"I knew you were trouble when you walked in..."

When Aru was in middle school, she started lying.

Of course, that's not what she was telling herself when she did it. It was bending the truth. Spinning things into a better situation. But she knew it wasn't. She just wanted friends, wanted to be wanted.

There couldn't have been horrible consequences, right? She had gotten popular from lying about the mansion she lived in and the lavish vacations she went on.

Well, her mom went on work trips to get artifacts for the museum she owned. It was big enough to be a mansion. It even had its own theater! And Aru technically did live there. She just slept and ate her meals in the apartment upstairs.

She continued doing it all throughout high school, and she still did it now. Her family was rich, and she had the most extravagant birthday parties growing up.

When she lied, sometimes it was something she had created on the spot to get out of a situation. Sometimes she said something out of habit, her mouth moving before her mind could catch up to her.

That was what happened when she agreed to go out with Navdeep.

She didn't mean to say yes! She was panicking, trying to figure out the nicest way to reject someone. But her lips were agreeing before she could stop them! She betrayed herself!

Why did she do that?

Navdeep was, to put it simply, a jerk. He hung out with guys who acted like they were in eighth grade, and, from what Aru heard from Brynne, he was her friend Hira's foster brother and treated her terribly around them.

Why did he sought after Aru of all people? She didn't want to cancel, that would just make her seem like a bitch. She didn't want to go either, but now she guessed she didn't have a choice, because it was an hour before, and she was walking to the coffee shop now.

Aru opened the door. It was a cute place, with round tables placed everywhere and pale pink walls. The wooden floor had a herringbone pattern that stretched across the shop.

She glanced around. Navdeep wasn't here yet—thank the gods, she should enjoy it while she still could—so Aru sat down. It's okay, she just had to get through one date before she could politely tell him she wasn't interested. Or should she just block him? Eh. She would figure it out later.

She could do this.

She could do this.

Minutes passed. She shouldn't get her coffee until Navdeep came, right? Aru didn't want to seem like she was waiting too long.

It's been 10 minutes now.

"Dude, this place is like, a five minute walk from campus," she muttered to herself. Then she panicked. Had she gotten the date wrong? Oh, she got the date wrong, didn't she?

Aru frantically picked up her phone. No. The right day, and the right time.

She texted Navdeep: Where are you?

Aru stared at her phone for a good minute before giving up on a response. She texted Brynne and Mini in their group chat. It was simple, just a 'He isn't here yet.'

Unlike some people, their responses were immediate.

Minnie Mouse: I'm sure he's just running late

Bee: Did you text him?

Aru: No Brynne. I didn't ask about his location after he was 10 minutes late

She ignored Brynne's reply and she sighed, bouncing her leg. Then she stopped because she could hear her mom's voice in her head reminding her about the Indian superstition saying that she would go into debt in the future if she shook her legs.

She'd been here for fifteen minutes now. People at the other tables were glancing at her in pity.

Oh, Aru Shah was not going to be pitied.

She almost got up from her table and stalked up to her line. She wasn't going to wait for Navdeep. She was going to get that coffee.

Key word: almost.

Aru glanced at her phone again. She'd been here for twenty minutes.

Rolling her eyes, Aru opened up the Messages app to Navdeep—

Wait.

He had to be joking.

The little shit blocked me! Aru texted Brynne and Mini.

Well would you look at that. Mini and Brynne didn't block her. They both responded in less than a minute. Mini's was a quick apology, but Brynne's text seemed a little odd.

Where are you?

That wasn't stalkerish at all.

Still, Brynne seemed like she had a plan. So so texted her the name and address of the coffee shop. Then she left her on 'read.'

After a few minutes without getting an update, Aru put down her phone and faced the harsh reality.

Navdeep wasn't coming.

One part of Aru was relieved. Now she didn't have to break up with the guy she didn't even want to date in the first place.

The other part of her was humiliated. Like when Luz Noceda had gotten sent to the principal's office because her Azura the Good Witch book report was 'too extreme.'

But this was worse than being sent to the principal's office. People from other tables were giving each other guilty looks. Well some of them. Some of the others were giggling and whispering to each other, glancing at her.

Brynne's text came in. Finally. Aru opened it, but it wasn't a text. Well, it was, but there was also a picture. Of the cafe she was inside right now.

Is this it? was what Brynne had asked in below the picture.

Aru looked outside. Brynne wasn't there. Oh. Looking outside of the window made it look like she was waiting for someone. She readjusted herself in her seat.

She confirmed with Brynne, and a minute later, four words came in.

Brynne: Just go with it

Go with what? was the only thing Aru had time to think as the door flung open, and in walked in Aiden Acharya.

He glanced around, eyes settling on Aru before he smiled and rushed towards her.

"Hey! I'm so sorry I'm late," he greeted, sitting down at the table across from her.

Aru silently started planning how she was going to murder Brynne Rao.

"So shame on me now..."