"And then I went and nearly knocked over all her paintings," Candace said in an exasperated sigh as she finished telling her story about her afternoon.
Candace usually made friends very easily, but there were a few she kept especially close. Ophelia Sevalle was one of those people and made an excellent confidant. The experienced astrology teacher, who was just over half Candace's size, shifted in her seat at the coffee shop. "Sounds like an eventful day," she murmured. "And what was all this about Mia feeling you up?"
Candace laughed, turning a light shade of pink. "Oh, that was a bit awkward, now wasn't it? She really is sweet, and her and Polluck have been like this since Mia first started here, but she really isn't shy about personal space."
"It's her way of communicating," Ophelia said, "and it is rather charming in her own way."
Candace made an noncommittal noise in response. "So, when did this little crush start?" Ophelia asked into her coffee. Though sweet, she was known to be quite shy, even around her closest friends.
She felt her ears get warm and a slight flutter in her chest. "What do you mean 'crush?'" she asked, feigning innocence.
Ophelia smiled coyly. "Oh, it's not that hard to see it, Candace. The fumbled words, feeling embarrassed all the time, the clumsiness..."
"I sort of do that all the time."
"You do it all the time in front of her, and only occasionally during the rest of a normal day. I know you better than that."
"I-" she began but stopped and smiled as the waiter gave them their check. She waited until he had left. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Ophelia rolled her eyes. "It's Megan isn't it?"
Candace said nothing, and her friend's smile widened. "I'm right, aren't I?"
"Okay, okay, shh. Keep it down. It's not something I want all over the school anytime soon."
Ophelia's eyebrows arched. "Why? Is it because of...well, you know? Candace, I don't mind that at all. You're still the same friend to me. Besides, I'd argue that most of the faculty, if not a lot of the students are..."
She shrugged, now becoming the shy one. "No, no, it's not that. She's just so...sophisticated. I mean, she's an expert in all this art and music, and I'm, just...me."
"Sophisticated" would not have been a word Ophelia would've used to describe Megan. Skilled and knowledgeable, yes, but also kind of spacey and flighty, if not downright oblivious sometimes. But the heart wants what the heart wants, she reasoned. "I don't think that will matter to her," she continued to reassure her friend. "Besides, if she didn't like you for you, would you really want her then?"
Candace's shoulders hunched and she bent over her cup, trying to make herself smaller, a rather impossible task. "I just don't know if she's even interested."
Ophelia looked at her friend, and remembered a time, not too long ago when the tables had been turned and it was she who was wondering about the affections of someone towards her. She had remembered how confident and strong Candace had been when she spoke, telling Ophelia to, in a sense, grow a pair. She hadn't forgotten it and was ready to repay her in kind. "You don't know until you try," she said firmly. "Just, take it slow and simple. Ask her to do something with you over the weekend or something."
"Like what?" Candace said meekly.
Ophelia began to think. "Like..."
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