A Little More than Strangers

"Miss Hansen, can you show me what's inside your pocket?" The professor asked her as soon as she passed her test paper."My pocket?" Via thought about what could be inside her pocket before she took out everything stored inside. Though she was baffled by the sudden question, she did not see any reason to not comply with the request.She showed her everything. A candy wrapper, a paper clip, and a small piece of paper. Upon seeing the paper, she was reminded of the request that Sheila asked her. She should deliver the note to her brother later when she arrived home."What's this?" The professor tried to take the note but Via pulled away. Though she had nothing to hide, she just did not think that it was right for others to know what was written in the note. After all, the note was not hers. It would be embarrassing to let them read the note that Sheila asked her to deliver to her brother."This is a little confidential, Miss." She tried to hide the note but the professor insisted on see

"Did you know about the marriage talks?" Via asked her brother as soon as they arrived home.Collin nodded his head. "Troye is a fine man. He's the best match for you.""You could have told me," she said in an annoyed tone. "I was the only one who did not know what was going on earlier.""You'll know eventually so I didn't think it would be necessary to tell you beforehand," Collin tried to explain but it just annoyed her even further.Though she was already expecting it, it still hurt to hear it coming from his own mouth. Her brother knew, but he did not even inform her about it. Were they expecting that she would just accept everything? Did they think that she would just blindly obey again this time?She could not even tell if she was a member of the family or just a mere decoration for the Hansen name. All her life, she dedicated her every action to uphold the reputation of their family. Why did she have to give everything for a family that never even saw her as a person?Via sighed

Via looked around as soon as she arrived at the coffee shop. Her eyes immediately landed on Cassie, who was casually seated in the corner. Her feet trod towards her friend while her heart beat faster as if it was about to jump out of her body.She sat settled on the edge of the chair, her fingers trembling as she put her phone down on the table. She took a deep breath as she felt Cassie's curious gaze upon her."Are you sure you're okay?" Cassie asked with worry in her eyes.Via forced a smile and nodded. "I was just a little nervous, I guess."She wanted to laugh at her remark. A little nervous? How could she be a little nervous when she knew she messed up big time?"So, what are you going to tell me to make you this nervous?" Cassie leaned in closer before she continued, "This is so not you, Vi."Via covered her face with her hands. "I think I messed up."Cassie chuckled. "Well, you really did last night. I've never seen you that wasted for the past 15 years that I have known you."

"You prefer Mocha Espresso Right?"Via nodded. She watched Troye talk to the intercom about their order and smiled. He even brought her to her favorite coffee shop to buy her usual drink. It seemed like that meeting was not made on a whim. To her, it seemed like Troye prepared everything in advance and made sure that she would enjoy her time with him.Was it what they call a date? Her cheeks felt warm at the thought. She enjoyed the silence between them as Troye continued to drive towards their destination."We're here."The car stopped at the entrance of the park. Troye was about to remove his seatbelt but Via stopped him."I can go out of the car on my own. No need to always open the door for me.""But I insist." Troye did not seem to want to give in but Via already opened the door and went out."Park the car quick. I'll be waiting here near the entrance."Troye chuckled. "Fine. Don't go around without me, okay?"Via nodded. She did not have choice but to wait for him anyway.As so

“This is just like I imagined it to be...” Via mumbled as they entered the gates of the amusement park. She looked around, her eyes sparkling like a child’s her sight fell into the colorful paradise around her.“I didn’t expect you to be this happy with just this.” Troye chuckled. He was hesitant at first, but he was relieved that he tried bringing her to that place.He thought that Via would be more uncomfortable and forced since the outing happened out of a sudden. That was why it was really unfortunate that Via seemed to like the idea of going to an amusement park. He should thank his little sister for the idea she gave him.“Well, it’s my first time going to places like this. It’s normal that I would be amazed, right?” Via looked away, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment.“Of course, it’s normal.” Troye chuckled as he led the way.Though he was glad to see that Via was having fun, he could not stop feeling bad for her. He knew that they all got different circumstances, but how c