Chapter Fourteen: Accidental Encounters & Glossy Covers
(Zaria's POV)
Saturdays were supposed to be sacred.
No homework. No early alarms. No Miles Patel-related disasters.
At least, that was the plan.
Maya flopped dramatically on the couch. "Ria, please tell me Lia said yes."
I held up my phone, grinning. "She did. She said — and I quote — 'Don't make me regret this. Be home by seven. No strangers.'"
Maya threw a pillow in the air. "Freedom!"
Lia, from the kitchen, called out, "I heard that!"
We both burst out laughing.
Emma arrived a few minutes later, all sunshine and lip gloss, waving her tote bag. "Okay, ladies, who's ready to shop till their debit cards cry?"
Maya raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you were born in a mall."
Emma winked. "I basically was."
We changed quickly — Maya in a blue midi dress and sneakers, me in high-waisted jeans and a soft lavender top that Lia had picked out but I'd been too shy to wear till now. Emma looked effortlessly stylish, of course.
As we stepped outside, the city air was warm, humming with weekend energy — buskers playing guitars, the smell of coffee and rain lingering together.
The mall wasn't far, just a fifteen-minute walk — but apparently the universe couldn't resist chaos.
We'd barely turned the corner when I slammed straight into someone's chest.
Hard chest.
"Whoa— easy there."
I looked up, and of course.
Of course.
Miles Patel.
Gray hoodie. Dimples. That irritating smirk.
I blinked. "Do you— like— follow me?"
He tilted his head. "You're the one who ran into me, remember?"
Emma whispered, "Is this the football guy again?"
Maya muttered, "The menace himself."
Miles grinned. "Nice to see my reputation precedes me."
I crossed my arms. "Are you everywhere, or just where I least want you to be?"
He shrugged, pushing his skateboard along lazily. "Maybe both. You heading to Alderbridge Mall?"
I narrowed my eyes. "How do you—"
He pointed to Emma's tote bag. "The giant 'Shop Till You Drop' print kind of gives it away."
Emma laughed. "He's got a point."
Maya sighed. "Let's go, Ria. Before this turns into another episode of How to Lose Brain Cells in 10 Seconds."
Miles mock-bowed. "Always a pleasure, ladies."
As we walked away, I heard him call, "Try not to run me over next time!"
I didn't turn around, but my cheeks were definitely warmer than they should've been.
The mall was huge — shining floors, glass ceilings, music echoing faintly from every corner.
It smelled like new perfume and air conditioning.
Maya's eyes widened. "This place is like a movie set."
Emma grinned. "Welcome to capitalism, bestie."
We stopped by a few stores, trying on sunglasses we couldn't afford and laughing when Maya nearly tripped over a mannequin.
That's when I saw him.
Ethan Rivera.
Behind the counter of a bookstore, sleeves rolled up, sorting through a stack of new releases.
He looked up and smiled. "Ria?"
"Miles-free zone achieved," Maya whispered under her breath.
"Hey," I said, walking over. "You work here?"
"Just weekends," Ethan said. "Perks include free reading and the smell of paper."
"That's actually amazing."
He chuckled. "Want a recommendation?"
"Surprise me."
He picked a book from the shelf and handed it to me. The last page. "About finding second chances."
I ran my fingers over the cover. "You really think of everything, don't you?"
He smiled — the kind that didn't rush, didn't push. Just steady.
Behind me, Emma nudged Maya. "He's cute."
Maya smirked. "He's polite. Big difference."
I pretended not to hear them, though my face was probably pink.
After grabbing smoothies, we ended up at a magazine stand.
Emma pointed to one with a golden title. "Look! E & A Fashion! That's Elara Paris Harper's brand. She's like the youngest designer to ever open a show in Milan."
Maya picked another. "And this — Luminescent — the cover model is Sienna Iris Everglow. Singer, actress, and model. Overachievers are getting out of hand."
I laughed, flipping through glossy pages filled with cities I hadn't been to yet, faces that looked like dreams printed on paper.
Somewhere between all the photos and fonts, something inside me stirred — that small ache of wanting more.
To belong somewhere.
To become someone.
By the time we headed home, our arms were full of shopping bags and laughter.
Maya looped her arm through mine. "See? We survived a day without Lia."
"Barely," I said. "She's going to smell the mall air on us and know."
Emma giggled. "Then we just blame it on Miles. Works every time."
We all burst into laughter so loud a man walking his dog smiled at us.
That night, after my call home — Ma laughing as I told her about "the boy who haunts crosswalks" — I tucked the E & A magazine beside my bed.
The lights flickered softly, and for once, my chest didn't feel heavy.
Maybe homesickness could sit beside happiness sometimes.
Maybe it didn't have to be one or the other.
And maybe, just maybe, even the people who annoyed you most had a way of showing up right when your world started to feel bigger.
End of Chapter Fourteen.