Writing Challenge - Day 12

Chapter 8 - A Surprising Good Time

The little sandwich shop off campus was nothing special. Faded umbrellas, squeaky chairs, and a menu board that had definitely seen better days. But the girls made it feel like a hidden gem, a secret world tucked between lecture halls and deadlines.

Eile hadn’t expected to enjoy herself—hadn’t even expected to say yes to lunch—but now she was sitting between Bailey and Jane, laughing so hard her cheeks ached.

“Okay, but—” Bailey was in the middle of a story, gesturing wildly with her sandwich in hand, “he actually asked me if Photoshop had a save button. Like. A save button.”

Maya almost choked on her drink. “Noooo. You’re lying.”

“I swear!” Bailey threw her hands up. “He said, ‘So how do you keep it from going away?’ Like it was magic. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

Even Angela was red-faced from laughing, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. “That’s tragic. That’s actually tragic.”

Eile giggled behind her hand. She didn’t say much, but she didn’t have to. The group’s energy was loud enough to carry her along, like a current she didn’t mind drifting in. Every now and then, someone looped her into the conversation—Jane nudging her to comment on something, Maya asking if she liked her food, Angela grinning and saying, “You’re quiet, but your face says everything.”

She shrugged, smiling. “I mean, that story kind of broke my soul a little.”

More laughter.

It was… fun. Genuinely fun. For the first time in what felt like weeks, Eile wasn’t thinking about who she should be or if she was doing this friendship thing right. She just was. She just existed with them.

They lingered long after they finished eating, talking about music, their classes, professors they loved or hated, shows they were obsessed with. Maya and Jane bonded over a reality TV binge. Angela pulled up a meme that made Bailey snort. Eile even offered a show recommendation—just one—and was met with nods of approval and a “Yo, I’ve been meaning to watch that.”

Somehow, the air felt easier to breathe here. Like she wasn’t walking on eggshells. Like maybe, this didn’t have to be so complicated.

Later, as they stood outside the café, reluctant to split up, Bailey stretched and sighed. “Dude, we should do this again.”

“Seriously,” Jane agreed. “Next time, we hit that ramen spot across from the library. I’ve been craving it for days.”

Eile nodded. “I’d be down.”

The words came easily. She meant them.

The girls started walking in different directions, peeling off toward classes or errands. Angela gave her a dramatic wave. “Don’t be a stranger, Eile!”

“Yeah,” Maya added, flashing a grin. “You’re stuck with us now.”

Eile laughed, the sound light and unforced. “I guess I can live with that.”

As she walked back to her dorm, alone but not lonely, there was no overthinking. No fear pressing in behind her ribs. Just a strange sort of contentment humming quietly under her skin.

It wasn’t what she expected.

It was better.

xoxo,@auroxisia_

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