Episode 3

EPISODE THREE

The following week was crazy, for me anyway, Projects were given at the same time and many make-up class were schedule this week and the since there isn’t enough time to cover all the topics because the freaking exams are just a week away, I told Arden about this over the phone and she decided to give me some time alone so I could finish my projects and so she could finish her projects as well, I told her she didn’t have to but she insisted

“We wouldn’t be able to finish our projects if we kept hanging out with each other” She said “and besides we have a study date this weekend so it’s fine”

That’s right, we have a study date “Ok then, spend time with you this weekend?”

“Definitely and bring lots of sweets and coffee”

“Oh I will, I’ll even bring a coffee maker!” I joked

She laughed then she said she has to go and ended the call. I went back to doing my projects

After that stressful week, I was able to finish my projects, so the only thing I have to worry about is exams and because of our study date, I was excited as well. I talked to Arden at school, and we agreed that I’ll stay at her apartment for the weekend so I don’t need to go back and forth from my house to hers.

It’s Friday afternoon, classes were over and I just finished packing my things. I stopped by the supermarket and bought a bag of Cheetos, pack of Snickers, ice cream and a jar of gummy worms then I rode my bicycle to Arden’s apartment

I arrived at her apartment, parked the bicycle and walked to the front door, I was about to knock when she suddenly opened it

“Hi!” she greeted

“Hey!” I said “how did you know I was already here?”

“I’m psychic” she smiled “and I saw you arrive through the window”

“Now that I’ll believe” I said

She smirked and then looked at the paper bag I was carrying “what’s that?”

“Energy boosters” I grinned

She giggled and invited me in

She took the paper bag and took out the contents

She smiled when she saw the gummy worms “I love this!”

“I know” I said

“You do?”

I nodded

“How did you know?” Arden asked

“You mentioned it…” I said “…In your sleep after we watched Imagine Me and You”

“I was sleep talking?” she said, clearly embarrassed

Again, I nodded “you were adorable though”

She blushed “is there anything else I said that I should be embarrassed about?”

“Luckily for you, I slept right away after you said that so I didn’t hear anything else” I said

She sighed with relief which made smile instantly, she’s really adorable

We decided to start studying tomorrow and just enjoy the rest of the day and we ended up watching Grey’s Anatomy that Arden tivo’d, so it was a simple but great day.

The next day, we woke up late because of the Grey’s Anatomy marathon that lasted until the wee hours of the night. so after eating lunch at 1 pm  and taking showers, we readied everything we need to study at her living room, and when  I said everything, I mean, the gummy worms, Snickers and Cheetos, and of course the books and notes that we needed to study

Arden looked at the books, sat and sighed “this is going to be a long, stressful weekend”

I sat next to her “that’s why you have me here; I’ll endure the stress with you” I smirked “and keep you sane until Monday”

She looked at me and laughed “ok then, let’s start”

We took our notes and started studying, while reading I take subtle glances at her and I make sure I don’t get caught. She’s just so pretty it’s actually a bit distracting but hey I’m not complaining…=)

When she can’t understand something, she asks me about it and I try my best to help her understand.

2 hours, half a jar of gummy worms and an empty bag of Cheetos later…

“Ok I’m seriously bored” She said putting the her notes down

“You and me both” I said “and I think my brain just turned into pulp”

“Yeah, I think mine did too” she laughed

I smiled “30 minute break?”

“Yes please” she then stood and stretch out her arms

I did the same and then I turned to her “so, what should we do?”

“Let’s go for a stroll” she said

And before you know it, we’re already on the sidewalk, we we’re looking around when Arden suddenly stopped and looked at the store on her left

“What is it?” I said

“What does that store sell? She asked

“Books, brand new and second hand”

“Let’s check it out”

And before I could say anything, she was already walking towards the door

The inside of the store was medium sized and looked at like an hould house, Book shelves were at standing at the middle with a wide distance between them, there are also shelves that we’re attached to the walls and some boxes were at the side. At the left corner was the table where the owner was sitting. He was a young man, probably 2 or 3 years older than us, he was reading a book and was wearing earphones, looks like he has a world of his own anyway Arden and I split up, looked around and checked out some books after that we decided to leave and go back to the apartment

When we arrived at her apartment, I quickly laid on the sofa bed and covered my head with a pillow

“Hey lazy pants” Arden teased “get up, we still have to study” then she pulled my arm slightly

“5 more minutes” I mumbled

She giggled, “Ok then, 5 minutes”

I felt her lay down next to me. After a while, I slowly removed the pillow from my face. I saw her staring at me and smiling, I quickly blushed and sat, “ok let’s study!” I then stood, took my notes and sat a few inches away from her then I opened my notes and used that to cover my face, pretending that I was reading. That was embarrassing…

I heard her giggle then after a while, I peeked and saw her reading and eating Snickers, I smiled and continued reading

After an hour, I stopped reading and laid down

Arden looked at me and asked “Are you done?”

“Nope” I said “but I am hungry”

“Me too” she said “Let’s call it a day and eat dinner”

I smiled “I like that idea”

“I know you would” she grinned “Want to order some pizza?”

I nodded

She then grabbed the phone and ordered the pizza

15 minutes later, the pizza arrived; we turned on the TV and watched re-runs of Castle while eating a delicious ham and cheese pizza.

After our nutritious dinner, we got ready for bed and I gotta say, I was nervous and I don’t know why! We’re sharing the same bed, nothing’s wrong with that right? So why am I nervous??

After brushing our teeth, she turned off the lights and we got into bed

The room was semi-dark. The only light there was from a post outside shining through the window on my right. I could still see Arden though

She then looked at me and smiled sweetly, “good night”

“Good night” I replied, not looking at her

After a while, Arden was fast asleep with her back on me while I’m still wide awake. Why can’t I sleep? I sighed

I laid on my back and stared at the ceiling then I started counting sheep in my head to try to put me to sleep, I was at 48, when Arden turned and faced me, I looked at her and well, I lost count. She’s so beautiful

I turned to my right side and faced her; I found myself staring at her lips, I felt my heart beat fast. I moved closer until our faces were just a few inches away but I didn’t kiss her lips, instead I kissed her cheek then I turned to the my left side and weirdly enough, I instantly fell asleep.

Sunday Morning

We woke up at 8 am, well...Arden woke up at 8 but I’m half-awake…kinda

“Hey…Can you turn off the lights? It’s waking me up” I asked, a bit groggy

“That’s not the lights Nicky” Arden responded, still lying next to me “it’s the sun”

I groaned “destroy the freaking sun!” then covered my head with a pillow to block the light

I heard Arden laughed, “You’re so not a morning person”

“Got that right” I sighed and removed the pillow then I turned to her “what time did you wake up?”

“Eight” she said

“And what time is it?”

“Eight-thirty”

From asking what time it is, we ended up chatting about lots of other things, like our hobbies, likes and dislikes and other things that are not embarrassing to tell and after 2 hours, we’re still in bed

“I think it’s time for us to get out of bed” Arden said with a smile

“I agree” I said

We both got out of bed and headed to the kitchen

“Do we still need to eat breakfast?” I asked “it’s almost lunch time”

“Depends” she answered “can you make it ‘til then?” she smirked

“I’ll try” I joked

She giggled and then asked “so what do we do now?”

“It’s Sunday right?”

Arden nodded

“Let’s watch cartoons!” I said and ran to the living room like the little dork that I am

Arden laughed and soon followed

We sat on the sofa; I turned on the TV and changed the channel to Disney

“Hey look! Wall-E is on!” I said

“I love that movie!” she said

“Good, coz I’m not changing the channel!”

She smirked and lightly slapped my arm

In the near end of the movie, Arden suddenly spoke “I want to be like Eve”

“You want to be a robot?” I joked and that earned me a good punch on the arm

“No…” she said then turned to me “I mean like Eve, I want to unexpectedly meet someone that I’ll cherish and love whole heartedly, my very own Wall-E”

I looked at her “corny much?”

She giggled “I’m just saying...”

“I get it” I smiled “I want that too”

She smiled back and we continued watching

After the movie, Arden asked “do you like fried chicken and mashed potatoes?”

“Yeah” I replied “why?”

“’Coz that’s what we’re going to eat”

“Ok then, I’ll just get the phone and-”

“No need” she interjected “I’m cooking”

I looked at her “you can cook?”

She smiled and nodded “don’t you cook?”

“Well, yeah, I cook eggs and…toast”

She laughed “toast?”

I smirked “yeah, and I mastered that”

Again, she laughed then she asked “Have you tried cooking anything other than those?”

“I tried once but I almost cooked my apartment so I’m a bit hesitant to try again”

She smiled, stood and then grabbed my hand “Let’s go”

“Go where?”

“To the kitchen” she said “you’re helping me cook”

So I reluctantly stood and we went to the kitchen, she then took out the apron from the drawer and wore it

“Are you sure you want me to help you?” I asked and sat by the table

“Absolutely” she replied while tying her hair into a ponytail

“Ok then but just in case I burn something, the exit is on the left and whatever happens, keep running and don’t look back!”

She giggled and turned to me, with her hair like that, she looked stunning “I’m sure that won’t happen” she smiled “I’m 110% confident that you’ll learn to cook without burning anything”

What she said instantly made me smile and boost my confidence “I hope so…” I said and Arden continued looking at me, I felt shy and I’m sure I started blushing

“I...uh...probably should wash my hands…” I mumbled “over there…at the sink…” I stood and went to the sink

After washing my hands, I went to Arden and saw that she was already preparing the chicken and potatoes

“What do you want me to do chef?” I asked

She smirked “I want you to peel and dice these potatoes while I coat the chicken with bread crumbs”

“Aye, aye chef!” I said with a matching sailor salute then I grabbed the peeler and started peeling

After peeling and dicing the potatoes, I asked Arden “what’s next?”

“Want to fry the chicken?”

“Sure, that’s easy right?”

Arden nodded

After a while…

“Ouch!” I yelled every time a drop of oil touches my skin and I think this happened 5 times.  Arden just laughed at me

I looked at her with a pouty expression “you said this was easy”

“It is, you’re just not used to it” she said then approached me “how about you just mixed the potato with the butter and milk, and be careful with the mixer”

“Yes ma’am!” I said, we switched places, so now I’m mashing the potatoes while she’s frying the chicken

And after all that, we ended up with a very appetizing fried chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy, Arden made the gravy, anyway we washed our hands, set up the table and Bon Appétit!

We sat and started eating and I gotta say, that was the most delicious chicken I ever tasted and don’t even get me started on the mashed potatoes, it’s like the best mashed potatoes I ever ate and the gravy tasted like heaven, I told Arden these and she said that all of these tasted very good because we put an a lot of effort to cook it, I definitely agreed with that and also I gained confidence to cook because I was cooking with her, but I kept that last part to myself.

After our meal, we cleaned the table and washed the dishes, we then went to the front porch

“It’s such a nice Sunday afternoon” I said “Perfect time to relax”

Arden looked at me with a raised brow and a smirk “trying to imply something?”

I grinned “no...Ok, yes” I said “maybe we could study a little later and just hang-out for a bit”

She looked at me with a serious expression and said “I completely agree”

“Ok…Let’s start stud-” I stopped when I realized what she said “wait, say that again?”

She giggled “I said I agree; I still don’t want to study either so how about we play guitar hero for a bit”

I smiled “awesome”

So we went inside, Arden set up the game and we started playing, and this time I won! Cheers for me!!

It was so fun until we realized that it was already 6 pm, we ate dinner and hit the books and we were really focused on studying, we even taught each other, by 10 pm, we talked and decided to study until 12 am, to make sure we really pass all of the exams. She made coffee and we went back to studying and an hour and 2 empty mugs of coffee later…

“I’m really sleepy” I said, lying on the sofa bed with a book on my face “I mean really” looks like the coffee didn’t do much

“I can see that” Arden laughed “You actually sound drunk”

I giggled and closed my eyes to rest them, just for a bit

I opened my eyes and ‘lo and behold, it’s morning, Damn It! I fell asleep!

I looked to my right and saw Arden sleeping soundly; she’s on her side, her right arm on my stomach and her head on my shoulder. My right arm was around her, our faces were inches away from each other. I gently removed some of her hair from her face and ran my fingers on the bridge of her nose. I kissed her forehead then the tip of her nose, I stared at her lips and gently touched it with my fingers and without thinking, I slowly leaned in and gently kissed her beautiful lips.

When I came to my senses, I quickly sat and put my face in my palms, what did I just do?!  I shook my head a bit then looked at the clock, 8:30? Shit! I’m gonna be late! I quickly grabbed a towel and ran to the bathroom, took a quick shower and dressed quietly, Arden’s class starts at 10, so I decided not to wake her, I just wrote on a sticky note and stuck it on the TV so she could easily see it, then I set her alarm clock at 9 so she still has time to prepare and not hurry, unlike me, I looked at her again then I locked the door.

I got my bike and hurriedly rode to school. I parked my bicycle and hurriedly ran to my room, I arrived just in time for the exam, thank goodness, I grabbed a seat and a few minutes after that, the professor came in and handed us the exam papers.

That day was pretty stressful and it’s not over, 1 down 2 days to go, Arden and I took the tests on the subject we’re both taking in different rooms, so I didn’t get to hang out with her much, but we did saw and waved at each other on the hallway so it’s still good but, I think, and as much as I would like to stay with her in her apartment, I can’t,  I think it’s best if I go back to my apartment and keep my distance for a while, because of what happened earlier, I can’t look straight into her eyes and I instantly blush every time I see her so I’m sure she’ll notice that and then she’ll ask me what’s wrong, and I can’t tell her that I kissed her while she’s asleep, what if she finds it weird or gross or worst, she might get angry, and that the one thing I don’t want to happen, ever.

The last exam for the day was finished, everybody already left but I stayed behind, different thoughts were running in my mind. I kissed her! Why did I do that? Should I tell her? No way, she’ll hate me for sure, I sighed and stood, still, I have to act normal, right! I’ll do that! But first I have to go to her apartment and get my stuff. I looked at my watch, its only 4 pm; Arden’s exam is still going on.

I quickly ran out of the room, got my bicycle, and rode to Arden’s apartment.

In case of emergencies, Arden gave me a spare key so getting in won’t be a problem. When I arrived, I quickly left my bicycle on the front yard and went inside, I then gathered all my stuff.

I decided to leave her another note, saying that I already went back to my apartment, so I took some sticky notes and while I was writing, the door opened and Arden called out

I instantly froze. What should I do? What should I do?

Arden saw and approached me, “Hey” she greeted with a smile

Act normal Nicky, “h-hey Arden” I said and smiled “why are you here?”

“Um…it’s my apartment” she replied

“Right!” I shyly turned away “what I meant was, um, why are you here so early, isn’t you’re exam supposed to finish at 5?”

“Yeah but I finished early, I was actually looking for you, then I came across Jamie, she then told me that she saw you left so I went home”

“Ah good ‘ol Jamie, always shows up at the right time” I grinned

I became quiet and Arden just stared at me then she spoke “You’re going?”

“Uh yeah, I was actually going to leave you a note” I said then showed her the sticky note

She smiled a little and I continued speaking “I already miss my apartment and I think we can pass the exam, we did study the whole weekend, mostly”

She giggled and told me to take care then she walked me to the door,

“Nicky” she said then kissed me on the cheek “Thank you”

I smiled “you’re welcome” then I rode my bicycle and left...