"…Wake up, wake up, Aria."
I sit up immediately, heart racing as I grab my phone in panic. "Chill. It's Saturday. No classes today," Samantha says calmly. I let out a relieved sigh and rub the sleep from my eyes. "What time is it?" I mumble. "Ten-thirty… ish," she replies. I drag myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth when she suddenly calls out, "Hey, guess what? I had a dream yesterday. I confessed to Darren in the most unethical and uncool way." She starts laughing, clearly entertained by herself. I stare at her through the mirror. "You think that was a dream?" I ask flatly. I watch the color slowly drain from her face. "You're kidding, right?" she whispers. I simply shake my head. She grabs her head and begins aggressively cursing herself while I walk back into the room. "He says thanks, by the way," I add, placing a hand on her shoulder—half reassuring, half enjoying her panic.
We head out for breakfast after she finally calms down. "Let's go to that café near campus. The one famous for their hot buns," she suggests, and I agree. On the walk there, though, I'm barely present. My mind replays last night over and over again—his voice, the way his fingers glided over the guitar frets and the way he looked at me. "We're here," Samantha says as we step inside the café, and my heart nearly stops. I glance at her and realize her expression mirrors mine. Luke and Darren are sitting with the rest of the band, along with two girls. One of them is sitting very close to Lukas. Samantha silently hooks her arm through mine and steers us toward a table across from theirs. We sit down and pretend to study the menu, but I fail miserably. I steal a glance at their table and notice how close the girl leans into him, laughing a little too comfortably. I nudge Samantha and lean closer. "He has a girlfriend?" I whisper. She shrugs. 'Oh well,' I tell myself, trying to swallow the slight sting of disappointment tightening in my chest.
We place our orders and start talking about last night while we wait for the food. I deliberately stopped looking in his direction out of respect for his girlfriend. "But Aria," Samantha whispers, "the way he was looking at you yesterday made me certain he's single. Didn't know he was a player, though." That comment hits harder than I expect, and suddenly I feel foolish for reading too much into a few glances. "Yeah… oh well," I say quietly, even though it doesn't feel as casual as I make it sound. When the food arrives, I look up to thank the waitress, and our eyes meet. I look away immediately, pretending I wasn't just caught. Coward.
After we finish eating, we ask for the bill. "It's already paid, miss," the waitress informs us. Samantha and I exchange confused looks. "May I know who paid for it?" I ask. Before she can respond, I sense someone standing behind Samantha. "My treat." I look up and find Lukas smiling down at us. Instinctively, I glance at the girl from earlier, and judging by her expression, she is not pleased. "You didn't have to," I say quickly, pulling out my wallet. "I don't even know you. I can pay you back—how much was it?" He gently places his hand over mine, stopping me. My thoughts scatter. "You came to my concert yesterday," he says softly. "That made me happy, so let me treat you." I blink, trying to process what's happening. "And the girl sitting next to me earlier? She's not my girlfriend. Just a friend from our group," he adds casually, as if he can read every doubt running through my head. I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly hyper-aware of myself. "Well… thank you for the treat," I reply shyly. "Anytime, Aria," he says, and my heart stumbles. How does he know my name?
"I'm Lukas, by the way. But you can call me Luke." He extends his hand. I stand and shake it automatically. "Nice to meet you, I'm Aria," I respond, only to realize how ridiculous that sounds. He laughs softly. "That, I know." I freeze for a second too long, still holding his hand, distracted by the warmth of his smile before finally pulling away with an awkward laugh. "I've seen you in theory class," he continues. "Since we're in the same class, can I get your number? If you don't mind." If I don't mind? I'm trying my best to remain composed here. "Sure," I reply, handing him my phone and pretending my pulse isn't racing. I can hear Samantha giggling beside me. "Well then, I'll leave you two," Luke says politely as he hands me my phone back. "Sorry to interrupt." He waves and returns to his table.
We gather our things and head toward the exit. Before leaving, I glance back one last time and notice the same girl staring at me, her expression sharp enough to cut. I turn away and look at Samantha, who will practically explode from the excitement. She clings to my arm and squeals, "That was hot, Aria! He paid for our food and took your number? That's so manly. I take back everything I said about him." I can't stop smiling. It was bold, confident, and unexpected. "I think he likes you," she whispers dramatically. "Enough," I say, trying to hide the heat rising to my cheeks. "Let's go to the studio. I want to practice." "Boring," she groans, and we both laugh as we head back toward campus, and inside, I feel lighter than I have in weeks.