The Love Triangle - Part 1
Piper frowned, showing her sheer annoyance, while looking at her watch for the hundredth time since she boarded the train. She heaved a sigh of relief when the train suddenly plunged into a dark tunnel, signalling that her stop was just 5 minutes away. Catching sight of her reflection from the window of the door, she quickly re-adjusted her deep blue mini-skirt and straightened her baggy white shirt. Not wanting to scare the company she was going to meet, she relaxed her facial muscles and flashed a gentle smile at her own reflection.
"Perfect," she cheered herself on as she thought enthusiatically to herself.
When the train pulled to a stop, she rushed out of the train station as fast as she could to credit herself for trying to be punctual for the meeting. Though it was quite ironic, since she was actually already 20 minutes late. She beamed at a lanky-looking boy leaning casually against the pillar, decked in white shirt and khaki pants, his hair looking quite unkempt.
The boy stood up straight quickly as soon as he caught sight of her and grinned back.
"Woah, Piper. Did you actually prepare for this social meeting?" he teased, pushing his glasses to his shallow face.
"Hey Jacob. You mean make up and stuff? Hell no! I was working out at the gym with my mum and I lost track of the time. I mean I have to lose all those fats that I'm going to gain at dinner!" Piper giggled.
"You gotta be kidding. You don't look any inch skinner," he laughed. Piper pinched him playfully. "Okay, okay. Ouch man. Anyway, I would like to introduce you to my friends."
That's when she noticed for the first time the group of guys hanging around behind her friend. They all smiled kindly and nodded in recognition as they were introduced one by one.
"That's John, Jimmy, Colin, Philip, Stephan and our boss, Harold."
Piper raised her eyebrow when one of them was known as their "boss". She narrowed her view on Harold and expected some burlish boy with a nose of a snob and a demanding kind of look. Instead she found herself staring at an angel, to her opinion. He had perfectly round, brown eyes and the cutest nose she had ever seen. His lips were nicely cut out and his spiked hair fitted him to the T and he would have been the no. 1 hunk in the country if not for his height. He stood about 10cm above Piper, who was only 5 feet 2.
"Hey, I heard a lot about you," Harold gave her a toothy grin.
"Right, now let's get on with dinner. I'm absolutely starving!" Jacob cut in before she could respond and signalled for the group to move.
"Can you remind why you dragged me down on your little Boys' Scout outing?" Piper hissed at Jacob as they proceeded away from the station.
"To widen your social circle," he joked, yet again. However, on seeing the killer look in her eyes, he quickly added, "Well, I thought that the guys should get used to having a girl around. We are all idiots when it comes to socialising with girls and since you're my best mate, you're the perfect candidate."
"So now it's a dummy's course to getting a date?" she scorned at her friend. "Well, they all look pretty cute though." She nodded to the group trailing behind them.
"Now now, this isn't your matchmaking session," he winked.
***
"Another round, Piper?" Stephan asked, offering me another scoop of boiled fishballs.
"Thanks," Piper smiled at him, admiring his stylish hairdo as he dumped the contents into her bowl.
The group of 8 arrived at a steamboat restaurant and settled in on two tables. Jacob insisted that Piper shouldn't be so anti-social and made her sit with Stephan, Philip and Harold on one table while the rest were at the other.
"How are the preparations for the promos?" Harold turned towards her and asked politely.
"Okay, I guess," Piper answered, biting her lip nervously.
He grinned boyish-ly as he nodded in recognition and turned back to his food.
'Gosh. They were supposed to be the dumbfounded ones, not me!' she thought desperately in her mind.
"I heard from Jacob that you're a whiz when it comes to Science. We could study together if you don't mind. I desperately need some coaching in Physics," Stephan confessed earnestly.
'I love those dimples!' she thought, mesmerised. Stephan was handsome, without a doubt. His dimples shone whenever he smiled, and his eyes were as bright as the stars in the nightsky. Plus he was tall and lean -- every girls' dreamland.
"Yea, count me in." Harold chipped in. Philip nodded fervently beside him.
"Sure," Piper agreed shyly.
'Three hunks would definitely make studying for the year end exams a lot more interesting,' she beamed as she helped herself to more food.
***
(to be continued)
- Tingz
Ps: Based on a true story. Names are changed to protect identities.
