#2: Richie's

*Ding* "Yo El"

*Ding* "Wanna come meet me and my friends for some chill time?"

A notification lit up Elaina's phone screen. 2 notifications from Sebastian Morris.

Elaina pondered for a couple of minutes as she made her way towards to the north, back to her dormitory.

She hummed along to the sweet melody playing from her earbuds as she squinted her eyes on the hour and minute hand from her watch. It was 7pm on the dot.

A minute passed by ever since she received the notification.

She replied, "And do what? Who will be there? Do I know them?" She sent a voice message instead of texting. The sounds of her heavy footsteps could be heard in the background.

Elaina was an introverted person who loved reading books and locking herself in her room for hours. Interacting with characters in the love novels she read was much more engaging than meeting new people.

However, that wasn't the case few months ago when she started working at Cotton Off. Since it was a well known retail store that prioritized high quality of customer services which requires her to approach customers and to remain friendly at all times, she overcame the anxiety she once had towards new people. To think that she was even afraid to walk up to the counter to order a meal from a fast food restaurant without having the chills of getting stared by others was bizarre. The person who she was now, is much bubblier, enthusiastic and surprisingly, loves to meet new friends.

When she started working for Cotton Off, the store manager would often taunt her to always approach customers in case they needed some help picking a size they wanted from a stack of neatly folded clothes, not wanting the customers to mess it up. That was not the only duty she was given, there were days when she had to manage the transaction duties. It wasn't a job of merely scanning the customer's item and waiting for payment to get through. She had to promote items on the counter, ask questions regarding the correct sizes and to also entertain burning questions customers had for her; "Is that a Cotton Off dress? It looks great on you." "Are you from here? I love the accent you have!" "Woah, can I take a look at your watch? It's pretty... Where did you get them from?" Those were the very few questions she had received from a day to day basis.

Not only that, when she first started her job as a retail assistant, she was a freshie who knew nobody in the store and had to build up courage to utter a simple 'Hi' to her colleagues every time she had to turn up for her shifts. That store was where Elaina Petrova met Sebastian Morris, who became an older brother to her. He was the nicest guy who would constantly check up on her when she was down under the weather. He possessed the love an older brother could give to his little sister. To describe their bond, they were siblings from another mother. She was grateful to have a friend who she could call 'Kuya' which meant older brother in Tagalog. Just a name for her to call him which she found on the internet after finding out Sebastian was a quarter Filipino.

Sebastian was a guy that most people would assume to be innocent looking considering his hair was curly and wore spectacles. His fashion sense has to be on the stylish side. His outfits has always been classy, neat and fresh in Elaina's perspective. There were a number of times when people would get suspicious of Elaina and Sebastian, if they were more than friends but the type of guy Elaina has for a guy is something Sebastian is not.

The very first and foremost physical attribute a guy must have according to Elaina's taste in Men:

1. Height. Some one way taller than her by at least 8cm or 10cm.

Ladies and Gentlemen, that was something Sebastian didn't had. He was the short guy in his group of friends. Moreover, Elaina was considered averagely tall for her height. She was standing at 167cm with a slender and curvy physique. Sebastian on the other hand, was shorter by 1-2cm, which sometimes made Elaina pray to God to get him a girl short enough for him.

Elaina would often make jokes about Sebastian's height by having his shoulder as her 'arm rest' as they were about the same height. She would lay her elbow on his narrow and slim shoulder blade as a way to make fun of him.

Both of them became close in a matter of 3 months. He initially invited her to his birthday party which allowed her to meet all of his friends in just one sitting. The party was a blast, but she couldn't remember much about the party people there. It was dark with sparks of disco lights in the large hall as everyone crashed in the middle of the venue and danced freely. She got a culture shock after witnessing all the aggressive shouting and pushing. Nevertheless, it was a memorable night for everyone who attended it.

6 days after that party, Elaina was requested by Sebastian to chill with his friends...

Ding Ding Ding.

"I wanna introduce you to my friends of course. They are curious about my girl bestfriend."

"And it's a great opportunity for you to meet new people since you enjoy doing it."

"Come on... You will not regret coming. I guarantee that it will be veryyy fun."

Elaina thought a bit more longer after reading those texts from Sebastian. She knew the cheeky Sebastian was trying to convince her for what God knows about his plans.

"Alright sir, what's the catch? Are you going to sell me or something?" Elaina joked lightly and chuckled to herself.

"AHAHHAAH stop being so dramatic Miss Elaina. Just come meet us at Richie's, it's located down Street 2 Commonwealth, with a unit number #01-2551, on the left side after the road."

Damn boy, calm your horses. I haven't agreed on it but sure whatever. The voice in Elaina's head spoke.

What's the worse could happen? Elaina thought of this as a way to meet Sebastian's friends after bugging him to always plan an outing together with her and his friends just so she could make new guy friends, especially since Sebastian was her only true male friend.

Moreover, she had no plans other than returning back to her dorm and binge on movies.

Before Elaina could reply, a message from Sebastian popped up on the screen, "I'll see you there! Be there or be square."

What the flipping heck. Was all she could think of. Why was Sebastian so excited for this rushed meeting anyways? Elaina stayed curious.

Perhaps it is the only time and day he could find. Elaina thought positively.

30 minutes later, Elaina arrived in the west side and was getting nervous for the first time after so long. She had a lot of trust for Shorty Sebastian but she was very sure that there would be more ratio of guys than girls. Not wanting to be awkward all alone by herself, she dragged Yani after baiting her to a free all-you-can-eat buffet the coming weekend.

After dropping off at the train station, Elaina and Yani made their way to the location which was directed by Sebastian.

"Elaina.. Can I make a U-turn? I'm feeling so sick and nervous for some reason." Yani's eyes were screaming for help as her grip on Elaina's hand tightened.

Elaina sighed, "Bro, I'm not feeling any better than that. I'm kind of anxious but let's do it, we're reaching. I'm here with you, don't worry." She tried to reassure Yani, as every step they took grew on their anxiety.

What type of people will be there?

How many people will be there?

Are they friendly?

What if they're quiet and expect me to start a conversation?

Those questions filled Elaina's mind.

All of a sudden, a loud call from a familiar voice reached out to Elaina and Yani, causing them to stop in their tracks and look around for the source of voice.

Elaina's eyes scanned through the area swiftly and pinpointed the location of the sudden shout. She then made fast yet careful steps towards a store that was located on the left side of the whole stretch of shops.

Elaina laughed internally when Yani got startled towards Sebastian's voice. From where Elaina was at and to the rectangular table Sebastian was at, she could count 4 extra heads turning to see what was the commotion about. It would be a lie if Elaina's heart did not get struck by that.

Not long after, they arrived to a cozy food stall which had an outdoor seating plan, selling Chinese food. The smell of fried crispy chicken and the fragrant Jasmine white rice filled the atmosphere.

"El! You finally made your way here." Sebastian pulled a smile and welcomed the both of them once they approached the table they were seating at.

After doing their regular handshake, Sebastian turned towards the 4 other guys who were smiling and looking in their direction.

Elaina was still holding on to Yani's hand as she scanned the new faces carefully and not forgetting to greet them a smile.

Those 5 guys really do seem welcoming and nice in Elaina's opinion. She was relieved that they weren't drop dead hot gorgeous, because otherwise, she would get shy and get clumsy, embarrassing herself.

Elaina somehow knew the friends he wanted to introduce her with were all going to be boys when she didn't hear a single female's voice in the loud background when Sebastian called to check on their whereabouts.

"So, this is Amos," Guy number one seems like the joker of the group.

"Ibraham," Guy number two looks like he gives advices a lot and has a warm dad smile.

"Yokes," Guy number three uhm friendly but looks quiet.

"Ethan," Guy number four needs sleep.

Just in time, a black haired guy in a jersey pulled out a seat and plopped himself in it after coming from nowhere.

"And last but not the least, Damien." Sebastian finally was done sharing names. "He went to the toilet just now." He whispered to Elaina.

This guy stood out the most from the others. He was taller and fairer. Not to mention the strong cologne he had when the wind gushed in. The scent was really addictive, she brutally said in her head.

As Elaina simply smiled towards the guys, she judged them best on what she thought they would be like.

After making a simple judgement, the new guy, Damien pulled out his hand towards Elaina and shook her hands unlike the other guys.

She was surprised but Damien seems to be a genuine guy when he reached out to her. She felt recognized and didn't expect him to make such a sudden gesture.

Then, it was time for Elaina to introduce Yani to the rest of the boys.

And the evening begins with a simple game of Burning Bridges - A suggestion thanks to none other than Sebastian Morris.

6 Guys and 2 Girls. A game of Burning Bridges.