Saturday, October 7th, 2028 | 11:17

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"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Linus hesitated, nervously kneading his hands. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead.

"Of course! Just have a little trust in your best friend!" Akira grinned confidently.

Best friend? I didn't know we're that close already. "I don't know… I think we should cancel it before it's too late…"

Akira placed a comforting arm around Linus, pulling him closer and embracing him in an unfamiliar feeling of warmth. Although Linus didn't seem too flattered by it.

Akira's sweaty body reminded him of the hot summer day they were about to spend together. But unlike Linus, Akira smelled like he had just bathed in parfume. It made Linus realize he had forgotten to put any deo on.

"Wanna use mine?", asked Akira.

"Huh?"

Linus looked down at Akira's hand, a deo spray with the label 'Funk Buster' on it. "You're quite smelly, and we don't want to scare Maya away, do we?" He teasingly stuck his tongue out.

Linus startled in shame. Not this again…

It inevitably reminded him of the 'towel-incident.' Then his gaze shifted toward his armpit, a wet oval spot starting to emerge from the depths of it. As he barely sniffed at it, his nose wrinkled. He had no choice.

Reluctantly, Linus took the spray. "Y-yea"

Maybe it wasn't too bad having Akira as 'best friend'.

As they arrived at their destination, they marveled at an expensive-looking building.

A whistle of amazement rang from Akira's lips. "Wooow, she's living good."

Nodding in agreement, Linus tried to imagine what Beyza's family might look like. "Maybe her parents are doctors or something like that."

"I can't even imagine someone like her having a family, hahah!"

Linus glanced tensely at Akira, unsure if he misheard. "Yeah, she's pretty… weird. But I bet her parents still love her."

Akira giggled. "Let's hope so… because if they don't, then who will?"

Bewildered by his dark humor, Linus was torn between laughing and rebuking him. He involuntarily chose the first option as a laugh escaped his lips.

Then Akira approached the house, ringing the doorbell multiple times. Linus rolled his eyes; Akira's behavior was that of a grade-schooler just one step ahead. But despite his eager ringing, nothing happened.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Maybe they already left?" asked Linus.

Akira checked his watch. "We're not even that late. Only 20 minutes."

"Only?"

Akira gave him a mean look. "Don't hit me with that 'time is money' talk now…"

Linus sighed. "We should call them."

"There's no need for that," suddenly said a voice monotonously.

Linus flinched and looked up to where it came from.

Beyza was peering down at them from the window above, her gaze, as always, inscrutable. And yet, it conveyed enough to give Linus a certain foreboding.

"I think she heard us," he whispered to Akira, feeling a pang of guilt.

Akira shrugged indifferently. "Good for her, I guess?"

Linus looked up again, his glasses reflecting the light toward Beyza, her ever-present sunglasses absorbing all of it.

"Ah, hello Beyza! ...Nice to… see you...?" Linus felt a wave of sweat washing over him, melting the layer of deodorant like a popsicle in the sun.

"I won't let you in." Beyza's demeanor remained icy, her features betraying no emotion.

"T-that's fine… But… you'll join us, right?"

Looking at him in silence, she left the window without a word.

"Um, she's coming… I think," said Linus to Akira, who was busy playing with a swarm of ants on the ground.

Feeling the sun rays beating down on him, Linus pulled out his water bottle and took a few sips, only to realize it was already empty. His gaze shifted to Akira.

No, I'm not gonna ask if he'll share his drink with me. The towel and deo were already enough.

Suddenly, a knocking sounded from above as Linus' eyes darted to the window. Competing with the sun, Maya beamed down at him from above. Linus smiled involuntarily as he saw her and waved a hand.

Then Maya's gaze shifted around as if searching for something… or rather, someone. When she finally spotted Akira, her happiness visibly escalated into the likes of a child finding a penny on the ground. Although Akira didn't notice any of this.

As she leaned toward the window handle, suddenly a dark figure emerged from behind and pulled her out of sight. Apparently, it wasn't allowed to communicate with the captives. Which side was the captive, however, depended on the perspective.

After waiting for 5 minutes, Linus became restless. "Maybe she's mad at us? Is this her punishment for being late; letting us fry in the heat?" Linus wiped the sweat from his forehead once again, his cheeks glowing red.

Lying in the grass, his head resting on his hands, Akira looked up. "They'll come soon, especially since Maya is up there too. You don't really think Beyza can handle her alone for long, do you?"

"How do you mean that?"

Akira laughed. "Well, they're the exact opposite. And you have to admit; Maya can be exhausting sometimes. Even for something- someone like Beyza."

Linus agreed. They surely were a weird match of personalities. He pondered until a memory of what Maya had said at their first meeting sprang into his mind.

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"She's a good—no, the best friend I've ever had! UwU"

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The good thing about it was, that if even Beyza managed to be friends with Maya, then Linus' chances couldn't be that bad. At leats he liked to believe that.

Suddenly, the front door sprang open as a cool, comforting breeze accompanied Beyza and Maya stepping out of the house. Linus' eyes sparkled with amazement as he saw Maya wearing a flowy, pastel-colored sundress that complemented her rosy complexion. She accessorized with a bunch of floral toppings and a pair of strappy sandals.

Beyza, on the other hand… well, she wore the exact same outfit as usual. Next to Maya, she looked like a freak, running around in a coat at 30°C.

As Maya sprinted toward the boys, Akira glanced up at her and sighed annoyed. "Here we go again…"

While Maya was chasing after Akira to give him a hug, or whatever it was she wanted to give him, Linus awkwardly locked eyes with Beyza. After all, she would be his partner for this Double-Date…

Of coruse it was all just part of the plan. Akira's plan. So, what could possibly go wrong?

However, just as they were about to leave, Linus realized something: a very uncomfortable, pressing feeling.

Then it became clear to him. He needed to use the bathroom.

And it was urgent.

Very urgent.