"Salt air, and the rust on your door
I never needed anything more
Whispers of 'Are you sure?'
'Never have I ever before'..."

I sang the lyrics with the song played in my AirPods and bobbed my head with the soft rhythm of 'August' by Taylor Swift.

"But I can see us lost in the memory
August slipped away into a moment in time
'Cause it was never mine
And I can see us twisted in bedsheets
August sipped away like a bottle of wine
'Cause you were never mine..."

I picked up the cottage cheese, inspected the expiry date, and placed it carefully into my shopping cart, adding it to the growing collection of items. I crossed it off the list my mother had given me and glanced around the supermarket, my eyes scanning for the next item.

The supermarket was a bustling hive of activity, brightly lit with overhead fluorescents that made everything look vivid and crisp. The polished floors gleamed, showcasing the vibrant packaging of the products on the shelves. Dairy section was chilled and neatly organized, with cool, crisp light that made the milk cartons and cheese blocks glisten.

I navigated through the aisles, with my mind still preoccupied with the chaos from earlier in the week.

After the incident with Blake, I had gone underground, avoiding social interactions as much as possible. Sophia and Daphne had noticed my awkward behavior and bombarded me with questions. I fibbed, telling them I couldn't place the letter in Elijah's locker because the boys had gotten out early, and I managed to slip away unnoticed.

I'd rather face a thousand embarrassing moments than reveal my encounter with Blake. Sophia's skeptical looks made it clear she didn't believe my excuse, while Daphne, who felt guilty, apologized profusely, saying it was because of her I almost got into trouble.

We postponed our plan until we could find another opportunity. Unfortunately, Daphne had to rewrite the letter because I had crumpled the original one.

Now, as I looked around the supermarket, I knew I needed to come up with a new plan. I couldn't let the letter incident derail everything, but I was running out of ideas.

I extended my hand to grab the milk, but another hand came from behind and picked it up. Frowning, I turned around to see who the rude person was and almost stumbled in surprise to see Elijah.

He had a huge smile on his face, and as he spoke, his lips moved animatedly, but I couldn't make out his words over the music blaring in my airpods.

"Sorry..." I gave him a sheepish smile and pulled the AirPods out. "Can you repeat that?"

"Now I get why you weren't replying." He chuckled, glancing at the airpods. "I thought you were ignoring me."

"I would never ignore you," I said, placing the AirPods back in their case. A grin spread across his face, making his eyes crinkle at the corners.

"Good to know." He jammed his hands into his front pockets.

"What are you doing here?"

"The same as you." He gestured towards his cart.

"You are grocery shopping?" My brows shot up in surprise.

"Yeah..." He scratched the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I meant it in a good way." I giggled at his nervousness. "My brother should learn it from you."

I told him how my mom had given me a long list of groceries because we were running low, and how my brother had refused to help, claiming it was too embarrassing to shop among women.

"Your brother sounds shy." He chuckled.

"He's just lazy." I rolled my eyes. "All he does is play video games all day and nothing else."

"My brother is the same."

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah. Younger." He shrugged, and I nodded.

"Then I guess the feeling's mutual."

"Yup." He smiled.

Elijah's smile was something. His smile had this way of making everything seem brighter and more hopeful, and I could understand why Daphne had a crush on him.

"Are you done?" He asked, pulling me from my thoughts, and I showed him my list.

"Not even close."

"Do you... want to shop together?" His eyes held a hopeful glint.

"Sure." I gave him a half-shrug, and his smile widened into a beaming grin.

We spent the next hour shopping together, chatting about his party and basketball practice, and I made sure to mention Daphne whenever I could. It was easy to talk to him, and I found myself laughing and enjoying the conversation more than I expected.

When we finally completed our shopping, Elijah helped me load all the groceries into my mom's car.

"Thanks." I blew out a breath of relief as I closed the trunk. "I don't know how I would've survived that without you."

He burst out laughing. "Are you always this exaggerating?"

"I like to keep things interesting." I gave him a toothy grin.

I wish I had the letter with me. This was the perfect opportunity, but as always, luck wasn't on my side.

But no opportunity shall go to waste.

"If you don't mind, can I ask you something?" I ventured.

"Sure." Elijah replied, his brows knitting together in curiosity.

"Why did you and Lydia break up?"

Elijah hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's... well..."

"Sorry." I quickly added. "I was just curious when I found that out since you guys were always-" glued, "-very close."

"I asked Lydia out-" I'm aware, "-and everything was perfect at first. But after she became captain of the cheerleading squad and got popular, she changed. We started drifting apart, arguing more than spending time together. It just felt like we were two different people from when we first started dating."

"Oh..." The sadness in his expression made me feel bad for bringing it up, but I needed to know. "So... I know it was before summer and it's been, what, two or three months now, but..." I trailed off, noticing his confusion. "What I mean is, have you moved on?"

"Would it be weird if I said yes?" His gaze met mine, and I shook my head.

"Obviously, no, but..." I stuttered, thinking of the best way to phrase my words. "Are you open to - you know - like thinking about getting in-" I paused.

"A new relationship?" He added.

"Yes!" I replied, my excitement slipping out before I could contain it. "I mean, are you?"

He shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I believe there's someone I'm meant to be with."

"Exactly," I said, smiling back. We shared a moment of silence, and I clasped my hands. "I-uh, I should get going. Mom's probably waiting for her treasure."

"Alright," he said, nodding. I walked to the driver's side door. "See you around."

"Bye, Elijah," I called as I drove out of the parking lot.

Elijah is undoubtedly a nice person, but Blake is the total opposite.

As I stopped at the traffic signal and resumed the song. Tapping my fingers to the rhythm, I looked around and my eyes drifted to a familiar figure walking along the sidewalk.

"Back when we were still changin' for the better
Wanting was enough
For me, it was enough..."

He stopped at a small flower shop and observed the colorful blooms. An old lady walked out of the shop, beaming, and patted his back. Blake's grin was unmistakable as he pointed at the flowers. She packed him the flowers while he patiently waited.

"To live for the hope of it all
Cancel plans just in case you'd call
And say, "Meet me behind the mall"
So much for summer love and saying "us"
'Cause you weren't mine to lose
You weren't mine to lose, no."

I watched, intrigued, as he took a bouquet from the lady. He pulled out a single rose and handed it to her, and she laughed, patting his cheek in a grandmotherly gesture.

Something twitched inside me and I wondered for whom he was buying those flowers.

I jolted in my seat when a car horned from behind and that's when I realized the lights had turned green. I drove home with Blake's image in my mind, replaying the scene over and over.

A pang of jealousy hit me hard.

Why am I feeling jealous at the thought of Blake buying flowers for someone?

It wasn't just about the flowers. It was about something more, something I wasn't ready to admit even to myself.

➽─────────❥

The next entire week was a bust.

After my disaster in the locker room, it was clear my previous approach wouldn't work. I had to try something different.

On Monday, I tried to slip the note into his pocket while we were in the cafeteria. Just as I was about to make my move, Blake stepped in between me and the counter. Tuesday was the same frustrating story. On Wednesday, I nearly slipped the note into his bag during chemistry class, but then I hesitated. Daphne and I sat next to him and if he figured out it was from us, the whole point of being anonymous would be ruined. Thursday and Friday were of no use because Elijah didn't show up at school.

"I can't believe a month has passed already," I grumbled as we walked towards the school gates. "We are seriously behind schedule."

"I thought you said to go slow and steady." Sophia pointed out.

"But we need progress." I sighed.

"It's alright." Daphne patted my shoulder with a reassuring smile. "You've been trying hard this week."

"But I failed." My shoulders slumped.

Sophia tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I think Daph should just give the letter to Elijah herself."

Daphne gaped while I rolled my eyes. "Do you think she has the guts?"

"Maybe that's what she needs." Sophia shrugged. "We're doing all this for her, and she needs to muster the courage for her confession."

"I think it's too early for me to give it to him," Daphne murmured, nervously tucking a blonde lock behind her ear. "I'm not even sure how he feels about me, and I'm not ready for rejection."

"Chill, Daph. No one's forcing you." I said, trying to regain some confidence. "We'll just have to make some amendments to our plan-"

"Hey, Daph!" Our heads whipped around as Blake approached, his face lighting up with a toothy grin. "See ya tomorrow!" He gave a casual wave and walked off, leaving Sophia and me gawking after him.

"See ya tomorrow?" Sophia echoed, her voice laced with confusion.

"What the heck is that even supposed to mean?" I demanded.

Daphne avoided eye contact, her face flushing. "The thing is... Blake and I have literature together, and our teacher gave us an essay to write."

"And?" I pressed, leaning in closer.

"The submission day is on Monday." Daphne continued, her fingers nervously playing with her hair. "Blake and I are partners and we'll be writing it together at my place tomorrow." My jaw literally dropped.

Why is everything going in opposite directions?!

She was supposed to partner with Elijah for chemistry in phase two!

"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" Sophia crossed her arms, unimpressed.

"I was going to, but..." Daphne glanced at me, her voice faltering. "Cara was upset about the whole Elijah thing, so I didn't bring it up."

"Cara is trying to help you." Sophia grimaced. "If you keep hiding things, how can we support you?"

"It just happened today!" Daphne's brows knitted together. "And how is Blake even connected to our plan?"

"I can't tell if you're naïve or just pretending." Sophia looked irked. "Blake is-"

"Elijah's best friend!" I interjected, brushing aside Sophia's glare as I focused on Daphne. "We need to be careful around him. We can't let him get wind of our plans and tell Elijah."

Daphne's shoulders relaxed, but Sophia scoffed, shaking her head.

"You guys are unbelievable." She muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Now tell me," I said, regaining Daphne's attention. "How did you end up as partners?"

➽─────────❥