Chapter 18 - A day of realisation

Aria's POV

What a hectic day—first the workshop dragging on, then Darius, and now this whole fake date situation. Ugh. I’m exhausted as hell. I don’t even know if this fake date thing is a good idea. I only agreed because Ray said so. I trust him blindly. But I really hope this doesn’t cause any harm to our bond—or to Ray, especially. I don’t want him to get hurt because of me.

All these thoughts kept running through my mind as I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling that was so much better than Wella College’s. But how did I never realize that Darius was in Wella? If I had known, I would’ve never agreed to this workshop. And now, he’s my partner. I seriously don’t know what God wants me to go through.

I opened his Instagram profile. Fifteen posts? Seriously? And all of them were just plain trash, to be honest. I don’t even know what I was looking at. If only my past self had known what kind of person he truly was. She was such a fool to believe in the fake version of him.

I kept scrolling, kind of stalking him, when I saw a post with the location tagged as Wella College. Ohhh, so that’s when he posted it. I had deactivated my account back then, which is why I never found out that he was a student there. Huh.

Out of curiosity, I checked his highlights. And there it was—a whole highlight of him and Noki. And he wants me back? Like, seriously? He cheated on me for her, and now he wants to cheat on her for me? What a great guy.

Just as I was scrolling through his profile, a message popped up.

"Heyy, someone's there?"

"Yeah, your temporary girlfriend," I replied.

"I thought I would take advantage of this fake dating thing and be all flirty. But look at you now—such a bold personality."

"Hehe."

"But what are you doing up at midnight? You usually sleep by this time, don’t you?"

"Yeah, but I was stalking Darius. Out of curiosity, nothing else."

"Ahhhhhh… That hurts."

"No, no, not like that, Ray. I was just shocked to see him there, so I wanted to know when exactly he became a part of Wella."

"Ohhhh."

"Now better?"

"Yeah, yeah… I was just kidding. So, what did you find?"

"A whole highlight of him and Noki. Which is surprising, honestly. How can he do that and still ask me to come back to him?"

"You and your overthinking. Some guys are just like that. He didn’t have a whole highlight of you two when you were together?"

"Actually, everything was private. Very private. I used to feel like he was way too good for me. Back then, a lot of girls had a crush on him, and yet, he chose me. So I felt lucky… and bad for him at the same time. I used to wonder what he’d feel when people told him, ‘You’re dating her? Seriously?’ He must’ve felt embarrassed, you know… That’s why—"

"Are you stupid, Aria? Is that even a thing? Even if this thing between us is fake, I still feel lucky to at least get a chance to date a person like you. And whatever you think about yourself is bullshit."

"Yeah, yeah, Ray, I get it now. I’ve finally developed self-confidence, you know. I’ve learned to love myself."

"Good to know. By the way, what I said earlier was about your personality, not your looks. You still look like a slightly less terrifying witch… sometimes. Or, well, every—😗"

"I knew something was missing! Where was all your sarcasm? Go to sleep, Ray."

"Tomorrow is Sunday sooo…"

"Then let me sleep, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah… Bye, good night. 😗"

"Bye, good night. 😤"

Ray's POV

A beautiful Sunday that I planned to spend at my favorite spot, just me, my thoughts, and my Spotify playlist.

"Rayyy! Rayyyyyy!"

"Coming, Mom!" I shouted, rushing downstairs as fast as I could.

"What?" I asked.

"Watch your tone, Ray," she warned.

"Okay, sorry. What happened, Mom?" I asked again, this time more gently.

"We’re going to Shalberry Park," she announced.

"But why?" I asked, still keeping my voice calm.

"Because I want to, and Jay wants to go too," she replied.

"But—"

"No ‘buts,’ Ray. It’s already decided, and you’re coming along. End of discussion."

"Okay," I muttered, feeling disappointed but knowing that arguing was pointless.

"Can you at least tell me what time we're going?"

"Around 5 p.m."

I checked the clock. It’s just 1 p.m. now. I still have four hours.

"Can I go out in the meantime?" I asked.

"Nope. We’re already going out later, so why do you even want to go now? Stay at home," she said firmly.

I sighed. "Okay," I said, knowing that arguing would only disturb the peace of the house.

I went back to my room, flopped onto my bed, and started scrolling through my phone.

Huh, nothing new on Instagram—same old trends. I thought to myself and decided to check who was active. I noticed Ivy online and sent her a message.

Me: Hii.

Ivy: Hello.

Ivy: What's up, buddy?

Me: Nothing new, just saw you were active, so I texted.

Ivy: Ohhh, looks like Aria isn't online, which is why I got the chance to have a conversation with Mr. Eclair.

Me: Nothing like that, Ivy. I just wanted to have a normal conversation. But it feels like you aren’t interested.

Ivy: No, no! I am interested. I was just teasing you.

Me: Ohkay, but I didn’t like it.

Ivy: Ohk, sorry, Ray.

Me: Yes, better.

Ivy: So, tell me, what’s going on between you and her?

Me: Huh :), I wish something would happen.

Ivy: ? Excuse me, what?

Me: Joking, Ivy.

Ivy: I never thought you would like to date Belli.

Me: When did I say I wish to date her?

Ivy: Just now. Look at your message.

Me: What? I thought you were referring to Aria when you said "her."

Ivy: Why would I ask about you and Aria, huh? If there was something going on, you guys would have told us, right?

I thought for a second and replied—

Me: Yeah, yeah, you’re right. But for God’s sake, make a note—there is nothing between Belli and me.

Ivy: Okay, okay, fine, Ray.

I glanced at the time—4:30. Shoot! I needed to get ready as soon as possible.

Me: Okay, now I need to go. Bye.

Ivy: Bye.

When I arrived at Shalberry Park, it felt so nice and pleasant. Coming here wasn’t a bad choice at all. The nature, the sunset—everything felt just perfect.

"Ray... come here! Look at the butterflies!"

"Yes, Mom... Coming!"

My mom was playing with a butterfly, and she looked so cute while doing it. One butterfly gently sat on her left hand, and Dad was watching her.

It felt so perfect.

I quickly took a candid picture of them, wishing this moment could just freeze in time. They looked so perfect together. I just don’t understand what happens to them on random days.

I know fights are temporary, but the way they argue, it’s like they hate each other. Huh. :)

I took out my phone, clicked a picture of the sunset, and sent it to Aria.

Back home, as I unlocked the door, I let out an excited scream.

"It was so good, Mom!" I said with satisfaction, dropping onto the couch.

"I knew you would love it! That’s why I insisted you come and stopped you from going out in the afternoon."

"Got it, Mom. Now I’m going to my room. Good night."

"Good night, pumpkin," she said, pressing a soft peck on my forehead.

Her kiss on my forehead lingered, warm and comforting. I exhaled, a quiet sigh of guilt settling in as I thought of all the times I argued with her.

It had been such a nice day. I lay on my bed, exhausted, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, my eyes shut automatically.

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