my table, I felt Amber's curious eyes on me.

"Well?" Amber asked, sipping her drink.

I slid into my seat with a smile. "Looks like today brought a little extra surprise."

Amber smirked. "I saw that. You're totally texting him tonight."

I just laughed, looking out the window as the sun dipped lower, thinking maybe just maybe the universe knew exactly what it was doing.