Chapter 18: Nice to Meet You

Third Person's POV

–Next day–

Heading towards the computer shop near the school, Astra departed early from home, not to avoid Aunt Morph, but to duplicate the binder at the shop. She intended to return the original copy to Aunt Morph to avoid any suspicions.

"How much does it cost to scan the whole binder?" Astra inquired as she approached the staff at the computer shop.

"About $36," the staff replied.

Though it was a significant sum for her, Astra knew she needed a duplicate. "Okay, sure," she agreed, proceeding with the transaction.

Astra left the binder with the staff and headed to the university. Arriving at school ahead of schedule, she found herself alone in the classroom. She settled to her usual spot and retrieved the notebook she had found the night before, its compact size allowing her to carry it everywhere, she resumed reading where she had left off the previous night.

As she delved into the contents when Max (one of the transferees) suddenly appeared startled her.

"What are you reading?" he asked as he settled beside her, uncharacteristically out of his usual spot.

Astra's silence in response to Max's questions stemmed from a mixture of annoyance and determination. She found Max's teasing distracting and unproductive, especially when she was engrossed in her reading. Furthermore, Astra was resolved to maintain her focus on her studies and personal pursuits, rather than engaging in frivolous banter with Max. Thus, she chose to ignore his interruptions, prioritizing her own goals over idle chatter.

Despite Max's interruptions, Astra remained focused on her reading. Unfazed, Max persisted in teasing her until their classmates began to arrive one by one. Once the classroom was filled with students, Max stopped his teasing, and the class proceeded as usual.

—

After classes, Astra hurried back to the shop. "You're early," remarked the male staff. He momentarily paused his search for Astra's file and asked her permission to attend the group of women who just arrived at the shop.

As Astra minded her own business, she recognized one of the women as Lucy (one of the transferees), though her memory was not entirely certain. Out of courtesy, Astra stepped aside to allow them space.

While they settled in, Astra overheard one of the women whisper to Lucy, "Is that her?" Lucy nodded, and their gaze briefly met before averting. Astra couldn't shake the feeling of being watched after that..

"Thanks for waiting. Let me just get it for you," the male staff member said as he continued finding the printed papers. Astra nodded in acknowledgment, her mind already drifting to the next task at hand.

After a brief moment, he located Astra's file and handed it over with a polite "Thank you" before attending to other customers.

Astra paid him no further attention, her focus solely on her mission.

Upon returning home, Astra swiftly returned the original copy to Aunt Morph's table, leaving behind a note of apology for taking it without permission. With that task accomplished, she retreated to her bedroom to tackle her assignment.

Lost in a haze of concentration, hours flew by until she finally completed her work with a sigh of relief. Stretching to ease the tension in her muscles, Astra glanced at the clock and realized she was behind schedule for her shift at the convenience store.

Rushing towards her workplace, her phone rang, displaying Bryan's name on the screen.

"You're running late?" he exclaimed incredulously as she answered the call.

"Yeah, whatever," Astra replied curtly, her irritation evident in her tone.

"You're really ill-tempered!" Bryan teased, but his words struck a nerve.

"What did you say?" Astra demanded, momentarily halting in her tracks.

He innocently shook his head and smiled, pushing her inside the store. Ever since the last incident, Bryan had become more gentle and friendly towards her. She didn't consider him her best friend, but she could definitely call him a friend. Their friendship was growing stronger, and she didn't mind his playful teasing anymore because she didn't have the energy to argue. She just let him be.

"Thank you for coming," Astra bid farewell to the last customer as he left the convenience store.

Bryan's voice cut through the silence as he approached, his eyes fixed on the food items in the disposal box. "Can we eat now?" he asked, his attention absorbed by the offerings before him.

Astra couldn't help but be curious about Bryan's choice. "Why are you choosing from there?" she inquired, her interest piqued.

"Because it's free and convenient. Throwing it away is a waste of food, and we can still eat it anyway," Bryan explained, his focus still fixed on the box.

His response was enough to silence her questions. She left him be and started looking around the store for something to eat. "Should I have noodles or bread?" she wondered to herself. Just as she was deciding, Bryan interrupted her train of thought with a question.

"By the way, where should we eat?" he asked, holding a pile of food in his arms as he scanned the store for a suitable spot. Inside, there's a set of tables, a long connected table with three chairs, and four more sets of tables outside. There's no other customers so the entire store is free so they can sit anywhere they want.

"Anywhere," Astra replied nonchalantly, her attention drawn back to the array of flavors in front of her.

With his meals in hand, he in form Astra that he chose to eat outside and headed there first.

Astra finally finished purchasing her meal when she couldn't help but notice the chill in the air outside so she grabbed both her jacket and Bryan's from the back of a nearby chair where they placed it earlier.

"I didn't think it would be chilly out here," he mused to himself, wrapping his arms around his body as he waited for Astra.

"Like I expected," Astra simply remarked, handing him the jacket.

"How did you know it would be cold?" he asked.

"Just a hunch," she replied casually, tossing Bryan's jacket to him, earning a grateful nod.

"Thanks," he said simply, relieved to ward off the cold. He notices the usual character of Astra going silent in the middle of conversation so he speaks again.

"Even if it's a bit chilly, it's nice to dine outdoors sometimes," Bryan commented, his eyes lingering on Astra.

Astra remained silent, her mind drifting momentarily as she grappled with the familiar sensation of dissociation creeping in. The world around her seemed to blur, the sounds and voices distant echoes in her mind. She struggled to tether herself to the present moment, to engage in the conversation unfolding before her.

"You don't have any plans to talk to me?" he asked, sounding like a child seeking attention.

Feeling a twinge of guilt for her distant demeanor, Astra forced herself to refocus, pushing aside the disorienting haze threatening to engulf her. She understood that her dissociative episodes could make it challenging for others to connect with her, but explaining this to Bryan felt like exposing a vulnerable part of herself.

As Bryan's words registered, she realized he was seeking her attention, yearning for a connection that she sometimes struggled to provide. With a sigh, she made a concerted effort to re-engage, pushing through the fog of dissociation to respond to his inquiry.

"Stop thinking nonsense," Astra replied, feeling a slight guilt for her dismissive response. She still has a long way to go to adjust her habits to his.

Bryan huffed in response. "Hays! I thought it was just the weather that was cold, but so are you," he teased, pretending as if Astra's reply had gone unheard.

Astra's anger flared at his comment. "What did you just say?" she demanded, her tone sharp.

"Nothing. Just eat your noodles before it gets cold," Bryan deflected, burying himself in his food.

They lapsed into silence once more, but it was short-lived as Bryan suddenly spoke up again, catching Astra's attention.

"You know what? I had a weird dream last night," he announced, his words drawing Astra's curiosity.

"What do you mean?" she asked, intrigued by the glimpse into Bryan's subconscious.

Bryan smiled in secret when he finally caught her attention. He began to tell her his dream, describing a surreal journey through familiar yet distant landscapes of his past.

"Well, in my dream, I was standing in a familiar place. Then it turned out that I used to go to that school. I even saw and talked to some of my teachers there," he started. "The setting changed, and I returned to being a student," he continued.

She interrupted him by asking, "Kinda like your school in high school?"

"Yah, more like in my elementary days," he answered.

She nodded, saying, "Oh, I see. Please go on." Lately, she found herself intrigued by anything related to sleep, dreams, or similar topics so Astra can't avoid listening to him.

"Hmm, the class started but one of my old friends from another class approached me. She said she wanted to talk to me, so we spoke outside my classroom. While we were talking, she admitted she liked me, but I denied it. Then I woke up," he said.

As Bryan recounted the details, Astra couldn't help but be amused by the complexity of his subconscious mind. Suppressing a laugh, she remarked, "Your subconscious is something else."

Bryan got upset at her reaction. "Hey! I'm serious. That's exactly what I dreamed about," he protested, sounding defensive.

"Chill. I didn't say anything bad," Astra replied, her hands raised in a gesture of innocence while moving up and down her shoulder to emphasize her point.

"But it seems you don't believe me," Bryan pouted, his lips curling into a slight frown. Astra couldn't contain her laughter at his expression, finding it too amusing to resist.

"Haha, I do believe you. It's just that... Your dream is so extra," she managed to say between a little giggles, trying to stifle her amusement as Bryan continued to sulk.

"You're so mean!" Bryan protested, still wearing a pout that only made Astra laugh harder this time. Feeling a slight guilt for laughing at him, she struggled to regain her composure.

"Sorry," she apologized, wiping away her 'tears of joy.' "Anyway, your dream seems pretty normal to me. How do you think that it's weird or funny by any chance?" she remarked, genuinely curious about Bryan's perception of his dream.

For Astra, these kinds of dreams are just normal because she often dreams of even stranger things. Some of them are people she doesn't know and some come from other worlds.

"Cause in my dream, I know to myself that the person in my dream is my friend who confessed to me before even though it never happens in real life. Then she changed from someone I know into a old woman in front of me," Bryan explained, his tone tinged with confusion.

"That's the weird one. Why is there an cold woman inside your dream?" Astra asked, puzzled by Bryan's description.

"What do you mean, ice woman?" Bryan asked in confusion.

"Huh? Weren't you talking about a cold woman just now? I thought you meant something like an ice girl," she explained, feeling uncertain. 'Did I misunderstand?' she thought to herself.

"I meant—oh, forget it." He looked disappointed and turned away to avoid further conversation.

"Hey, don't leave me hanging. Who's this ice woman or cold woman?" she pressed on.

"I'm not telling," he said firmly, raising his voice.

"Fine," Astra conceded, deciding not to push the matter further.

After a moment, Bryan felt a discomfort in his stomach, causing him to hold his tummy.

"What's wrong?" Astra asked, puzzled.

"Oh no! I shouldn't have had that dairy product!" he muttered to himself.

Astra watched as Bryan hurried off to the restroom, feeling a bit amused when she realized what happened. However, she was careful not to make him feel embarrassed, noticing how he glanced at her once more to check her reaction.

"Hey, are you okay?" Astra called after him, concern evident in her voice as she noticed his peculiar expression.

"I'm fine," Bryan replied harshly, his face flushing red as he hurriedly made his way to the restroom. Astra couldn't help but laugh to herself at Bryan's reaction, finding the whole situation oddly amusing.

After a moment of laughter, Astra composed herself and decided to tidy up the table. Since Bryan had finished eating, she began clearing his side as well. As she focused on her task, she suddenly noticed a pair of feet standing in front of her. Astra slowly lifted her gaze to see who it was. To her surprise, it was the same man she had seen standing outside the store previously, clad in a black overcoat and hat.

"Wait, it's you!" Astra exclaimed, her excitement evident. "I'm sure you're the one I saw standing outside the other day. You're also the one in my dream," she added, her certainty unwavering.

"Correct. I was also the one standing at the counter the other day," the man confirmed, his gaze steady as he met Astra's eyes.

Despite his intimidating appearance, Astra couldn't help but notice his undeniable attractiveness. However, a sense of unease washed over her as she realized she should be frightened of him. After all, she didn't know him, and his presence exuded a chilling aura.

"Who are you?" Astra inquired, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness as she mustered the courage to address him.

"Didn't you already know who I am?" the man replied, his gaze piercing and intense.

"What?" Astra responded, her confusion evident in her tone.

~ To be Continued ~