Chapter Text
7:30 a.m. - The alarm beeps. Milk wakes up, removes her sleeping mask, and stretches.
Meanwhile, Love hits snooze without even opening her eyes and goes back to sleep.
7:40 a.m. - Milk brushes her teeth and does her skincare routine.
Love snoozes the alarm again and goes back to sleep.
8:00 a.m. - Milk carefully makes the bed, tidies up the apartment, and goes to the kitchen to cook breakfast.
Love turns off the alarm and goes back to sleep.
8:30 a.m. - Milk has finished dressing. She’s wearing a gray pencil skirt and a black blouse beneath a tailored gray suit. She slips into black pointed heels and gives her makeup a final check in the mirror before grabbing her car keys and leaving the apartment.
Love wakes up and stares at her phone, still half asleep. When she sees the time, she suddenly yells, “HOLY SHIT!” She jumps out of bed and rushes around the room looking for something to wear. The room is a mess, but she manages to find a horizontally striped orange and beige shirt, baggy jeans, and her red high-top Converse shoes.
With her skateboard under her arm, she runs to the kitchen, grabs a piece of bread, and rushes out the door.
Milk parks her car and looks at the rearview mirror, tying her hair into a bun before stepping out. The office building is right across the street. She stops at the traffic light and checks her phone.
2 NEW EMAILS -
“Ugh, not this issue again…” she murmurs to herself.
Love speeds through the bike lane on her skateboard. She’s been late to class so many times, she can’t be late again today.
While passing the park, a group of birds suddenly takes flight from a nearby tree. Her friends always say she’s like a cat, she can’t help but look whenever birds fly. She watches them in wonder, thinking how beautiful they look, flying together like that.
Milk glances at the traffic light, it’s green. She starts crossing the street while angrily typing an email on her phone.
In the corner of her eye, she notices something approaching fast. She looks up, it’s Love on her skateboard, staring at the sky.
Before she can react, Love crashes into her, and they both fall to the ground.
They lie there face to face, speechless. The only thing on Love’s mind is that this is the most beautiful woman she has ever seen.
Then Milk snaps, “Get off me!”
Love quickly gets up and offers her a hand, but Milk ignores it. Still furious, she dusts herself off.
“Are you insane? You should look where you’re going, not at the sky!”
“I’m so sorry, Phi! I got distracted. Are you hurt?” Love says.
“Yeah, that’s the problem! You got distracted and almost killed me! And you hurt yourself too.” Milk says, pointing at the bloodstain on Love’s knee.
“I’m really, really sorry, Phi! Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”
“No, I’m fine… Where’s my phone?”
She looks around and spots it in the middle of the street. Before she can reach it, a car runs over it, completely crushing it.
“No! My phone! Look what you did. My phone is completely ruined!”
“I’m sorry, Phi! I’ll get you a new one, I swear.”
“Does a kid like you even have the money to buy me a new phone?”
“I’m not a kid, I’m 23. And yes, I promise I’ll buy you a new one tomorrow. Meet me at the skate park down the street at 8 a.m., and I’ll bring the money.”
“How do I know you’re not just going to disappear?”
Love pulls a piece of paper and a pen from her backpack. “Here’s my name, my number, my address, and my university. If I disappear, you can find me.”
“And how do I know this isn’t fake?”
“Well, you’ll have to trust me. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Milk hesitates, then nods.
“Then I have to go. Again, I’m really sorry. I promise I’ll make it up to you,” Love says.
She hops on her skateboard and continues toward the university.
Milk crosses the street and enters the office building, grumbling to herself.
“Why do these things always happen to me? Now I have to go a whole day without my phone… Stupid kid…”
---
In the university, Love sits through class after arriving late again and getting scolded by the teacher.
“That’s it for today. Don’t forget your assignment. I want the final render on my email in two weeks, by midnight. And I will not accept any delays. Do you hear that, Ms. Pattranite?” the teacher says.
Love nods shyly and leaves the classroom with the other students.
In the common area, she meets her roommate, Mim.
“What happened to you? What’s that bloodstain?” Mim asks.
“Can you believe I ran into a woman while skating? And a car ran over her phone because of me? Now I have to buy her a new one.”
“Wow… that’s some bad luck. Where are you gonna get the money?”
“I was going to ask you! I swear I’ll pay you back next month.”
“Girl, I don’t have any money. I had to ask my girlfriend to pay the bus fare. That’s how broke I am.”
“Ugh… I guess I’ll have to use my credit card…”
“But tell me, did she get hurt? Did she yell at you?”
“She wasn’t hurt, but she was really pissed. And honestly… I didn’t really mind. She looked so good angry…” Love said, while smiling.
“Oh? She was pretty?”
“Gorgeous! I swear, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“Wow. Are you gonna see her again?”
“Tomorrow. I’m giving her the money.”
“Then, you should ask her out.”
“What? She hates me.”
“It doesn’t hurt to try,” Mim says with a smirk.
“Yeah… I could try,” Love says to herself.
---
It’s 9 p.m. Milk arrives at her apartment, drops her bag and suit onto the couch, and exhales, relieved to be home.
“What happened? You didn’t reply to my texts and I couldn’t reach your phone! I was so worried.” Jan says.
“I got run over by a kid on a skateboard,” Milk replies dryly. “And my phone got completely smashed.”
“Oh my God, are you okay? Should we go to the hospital?”
“I’m fine, don’t worry.”
“Well, then we’ll buy you a new phone tomorrow.”
“The girl said she’ll pay for it. I’m meeting her tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Jan says, taking Milk’s hand and giving her a quick kiss on the lips. “Come, I made dinner.”