Chapter 57: Icebreaker

Alan's POV

"Come on, Alan. Five minutes," one of my colleagues called me for one more cup of coffee.

"You go ahead. I'll join you." I said, my eyes fixed on the laptop screen.

The last thing I wanted was another cup of coffee. I already had enough.

An hour ago, just as I was about to leave, my professor assigned an unexpected task. So my colleague and I stayed back to sort it out.

By the time I wrapped up, it was nearly eight, and I was damn tired.

I quickly grabbed my keys and headed toward the parking lot, only to find someone standing beside my car.

It was dark, but my heart instantly recognized her before my mind did. Milie.

A hundred thoughts rushed through my head.

"What is she doing here at this time? Why does she look upset? Did something happen?"

Then a ridiculous thought appeared. "Did she finally realize she's in love with me?"

I almost laughed at myself.

"No chance."

As I walked closer, her expression became clearer. She looked miserable, no smile, no sparkle.

Just a defeated little face.

"What happened? What are you doing here?" I asked immediately.

Her lips drooped. "I failed two subjects."

I blinked. "You what?"

She sighed dramatically. "I failed."

"Two subjects?"

She nodded.

For a moment, I just stared at her. How? How did someone fail two subjects and still look alive?

"Milie, I told you to focus."

"I knew it." Her face frowned. "You sound exactly like Dad."

I scowled back. "Because failing isn't exactly a great achievement."

Her eyes narrowed. "I came here for comfort."

"And I am comforting you."

"No. You're judging me."

She turned and started walking away.

I immediately caught her wrist. "Hey."

She stopped, and I exhaled. "Sorry."

Her shoulders relaxed slightly. Then she sighed. "Dad yelled at me."

I stayed quiet.

"Really yelled."

The playful tone disappeared. "He told me to live on my own if I don't want to take life seriously."

My chest tightened. "And?"

"I left."

"You what?"

"I left."

I rubbed my forehead. Of course she did. "Milie..."

"Alan…" She cut me off. I'm starving."

I stared at her. "What?"

"I haven’t eaten anything after college."

I couldn't believe her. The girl had failed two subjects, fought with her father, and left her home, but her biggest concern was food.

I was irritated, but it lasted exactly three seconds, because she looked genuinely hungry.

And unfortunately, I became helpless when it came to her.

"Come on." I draped an arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the car.

"We'll eat first."

Her face brightened immediately. "Mexican?"

I groaned. "Of course."

"Mexican Hut?"

"You're impossible. You know it's too far, but anyway."

She grinned. "You are the best."

And just like that, the gloomy expression vanished. The entire drive, she was normal, in fact, too normal.

She laughed, talked, argued, and acted as if she'd simply skipped class rather than failing and running away from home.

Something that I couldn't tolerate, and without thinking, I pulled the car to the side.

"What now?" she asked.

I grabbed my phone. "I'm calling your father."

Her eyes widened, and before I could react, she snatched the phone.

"Milie!"

"If you're going to team up with him, I don't need your help."

She instantly jumped out of the car and slammed the door behind her.

I closed my eyes, and there, my phone rang. It was none but Uncle.

"Wow!! Guess the call got connected before Milie snatched it."

I answered, but before I could say a word, he spoke.

"Alan, I'm sorry. I'll arrange your money soon."

My heart sank. Even now, with everything he was carrying, he was worried about repaying me.

And his daughter was out here declaring war over two failed subjects, unaware of everything going on with her father.

"Uncle, I wasn't calling about that." I said softly.

Silence stretched from the other side. Then realization hit him.

"Milie?"

I watched the girl marching away from the car. "Yes, uncle."

"Don't help her, Alan."

I sighed. "Uncle—"

"No." His voice cracked. "Let her understand life."

Before I could say, he hung up.

I stared at the screen, then at Milie. She had no idea why her father was pissed like never before.

I ran after her. "Wait."

"No." She kept walking.

I ran and held her. "Come on, we are eating."

I dragged her back to the car. She resisted, but eventually came along and settled on the passenger seat.

Dinner went exactly how I expected. She forgot half her problems after the first bite.

While she was indulging in food, something struck me. "Hold on."

"What?" Her hands paused mid-air.

"Where are Sammy and Daxton? Why aren't you with them?"

For a moment, she looked away before turning to me with a sad face.

"Sammy's result wasn't much better than mine. His house would be probably a battlefield right now."

"Hmm.." I nodded.

"And Daxton?"

A strange silence settled between us. "Things are weird between us right now."

I looked at her, wanting to ask more, but I didn't.

"I hadn't even told him about this."

"So? Where are you staying tonight?"

"Sammy's dance studio."

I almost choked on my food. "What?! You're sleeping in a dance studio?"

"Yeah, it's empty."

"It's a garage."

"It's a dance space now."

"Milie, you cannot live in a dance studio."

She smiled sweetly.

"I absolutely can."

And literally, I wanted to pull my hair out. I couldn't process how a person could be this reckless.

"Anyways, can you please enjoy the food and let me enjoy too." She spoke with a mouthful of food.

"Can't you take a small bite?" I said, smirking.

"You feeling embarrassed?" She looked around, checking if people were watching her.

"What? Not at all. If I was, I would have cut off ties with you after our first breakfast itself." I winked, and she giggled.

"How about ice cream next? At icebreakers?"

"Last demand for the night. I swear," she added.

"Relax, stop being formal," I said, despite knowing she was more than casual.

We headed for the ice cream, and apparently, her gang had a tradition.

Ordering one giant platter and racing to finish it. She made me do the same, and I lost terribly.

Mostly because she spent more time eating than breathing.

By the end of it, there was ice cream everywhere except inside her mouth.

And somehow I ended up wiping her face every few minutes.

The best part of the night. Neither she nor I minded it. If life allowed it, I could have stayed there forever.

Just watching her laugh. Listening to her nonsense. Being part of her chaos.

But reality eventually returned, and I had to take her home.

"Is there anything left now, Princess Mils?" I smiled sweetly at her.

"Ahh… No! I'm full now." She exhaled, exasperated, and I couldn't help but smile seeing her antics.

Half an hour later, we reached the neighborhood, and she pointed toward Sammy's studio.

"Drop me there."

"No."

"Alan."

"I said, no." I looked at her. "You're not sleeping in a garage. Period."

She groaned dramatically. I ignored her and parked outside my house.

She immediately opened the door. "I'm walking."

Following her, I grabbed her wrist. "Come on, you are coming to my place."

"What? No!"

"Just one night. Tomorrow, we will figure out something."

She folded her arms stubbornly. I held both her shoulders and led her to my place.

Trying not to wake Nana or Mom, I quietly unlocked the door, pushed it open, and—

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALAN!" The living room exploded with cheers.

I froze. My brain stopped working. My heart stopped functioning. My soul nearly left my body.

There were balloons, decorations, cake, friends, and family.

For several seconds, I simply stood there, completely stunned.

Then I looked at Milie. She was grinning. "You knew?"

She winked.

"The little traitor."

Giggling, she rose on her toes and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Happy Birthday, Bragger."

My heart nearly burst.

"Thank you for dinner. And for the beautiful night." She added, and then ran toward her father.

"What? This entire thing… failing the test and living out there in the garage was all set up?"

"YES…ALAN," Everyone again yelled in unison, and laughter erupted around me.

I, too, couldn't help but laugh louder and wider than Milie.