Prologue

"I didn't agree to this." Was Ginny's first statement to Persephone after three days of avoiding her throughout the campus. Persephone was in the middle of the hallway, stuffing some things into her locker.

"What do you mean?" She faced Ginny, looking oblivious but with a trace of mischievousness on her gorgeous face.

Ginny believed that Persephone's beauty had the power to make people speechless. Not to sound dramatic, but it is without a doubt. But Ginny is not like anyone else. Persephone doesn't faze her.

"Just because… something happened between us doesn't mean we have to date," she simply states matter-of-factly.

Persephone just stared at her, seemingly subtly judging her with gentle eyes, "That's interesting. I always thought you were the old-fashioned type. The sort who believed in taking responsibility when… well, when you snogged someone senseless." Persephone said the words like it was the most obvious thing, as she matched Ginny's gaze, a hint of playfulness glimmering in her eyes.

Did I really kiss her? Ginny ponders, utterly shocked by the information, mentally slapping herself in between. She composes herself, subtly unfazed.

"I… don't remember much of that night. I wasn't exactly in the right state of mind if that really happened. I just… I wouldn't have wanted it to be that way."

Persephone was silent for a while, staring profoundly at her like a predator waiting to pound her prey.

"Ginny Green, are you perhaps interested in someone right now?" She asked gradually.

Ginny ponders. She couldn't fathom why she asked such a random thing. Is this some kind of trickery? She thinks yet again, carefully analysing her opponent.

"No. I don't... fancy anyone at the moment," she honestly replied. She matched Persephone's intense gaze, not breaking eye contact.

She doesn't want to pretend that she likes someone because lying can only lead to misunderstandings. What she wanted to express to Persephone was just simple, she doesn't want to be in a relationship, and she must respect that.

"Great. So am I."

Ginny was waiting to hear if she was going to say something rational (like breaking their recent predicament or announcing her as her girlfriend to everyone, which was indeed an utter mistake). She urged her to say more.

"I'm not seeing anyone, so that means we can go on a date," was Persephone's simple reply.

Bloody hell. Ginny silently mutters.

There was no sign that Persephone was backing down from her decision. She already said what needed to be said, but it seemed like Persephone acted like she didn't hear anything.

Ginny Green found herself in a rather peculiar situation after waking up that Saturday morning. She was in bed. Together with Persephone Campbell. The infamous campus princess — both naked. Well, she's still wearing her undies on, but still — naked.

Ginny wracked her brain to recall what happened that Friday night. She was invited to a party and got drunk along the way.

Her Chinese best friend, Ning Natalie Porter, advised that she needed to lose her mind a little bit because she was beating herself up with tons of school stuff. She did what she was told, and then, all of a sudden, she couldn't remember what happened right after.

She's not going to be shocked if someone says that she made a bloody fool of herself at that party, considering she's such a blubbering mess when she's drunk. She was hoping she didn't get herself into a big mess with anyone.

Much to her dismay, 'unfortunate' was her middle name.

She was now facing the person she'd never expected to encounter. Blue eyes locked with hers, looking at her knowingly, keenly, and deciphering.

"You're not planning to run away and pretend this didn't happen, are you?"

In every accidental one-night stand, of course, that thought is not an option anymore. Embrace each other at night like long-time lovers, and in the morning, shrug off every memory like it never happened. That's always been the case.

And of course, that was Ginny's initial plan after assessing the situation. But looking at Persephone threatening, yet smiling face, she knows well how screwed up she was.

Let's just laugh first. Ginny let out an awkward and forced laugh, trying to hide her previous intention.

"N-no, I wasn't… thinking that at all..."

"Good." Persephone smiled, satisfied with her answer. She gingerly moves closer to Ginny, wrapping both of her arms around her waist.

Ginny can't seem to utter a single word. Seeing a naked Persephone in front of her was... was... was — she doesn't even have any words how to describe it.

"Look at you, all shy and red. How adorable," she kisses her temple, "Not to mention, you were so… rough last night," she chuckles teasingly.

Rough? Ginny doesn't like the sound of that. She'd never imagined herself as the 'rough' kind of person in bed. As the innocent kind of gal she'd always portrayed herself to be, it sounds so wrong in so many aspects. She can't even remember what happened last night. Might as well being rough. Whatever that means. It was her first time doing such a thing with someone, yet she can't recall anything!!

"You must be hungry. Stay here. I'll make some breakfast."

Persephone got out of bed wearing only her knickers. Ginny covered her eyes immediately in hopes of not ogling at the latter's breast. Seeing a topless Persephone Campbell was already enough to give her some spicy nightmares at night.

Persephone saw the cute gesture, chuckled, and then proceeded to grab a tee from the cupboard.

"You can look now." She teases, and continues chuckling.

Ginny was still covering her eyes, waiting for Persephone to get out of the room. She was too embarrassed, utterly dumbfounded, (having a crisis maybe), to meet her eyes.

Everything was still sinking in. She can't believe she slept with Persephone! The infamous campus Princess-It Girl-Everyone's crush, Persephone Campbell!

Then she heard the door being opened and then closed, signalling that Persephone had already gone out.

Ginny, think! You dolt! She cusses, forcing her brain to come up with an idea to get out of this situation.

She hurriedly, yet softly, tiptoed to grab her clothes that were resting on the sofa. She blushed when she saw herself with just her undergarments in the mirror.

I gotta get out of here — fast, she mentally remarked.

She went out of the room, careful not to make any sound. She saw the latter on the kitchen counter, beating some eggs while humming.

Some people might fall in love with a barefaced Persephone making breakfast while wearing only a tee and her knickers. It feels utterly domestic, and it's such a sight to behold. But Ginny is different from those people.

It might be rude to leave without saying goodbye. But Ginny knows that she shouldn't get involved with Persephone. Goodbyes are not necessary for a one-time thing. And this, right now, is only a one-time thing. Once she gets out of here, everything will be forgotten. Oblivion is a curse.

Luckily, she found her way out of Persephone's dorm room. It was fortunate that no one saw her. She couldn't believe that the latter lives alone in that big of an arse place, while Natalie and her have to share the bathroom with five more people. How unfair.

She tries to take in where the bloody hell she was, and it seems like she's on the other side of the campus. She ran back to their college dorm at speed. She wonders and curses why they have classes on weekends, it's supposed to be a rest day.

She shouldn't have listened to Natalie. Nothing good comes out of her mouth.

Never trust a redhead, she mutters to no one.

Speaking of the devil, she hasn't texted her yet. Ginny opens her phone and sees a bunch of texts and missed class from her so-called, redheaded, best friend. She sighs, bracing herself for what's coming.

♦

Her best friend, Ning Natalie Porter, is like a fusion of Natalie Portman and Lily Collins, but the Asian version. It also explains the origin of her second name.

Ginny always deemed that the Gods were so unfair when they made Natalie descend from heaven. It's like Aphrodite meets the common folk. Such a head-turner. Wherever she goes, people will break their necks 360° just to get a glimpse of her. Birds chirp, butterflies fly, and flowers bloom wherever she walks. It sounds straight out of a Disney movie. She's not exaggerating.

"She's so gorgeous, she doesn't look real," was quoted by one of the members of her own fan club every time they passed the hallway. It makes Ginny cringe whenever they stare at her best friend with a love-stuck look.

Ginny is, up until now, still wondering if her best friend is aware of this nonsense because she can be utterly dense sometimes. Let's just give her the benefit of the doubt, shall we? She mutters to herself.

Due to this advantage, everybody deemed that she was an angel blessed from heaven. But Ginny knows best that Natalie is the opposite of angels and heaven. Natalie is an absolute devil in disguise. With her perfectly sculptured face, she could fool anyone by just acting innocent.

"Where were you last night? I was so worried, I thought you might have hit your head and passed out or something." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Wait — did you get laid last night?"

"No." Ginny immediately blurted out. Natalie looks at her sceptically.

"You did, didn't you?"

Ginny groans in annoyance, realising that she will be stuck with her best friend's never lasting tease.

"Girl, you looked like you just had sex. Don't ever lie to me, Ginny Green. I practically raised you. I know you from head to toe." She points her index finger, up and down, accusingly.

"Bloody hell, Natalie! Can we please not talk about this?"

"Oh, no, no, no. We are definitely going to talk about this right now." The smirk she's giving irks Ginny a lot. "My little virgin Ginny just got laid. What happened to 'I'll never have sex because I'm going to be a nun' motto of yours, huh?"

Ginny was imagining different ways of slapping her best friend in all different directions just to shut her up.

"Who did you shag?! Was he hot?"

Ginny glared at her best friend, trying not to smack the crap out of her — for real this time. Natalie has this uncanny obsession or nosy kind of behaviour about her love life. And she's not going to feed the little devil anything that could spark her interest.

"I'm not telling you anything. We gotta go. We have class."

Natalie hums, uninterested, "All right, just so you know, we're not done here, Ginny Green."

"Can you stop saying my whole name? It's so cringed." She hissed in annoyance. And she knows that Natalie was just doing it to infuriate her more.

"Whatever," she casually replied, smirking more.

In disbelief, Ginny was questioning herself about how she managed to befriend someone like Natalie. Totally uncharacteristic of her.

♦

Ginny spent the rest of the period snoozing. She looks at her best friend on the other side of the room, animatedly chatting with some of their classmates. She sometimes envies how easy it is for Natalie to befriend people. That was a joke, actually.

Ginny never saw herself as the extroverted-people person-kind of girl. She doesn't have the tendency to tolerate any sort of draining human interaction. Those kinds of bullocks are all Natalie's job. As the designated third-party observer with no personal interest whatsoever, she'd rather stare from the distance and watch people embarrass themselves. That, she could say, is very much entertaining to witness. Don't we all agree?

She doesn't have the popularity that Natalie has. Everything she does is pretty average. Just a typical college student thriving to finish her degree, nothing more, nothing less. Well, we could just all say that this isn't just a facade that she created just to get off people's radar. What sort of radar, you ask? Any kind of radar.

Ginny was born into a very wealthy family. It's sort of a secret that she hasn't told anyone except her best friend. She receives a decent amount of allowance from her parents. But she doesn't flounder the money around like a spoiled brat just to annoy unfortunate bystanders. She used to do that before. But she learned her lesson eventually. Also, Past-Ginny is already dead, buried in a coffin of her consciousness. She should have stopped haunting her until now. That biach.

Oh, dear. Did she just curse? She should probably stop watching Mean Girls with Natalie for the hundredth time now. Also, dressing like a sack of potatoes has its benefits. She will know if the people she'll encounter are genuine or not.

Ginny is totally not the main character in any sort of drama that a lot of people want to be in. She doesn't aspire to be one. She'd rather be the one who's outside of the drama and just watch people struggle because of their poor decision making with a bowl of popcorn in hand.

That's why she always lets Natalie take the centre of attention so that she can divert it away from her. This is the only good thing that Natalie could contribute to society, being a talking mascot that saves people like her from any sort of awkward social interaction.

She lets out a yawn, still fighting the urge not to doze off. She averted her gaze from her best friend and classmates and looked outside the window.

Hmm, peaceful…

As she was about to zone out, something interesting caught her eye. Two familiar women are having a conversation at the gazebo near their department building, but it doesn't look like they were just having a simple talk. She doesn't want to assume things, but there seems to be something going on between the two.

Hm, what do we have here? A lover's quarrel?

Ginny's nosy personality is showing. Seemingly, subtly, observing the two from afar. She doesn't know the girls, so she calls the brunette one Ashley and the black-haired one Jenny. Both have been the centre of Ginny's entertainment for weeks now.

The concept of romance in real life bores her, but only if she's the one experiencing it. She doesn't mind when others are obsessed with it. Let people get their daily dose of sappy romances, as Natalie had remarked. Ginny doesn't beg to differ. Except for her, that is, romance doesn't fancy her as much as she desires it.

She has a vague idea of what romance should feel like based on the countless romantic movies and novels she has watched and read. It should be warm, thrilling, and it should make you do some irrational things. It sounds mental and utterly rubbish, she might say.

As much as she'd tried rationalising the concept of romance, it all ended up a failure. That's why she was never interested in starting a relationship with anyone. It's mundane and bothersome.

As much as she doesn't fancy such a thing for herself, ironically, she likes watching other people's love stories unfold. It's sort of like a simple hobby she developed back in high school and ended up continuing for entertainment purposes. It's rather fun to watch two strangers fall in love with one another rather than imagine herself in such a situation.

She sees herself as a narrator in a novel. A viewer who was solemnly focused on the story of two young lovers blossomed. Each story is like a movie portrayed in real life. They're innocent, simple, and yet excitingly cliche in some way.

Ugh, what am I saying? She mutters to no one. It seems like Natalie's sappy personality is rubbing off on her.

And this is an example of one of those days. She watches Ashley and Jenny having a quarrel in the middle of the gazebo, perfectly unaware that probably the whole school isn't watching their drama unfold.

Oh, here comes the drama.

Ashley tried to reach out for the latter, but Jenny averted the touch. Ginny flinches.

Ouch. That must've hurt.

It's like she's watching a scene from a movie, but it's reality. She looks like a creep doing this, but it was just too entertaining to ignore.

Jenny walks away from Ashley. A disappointed look plastered on her face. Ginny just shook her head in disappointment at Ashley for not following her.

She was still a bit focused on the two when a loud voice snapped her back to reality.

"What?" She faces her best friend.

"Ginny, I've been calling your name for God knows how long now." She has her hands on her waist. Natalie looks annoyed. "I'm so hungry, if you're not gonna move your butt, I'm gonna eat the gummies you've been hiding from me in your locker."

Ginny gasped in disbelief. The audacity. How dare Natalie threaten her. Not her gummies. Such a glutton.

As they're walking along the hallway leading to the cafeteria, Natalie starts to annoy her yet again.

"You've been zoning out lately. Are you in the middle of a post-sex phase?"

"A 'what' now?"

She grinned mischievously, "You haven't told me who's the lucky lad. So tell me, who is it?" She wiggled her brows.

Ginny just groans in sheer annoyance. Natalie will never stop pestering her until she says everything.

"It's not a guy," she blurted out.

Natalie went silent for a while then continued, "So… let me get this straight — you're not straight?" She asked in utter disbelief. Ginny snickered, having fun looking at her reaction.

"You never told me you like girls! I'm your best friend, Ginny!"

"Can you chill for a second? I'm neither gay nor straight. I dislike putting labels on my preferences and sexuality, alright?"

Ginny never really talks about her sexual orientation to anyone. It's sort of a burden and doesn't seem to be that much of an issue.

She did try though. She tried to have a relationship with a guy before but it didn't last for a week because it wasn't the kind of relationship that she expected.

She has mentioned once to Natalie about her lack of romance (except for the part about her sexual preference,) after that, the girl was so obsessed with throwing every lad she came across for the reason that she doesn't want Ginny to die without finding her potential lover. She extremely regrets telling Natalie about that.

"Oh, blimey! But still, I'm your best friend!" She sulked, "And you should've told me that. Now that I think about it, I feel like a fool setting you up with those blokes!"

"Well, your taste in men is immaculate, I'll give you that."

"Of course, though it doesn't really give me the emotional support since you never liked any of them."

"Stop sulking, goodness. I can't just date someone that I'm not fond of."

"You've never been fond of anyone, Ginny. I never saw you get smitten. It's always the opposite around. I feel bad for those people who fell for your charm."

They grabbed their own trays and started putting food on them. Before Ginny could even say her response, someone beat her to it.

"I like your hair." Says the person ahead of them.

Right. Ginny forgot that her best friend was part of the "popular kids." She cringed on the poor guy's attempt to flirt with Natalie.

"Oh, I haven't washed it for three days, but thanks!"

But her best friend can be oblivious with stuff. And by oblivious that means — everything-that-associates-with-the-opposite-sex-trying-to-flirt-with-her-oblivious.

Ginny snorts at Natalie's response, fighting not to let her laughter out. The guy just looks at her weirdly, then shakes his head disapprovingly, and walks away. Ginny cracks up.

"Why are you laughing?"

Ginny rubs the tears that come out of her eyes.

"You, my friend, are such a gem that needs to be protected."

"Well, I'm flattered you think of me like that, though I don't need protection, Ginny."

Ginny just rolled her eyes. Absolutely, oblivious indeed. They sat on vacant seats in the cafeteria and started munching on their food.

"And don't dare change the subject," Natalie pointed the chicken sandwich she was munching at her, "who's that woman?"

"That — came out like — you're accusing me of cheating."

"Well, perhaps I am. We've been living with each other for years now. We cook each other's food and do the laundry together. We're practically married, subconsciously. The only thing that separates us from that matter is the fact that we're best friends and I see you as a sister."

Ginny rolled her eyes yet again. She came to accept that Natalie will never stop blabbering about this matter, so the only way to shut her up is to tell everything.

But before she could mutter her replies, she caught a glimpse of Persephone, entering the cafeteria with her friends.

Oh, son of a biscuit, she mentally curses.

She ducked her head low and tried to hide every part of her body by using Natalie as a human shield.

What am I doing? She mutters to herself.

Ginny realised how silly she was. Persephone will never approach her in front of a bunch of people, so there's nothing to be worried about. But that thought soon vanished when Persephone locked eyes with her. Ginny immediately averted her gaze.

"Ginny, are you listening to me?" She was having problems concentrating on what nonsense Natalie was blabbering about because when she looked at Persephone again, the latter smiled.

Crap. Don't look, Ginny! She internally panics.

And her panic soon grew when Persephone started to walk towards them, smiling brightly.

"Ginny!" She faced a totally not pleased Natalie.

"I gotta go." She blurted out in a hurry. Starring back and forth between her best friend and Persephone, who is now just one table away from them.

"What? No, you're not going anywhere, young lady—"

"We'll talk later."

And just like that, Ginny ran away from her best friend, ran away from Persephone, whose smile faltered after she went out of the place.

♦

Ginny snapped out of the book she was reading. After the almost interaction with Persephone in the cafeteria, she went to the library to hide. She doesn't understand why she was hiding. But she's definitely sure she doesn't want to meet Persephone ever again.

Ginny lost track of time. The only thing that disturbed her peaceful reading was the constant murmuring of people around her.

"I can't believe she's Persephone's girlfriend…"

It was uttered in a hushed tone but it was enough for her to hear. Everything was in a blur, only those words remain in Ginny's mind like a broken record.

She snaps her head immediately to those bothersome murmurs. Some almost averted their eyes but some looked at her with disgust and malice.

Completely baffled by the situation, Ginny packed her bag and went out of the library. She doesn't know what's going on, but she has a bad feeling about it.

Her peace was immediately cut short when she felt someone smack her shoulder harshly, she almost stumbled by the force. She was so ready to curse the culprit, but she swallowed her words when she saw an angry-looking Natalie glaring at her.

"Why didn't you tell me you were dating Persephone Campbell?"

"What? What nonsense are you blabbering about?" Ginny was extremely baffled.

"It's all over Insta, Ginny, look."

Natalie showed her a picture of Persephone hugging someone. The face of the latter was blocked from the camera, but that doesn't stop Ginny's imagination that both were spooning on the bed. What made her eyes bulge in shock was the caption — "Taken by Ginny Green<3"

Ginny was too shocked to even utter a word. Persephone posted the picture on her Instagram account that has almost a hundred thousand followers, which mostly consist of people from their school, which then explains the glares she received earlier.

Due to her shock, she began hiccuping nonstop. This always triggers when she's anxious, or in the middle of a very stressful situation.

"Are you okay?" Natalie felt her best friend's anxiousness, "D-Did you know about this?" Ginny continued hiccuping and just looked at Natalie blankly.

"I'm so sorry," She rubs Ginny's back to ease out what she's feeling. "Let's get you home now."

Ginny hates confrontation, especially if she's the one making the first move. Her quiet life was ruined when the infamous campus Princess Persephone Campbell had taken a liking to her after that tragic night. She didn't want to attract any attention — especially not the attention of the most popular girl on the campus.

She doesn't fancy it at all, even if that person is the Persephone Campbell. Nuh-uh, not happening. She's completely aware that the girl is out of her league. Why? Well, she's extremely gorgeous, a darling, and not to mention extremely smart. That sounds more like an excuse to exclude herself from associating with the latter actually. But really what other option does she have?

Ginny is confidently beautiful. She just dresses like a couch potato for a reason. What reason you may ask?

"Ew." She heard a girl say, as she looked at her clothes in utter disgust when she was putting books in her locker.

That's the reason. She can eventually identify who's pretentious or not. Ginny is pretty much done entertaining fake people. She'd already abandoned her Rich Girl lifestyle. And it was probably the best choice she'd ever made for herself because she wasn't surrounded by pretentious wannabes anymore.

Also, she sucks at academics. The only thing that she's good at is making music and playing with her pet duck, Prof. Beak. She's not nice—more like brutally honest in a way that she could make everyone cry. And not but not least, she doesn't want to be involved with someone romantically either.

Persephone should be with someone similar to her social status, take Ariel James as an example. Ginny always envisions the two would look good together romantically. Though she's not certain what Persephone's sexual preference is, she never dated anyone specifically. But one thing is for sure, she's confident that these two just need a little push then the rest is history.

Ginny would love to play Cupid for the two of them. But everything was wrecked because of an accidental one-night stand. Ugh. She groaned in utter annoyance. Why did she let herself get drunk? Ugh. She groans again like a zombie in distress.

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

She repeated the words like a mantra while banging her head on her locker alarming some of the people beside her. Calm down, Ginny. Let's think this through, she said to herself as she tried to massage the slight bruise on her forehead.

Let's not dwell on the past. What's more important now is how she can escape from Persephone and erase her existence from her life. She encourages herself. But that sounds utterly impossible after the photo shenanigans the other day. Ugh. Remembering that time just made her groan in distress again.

Persephone announced that she was dating her throughout the campus. She knocks her head on one of the lockers yet again with a frustrated growl, suddenly just wanting to disappear forever. Some of the students who were passing by looked at Ginny like she'd lost her nuts. She was desperately hoping that no one knew who she was. Though, that seems to be a rather impossible dream when every time she passes the hallway people murmur to each other while looking at her with judging eyes.

It was so rude to do such a thing. She didn't even agree to any of this nonsense. Then Persephone just straight-up declares that without her consent. That's typically what Persephone Campbell would do, she thought.

She forces herself to collect the remaining pieces of her dignity to confront the latter when she sees her by the locker.

"I didn't agree to this." Was Ginny's first statement to Persephone after three days of avoiding her throughout the campus. Persephone was in the middle of the hallway, stuffing some things into her locker.

"What do you mean?" She faced Ginny, looking oblivious but with a trace of mischievousness on her gorgeous face.

Ginny believed that Persephone's beauty had the power to make people speechless. Not to sound dramatic, but it is without a doubt. But Ginny is not like anyone else. Persephone doesn't faze her.

"Just because… something happened between us doesn't mean we have to date," she simply states matter-of-factly.

Persephone just stared at her, seemingly subtly judging her with gentle eyes, "That's interesting. I always thought you were the old-fashioned type. The sort who believed in taking responsibility when… well, when you snogged someone senseless." Persephone said the words like it was the most obvious thing, as she matched Ginny's gaze, a hint of playfulness glimmering in her eyes.

Did I really kiss her? Ginny ponders, utterly shocked by the information, mentally slapping herself in between. She composes herself, subtly unfazed.

"I… don't remember much of that night. I wasn't exactly in the right state of mind if that really happened. I just… I wouldn't have wanted it to be that way."

Persephone was silent for a while, staring profoundly at her like a predator waiting to pound her prey.

"Ginny Green, are you perhaps interested in someone right now?" She asked gradually.

Ginny ponders. She couldn't fathom why she asked such a random thing. Is this some kind of trickery? She thinks yet again, carefully analysing her opponent.

"No. I don't... fancy anyone at the moment," she honestly replied. She matched Persephone's intense gaze, not breaking eye contact.

She doesn't want to pretend that she likes someone because lying can only lead to misunderstandings. What she wanted to express to Persephone was just simple, she doesn't want to be in a relationship, and she must respect that.

"Great. So am I."

Ginny was waiting to hear if she was going to say something rational (like breaking their recent predicament or announcing her as her girlfriend to everyone, which was indeed an utter mistake). She urged her to say more.

"I'm not seeing anyone, so that means we can go on a date," was Persephone's simple reply.

Bloody hell. Ginny silently mutters.

There was no sign that Persephone was backing down from her decision. She already said what needed to be said, but it seemed like Persephone acted like she didn't hear anything.

Before she could argue further, Persephone gingerly closed their gap, "And you know, you owe me breakfast. You left without even saying goodbye after I spent all that time cooking for you." She pouted. It was adorable, Ginny admits. "I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed."

Persephone is gorgeous. And this gorgeous woman is absolutely flirting with her, which is bad. Absolutely bad. She could hear her conscience screaming at her to run away immediately.

Abort! Abort! Abort! Abort!

Persephone smiled knowingly. Some people might probably just melt by looking at those gorgeous blue eyes and propose to her at the drop of the hat, but Ginny doesn't feel anything. She's immune to the girl's charm.

"So, how about lunch? You can make it up to me." She asked hopefully as she reached out, grasping her forearm, then gradually her hand went downwards to play with her fingers, gently caressing them, while her other hand was busy hooking some strands of hair on Ginny's ear.

Ginny was taken aback by the sudden display of affection. She's not used to people she doesn't know invading her private space. She didn't expect Persephone to be this affectionate, especially in public.

The murmuring of people caught her attention. There were a few just looking at them, probably trying to confirm if the shocking news was true. Great. Now, people are going to believe that they're totally dating.

Ginny declined Persephone's lunch proposal at first, muttering excuses that she had to take care of her pet duck's food, but immediately clamped her mouth shut, remembering that pets are not allowed inside the dorm.

Some of you might say that she was just saying this as an excuse and that she doesn't have a pet duck to feed, but truth be told, she does. And that so-called pet she has doesn't eat any kind of food if it wasn't organic.

Prof. Beak is a white-crested duck that has a fluffy crest of feathers on his head, making him look like an 18th-century wig-wearing aristocrat. As Natalie would have described it, he's Mozart II—the III—the IV maybe, whatever number suits.

Also, he's a high-maintenance duck that wears colour-coded Hermès scarves and has a Birkin bag as a carrier. She doesn't understand why Natalie always complains when he spoils Prof. Beak a lot. He literally deserves it because he was abandoned by his mom at birth because he was born with spraddle legs.

Ginny nursed him until he was no longer disfigured. It was the first time she ever made an effort to take care of another living thing. And that led the two of them to become more attached to one another.

She mentioned that she had to go to Sainsbury's to fetch some organic fruits and veggies for Prof. Beak. But Persephone, being the stubborn charmer she was, insisted on coming with her to the supermarket.

Ginny is pretty much familiar with how people with extravagant backgrounds are absolutely mediocre when it comes to doing the simplest stuff like grocery shopping, cooking, doing the laundry, etc., because she was like that years ago.

Natalie, her dearest friend, came from a humble family and was the one who taught her how to live a normal life. It took her a while to become less mediocre, but eventually it all paid off since she could do the laundry on her own now.

Imagine her surprise at how knowledgeable and reliable Persephone was when it came to grocery shopping. The latter gave her some useful tips on how to pick the freshest fruits and veggies, which made her envious of how much of a perfect person this person could be.

After that, Ginny's stomach rumbled, which made Persephone chuckle. Ginny grumbled in embarrassment, explaining that she hadn't eaten breakfast. Persephone offered to eat lunch together, not accepting her refusal this time, as she explains not eating on time might lead to some serious illnesses in the future.

Let's just say Ginny is just being nice, which is why she doesn't have a choice but to agree to the latter's lunch proposal. Her initial plan was to have lunch with her just once, and after that, she'd go incognito for the rest of her university days.

Persephone guided Ginny to a cozy café tucked just a few streets away from the shopping mall. The place had a charming, unassuming vibe—simple wooden tables, warm lighting, and a faint hum of soft jazz playing in the background.

Sliding into their seats near the window, Persephone set the shopping bags on the floor. "It's nice," Ginny said softly, taking in the cozy atmosphere.

"Not bad, right?" Persephone replied with a smile. "I come here sometimes when I need to think. It's quiet."

Ginny nodded, then hesitated. "You really didn't have to bring me here. I'm fine with something simple—"

"Too late," Persephone interrupted with a teasing grin. "I owe you breakfast, remember? Consider this me paying my debt."

You don't owe me anything. She wanted to retort, but didn't. "I could've paid, you know." She said instead.

"And I insist," Persephone said, plucking the menu from the holder in front of them, and scanned it. "What do you feel like having?"

"I'll just get a sandwich or something," she replied, glancing away, feeling shy all of the sudden.

Persephone tilted her head. "Come on, Ginny. This is my treat. Go all out. Order whatever you want."

She hesitated for a beat before conceding. "Okay… fine. I'll have the grilled cheese and tomato soup."

"Good choice," Persephone said, nodding approvingly. She flagged down the server and ordered for both of them—a latte and a chicken Caesar salad for herself, along with her selection.

As the server left, Ginny fidgeted with her hands on the table. "Thanks… for this. I mean, you really didn't have to, but… thank you."

Persephone smile softly, "It's my pleasure," she replied, leaning her elbows on the table. "I kind of like taking care of you."

Ginny's blush deepened, and she ducked her head slightly. She didn't expect such a direct remark from the latter. "You're... very direct, you know that?"

"Only for you," she teased, her grin widening.

Before Ginny could respond, their food arrived, filling the table with warmth and delicious aromas. She could feel Persephone's stares gradually observing her. The attention was making her uncomfortable. She tentatively picked up her sandwich, her shoulders relaxing a little as she took her first bite.

"Good?" Persephone asked, propping her chin in her hand as she watched her reaction.

Ginny nodded, chewing before responding. "Really good. Thanks again."

"Pleasure," Persephone beams.

She doesn't understand why the latter doesn't stop smiling while looking at her. She doesn't want to sound overly dramatic yet again, but anyone can fall for that smile—anyone but her.

Ginny doesn't like initiating small talk because it feels awkward. That's Natalie's job. But Natalie is not here right now to save her arse. She averted her eyes from the latter. As she was observing the people outside, a scene caught her attention. Ginny let out a tired sigh.

They're doing it again.

She'd seen the ups and downs of Ashley and Jenny's relationship, and she's sad to conclude that their relationship is nearing an end. Now, the couple is arguing again just around the corner near the restaurant they're at.

"Friend of yours?" She heard Persephone ask.

"No."

"They seem to be fighting."

"They've been doing that for days now. It looks exhausting from what I can tell."

"I didn't peg you as a bit of a nosy person," Persephone asked in a rather oblivious manner.

Well, that's a very rude thing to say. She wanted to retort but decided not to.

She narrowed her eyes in a disagreeable manner and said, "I'm not. They're just… always in my line of vision. They argue in public places like this all the time."

She hums, "Probably the issue is much more complicated," and shugs.

"They might as well just break up if they're going to keep doing this. It'd be better for both of them," she muses in a bored manner.

"Breakups aren't always the solution to everything, Ginny."

"Trust me, they are. It saves people from getting even more attached, and that's better than wasting time trying to fix what's already broken."

"There's no such thing as a perfect relationship, Ginny. That's why people try to fix things."

That is true. Ginny doesn't beg to differ. There's no such thing as a 'perfect relationship'. It only exists in movies and books. That's why being in a relationship in reality is too bothersome.

"Why?" She unconsciously muses, "Why do some people try to mend things that have already been damaged?"

It was a statement. A statement since she wasn't really looking for an answer because it has already been answered.

Persephone just smiles and says, "It's because you love the person." It was a simple answer, yet she felt no satisfaction or rationale from such words.

Love. Of course, it's always been the answer. It was the simplest explanation for an unfathomable question. Ginny couldn't fathom what was so good about having a flawed relationship.

Her lunch with Persephone was a bit short, much to her liking. Persephone has a class to attend, but she never fails to show her discontentment about that matter, pouting and looking at Ginny with puppy eyes, saying that she'd rather spend time with her more.

"If you're up for it, I'd love to invite you to my flat instead." There was a hint of mischievousness in her words, "No pressure. Just a movie date, maybe?" and then she winked, a charming one.

Why does it feel like it was some kind of booty call? Ginny could only stammer in utter embarrassment, suddenly not knowing what to say. Persephone just chortled in delight. Her blue eyes twinkled in amusement, loving Ginny's reaction. She placed a piece of paper on Ginny's palm with her number on it.

"Call me, okay? I'll be waiting." She blew a kiss on a dumbfounded Ginny, as she giggled and walked the other direction.