"Goodbye, Teacher Arthur!"
The bell rang and the schoolyard erupted with laughter and footsteps. Arthur stood at the gates, waving to his students as they dashed past, eager to get home. Their voices echoed behind them, filled with excitement and freedom.
Arthur usually waited near the entrance for Uncle Kevin to pick him up. Though, truthfully, waiting was a stretch. Uncle Kevin was always early, often waiting for him before school even ended.
But today was different.
Today, Uncle Kevin was late.
Arthur reached into his pocket, ready to call and check in—when a familiar honk caught his attention. He froze. Then grinned.
Shoving the phone back into his pocket, he jogged to the car like an excited child.
"Old man, I thought you forg—"
He then opened the door to get in and looked up at Uncle Kevin...or so he thought.
And, he stopped dead.
"N-Natalia…"
His mouth hung open. A blush rushed up his cheeks as Natalia's eyes met his.
"You should get in first," she said, motioning with her head.
Arthur jolted back to life. "O-oh, right!" he stammered, then rushed to get in—only to bang his head.
'Fuck. So embarrassing.'
"...Are you okay?" Natalia asked and Arthur winced. Her voice was calm, but he could feel the laughter bubbling beneath it.
Inside, he groaned.
'Why does it have to be her? Of all people?'
And she had to see everything. The stammering. The head bump. The awkward freeze. Of course, it had to be the one he finally started to like.
'Why, God? You want me to be single forever? Can't you spare even a shred of dignity?'
"I'm okay," he muttered. "Thank you."
He turned toward the window, hoping the glass might absorb his shame. But Natalia had seen it all already.
"W-Where's Uncle Kevin?" he asked, trying to break the silence that stretched between them.
If he started talking, maybe it wouldn't feel so awkward. Maybe they'd keep the conversation going until they got home.
And… he could feel a little closer to her too...
"Why? You don't want to ride with me?" she teased.
"No, no!" Arthur said quickly, then lowered his voice, flushing again. "I like it."
'Shit', he thought, 'why did that sound so wrong?'
And worse… why did he sound kind of horny?
He squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face deeper into the window. Natalia, meanwhile, was watching the road, her lips curling into a smirk.
"Dad went to the mall," she explained casually. "He wanted to get some gifts for tonight's dinner hosts. Lost track of time. So, I came instead."
"Oh, the mall?" Arthur's head perked up. "Do you think he's back home by now?"
The excitement in his voice was too obvious.
'He won't forget my ice cream, right?'
Arthur started getting worried.
Natalia, already informed about Arthur's habits, chuckled, knowingly.
"He said he'd send me a message. Check and see."
Arthur blinked. "Huh?"
"My phone. It's in my trouser pocket. Go ahead, grab it."
He froze.
Her pocket…
Arthur's heart skipped a beat.
'She's really asking me to…'
It felt wrong. It felt very wrong.
And yet, he couldn't bring himself to say no.
'Am I that desperate? God, I'm such a creep…'
Trembling slightly, he reached for her pocket.
It was deeper than he expected.
'Her phone is sitting right on her thigh… How am I supposed to reach that far?'
He stared at the pocket like it was a bomb he needed to disarm. His hand was halfway in. Still no phone.
And, he obviously didn't see Natalia's face at the moment.
Behind her composed expression, Natalia's cheeks had turned faintly pink.
'Shit… I thought he'd stutter and back out. Didn't expect him to actually go for it.'
She cleared her throat, grabbed his wrist gently, and pulled his hand out.
"I'll get it."
She quickly retrieved the phone and handed it to him and watched Arthur accepting it with both hands, like it was made of gold.
Natalia glanced at the road again, but wishing she could watch him longer.
'Why is he like this? So… effortlessly adorable?'
Years of emotional control were crumbling faster than she could rebuild. She felt it.
While Natalia tried to calm herself, Arthur admired the phone in his lap like it was a sacred relic.
'She gave me her phone. Doesn't that mean she trusts me?'
He didn't dare drop it. Didn't even hold it with one hand.
And, he couldn't ignore the fact even her phone smelled faintly like her...
'No. No sniffing. Don't be a weirdo, Arthur!'
Arthur squinted at the lock screen.
A message from Kevin had indeed come through, but the preview was cut off.
"Uh… I can't read the whole message. Can you unlock the phone for me?"
Natalia nodded.
"0817."
"Huh?"
"Password."
Arthur looked up, surprised. "Uncle and Auntie's wedding date?"
Natalia gave him a glance, surprised. "You knew?"
He shrugged, a little proud. "Mmm."
He unlocked the phone and just as he opened the messages, something on the screen caught his eye.
He blinked.
Wait…
Her contact name for him read, Baby Boy.
"H-Hey!" he pouted, holding it up. "I told you I'm not a baby boy!"
Natalia chuckled, caught off guard. "You weren't supposed to see that."
And then, she shrugged, unapologetic. "But hey, my phone, my rules. I can save your number however I want."
Arthur huffed. "Then I'll do the same. I get to name you however I want, too!"
He set her phone aside and pulled out his own, shielding it from her view as he typed furiously.
Of course he couldn't let her see what he saved her. So he made sure to hide the screen well as he went on.
Natalia chuckled and raised a brow, amused. "What are you naming me, hmm?"
Arthur didn't answer. Not until he was finished.
"This is you now!" he said, turning his phone screen toward her proudly.
Natalia glanced—and instantly gripped the steering wheel tighter.
Her pulse jumped and her knuckles whitened.
There it was, bold and unmistakable...
MOMMY
'...Oh, for fuck's sake. Is he clueless… or just trying to provoke me?'
She glanced again.
Nope. Still there.
MOMMY
Natalia's phermones stirred as her self-control wavered, and all she could do was grip the wheel like it was the only thing keeping her sane.
'Damn it. Self-control, Natalia. Self-control. He's just being petty. He has no idea what he's doing.'