Rhaine woke up on Saturday with a mission.
No thinking about Sam. No seeing Sam. No texts. No accidental encounters.
She pulled the blanket over her head, planning to stay in bed until lunch.
If I stay home, I can't possibly run into her.
---
Around ten, Maya messaged the group chat.
Maya: "Café run. Meet in 20?"
Eli: "Down."
Rhaine: "Busy."
She put her phone face down. A second later, it buzzed again.
Maya: "Busy avoiding Sam?"
Eli: "Coward."
Rhaine groaned. "They're impossible."
She typed back, "I'm serious. I'm not going."
Maya: "Fine. More cake for us."
---
By noon, cabin fever set in. She was scrolling aimlessly on her phone when her stomach growled. She had instant noodles in the pantry, but the craving for something actually good pushed her toward the door.
It's just lunch, she told herself. Quick in, quick out.
---
The café was busier than she expected. The warm smell of coffee and baked bread wrapped around her as she stepped inside. She was halfway to the counter when she froze.
Sam was there.
Of course she was.
She was sitting at a corner table, a book in one hand, her iced latte in the other. Sunlight streamed through the window, catching the soft waves in her hair.
Rhaine's first instinct was to turn around and pretend she'd never walked in. But Sam looked up at exactly that moment.
"Rhaine?" Her smile was warm, surprised. "Hey! I didn't know you came here."
Rhaine managed a nod. "Uh… sometimes."
Sam gestured to the seat across from her. "Want to join me?"
Every sensible part of Rhaine screamed say no. She had a plan. A mission. But her legs apparently hadn't gotten the memo because she found herself sitting down.
---
"So, no friends with you today?" Sam asked, setting her book aside.
"No. Just… needed to get out of the house."
"Same." Sam leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "What've you been up to?"
Rhaine shrugged. "Homework. Chores. Trying not to…" She stopped herself.
"Trying not to what?"
"Nothing."
Sam's smile widened, like she'd caught onto something. "You're so cagey sometimes."
---
Their drinks arrived caramel latte for Rhaine, another iced latte for Sam. For a while, they sipped in silence, the hum of the café around them.
It should've felt awkward. But it didn't.
"Hey," Sam said suddenly, "about yesterday… when you said you didn't like me"
Rhaine nearly choked on her drink. "I don't."
Sam raised her eyebrows. "Wow, straight to the point."
"I mean… I don't like you like that. Obviously."
"Obviously," Sam echoed, but her voice was amused, not convinced.
Rhaine busied herself with stirring her drink. "I'm just… not into girls."
Sam tilted her head. "You sound very sure."
"I am sure."
Sam let it drop, but her faint smile lingered, and Rhaine hated how it made her chest feel light and unsteady all at once.
---
They talked about safer topics movies, music, the annoying group project due next week. Rhaine even found herself laughing.
And that was the problem.
Because for all her insistence that this wasn't a date, it felt dangerously close to one. The easy banter. The way Sam's eyes lit up when she laughed. The warmth that stayed in her chest even after she finished her coffee.
---
When they finally stood to leave, Sam said, "This was nice. We should do it again."
Rhaine opened her mouth to refuse, but what came out was, "Yeah. Sure."
Sam's grin was bright enough to make her regret it instantly.
---
Walking home, Rhaine replayed the afternoon in her head.
It wasn't a date.
It wasn't.
But if it wasn't, why did it feel so much like one?
And why was she secretly hoping it would happen again?