Practice Love
The Practice

#Practice 006
Time passes, but so is one's relationship to the other.

5 months, 24 days and 15 hours. 

Well didn't that escalate quickly? Mark realized, as he walked down the hallway with a brown paper bag in his hand. It has been 5 months since they met each other, 5 months and still counting. He chuckled lightly. It wasn't as if they were dating, no. Weird, but he simply remembers how they met, and how did they come this far as friends. It is, once again, lunch break when he decided to "casually" purchase a bottle of coffee milk that he never drinks, "casually" leaves his group of friends and "casually" took a stroll to the garden behind the school compound.

It is also another day where she will be there, sitting by the tree with a book in her hands. A small, radiant smile appeared on his face, as he carefully approached the girl. Since when were they this close to begin with? He smiled and watched the girl who didn't seem to have noticed his presence.

"Mia." He called, catching her attention as she looks up and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Coffee milk?"

"The usuals." He said, handing her the brown bottle and took the seat beside her.

Mia set her book aside and uncapped the lid, taking a sip out of the bottle as Mark unwrapped his sandwich and started munching on it. It has always been like this. Mia would continue to read whatever reading material she brought with her, and Mark would occasionally scroll through whatever SNS application he was using before he comes over.

Nothing but peaceful silence. And that was how they appreciate it.

Mark wasn't someone with a lot of words. She is aware of that, and understood that. Because she too, wasn't a person who appreciates useless chatters and gossips, nor does she fancy heart-to-heart talks like what all other friends usually do. 

Mia sighed and set the bottle to her left and picked up the book, turning back to the page that she stopped at and continued to read, meanwhile Mark decided to check out the latest comical pictures that appeared to be trending on twitter. 

5 months. That was all it took for them to open up and be comfortable with each other. Despite the lack of communication, it simply surprises her how much she knows about him within this short period of time. Mark Tuan, the man whom she thought would hold no significant meaning in her life, came in like a hurricane, drawing her in; at the same time, like the gentle breeze, handling her with care. She found herself taking short glances at him each time she turns the page. 

Why did he befriend her in the first place? 

At first, she thought it was because he needed a friend to assist him in ruining his supposedly blind dates, but Mark reconfirmed that it was an excuse for her to agree to befriend him. That liar. She pursed her lips tightly, recalling how she became so mad that day and stomped off without giving him a chance to explain himself. That was totally out of character. She thought, slightly ashamed of her behavior that day. 

"I'm just going to melt at this rate." Mark chuckled as he tilted his head slightly at her.

Mia shook her head. This man never fails to amuse her in every sense. At the same time, confusing, she must say. But she had slowly gotten used to the multiple characters, the multiple sides of Mark Tuan during the 5 months time lapse. Funny, how they did not recall any details of them getting close. They just somehow... did.

"Your hair." She commented. "It turned brown."

He nodded, as he reached to fix his fringe. "You noticed." He smiled. "I was thinking of dying a different color." 

She nodded and turned her attention back to the book. "Do whatever you want." She mumbled and flipped the page despite not reading it, she simply couldn't concentrate at this point.

"Blonde?"

"Mm."

And that marks the end of the conversation. Silence took over once again, as only the sound of the birds chirping accompanied by the sound of howling wind blew past their side. 5 months, they watched as the chill spring rain fall, and invited the warm, humid wind. The time, although short, but it felt like forever for them. Feeling the humid heat strike, Mark frowned and loosened his necktie, attempting to release the choking heat of his body warmth.

Mia frowned. Deciding that she is starting to hate summer, more than she already had.

Before she realizes it, sweat began forming, and trace the frame of her face.

Mark reached and gently brushed it off. "Should we have met in the music room instead?" He suggested, feeling guilty for the girl to suffer under the heat.

Mia shook her head, assuring him that she is fine with the weather, and it did not bother her much. Although she knew that deep down, it was partially a lie. She was greatly disturbed, but not by the weather. 

His phone rang, breaking the silence as they both broke the contact.

"Answer it." She said before closing the book, deciding that it was going to be a little chirpy to be holding a book that she can't concentrate on.

Nodding his head, Mark answered the phone while making attempts to minimize the volume of the call. But that made absolutely no change. Just by sitting beside Mark, Mia was able to hear the loud noises coming from the speaker. It wasn't muffled, but a clear sentence. Which was quite amusing, seeing Mark pull his phone far away from his ears. His friends have never once failed to amuse her with their loud bickering as well as their naive behavior towards Mark, and that made her wonder how do they not know about her yet. Not that she wanted them to, but out of curiosity, how is it possible that they weren't questioning him for leaving the group during lunch breaks? 

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