I wake up early , get my little brother and sisters' school bags ready , and head to work like I promised .When I arrive , Ariel's behind the counter , half-asleep but smiling .
"It's time to switch ," I say ."Yup ." He stretches ."Good work ," I tell him ."Good work to you too . You're early today . Even Aria's never been this early ." , "Well , I promised her I'd come early , so …" , "Yeah , yeah, I got you . Keep it up , man ." , "Sure , Cap ," I grin .
He chuckles , grabs his things , and waves before leaving . I watched him go before turning to the counter . I started arranging the snacks , humming quietly to myself .
The store door opened a few minutes later ."You're early ," she said , slipping her bike key into her bag ."So are you ," I replied .She gave me that tiny smirk again . "Don't get used to it ."
The rest of the morning went slow . While I stocked shelves , my mind drifted — to Nadia .Her world felt so far from mine now . She posted pictures with her friends , smiling , going places I'd probably never go . I was just here — working , trying to earn something small .
"Hey , daydreamer ," Aria called from the counter . "You're spacing out again .""Just thinking ," I said ."About that girl again ?"I froze . "… maybe ."She sigh , "You should stop thinking too much , it's not healthy ."
Her words hit harder than I expected . Maybe she's right , I thought .
As the day went on , customers came and went , and I kept wondering — maybe loving someone like her really is like trying to marry a princess when you're just a nobody .
"You know , from the look of it , you haven't seen her in a while — maybe too long . Do you even remember her face ?" she asked, half teasing , half serious .
"I believe I do … but sometimes , I don't really understand myself either ," I said .
"I appreciate it ," I replied . "But you believe , there's always a reason to follow the path your heart leads you ."
"To the deep sea , huh ?" she sighed . "I just don't want to see you heartbroken . You're a nice kid . I'd honestly be happy if I had a little brother like you ."
I look at her , my expression unclear — somewhere between sad , confused , and forcing a smile . She actually cares more about me right now than Nadia ever does , but I just can't accept it . "Arh …" I let out a small sigh of frustration , eyes dropping to the counter . I try my best to hide the confusion tightening in my chest .
She looked confused for a moment but nodded , a faint smile forming ."You actually need to focus on the people right in front of you," she said . "Why care about someone who doesn't even text you back ? Did she ? No , right ?"
I chuckled . "Wow , you sound like my mom now — should I start calling you Aunt Aria then ?"
She crossed her arms , pretending to be mad . "Excuse me ? I'm not that old ."
"Right , right ," I said , grinning . "Big sister Aria , then ?"
She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the small smile tugging at her lips . She shot me a playful glare — annoyed , flustered , but smiling . "You really don't know when to stop , do you?" she said , raising her hand as if to hit me , but her tone was soft , almost fond .
A customer came in , breaking the heavy air around us . I took the chance to head to the back and check the stock list . Aria's bright voice greeted the customer like nothing had happened .
As I filled in the last blank space , my mind drifted again. "Do you think she's right , Aizat ?" , "Is Aria … better than Nadia?" I shook my head . No , no . You can't think like that . She's older . You respect her . She probably has someone already .
When I stepped out to ask Aria about the list , she was already standing near the doorway . "Aa — you need my help with something ?" she asked softly .
"Yeah , about this list . You need to sign here since you're the one in charge right now ," I said .
"Oh , alright . Come to the counter . "She walked ahead, grabbed a pen, and I followed close behind . She signed it neatly and handed it back .
"You know ," she muttered just loud enough for me to barely hear , "you're kind of a bad boy ." , "Huh ? You said something ?" I asked , "Nope ," she said quickly , smiling faintly . "Just that you're not doing your job well enough ." , "What ? Haven't I given it my best ?" I replied , half joking as I turned and walked toward the back again . She laughed softly behind me .
"For now ," I said under my breath , a small smile forming , "I'm happy as long as you are ."
Aria froze for a moment, her pen still in hand . She blinked , not sure if she actually heard it right . A small , involuntary smile tugged at her lips before she quickly looked away , pretending to rearrange something on the counter .
"Idiot …" she whispered to herself, her cheeks faintly red .
I glanced at her , pretending not to notice anything unusual . She was still standing there , pen in hand , looking a little flustered . I turned back to the shelf beside the counter , rearranging a few snacks just to look busy .
If she really said something , I wasn't going to ask . Sometimes , pretending not to hear was easier than making things awkward .
Still , I couldn't help but smile a little .
But when a new customer walked in seconds later , she was already back to her usual self — calm , composed , and smiling as if nothing happened .
I took a deep breath . "You've been acting weird since earlier ."She kept her eyes on the counter , rearranging a stack of receipts that didn't need rearranging ."I'm not acting weird ," she said , voice low .
"You are ."Silence . Just the hum of the fridge behind us .
I leaned against the wall . "If I said something wrong , just tell me . I don't want this quiet thing between us ."
She finally looked up , her expression caught somewhere between a frown and a smile ."It's not you ," she said softly . "I just … don't want to misunderstand anything ."
That hit harder than I expected .
"What's there to misunderstand ?" I asked .
She hesitated , fingers brushing the counter edge . "Maybe too much ."
Before I could say anything else , the door beeped softly . Ariel walked in, grinning like always . "Yo , the tension here could suffocate a cat ," he joked , waving a small paper bag in the air .
Aria turned toward him , startled but relieved . "Ariel ? What's that ?"
"A peace offering ," he said dramatically , pulling out a small keychain and handing it to her . "Saw this on the way here . Looked like something you'd like ."
Aria's frown melted into a smile . "You're such an idiot ," she said, but her voice was lighter now .
Ariel chuckled , then shot me a teasing grin . "Yo bro , you hitting on her or what ? Man , you should've asked me for tips first — I'm basically the love expert around here ."
I rolled my eyes , but couldn't help a small laugh . "You're annoying ."
"Annoying , but right ," he said , slapping my shoulder .
The tension dissolved just like that , replaced by the usual noise of the store and Ariel's endless teasing .
Ariel's teasing echoed in my head long after he walked off , leaving me and Aria in that quiet space again . She was pretending to organize some papers , her face calm but her movements a little too careful . I leaned back on the counter , sighing softly .
Maybe Ariel was right . Maybe I was just lost somewhere between feelings I didn't understand and a world that didn't belong to me .
Aria glanced at me for a second , just enough for our eyes to meet before she quickly looked away . "Don't stay too late ," she said quietly .
"I won't ," I replied , forcing a small smile .
When she left , the sound of the automatic door chime filled the store . Just me again — alone , surrounded by silence and half-finished thoughts .
I looked at the empty counter where she stood a moment ago and whispered ,"She's from a different world ... and I'm still stuck in mine ."