Well, I have finally done a Masterlist (it isn't the best one out there ofc) so it's easier for people to access it. However, I've learned that Tumblr is notorious for having links that are spoilt from time to time. So, my tags always have the title of the chapter you can always search for :)
Examples of tags: #my writing, #fic recommendation
Summary: You had finally gotten the girl of your dreams that you had met in high school, eventually dated in college before getting married. But time passed and many failed rounds of IVF led to more arguments. Driving about to cool your head after another argument, you ended up in a car accident and found yourself in your room 10 years ago.
You woke up next to Natasha the next day after borrowing some clothes for the night. Perhaps because you felt comfortable with Nat, you slept all the way until 11am, or perhaps it was due to the movie marathon the both of you had the night prior. Either way, you slept soundly and haven’t felt so well rested in a long time.
You reached for your phone and noted that your friends texted you about the release of the school results. You quickly tapped Natasha to wake her up and told her to check her results too.
“There’s no need for that, I always get As, darling.” She mumbled as she buried her face in your torso.
“Good for you.” You mumbled. Natasha whined as you got out of bed to use her laptop to check your results. After logging in, you scrolled through all the other emails and finally got to the one that you were looking for.
It was quite easy to navigate, you only had one column to look for, which was possibly why it was so easy to see that you didn't get the results you wanted.
What’s the point in working so hard? Hard work doesn’t translate to good results. Only achieving B+ for 4 out of the 5 modules you take and even getting a C- for the last one. This is the worst result you have gotten in your entire education.
You let out a sigh but caused Nat to open her eyes and sat up a little. She didn’t know what to say, but she knows for sure that you didn’t get the results you wanted. “Didn’t get what you wanted?” You shook your head as you entered the bed and back in her arms again, this time with a slightly disappointed look in your face. “Doesn’t matter, you know I will earn enough for the both of us anyway.”
“Yeah… but I just want to get a good result for once. I don’t understand why everyone thinks that I am an A student, when I’m struggling not to get lower than a B. I mean, this is literally my second time taking the exam.”
“Good things come to those who wait. Who knows, you might be an all A student by the time we graduate.” She holds you tighter as she gives you affirmations.
“Hope so…” With two more semesters to go, you aren’t sure how much catch up you could make.
===
Over the remaining holiday, you spent the majority of the time with Natasha. But you didn’t forget to spend time with Diana and Camellia as well. They even urge you to bring Natasha along when everyone hangs out.
Natasha didn’t mind going anywhere as long as you were going. She even followed you to the hospital when it was time to remove the cast. But even after that, she still made sure you didn’t exert yourself too much.
It wasn’t long until school started and the time you get to meet Natasha decreased. But nonetheless, it seems like Natasha has gained a tingling sense for you when you’re near. She’ll spot you and leave her friends without a thought just to be able to say hi to you. Knowing that she loves to see your face light up, you gave her a quick kiss before you had to part ways to your classes.
“We are having dinner tonight?” It has become customary for her to come over to your house to have dinner together and sometimes she will stay over if she feels like it or return to her dorm if she has early class the next day.
“Always. I’ll be waiting.” You gave her another quick kiss before following your friends to enter the classroom.
“You guys are really fast balling this.” Camellia commented when she saw the interaction between you two. “From not wanting to be associated with each other to being each other's girlfriends in the span of 3 days. I really applaud you both.”
“Well… we just really understand each other.”
Knowing results means a lot to you, she tries to help out on your assignments as much as possible. She may not be learning the same subject, but she is able to provide a new perspective and sometimes all you need is someone with you to brainstorm a little. She’s able to help a lot when it comes to those written essays that have nothing to do with accounting, but more about logical thinking and reasoning. Her way with words is a lot stronger than yours and she’s always happy to proofread your work and amend any grammatical errors or add some flair to earn some marks.
Nat tried to help adjust your study method. Just putting your head down and reading your notes was not going to help you. She offered to be your partner in reciting the key points and making sure it stays in your brain. She even came up with new games to make sure it was fun and interesting.
In the end the hard work paid off when your results came back finally with one A and the rest B+. You were with Natasha when you checked the results once again and you celebrated the results with her by going out to a nice restaurant.
“Just dress up nicely. I’ll handle the rest.” She smiled as she dropped you off at your house after having lunch together. “I’ll come pick you up at 4pm.”
“Alright, can’t wait.” She puffed her cheeks out for another kiss and you huffed before giving her what she wanted.
“In hurry to go somewhere?” Your mother commented as she heard you moving about quickly. “Yeah, I’m going out with Natasha later to celebrate.” You commented as you hopped into the shower immediately instead of laying in the bed and using your phone.
“So you’re not coming back for dinner right?” She checked.
“No dinner!” You shouted through the door to make sure she heard it
You didn’t have to think what you were going to wear. Okay, that’s a lie. You had to think, but not much. You were going to wear the outfit you bought with Natasha the other day when you went shopping. It wasn’t often that you would choose to wear a dress. But you found something that you were confident in. It was just the right length for you. Not too short that you have to worry about your actions and not too long that it’s difficult to walk.
“Mum, can you help me take a picture?” You gave your phone to your mum and stood somewhere with good lighting. Previously, it’s not often that you took photos of your own, even less of others. You didn’t have good photography skills and it’s not something that bothered you. But, it didn’t give you the opportunity of looking back for memories. “Make sure you take it properly.” You ordered.
“Yes yes, I wouldn’t dare take a bad picture of you.” She snapped a few shots before giving you the phone to vet the pictures. Once you deemed it acceptable. You sat on the couch waiting for Natasha.
Knowing what she’s like, she arrived earlier than 4pm and even brought you a bouquet of flowers that you placed in a vase. While filling the vase with water, you were reminded how you had to get one ever since Nat started giving you flowers each time she visits your house. You told her you didn’t have any place to put the flowers and it would be such a waste for them to wilt and she immediately went to get you one.
“Alright, I’m ready.” You said to break the flow of conversation that Nat had with your mum.
“Thank you, Nat. You look gorgeous as well..” She was also wearing the clothes that she picked.
“Since we are little early. Do you want to walk around a little or head straight there?” She asked as she brought you to her car which she borrowed from her mother. You thought about it for briefly before deciding to leave the walking for after dinner when it’s much cooler.
The drive there was relaxing, blasting pop music, excited for the night to come. “We’re here.” She said and rushed to open your doors.
“Nat, I know you want to open my doors. You don’t have to rush. I told you, I will wait for you.”
“I didn’t want to keep you waiting.” Natasha said as you linked arms together.
As you approved the door of the restaurant, you noted there was something different. “Are you sure this is the right place? It doesn’t seem open.” You looked at Nat and asked.
She only gave you a cheeky smile and nodded before pushing the door open. True to your observation, the lights were off and Natasha had to find the light switch to turn on the lights. “I pulled a favour to get the place for the night.” She said as she flicked the light switch.
There were pictures hanging from several lines and some that you don’t even recognise. “What’s all this?” You asked.
“Just take a look.” Nat led you through the lines of pictures and you realised you were in every single one of them. “I had to ask your friends for some of the pictures.”
“But how? You only know Camellia and Diana. And they aren’t there for the archery events.” You commented as you noted some of the pictures were during the events that your club held.
“I asked Clint to give me their numbers. Easy job.” She shrugged her shoulders like it was nothing. “Now you get to have something to reminisce about. I’m sure our kids would love to see how cool their mother was shooting arrows.”
“I think this is my favourite.” Nat said as she took one out from the pegs. It is a picture of you being surrounded by your friends with a medal around your neck after having won the team event. “Your smile looks really great here. One of elation and relief.”
“Yeah. That’s definitely what I was feeling.” You smiled remembering all the hard work you had to put in to achieve that result. Moving forward, some of the pictures were in school and you couldn’t think of anyone who would take those pictures especially when it looked like the picture was taken quite a distance away.
“This… who did you get this from?”
“Myself. I also love the way you’re focused in class or trying to solve a problem. Makes you look very sexy.” She whispered next to your ears.
“That’s kinda stalkerish.”
“You can’t blame me, babe. I look for you each time in school.”
“What about this? Why is this empty?” You pointed at a blank piece of paper that was hanging with the rest.
“This? I am hoping to add the picture of our engagement.” She continued forward until she was at the end and turned to face you.
“Y/N, consider this the renewal of our vows. I made the mistake of pushing you away causing us to drift apart. Fate gave us another chance but I refuse to correct myself when the best thing has been in front of me all along. Finally thanks to more pushing and guidance, I was brought back to you once again. Something which I would never take for granted or let go ever again. This time, I promise to take better care of you, protect you and fight for you. So, will you marry me again?” She knelt down and presented you with the beautiful engagement ring.
“Yes. Yeah I will marry you again.” You nodded your head, trying to hold back your tears.
“Really? Yes! Yes!” She jumped up and hugged you and gave you kisses all over your face before slipping the ring on your finger. “My fiance. Not for long though. I can’t wait to actually call you my wife again.”
“Soon enough darling.”
“Give me a moment.” She held up a finger before running to the front door and shouting. “She said yes!!”
A parade of cheer sounded and so many people started streaming in. Your friend, parents, Melina, Alexis, Yelena. She had invited everyone prior to this knowing you would want to share this time with your family and friends but at the same time leave the intimate moment to the both of you.
“So, did I earn 10 out of 10?” She asked as she came back to your side and held your waist, wanting to hear your praise.
“9.5 out of 10.” The pout of her face was immediate. “I thought you would bring the marriage certificate as well.”
“I may have some connection. But not that much! I can’t bring the solemniser here.” She defended.
“I know I know. You have done very well, darling. Here’s to the rest of our life.” You took a glass from the table and raised it for a cheer and Natasha did the same.
“You’re going to get showered in love for the rest of your life, babe. Better be prepared.”
When your father came back, dinner was almost ready. Your mother called out for you and Natasha but there were no replies. She tried again repeatedly until she was frustrated with your nonreplies.
“Y/N, what are you doing? I have been calling you multiple times.” She entered your room and stopped after seeing you asleep cuddling with Natasha. “Well, that explains it.” She shook her head and went back down the stairs.
“Where is Y/N?” Your father asked as he began eating.
“Sleeping. It seems like she fractured her arm in an accident.”
“What?!”
“She’s fine. I talked to her earlier. Her friend brought her home. And she’s asleep with the same friend. Seems like they are dating.”
“How did she get into an accident?”
“The driver wasn’t paying attention.”
Your father shook his head as he continued eating. “Who is she dating?”
“Some friend from school. They seemed really close together. I think she has a great future ahead of her. She wants to be a lawyer.”
“She? That means a girl? My daughter is dating a girl.” Your mother nodded her head. Your father remained silent for the remainder of the meal as he thought about the situation.
A few hours after they finished their meal, you woke up feeling hungry and noted it was time to take your medication. “Are you feeling hungry?” Natasha asked next to you as you nodded sleepily. “Do you eat in your room or the dining room?”
“Dining room.” You mumbled.
“Alright, let’s go then. I’ll grab your medication for you at the same time.” She helped you out of the bed.
She poured a glass of water for you as you went to heat up the food that your parents have left for you.
“Hi, Mr Y/L/N.” Natasha said as he saw your father enter the kitchen to grab a beer.
“Just Derrick is fine. I heard from my wife that you bought this?” He lifted the beer in his hands and she nodded.
“It’s not much and I know it can’t take away the fact that I hurt your daughter because she was riding on my motorbike. But I hope you will give me a chance to date your daughter.” Natasha stood tall and confessed her intention about you to your father.
“And what if you hurt her again?” He questioned.
“There is no again. If she’s hurt because of me in the future, I give you the permission now to ruin me. You can cause a scandal, shame me in public and I will not retaliate.” He narrowed his eyes before taking a sip of his beer and left.
“Not too bad. But I will also remember your words.” You said as you took the plate out of the steamer and she quickly nudged you aside and took it out of your hands.
“Sit down. I will take care of it.” She brought the dishes to you and even brought your ice tea to accompany it apart from the water for your medication. “Can you handle it? Should I feed you?” She asked, seeing how you have to use your left hand to scoop the dishes.
“Maybe not feed me in front of my parents. Just help me put the food on the spoon.” She nodded and quickly helped take a bit of each before placing the spoon down for you. “You don’t have to be so hard on yourself. You’re not going to last that long otherwise, it’s going to be very tiring.” She shook her head immediately and continued her actions. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The dinner went as smoothly as it can get with one arm. Definitely slower than it used to be, with Natasha having to help you and for her own.
“Are you free tomorrow, say 4pm? Want to come over to my house? Since I met your parents, it’s time for you to meet mine.”
“Are we speed running this?” You raised your eyebrows. She could only cheekily smile as she nodded her head.
“Do you think we can get married by the time we graduate?”
“By the time we graduate?” You repeated to make sure you heard correctly. “That’s in a year’s time! We hardly have any time to prepare!”
“So, that’s a yes? You’ll marry me?”
“Maybe not if you’re going to ask me like this. I have standards, you know. Especially having done this once. I know what I want.” You retaliated.
“That’s fine. Think about how you want the wedding to be. Just be prepared to say yes to the best proposal ever.”
She stayed for a few more hours after helping you clean the plates and insisted on bringing you back to bed before leaving and saying goodbye to your parents.
I’m home. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Nat texted you when she finally got in bed. She was ready to text you the entire night if you were awake but unfortunately, you were sound asleep by the time she texted.
In fact, you slept for a long time until it was almost time for lunch and your parents had to wake you up. “Are your meds that strong?” They knew you liked to sleep, you were usually the type to wake up and continue lying on the bed, but this time, you were really dead asleep.
“Yeah, I guess so.” You mumbled as you reached for your phone to check the time. You noted Natasha texted you last night so you gave her a quick reply before changing into your day clothes and heading down.
“Natasha told us you’ll be heading to her house later?” Your father asked.
You wondered how he knew but you figured Nat must have told them when she went to say goodbye yesterday. “Yeah.”
“Do you need a ride there?” He asked.
“Sure. I’ll give you the address when we head out later.”
Waking up so late into the day meant that you only had to wait a few hours before it was time to head to Nat’s house.
You don’t actually know the address to Nat’s house nor the landmarks around which could provide you with the address, but you remembered how to get there from your memories. Therefore, you ended up directing your father from the passenger seat where to go.
“I cannot tell you what to do nor restrict you. Just don’t do anything you’d regret and cause me to do things I won’t.” He said before driving off as I got out of the car. It took you a while to understand what he was saying. It would be the closest thing he would ever say to show his care towards you.
“Y/N! What are you standing there for?” You turned your head when you heard Nat calling for you.
“I was just watching my father go.” You said as you approached her.
“Come on, time to meet my parents officially, again.” She pulled you closer by the waist and didn’t give you anytime to prepare before bringing you in front of her parents.
“Mom, dad. Meet my girlfriend, Y/N.”
“Hi nic-” Before you were able to complete your sentence, Alexis brought you into a tight hug.
“Y/N!! You must be the one that is keeping our daughter up last night. She couldn’t stop talking about you since this morning.”
“Dad! Don’t hug her too tight, she’s still injured.” She hurried to pull you back.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep her awake throughout the night.” You rushed to explain yourself.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s just exaggerating. But Natasha was sure gushing about you since this morning. I’ve never seen her this motivated to clean around the house.” You turned to see Nat hiding behind your body in an attempt to hide her red face.
“Whipped.” You heard Yelena’s voice from the stairs. “Hi, I’m Yelena. I’m the better and younger version.”
“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Y/N.” You said as you watched Yelena circle and inspected you.
“Yelena!” Natasha pushed her away from you. “What are you doing? Stop being a creep.”
“Well, I’m just seeing if she was the reason for your strange behaviour. You have been very weird since a few months back.”
“That’s enough, Yelena. Let your sister and her girlfriend head up until dinner.”
“Come on.” Natasha held your head and brought you up. She clearly has no problem showing public displays of affection.
“You know, if you ask me…” She turned around to face you as you entered her room. “I am really liking this life.” She said with a huge smile. “It gives me the chance to be fully in love with you from the beginning.” She gave you a quick kiss before pulling you to sit next to her on the bed.
You felt bad for pouring water on her dreams but it wouldn’t be realistic to have the wedding by the time both of you graduate. “Nat…” You said as she flicked through Netflix for a show to watch. “I don’t think it’s possible for us to get married right after we graduate.”
“What?” She looked at you like a kicked puppy. “You don’t want to marry me anymore?”
“No… I do… But a wedding takes a lot of preparation and money which we both don’t have. Right now, our focus should be on our studies.” You tried explaining to her. You couldn’t bear to see her so sad and gently took her face in the palm of your hands. “But hey, but we can still get married, or maybe even earlier. We can sign the papers without having a ceremony. That’s a lot cheaper.”
That seems to do the trick as her eyes light up. “I can call you my wife earlier?” You nodded and that had her smiling like a Cheshire cat.
“I gotta start planning for the proposal soon. Maybe I should get the papers ready so I can call you my wife straight away.”
You laughed at her enthusiasm. “I’m not sure if we can do that, but I’ll leave the research to you, babe.” She nodded eagerly and started the show she had chosen.
“Do you want to stay over tonight?” Nat asked you.
“Should I?”
“Why not? It’s the holidays. You don’t have anything tomorrow, do you?” You shook your head. “Then it’s decided.”
You got comfortable in Natasha’s embrace as you watched the show that was being projected onto the wall.
Finally, you could relax in your room for a bit after an exciting morning. The other more outgoing, adventurous friends grouped at the activity room while you napped for an hour or two. You could join them, but you knew you were going to snap at them more than enjoy yourself.
Back in the activity room, the maths geniuses gathered to play poker and while Natasha is by no means bad at maths and probability, she wasn’t able to compete with the speed that which Tony, Vision and Bruce were able to do so. She promptly announced her defeat while she was still in the positive.
Air hockey was something she tried next with Wanda and she sees more success here. It’s just naturally in Natasha’s mind to do the best she can and improve even when she’s not seriously competing. In the beginning, they were at equal level but Natasha swiftly demolished her after a few rounds. If only Wanda had more ambition, she would have lasted much longer.
“Bullying Wanda are we?” Maria came over with a cider in one of her hands. “You can hardly count this as bullying. It's not like I’m forcing her to play with me, she’s free to leave when she feels like it.”
“No one can really say no to you.” Natasha dropped her paddle and walked closer to Maria. “What do you mean?”
“Y/N. How is she getting so close to you so quickly? Where’s the Natasha Romanoff who I know suspects everyone for a long time before she even thinks to approach them? You seem to be following her everywhere she goes today.”
“Are you… jealous? Ahhh, you’re thinking that Y/N’s replacing you as my girlfriend? And so what if that’s true? I am chasing after her. And let me tell you this, she doesn’t say yes to me easily.”
“So you just want someone to hunt? What does she have that I don’t?”
“Maria, you don’t want to do this here.” By this time, everyone was listening into their conversation, not that they were being discrete by any means. “I want to do this here! Why did she have to come to our annual retreat? And bring her friends too!”
“She’s friends with Clint, and Wanda too! What’s wrong with adding more people to our dynamic?”
“Are you tired of people chasing after you?” She continued without caring what Natasha said. “You want to have the thrill of chasing after someone?”
“MARIA! What are you trying to achieve here? She’s kind, she’s compassionate, she puts others before herself! The fact that you’re arguing here proves that!” Long forgotten are those sly glances, others are now watching them like a movie happening in front of them, especially Tony, taking the chips and looking at them directly. Camellia took out her phone and texted you what was happening. You deserve to know, after all, you’re part of their conversation.
C:
Y/N!! Wake up!!
Natasha and Maria are arguing about you!
Do you know that Natasha has a crush on you?
She’s defending you against Maria in front of everyone!
You felt the repeating vibration next to your pillow as you were sleeping. You didn’t want to check who it was, but you were afraid that it was an emergency with how much notification was coming in.
You squint your eyes as the light shone on your face. Seeing it was from Camellia, you swiped your phone to quickly see what was going on. Between you and her, she was nicknamed as Reporter Cam as she always stumbles upon news about friends from social media that you don’t bother about.
You couldn’t care less if Natasha and Maria were arguing about you, but the moment you saw that Natasha was announcing her crush on you to others, you sat upright from your bed. What is she doing? Why does she have to make things so complicated!
You quickly took a look at the mirror making sure you look presentable after your quick nap (you really wished it was longer, it had only been slightly longer than an hour), and rushed to the activity room.
Neither of them registered that you entered the room and continued arguing. You looked towards Diana and Camellia, giving them a silent plea to help in stopping them, but they only shook their heads. Neither of them want to accidentally get taken out.
“Natasha! What are you doing?!” You walked closer and stepped in between the two of them. “We are here to relax and have fun. What is going on? I thought the two of you were great friends?”
Comically, both of them looked away at the same time. Since you were privy to the information that Camellia disclosed to you, you tried to diffuse the situation. “If you guys are not happy with my presence here, it doesn’t take much for me to leave. I can leave if you guys want me to.”
“You always like to act like a saint. You can never be in the wrong, can you?”
“I can also act like a bitch if you want me to.” You turned to glare at her. With a flick of a switch, you changed your attitude towards her. “I’m not leaving. If you’re that unhappy then you can leave. You’re the one bringing the problem when everyone else is having fun. You’re unhappy that Natasha’s not following you around? That’s too bad! Cause she’s mine!”
Maria smiled and clapped her hands. “You’re right, she’s yours. So take care of her.” You’re stunned, why did her expression and attitude change all of a sudden? Natasha pulled her away, “Maria, what are you doing?”
She whispered next to her ears. “I’m just giving you a push. I’ve seen you pinning over her in the last few weeks of school and the last few days.” Natasha couldn’t react fast enough before Maria addressed the crowd. “My uber just arrived at the lobby. Don’t worry and have fun without me!”
“Wait!” You shouted before she could step out of the room. “I didn't mean to make you leave.”
“You didn’t make me leave. I had to leave early due to some family stuff. I ordered the uber before you even got here. Don’t worry, no hard feelings from me.” She gave you a wink before leaving.
A whistle was heard from Tony before he dodged the pillow coming from Natasha across the room.
“What’s going on?” Camellia stepped closer and whispered as she watched as Maria left the room. “This is all so confusing.” Without replying to her, your legs moved after Maria, and managed to catch her before she got to her room.
Hearing your footsteps, she turned to face you with an inquisitive smile before asking your purpose for being here. You didn’t really think ahead of time and you didn’t know how to reply to her. “- Just… I don’t understand why you are doing this? I thought you liked Natasha.”
“I do… and I still like her. But I see the connection the two of you have. How you guys seem to know what’s on each other’s mind and coexist. You guys are on the same wavelength. But Natasha… she’s a bit slow in showing her feelings.”
Maria has always been like this, inquisitive and sharp. She was always able to gather information just by looking at her clients, which proved to be useful to Natasha when they worked together.
“And you too. Your heart seems to know what it wants, but your mind refuses to follow it. Listen, it’s been great being able to have a conversation with you, but I really need to get going.” She tapped her card to unlock the door and grabbed her luggage that she had prepared nearby. “I’ll see you when we are back in school, I guess.”
You gave her a small nod before saying goodbye and returning back to the others. When you entered, it felt as if nothing had happened here. The boys were back to playing their poker and darts whereas the ladies were playing air hockey and videogames.
Your heart seems to know what it wants, but your mind refuses to follow it. Fuck Maria and her brilliant mind.
You went to join Clint who was playing darts against Bucky. Although Bucky was holding well against Clint, he was unable to defeat his amazing accuracy and understanding of darts. “Haizz, I don’t understand why I keep trying when I can never beat you.” Bucky placed his beer down and went to retrieve the darts. “You’ll get there. You’re improving.”
“By the time I get there, I’ll have white hair.”
“Can I join you guys?” You stepped closer towards them. “Go ahead. I’ve had enough defeat in one day. Perhaps you’re more lucky than me today.” He passed you the darts before giving you the space. “Thanks.”
“I’ll go first?” Clint asked. “Sure.”
As usual, he was on a roll from his first shot, but you were keeping up with him. After the first round ended in a tie, more people crowded around to watch. You weren’t too fazed by their attention, but you would be lying if you said you weren’t nervous.
“Keep your elbows in.” You heard Natasha say before you took your shot.
“Wow, she’s actually keeping up with Clint.”
This went on for three rounds and it all ended up in a tie. Even Clint was amazed with you, which he shouldn’t, after all, it was all his lessons that brought you to this point.
“This is the first time I see someone end up in a draw with Clint.” Steve mumbled as he saw the points. To be fair, this was the only time you drew with Clint, and to do this after a long long break shocked you too.
“Phew… well, I’m going to get started on dinner. This really took a lot out of me.” Natasha and Diana immediately followed after you with the announcement. “Guys, if you want to have fun with the rest, I’m fine doing it alone.”
“But we can have fun together too! Nobody said we can only have fun in the activity room.” Diana responded and Natasha nodded along. “If you are sure… it’s going to be fun until the oils start popping, that’s for sure.”
The mac and cheese gets done pretty quickly and easily so you’re leaving it to the last, but the dumpling on the other hand, requires the dough and fillings. You made quick work of the dough as you instructed your friends what ingredients and amounts were needed for the fillings.
“Does this look about right?” Diana asked.
You took the chopsticks from her and gave it a quick swirl to feel the consistency. “Yup. Is good. I just need to finish kneading the dough.”
“Honestly, how did you learn all of this? My father keeps pestering me about learning how to cook. Saying how it is a life skill. I know that, but I’m just not interested.” Diana confessed as she leaned against the island.
You chuckled before answering. “It was the same to me. I liked the idea of cooking, giving advice to my mum, but never the action of having to do it myself until I had to. Then from there, it was a matter of practice.” Diana stood there nodding and internalised what you said as you gestured towards Natasha to get some rolling pins.
After rolling a few out, you gave the job to Diana since it was easier to roll the dough than to fill and shape it. Muscle memory kicked in after a few and you started to increase your speed. Natasha was doing great too. In a way, this is similar to the dumplings she wanted, but more greasy. She didn’t really get the chance to make it in the previous life, but she did have an attempt at making it when you were sick in the beginning of your relationship.
Since you were going to make around a hundred it has to be done to be in batches. You put in a few to the steamer to make sure that fillings are cooked before frying them. As everyone got to their rhythm, things got smoother and faster. You left Natasha to do all the construction as you get ready the hot oil for frying. You even made sure to tell Diana to move to the other side, further away from the pan.
As the dumplings had just been steamed, there’s quite a bit of moisture. And when it hits the oil, it instantly turns into a firecracker that you had to back away quickly from. You were doing well so far until it decided not to be cooperative and it splattered onto one of your fingers.
You pulled away instantly and shook your hands, resisting the urge to shout. But Natasha noticed your action and immediately went to check on you. “Are you okay? Quick, put it in cold water.” She moved you towards the sink and let your hands rinse under the water.
“I think it should be fine now.” You pulled your hand back to check on your ring finger. “I need to find the cooling cream just in case you get a blister.” She was ready to turn away, but you pulled her back. “We should finish this first. There isn’t much left and it isn’t comfortable and hygienic to have cream on our fingers as we are cooking.” Natasha looked around and see that there were about ten to twenty left and reluctantly agreed.
There’s really no way of avoiding the oil splatter if it really wants to hit you, but thankfully, there were no more accidents and you were able to successfully finish the dumplings. Once you placed the last piece on the tray, you were dragged away by Natasha and you barely had enough time to tell Diana to get started on the mac and cheese. “Don’t worry about me! I am able to do this much!”
Natasha took your hand in hers and inspected your wound. There was a red spot where the oil landed on your finger, but thankfully it wasn’t severe enough to have a blister. “Just a vaseline would be fine.” She took the tub from the first aid box and spread it gently on your fingers.
“Listen I-” / “I can-”
Both of you started at the same time and you looked up. “You can go first.” You said.
“Was… what you said to Maria true? That I’m still yours?” She looked into your eyes at the last second, being the least confident you have seen her in.
“Well, we didn’t manage to finalise the divorce. So technically we are still together?” You said, unsure of how this works. “Do we really not have a chance to be together again?” And before you could interrupt her she continued. “We are given a chance to have a fresh start, to take new paths and I am not going to give you up so easily.”
You sighed, having told her this before. You’re just stubborn like that, despite so many signs pointing towards you and Natasha together, you refused to acknowledge them. “Natasha, we didn’t work for a reason. It isn’t going to change just because we were given a new chance.” You explained to her.
“But I just want to try again. Can’t you give me a chance?”
“Just take what we have now, Natasha. At least, we’re still friends now.”
“Right…” She nodded her head. “At least we’re still friends.” She sighed and busied herself with packing the first aid box. “I’ll wait for you at the dining table, Natasha.” She nodded without looking at you and you left her for her own privacy.
The others have already started eating, except for Wanda, who have the habit of waiting for everyone to arrive before starting. “Is Natasha coming?”
“Yeah, she’s just packing things up.”
You took an empty seat next to her and started digging in before nothing was left. You took a bit of everything and was ashamed to admit that Diana’s mac and cheese was better than you thought it would be.
Natasha arrived shortly after and took a seat next to you and only now did Wanda start eating the food on her plate.
“Y/N! You should make this more often! These are literally so good!!” Thor commented as he took another bite. You thanked him, but added that you probably won’t be making this too often. It’s rather tedious and creates a lot of mess to clean up.
Conversations were flowing with ease as everyone talked about their ambitions and what they want to be when they grow up. It’s nice knowing some of them kept to their dreams while some had to divert. But either way, you know all of them grew up to be really successful.
“What do you desire to be after college?” Thor asked and the attention was directed to you.
You sat straighter and looked at everyone. “I have no idea to be honest. I thought I knew, but I am having second thoughts.” You smiled and hoped that the conversation would end here. “Well, your degree is much more technical than some others, I’m sure you would find a career that fits you well.” Wanda said. You smiled kindly at her words, “Thank you.”
“Alright guys, today is the last full day here as you all know, so this is your last chance to use the swimming pool or whatever facilities there are.” Tony announced as he dusted his hands and walked off.
You felt more comfortable in the kitchen so you stayed to accompany the cleaning crew and catch up with Camellia. You haven’t been around her much during this trip and weren’t surprised to see that she has made close friends with all of them in this short period of time. “Wanda and I are going to head to the pool in an hour, do you want to join us? We should ask Diana too! Clint brought his volleyball so we are going to play some water volleyball later.”
“That sounds nice, but I’m only going to dip my feet for a bit.”
You went back to your room to take a quick power nap, not knowing why you feel so tired during this trip when you’re supposed to be young and full of energy.
When Diana and Camellia came back to change for the pool, you did the same.
It was a different vibe being in the pool at night, only lit by barely enough light. A lot more skin were shown here, but not everyone was present, and in particular, you were looking for Natasha. The boys were already making a ruckus here, with Bucky insisting on terrorising Clint by continuously smacking the ball towards him.
You stepped into the shallow part of the pool and sat on one of those chairs that were half submerged in the water as they were breaking into teams. Bucky and Steve were team leaders as they took turns picking who to join their team. You watched for a bit as they started playing and even took a short video of them to send to Wanda for her to send to the rest.
But eventually you got bored watching them and started using your phone instead, scrolling some social media and watching some YouTube videos of games that you will never be able to get your hands on nor have the time to invest into them.
“Y/N!” You looked up in time to see the yellow volleyball coming straight at you. In that split second, you thought of smacking the ball away, but you weren’t in the right position to do it sitting down. In the end, you settled with moving out of the way of the ball, hitting the back of your chair before falling into the water.
“Sorry about that, Y/N.” Steve said as he came to collect the ball from you. “It’s alright, part of the game.” You said as you tossed the ball over to him. Without wearing any jacket, you were starting to feel a little cold as you rubbed your hands over your arms. Just then a jacket came into view and you looked higher to see that it was Natasha who was handling you her jacket. “Oh, erm, it’s alright. I’m heading back. I haven’t packed my bags or anything.”
Wordlessly, she tossed her jacket on another chair and moved to join the rest. “If you want to join,” you stood up and said quickly before she moved too far, “Steve’s team is currently winning.” You informed her.
“Alright, thank you.”
You watched as she got into the water, joining Steve’s team as you expected. Once the game started, you were on your way out of the pool saying goodbye to the rest of them. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N! Don’t be too early!” Tony shouted as he jumped to save the ball. You shook your head as you rounded the corner and arrived at the lobby.
You did what you told Natasha and started packing your bags, mentally checking through your checklist to make sure that everything was packed except for the things that you need tomorrow.
Sitting at the edge of your bed, you took the time to reflect on your day. What a day it has been after your nap. Getting trapped in a situation in order to get a confession from you and having Natasha admitting she still had feelings for you and wish to try again.
You sighed as you flopped back on your bed. You had told yourself since getting a chance at this new life, you were going to be different. Try out new things and achieve a different result to improve your boring lifestyle. But things didn’t seem to change, in fact, it remained the same with a quicker result. You became friends with the rest of Natasha’s friends earlier, went to Tony’s resort earlier and most importantly, got comfortable with Natasha earlier.
You decided you were going to delay this as long as possible as you covered yourself and went to sleep.
As you woke up the next morning, you realised you didn’t even hear Camellia and Diana enter during the night. Both of them were still sound asleep but you figured they could sleep a little more as it was still early.
You quickly used the washroom, brushed your teeth and started packing up.
Once it hit the hour mark for them to get ready and you still see no movement from them or any alarm ringing, you decided to take matters into your own hands and started waking them up. You had a much easier time waking up Camellia, only needing a few pushes for her to wake up. Same couldn’t be said for Diana.
You were about to give up until Camellia gave you an idea to call her phone. Being the phone addict that she is, she is more likely to have a reaction to her phone ringing. With nothing much to lose, you took out your phone and dialled her number. There wasn’t much movement in the beginning, but she started to move closer to her phone and eventually answered it without looking.
“Finally you answered! We are going to be late if you don’t wake up! Tony is going to leave without us!” You shouted into the phone even though you were right next to her. It was hilarious to see her jump out of bed and into the bathroom, not registering that you were all laughing at her.
“What are you guys still doing here, moving so slowly! Y/N said Tony was going to leave without us if we don’t go down soon!” Diana rushed around and dumped her things in her luggage and shouted.
“Look carefully who you’re speaking to.” Camellia said before she also went to pack her bags, albeit more calmly.
“Y/N? Then the phone call earlier?”
“It was to make you wake up. I have been trying for 15 minutes to wake you up. You have another 30 minutes to get ready, make sure you leave nothing behind.” You warned as you took your space on your bed again.
===
Natasha was supposed to room with Maria, but with her leaving earlier yesterday, it was up to Natasha to pack up alone. When she’s done, she waited for Clint who roomed with Thor whose voice could even be heard from the other end of the hallway.
“Another day of rooming with Thor and I’m going to go crazy.” Clint grumbled as soon as he saw Natasha waiting at the lobby. She chuckled as he glanced towards Thor who has yet to stop talking. “Is no one else here yet? I need someone to get him off my shoulders.”
“I think Tony should be here soon.” And indeed he was next to arrive.
However, perhaps you have taken Tony’s advice too literally and you ended up being the last to arrive with Camellia and Diana.
“Right, everyone’s here. Nat, bring your motorcycle to meet at my van, Y/N you follow me to put your bag with us first. Let’s go!” He clapped his hands and directed everyone to the carpark.
You trailed behind the rest of them as you heard them talk about the breakfast bar that was the next destination. Apparently it has such nice reviews that it often has long queues before it even opens. But thankfully, Tony booked it for a few hours and we have a whole place to ourselves.
You gave your bags to Steve who tried stacking everything like a tetris. It took a few retries but he got there in the end. “Alright. Nat will follow behind us, but in case we get separated, I’ve already given you the address.” Tony said as he addressed the crowd.
You took your place next to the bike again, taking a few deep breaths before wearing the helmet. “Are you ready?” Natasha asked softly, not rushing you even though Tony had already gone ahead. You nodded your head and she got in so you could hold onto her as you climbed on.
Natasha was riding in the middle of an empty lane, intending to go straight as most of the car filtered to the left to take the exit. However, one car swerved to the right suddenly causing Natasha to move to the right to avoid getting hit and ended up hitting the barriers. You and Natasha got flung out of the bike due to the momentum but she managed to stand up and shout at the driver. “What the fuck! What the fuck did you think you were doing??” She looked at her bike in pieces which landed a few metres away and you motionless on the floor. “Y/N!” She only managed to take a few steps before her body gave way and the adrenaline left her body.
Her eyes opened seconds later when passerby tended to her, trying to check if she was conscious. “Hey, don’t try to get up, you could have some internal damage.” He said when Natasha was trying to sit up. Try as she might, but she wouldn’t be able to get far even without the guy stopping her.
“Y/N, I need to make sure she’s alright.” Nat said with much struggle.
“Is that your friend’s name? She’s going to be okay. The ambulance is on its way. Both of you are going to be fine.” She shook her head, she isn’t going to believe you’re going to be fine without seeing with her own eyes. “No… I have to see her…” And before she can say more to persuade the guy to see her, she passed out again.
===
When you opened your eyes, your body felt unusually heavy and the lights were whiter than what you remember.
With great effort, you managed to sit up and realised you were in a hospital. You see the cast on your right arm and you remembered about Natasha. No one was here to tell you how she was and you forced yourself to get out of bed to look for her. There was still some slight pain as you moved around, but you did your best to look for her name as each door that you passed.
“Y/N!” You looked up Natasha was walking towards you in the hospital gown.
“Nat!” You met her halfway, “You’re okay!” You looked at her body, checking for any injury.
“I’m okay. I’m okay.” She allowed you to check her, knowing that you needed it even though she was just as concerned about you.
“You’re okay…” You said quieter this time and finally letting out a huge breath, sagging in her arms.
“What about you?” She asked after a while and peeled her body away from you, but keeping her hands on your shoulders.
“I guess… I have a broken arm?” You raised your right arm to show her.
“And?” She continued.
“And?” You didn’t know what she was hinting at.
“You have a plaster on your forehead! We better sit down. You have been moving too much.” She moved you to a seat nearby and made sure you were not feeling off.
“You’re never getting on a motorcycle again.”
“Okay.”
“Okay? That’s it? You’re not going to convince me otherwise?”
Slowly, she took your hand in hers and when there was no negative response from you, she continued stroking your knuckles with her thumb. “This bike… has caused you, caused us so many problems in the past. And now, it continues to do so. I think it’s best to get rid of it.”
“I think this is the first time in a long while that we have agreed on anything. But, are you sure? It’s your prized possession.”
“There’s nothing I want more than you.”
===
Both of you didn’t sustain any serious injury and were promptly discharged once the doctors told you what to beware of. Tony and the rest even dropped what they were doing to come and get you both once you replied to one of their many messages and calls asking where you were.
“I can’t believe this, Nat. You? Getting into an accident?” Tony questioned even though the evidence was right in front of him. “I think I’m going to strike the lottery today.”
“That’s enough, Tony. Let them eat. They haven’t had their breakfast since this morning.” Wanda chided as she slightly pushed him away and urged you to continue eating.
“Thanks Wanda. I’m absolutely starving.” You tried your best to scoop what's on your plate but the egg was just dodging you. You couldn’t get it on your spoon or stab it with your fork.
“Let me help.” Nat took your plate and began feeding you like it was a normal thing for her to do. Even Wanda froze and sneakily looked at the rest who were bewildered at the sight. They didn’t know how to react, seeing the both of you benign so amicable.
“Thank you.” Nat smiled and continued helping you slice the foods into smaller pieces before feeding you each of them individually and alternating between each bite.
“What happened between the accident and now?” Clint whispered next to Camellia, who had no answer to give.
You know that all of their attention was on you and Natasha, and based on the way Natasha is acting now, she knows it too. But you were willing to let them go for the sake of soaking up all the attention from Nat that you missed so dearly. Maria was right, your heart missed this and you felt most at peace with Nat.
“Are you sure the both of you will be ok alone?” Camellia asked when you announced that Natasha and you will be taking an uber back.
“Yes, it’s just a ride back. We aren’t going to do anything special.” You told her as Natasha placed both yours and her bags in the back of the car.
“Just… be careful.” She reminded you again.
“Not to worry. I’m not going to let anything happen to her.” She held your hand and led you to the uber. Ever since fracturing your right arm, Nat hasn’t even allowed you to use your left arm much.
“Are you guys together?” Wanda finally couldn’t take it anymore and asked. “You’re suddenly so touchy with each other when you couldn’t even stand to be in the same room previously.”
“Yeah, we are dating now.” You lifted the arm that was connected and kissed the back of her hand.
“Ermm okay… well, congrats. We’ll talk more about this soon. Get some rest.” She definitely wanted to ask more questions then, but she needed to get her head around the idea of the two of you getting together so quickly.
“See you guys soon.” Nat said to her friends before going to the other side and entering the car.
You know you’re moving at ten times the speed now. Only dating for less than a day and you’re bringing Nat to meet your parents. While you do know that they had a great relationship together, that was after years of meeting them as their daughter’s friend. Not as a long time partner.
“I think we should stop somewhere to get something for your parents first. I don’t want to turn up empty handed the first time I meet them. And also as the person who hurt their only child.”
“Good on you to know that you hurt their only child.”
You had to pay extra for the change of destination but Natasha ended up getting a pack of beer for your father and a loaf of bread for your mother, just what they love.
“You’ll be fine. You have already experienced them once. You just need to get over the fact when they nag at you for injuring me.” You told her when you saw that she was anxiously playing with the things in her hands.
“Yup, yup easier said than done.” Soon, you reached your home Nat helped you out before pressing the doorbell of your home.
“Coming!” The sound of your mother’s voice rang and you squeezed Nat’s hand a little while giving her a small smile.
“Y/N. You brought a friend. A very close friend. And what happened to your arm?” You gave her the eye for her to stop talking and brought Nat to the living room before grabbing a few drinks that she may want.
“Thank you.” She quickly took the drinks out of your hands and made you sit down. “You don’t have to do anything for me.”
“Let’s talk about your arm first.” Your mum said as all of you settled. “What in the world happened?”
“It was an accident-” You started, but was quickly interrupted by Nat.
“It was my fault, Y/N was riding my motorbike-”
“No, let me talk.” You told Nat seriously and she finally took a back seat and sat deeper on the couch. “I was riding her motorbike, but we were riding on an empty lane when suddenly a car swerved into our lane. The driver wasn’t paying attention, he was using his phone, and the police already settled the case and the insurance will take over. This was entirely not Natasha’s fault.” You emphasised at the end.
“Fine by me. It’s your father that you have to convince.”
“Not to worry. We brought peace offerings.” You nodded towards Nat for her to bring out the things and you saw how your mother’s face changed slightly.
“You’re getting more cheeky.” You took the bread back before she could even reach for it. “You don’t have to have it.”
“Give it to me.”
“Make sure you know what it means to accept this.” You held onto the loaf of bread until she nodded.
Your mum continued to grill Nat about what she’s doing or planning to do after graduating. And now that Natasha has been through this once, she is able to give a clear answer more confidently. She knows she has the capability to earn the money and provide which is what all parent wants for their children.
“Just head up to your room. I call for both of you when dinner is ready.” She shooed the two of you up when there was no topic left to talk about.
“You know, I’ve never been in your room when we were dating.” Nat said when you were walking up.
“That’s because I was too busy getting close to you and making sure you saw me. It was better to go to your dorm so I can spend as much time with you.”
“I really made you chase in the previous life, huh.” She teased.
“Shut up. This is all your fault. I’m going to sleep.” You pulled back the covers and laid on your bed.
“Are you comfortable?” She asked, making sure you weren’t lying weirdly or putting pressure on your right arm.
“I’m fine. Are you not coming in?” You questioned.
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to.” Her question was answered when you moved the covers. “How long has it been since we slept like this?” She lowered her voice as she wrapped her arms around you.
“Long, that’s for sure. We weren’t really on good terms for quite a while before the accident.” You recollected.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put so much pressure on you.”
“Things were tough, that’s for sure. When I think back, there were lots of things we could have changed to prevent this. We could have communicated better, set out better boundaries, but ultimately we drifted apart and hurt ourselves.”
“I’m going to be better this time round. I’m not going to lose you again.”
You blinked and groaned as you woke up the next day. It could be due to it being the first day and everyone was excited to be here, or it could just be how it goes with them. You had to part ways with them slightly earlier in order to cook the spaghetti but Diana came and joined you shortly after. The energy here fitted her outgoing personality perfectly.
After everyone ate, it became like a party. Alcohol bottles were open, card games came out and everyone started talking without a filter. Thankfully, no friendships were harmed, just a lot of questionable dares.
You stared at the ceiling, dread filling you at having to do the zip lines across long distances.
“Come on! Get Up! I don't want to be the last one down.” Diana shouted at Camellia and I. You sighed and eventually shifted out of bed and freshen up before making your way down.
Tony was the only one missing and Vision was about to head up to figure out what he’s doing when he came out of the lift. “Alright, everyone’s here so let’s go. Natasha, just follow us at the back.”
You sighed hearing Tony’s words. You thought he would be renting a minivan to accommodate all of you, but instead, you’re stuck with Natasha again. Resigning to your fate, you get on the motorcycle when she’s ready.
Normally with you, Natasha would drive on the slower side, but since she’s following behind Tony and Steve, she had to speed up a little causing you to hug her side a little tighter.
“Are you okay, do you want me to slow down?” You shook your head. “It’s okay, there’s no need.”
The ride was quite long and you weren’t sure how much deeper into the mountains you were headed. But finally, you saw the cars in front turned into parking and reached the destination. There were a few cars there, possibly there to do the same things as you. This gave you reassurance that it wasn’t some shady business that Tony hired.
Vision entered the reception and gave the booking number for our group as we looked around at the photos hanging around. It made you wonder how these pictures were captured as it appears to be done right next to them.
“Alright guys, let’s head in to get our safety equipment.” Steve shouted to gather our attention. We took turns taking the harness and helmet before the personnel came over to make sure that you all were wearing them securely. After that, they went through a safety briefing and a short video of a few activities you were going to be doing.
“At any point in time you feel uncomfortable, please let one of our staff know and we will guide you to the nearest first-aid tent we have.” The leader said before letting us on the cable car to bring us to the top of the hill. There was a designated member to help us take photos, but if any of you wish to have photos on your phone, they are able to do as well.
Everyone took a minute to take individual photos, group photos or even just the scenery at the top of the hill. You’d have to admit that this place has been kept very well, and hopefully wouldn’t be used for development. Standing from this vantage point, it made you realise how small you were compared to the world and just how scary it can be. It may not be something you realise in your first life at this age, but you’ve come to appreciate a few things that the world has to offer despite its many negatives.
“Y/N! Let’s go, everyone’s waiting!” Camellia shouted at you from the group as they were making their way to the first station. You tore your eyes away from the scenery and quickened your steps to catch up with them.
“Alright, so who’s going first?” You weren’t really the type to raise your hand first but no one did so you volunteered yourself. They used you as an example of what they were going to be doing for everyone as they hooked you up on the zipline before you went off.
As your feet leave the platform, your heart pounds with a mix of fear and exhilaration, it felt like your soul was moving forward as your body was left behind. The harness grips you securely, yet the feeling of the belt across the bottom of your thigh does not make you comfortable. The wind rushes past your ears and you grip the line tighter while looking intently in front of you, making sure nothing was in your way. Despite the fear tingling in your limbs, you forced yourself to look around you. A sense of awe fills you, the beauty of the mountains has to offer unfolding around you in a breathtaking unforgettable sweep.
Just as you were about to fully enjoy yourself, you reached the first platform and there were personnel there to slow your descent. They helped you remove anything that attaches you to the line and you move away from the danger zone. As you turned around, you were shocked to see Natasha went next and was already approaching.
She didn’t seem fazed doing such an activity as evidenced by her calm face and she wasn’t even holding the rope at all!
“How was it? I could tell you were very stiff from behind you.” She asked as someone unhooked her. “It was fine.” You moved aside for her to stand as it gets more crowded with more of your friends arriving.
Diana wanted to go first to film a video of her and the people that went next so she went first for the next few rounds. Social media interaction is more her thing and she has even managed to gather quite a following, thanks to her posts and day in a life clips. She has her whole set up ready. If accounting doesn’t work out for her, she can safely go into being a social media influencer.
“Nice! Great job guys!” She high fived the last person who landed and Tony had another event that he was sure she would like.
“Everyone, please follow me here.” The personnel got your attention and moved everyone aside instead of continuing the trail. “We are going to take a break from zip lining and have a new activity which is ATV riding. Due to the limited vehicles we have, some may need to partner up. So if you could follow my colleague to take off your harness and place them safely aside, I would begin teaching those who are ready how to ride an ATV.”
Riding an ATV was something you always wanted to try. You always see your friends posting short videos and cool photos of them riding. But you didn’t have enough confidence to know that you wouldn’t overturn the ATV.
You turned around to look for someone to partner with and you felt a hand on your elbow. Turning around, you saw Wanda standing next to you. “Is it okay if we partnered? We haven’t seen much of each other since the start of the vacation and I don’t really want to be riding with Vision. He seems to want to ride the ATV by himself.”
“Sure, Wanda. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.” Both of you went to the nearest empty ATV and got settled on it. As both of you were figuring out how, the instructor came around and properly taught the both of you which buttons were important and the throttle. Between the both of you, Wanda was going to be the one driving and you were just in for the ride. She was itching to start as she placed both hands on the handle. Once they gave the safety briefing, you were free to go. There’s a course set out so Wanda just has to follow the road.
Natasha was glaring at your back when she saw you holding Wanda’s waist like how you would hold hers on her motorcycle. “Stare at her any longer, her heads going to fall off.” Clint casually mentioned as he drove off next. Immediately, she took off after Clint, not needing any guidance from the instructor as this wasn’t her first rodeo. “I bet it would be funny if I rammed you off the ATV and you can head back to the resort on your own.” Natasha shouted before taking off, leaving him in the dust.
However, after that, she remained a respectable distance behind you and Wanda so as not to give you too much pressure.
“You did great, Wanda!” You complimented when you got off the ATV. “I guess it’s alright. Are you sure you don’t want to give it a try? It’s not that difficult.” You shook your head, declining the offer. “I think you should take this chance and try it! Look, Natasha is coming back, you should at least ride it with her. There’s only time for one lap.” She pushes you towards Natasha as she came to a stop.
“Hey, Y/N. Came to welcome me back?” Natasha said as she unbuckled her helmet. “Wanda said I should at least ride one lap with you since I didn’t get to drive.” She widened her eyes and tilted her head to look at Wanda who was giving a double thumbs up before running to find her boyfriend.
“Alright, you can sit in front then.” She shifted backwards to make some space for you. “You know what to do right?”
“Yes,” You nodded your head. “I was watching Wanda earlier.”
Natasha wanted to hold your waist like you did earlier, but she was afraid that you wouldn’t welcome the touch, and resorted to holding onto the back of the handle instead. It’s kinda strange knowing that Natasha was behind you, but remaining so silent as if she wasn’t there.
It was true that you had fun while controlling the ATV for the first time ever, but you would be lying if you said you didn't have conflicting thoughts while completing one lap. Why was Natasha on board with you when she didn’t even do much. Surely she didn’t think you couldn’t do this alone.
Everyone was waiting for you at the finish line and you blushed having all the attention on you and Natasha. You even spotted Diana trying to discreetly take a picture as you came to a stop.
You shook your head as you took off your helmet once again. “Ah, thank you.” You didn’t even realise how fast Natasha got down from the ATV and accepted her help in alighting the ATV.
“Right! Back to the zip lines!” Tony shouted breaking you and Natasha out of the daze you were in.
“Come on, Y/N, you were totally staring at her earlier.” Camellia whispered when everyone was walking back to get their harness. “Don’t you stare at someone when you’re annoyed at them?” You spared her a quick glance before leaving her behind.
“That’s totally different!”
It was a lot easier to be on the zip lines now that you’ve experienced it once, but you can’t seem to shake off the person that was always going after you. You decided that if she wanted to be your shadow for this trip then so be it, you’re not going to let her affect your enjoyment.
Some zip lines were faster or longer than others and it reminded you to be vigilant, and not just because you got comfortable with it that means that you can let your hands go.
Towards the end it got a little boring for you. Afterall, it’s just all green trees passing by you at high speed unless you spot a cool bird you’ve never seen before. The thrill of it wasn’t as intense as the first few times you tried it.
As with every attraction, at the end of it there’s a gift shop with the chance of buying some trinkets or photos taken by their team. None of them are free, in fact they are ridiculously overpriced. However, when Tony is involved, suddenly there’s a chance it’s free. He so graciously gave each of you a group photo and individual shot.
If there’s one thing that you always do when you’re travelling, is to send postcards home. And even though you’re still in the same city and country, you decided that you wanted to be able to remember what you did here and tried choosing a nice picture.
“This is quite nice.” A hand reached out to grab a postcard and passed it to you. You looked at the person, and sure enough, it was Natasha. “You looked like you needed some help deciding.”
You glanced at the postcard once again. It was not just a photo of the city view from the heights, but rather a drone shot involving the zip line. It must have been a scenic spot since the zipline passed so many times. “I guess this is it then. Thank you.” You gave her a small smile before heading to the cashier to pay for it.
It was the same going back, you sat at the back of Natasha’s motorcycle and once you got back, it was time to start on lunch. Since you didn’t manage to wake up early to get started on the dough, you had to change your plans. You decided to make some gnocchi with a side of vegetable dish.
You gathered the ingredients you needed and started making them quickly. It ain’t going to be as nice as when you prepared all the ingredients, but if they are going to complain, then they can starve instead.
You started on making the dough as Natasha prepared on other vegetables. Diana was assisting you as you didn’t want to make things more messy with your doughy hands in the beginning.
“You two would be perfect in the kitchen.” Diana offhandedly said when she saw how seamless the two of you moved. Natasha would pass all the utensils you needed right when you were looking for it and clear the things that you’re done using.
It wasn’t like this right from the start. You knew how bad Natasha was in the kitchen and took charge, but it got tiring in the end and you didn’t want to always be the one cooking and Natasha waiting for food. So, you started to introduce her to the kitchen and gave her some small jobs that she would do well. It took a few tries and a lot of patience before she became useful, but it sure brought a lot more enjoyment in your life during that period.
“I would hope so.” Natasha replied, smiling at Diana. “I had a lot of practice.”
“Oh, did you help your parents out in the kitchen?”
“Something like that.”
The late lunch went without a hitch and it was now up to the cleaning crew to clean up the kitchen. While you had everyone's attention with your food, you asked them what they would like to have for dinner. You could still do pizza if that’s what they want, but you’d figured you’d ask.
“I’m all for pizza!” Clint immediately answered as he wasn’t interested in cleaning.
“Fish and chips?” Wanda asked tentatively. “Sorry Wanda, I didn’t get any fish yesterday.” You smiled sadly at her.
“What about that soup dumpling?” Natasha asked once again. “Ooo, some fried gyoza would be good.” Thor saved you from having to reject her. “That’s great, is everyone good with gyoza?” Several heads nodded and you settled with that. “I will also make some mac and cheese on the side, just to have some variety.”
Finally the two weeks of examination were over and you could finally relax. Over the weeks, you definitely felt a shift between Natasha and you. She’s often the first one to text you, to invite you out, even extending the invitation to Camellia and Diana. You could tell that they were having a nice time with her shopping and trying out different things.
“I’m not sure if Y/N told you, but we are going to Tony’s resort in a few days. Would you guys like to join us?” Both of them turned to look at me for my reaction, but I only shrugged my shoulders. It is up to them to decide if they want to go or not.
“Eh… if your friends don’t mind, we would like to go.” Camellia replied.
“That’s great. Tony always wants to add more people, I’m sure this will make the dynamic more interesting.” Natasha immediately took out her phone and texted the groupchat. “I’ll send the location and timing to you too. Have you decided how you’re getting there?” She asked you at the end.
“Yeah. My father will drop me off.”
And therefore, in the next few days you were packing your bags and making sure you’ve got everything. Camellia and Diana were going to head there together so you weren’t too worried. At least Diana will be able to direct them when they are lost.
You sent the location to your father for him to input in the navigation. It took almost two hours to get there and Tony did not lie when he said that it was really at the edge of the city. It was mostly surrounded by trees but since you are on a hill, you could see the skyscrapers in the distance. In order to attract people to book a slot, there are some small shops at the entrance of the resort but there aren’t a variety of things in stock.
“You’re sure you don’t need me to fetch you at the end?” Your father asked as he helped you take your things out. “No need. I think we will be hanging out after this trip.” You replied.
“Alright, if anything changes just give me a call.”
“There’s no worries, Mr Y/L/N. If anything happens, I will take care of her. My name’s Natasha, nice to meet you.” Natasha appeared out of nowhere and greeted your father.
“Nice to meet you. I hope you all have fun here and try to get her to relax a bit. I shall get going first, bye.” He got back in the car and drove off.
“What are you doing here? There’s no need to come and pick me up.” You commented and picked up your bags. “Uh, you’re wrong. I needed to tell you which room you’re in. You’re sharing with Camellia and Diana by the way.”
“You could have texted me that information.”
“I still needed to give you your room card. And before you say, the receptionist wouldn’t know who you are to give you the card. This way I could also point out to you where things are.” She replied.
You sighed as she walked with you to your room. “You did a similar thing when we were together previously.”
“The first date I collected you from your house.” Natasha recollected. “I had to set the impression right if I was going to get the approval from your family.”
“I don’t think you ever had the problem of making my parents like you.”
“I hope I did the same again.” You looked at her with the way she phrased her words but didn’t say anything. Both of you stood in front of your room and she said, “Once you settle down, come to the activity room. That’s where we all are.” She gave you a quick smile before leaving. “Wait!” You stopped her. “If you’re all at the activity room, how did you know when I was going to arrive?” You questioned.
She gave you a smirk and placed her index finger on her lips. “A woman never reveals her secrets. I’ll see you later.” You could only shake your head as you watched her leave before taking your card to unlock the door.
As you were unpacking some of your things, you received a text from Camellia that they had reached and you told them to wait there for you. Getting to the entrance this time was a lot quicker without carrying any bags.
However, you were in for a shock at the amount of bags they were carrying. “Are you guys planning to stay here for a week? You do know we are only staying here for three days right?”
“A girl can never have too many clothes.” Diana waved you off before hurrying you to show them where the room was.
“I can’t believe you brought your bikini here. Are you really going to wear this?” You asked her when she was showing off what was in her luggage that made it so heavy. “Why not? I’m not afraid to wear it. If I have the chance to, I will.”
“Let’s head to the activity room then, they are all there.” You stood up and they quickly went to take their things to follow you.
“Finally! We have been waiting for you.” Tony shouted when he saw all of you walk through the door. “You couldn’t have come late enough.” Maria muttered but you heard her either way. “It ain't my fault if you guys are early and have to wait.”
“Alright alright.” Tony started. “We have to split work during our days here. I managed to strike a deal with the manager and we can have the activity room to ourselves but because of this, we are responsible for cleaning it up.” Clearly there was more improvement to be made with his negotiation skills. “Annnnd to have more fun during our time here, we are going to be making our own food as well.” Many groans were heard, not wanting to have to put in the effort to get food.
“Come on! It’s going to be interesting. Other than that, we just have to plan our activities that we want to check off.”
There was a bit of negotiating, persuading when it came to deciding who goes where, but ultimately it was settled with these groups. Surprisingly, you offered to cook, something you wouldn’t have done if not for your years of experience after getting married to Natasha. But you knew that the rest here does not have good cooking experience and leaving it to them to risk getting food poisoning was not something you were looking forward to.
Activity
Tony, Vision, Wanda, Thor
Cleaning
Maria, Steve, Clint, Camellia, Sam
Meal
Y/N, Natasha, Diana, Bucky
Arguably, some will prove to be more useful than others, but they need a lovely home regardless.
“Alright, the first thing we need to do is to get food and snacks for the days here so we are all going to head out to the nearest mart to get the goods.” Tony decided. Why couldn’t we have decided on all this before coming to the resort? “Move move!” He shouted once he saw that no one was moving.
Everyone headed to the carpark but you realised you needed to check what was available at the outdoor kitchen if you were going to the head chef. There was salt, pepper, oil and some other seasoning so that definitely saves you the effort to buy them. There was a fridge there too, but it was mainly filled with food that the other visitors have put.
As you made your way back, you made a mental checklist of what you were going to buy and what you were going to cook, starting with a simple spaghetti for dinner.
“Where are the rest?” You asked when you saw only Natasha remained at the carpark. “They left, there’s only 2 cars which Steve and Tony were driving so someone had to take my motorcycle either way.” She passed you the helmet and put hers on before helping you to adjust, making sure it was on safely.
“It’s been a while since you got on my motorcycle.” She was right, after graduating, you went to get your driver’s licence. “Are you still nervous about getting on?” You nodded your head. When you were dating Natasha in your final year of studies, she got into an accident on the road, though not serious, it was enough to send her to the hospital to get things checked and it was one of the worst things you experienced in your life.
“There’s not a lot of cars around here so it won’t be as dangerous. Don’t worry, I won’t be going that fast.” She assured you. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before taking the helmet from her. Once you got on, she made sure that you were ready before moving off.
By the time you and Natasha meet up with the rest at the supermarket they had gotten a head start at acquiring the snacks. “Are you guys planning on having snacks for meals?” You asked after seeing the cart filled to the brim.
“No need to worry about it, Thor will finish them all.” Wanda said as she reached for another snack. “Fine by me, just remember to get drinks for me.”
Natasha and Diana joined you in getting another cart for meal preparation. It’s kinda tough when deciding what to cook and making sure everyone is satisfied. But you’re just getting the versatile ingredient like onion, corn, meat and vegetable.
“Can you cook that dumpling?” Natasha whispered as you walked along the aisle. “Which one?”
“You know, the one you cook when someone is sick.”
“The soup dumpling? But no one is sick now.” She pleaded with you silently but you shook your head. “How about we make pizza instead? This way everyone get one and they get to choose which ingredient they want to put.”
“Fine…”
“Diana, can you search what are the common toppings for pizzas, just to make sure we don’t miss anything out.” You asked and she nodded immediately, taking out her phone.
You made sure to get everything you needed for the dough as well. You would make the dough in the morning, and leave it to proof until dinner before getting it in the oven with the toppings.
You went through with Natasha and Diana what you were planning to cook and they seem to agree. So far it was going to be spaghetti for tonight’s dinner, pizza for lunch and burgers for dinner again. You also bought some bacon, eggs and bread for breakfast.
Everyone went through what was in the cart when you met up with them and didn’t have any disagreement. You have a glance at what they had gotten and weren’t surprised to see they have another cart with them this time full of alcohol, water and drinks.
It was not a small total amount but something to be expected when you’re out with friends. The bags were stuffed in the trunk of the car and you found yourself behind Natasha on her motorcycle again.
“Did you bring your motorcycle on purpose?” You asked Natasha at one of the red lights. It just doesn’t seem like Natasha to bring a motorcycle which provides less use than a car. She chuckled at your statement before replying. “Yes, everything has gone according to my plan.”
“Your plan?”
“Yeah, my plan to get you back closer to me.” This Natasha, she’s getting more cheeky now that I’m single. You thought.
You refused to honour her with an answer. She also knew you were under her control at the moment and drove off course, bringing you away from the original path. “Hey! Where are you going?”
“You just have to come along for the ride.”
Silence filled the ride as she seemed to bring you further and further away from the resort. “Aren’t the others going to worry where we are?”
“I told Clint we were going to be away for a while.”
“I doubt Maria is going to be happy about this.”
“Why do you care so much about her anyways?”
“She’s your ex, of course I’m going to be wondering what she’s thinking. Didn’t you see how she questioned me when I was late at the activity room earlier?”
“We’re here.” She helped you down before packing the helmets and guiding you down a path. “Can you tell me where we are going now?”
“Why? Seeing is better, is it not?” You stared at her back, imagining your hands strangling the life out of her. “Just have a little patience and we are here.”
She stepped aside to let you see the scenery. Hills upon hills and in the distance, a majestic waterfall cascades down a cliff, its waters tumbling into a sparkling pool below. The sunlight dances upon the surface, casting a dazzling array of prismatic hues that shimmer and dance in the misty air. The sound of rushing water fills the valley, a soothing melody that resonates through the tranquil surroundings. This picturesque scene is a feast for the senses, a tranquil oasis of beauty and serenity nestled within the embrace of the rolling hills. It is a place where time seems to stand still, inviting you to pause, breathe deeply, and immerse yourself in the wonder of the natural world.
“I found this when I was wandering around in our first life and I have always wanted to bring you here. It’s kinda far from where we stay, so I didn’t get the chance to do so.”
You stepped closer to take it all in, feeling a little moved by the gesture. If only you managed to see this in your previous life, maybe, just perhaps it wouldn’t have gone so wrong. “Maybe it wasn’t the best idea for two people who love their job too much to get together. We don’t get to see each other enough.” You turned back and gave Natasha a sad smile. “It just wasn’t in our fate to be together.” Natasha didn’t say anything and brought you down the hill and drove back in silence.
“Where did you guys go? Did you sneak off and do some funny business?” Tony asked when he finally saw the both of you came back. “Don’t be ridiculous, Tony.”
“Since half the day is gone, let’s just make use of whatever we have in the activity room. There’s bowling, arcade, pool, etc so just make yourself at home. Tomorrow is going to be more fun! I have already booked a slot for zip lining between the hills! We can even see our resort from one of them.”
Natasha ended up staying by your side for longer than intended, making sure you were alright before leaving. She met Diana on the way out at the elevator and gave her a brief explanation of your illness.
“Thanks for taking care of her.”
“No problem. I’m just glad that I saw her and she didn’t have to suffer alone.”
When she is back studying with Clint, her thoughts couldn’t help but drift towards you. Even Clint could tell she was daydreaming as he was playing his game during his break. “How is she?” He asked. He figured he might as well try and make her talk about her feelings.
“She’s doing better after taking some medication.”
“You seem to know how to take care of her. I’ve never seen you taking care of me when I was sick.”
“You had others taking care of you, you didn’t need me.” Clint tried, but nonetheless, she was very good at keeping to herself.
===
When you woke up it was well into the night and Diana was sleeping on the inflatable bed. You must have been sleeping very deeply to not hear the motor inflating. Rubbing your head, you felt significantly better than before with more energy but hungrier since you threw everything up.
Slowly getting up making sure not to disturb Diana, you went out to find something to eat. Nothing much is open at this time near school so you had to walk a bit of a distance. You were starting to regret your choice when you realised it was darker than you thought. Perhaps you should have just spent a bit more and ordered through your phone.
Nevertheless, you have committed and it’s too late to turn back now.
You ordered a pizza from the shop and decided to eat there since the shop was empty and there was light for you to study. You stayed there until you felt your eyes closing and no information getting into your brain. And to thank Diana for letting you sleep in her dorm, you ordered another pizza to go for her.
There are still a few hours left to sleep before the sun rise so you set your alarm to wake you up at 9 am.
Sleeping in the middle of the day and waking up in the middle of the night is not a good thing for you. Tossing and turning in bed for a few minutes even though you were feeling tired up till the moment you touched the bed.
Honestly, you must still be slightly sick because you ended up texting Natasha to check if she was still awake. Who in their right mind would be awake at this timing?
You were going to delete your message when she replied.
N: Yeah, I’m awake. Are you alright? Do you need any help?
Y: No, I don’t need any help. I am unable to go back to sleep. I figured you’d be the only one awake at this time.
N: Well, you’re right. What do you want to do? Shall we just chat like old times?
Y: Like old times huh. How many people get to say this when they are 23 years old?
N: Not a lot I bet. That’s what makes us special.
You waited for Nat to pick up the facetime as you laid on your bed. Nat generally took longer to finish her homework not because she isn’t efficient, but because there’s a lot for her to read compared to you.
“Hi babe.” She answered immediately. “Hi!” You giggled, just being able to see her puts a smile to your face and brightens your day.
“I wish we could see each other more often. I haven’t felt you for so long.” She complained.
“Just two more weeks, Nat. Then we can see each other so much that you’re going to get sick of me.”
“Never!”
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do during the break?” You asked. “Hm… I haven’t thought about it.”
“You haven’t?” You asked, shocked. Natasha usually planned everything out early. “I’m kidding, babe. It’s a surprise. You’re going to be spoiled by me. We are going to do so many things you have never thought of doing before.”
“It’s not going to be anything dangerous is it?” You asked, knowing Nat is more on the adventurous side. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to imagine her planning for skydiving or mountain climbing.
“Not at all, babe. It’s all going to be activities where your feet are still on the ground.”
Both of you continued talking into the night until you were yawning and having a hard time keeping your head up and eyes open. “Go to sleep, babe.” You shook your head. “I want to stay with you.”
“Just lie down and place your phone next to you. I’ll be here until you wake up.”
N: That’s right.
I hope you’re not ignoring me, but just fallen asleep.
I guess good night then
You were aware that your phone pinged with notification, likely from Natasha, but this time, your body was too heavy to pick up the phone to reply, only able to wish her good night in your mind.
When you woke up in the morning, it was brighter than you thought it would be. You also don’t remember offing the alarm either. “Hey there sleeping princess. Have enough sleep?”
“Diana?”
“Yup, that’s me! Or have you fried your brain because you were sick. But I remember Natasha told me you didn’t have a fever.”
“I bought pizza back for you.” You shooed her away before heading to the washroom to freshen up. You took a look at the time while doing so and noted that it wasn’t that far off from 9am.
“You went out in the middle of the night when you’re sick?” Diana was worried about you but carried on eating as usual.
“I felt better then. And I was hungry.” You came out of the washroom with your new outfit, ready for the day. “Are you sure it’s wise not to take a day off to give a chance for your body to heal?”
“You know I have lots of things to do, Diana.”
“At least study here then. If anything goes wrong at least you’re safe. I’m not going to be here to disturb you anyway.”
“Where are you headed?”
“My friend invited me to study in the library. But I’ll check on you as often as possible, okay?”
“There’s no need for that. I’m fine now. Just concentrate on your revision.” Ultimately, you were able to convince Diana to study with her friend and you were fine alone. “Promise that you will call me if you don’t feel well.”
“Promise.”
You shifted some of her things to a corner before taking yours out from your bag. A change of environment always makes you study better anyway. You connected your earpods and started your revision. You pride yourself in your memory and since you know what the final exam was going to test, you were able to better focus on those topics.
You studied until it was time for lunch and you saved your work before leaving.
You were hungry but you knew you weren’t going to be able to finish a portion on your own, you didn’t want to waste food either. “Are you looking to share with someone?” You jumped out of your skin to hear Natasha behind you.
“Are you stalking me? Why are you always around?”
“You seem to forget I’ve known you for almost your whole life now. You have a routine. You always have your lunch around 12 or 12.30. It doesn’t take a genius to find out you have booked the same room for the entire week but did not appear today.”
“That’s the definition of stalking.”
“Come on… I’ll share with you. Clint is sitting over there so we can sit together.” She pointed towards a direction and you noticed Clint waving over. “I’ll be waiting.”
“So, did you manage to get her to sit with us?” Natasha nodded her head as she looked at you ordering your food. “You didn’t tell her we’ve been sitting here for the entire morning did you.”
“Don’t be an idiot, Clint.”
“You know, you’ve changed. I’ve never seen you chase after someone like that. Not even when you and Maria were together. You seem happier too.”
“What chase? I’m not chasing her.”
“But you didn’t deny you’re happy with her.”
“Hi, Clint. I haven’t seen you since we stood down for finals.” You placed your tray down and sat opposite Natasha. “Yup!”
“How’s your revision doing?” He asked. “I’m just taking it one step at a time. Even though the finals are spread out, there’s a lot of content to go through.”
“Oh that reminds me, Wanda told me that you will be joining us after the finals.” Clint continues to mention. “I can’t wait for us to spend some time there together. We can head to the archery range if you’d like. We can just use their equipment instead of bringing ours.”
“Is it going to be the same one that our archery club went to?”
“No, it’s going to be slightly further this time. At the edge of the city.” You nodded. Slightly planning what you were going to do. If it is not in the city area, it is going to be hard to find a reason to leave…
You ate what you could before passing the remaining for Natasha to finish. Clint continued to talk about future events and how the holiday and internships were going to affect the number of people attending training.
Eventually, you returned to Diana’s room after getting some ice lemon tea and the day passed similarly without much shift until it was the day of your first examination.
You met your friend early for lunch before heading to law school since your first exam was Financial Crime, quite an interesting topic, you reflected. Honestly, a great professor with interesting topics that didn’t make you feel like sleeping in class.
Reaching law school, there were already plenty of people waiting to enter their exam hall. Only pockets of space were available and seats were certainly filled. You and your friend went to stand near a wall and made sure that your laptop was working before having to head in.
You didn’t expect to see Natasha, but you should have known since she studies law. “Y/N! You’re taking a law exam as well?” She gave a small wave to your friend at the same time. “Yeah, where’s Clint?” You looked around and there was no sign of your Captain. “He’s always here at the last minute for exams.”
“Good luck.” You said before Natasha was called away by her friends.
As time ticks past, fewer people were at the hall and yet your classmate kept asking difficult questions that you cannot find an answer to. “If you use the money. which is your benefit, almost anything can be money laundering. You just need to phrase your answer carefully.” You decided to answer.
Regardless, it was almost the starting time and you headed into the room as you noticed your other classmate talking to someone on the phone. You shrugged your shoulders, not really bothered about it but as it turns out, she was talking to her friend to borrow a laptop otherwise she wouldn’t be able to participate in the exam.
“Seriously? How did you forget to bring your laptop?” You whispered as everyone was getting to their designated seats. She smiled cheekily before getting ready.
The two hour test passed quickly and you came out of the room not feeling too confident (not that you ever have), but you were certain you did better than last time. MCQs were slightly harder to have a recollection of, but the open ended questions were alright.
“Man… I hope prof is lenient in his marking.” You friends sighed as they came out of the room. “It depends on how the others did too.”
A new week, another 5 days to look forward to the weekends. While it was common for projects to have a deadline near the end of the semester, some of them were staggered to release some pressure on the students. Unfortunately for you, your modules were not as kind and were packed all together. With the addition of certain teammates not pulling their weight, causing the rest to have to do extra and rectify their mistakes. Even having to go as far as heading back to school during the weekends in order to make sure everything was done right. The only saving grace was your Archery club standing down earlier than the rest by one week, allowing members to focus on the studies and project.
You were taking everything step by step, there just wasn’t enough of you to go around getting everything done perfectly. You had to prioritise which modules do you think have the highest chance of getting an A, but at the same time making sure that the others do not fall below a B-.
Using your credits and staying behind after class has become the norm for you. You even went as far as asking Diana if you could stay at her dorm for the next two weeks to minimise having to travel back and forth. Thankfully, she agreed to that.
After finishing your first slightly easier project which wasn’t very content heavy, you treated yourself to a nice lunch (wasn’t much different from your usual meal) at the canteen in school.
Meanwhile, Natasha also had lots of projects to do but she had the luck of getting capable people in her team, that is not discounting her own ability, however it does make it a bit easier. “Alright, so we’re left with the executive summary and references. Just make sure you input them in the tool and once everyone is done, I will include them at the back. Is that okay?” Natasha asked.
“Yup, sounds good to me.” Clint agreed, so did some of the remaining teammates. “I think there’s still more to add for the conclusion, we haven’t met the mark for excellence according to the rubrics.” Maria stated.
“We have to submit this by the end of today, but if you feel that you are able to finish it in time and within the page limit, then feel free to do so.” Natasha replied after taking a look at the document.
At the end of the quick meeting, Natasha waited for Wanda to have lunch together since the buildings were close and connected with each other. Vision was supposed to be there as well, but he was trying to handle Tony and his lack of enthusiasm for their project. Poor him…
“Where do you feel like having lunch today?”
“Just at the canteen today. I have another meeting to catch later.” Wanda replied. Being a social science student meant that she has more projects than finals compared to a few, certainly not to you. Accountant is famously known for having many finals as well as projects.
“Well, what are you planning to have then?”
“Salad. It’s been a while since I had it.”
“I’ll get the spaghetti then.”
Lunch crowd was huge as usual and it was hard to find a place if you’re late. They placed their bags on one of the empty tables and queued for their food. Natasha ordered and waited at the table for her number to be called while Wanda was still queuing. The line moves quickly though, as she arrived at the table with her food before Natasha got hers.
“Hey, isn’t that Y/N?” Wanda nodded behind Natasha’s back. Turning behind, it was indeed you eating while looking at your phone. Before she could ask if Wanda would be okay to eat with you, her number rang and she was forced to leave the conversation for later.
By the time she came back, Wanda was with her bag ready to go. The shock on Natasha’s face was enough to satisfy her. “I know you better than you think, Nat. You want to sit with Y/N, am I right?”
“You’re… not wrong about that.” Wanda smiled before making her way to you. “Hey, Y/N, do you mind if we sit together with you? We couldn’t find a free place to sit.”
We? Just slightly to the left stood Natasha with a cheeky smile. And looking around indeed does not have any free sitting remaining. “I guess.” You moved your bag to give them some space. It’s really a small table fit for two, so to have three people on one table was quite a squeeze. “Here, I got ice lemon tea for you. I noticed you didn’t order any drinks so I ordered one for you.” Natasha pushed the drinks closer to you.
“Well thanks, I won’t reject a free drink.” The rest of the meal was quite relaxing with conversation mostly filled up by Wanda.
“Hey ladies.” Vision came and Wanda stood up from the table to hug and kiss him. “How did your day go?” She asked. “Ain’t too bad, but it could be better. I couldn’t stop Tony from planning a party for after the finals. He wouldn’t start the project until he finished calling people to set up and plan the party.”
“How about you join us, Y/N?”
“What?”
“The more the merrier right? Tony always said we could invite whoever we wanted. It’ll be fun! Tony has lots of activities planned when we get together. We are Finance buddies with Thor, we have to stay together.”
Oh, don’t we know it. It always ends with drunk people by the end of the night and some of us have to drag them back to their room.
“Eh I have to check, but I’ll let you know during the next Finance class.”
“Great! I have to go now, but have fun!” You watched as Wanda left and decided that it was time for you to leave as well. “It’s time for me to go too. See you around, Natasha.” You threw away your trash and proceeded to your study room that you booked. Today, you have dedicated your time to complete your accounting module project, which involves a lot of reading. The project is rather vague and it is very easy to cross the line of plagiarism as some words just couldn’t be replaced.
You couldn’t understand why your group was taking so long to complete this. Your friends have meetings that last for less than half an hour and yet yours go for as long as an hour and half or even longer. If you’re going to be putting in so much time and effort into this, you better be getting an A for this project.
You were studying halfway when you noted someone looking into the room with the intent of getting in. Looking at the time on your laptop, you realised that your time was up and started packing quickly.
The same routine continued for the next two weeks. The school gave students one week to study without any lessons before the final examination started and you officially moved into Diana’s dorm starting monday.
As usual, you invited Camellia to study with you in school since you required her credits when booking the room too. But you had the room to yourself today since she decided to rest for another day before mugging.
The first half of the day went great as you looked through your teammates portion of the project and suggested some edits where possible before the meeting later. Not wanting to spend your entire time on this project, you went to have some lunch before coming back to start on another module.
You were deciding on what you were going to take away when you saw Natasha queuing for some chinese. It took you a split second to think but you decided to go another direction and order some drinks first.
“One ice lemon tea without lemon please.” You handed them your water bottle for them to fill and paid while they were at it.
“Hey, I thought I saw you from the corner of my eyes.” Natasha approached you as you waited. “You’re studying in school with Camellia?”
“No, it’s just me today.” You thanked the worker before walking away. “Which school are you studying in again?”
“Business.”
“Same! Shall we head back together?”
“Fine. Let me order my food first.” You ordered some ramen while Natasha stayed a bit behind waiting for you.
“What time are you staying until?” Natasha as you headed back together. “I’m not too sure. I booked the room until 8pm, but usually there’s no one who books after that, so I might stay even longer than that.” You replied.
“Hmm… I’m studying with Clint so feel free to come whenever you need a break. I sure need a break from him.” You hummed and tapped into your room as Natasha went another direction. You had about two hours to yourself before the meeting started so you did as much as you could while eating. You tried not doing anything that is too brain intensive, just creating your notes, making sure you understood everything for your Strategy Module, noting down things that you could use in your essay. (yes, there’s still projects due during the study week.)
When it came to the zoom meeting, you connected your airpods and logged into the meeting, going through in your head what you were going to say. You weren’t too confident in your suggestion when editing other’s paragraphs. And sure enough many needed to revert back to what it once was, but at least some of them were okay. Condensing was really important as we had to keep it to 12 pages.
Towards the end of your part, you felt that your heart rate was increasing. Sure, you’re speaking a lot more compared to other zoom meetings when you weren’t confident, but it didn’t warrant such changes in your physical body. You didn’t even feel that bad when you were presenting in front of the class.
You texted Camellia privately that you weren’t feeling well and might not respond when questions were directed to you. You took off your airpods, hoping to regulate by taking a few deep breaths, but it did not prove to work. Feeling a change in your body, you headed to the nearest washroom to puke your guts out. After staying there for a few minutes, you thought it would be over since it was common for you to feel better once you threw up. So you headed back to your room and informed Camellia that you’re likely to be out for the rest of the meeting and update you where necessary.
You put your head down trying to relax your body, giving it a chance to reset, but it didn’t work. You felt like throwing up again and quickly made your way to the washroom. It proved to be the right decision as your body didn’t wait once you locked the door behind you. You ended up staying there for longer than you did before, throwing up the entire lunch you had.
After flushing, you sat there for a bit to make sure that was everything, but it wasn’t. You puked even more to the point that you could feel the walls of your stomach touching each other every time you threw up.
You were sweating bullets with how hot it was in the washroom but that was the least of your problem right now. You washed your mouth before taking a nearer seat outside the washroom, just in case you needed to rush in again. You gave into the desire of laying on the seat, hoping that your body was tired enough to take a nap.
“Y/N? Are you alright?” You opened your eyes and saw Natasha’s worried face in front of you. “You’re really pale. Do you need any help?” You wanted to reply to her, but you had to push her aside to make way to the bathroom. “Y/N!”
You almost didn’t make it in time and Natasha had managed to squeeze in before you closed the door on her. “Hey hey, it’s okay. Stay here, let me go get water for you.” You managed to find her arm without looking and hold her back. “I need… I need you to help me buy some medicine.”
She nodded. “Medicine? Okay, just don’t move. I’ll be back.”
So you ended up staying in the cubicle for longer that you would have liked. Thankfully, there was no one using the washroom at this time and you did need to puke a few more times. It was endless really, not knowing when you were going to stop. You were so tired, but there wasn’t any place for you to lean your body.
Finally, Natasha came back with a handful of things. “Ok, come on, take this. If you’re not stopping anytime soon, we really have to bring you to the hospital.” She opened the bottle and gave you two tablets to swallow. You settled for a while, thinking it was really all over, but you turned away from her, feeling unwell again.
“Hey, I don’t think it is good if you continue here and study. Why don’t I take you home?” Natasha rubbed your back and gagged continuously. You shook your head and Natasha misunderstood your meaning. “I really don’t think you’ll be getting anything else done.”
“No… I meant that I’m staying with Diana for the week until finals.”
“Alright, let’s pack your bag and head to her dorm then.” She helped you up when you were sure you were done. “Be careful.” She warned when you were stumbling. The dorm was within the school campus and there isn’t any transport for students and Natasha has to guide you through all the way back. She kept checking if you were okay, assuring you that it is okay if you needed to take a seat for a moment.
In the end, you weren’t able to last the whole way and had to find a place to sit. Natasha was getting worried that your illness had taken a drastic turn, but you assured her that you just had no energy and you’re feeling fine other than that. A short break turned into a long one as Natasha realised that you fell asleep on her. Grabbing her phone from her pocket, she texted Clint that she was taking care of you and would not be heading back so soon.
“Alright, come on.” She carried you bridal style and carried your bag for the remainder of the journey. Thankfully you had Diana’s spare card hanging around your neck and she was able to quickly tap and enter the building without dropping you. Using her memories from the first life, she knew which level and room Diana was located.
She tried knocking the door just in case Diana was inside and she didn’t want to intrude, but there was no answer. Hence, she used the card once again to unlock the door.
Nat moved the cover away and placed you gently on the bed. She touched your forehead for a temperature and thankfully, you weren’t running a fever. She found a thinner blanket and covered you with it, also making sure there was a bin next to your bed.
“I miss you.” You mumbled and Natasha paused as she was writing a note for you and Diana.
In the end, you decided to stand there and waited until he came down. There was nowhere else for him to go other than towards you. You continued staring at him as he continued smiling at the girl he was holding around her waist. You don’t understand what you were feeling, you were so angry but at the same time unbothered.
It wasn’t until the last few steps did Andrew notice you. His hands left the girl’s body immediately causing her to look at him. “Y/N…” At least he managed to look half decent to look ashamed about his actions.
“Are you going to explain yourself?”
“I… I just wanted more excitement.” He started. “We have been going out for so long but we haven’t done anything more than holding hands. I am tired of being stagnant with our relationship, we hardly go out anymore because you’re focusing on your studies.”
“What’s wrong with that? All I’m hearing is that she is prioritising her studies because that’s what is important for a student.” Diana came to your rescue before you could speak. You pulled her back slightly before telling her to lower down her volume. Even a normal noise is loud at a museum and you’re not particularly interested in letting everyone hear your business.
“If you have a problem with that, you should have come to talk to me instead of cheating behind my back. I would have worked out something so we could spend our time together, or if we really couldn’t, none of us would have to be the bad person. I may be the bad guy here now breaking off our relationship, but you’re not looking too good either in front of your new side chick.”
You gave her a glance and while she does dress up nice, you can’t expect her to have a small expense either. “Good luck.” You nodded towards her, whether it was to her or to him, doesn’t matter.
Camellia and Diana followed after you as you let out a huge sigh stepping out of the museum. Not a great start to a new life, Y/N… Is it so hard to get your love life right?
“Hey, don’t worry about that guy now. Less of him, more of us!” Diana encouraged.
“Yeah! How about we spend the rest of the day together, we can watch a movie, go cafe hopping, thrift shop to get over Andrew!” Camellia listed out ideas of what you can do together. “There’s no getting over Andrew, I’ve already gotten over him. And there’s no need to spend more time out. He’s right on one point, I’m focusing on my studies, so I’ll be heading back now. Feel free to continue hanging out without me.” You turned and headed home without looking back at them.
Camellia and Diana were reluctant to see you go, but they knew nothing could change your mind and it wasn’t the first time you break apart from a group to leave first. “Come on, let’s go. We can bring something back for her tonight.”
You were waiting for your bus to arrive when something blocked the sun from shining at you. Thinking it was the bus, you looked up trying to find the number but only came across Natasha. “I thought you were out with your friends?” Natasha asked as she sat next to you. “I was, now I am not.” You connected your earpods to your phone to block her out and she got the hint that you didn’t want to speak to her anymore. She continued sitting there even when your bus arrived.
Why is it so hard to not bump into people?
You sat at your desk staring into the void, another half a semester and it would be time for your final examination for your third year in university and sad to say, you are not confident in increasing your grades even with this restart. If there was a limit cap assigned to each person when brought to earth, this would be your limit, just ever so slightly above the average.
Shaking your head, you opened your laptop and cleared the emails before getting started on the hardest module this semester, Financial Investment, the bane of your existence. If there was one module that could make or break you, this would be it.
Burying your head into it, you managed to do about two hours worth before taking a break, something you haven’t accomplished in a long time. Moving onto the next module, something slightly easier for you brain since it was something you did before entering university.
You were just about to get the answer for the last question when someone knocked on your front gate. You were so close to finishing so you left them hanging as you wrote your last sentence before rushing to get to the door.
“Heyyy!! We didn’t want you to be left alone after a day like this, so we got us things to hang out! We got drinks, snacks and we’ll order food when we get hungry later.” Diana stuffed the goods in front of your face to emphasise her point. “Are your parents in?” The more sensible, laidback, Camellia asked.
“No, they’re out until tonight.” You shook your head and let them in. Sifting through the bags you saw that they brought Soju, a type of Korean alcohol. “You actually brought alcohol?”
“Why are you acting as if you don’t drink alcohol? I want to play the part of comforting a friend through their breakup.”
“You're gonna have to find another friend for that.”
They got comfortable on the couch and logged into Netflix before starting to decide what they wanted to eat. Scrolling through the options on the phone, they couldn’t decide what they want, not particularly craving for anything. “How about Mexican? I feel like trying a burrito.” You offered, not fond of them taking a long time to decide and having to wait for them before starting the movie.
“Alright. This place’s review ain’t bad, I’ll pass the phone, just input what you want.” Camellia announced.
It was finally getting to the good part of the movie when the doorbell rang. Diana made sure the movie was paused and even brought the remote with her before getting to the door. However, when she opened the door, she wasn’t faced with the delivery man but Natasha. “Is Y/N here?” She asked.
“Ahh, yeah… Y/N! Natasha is here for you.”
“Is there something I can help you with?” You don’t understand why Natasha was standing in front of your house. “Nothing. I just thought you were alone so I came to drop something for you. I know you tend to skip dinner if you’re alone.” You looked down at her hands and indeed there was a paper bag full of food for you.
“Natasha…,” you sighed and stepped past the door to let it close behind you, “I appreciate this, but you have to know that it’s not going to lead to anything. I don’t want us to be uncomfortable around each other when we see each other in school.”
She nodded. “I know. But we are still friends, I don’t see why I can’t see you outside of school. I can care for you as a friend would. Just like how Camellia and Diana are with you right now.”
Because I know you can’t keep within the boundaries. You’re just great like that, when you want something, you put your all to make sure you get it. You’re not a bad person, Natasha, but I’m not sure if I want history to repeat itself again.
“We’ll see how it goes.”
“I don’t know what you’re feeling right now, but I got a burger and waffle for you.” She handed the bag over before turning away.
“I’ll see you in school, Natasha.” She brightened up slightly hearing your voice directed at her. “I’ll see you in school too.”
You sighed and entered your home again, this time with the bag of food with you. “Mate, we really have to talk about this.”
“Anyone want some food before the driver arrives?”
“Nahh, Natasha bought it specifically for you. I wouldn’t dare to eat it.” You sighed and removed it from the packaging and indeed, she ordered it specifically for you, as if it wasn’t clear enough from her personally delivering it to you. She remembered how you liked your burger, no pickle, no tomato with extra onion.
The doorbell rang again but this time, you didn’t want to leave your seat to get the food anymore. “I’ll put your share in the microwave. Maybe you can have it for breakfast tomorrow or when you get hungry in the middle of the night.” Even your friends were wary of your mood change.
“Right, now’s the time we can drink since we have food in our bellies!” Diana gave each of you a bottle before taking her bowl. “Drink up! We are going to play truth or dare later, and I need you to be tipsy and not in your logical mind.” She didn’t have to encourage you, you were already gulping down the first few sips.
“Come on… this is getting too boring and awkward, yall want me to talk right? So get the conversation moving.”
Camellia and Diana looked at each other before taking a sip of their own. “Why did you go for the second round of Logistic Director? I mean, you had no reason to do it, most students have their title for one year before passing it on. In fact you’re considered the minority to even have a title.” Camellia asked.
“You’re right, most students don’t even go for the title or the position, but I’m not great in my studies and I have to rely on other means to get a position in the workforce. To have some semblance that I got what it takes. I don’t have it down like most people think I do, so I have to take whatever scraps left to put myself out there.”
Contrary to what people think, you’re a lightweight drinker. A can of beer is your go to, not this alcohol percentage in the double digits. You felt restless, unable to stay in a single spot so you kept walking around. Doing this made you unaware that your friends weren’t drinking as fast as you were. You started talking a lot more than you would, a lot louder, more daring, cutting in and it was a very different side for your friends to see.
“What about you? Are you seeing any guys at the moment? I know your flirting game is very strong.” You pointed at Diana as you took your last sip of soju. You swayed on your feet and your friends quickly brought you back to the couch to sit. Your face flushed with imprecise movements were worthy of their camera space. “You guys are not answering the questions.” You whined.
“I am trying to find someone, but I have been unsuccessful so far.”
“Aww, I’m sure you will find one before you graduate.”
“What about you? Do you like Natasha?”
“Of course I like her. She used to be my wife!”
“Your wife? I think you have finally drank too much. Camellia, go get her some water.”
“I’m not joking! We were married for five years, but it didn’t work, we started arguing a lot and were going to get a divorce in the end.”
“Yeah yeah, and my boyfriend is Charles Leclerc. I can’t believe you still like her after saying you didn’t and going out with Andrew.”
“So you do have a boyfriend!”
“No I don’t!”
“You don’t?”
“Come on, let’s get you in bed before your parents come back and realise you’re drunk.”
The next morning, you woke up with your blazing alarm, feeling more drain than ever. Memories were hazy, not really being able to remember what happened after seeing Natasha. Looking around, your room looks clean and untouched so you rule out doing anything crazy that you will regret.
Having a pounding head first thing in the morning wasn’t really in your checklist but it managed to sneak its way in there. It’s worse than you ever felt before during your previous university time. You definitely have felt these kinds when working though. Groaning out of bed, you wander to the kitchen to find something to help with the pain.
“You’re finally up, it’s almost lunch time.” Your mum said as she saw you walking into the kitchen. “You must have been really tired last night. When we came back, you didn’t even move a muscle when we called.”
“Yeah, we went out for the whole day so I was tired from walking for a long time. Just the last chance to really relax before the finals starts. It’s coming in about… three weeks.” You finally find the painkillers and pop one into your mouth before getting a glass of water.
“Well, go freshen up and we can go for brunch together.”
As you showered, you were still racking your brain to find something that happened last night. You knew you drank soju, but it was just a weird feeling having a gap in your memories. No matter how hard you tried, you just had no recollection of what happened after Diana asked about Natasha. Reluctantly, texting them was the only solution you had. But before you couldn’t even type the message out, there was an unread message from the group with a picture in it.
Didn’t think you could be this adorable. Diana sent a picture of you lying on the couch. You groaned out loud once you saw it. All the image of you being stoic that you sought to maintain just vanished. You better not spread that photo around. You texted back.
Why is this life tougher and harder than the first? You thought.
The brunch was great, you were craving Nandos so that’s what both of you went for. You did a little shopping, bought some clothes, and replenished some groceries before heading back home. It was a really hot day so you were glad to enjoy some free aircon at the mall.
Natasha was also waiting for the lift when you arrived, raising a question in your head. “You have classes in the Accountancy Building?” You asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “I am taking the link bridge over to Law.” She explained. When you and Natasha were waiting, it was only the two of you. However, as seconds passed, more people started to fill the waiting area as everyone waited for the lift to come back down. Once the door opened, everyone squeezed in together, trying to prevent having to wait all over again. Some were more daring than others as they forcefully pushed their way in, planting their bags in others’ faces. You stumbled slightly and ended up leaning against Natasha for balance.
“Sorry.”
“No worries.” Some left on the second level, giving the rest of you a slight breather as everyone spreads apart. Eventually, everyone exited the lift on the third level, and you parted ways with Natasha. You didn’t realise as you were focused on getting to class, but Natasha looked at you until you were out of sight.
Unsurprisingly, Camellia wasn’t there for the afternoon class, and you forced yourself to listen more carefully, taking down notes that you thought would be beneficial for her. Usually, you were more laid back with note-taking, but perhaps this was the change you needed to improve your grades.
Three long hours later, it was time to head home. Students rushed to get out of the seminar room as you sent the notes over to Camellia using your tablet. You have often wanted to clarify your understanding with the professor, but you were either too shy and nervous to ask anything, or you didn’t have concrete questions to ask. You feel like you will be an idiot if you voice out your questions that don't make sense. Therefore, you’d tag along with others and hopefully, they’ll ask questions that help you.
This time, though, you managed to sort your thinking during class, jotted down some points you were unsure about, and wished for the professor to reiterate his points. You found the slides with the most question marks and asked if the professor could explain it again.
The experience wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. He was really understanding, went through everything you didn’t understand, and checked in on your understanding at certain points to ensure you were keeping up.
You thanked the professor and went ahead to grab dinner. In the past, you’d grab some bread that you could finish on your way to the train, which would be considered your dinner. However, now, you realise the importance of having every meal at the right time as you suffer from severe gastric problems when you grow up.
You sat by the window as you began eating your food, it was a simple rice meal with a mix of greens and proteins. Putting the phone in front of you. You put on a movie you downloaded before getting ready to eat.
Halfway into the meal, someone flipped your phone down, and you were about to glare at them until you saw Natasha sitting in front of you. What was she trying to do? You thought she agreed to act like strangers when no one was around, but she kept talking and running into you.
“Having your dinner?” She asked, getting comfortable in the seat in front of you.
“What are you doing?” You asked.
“Nothing, I was getting back from the bakery when I saw you eating.” She showed you the bread she had. “I remember you didn’t like eating alone, so here I am.” She continued.
“I am fine eating with my movie, you can leave.” You flipped your phone up again and resumed eating.
“How’s… the mods? I heard you mapped the mods differently this time.”
You glanced at Natasha and she wasn’t sure if you were going to ignore her or tell her off. “It’s cheaper to take it this semester.”
“And how’s your boyfriend?”
“Why are you asking so many questions?” You spoke sharply. “Just take your bread and return to your dorm.” At this point, you were done with your food, and you returned your plate to the tray return area and headed home.
It has been a really weird encounter with Natasha and you really couldn’t figure out her intention. Wasn’t she with Maria? Why was she being so friendly with you? It was a wild day in school for you, even if it was just for a few hours.
===
Not having any class on Friday was a blessing for you. It gives you a chance to rest and catch up on any backlog or use this opportunity to meet up with your friends, which was what you were doing.
Camellia was bringing you and Diana to this pasta restaurant you heard them speak about but never had the chance to try until now. It’s considered near school, but it was quite a distance to walk in order to get there. Everyone decided to have brunch to beat the lunch crowd and have peace while eating.
Diana, the more outgoing, extroverted person, had lots of interesting stories to share. She remained in contact with her seniors while she was interning and came to learn lots of gossip that we never thought we would hear. While all of you were interning in the same company, Camellia and you were under another manager and, therefore, not in the loop of such stories.
Allegedly, there were stories of the manager having an affair with one of his associates while his wife was back in his hometown with two kids. There were suspicious activities which led people to develop theories, such as claiming not to go for the work trip but ending up being there as well. Many other instances would not be great to state, but people pity his wife for not knowing about his affair and continuing to believe in his faithfulness and patiently waiting for his return.
“Enough about my ex-boss. How is it going with Andrew? I haven’t seen him for a long time, ever since the end of his tournament.” Diana said to change the topic.
“Yeah… since we bid different modules, it is hard to find time to meet. He has three classes on Tuesday, which means class the whole day. Wednesday is a bit tough for us to meet since I have Archery, and classes take up most of my Thursday, leaving the rest of the days for us to meet.” You explained why meeting Andrew has been rare these days.
“Well, that doesn’t mean anything. That leaves Monday, Friday and the weekend for something fun.” Camellia immediately jumped in and commented.
“That’s because I have to study. I don’t want to be satisfied with B anymore. Especially with the finals coming in a few weeks, I have to make sure I get everything down.” You said seriously as you swirled your pasta with your fork. Speaking of finals, it was about time for you to get started in making sure that your notes are ready by the time study week begins.
This time, Diana’s and Camellia’s timetable doesn’t allow everyone to study either before or after class, so you decided to study in the library alone. You always choose to study at the round table, which most people avoid due to its small table area, and most people only use it for short periods of time. But it does a great job for you since there will always be space, no matter the time.
After lunch, the three of you headed to the museum, where there was a special exhibition showing the different uses of lights and 80s styles. Art has never been your interest. Museums, pictures and painting were boring to you. Arguably, some paintings are really great, but you don’t make the effort to learn the reasoning and story behind the picture. But, you don’t mind walking around when it is free of charge, not everyone can get what they want.
There was a popular area as part of the museum though, using the properties of light, it reflects different colours, and creates shadows on the wall in front of us. Camellia was quick to whip out her phone and took some photos for her social media. When it comes to photo taking, she’s the one with the highest standard, we could be standing there for minutes if there weren’t more people waiting.
“Remember to tag me in the photo when you post.” Diana said as you ladies were entering the atrium of the museum. “Let’s take one here too! To mark off the end of the museum.” Diana, ever the lively one insisted. All of you crowded in front of the long stairs leading to the second floor. Camellia went to place her phone at an angle to capture the panoramic view. Your legs were hurting and you were actively looking for a place to sit down when you saw a familiar back.
“That person at the back looks familiar, don't you guys think?” You said as Camellia was testing places with nice light and background. Diana turned around and looked at your direction. “Isn’t he…?”
“Andrew.” You only identified him because he turned to the lady next to him and kissed her on her cheeks.
“Do you want to leave?” Diana asked quietly, unsure how you were going to react after seeing Andrew cheat on you. Camellia meanwhile was still looking between you and Andrew making sure he wasn’t looking in your direction.
You were thinking how you were going to approach this. End it now, or pretend this never happened before and give him a chance to explain himself.
“Sorry for having to postpone the meeting time, guys.” Wanda said as she took off her bag and sat down at the seat that was saved for them.
“No problem at all.” Steve shook his head. “Clint said you were inviting Y/N?” He asked when your presence was nowhere to be seen.
“I did. But she said she wanted to get as much rest as she could before an early day tomorrow.” Wanda relayed your explanation.
“Wise choice. Y/N is always going for the morning session for archery.” Clint said, knowing the schedule.
“That’s something you’re missing, Clint, being able to make good decisions.” Maria teased.
Clint gasped and placed a hand in front of his chest in faux hurt feelings. “Forgive me for wanting to hang out with my friends.”
As the whole gang was here, they began ordering food and drinks, excited to be able to spend time with their friends and learn about other’s experiences in school. Even though they may be attending the same school and overlapping modules, there was a whole lot more to explore outside of class. Once they had lined their stomachs, they began ordering heavier drinks, and Natasha could be seen drinking faster than anyone else.
As with any alcohol involved, people start speaking loudly and nonsense starts coming out of everyone’s mouth. Lots of complaints start coming out and even if they feel strongly about it then, nothing would be done when they are sober.
At the end of the meeting, Steve made sure that everyone has a way of getting home to their dorms or home. Natasha, not being able to stand on her own feet, had to be brought back to her dorm by Maria.
“Nat, come on, I need your keys.” Maria grumbled when they arrived at her door. It was hard to balance Natasha with one arm when she wasn’t staying still and trying to reach for her keys in her bag. More than half the time, Nat’s roommate was nowhere to be found and Nat kinda scored in that department, having more space and privacy for herself. “Why do you have to drink so much today? You always end up needing help to get to bed.” Maria dropped Nat on the bed before shaking her limbs.
“Y/N… I’m sorry…” Natasha mumbled into her pillow but Maria caught it. “I’m so sorry…” She ignored what Natasha said and moved her under the cover. Once she was sure that everything was settled, she made sure to lock the door before leaving.
===
The next morning, Natasha was woken up by her alarm incessant ringing. Feeling like her head was loaded with bricks, she shut it off without looking at the time. “Fuckkk…” She held her head when she sat up. Usually Natasha would head to class even if she was late, but she decided to skip this time. She can afford to miss a few lessons with her current knowledge.
She looked around, noticing that her roommate didn’t come back from last night again. If not for the huge ass sign at the wall, she would have forgotten her name with the amount of time they met. “God, Natasha, why did you drink so much?” She pulled herself up to the washroom to freshen up and get changed into her gym clothes. If she cleans up quickly, she can still make it to the gym in the morning session where there are less people around. The school’s gym was definitely great but it’s often occupied by those dragon boaters or law students who seemed to focus on bulking as much as memorising their statues.
Natasha got on an empty treadmill at the end of the lane and began her warm up for ten minutes before moving to the weights for some bicep curls. She was going for endurance instead of a fixed number of sets. After working up a sweat and her grey shirt turned a darker shade, she stopped and moved onto some squats and lunges.
More people started streaming in and Natasha decided that continuing on without eating would not be a wise choice. She returned the weights and before making her way back to the dorm, maybe she’ll head home to see how Yelena’s doing.
“Nat!” She turned her head to Maria's voice at the hall.
“Maria? What are you doing here?” She knew the class was still ongoing. “Did we just leave Clint alone in class today without telling him?”
“It’s time he learned some independence. That guy needs to build some backbone.” Maria shrugged as she approached Natasha. “We haven’t been on a date for a while, shall we?”
Natasha looked dazed at Maria before replying. “S-sure, do you want to come in and wait? I have to shower after a session in the gym.” Natasha unlocked the door to her room and invited Maria in. “I’ll be quick.”
Maria sat at the edge of her bed, looking around this time with more light in the room. Natasha was the definition of organised mess. Her things are laid everywhere, but you could see how things were sectioned. Her hoodie you’d often see her wearing hanging at the back of a chair. There weren’t any sentimental things hanging at her wall or any cork board pinned with pictures. “Hey sorry for waiting.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“Do you have anywhere in mind you want to go?” Natasha asked as she chose a jacket to wear from her closet.
“I was thinking about the new place that opened in the school grounds. They serve curry katsu of sorts.”
“Sure, let’s go there.”
There were quite a lot of people since it was a new store and the lack of good cheap food around the school. Thankfully, not all of them had their food in the store, and they were able to get a table. The restaurant had a simple menu, and with a quick glance, both of them were able to decide what they wanted.
“Are you alright?” Maria asked as they waited.
“What?”
“You seemed off yesterday. You normally have more control over how much you drink. It’s like you’re trying to forget some things.”
“Well-” Natasha was trying to figure something to say where their buzzer sounded, indicating to them to collect their food from the counter. “There’s nothing much, actually. It’s just the usual stress of work and friendship.” Natasha said as they got ready to dig in. “It’s like what Clint said yesterday. There’s only so much time in a day, so how do you divide your time between your friends and work?”
“There’s a lot of answers to that question. I could say it depends on where your passion lies. I could also say it depends on what makes you happy. After all, the whole point of everything we do in life is to be happy in the end. If you’re miserable in your choice, then there’s no point being there. If you start to think of some other things other than the person in front of you, then I’d say you’re at the wrong place.”
“Wow…” Natasha dragged. “Did you think about this before? This was surprisingly very in-depth.” She only shrugged her shoulders and continued eating.
“I’m planning to specialise in family law. And hopefully, be able to rescue more than separate.”
That caught Natasha by surprise. She knew Maria took up corporate law in the end with her. “I thought you would venture into corporate law.”
“I’m looking at both.”
Natasha nodded, unsure if she was changing the history here. But should she be worried about that? The fact that Y/N and her aren’t together has opened up lots of different paths the universe could go. “Do you want to come over to my house? I was planning to see how Yelena’s doing.”
“Sure, this is her first year at Uni, right?”
The food wasn’t anything to rave about, but it was something new and interesting. Something that could satisfy students on a budget. They finished up their food, and Natasha drove them both to her house.
It wasn’t a long ride but enough to make Natasha get a dorm near the school to save on those minutes of travelling each day.
“It’s a nice neighbourhood.” Maria said when she surveyed the area. “Nice and quiet.”
“Yeah, well, everyone knows most people around here. It’s hard to keep eyes away.” Natasha provided. Parking her car by the road, she was stopped by Maria, who wanted to bring up something important.
===
“Yelena! Check the driveway! I think your sister is here.” Melina shouted from the kitchen for her daughter. Yelena perked up before looking at her window from the second level to see that Natasha was indeed here with her friend. Hearing the thundering steps from above, Melina knew she was right.
“Hey!” Yelena shouted as she opened the door, planning to scare her sister and her friend, but Natasha was seen standing alone in front of her car when she did. “Where did your friend go? I thought I saw her.” Yelena approached her sister, who was standing there in a daze.
“She had to leave. She remembered something important.”
“Why are you standing here then? Being a tree? You are really getting weirder by the day. Is that what Uni does to you? Is it contagious? Should I drop out?” Yelena looked at her sister weirdly before distancing herself.
“You get over here!” Natasha was not going to allow Yelena to trample all over her like this. “I’ll destroy you before Uni gets to.” They started play fighting in the house until Melina told them to stop, but not without making weird faces at each other.
“Nat, we love you being here. But aren’t you supposed to be in school?” It was the middle of the week, and there were times when Nat wouldn’t return home during the weekends.
“Class was cancelled.” She went to the fridge to get a glass of cold water to get away when Alexis came in.
“Ahh, Natasha!! My eldest is back!” He loves to announce his arrival loudly as he goes to hug Natasha. “Did you already finish school?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It has just passed half of the semester, she still has another month and a half to go.” Melina came to her rescue as she tried to get out of her father’s embrace. Natasha quickly used this chance to retreat to her room, far away from any questions and stares.
===
“Diana and I are going to the club on Friday before the presentations and heavy lifting start. Do you want to give clubbing a try?” Camellia asked you before the professor came in. You agreed, thinking it could be a new experience. Previously, you rejected, not feeling confident enough to enter and enjoy the loud music, drunkards and how easily it was to lose someone. However, you had to attend a few while working to entertain your supervisors and managers.
“Great! Diana’s brother will drive us there, so let’s meet at her house around 7 pm.”
You weren’t able to pay attention in class that day, having to wake up at 5 in the morning. You thought the short rest between the end of Archery and class would be sufficient, but clearly, your body was asking for more. An hour in, your eyes were already fighting sleep. When the professor finally announced a break, you placed your head down, ready for the short and sweet 15-minute break. 1 hour down, 2 more to go.
===
You didn’t think much about it when you accepted the invitation to go. Now that you have rested and are more rational, you remember there were hardly any items of clothing you owned that were suited for clubbing. You wouldn’t want to be the only one to look like fish out of the water.
You ransacked your closet for something more appropriate. Something that would be considered revealing to you, but normal for them. After adjusting them numerous times, you were ready to head out after telling your parents where you were going. “Don’t go to sleep so early! I may need a ride back!” You heard them complain jokingly before agreeing as you stepped out the door.
“Don’t do anything stupid that you’d regret!” Your mother said.
Diana’s brother drove us to the popular club that was having free entries for the middle of the week, knowing that there would be fewer people taking up that promotion.
Regardless, there were still lots of people queuing up to enter, but as you kept chatting with your friends, you were in the front of the line. As you were showing your IC, you could already hear the music leaking through the walls. They were playing some music you heard of, but did not know well enough to know its lyrics.
“Come on! Let’s just find a spot before we do anything else.” Diana led the group. You ordered a beer and the rest ordered some sort of a cocktail. You admit, you were a bit of a lightweight and often stayed at the safe side drinking. You’d occasionally try some soju or wine, but that’s usually in smaller amounts.
“How do you guys find something like this enjoyable?” You shouted over the music.
“This is yet to be the good part, wait till the games start and you wouldn’t be able to stop.” Diana instructed as they waited for their drinks to be served.
You find people in clubs to be open minded, as long as they see that there is space where you’re sitting, they’d find all sorts of reasons to sit at your table. Unfortunately, you were sitting at the edge which meant that you were seated closest to them.
“You ladies students?” He asked. You nodded while looking at your friends, wondering how they were going to deal with this. “That’s great! Reminds me of the time I was one. I’m John by the way.”
“John, we are not looking for company, why don’t you offer your service somewhere else.” Diana said, shooing him off. “You wouldn’t want to be banned from entering the most popular club in town.”
“Whatever man.” He grumbled before leaving.
“Now that’s settled, let’s play some truth or drink!” Diana pushed your drinks into your hands and started the game.
There were a few embarrassing stories revealed and most importantly, love stories and experiences of first kiss etc. They love to get those stories out of you, and you struggled to tell them anything, knowing you had a pretty mundane life until you got with Nat. You spend the entire time thinking about Nat that you didn’t bother looking at anyone else.
“Have you developed things with Andrew?” Camellia asked when it was your turn.
“Developed things?” You asked.
“Yeah, you know… have you guys made out?”
“What the fuck, guys! No! Those kinds of things are private anyway!”
More questions were thrown around and would never have known that there were many people who confessed to Diana who got turned down immediately. You never knew you had a popular friend.
Finally after drinking the entire can of beer, they relented and asked a few questions about their friendships and if there was anything you were hiding from them. You admitted that you were jealous of them, being so confident and amicable that they attracted friends easily. People recognise their efforts easier as you hide behind their shadows. They were stunned in silence as you spoke. “Don’t worry, I’ll still support you two. You deserve every ounce of recognition and award you receive.”
“Let’s go to the dance floor. I know you know this song. Come on!” Diana went around the table and dragged you out closer to the action as the beginning of the song played. You took your drinks with you as you tried to dance along to the song. Perhaps with the alcohol, you were able to loosen slightly as you break out some moves.
Camellia gave you her cocktail to try, and it was sweeter than you thought it’d be. You liked it so much that you asked for the name of it to order it from the bar.
“Y/N? Is that you?” You couldn’t tell who it was with the music, but you were sure you heard someone calling your name. You turned around to see who it was. It was Natasha. “It really is you. I never thought you would appear in a club, and I saw wrongly.”
“What are you doing here?” You also knew that she would never appear in a club on weekdays other than friday.
“Yelena wanted to come. So the whole family came. You know how Melina and Alexis party.” She shrugged before giving her order to the bartender. “Venturing into new drinks?” She nodded towards the glass in your hands.
“Yeah, Camellia introduced it. I quite like it.”
“You’re with Camellia and Diana?” Nat asked.
You nodded. “Speaking of, I should get back to them before they think I got lost.” Natasha nodded as she saw you walk away.
“Why did you take so long?” Camellia asked.
“I met Natasha.” Her eyes widened in surprise that she would be here.
“Who cares about her.” She waved her hand. “You don’t have a crush on her anymore anyways. Come on! Diana said we’re only going to be here for the next three songs!” You could tell she was drunk, taking your hand as the extension of her body as she dance around.
By the time Diana came back from wherever she went. You were already holding onto Camelia’s waist, trying to keep her from falling to the floor. “She drank too fast, didn’t she?” You shook your head and shrugged.
Guiding Camellia out was kinda funny as she kept jumping and trying to head back. Thankfully, Diana was there to persuade her out. “You know, I definitely thought you’d be the one we have to drag out.” You smiled, you definitely gave off the vibe of needing to be taken care of as you look younger than you are.
Camellia gets dropped off first before you, and you said your thanks to Diana’s brother as you waved goodbye to both of them.
Seeing that you were able to discern part of the house interior, you knew at least someone was still up, following your instructions to remain awake. Hearing your keys opening the door, your mother turned away from the TV to look at you. “Your face is red.”
You forced yourself not to roll your eyes. “Thanks for pointing out the obvious, as if I don’t already know that.” You went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of cold water and Advil, deciding to use them later when you can’t sleep. “I’m going to head straight to bed. Don’t wake me up so early in the morning tomorrow.”
It was the morning rush hour for everyone as you tried to squeeze your way into an elevator that was rather full - there was still some space, but people preferred not to stand shoulder to shoulder if they could. In order to secure your space, you remove your backpack in one swoop, holding it instead to create more space.
The door was about to close when you noticed someone running, trying to get into the elevator. It was clear that she had the intention to get in, despite it being full as she was running towards it, so you stopped the door from closing.
“Sorry, thank you.” She said to the crowd. You knew this lady as Wanda, but you chose to act as if you didn’t recognise her. In your previous life, you would have met her way before this semester started, but things changed, and you only ‘met’ a handful of them at this point.
You didn’t say anything and continued facing forward, waiting to get off at your level. You were heading for the top level, and almost everyone had left except… you got it, Wanda Maximoff.
“You’re Nat’s friend, right?” It would be rude not to reply to her; hence you nodded. “It’s rare for Nat to make friends out of her faculty. Which class are you heading to?”
“Finance.” You gave a short answer despite knowing more would follow.
“So am I! Which prof?” Wanda replied enthusiastically. She was always the sunshine of the group, getting everyone to participate or planning events to meet up. She was always very friendly to those she met.
However, you didn’t want to get too close to her in this life. It just meant more chances to encounter Natasha. “Prof Sam.”
“Me too! It seems like we are in the same class!” You didn’t say anything but nodded as you walked into the seminar room together. Students usually arrive earlier on the first day to secure their preferred seats. Some prefer to sit in the front, while some prefer those at the back. You prefer those in the middle. Somewhere inconspicuous.
You were the first to arrive among your friends, and based on experience, you know that they prefer to sit in the centre in order to see the whiteboard and slides.
10 minutes before class started, you saw them entering and gave them a small wave to let them know that you have saved them some seats. In the end, Camellia decided to sit next to you while Diana sat beside her.
“I heard this class was going to be quite tough. I hope it isn’t going to be too bad, though.” Diana expressed.
“If you listen well in class, you should be fine. Some of them we have learned in high school.” Camellia knew a little about this class since she has a broad group of friends, some of whom have taken it. “The main part we have to learn is the formulas. Which can be quite complex from what I saw.”
“Hopefully, they will be provided during the tests and exams.” You shudder at the thought of having to memorise them since you were taking 5 modules this semester, 4 of which have examinations.
Finally, when Prof Sam came in, he first began by going through the lesson plan for the semester and some important dates before going into class proper. By the end of the class, we were given three weeks to decide who was in our group of five. Normally, it would have been settled with those that sat in the same row as ours. However, since there were only three of us, we had to wait to be invited or invite two others.
It was better to find someone since you were already in a group of three. Otherwise, you risk being separated. “Hey girls, can we join you?” Diana and Camellia are not acquainted with Wanda and Thor but accept them nonetheless since it completes the group and has no reason to reject them.
How life loves to play a joke on you when you are trying to get rid of them as much as possible…
===
After the onslaught of competitions with your sport and Andrew’s, it was finally time for the basketball finals. You have been to a few more of his training and competitions and inevitably made a couple of friends there. Surprisingly, the number of them attached was fewer than you thought. You’d always had the impression that nearly half of them had girlfriends, but they were actually dedicated to the sport, wanting to excel in it.
Since Andrew told you weeks ago when the final for the basketball tournament was going to be held, you made sure not to add any event for that day if they were able to make it.
And sure enough, this year, they did!
You went together with Andrew and the team, as the school had hired a bus for them for such an event. On the way there, the bus was filled with them singing at the top of their lungs and occasionally showing funny clips.
“Sorry that you have to suffer through this.” You shook your head. It wasn’t that bad; at least they were excited about something they were passionate about and not causing harm to anyone.
Once everyone reached the locker, they proceeded to get ready and warm up. You decided to make yourself useful and refilled everyone’s bottle with the isotonic drink the coach bought. Unsurprisingly, your school was facing the hosting school this year, and they had already started their warm up drill.
With one final cheer, they walked onto the court and started dribbling the ball. Unlike the previous times, you sat at the bench with the others. Some of the other girlfriends were also coming, but they were only able to come during halftime.
As they continued with their drills, once empty seats became filled. You wished them all the best when the time came to start the game one final time. You gave Andrew one final smile before the whistle blew.
It took quite a while before someone started scoring. It was important to be the first to score as it changed the tide, and the other team would be chasing, and you could ride the flow to victory if done correctly.
It had dragged on longer than usual, and after 3 minutes, no one had scored until the ball slipped from an opponent's hand, and your captain managed to secure the ball first and pass it to Andrew to score a three. Your school cheered loudly, and you clapped until your hands turned red. If you’re never going to be able to get a courtside seat, this is the closest you’re going to get, and you’re going to make the most of it. It’s different to hear the teammates' commands and callouts, knowing what they were planning to score in the next round.
It got a lot more stable in the next free minutes, with both sides scoring equally, but you were still holding the lead. At their largest lead yet, the other girlfriends came, and they spotted you by the bench before quickly making their way over.
During halftime, you and the team manager were the ones giving out their water bottles, and you had the opportunity to hand Andrew his. He looked really confident, and you gave him a quick pat on the back before allowing him to listen to his coach’s plan. He changed his tactic and told his players to play more aggressively since they were in the lead. They could take more risks and pull ahead even further.
There was a risky moment where one of our players fouled the opponent and was given a yellow card. Coach opted to get him swapped and, at the same time, get a fresh member with lots of energy.
Thankfully, they managed to keep their double-digit lead all the way and eventually won the game without any extra stress. Once the whistle was blown, the entire team rushed to the court and started celebrating their championship win.
You felt bad for the other team, but they fought well and were not entirely blown out. One of the sponsors handed the trophy to your team captain before he lifted it up proudly. This was definitely a day that they would remember.
Everyone took a long time to settle down at the lockers as they were going through the game, what they thought were the best moments or a personal goal they achieved. Finally, it was time for them to have a shower first before leaving.
“Wait for me.” Andrew said before leaving for the shower room. “The boys and I already discussed this. I’m going to celebrate with you; tomorrow, the team and I are going to skip school and celebrate for the whole day.”
You widened your eyes. “But where would we be going? I didn’t plan anything!”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. I have places in mind. You just have to tag along.” He gave you a cute smile before rushing in to make sure he wasn’t the last. As you waited, you went back to the locker where the other girls were. You chatted with them a little before being more interested in your phone.
Soon, a lot of them started to return, and they still had that wide smile on their faces. “Hey, Y/N, can I talk to you for a minute?” Michael asked as he stood in one corner. “I just wanted to say…” He took a moment to figure out what and how he wanted to say as he looked around the now busy room. “I just wanted to say thank you for being there for Andrew. You may not notice it, but he has improved a lot since he’s been with you. We all knew he was critical in winning this championship as he was always the one to facilitate our plays.”
“I just… I didn’t know. That’s great, then. Congratulations again for winning this championship.”
Andrew returned in time to witness Michael moving away from you, and he scrunched his eyebrow, wondering what you guys were discussing. “What did he say to you? If he upsets you, I can beat him up. We are like brothers, he can’t do anything to me.”
You chuckled and patted his shoulders. “He didn’t say anything bad to me. Let’s just get your thing and go.” You and Andrew waved goodbye to those who remained.
“But you didn’t drive here.” You suddenly remembered. He only smirked at you before directing you where to go. It was just a short walk down the street until you reached an empty basketball court. “You brought me to a basketball court?”
He nodded enthusiastically. This smile on his face made you feel like he was a child introducing his new toy to you. “You said you always wanted to play basketball but have no one to play with. Who would be a better playmate than the one who won a championship?” He smirked and brought out a basketball from his bag. “Come on! Give it a go.” He passed you the ball and pointed at the hoop.
You felt the weight of the ball before bouncing it a little, getting your footing right at the free throw line before shooting. “Wow, I better not underestimate you.”
“You better not.” You smirked before passing him the ball. Both of you play half-court 1 vs 1 for a couple of minutes, with him dominating you the entire time. You could tell he was going easy on you when you passed him a couple of times and landed easy shots.
At the end of it, you were sweating slightly as Andrew, and you sat at the edge of the court, sipping water to rejuvenate. It was definitely fun for you to do this again, be more active, and do things you stopped because of work and life. As you were thinking how lucky you were to be able to have a second chance, you noticed Andrew looking at you. “What is it? Why are you staring at me like this?” You started being slightly self-conscious and covered your face a little.
“I should be glad, then only you would look attractive to me.” You froze at his words, remembering what Natasha had said to you once.
It was just after a cross-club event between Archery and Taekwondo. It was a tiring and exhausting day for the archery members as it was a very still sport compared to taekwondo. Just after the warmup, people were already collapsing to the floor and complaining about how tough it was. Natasha paired with you, teaching the basics of the kick and jump movements.
“I better be the only one who finds you attractive at this very moment.”
“What?” You asked, wondering if you heard wrongly. You were bent over, trying to catch your breath.
“You look good no matter what you do.”
“T-thanks, I guess.”
“Come on, I think both of us deserve to fill our stomachs after this.”
===
After finishing all the tournaments between the both of you, you could finally put all your attention into your studies. The first checkpoint was the Finance group work with Wanda and Thor. After having met up a couple of times, there was sufficient work to present to Professor Sam for the first consultation. Wanda and Camelia, confident ones, were tanking the presentation and conveying the ideas and findings as you and the rest stood to the side. You would give Thor this role if not for his tendency to go off track.
You watched as Professor Sam noted his thoughts as the presentation went on. The more he wrote, the more worried you were. In the end, he showed you what he wrote, and you were amazed at the faults he managed to find. Even after using your ‘expert eye’, there were still things you missed. You kept thinking, this was the second time I’m doing this, and I can’t believe I couldn’t get it done even better.
“Guys, leave the design of the PowerPoint to me. Finalise all your points in the report and highlight those you want to include in the PowerPoint, and I will have the first draft in three days. Feel free to change then, I just want to get the basic design set, so you can see what it’s like.” Hardly you’d ever voice your opinion in school. However, you learned that an impressive PowerPoint slide would impress even the impartial Professor by the slightest to improve your grade.
They agreed with your idea, and all of you went off to fix their parts quickly before the next soft deadline.
It was kinda hard to get Thor to do his part at times. He was too easily distracted and with other projects and school events to occupy his mind, that he forgets he has this group project to do as well. But with constant reminders and setting a date to join him to complete it together, you were able to get it done.
You were surprised when you received a notification from Wanda on your laptop. Clicking into it, she was asking for some clarification in some places. You tried to help her as much as possible remotely, but it was hard to explain with words and typing. So you told her to join you and Thor in the study room if she was still in school, and thankfully she was.
You were expecting her to come alone, forgetting that she has a boyfriend. When Thor saw his friends, all sorts of studying etiquette went out the window. He stood up, talking loudly, greeting his friends. You didn’t say anything when Wanda was still taking everything out, getting ready; but when she started explaining what she didn’t understand, it was hard to focus with all the distraction.
“Guys!” Wanda spoke up just as you opened your mouth. Their heads snapped to her. “Get out if you’re done here. You’re too loud for us to do anything.” The boys scrambled to collect everything in their arms and rushed out of the room. “Sorry about them. I should have warned you about it.” You shook your head before getting into it again.
After making sure Wanda got everything she needed, you started packing, ready to head home and be done studying for the day. “Do you want to join us for dinner?” Wanda offered.
“Us? Who?”
“Well, Clint, Steve, Nat, Maria, the whole lot of us. We’re planning to meet up at the cafe in the school compound.” She shrugged.
“Thanks for the invite, but I better head home. I’d like to get as much rest as I can before having an early day tomorrow.” You declined respectfully before heading off. You waved to the guys who were waiting outside and made your way back without bumping into anyone.
Second Chance | Chapter 10 - How Things Have Changed
Series masterlist
You realised you have been focusing a lot on sports the past week and decided to focus more on your studies this time. A mini test was coming up, and while you were confident that it was going to be alright, you strove to get a 100% this time. Participating, asking more questions, and making yourself known to the professors.
Andrew has been meeting you at the group study room as you needed his part of the credit to book the room. You felt bad that you used his credits and weren’t speaking much to him, even in close proximity, since you were focused on studying. Hence, after packing up, you tried talking to him about basketball or things we were interested in. He told you about the game he won and how excited he was being closer to the final game. You told him about your competition next week, and if you did well enough, you’d make it to the next day.
You got a leave of absence in your first life because the test was on the same day as your competition. However, this time, you were prepared enough to let Clint handle the registration on your behalf and take an Uber there immediately after. Missing this test meant that the 10% gets transferred to the next one, and it would be a lot harder to get the A you desired.
As you rushed out of the classroom, carrying your heavy ass bow bag, you ran into Natasha, literally knocking her fully filled water bottle off her hand. “Who the hell-, Y/N?” She bends down to pick up her bottle, preventing more from spilling onto the floor. “Aren’t you supposed to be in competition?”
“I- I was just taking my test and about to head there now.” You didn’t really stay longer to talk to her.
“I can drive you there. I was planning to go and cheer on Clint anyway.” She offered. “He gave me the competition details. Your session starts in an hour and a half, right?” You looked at Natasha, unsure of her intentions.
“I guess so. Don’t you have class?” You took her offer, not wanting to be late and threw your game off.
“You know I don’t need those classes to ace my test, Y/N.”
“Right…”
Natasha brought you to her car and helped place your bag in the trunk. Once you got in, she immediately started the drive there.
“How is it with Andrew?” She asked.
“It’s going good. I never thought I’d be with someone I met at a party.” You admitted instead of giving some kind of snarky remark. It’s time to let it go and be civil with her, it’s no one’s fault that both of you landed in this position. “What about you and Maria?”
She’s not like you. Natasha wanted to say. “It’s good too. It’s definitely easier when both are in the same course. I just started on my first group project with her. That’s better than with Clint. He needs to learn how to pull his weight.” Clint wasn’t the type to aim for the stars, but he knew what satisfied him. He just wants to live comfortably with whoever he ends up with.
“It’s nice that this life turned out better for the both of us.”
“You should get some rest. There is still a while to go. Relax your muscles.” The same thing she used to say when she brought you to another competition when you were with her.
“Thanks.”
You would love to say you don’t conform under peer pressure, but when Camellia and Diana were going on a group blind date with the rest of her friends and invited you, you joined them despite wanting to binge-watch clips on YouTube. It turned out to be the best and worst decision of your lifetime.
You didn’t expect Nat to be there, though she didn’t seem like she wanted to be there either. She was the only one in her group who still had yet to date, and Sam saw the group blind date in one of his random broadcast groups (he used it to get the best deals) and urged Nat to go. He figured that if she really hated it, she could blend into the surroundings, and people won’t notice her. But you did. She was the first thing you noticed you walked in.
You thanked your god and friends when you entered the restaurant that deviated from your usual routine. Everyone matched with themselves, and you sat opposite Nat for the first time. It was up to you to initiate and lead the conversation because she looked uninterested. You were nervous and afraid you were going to say the wrong thing, but whatever you did clearly made her notice you more as she began talking to you more in school and eventually started asking you out. Nat really puts in her all when she wants to get it.
“We’re here.” Natasha informed you as she pulled up to the drop-off point. You thought she was going to stay in the car, but she came out and took the bag for you. “Good luck, all the best.”
“Thank you.” You took your bag from her and made your way up to the hall.
On the way, you met a few of your group mates and began setting your bow up in the holding room as Clint gave you your paper that showed which lane you were shooting. “Natasha’s here, by the way. I think she should be coming up soon.”
“Oh? You met her on the way here?”
“No, she drove me here, actually. I knocked into her in school.”
“Well, hurry up and do your warm-up. Your session should start soon.” He helped you to bring your bow into the hall as you started your stretches. Kate had already shot in the morning, as she was in the intermediate section while you were in the novice section. She had already shot the triple face target, while you were only shooting the 20cm target.
You were just in time as you stepped into the hall when they announced for the players to get ready. Clint and your friends were there for you, ready to tell you where your shots landed. Andrew wanted to come too, but you told him there was really no point when you were only going to be shooting for around one and a half hours. You’ve done this before, where you went to cheer them on, and it was the most tiring thing ever, having nothing to do. Granted, you were there for twelve hours.
“Relax, just do what you normally do in training, and you’ll be good.” Clint reassured you. Today was the scoring round, where everyone shoots, and the top 16 would qualify for the bracket. You did everything you’d do during training, even pressing the handheld counter, even though you didn’t need to know how many arrows you had shot. You just needed to be in the same mindset in your comfortable space.
Time flew when you were shooting, and the hour passed before you knew it. Now the only thing was to cheer the rest of them on and wait for your result. You scored 223 out of 300, so there was a high chance you’d make it in.
“I really think you have a high chance of winning this competition if you keep this up.” My hands flew to my chest when I heard Natasha’s voice come out of nowhere, scaring me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s alright.” You shook your head. “I thought you were going to be at Clint’s lane by now.”
“I am. Would you want to go together?” You couldn’t wrap your head around Natasha’s actions and how she presented herself, but you didn’t want to probe.
Your vice-captain, Alexandra, was helping Clint sight his arrows. And you were behind the line cheering him on each time he scored a time, so… basically all the time. He was probably the only one to score 10s consistently. You kinda feel bad for other men in this competition.
When the day finally ended around 8 pm, you hitched a ride back with your friends who stayed near you. Thankfully, everyone in the team made it to the next round, and it would be an interesting day tomorrow.
===
Despite telling Andrew to reach after 10 am because there would be nothing for him to do before that, he came with the rest at 8 am. Thankfully, most members knew him from the training camp and came to talk to him, so he didn’t feel as bored. They tried to include him as best they could and told him roughly how things were going to go for the day.
As the time ticked closer to 10 am, you started getting more anxious. This was different from the scoring round, you actually have a chance to win at this thing. You were part of the Top 16. Winning three rounds guarantees you a medal, and four for a gold medal. You told yourself to calm down, there was still roughly an hour before it was your turn. But your heart refused to listen, instead insisting on beating quickly.
You started to lose awareness of your surroundings and knew you needed to sit down before you collapsed to the floor.
“I got you.” Suddenly a pair of arms hugged you from behind, bringing you back to reality.
The pressure helped a lot, and you needed more of it. “Tighter… more…” The person complied, hugging you tighter and using their entire body to enclose you.
“Just breathe.” She started taking more exaggerated deep breaths. “In… out… in… out…”
With her help, you managed to ground yourself once again. She was unmistakably Natasha.
Once your senses were more in control, you could smell the same perfume you have smelled for many years. “Th-thank you.”
“No problem.”
“Uhm…”
“Right.” Natasha removed her arms from you. “Sorry. They are calling for you. You should probably head over there soon before they disqualify you.” You moved quickly and just in time before the crew came over to your lane. Clint and the rest had brought your equipment over, so you were set to shoot.
“Where have you been?” Clint silently asked. “I thought you were going to miss it.”
“Sorry.”
You placed a hand on your heart and told it to calm down as you tried to get into the zone. With the second beep, you began loading an arrow and started aiming at the target.
“Six.” Reported Clint. Not the worst, but definitely not good enough at this stage. You loaded another arrow after adjusting your sight, but you still landed another six. “Come on, you can do it!” The last arrow hit a seven, but your opponent was mostly hitting eights and nines, which gave the points for this set.
Two points for every win, one point for a draw and the first to six wins. This can end as quickly as three sets, and it’s starting to get to you again. You couldn’t internalise anything Clint was trying to explain or correct your form. You just nodded to everything, even until you collected your arrows.
“Y/N!” Natasha’s voice always seemed to manage to rise above the rest. “Just remember your routine. Do everything you would do during training.” You stared at her before making your way to the line once again. Even when the beep sounded, you stood there with your bow unmoving. The timer ticked, and everyone was looking amongst themselves, not knowing your intention.
You knew you had a relatively fast release and could afford to take the time to regulate. After taking a final deep breath, you tilted your head to the right angle before picking up your bow and releasing it quickly. You didn’t even wait for Clint’s words before loading an arrow again and again. You only had one second to spare by the time the last arrow was shot.
“10, 10, 10.” Clint said more to the people around him than to you. Naturally, you won this round and were tied, 2-2. “It’s like a switch flipped in her. What is it you said that impacted her so much?” Natasha shrugged her shoulders before walking away. You carried on with this momentum all the way until the final round with minimal talking and eventually made your way to the top.
Your battle was half won when your opponent saw how you fared during the competition. Your consistent shooting was not something common in this category. It made her lose focus which became an easy match for you.
When you won, your teammates and everyone cheered. As you walked back after the crew officially announced who won between you and your teammates. “Thank you. You played a great game as well.” You told your opponent before she went back to her team.
“Y/N! You did amazing! Two gold medals for our school! Or three since I’m definitely going to win.” Clint said as the rest continued to say a great job. It seems like Kate also won her category while you were panicking outside.
You thanked them for their support before they started to get ready for the man's category. Everyone cleared the area for the next batch of people. Clint was ready, and all you had to do was cheer each time he shot. You kinda feel bad for the opponents. There aren’t many archery competitions since it’s quite a niche sport, and they all have to compete against Clint since you aren’t allowed to backtrack to a lower category once you’ve competed in the higher one.
“Well done. I knew you could do it.” Andrew stood next to me and whispered. You smiled at him and went out together to talk better. “It seems like I better fulfil my promise and win my championship too.”
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Just do your best. You wouldn’t want to hurt yourself in preparation for it.” Basketball could be very dangerous as sportsmen hurt their ankles and knees.
“Are you celebrating your win with your teammates?” Andrew asked. It seems like he wanted to return the favour.
Sadly, you shook your head. “They already have other plans. And I much prefer to head home to sleep as well. We’ve been here for 12 hours, after all.” The second day was always more tiring as you needed to take longer rest during the day.
As people started filtering out, you knew it was time to head it as Clint advanced to the second round. You noticed Natasha wearing the Captain’s lanyard and standing behind the scope. It was weird since Clint didn’t need any assistance of this kind, and he could see the target clearly. That was until you noticed that she was not looking at his target's face but at his opponent. Ever the spy, always wanting to know who she’s facing.
===
After the prize ceremony and helping the host to pack up, it was past 9 pm Andrew was willing to send you back home because it would be dangerous for you to walk on the streets alone.
You thanked him once again for sending you back home as you took your bow bag from his trunk. Standing in front of his car, you spent a silent moment together. Both of you felt like doing something to end the night, but neither had the courage to do so. Sensing the moment was over, he turned to head back inside his car when you kissed him on his cheek.
“Have a safe ride home. Thank you for coming today.”
Second Chance | Chapter 9 - Year 3 and new intakes
Series masterlist
Before Christmas started, Andrew had basketball practice, and you went to visit him. You informed him that you were going since you were not certain if he wanted his teammates to know who he was dating. He was very excited that you were coming, and as the day got closer, he kept reminding you where and when his training was.
“Are you sure you don’t mind sitting here and watching us train? It’s going to be really boring sitting here for 3 hours.” He asked. You had met his teammates and even greeted his coach since you were intruding. Seeing a woman in a male team was rare unless it was match day and the cheer team was there. Everyone surrounded you as you appeared at the gym like you were some kind of new specimen until Andrew told them to back off.
“I’m going to be fine.” You assured him. “I sat through six hours doing nothing but seeing my archery mates shoot before I got my bow. Three is nothing.” You patted his shoulders before letting him join his training.
Seeing them train reminded you of the days you trained for it in middle school. Train was a big word, it was more like playing with friends. It was part of the school’s curriculum to let students choose which sport interested them, and it was really basic coaching, but it was the only time you could play basketball with the same gender that included you. Not that the guys didn’t welcome you, but they were so strong and big that you couldn’t contribute much, and you were kinda afraid of the strength they threw the ball.
You watched as they did some basic drills to warm up, their formation all in sync. The coach gave them a few drills to practice and train their muscle memory before making them do physical training. Each of them grumbled when they heard the dreaded PT. Andrew turned to face you, and you raised your hands to cheer him silently. “You can do it.” You mouthed.
When Andrew came to talk to you for a bit, it was really nice being able to talk to someone and feel included in their training. You even had a chance to touch the ball and throw some hoops as they refilled their water and took a break. You did some random shooting at the free throw line and 2-pointers until it was time for them to use the court.
They ended their training with friendly matches to reward them for participating in the gruelling training. Who isn’t excited to be able to play?
“Thanks for coming. I know it may be weird to say, but your presence here was the motivation everyone needed to get through these last few training sessions before the tournament started.”
“It’s not a problem, really. I really like basketball too.” You waited for Andrew to shower and clean up before heading for lunch together.
===
The new year finally came, and after lots of celebrating with families and friends, it was time to head back to school to start a new year. Lots of new responsibilities and subjects to study for. This time you were more certain of your results as the modules you bid for were something that you knew more about. This was your chance to bring up your GPA.
With the new year, it was time to bring in new sets of freshies for Archery before school officially started. The event directors have done their best to attract a new batch of people, but one stood out the most. Once the sports festival started, she appeared at our desk asking if she could join the club. We asked if she had any experience in archery, and she nodded her head and told us about the competition she had participated in and won. You were all amazed by her achievements. Of course, it was alright to join without any prerequisite, which was how you joined, but it’s nice to have someone who really knows what they are doing. But the school allocates club points, and part of it is based on the number of medals you win.
“Kate! You’re here!” Clint just arrived, as usual, being one of the last few to arrive to avoid setting up.
“Yeah! I told you I’ll join!” She said enthusiastically. “I’m excited to be able to shoot with friends in school again.”
“You don’t even know when our training times are.”
“It doesn’t matter, I would do anything to be able to shoot.” Everyone could feel her energy buzzing off her.
She was the type of person that would be great friends with anyone other than you. Her energy was just too much to keep up for you. You could feel your energy draining just by watching her interact with Clint, she doesn’t seem to have the ability to stay still for a moment.
The day peaked when Kate arrived in the morning. After that, everyone seemed pale in comparison to her.
The club has gathered quite a number of new sign-ups, but according to experience, more than 60% of the people will disappear even after paying application fees. That doesn’t matter as long as there are new people staying in the club.
===
When the new term started, you used your new motivation to start studying as hard as possible, planning your time wisely so as to not burn out during the late game. You spaced out time between studying and hanging out with friends. And before you knew it, it was time for Andrew’s basketball competition.
At this point, you felt like you were friends with his teammates, when you arrived at the hosting school, everyone said hi to you. You were told Andrew was late because he felt slightly under the weather. After checking if he was alright, you still gave him a text to make sure he was alright. He replied instantly, saying he was feeling better, had already reached, and just needed to park his car.
You tried inviting Camellia and Diana to join, but they were not a fan of sports, especially one that could potentially be quite physical. Yet somehow, you spotted them near the cheerleader's station.
You waited until Andrew arrived and wished him good luck before going to your friends, who were shocked at your presence. “Y/N! What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you that! I told you I was coming here and even invited you!”
“I thought you were talking about another basketball game in our city! Not the one our school was competing in!”
“Why would I invite you to such a game?” You shook your head. “It’s okay. You can stay with your friends here. It’s going to be boring for you to sit near the guys anyway - nothing for you to talk about.” Without waiting for their reply, you went back to Andrew and participated in their cheer before going back to my seat and seeing them step on the court.
The toss-up happened, and the opponent managed to get the first possession. However, the team did really well defending and managed to get back the ball after the rebound. You watched as the ball got passed back and forth before scoring the first goal. Everyone that came to support your school cheered loudly, trying to dampen the spirit of the other school.
These players were strong mentally as both sides kept scoring goals one after another until it was halftime. When your eyes locked with Andrew, you gave him a wide smile and a small cheer. “You can do it!” You mouthed before he had to listen to his coach’s plan for the rest of the game. Seeing the smile on his face made you feel like coming to his game was worth it.
The referee blew the whistle, and both teams were supposed to head back to court.
Both teams were pretty much tied up at the three-quarter mark. There were only the last 12 minutes to put in all the effort. You were on the edge of your seat each time your school was ahead of the other team, hoping they could pull away safely.
You watched as the timer ticked down to the last few seconds. They were defending, stretching their limbs as far as they could, covering their space. The whistle was blown before the basketball left the player’s hand, cementing the victory for your school. All your school players gathered at the centre of the court and cheered loudly that they managed to move forward in the bracket.
It may look simple from the outside eye, but you know the amount of effort it took to get them there. When you finally reached the court, he went to give you a hug but stopped himself. “I’m sweaty and stinking. But thanks for coming! You have no idea how much that encouraged me to play at my best.”
You smiled at his words. “I’m glad I managed to help, even if it was just my presence. I can’t promise I’ll come to all the games, but I’ll try. If you make it to the finals, I’ll drop everything to be there.”
“We’ll make it to the finals. You’re my good luck charm.” He bounced on his feet, still feeling the adrenaline from the match. “Just give me a moment to shower, then we can go.”
He wanted to leave, but I caught his elbow. “No, don’t. You should celebrate with your teammates and coach. It’s really thanks to them that you guys managed to win. It’ll really bring up the morale for the next game.”
“Are you sure?” He asked reluctantly. “I can leave now, you know.”
You nodded. “I know. But these are the only times you get to hang out with all of them. I’m not counting the times you hang out with them separately but as a whole group. It’s a different feeling, trust me.” You assured him.
“Alright. I’ll text you when I get home tonight, though. I can’t wait to talk to you again.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Andrew stuck to his promise and texted you at night once he got ready to sleep. He told you where his team went and how much fun he had. It was also the first time he facetime with you, and you actually had to hide under your cover to make sure your parents didn’t know you were still up.
The next day, you had a hard time getting up for training as you and Andrew talked late into the night. This was going to be the last training before school officially started.
Naturally, Kate cleared Clint’s and Coach’s tests and was allowed to shoot straight away with us without any additional training. The juniors were supposed to come for their first session in the morning, and we taught them the proper way of holding and releasing an arrow.
There were a few promising ones and those that were really interested, and we could see them investing in a bow in a few months’ time.
Finally, the time for seniors to start practising and preparing for the competition came in two weeks. Kate was also joining as Clint helped her sign up under our school when the registration opened, knowing she was going to join anyway.
You assumed that Kate had been shooting since she was young, as all her shots scored more than 7 points. Something very hard for you even now. Ever since meeting her previously, you always had one question in mind. How does she always maintain such high optimism when she doesn’t score a 9 or 10?
“I’m just waiting for that feeling to come again.” You didn’t realise you spoke that out loud until Kate turned to face you. “In the beginning, it was very demoralising not being able to hit the inner two circles. But thanks to Clint, I managed to hit three consecutive 10s in one end. And that feeling was unlike anything I’ve felt. It definitely came at the right time, I was ready to stop it all.” She answered with a balance of seriousness and admiration. That revelation was shocking to you. To everyone, she was the happy-go-lucky person, nothing would be able to bring her down. You knew Kate looked up to Clint a lot, but you never knew he was the reason Kate was in love with archery.
Also if you don’t mind me asking. Like they both know that’s the past so how is it they haven’t confronted each other or tried to understand? Or will we know this in future chapters 🙌🙌
ahhh you really hit on my insecurities there. I believe i didn't explicitly mention this in the story. but basically they just resigned to their fate and see where takes them.
they aren't going to take steps to try and go back to their old lives but rather each of them see this as an opportunity to take a new path since their previous one is a flop anyways
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