paige bueckers x azzi fudd — 12k words
Who would’ve thought a five-second swipe could lead you to the love of your life? Certainly not Paige. Definitely not Azzi. Well at-least not until Azzi’s phone dinged with a notification that says “You matched with Paige Bueckers!”
a cute random idea i found from an edit on my visualizer 💝
song recommendation for the read is ‘company’ by justin bieber, fill free to tell me your thoughts 💭
—。Presented and written by, azzidefender.
Paige (26) – Freelance Graphic Designer — 2km away from you.
— bio : i fix bad logos for a living. i make playlists for people i like. i talk a lot, you’ve been warned. if we vibe, we vibe. i don’t believe in “playing it cool.” if i like you, you’ll know.
likes : good coffee specifically espresso shots (an absolute need to function for tight deadline projects), sports in general, building legos (during free time)
dislikes : canceling plans last minute, wasting time (there’s a lot of things i could rather do).
type (only viewed for you) : curly hair, doe eyes, dimples. (basically azzi fudd. you’ll see why)
Azzi (25) – Independent Café Owner — 2km away from you.
— bio : yes, i own a café. no, I won’t judge your coffee order, probably :) i’m here because apparently “you can’t meet someone behind the counter.”
likes : quiet mornings, puppies, desserts and late work-outs.
dislikes : unkind acts, social media and people who lack empathy
type (only viewed for you) : blondes, funny, charismatic & kind.
╰┈➤ˎˊ- suggested for you (2)
a distinct click of a lock resonated through the empty space, signaling the 750 square foot building to finally rest after a hectic first week of opening. countless people came with temperamental issues and hurried work schedules, urging for any sorts of caffeine intake. well, azzi guesses that’s a good thing right? she hadn’t known her little dream from just a few years ago would actually come true. she finally opened her own coffee shop. the one where she poured everything into as soon as she got her master’s in business.
“okay, i’m knocked out.” the 5’11 brunette exhaled with a smile as she slid down the entrance door, slowly settling herself on the floor with her head resting against the frame. “in a good way right?” caroline, her friend/co-worker replied with a grin behind the counter, wiping down the last remaining mug. azzi nodded heavily from the lack of sleep but blissfully from a light hearted heart.
“i can’t believe people actually came” she added still somehow surprised by how much people showed up. “azzi, you’re kidding.” caroline made an unimpressed face and lowered the mug to face the brunette, azzi somehow still clueless and genuinely confused tilted her head slightly “what? i’m not…”
“girl. the minute everyone heard you were coming back, i heard your name spoken out loud for at least five times a day”
azzi scrunched her face softly at that, “i don’t even know why people made it a big deal, i mean it’s not like i’ve been gone for too long, besides— i’m just a normal girl, people here act like i’m the mayor or something...” she grumbled at the last line.
“hmm… i don’t know az, maybe it’s because you’ve been the town’s sweetheart for the whole existence of your being orrr the fact that almost everyone loves you, and yes— that includes our actual mr.mayor, jim.” caroline sarcastically rolled her eyes at her still humble best-friend despite her being away for the last two years.
azzi pursed her lips, “well i didn’t ask them to…”
“no babe, we all just love you” caroline shook her head sheepishly, adoring how her best friend still acted the same after all these years, no wonder this small town were so happy with her coming back.
“and i have no clue why they do”
caroline shook her head. she could list a thousand reasons why everyone in town seemed enchanted by the name azzi fudd. they lived in a small, quiet town in minnesota, the kind of place where everyone knew everyone else, so it wasn’t exactly difficult for a reputation to spread.
maybe it all started back in second grade.
mrs. tina’s cat had climbed too high into a tree and couldn’t get back down, screaming loudly enough for half the street to hear. seven-year-old azzi from washington dc had been the only one brave enough to climb up after it. she hadn’t liked getting dirt on her pink skirt or mud on her favorite unicorn t-shirt, but she loved seeing people happy more. so the mess on her clothes was a small price to pay for the smile on mrs. tina’s face when azzi carefully retrieved fat loui back down from the tree.
or maybe it was in seventh grade?
thirteen-year-old azzi had spent an entire evening baking cookies, enough for nearly every doorstep around the block for christmas. each small box had a little post-it note attached, the handwriting slightly messy from being written in a rush before school.
“hoping this spreads a little christmas cheer!” and at the end, a tiny heart.
caroline remembered it vividly. before baking the cookies, azzi had gone door to door first, politely asking if anyone had allergies. she wanted to make sure everyone could enjoy them. she even baked a separate batch of gluten-free cookies for karen, the woman who lived at the very edge of the block.
no, but high school was really when everyone started to adore azzi.
sweet azzi, who never hesitated to stand up to bullies, even if it meant marching straight up to jim, the mayor, and telling him he needed to do something about it— or she would. and there was the time she came up with the idea for a school event where students could donate toys, clothes, and books for the kids at the local shelter. things like that happened all the time with azzi. thoughtful, brave and always thinking about others
really, how could anyone not love her?
“of course you don’t az.” caroline finally set the last dried mug on the rack, “c’mon let’s head home before it gets too late.”
azzi nodded and stood up, she smoothened her apron before she took it off, “you’re heading back with me right?” she said as she dangled her car keys from her back pocket. caroline shook her head, “no i’m sleeping over at sam’s today and it’s a pretty far drive from here, i’ll take a cab”
“why can’t he pick you up then?” azzi furrowed at the mention of her best friend’s fiancé which was also her friend, in fact she matched them both together back in high school, azzi still can’t believe it actually worked. “he has a super late shift today, and no before you say ‘then i’ll just drive you, i don’t mind’ i won’t take it cause it’s literally a forty minute drive away and you look like you’re gonna fall asleep any minute now”
azzi pursed her lips, she can’t argue with that. but of course she also doesn’t feel safe knowing her best friend is going home alone late at night with a stranger. caroline, who could see right through azzi’s indecisive face huffed smiling, “alright, how about i order a cab from your phone, so you can track me till i safely arrive at sam’s?”
azzi who founded that suggestion more safe and reassuring, nodded eagerly. “that’s a great idea carol” the older rolled her eyes playfully “okay, give me your phone so i can order one and place sam’s address”
the younger nodded and handed her phone to the other after she unlocked it. caroline swiftly swiped the screen to find the app, but her fingers stilled as she believed her eyes must’ve deceived her. “oh my god.”
azzi confused at the sudden act spoke out, “what?”
“okay now you’re scaring me”
caroline’s mouth fell open in awe as she turned the younger girl’s phone towards azzi so she could see clearly. azzi frowned in confusion, leaning closer to figure out what had her friend so shocked. then her eyes widened in realization. before she could even think, she lunged forward and snatched her phone from caroline’s hands. “i can explain—
“you have tinder?!” caroline gaped.
azzi has tinder. the same azzi who refuses blind dates. the same azzi who hasn’t had a real relationship since football player james in high school made her realize she was, in fact, very much gay. the same azzi who once hooked up with a blonde girl named samantha after a little too much alcohol and walked away knowing hookup culture definitely wasn’t for her either. the same azzi who could have at least thirty people from this town lined up if she ever showed the slightest interest in dating, which she never does.
yeah. that azzi has tinder on her phone.
“my roommate in college made me download it— i swear i haven’t even opened it once!” azzi kept trying to reach out towards the rectangular device but unfortunately carol’s arms were still longer than hers.
“girl. that’s the problem! you should open it, that’s the point of dating apps” carol rolled her eyes grinning, pressing on the tiny fire logo on the screen, “oh.. yea this won’t do.” she added as soon as she saw azzi’s very empty profile.
“azzi this literally says “sign up 1/5 completed.”
“well.. i just wanted my roommate to get out of my ass about it, i wasn’t planning on using it”
“you can’t find love behind the counter azzi fudd.”
“theres a bunch of freaks on that app.”
“well… true, but there could also be your one true love?” caroline drew out the ‘e’ as she squinted with one of her eyebrows raised. as if she herself was unsure. i mean it’s tinder, what can you expect? (definitely not a 6ft masc blondie.)
azzi gave her best friend the most ‘you’ve got to be kidding me.’ look, and caroline matched her energy with the ‘i’m being so dead serious’ look.
“look az, there’s nothing wrong with trying right? at least we would get a laugh if your match is secretly a mass murderer”
“how am i gonna get a laugh out of it, if i die first.” azzi deadpanned.
“c’mon azzi, just give it a chance. i’ve been dying to go on a double date with you” caroline coaxed, handing azzi her phone back. azzi sighed and relented. “fine… i’ll think about it. but i’m not taking any of this seriously. i swear, carol, if someone sends me nudes, i’m deleting the app in a second. honestly, i probably should’ve done that a long time ago.” grumbling the last sentence with her lips pursed.
“yay! okay sam definitely won’t believe me if i told him, you have tinder”
“please don’t. you knowing is an earful enough. if he knows, i’ll never hear the end of it” the younger groaned, as she opened the cab app to finally order one for her friend. “yea yea okay, sam won’t know but i will not stop being an earful until you fill that profile ms.fudd” caroline protested, accepting the phone from the curly brunette to fill out sam’s address. azzi huffed and rolled her eyes,
later that night, the same phone gleamed bright around the darkness off her bedroom, azzi was already snuggled up in bed with her favorite pair of soft cotton pj’s with stewie and curry around her legs faraway in dreamland. skincare routine? done, finished reading her book? done, filling out her profile that caroline kept nagging her about? not done.
azzi stared at her pitch black ceiling for a few seconds, contemplating. as if she herself was in disbelief on what she was about to do. she nibbled on her bottom lip, so much she didn’t notice it was slowly starting to bruise. she let’s out a ck sound and opened the app, she opened her empty profile and glared at the sentence that’s been terrorizing her.
complete sign up 1/5 <— click here.
“i can’t believe i’m wasting my time on this…” she muttered underneath her breath as she clicked it.
insert name / age / profession (optional)
isn’t a bit unsafe to place your full name? azzi doesn’t really know, but by the hundreds of crime documentaries she has watch? surely unsafe. age was the next category, and her mind started to buzz by the thought of how much people could lie about their age here, please stay me the hell away from those creeps. she thought appalled. profession? well… she just started but filled it in anyway.
-> azzi / 25 / independent café owner
azzi began to fill in the rest of the task, the second was bio and all she could think about was caroline’s famous words to annoy her. ‘you can’t find love behind the counter azzi’ the brunnete mimicked her best friend’s voice softly and chuckled by her own amusement.
third was the things she liked, she pursed her lips, indecisive of what her interests might be than brewing a cup of coffee or reading a book. she glanced over to the two lumps around her foot and giggled, them obviously, but wrote dogs in general. cause who doesn’t love dogs? untrusted character. she also added quiet mornings whenever she journals or just space out and her late workouts to top it off, not because it was her favorite thing to do, but a carved routine that she just can’t live without.
fourth was dislikes, and she immediately typed down people who lacked empathy, you don’t want to know how many of them she has come across. she also added social media which is kind of a fraud, since doesn’t this count as social media? well, her other platforms she’s barely on, mostly to promote her business and that’s about it.
azzi let’s out a breath of relief once she entered her final task, her eyes are beginning to get drowsy and she’s pretty sure three yawns has passed since she opened this app. though her eyebrows spiked in interest on this last topic.
insert type (only viewed for you)
tinder will help you find a match according to your preference.
do i even have a type? no yea. i definitely do. sure she only had one hookup and she was a blonde, but blondes in general just attracted her the most, well mostly because— um nevermind.
-> blondes, funny, charismatic, kind and blue eyes.
-> blondes, funny, charismatic and kind.
yea this okay. azzi hovered over the enter button and eventually clicked it.
let the journey of finding your true love begin ❤︎
azzi swiped lazily, eyes threatened to flutter shut any minute now. all she could see were blondes who all kinda looked alike, age was either too low ( why the fuck is a high schooler on here ) or too high.. 46 masc? really. just as she was about to shut her phone out of annoyance of her wasted time, her last swipe made her halt.
her eyes widen in curiosity or no more so… recognition?
she fidgeted her finger against her screen and bit the side of her cheek, contemplating. just for a halt,
“bro i’m telling you, you need to get laid”
“kk, i don’t need to get laid. i’m just not in a good mood right now”
“you’ve never been in a good mood these days! you’re alwaysss glued to that damn laptop, might as well live in it now”
“first of all, it’s literally my main source of income kk. side note job and no, i told you i don’t do that shit anymore, so quit it.” the blonde jabbed the word ‘job’ as if it was not obvious enough. her voice spoke out like authority, like there was no more room for an argument.
“what? since layla cheated on you?”
“can you stop bringing that shit up?”
“no cause that bitch was not worth it anyways boogers, and you know that! it’s been a year p, time to move on”
“i have moved on! we weren’t even together for that long anyways”
“then why haven’t you gotten laid since?”
“why are you so obsess with me getting laid? and can we please stop fucking talk about sex in a public setting area. everyone can literally hear us bro.” paige who whisper-shouted, finally looked away from the digital device that’s been consuming her full 72 hours with this pain in the ass project, pain in the ass client and now, apparently. pain in the ass best friend who’s sitting across from her, swirling her chocolate milkshake furiously. it’s out of care but— still.
“besides, i’m not some fucking teenager who doesn’t have any self-restraint kk. i’m twenty six, there’s so much more things i would rather do. like i don’t know, maybe finishing this fuckass project that’s been causing your self-proclaimed temperamental issues of mine for the past three days.” the blonde took off her glasses rather aggressive towards the wooden table, placing her index finger between her furrowed brows. fuck, my eyes hurts like hell and this headache ain’t going away. she pondered tight.
“okay since you don’t do hookups anymore, why don’t you go on a blind date? ice told me she has this friend who’s interested—
“i’m not going on a blind date kk...”
“bro c’mon i just wanna help, you just look lonely these days boogers, maybe meeting someone new will help spice things up”
“that’s called a distraction”
“no, sweetie, that’s called having a life outside your screen and it’s a pretty good distraction… unless she pulls a layla.” kk, sweet, soft-hearted but sometimes annoying kamoera only shrugged, completely unfazed by paige’s answers. this has been dragging on for far too long now. the best-friend-duty SOS has been blaring in her head at least twice a day this week. she refuses to just stand here and watch her best friend rot right in front of her eyes. okay, maybe she’s being a little dramatic.
paige sighed. does she really look like a loner these days? not like she cares, but the quiet did get to her sometimes. i mean yea, it would be nice to have someone around for comfort too… but after her last relationship, getting cheated on sucks. it’s not like they were dating for that long, but regardless it kinda made her feel insecure, like she had done something wrong to get cheated on.
“no rush p, just tryna help you get out of this slump”
“rude… but aight, i’ll think about it” paige narrowed her vision, eyebrows raised. by think about it she means we’ll see (which is not a full agreement but not a full disagreement either.) kk likes to interpret the things she says in different ways, so she had to make sure her fried didn’t misinterpret this one. “oh and definitely not ice’s acquaintances.” kk snorted to this one. “valid statement boogers, i respect that.” paige rolled her eyes at that, finally dying down this harassment, now she can work in peace without her friend nagging her ear off. but speaking of the devil itself, the café dinged with a sign of another living entrance.
“yo ice! over here, what took you so long!?”
“bro p, do i have news for you.” ice, one of the blonde’s best friends, came rushing through the door, her loud entrance earning a few side-eye glances. the 6’3 woman wore a grin far too wide for paige’s liking.
“no, boogers does not want to go on a blind date with candace, ice. i tried already, believe me.” kk gave ice her tight lip smile and shook her head multiple times. “did you hear azzi is— wait what. pboogs why won’t you go on a blind date with candace, she’s into you like bad.” ice pursed, distracted by kk’s statement.
paige on the other hand, glitched by ice’s first sentence. azzi. she hasn’t heard that name in a while.
“girl boo. it’s cause it’s obvious she doesn’t want to.” kk interfered and answered the blonde for her. “umm yea kk, i heard that already. my question is why bro?” ice used her i-heard-you-the-first-time tone and pulled out the chair in between them.
“can you tell me why you brought up azzi?”
“girl she hasn’t been talking to anyone since last year, she’s basically celibate now.” kk threw her hands up in the air dramatically, god paige prayed nobody heard that.
“well yea, but candace said she talked to paige one time, when we dragged p’s ass to the club, and she said pboogs seemed interested” ice raised her eyebrows, reasoning out the unvalid answer.
“when did i ever talk to her in the club?” paige who kept getting cut off, furrowed in confusion. she had no recollection of that event whatsoever, who on earth is candace anyways.
“well did you ask pboogs that? she may have just proclaimed that herself.”
“why would she be lying?”
“girl i don’t know, have you seen the girls who tried to get in p’s pants? oh yea remember that one girl accidentally spilled a drink on her and offered to—
“can you both please shut the fuck up and ice, what about azzi?” paige who finally had enough of their bickering cussed out, sometimes she tends to forget she's the oldest out of all of em, and sometimes she forgets they still act fucking childish.
"oh right, my bad. azzi's back in town" ice dropped the news like it was no news at all.
“what! like fudd? like azzi fudd the town’s sweetheart?” kk who now heard this new piece of information, balled her eyes wide.
“yes kamoera, the last time i checked, nobody in this town is named azzi.”
“bro stop lyin, i ain’t falling for it this time” paige chuckled nervously, surely ice is playing with her, for the third fucking time. “paige i’m not lying, i heard she’s actually coming back to town.” ice dead seriously uttered defensively.
“yea and you said that last year and look at how that turned out.” paige dismissed the fake information, at least what she believes was fake.
“bro be for real. how was i supposed to know last year’s gossip was fake, and i apologize agazillion times already paige, I didn’t know you were actually gonna search for her!”
“okay so how do you know this one’s real ice?”
“right, right. that’s what i thought.”
“well people has been talking about azzi non-stop lately, so i think it could be legit” ice herself who sounded defensive began to open the menu, and pretended to look intrested in the beverages. mostly to hide the gaze of the unimpressed blonde.
“girl boo. when does this town not talk about azzi?” kk pointed her fork from her half sliced piece of cheesecake.
“no i know, but like it’s been frequent lately tho. maybe the rumors are true.”
“okay can we stop talking about this? i need to finish this work, like seriously. i’m in due in like— two hours.” paige sighed, extremely done with both of these knuckleheads. she placed her glasses back on and began to open her laptop again.
"okay but boogers, give me your phone." ice out of nowhere requested, shutting the menu. paige who looked confused as ever looked over towards kk, hoping her telekinesis would reach her about what ice was about to do. kk shrugged in confusion, her body language screamed don't look at me, i have no clue what she's doing.
"if you give me your phone for five minutes, we won't bother you anymore. i'll drag kk somewhere else so you can focus on your work, deal?" ice continued, paige is extremely sussed out, but that exchange sounds too good to pass out, she really needs to finish her work.
“hey! why drag me into it!”
"okay, deal. but no funny business." paige agreed and hand over her phone from her back pocket, did she trust ice? no. but did she also needed to finish this project? yes. ice grinned in victory when the device was placed between her palms. okay, paige already regretted it. can she take it back?
kk, who was nosy on what ice was doing, immediately shifted her seat closer to ice, leaning in to see what the other was doing. ice rolled her eyes, fully expected kk was gonna do that and resumed, well… whatever she was doing.
the minute paige saw kk starting to grin devilishly was the moment she realize she had messed up. she should have never handed them her fucking phone. what was she thinking.
because the second she got her phone-rights back, was the second she realized she had fucking tinder on her phone. never in her twenty-seven-years of living would she ever think about having tinder downloaded on her phone.
“yes i know it’s fucking tinder, but i don’t know why a tinder app is on my fucking phone.” paige flutter his eyes shut and took a deep breath, god, the patience she needs dealing with these two.
“yes you do. since you refuse to meet anyone in real life, i guess this is the only way left. you put this upon yourself pboogs.”
“are we f’real doing this again right now?” first it was kk with her blind dates and now it’s ice with a dating app.
blind date son kk or dating app daughter ice? neither. fucking. both.
god the amount of times she had cursed this last 10 minutes, but c’mon this has to be a fucking joke.
“ice i really don’t have time for this bullshit right now.”
“good, cause i really don’t have time for your bullshit excuses for the past month anyways, we’re even boogers.”
paige exhaled for what it seems to be the thousandth time by now, her head is aching and she really does not have time for this.
“look paige. me and kk have never seen you looked this depressing for the last month. we tried everything, every single suggestion you either declined or ignored, at least try this one. it might sound stupid but you truly never know what you can get out of this unless you give it a try. so please for the love of god just try it out first. you won’t even have to waste energy on it, cause it’s literally on your phone.”
the blonde blinked once, twice. sighed and nodded. “fine…”
not because she really agreed to this. but more so to get it over with and so she can finally finish her work. plus, ice was never serious, so this was new.
“woww wise words icyy, never thought it would come out of your mouth.” kk saw paige complied to the crazy idea, muttered in disbelief.
ice smiled awkwardly as if she was surprised herself. “totally didn’t suggest this idea cause my friend just sent me a wedding invitation through a guy she met on tinder an hour ago, and… i definitely didn’t expect pboogs to actually agree.”
“BRUH.” both paige and kk exclaimed at the same time. she can’t be serious.
you know who else isn’t serious right now? paige. she’d finally finished a project that had taken three full days of revisions thanks to a client who was unbelievably picky. look, she loves when clients have clear preferences and know what they want. but this one was just chasing vibes, and every time paige offered real ideas and sketches, they shot down every single one.
so yes, she can’t be seriously opening tinder after being drained for the past 72 hours. the app had been there since ice and kk left her alone two hours ago, and she decided to open it herself, willingly.
she stared at the screen like it had personally offended her. mind you, she can just not do this if she didn’t want to. but… ice did have a pretty good reason, and she didn’t really have to put in any effort.
it was eight p.m currently, and the café would close any minute now, she was the last one here. she should probably head home now. yea, she’ll head home.
she totally didn’t spend the last thirty minute signing herself up on the app.
she didn’t. and even if she did, she won’t acknowledge it. so don’t mention it.
“andrew messed up.” azzi huffed, clearly displeased with something he had did. she slouched on the counter annoyed, gripping her phone like it was andrew himself she was harming.
caroline, who just had arrived at 7a.m, was ready to get the café up and running, furrowed tired from the lack of sleep and replied puzzled. “what do you mean?”
azzi let out a long, dramatic sigh and pushed her phone across the counter like it personally offended her. “he sent the wrong files to the printer. the menus, the loyalty cards, the takeaway cup stickers, all of it.” caroline blinked. “…wrong how?”
azzi sat up straighter, exasperation bubbling again. “wrong colors, wrong font, wrong logo placement. the beige looks grey, the green looks like hospital scrubs, and the logo is somehow… stretched? why is it stretched?” caroline picked up the phone, squinting at the photos andrew had sent.
“…okay yeah. that green is tragic.”
“tragic!” azzi repeated immediately, pointing aggressively. “i told him warm tones, cozy tones, café tones. this looks like anything but that!” caroline snorted despite herself.
azzi groaned and dropped her forehead onto the counter. “i knew i shouldn’t have let him do this as a favor. this is my fault. i trusted a man who said ‘fonts are just based on feelings’ what does that even mean?”
caroline laughed quietly, setting the phone down. “so what now?” azzi lifted her head and stared at nothing for a second, brain clearly buffering.
“i need a real designer.”
caroline hummed in agreement while tying her apron “yeah, you do.” azzi grumbled again “but that means money, and emails, and contracts, and explaining my vision all over again.
caroline shrugged “or you could just text one.” azzi squinted at her “do you know one?” caroline nodded casually while reaching for the coffee beans. “sam’s sister who’s opening a clothing store worked with a graphic designer. said she’s really good even though it took her a couple times to revise it to how she wanted it.”
azzi perked up immediately “wait, really?”
“mhm, i can ask her for the number.”
azzi didn’t even hesitate. “yes. please carol, immediately. before i cry over font choices.” the older laughed, already pulling out her phone. “i’ll text sam for the designer’s number now” azzi exhaled, tension leaving her shoulders for the first time that morning. “thank god. because if i have to look at that shade of green again, i’m closing the café and moving countries.”
caroline grinned “dramatic.” azzi pouts at her, offended, “dead serious.” a minute later, caroline’s phone buzzed “got it” she said, turning the screen toward azzi “here, the graphic designer’s number. says she’s the best.”
azzi barely glanced at the name, already copying the number “perfect.” she muttered, opening her messages, she typed quickly, professionally, not thinking twice.
to : (new) graphic designer
hi! this is azzi. i got your number from a friend. i just opened a café and i’m looking for a designer to help fix my branding materials for my upcoming seasonal release. are you available?
she hit send and locked her phone, setting it down on the counter like the problem had officially been handed off to someone more qualified than her. the relief was instant. caroline slid a cup of coffee toward her without asking. “feel better?”
“immensely.” azzi said, already sounding lighter. the younger opened her phone again to double check any typos or mistaken words, but to her surprise, her eyes landed on the tiny word under her message.
her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “oh wow. she’s fast.”caroline glanced over while reaching for the grinder. “already?”
“yeah, she read it.” they both waited for the typing bubble to appear, like the silence might break if they stared hard enough.
azzi locked her phone and set it back down. “okay, cool. professional people are busy right? that makes sense.” she took a sip of coffee, nodded to herself, and pretended she wasn’t thinking about it anymore.
two minutes later, she checked again.
her mouth twisted slightly. “maybe she hates my message.” caroline snorted. “she read it, not rejected your college application. besides, it’s a job offer, she won’t turn it down unless she’s booked and busy.”
“what if i sounded desperate?”
azzi sighed and placed the phone face down this time, like she was disciplining herself “i’m not checking again.” thirty seconds later, she flipped it back over, still no reply.
“okay now it feels personal.” caroline didn’t even look up “it has been four minutes.” azzi grumbled again “that’s long in texting time.”
“you literally just said professionals are busy.”
“well now i’ve had time to think about it and i don’t like waiting.”
she set the phone down again, more dramatically this time, pushing it slightly away like distance might make the minutes move faster.
azzi decided to focus on actually opening her shop, the café slowly woke up, the hum of machines, the smell of fresh coffee beans, the soft clatter of cups. but azzi kept glancing at the screen like it might buzz out of pure pressure. and then finally, it did.
her phone vibrated against the counter, loud and sudden in the quiet morning. azzi grabbed it instantly, relief already blooming before she even opened the message.
hi azzi! thanks for reaching out. i’d love to help. i’m available to meet this week if you’d like to talk more about what you need.
short, polite and professional. exactly what she needed. azzi exhaled, shoulders dropping as tension slipped away. “oh thank god.” caroline smirked “see? not personal.” azzi smiled down at the screen, already typing back, mind shifting into business mode as easily as breathing.
completely unaware that five minutes earlier, somewhere else in town, the person who read her message had needed every single second of that silence just to steady her hands before answering professionally. because this was very much personal.
╰┈➤ˎˊ- still processing… (3)
paige bueckers was in her last year of finally getting her bachelor degree. she had five months left. one step closer to fully committing herself to become a graphic designer. paige had always knew she wanted to be one, what’s the reason you may ask? well… it’s sorta dumb. it started in highschool for sure.
minnesota in the winter are long, cold and snowy. paige, who just had moved back to her hometown to continue highschool was quiet. she had transfer back mid-semester which was kinda annoying, but she wasn’t really mad. she understood why she had to move back. her parents, simple.
she wouldn’t really consider herself a loner but she really felt like one on the first day of school, after winter break was over. students, typical. gave her looks, that definitely alerted new transfer kid.
she didn’t really care, she missed her friends from california tho. some people had spoke to her, early in the morning which was nice, at least it didn’t make her seem that awkward in the classroom. the first was at english, kk, was her name. she’s fun, the blonde initially thought. definitely a lot of energy, but a great vibe. the second one was ice from chemistry, more chilled and laid back, to her surprise they both were already friends with each other. they both also had pre-informed her to save a seat for them at lunch because somehow they both had to meet mr.clark after their class ended, paige heard mr.clark was the math teacher she had yet to have a class with.
good thing she was decent at math, she saw a glimpse of him in the hallway, and it is definitely not a sight to see if you’re failing his class. paige assumed kk and ice were failing by the way they both in-sync blamed mr.clark as the main problem.
so here she was, looking like a loner that she technically— is in this situation, sketching randomly on her sketchbook that she brought everywhere with her in case situation of boredom came up to her like this. she was sitting in the middle of the cafeteria because apparently this was the only table available for some reason, that should’ve been her first warning.
her pencil moved absentmindedly against the paper, sketching parts of the cafeteria around her before eventually drifting back to something more familiar, logo concepts her far aunt had asked her to help with for her flower shop back in california.
simple typography. earthy colors, hand-drawn floral icons. paige liked branding, always had. she liked how a single logo could tell you everything about a person before they even spoke. she liked making things feel alive, personal, memorable. currently, she was trying to decide if the script font looked elegant or just difficult to read.
the voice caught her so off guard that paige physically flinched a little. she looked to her side, and genuinely forgot how words worked for a second.
pretty was an understatement.
the girl sitting sideways beside her, looked unfairly good for a random monday afternoon. soft brown skin glowing under the cafeteria lights, curls framing her face effortlessly like they naturally fell perfect without trying. warm doe eyes scanned over paige’s sketchbook curiously before meeting her gaze again.
“wait,” the girl said, pointing slightly at the page “did you draw all of this?” paige looked down at her sketchbook like she forgot what was even on it anymore “uh… yeah.”
“that’s actually insane.”
“insane good or insane concerning?”
the girl laughed softly “good. definitely good.”
paige swore her brain short-circuited a little at the sound. “these logos are cool” the girl continued, leaning a little closer “like… this looks like something i’d actually see at a real store”
“that’s because my aunt rejected my first draft for looking too depressing” paige said seriously, attempting to mimic her far-aunt. the curly brunette blinked confusingly “how do you make flowers depressing?”
“you’d be surprised what black and white can do.”
that got another giggle out of her. and yeah, paige was absolutely cooked.
“well i think it looks pretty” the girl she had yet to know the name of, uttered, looking right back at paige who already had a clear staring problem. there was a genuine sound in the girl’s voice too, like she really meant it, which somehow made paige nervous.
“thanks” she muttered, “i’m trying to make the branding feel less fifty-year-old divorcee… not saying my aunt is fifty and divorced” well she is. paige laughed it off, cringing a bit. the brunette blinked once before laughing harder than before, her voice erupting in that sweet silky tone that paige wants more and more of. woah hold your horses.
god. those dimples were genuinely becoming a problem.
“you should’ve seen the original font choice.”
the girl gasped dramatically, “there’s worse?”
she looked horrified immediately. “oh that’s evil.”
paige stared a little bit too long on that one, because seriously, how was someone allowed to look like that and have a laugh like that too?
“you’re really talented though” the girl said again, softer this time as she flipped carefully through another page “these actually look professional”paige swallowed weirdly “well, that’s the plan...”
she pointed at one of the logos “i’d buy from this place purely because of the branding.”
“that might be the hottest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
the girl looked up so fast that paige almost regretted saying it. fuck. why would i say that? paige cursed inwardly.
then the girl grinned as she raised an eyebrow, amusement clearly flickering in her eyes, she shook her head “you’re funny.”
“thank you. it’s my survival mechanism.” the blonde replied too quickly, shutting her eyes playfully and sealing her lips into a straight line.
the girl smiled, dimples appearing again and again and again. paige genuinely had to stop herself from bending her neck sideways. failed attempt clearly.“you’re the new transfer kid, right?” the girl asked.
“damn. is it that obvious?”
paige sighed dramatically, closing her sketchbook halfway “wow. and here i thought i blended in perfectly.”
“you’re sitting alone in the middle of the cafeteria drawing people.” the brunette raised a knowing eyebrow after she saw a glimpse of the cafeteria lunch lady that the blonde had roughly sketch out of pure boredom.
“…okay when you say it out loud like that, it makes me sound like a creep.” the corners of the girl’s lips pulled upward slightly “plus, i pretty much know everybody here.”
paige’s eyes flickered past her shoulder for a second. a whole table of students was already looking over at them. some whispering, some grinning. one of them even lifted their brows, like they were silently interrogating her.
paige looked back at her “that sounds exhausting”the girl scrunched her nose a little before shrugging, “it can be.”
“if that many people knew me i’d feel like i was constantly being perceived.”
“you are currently being perceived.”
“by you? honored.” the girl shook her head to herself, a small grin lingering on her face. it felt annoyingly charming.
“so are people mysterious in california too” the girl asked, “or is this just a you thing?”
paige blinked. “wait… how do you know i’m from california?” the girl looked amused immediately. “you don’t know how fast word spreads around here?”
paige narrowed her eyes slightly. “…that feels ominous.”
“someone literally called you the cali girl during second period.” paige’s nose scrunched up almost instantly “oh my god, absolutely not.” that pulled a quiet scoff out of her, smile growing a little wider.
“the cali girl?” paige repeated like it physically offended her “that sounds like a netflix character who skateboards for no reason.” the brown doe-eyed girl dipped her head slightly to the left, clearly entertained by the blonde choice of words.
paige who obviously wanted more of that smile, didn’t stop. “or— like i walk around saying dude every five seconds.”
“only emotionally.” paige nodded.
the brunette rolled her eyes playfully “you play too much.” she simply said, her voice carried this teasing sweetness to it, airy and smooth, she didn’t know what it did to paige, terrifying things for sure. “anyway,” paige continued, “no. i’m actually very cool back home.”
“absolutely. huge social butterfly.”
paige squinted “you don’t believe me at all.”
paige pressed a hand dramatically to her chest, “wow, judgmental on top of being popular? devastating combination.” the girl ducked her head, clearly trying not to smile too hard as her curls fell a little into her face.
“at least you’re not a secret serial killer”
“thank you, that’s actually the nicest thing anyone’s said to me today.”
“it’s been a rough academic journey.” that earned paige another radiant laugh out of the girl, the blonde was sheepish, she hoped she wasn’t red.
“you know,” paige said before she could stop herself, “you laugh a lot for someone judging me this hard.”
“you called me mysterious within the first two minutes.”
the girl grinned as she crossed her arms. “okay maybe a little…” paige stared for half a second too long again. “so,” paige said carefully, mostly because her mouth kept moving before her brain could stop it “do you just walk around talking to random loners or am i special?”
the girl scoffed softly, grinning despite herself. “maybe i just liked the sketches.”
“see? mysterious and dramatic.”
paige suddenly became very aware of how close she was sitting. how good she smelled. how her warm brown eyes kept observing hers. it made paige’s stomach do something embarrassingly weird, which was ridiculous. because this girl probably acted this nice with literally everyone. before paige could say something else, another voice suddenly yelled from across the cafeteria.
both of them turned toward the louder table behind her. it was the same group that have been watching their entire interaction the whole time.
one girl cupped her hands around her mouth dramatically. “stop flirting with the new girl and come sit down!” azzi bit back immediately “i am not flirting!”
paige answered before thinking “that’s crazy because i was just about to say your game was working.” azzi snapped her head back toward her so fast paige. azzi let out this disbelieving scoff, tho a grin still escaped her.
“you’re bold for someone on their first day.”
“california builds character.”
“is that what they’re calling it now?”
“depends. are you judging me again?”
“a lot.” azzi said, but the way she bit her cheek to hide her smile said otherwise. then another voice from the table yelled, “azzi, leave the poor girl alone!”
“i’m literally just talking to her!” azzi called back.
“has it been ten minutes?”
azzi rolled her eyes before looking back at paige. “they’re annoying.”
“you seem suspiciously loved around here.”
that made her pause for half a second. “guess i’m tolerable” she smirked.
azzi looked away for a second before her eyes dropped toward paige’s sketchbook and her brows lifted slightly. “by the way, this is the reason nobody sits at this table, dummy.”
azzi reached over slightly and tapped near the bottom corner of the page. small water droplets stained the paper. paige blinked, then slowly looked up. directly above her was a tiny leak dripping from the ceiling.
she immediately grabbed the sketchbook while azzi bent forward slightly, shoulders shaking as she tried to hold back her reaction.
“you couldn’t have led with that?” paige not amused whatsoever, deadpanned.
“and miss this?” azzi said, “absolutely not.” paige groaned quietly while trying to save the page. azzi started backing away toward her friends table, still smiling to herself. “see you later paige.” flashing one last dimple before she walked away.
she knew her name already. the blonde thought her name had never sounded any better coming from someone’s mouth.
paige nearly jumped when kk suddenly dropped into the seat across from her with ice right behind her carrying two lunch trays. what is with people jumping on her today? ice looked between paige and azzi walking away toward her table.
“…did you just interact with azzi fudd on your first day?”
paige immediately tried to play it cool. “why, she special?”
ice set the trays down slowly. “dude. she’s literally the town’s sweetheart. you probably gained instant aura immediately to other people.” kk gasped dramatically, “WAIT. you talked to azzi??”
“apparently i’m famous now kk.” the blonde shrugged.
“no seriously” kk said, leaning over the table “people here are literally obsessed with her.” paige glanced back toward azzi again without meaning to.
azzi was listening to one of her ‘friends’ talk, head tilted slightly too close while smiling softly at something they had said. he had said.
so, she is just nice to everyone.
“okay” kk suddenly said, pulling her tray closer “but why would you pick this table?” paige looked down at the water still dripping beside her sketchbook.
“…in my defense, i was distracted.”
ice nodded once “understandable honestly.”
kk sighed dramatically. “pb already lost the aura she just gained.”
the see you later paige turned out to be formalities. because for the rest of her high school year, paige did not interact again with azzi fudd. well mostly because they weren’t even in the same grade, azzi was younger than her. she was in the twelfth grade and azzi was in eleventh. so they didn’t see each other much.
paige did have a silent crush on her for a while, but after she found out azzi was straight, and dating james the football player (that she particularly wasn’t a fond of) the crush slowly faded away.
well that’s what she thought.
until her senior year of college happened.
— (1.) month : one coffee and a crush.
senior year in college meant never ending assignments. well that and endless caffeine in your system to do that said assignments. paige was so over it, she can’t wait to finally finish her thesis and get the hell out of here.
that was her plan. to move out of minnesota and find a fresh new start. but until then, she’s still stuck here. she got bored of her regular café and decided to find another one to clear her head a bit since she’s having a hard time with her current assignment, maybe a change of scenery would help.
she wasn’t necessarily gonna go into this one, but her eyes caught the unique logo that was poorly designed on it. she just had to come in and check if the logo represented the actual café, because there was no way the coffee could be worse than that kerning. to her surprise, the interior was actually nice and the place looked decent— no, great even.
but what was more astonishing to paige was the person behind the counter, there was two. one middle-aged lady, and… azzi.
‘wow, okay chill. you’ve talked to her bueckers, it’s not like she’s a celebrity— well she kinda is but that’s besides the point.’ paige internally disrupted.
“can you move?” someone infuriated, only to make the blonde realize she was halting and blocking in front of the door like a fuckin weirdo. “oh shoot, my bad.” she expressed shamefully, stepping to the side.
she heard a slight idiot before the man walked out. wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. but the laugh she heard after that was the delightful sound that she craved for and so far, has only gotten so little of.
paige looked back at the counter to only find azzi at the cashier register, already looking right back at her, smiling.
that fucking dimple, again.
“oh hey.” paige dumbfounded, brought her hand behind her neck and uttered in front of the counter, somehow grinning as well. azzi raised her brows in amusement, “hi you. haven’t seen you around for awhile” the younger tilted her head, a curious glint in her deep doe brown eyes. damn, she gotten prettier. paige thought that was impossible.
paige smiled sheepishly “same here. how you doin?”
well that’s a huge ass lie. she literally saw azzi last week. well, azzi didn’t see her but she sure did see azzi. and that pretty much sums up their relationship. paige bueckers is non-existent in azzi fudd’s life.
“i’ve been okay… congrats on winning the design competition by the way, knew you would win.” azzi halted at the question for a second before answering.
“you knew that?” paige taken-aback by this new preservation, kept this information for hers to keep
okay.. so maybe not fully non-existent.
“duh, i voted for you dummy.”
“wait. what f’real?” paige parted her lips in disbelief. azzi voted for you, azzi saw your design, azzi thought it was the best out of the whole campus. okay maybe she’s reaching.
“mhm.” azzi nodded like she didn’t drop an explosive piece of information that would change the trajectory of paige’s life. before paige could spiral further into that particular crisis, azzi tapped her fingers against the register “so, are you ordering anything or are you just here to judge our logo?”
paige blinked awkwardly, “…you noticed that?”
“you looked personally offended when you walked in.”
“because the kerning is a crime.” paige raised her hands in defense.
azzi laughed, “hey, that’s my aunts idea! go easy on her bueckers.” god. there it was again, that laugh. somehow exactly the same as it had been four years ago. and the way her last name rolled off her tongue? paige never heard anything better.
“okay, graphic designer. what can i get you?”
paige glanced at the menu.
truthfully, she hadn’t looked at a single thing on it, she’d spent most of her time trying not to stare.
“nothing. most people in college order a latte or at least an americano, espresso are usually old people preference… not saying that you’re old” the girl tried to hide a grin.
she tolerated espresso. but it sounded cooler than admitting she usually ordered drinks that usually tasted like melted ice cream. yes, paige would usually order a frappechino, but today she’s feeling a bit more… mature.
“one espresso coming up.”
paige nodded, like a normal customer. definitely not like someone who immediately watched azzi walk over to the machine. definitely not. a few minutes later, azzi returned with the tiny cup. “careful, it’s hot.” their fingers brushed, for approximately half a second. which was unfortunately enough time for paige’s heart to start acting like she’d just been proposed to. “thanks.” she muttered, trying to keep her cool.
“good luck with your assignment.”
paige looked up, “how’d you know i’m doing an assignment?” azzi pointed toward the giant laptop bag hanging off her shoulder. “lucky guess”
right. obviously. can she dig her own grave now?
paige cleared her throat and took the espresso to a table near the window. the café wasn’t that crowded, just enough people to create background noise and just enough that she could pretend she wasn’t occasionally glancing toward the counter.
she took a sip and paused, took another sip. okay. this was actually nice.. like really good, suspiciously good. which was ridiculous, it was espresso. espresso was espresso. there was only so much you could do with it. yet somehow this one tasted better. probably because the café used quality beans. or a better machine. or—
her eyes drifted back toward the counter, azzi was helping another customer with that joy that never seems to wave off her. nodding along to whatever they were saying. yeah, probably the high quality beans. paige took another sip, the best espresso she’d ever had. completely unrelated to azzi fudd.
about twenty minutes later, when she finally looked away from her screen long enough to grab a napkin, she noticed something scribbled on it. her brows furrowed, in neat handwriting were the words
good luck with your thesis :)
paige stared, then stared some more, then immediately looked towards the counter. azzi happened to be looking her way. the second their eyes met, azzi grinned and pointed toward the napkin, like she knew paige had just found it. paige couldn’t help it and she sheepishly smiled back.
and just like that, she knew she was in serious trouble, because she’d only been in the café for approximately forty-three minutes and somehow she was already planning when she’d come back tomorrow.
— (2.) month : extra shot, extra flirty.
after the whole espresso incident, paige found herself back at the café three days later. not because of azzi, for sure not. she had an assignment due next week and the atmosphere was nice and the coffee was good and the place was close to campus. that was it. at least that’s what she told herself as she walked through the door and immediately looked towards the counter.
azzi wasn’t there, paige hated how disappointed she felt. “looking for someone?”
paige nearly jumped. the middle-aged woman who the blonde assumed was azzi’s aunt from before, stood beside the pastry case with a knowing smile.
the woman hummed knowingly, “that’s unfortunate.” before paige could ask what that meant, a familiar voice called out from the back.
“tia, where’d you put the—”
the curly brunette appeared carrying a box nearly half her size. her eyes immediately landed on paige.
and her bunny teeth poked out as a smile took over her face, she looked almost shy? but the older might be hallucinating. “oh hey.” there was something embarrassingly nice about being greeted like that.
like azzi was happy to see her. sue paige, azzi was probably happy to see everyone but let her be delusional for a bit.
the older shrugged, “needed somewhere to work.”
the grin azzi gave her made paige feel like she was being called out.
a couple weeks later, things somehow got worse or better. depending on how one looked at it. the blonde walked into the café on a thursday afternoon.
before she even reached the counter, azzi placed a drink down, paige stopped confusingly.
azzi blinked, unimpressed. “double shot espresso, the same thing you’ve been ordering for the last two weeks paige.”
paige froze in embarrassment, her ears turnt hot as a soft pink lush covered the entirety of her face. because yes, that was her order. but azzi was exaggerating it. she’d only ordered it twice, maybe three times. okay maybe four. the point was that azzi remembered. paige spent the next twenty minutes staring at the drink instead of her assignment.
one afternoon paige showed up looking half-dead after an all-nighter. without asking, azzi placed her usual espresso shot in front of her. “you look terrible.” she said as the blonde gasped, “wow.”
“you just called me ugly.”
“i called you tired paige.” the brunette rolled her eyes playfully.
paige narrowed her eyes and slightly, only slightly! moved her lip downwards, almost, forming a pout.
azzi stared at her for half a second, paige swore her eyes flickered towards her lips for 0.5 seconds. next thing you know, the espresso was on the house, the brunette said, walking away back to work.
paige thought about that for the rest of the week, she didn’t even do anything.
then there was the day azzi caught her applying for jobs, paige had her laptop open while waiting for a design file to export. azzi dropped off her coffee before glancing at the screen.
paige shrugged and patted the empty seat besides her, signaling the younger to sit down next to her. azzi contimplated, looking around, luckily the café wasn’t too busy, she could sit for a minute or two.
“new york, chicago, seattle.”
azzi’s brows lifted, “wow, you’re really trying to leave this place.” paige leaned back in her chair and sighed unsure, “…that’s the plan” the words came out casually, she’d been saying them for years.
the second she looked up, though, something in azzi’s expression shifted.
then it disappeared. “makes sense.” azzi said with a small smile. “what does?”
“you’re not exactly a small-town person.”
paige furrowed and pursed her lips, “what’s that supposed to mean?”
“you know exactly what i mean.”
maybe she had spent so much time thinking about getting out of minnesota that she never considered staying.
at least not until recently.
not until she started finding reasons to spend three afternoons a week at a tiny café with a god forsake, terrible logo that azzi’s aunt should’ve double thought about it before launching it.
— (3.) month : fonts, filters & feelings.
by this point, paige doesn’t need an excuse to go to the café now, she’s just there already. constantly in the orbit of azzi fudd’s space, and she doesn’t even seem to mind. sometimes she’s there to actually study, most times is spent with her cursor on one rectangle around in illustrator because azzi was telling her about her day, sitting across from her.
paige thought azzi had grown comfortable around her which meant paige had grown dangerously comfortable around the curly headed just as hard, if not harder. for example, one afternoon paige is busy editing her project concept when azzi appears besides her, lips jutted out and frowning.
paige looks up at the pretty brunette, she couldn’t help but to get cuteness aggression “hm?”
“which one looks better?” azzi asked as she shoved her phone in front of the blonde’s face. two coffee instagram posts in hold, same photo slightly different filters, and by slightly, paige meant almost identical pictures.
paige stared confusingly at the phone then back to the person holding the phone, “these are the same az.” azzi glared at her like she said something that physically offended her. “they are not!”
“they’re different paigey, look closer!” azzi pouted.
paige was giddy and pretended not to flush at the pet name and glanced at the plump lips before she stared at azzi’s doe adorable deer-like eyes. paige this time, squints. “they’re the same photo with a two percent brightness adjustment.”
paige points randomly and azzi beams. “that’s the one i liked too!” paige narrowed her eyes, “then why’d you asked me?” azzi shrugs, “wanted a second opinion.” and paige suspects that’s complete utter bullshit.
but the fact that azzi fudd, the town’s sweetheart who probably has 800 other friends, chose her to pick her instagram post out of anyone else? paige was on cloud nine to say the least.
then it happened continuously. what other people, other customers would find annoying, paige certainly didn’t. because since then, azzi kept coming up to her and yapped her days away, accompanying her while she studied. (failed miserably btw.) it became a thing, their thing .
one day, azzi walks over holding a rough sketch. “tia’s making me redisign the logo.” paige nearly spits out her coffee, “finally.” thank you design gods for hearing me out.
“i didn’t know you hated our logo this much!”
“to be fair, it is a questionable logo bro. i mean no one would know it was a cat if your aunt didn’t name the café purrfect brew az.” paige deadpanned.
“it’s literally a cat café paige.”
"i wouldn't know that!" paige defensively replied while azzi gave her the most ‘seriously.’ look ever as she moved her eye-sight towards the two cats that were comfortably slouching besides the blonde's legs and gazed back towards the blue orbs that were already at her, azzi silently raised a brow to prove her point, paige scoffed and widened her mouth to explain further,
"..okay, from the outside i definitely wouldn't have known that."
“what, would you rather i lie?”
azzi rolled her eyes and flipped through the paper that she attempted to sketch a new logo design on, she thinks it’s absolutely horrendous and not worth explaining. she brought up a blank page to the front so paige can draw on. “here, help me with some ideas”
“hey! what about the ones you drew?”
“those are not even worth seeing p”
“don’t say that, m’sure you came up with something good, lemme see.” the blonde took or more so snatched the design from the brunette’s hands before she could even think about lending it to her and flipped through the pages. she was not surprised that azzi was actually pretty good at this, what is she not good at ?, she’s perfect.
“az you’re definitely underestimating your game” paige furrowed as she spiked an interest on the last logo she roughly sketched. “you’re just saying that” the younger pouted. “nah ‘m bein f’real az, i can actually work with this.” paige stated and opened her palm as to sign the girl to hand over the pencil.
azzi’s dimples popped out as her american girl doll teeth peeked hrough, god, she looks so fucking cute. paige was so close to losing it “glad i can help” azzi smugly handed the pencil and playfully winked at the other.
her heart is racing. she doesn’t think she’s ever been this flustered by someone ever in her life, get a fuckin grip of yourself bueckers. paige clutches the pencil a bit too tightly after their fingers brushed each other’s.
azzi pauses for a moment in confusion as to why the blonde looks like she’s physically about to shut down. paige prays azzi doesn’t point it out, and thankfully she doesn’t, but the older swore she saw a tiny smug on her face. maybe she’s just delusional cause azzi’s fucking straight and she’s maybe just really gay.
the blonde began to add onto the other’s sketch, and somewhere between the period time of her brainstorming ideas for the logo and finishing it, azzi had somehow moved from across her to sitting terribly close to her side. paige had to pray in between that azzi could not hear her heart hammering across her chest, stay focused.
and you know what’s the worst part? well paige would consider this the best part.
they’re texting now. like regular, glued to the phone whenever paige isn’t in the café or azzi isn’t working. one message about the new logo becomes another, then another. then suddenly paige is getting pictures of random pastries at eleven at night.
azzi: made too many gluten sugar free blueberry muffins. ☹️
paige: gluten and sugar free? criminal az.
azzi: they're so good, trust.
azzi: made some fudgy brownies as well
paige: you tryna bribe me when you already know i told you i can’t come tmrw?
↻ loading on chapter two…
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2087
