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Branch was many things, and actually, a good part of those things depended on who you asked; he had been called 'distant', 'grumpy', 'cynical', 'cautious', 'wild' (which he still had no idea why, he just hoped he hadn't done anything stupid on one of the few occasions he had been drunk) and even 'paranoid'. Sure, Shannon. You might think I'm paranoid now, but wait until someone breaks into your room because you didn't properly lock the door for the millionth time…

But if there was something he was not, that was dumb.

Hell, he had installed the wifi of his childhood home when he was 6 all by himself, had been valedictorian all throughout high school, was majoring on   freaking engineering and he still was first of his class! He was not dumb! He was the opposite of dumb! Which is smart, clever or intelligent; something he knew because he was not dumb.

And yet, he still couldn't understand how on Earth he'd managed to have Cloud Guy of all people as his roommate and, quite surprisingly, best friend. It wasn't like he didn't care for him, he really did!

…

Now.

The only thing that got under his skin about the whole deal was that he couldn't help but feel like he had agreed to live with Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory.

Well, in all fairness, he was the one who was most similar to Sheldon of the two, Cloud Guy, whose real name was Claude but preferred to be known by his nickname because, according to him, he was "free as a cloud", just happened to be the guy with the vacant room and unpredictable eccentricities.

The same guy who was bothering him at that very instant from the door of their shared apartment.

"Come on, Branch!", the white-haired young man said from the room's door, a plea in his voice, "I've heard there are some real hot ladies starting at freshman year, this year! What do you have to lose?"

His roommate, who was now facing him with a scowl from his desk, sighed and pretended to consider his options; tapping his chin with his finger.

"Hm, let me see… If I go with you, I could be wasting my time, time I could be using for studying , studying that would save me from failing, which itself would most likely result in me losing my scholarship; the only thing that actually makes it easier for me to be in this university to get my engineering degree.

“Which would then allow me to have a good job, a proper salary and the nice, calm life I've always dreamed of. Gee, I don't know, C.G.… It's hard to choose between wasting my time with brats I'm not even interested in and my whole damn future!"

The sarcasm in his voice didn't go unnoticed by his friend, not like he hadn't just chosen to ignore it, though.

"Branch, for the love of everything good! The school year has just started, there's no way you're going to fail just because you decide to have some fun right before you have any real responsibilities!" He insisted.

While the raven-haired young man was waiting for his crazy, irresponsible friend to add any more brilliant points to his plea, he could already predict his next move: Cloud Guy was going to tell him his future life would be pointless, bland and insanely boring if he didn't have somebody to share it with. But he'd heard those words way too many times before. He did not need romance in his life! That was literally the last thing he needed or wanted. Something he kept reminding C.G. about, not like he would actually listen to him when it came to his love life.

Still, he was not in the mood for hearing that same old song for what must've been the thousandth time.

"Cloud Guy, listen." Branch began to explain, "I know you just want to see me happy, but believe me, there's nothing that makes me happier than having my future sorted out. And in that future I planned all by myself, for myself, there's no space for romance. I just don't need it!"

The young man in front of him, the very same young man who was wearing bermudas shorts which looked like they'd been splattered by a rainbow, a simple sleeveless white t-shirt and socks with sandals, stared at him like he had just grown a second head. The look of disbelief apparent in his features.

Just when Branch thought he'd broken his best, and only, friend, the guy spoke.

"Whatever you say,  Cloudy with a chance of sarcasm."

The use of that specific pet name made it clear to the reclusive student that his eccentric friend would not take no for an answer.

Despite that, however, Branch was surprised by the sight of Cloud Guy actually leaving their room without him. It was such a bizarre, unexpected event that the boy had to pinch himself.

“Ouch!” He exclaimed.

Alright, so he was clearly not dreaming. That had indeed happened. His best friend had just given him the opportunity of a lifetime to get his job done or, even better, relax the way he wanted to; writing his poetry.

If there was something he didn’t want people finding out about, that was his knack for creative writing. He was considered an unapproachable, jerkish grump and he'd like to keep it that way. Only C.G. knew, and that alone was, more often than not, nothing but a thorn in his side. Even more so when he kept nagging him about all the “ladykiller advantages” his talent had. Or how his pieces needed a more positive perspective, claiming they were “too dark and depressing.”

“Excuse me?!” He snapped once . “Who are you to criticise my muse? My feelings?! If it leads me to writing about a literal deer caught in headlights, so be it! As Pablo Picasso used to say, “If my inspiration comes, I hope it finds me working." And another thing…!”

After that little outburst his roommate had told him that, for an engineer-to-be, he was a total Drama Queen.

“ Whatever.” He thought. “ At least now I can have some peace and quiet.”

The problem was that Branch hadn’t been inspired enough to write since before Summer break. Something that was starting to worry him; he’d never had such a long period of writer’s block, always finding something inside of him capable of finding beauty in the cold, hurtful memories that composed his frozen heart.

If Cloud Guy found out about it, he would tell him it was probably time he found some fireworks to ignite that heart of his and give his work a new vibe to it.

Not a chance.

Ultimately, seeing how his internal debate was taking him nowhere, he settled for drawing inspiration from his books. Certainly there had to be some interesting detail he’d missed before that could be of use for his poems.

Even so, as he took his copy of “The Master and Margarita”, a masterpiece of the Russian Surrealism, and lay down on his bed, notepad by his side in case he found any inspiration, he couldn’t help but have a funny feeling. A feeling he was sure had to do with his crazy, white-haired friend…

So Branch wanted to spend his life moping in solitude? Refusing his kind, good-hearted offers at finding love and happiness? Being an utter grump?! Fine!

No matter what, he was going to enjoy his life. Captain No-Slappy could drop dead for all he cared!

Liar… He told himself. Branch was his man! His Dumpy Diapers! His brother from- thank Goodness, since his could be a real pain- another mother! He couldn’t stay mad at him…

And he was so much fun to tease.

Now, he just needed to find a girl sweet, or crazy, enough to be as incapable of holding Branch’s temper against him as he was. But did such a miracle really exist?

While he pondered on his options and the best way to trick-ehem-, convince an innocent girl to give his paranoid fella a chance, he walked into the fraternity that was hosting that year’s welcoming party. Or at least the one he was attending to.

The house was huge and, for a party that had only started about half an hour before he arrived, a complete mess. There were lots of different groups; some were just talking, more like flirting, actually; others were already invested in drinking games, it was incredible even for him to see a guy passed out at only eight o’clock in the evening from being wasted; couples and flings straight up making out in the corners and, thankfully, in the centre of the room many other students were dancing.

Pouring himself a drink, he began walking into the place; debating between having fun or helping out his best friend. But just as he’d made the first few steps into the room, he bumped into something, or rather, someone.

“I’m sor-”

“OMG, I’m so sorry!”

He couldn’t even finish his sentence because he was too mesmerised by the fact that his prayers had been answered.

Right before him stood a lovely young lady, younger than him, but old enough to not get in trouble with the authorities. A very relevant point, given that he and Branch had almost spent a night in the police station once because the chill one of the two had accidentally introduced to his legally adult pal a sixteen year old girl. Fortunately, it didn’t lead to anything because the reclusive one of the two knew how to handle the situation.

But she was, indeed, a vision of loveliness; she was wearing a sleeveless knee-long blue dress that gradually faded to green, adorned with little white details at the bottom, and a pair of low, bright pink heels. Something that went perfectly with her untamed, yet seemingly soft and silky pink bright hair that was hanging loose. Oooh, someone fun and wild! The young man with the socks and sandals mused. If that weren’t enough, she had her pretty, very pretty, face adorned with enough freckles to lose count. And a charming pair of warm and deep brown peepers.

In general, there was something about her that transmitted fun-filled Summer days and cozy Winter nights near the fire, hot chocolate in hand.

Happiness.

She transmitted happiness.

“This girl is Branch’s one way ticket to a heart attack.” The unfortunate soul’s unpredictable roommate guessed. “And I’d better make sure he takes it.”

A calculating smile appeared across his face.

“Excuse me, miss. I was extremely clumsy and failed to notice your charming presence until it was too late.” Cloud Guy began to work his magic, then proceeded to bow before her in an over-the-top, old-school gentlemanly fashion. “My name’s Claude, but please, call me Cloud Guy. Care to join me to make up for it, miss…?”

“Poppy.” She answered. “And, by the way, I’d be delighted to get to know someone as hilarious as you.”

“Oooooh, she thinks I’m funny! Only for that you are already a keeper, Poppy. Time to give my Grumpy Puppy some love.”

An hour or so had passed since she'd met her crazy companion, the party around them going unnoticed as long as they were talking. While they were immersed in their own little world, the DJ and members of the fraternity had lit up the multiple colourful lights that now reflected on everyone, making her hair in particular stand out when pink met shades of blue, red, purple…; now that the party was in full bloom with dozens of students joining in on the fun, the music had gone from cool enough to break the ice to out of this world.

Even if she wasn't currently the most active member of the party, she knew she already was in her element, ready to strike and bring the house to the floor once she became a part of it all.

But with the kidder she had for company at the moment by her side, she had no rush to join everyone else.

Poppy had expected lots of things from tonight’s party; dancing until her feet bled, not like that would stop her in the least; finding out more about managing herself at university, which shouldn’t be too hard, since she had already been invited to three other fraternity and sorority parties before ultimately deciding for this one; maybe even getting hammered, that was at the very bottom of her list because she was perfectly aware that you don’t need to drink ‘till you’re wasted to have a good time, but who knows?

She could already cross dancing from her to-do list.

While not as lively nor eye-catching as she usually was back home, where she would, without hesitation, be in the centre of the dance floor, singing at the top of her lungs, she was still moving according to the rhythm. Her elegant, upbeat moves could keep up with the wildest, fastest song the DJ played as long as she paid the music her full attention.

When she didn't, though, she would still sway according to the beat, never missing the true meaning behind the notes. Something she'd do whenever Cloud Guy's antics demanded she focused back on him. She had always been told that her movements were as if her own heart were beating in sync with the melody, guiding her all along throughout the song. The positive lass couldn't agree nor disagree with such theory, but if she had to be honest with herself, she really liked the sound of it.

Managing herself around campus, on the other hand, was proving itself to be more of a work in progress. Poppy considered herself someone resourceful, maybe not the buying-canned-food-to-survive-the-apocalypse kind or resourceful, but resourceful enough. Even so, the moment she tried to go to class, the library or the cantine without any sort of guidance, she was officially damned.

Why must things be so far away from one another?!

It was a miracle she knew the way back to her dorm.

Of course, one of her top priorities was meeting new people, which she’d accomplished soon enough.

On the one hand, she was lucky enough to have been accepted in the same university as three of her best, closest childhood friends; Guy Diamond,  Biggie and Smidge. The last two were nicknames, of course, but she'd grown so used to calling her friends by them that their real names felt foreign to her tongue.

Guy Diamond was a man of style whose personal touch included a vast amount of glitter and anything that could make him shine even brighter than his theatrical talent or his dance moves could. The young man certainly had a flare for the dramatic, so it went without saying that he was majoring in Drama.

Biggie was the biggest sweetheart she'd ever come across, both literally and rhetorically;  hence, the nickname (See?! There's a reason for everything!). Although Biggie was a man of many talents; dancing, baking, caring for others…; he was an astounding photographer as a result of the countless hours and pictures he'd taken of his beloved pet and best friend, his dog, Mr Dinkles.

And Smidge… Oh boy. Smidge was a force to be reckoned with! Despite her small size and her deep, baritone voice, she was not someone to mess with. Besides being a loyal and caring friend, almost to the point of overprotectiveness, she was a woman passionate about personal defense and weight-lifting. In other words, she. Was. Buff. Top it all with an intense personality and over the roof levels of confidence and you had Poppy's female best friend.

And on the other hand, Poppy was a natural pal magnet. There was nothing she did best than genuinely winning people over. At the very same party she was in, right before bumping into C.G., she had already befriended the party's DJ; DJ Suki. She certainly seemed cool and laid-back, and on top of it, her musical talent knew no limit! They had hit if off splendidly the first few minutes in of the party. With such amazing people here, the upbeat girl was already expecting to make even more friends in class! And, who knows? Maybe find that certain someone…

But never in a million years would she have expected to meet someone as eccentric, extravagant, different and completely out of his marbles as Cloud Guy.

The guy was so hilarious it was practically impossible to stay away from him!

At that very moment, they were leaning against the wall, not too close to the dancefloor so they wouldn’t be able to hear each other over the music, but not too far away either to not hear the music at all. That was per Poppy’s request, since she couldn’t imagine being at a party and not moving along to the beat to her heart’s content.

Cloud Guy was telling her one of his misadventures with his roommate, and Poppy could barely hold back the tears that were threatening to spill from laughing so hard.

“...And that’s how I tricked my best friend into crossdressing to teach me how to woo a woman.” The white haired young man made a dramatic pause at that point of the story, to give more emphasis to the next part. “Who didn’t exist!”

Now the two of them were doubled over with laughter; Poppy because the whole tale was indeed one of the funniest, craziest things she had ever heard, and Cloud Guy because he still couldn’t believe Branch had fallen for such an old trick. It was absurd even for him!

“Okay, okay.” The young man started once they’d both calmed down. “Now how about I tell you about the time I introduced Branch to the high five world?”

“Wait a minute, Cloud Guy.” The pink haired girl interrupted him. “You’ve been talking about this Branch guy all night. Might as well just tell me about him instead of directing each topic to him.” The freshman said with a smirk plastered on her face. “Are you two really that close?”

The man with the bermudas pants didn’t want to be so obvious about his true intentions, though the girl didn’t seem to be aware of what exactly his true intentions were, but in all honesty he was beginning to become a little desperate.

The more time he spent with Poppy, the more he knew she was exactly what, unknowingly, Branch was looking for.  She was energetic, optimistic, determined and didn’t hesitate to speak up her mind. And despite her noticeable naivety, the girl knew how to sass and talk back. She’d be the perfect challenge-Err, girlfriend- for Branch!

That and the fact that she was adorable, charming and beautiful enough to give the grump he had for roommate a heart attack, was reason enough to give it a shot, despite their opposite personalities.

The easygoing student realised he’d been silent for too long when the girl next to him started looking at him worriedly, with an expectant look on her face.

“You bet, Queeny!” He finally answered. “We’re not only roommates, he’s my Grumpy Puppy!”

“Papi?” The pink haired girl tilted her head to the side. “Oh, so you two are actually an item? Good for you, man!”

“What?!” Cloud Guy all but gawked. If she thought they were together the whole damned plan would be for naught! “No, no, no!” He denied, frantically shaking his head and motioning with his arms. “No, my pretty. P-U-P-P-Y, as in baby dog; not P-A-P-I, as in…weird term...used by some people...to...talk about their boyfriends." After that an awkward silence settled in between the two. "We are not together. We really are just close friends who share a room.”

Both knew his answer sounded like a very poor excuse, and Poppy didn’t fail to make her opinion known.

“You do realise that’s, like, the type of phrasing used by LGBT+ characters in sitcoms when they’re trying to hide the fact that they’re dating someone, don’t you?” She raised an eyebrow.

Her newest friend sighed defeatedly. “Yes, I do.” He quickly composed himself, though. “But this is not one of those times, Poppy. We really are just friends who live together.”

The girl shrugged, not wanting to cause him any distress.

“Besides,” C.G. continued, “he’s so lonely and in such dire need of company that it’d be practically impossible for him to date anyone at the moment.”

He felt bad for playing such a dirty card on someone as sweet as Poppy, but Branch was the closest thing to a lost cause, and so, he was desperate. Besides, the freshman’s genuinely worried look made it all worth it.

“He is?” She asked, concern clear in her voice.

“Oh, yes. He’s not a bad dude, Poppy; I should know, but he has a hard time opening up to other people; always acting tough and insensitive towards everyone when, deep down, he’s a real softie. If you ask me, he could really use a friend like you.”

He just hoped she’d take the bait.

The optimistic girl, on her part, hated the idea of someone feeling left out just because they were socially awkward. Those people needed as much company and support as the most outgoing, extroverted person in the world. Experience taught her that, most often than not, shy, quiet people were the most fascinating ones.  She’d checked that herself when she befriended Biggie back at home when she was eight.

“Well…” she began, making up her mind. Nobody left behind, she reminded herself of her family’s motto. “I’d love to be his friend. If he wants to be mine of course.”

Oh, dear. I’ll make sure he wants to be your friend, only with the word “boy” at the beginning. The surprisingly sneaky college student thought. “Are you kidding me? He’d love to!” More like, he’ll love you!

“You know what, Poppy?” Cloud Guy caught her attention once again. “I’m going to talk to him as soon as I get back to our room about you. He’ll be delighted to meet you once I tell him all about someone as incredible as you.”

As the unpredictable man drank from his glass, he remembered every single person who had ever underestimated him, clearly amused. If only they'd known he knew just how to play people into doing his bidding, they wouldn’t have been so quick to deem him of dimwitted.

“Oh, that’s so nice of you! Here, hand him this on my behalf.” Poppy requested while handing him an envelope seemingly out of thin air.

“What’s this?” Cloud Guy asked.

“It’s a personalised invitation.” The positive girl explained. “I happen to be quite the ace at scrapbooking." She stated proudly at the same time she smoothed her dress. "Never mind that. I was going to give this to my friend, Guy Diamond, to invite him to come with me tonight. But, apparently, he had already been invited.

“So, I thought that instead of letting a perfectly good invite go to waste, it’d be better if I recycled it and used it to make new friends. Which, between you and me, is actually my way to introduce myself to new people.”

The girl was something else entirely, of that C.G. was sure. He found her action touching, though.

“Don’t worry, Poppy. I’ll make sure he gets it along with your eagerness to meet him. And I assure you, my beautiful queen, he’ll be enchanted to get to know you.”

If he manages to utter a word when he sees you, of course.

Lain down on his bed, dozens of phrases, hundreds of words and thousands of letters were mockingly staring back at him, taunting him for his incapability to draw inspiration from anything he had read since his best friend left him alone.

Neither Bulgakov, Allan Poe, Lord Byron nor Neruda had help him in the least. Not even Lorca! All he got from that experiment was utter humiliation and mockery right before his very own eyes. His own books were against him.

But that was nothing compared to the notepad placed beside him, completely blank. Not even a little stain from his pen had inked its pages, even by accident!

If the books were mockingly staring back at him, the notepad was staring holes  through his head. Defeated, Branch turned around to look at the clock; 1 AM. Thank Goodness it was a Friday night -well, it was Saturday already, to be precise-, because he wouldn’t be able to concentrate otherwise in class if, aside from agonising over his writer’s block, he was sleep deprived.

His muse’s vanishing act was the last thing he needed!

For years, he’d learned to deal with his problems by writing them down and turning the bloodcurdling nightmares and all of the undesirable feelings and memories they triggered  into something others could admire for their beauty.

At least that was what the critics said about the few pieces he’d, anonymously, published. Albeit he was overall proud of the response his work got, there was this one review that remained stuck in his head.

“While raw and full of emotion, as well as they perfectly convey the intensity hidden behind such ignored topics, these poems lack one key ingredient in my book; love. Be it for somebody else or the author’s self-esteem, it doesn’t matter. What these verses are missing to fully resonate with me is the kind of colour and life only love can give. I most sincerely hope their author finds it soon, for the sake of his work.”

That was ridiculous!

He didn’t need love to improve his poems!

The reason why he even wrote them in the first place was because he had loved somebody once... and lost that someone. Lost that love…

That was the point of his writing; there is only a two letter difference between love and loss.

As the shadow of his past threatened to take him within the darkest passages of his mind, he failed to notice the presence peeking over his shoulder.

“Watcha’ doing, pal?”

An unholy sound escaped the raven haired boy’s throat at the realisation that he was no longer alone. A blessing and a curse all at the same time.

He realised he’d jerked up from the scare, and as he slowly turned around to face his roommate, he noticed Cloud Guy was standing next to him and the bed with a mischievous glint in his eyes. And was he holding something in his hand?

The paranoid of the two, however, prioritised moving on from the rare moment he kept his guard low. For the sake of his dignity. So he wiped his spooked expression out of his face and replaced it with his usual frown.

“It’s 1 AM.” Branch grunted. “Don’t you think you’re coming back a little late?”

His accusation was blatantly ignored by the white haired jokester, who had far more important matters to get to.

“I’ll let you know parties in other countries would be starting by now, rather than ending. So, technically, I’m early. So early, in fact, that it’s as if I haven’t even left the dorm.” Cloud Guy sassed with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

“Cut the bullshit, C.G.” Branch all but snarled at his best friend.

Luckily, C.G. was too used to and loved teasing his partner so much he merely smirked in response all the while making sure to hide Poppy’s invitation behind his back. “Sensitive much, aren’t we?”

Branch decided to ignore it. The less Cloud Guy knew about his writing problem, the less he would pester him over looking for a girlfriend. Still… Something was off.

“What’s got you so chirpy?” He asked narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

“Oh, nothing.” The eccentric young man drawled. “I just happen to have succeeded in achieving my biggest challenge to date.”

“Did you finally tell your parents you’re never going back to your Aunt Cecilia’s house for Thanksgiving?”

“Dude, don’t even joke with that.” Cloud Guy replied, dead serious. “But no, that’s not it.” He raised his head up and adopted a dignified pose to give more emphasis to his announcement. “I managed to find you the perfect girlfriend! Ta-da!”

The look of pure horror on Branch’s face was priceless, but it was very out of place for the happy news he’d just received.

“I said, “Ta-da!” Cloud Guy tried again, gesturing wildly to mark his point.

The horror and shock were quickly replaced by an angry scowl. “I heard you the first time, dude. But what on Earth were you thinking!? I told you! I don’t want or need a girlfriend!” The grump shouted as he stood up from the bed.

“Especially not if-!”

“Especially not if she’s some random freshman I’ve met in a random party.” I know, Branch, I know.” His sock loving friend interrupted him. “But she’s really something else, Grumpy Pants! I’ve spent the whole night talking with her, man. Actually talking!

“And she’s so full of live and energy -Now don’t you dare huff at that, young man, I’m serious!” He wagged a finger at him to keep him silent until he was done talking. “I’m not going to lie, she’s your polar opposite, but-”

Now it was Branch’s turn to interrupt him. “My polar opposite?! How can you expect me to want to spend even a fucking minute in the same room as someone like that!?”

“Now, now.” The white haired mess he had for best friend tried to sooth him at the same time he wrapped an arm around his shoulders to bring him close. “Poppy -and yeah, that’s her name. Don’t even think about commenting on it, Branch- is a lot more capable of handling her own against you than you think. I swear, if you just gave her a chance at meeting you, you’d be pleasantly surprised.”

“Doubtful.” His pessimistic friend scoffed, crossing his arms.

“I’m serious, man.” C.G. insisted. “When I told her you could use a friend like her -yes, you do. Stop glaring at me, dude- she gave me this for you!”

As his roommate was saying that, he held out the mysterious thing the raven haired boy thought he’d seen him hide; an envelope.

“A letter?”

“Not exactly. Go on, open it!”

When Branch opened the envelope, he found a handmade invitation made out of felt that displayed a gigantic rainbow, several flowers and a big rosy heart, all of which popped up the minute he opened the invite. Also, the heart and the rainbow had written messages such as “You’re invited” and “Please, come!” on them. Even if it was rather childish for his taste, he’d be kidding himself if he didn’t admit it was impressive.

That was until it started spraying glitter on his face.

“Awww, she’s adorable!” His best friend cooed. “And she wasn’t lying, she is an ace at scrapbooking. Oh my! I already ship you two so hard I could actually write fanfiction about you guys!”

“You can’t write fics about real people, it’s weird. Nobody does that!”

“Ah, they sure do, Captain No-Slappy. Self-insert fics? Fics with real life people and celebrities as main characters? What Karmi did in Big Hero 6 ?! Hello, ring a bell?”

“In case you’ve forgotten, Karmi from Big Hero 6 is a character from an animated TV show.” Branch pointed out, refusing to back down. “She herself is a fictional character. She doesn’t write about real people!”

“Ooooh! So it’s actually meta fiction! Genius.”  The prankster praised the show.

Seeing it was a lot cause arguing with Cloud Guy much further, he settled for changing the topic to the conversation at hand. “So, what makes you think I’m going to like Poppy?”

“Because she’s like that dessert you love so much; “Death by Chocolate.” Cloud Guy answered, then hesitated. “Well… more like “Death by Strawberries”, since her hair is pink and all…”

Her hair is pink… Of course it is . The reclusive boy sighed. There was no way to end this madness but agreeing to go meet the girl.

Rubbing his temples and finally getting away from his roommates’ grasp, he spoke. “Alright, I’ll meet her tomorrow. But if I don’t like her, you must promise me that you’ll finally put an end to this crazy quest of yours, Claude.”

“Wow, using my given name, eh? You’re getting serious.”

“Promise me, C.G.!”

“Alright, alright! I promise. But I swear you won’t regret it!” He winked.

I really hope I don’t.

As incredible as it may seem, Cloud Guy’s candidate had agreed to meeting them the very same day after a party that must’ve surely ended in the wee hours of the morning. According to him, the girl was more than delighted to get to know the raven haired boy, despite having spent hours with his eccentric best friend the night before, most likely hearing embarrassing stories about the two.

In Branch’s opinion, she wasn’t something else; she was just either weird or insane.

Nevertheless, there they were; waiting for the girl to make her appearance in the middle of campus because, even if she was “thrilled to meet him”, she still had to sort out some matters at the secretary’s office related to her enrolment in the building.

So they waited.

In the already cool morning breeze of September.

Very early in the morning.

On a freaking Saturday.

The only reason Branch was fidgeting with his hands, looking very impatient to meet this girl, was because he was very impatient to finally meet her, put an end to his roommate’s crazy shenanigans and, once they’d returned to their room, kill him with his bare hands.

He looked to his side to find said future murder victim nonchalantly whistling while rocking himself back and forth as they waited.

“You smug little bastard.”

Despite his sour mood, the young man decided to use the time to solve his writer’s block. Maybe by taking in some of the early fall scenery he’d be able to come up with good enough verses (or any at all) for his standards. Or maybe if he bought himself a nice, warm cup of coffee-

“Oh, there you are!” A new voice interrupted his thoughts. “I’m so sorry I made you wait!”

Finally. But as he turned his head to acknowledge the source of the voice, his breath hitched and he was practically convinced his heart stopped for a moment, only to start drumming in his ribcage.

The girl before him was by far much more mesmerising than the rosiest sunset with her natural, pink and freckled beauty; warmer than a July afternoon spent by the beach thanks to the depth of her caring amber eyes; sweeter than ambrosia with that smile, bright enough to light up an entire neighbourhood.

And now that he gave it some thought, her voice was as lovely as the sound of bells ringing.

Behind your velvet lips,

hides the most beautiful string of white pearls.

He couldn’t believe it. Just one minute with Poppy and he had already came up with more material than in months of searching for inspiration!

The girl’s gaze, now directed at him after exchanging greetings with Cloud Guy, brought him back to his senses. If that was possible near her…

“So, you must be Branch.” She beamed at him. “Wow, C.G. here has told me so much about you! Of course, there’s nothing like getting to meet someone for the first time on your own. Right, my man?”

Okay, now she was expecting him to answer her. It made sense. But the raven haired boy wasn’t sure what to do; on the one hand, he wanted to prove his best friend he’d failed at finding him someone to love and maintain his reputation of loner; but on the other, the more he had that pink goddess in front of him, the more he wanted to keep talking to her until the end of time.

Tough call.

Screw love and happiness; he’d been away from them long enough to realise they weren’t mandatory in life.

“There’s one thing better than that, though.” He began, tone already dripping with sarcasm. “Meeting that someone on time instead of making them wait in this cold ass weather.”

Cloud Guy turned to face him, with an expression that clearly said, “Dude, what the actual Hell are you doing?!” So he’d be in a world of pain once they parted ways from the love child of a threesome between sunshine, glitter and rainbows… Oh, well. Not like it wasn’t worth it compared to stopping the rapid beating of his, otherwise still, heart.

However, much to his utter astonishment and elation -elation?!- the girl just laughed.

“Oh, dear God. No!” He mentally pleaded.

She actually laughed!

And nothing could save him from the rising heat in his cheeks or the spiral of thoughts that began swirling inside his mind.

The angel choir that is your laugh,

the Summer breeze hidden in your scent,

the work of art that is your figure,

they make me believe in love again.

The verses flowed freely through his mind, impossible to stop despite the void and emptiness that had, ironically, filled his head until then. The inspiration was coming back, and he dreaded its meaning.

“Poppy,” Cloud Guy tried to excuse his friend, clearly looking to save his chances with the beacon of light they were facing, “please don’t take it to heart. That’s just his sense of humour, that’s all. It was really no bother waiting for you.”

Poppy, however, just shook her head. “No, Cloud Guy. He’s right. I should’ve been here earlier. But I couldn't find the papers I need to fill. Sorry about that, Relax, though, he didn’t bother me in the least, so you don’t have to excuse him in any way. Moreover… isn’t he old enough to defend himself?” She sassed them with a smirk on her face and a wink.

If this is what Heaven looks like,

then when is my turn to die?

Alright, so she certainly could handle herself around him given she hadn’t even flinched at his sarcastic comment. Impressive. But Branch was not gonna let his guard down anymore than he’d unintentionally done already. As beautiful, sassy, charming, sweet, angelical -ehem!- as good as Poppy appeared to be, there was no way he’d let her in.

No way.

“I’m capable enough of taking care of myself, thank you very much.” The grump grunted in response as he got a little closer to the girl in a slightly desperate attempt at intimidating her. “I’m going to be honest with you, Poppy; I don’t know what this nutjob I have for roommate has told you, but I am not looking for another friend.” He explained, crossing his arms and a smug expression on his face. “And, no offense, but I highly doubt you’d be able to keep up with me, Princess.”

Something about what he said, maybe the nickname, seemed to have stirred something inside the optimistic young lady, for she was suddenly leaning close to him, very close, with something akin to a mix of determination and mischief in her eyes.

If that weren’t worrying enough, Poppy’s proximity was doing no good to Branch’s already aching heart. With so little distance between them, he could feel the girl’s breath on his neck, sending goosebumps all throughout his body. He could smell her sweet, intoxicating fragrance, which was quickly filling his nostrils and sending his mind to a frenzy. He could actually appreciate every single mole and freckle that adorned her ridiculously adorable and perfect face! And it was driving him insane.

The stars adorning your face

form constellations

I dare not name.

“Listen, fella.” Poppy addressed him with total confidence. As much as he hated to admit it, this one was one Hell of a lady. “I wholeheartedly believe that, despite your gruff and distant façade, you could really use a friend, and I happen to be all about befriending people and making them happy; lucky you.” She said as she poked her finger on his chest, totally ignoring the way she made him feel or the huge grin on Cloud Guy’s face.

“After all, that is my family motto; “Nobody left behind.” So you’re not getting rid of me that easily, big guy. I’m gon’ be your friend, whether you like it or not.”

That had to be the weirdest, friendliest, most terrifying threat ever, but the boy with the green vest was too busy trying to figure out Poppy’s scent to pay the fact the attention it deserved. It was something sweet, that was for sure. Something that reminded him of fun-filled days at the carnival, or the amusement park, or the circus…

Cotton candy.

Poppy smelled like cotton candy.

“Oh, my!” Cloud Guy broke the sudden silence. “I think your little speech stunned him so much, Poppy, that now he’s speechless!” He was laughing at that point. “No easy feat, I tell ya!”

His reclusive roommate shot him a glare to shut him up, but as he returned his focus at the woman responsible for the undesired reactions of his heart, body and mind, he found himself face to… paper (?) with an envelope similar to the one C.G. had given him the night prior.

“Here.” Poppy said. “With this we can say we’ve been properly introduced. Come on, open it!”

He eyed the envelope suspiciously, dreading to find more glitter like with the previous one. But when he finally saw the young woman’s newest creation, his heart skipped a beat and he found himself blushing all over again.

It was another invitation, but unlike the last one, this one displayed what appeared to be two felt troll dolls, one pink and the other greyish, hugging each other while being surrounded by unreal yet extremely creative and colourful foliage. This time, the invitation read, “I’m looking forward to being your friend.”

Then came the glitter.

“Welp!” Poppy broke the new silence that had settled between the three. “As the invite says, I’m really thrilled to have met you, Branch. And believe me, there’s many more where that came from.” She began to gather her things and turned her back to them. “Anyways, gotta run. I still have a lot of paperwork to do, ya know. Pleasure to meet you Branch, great to see you again, Cloud Guy. Bye!”

And with that, she was gone.

As Cloud Guy began to squeal and rant about how amazing Poppy was and that never, not in a million years, would he be able to resist such a babe, Branch kept staring from the invitation in his hands to the fleeting girl back and forth.

If you ever break my heart,

every single remaining piece

will forever beat for you.

“Cotton candy.”

“Huh?” Was his best friend’s answer, who was now leaning on his shoulder.

“You were wrong.” The lovesick man clarified. “She’s more like “death by cotton candy.”

Branch hated the idea, knowing the high odds of it all crashing and burning down in flames. But as much as he wanted to deny it, knew he couldn’t. At least not if his newfound poetic skill was anything to go by.

Poppy was his new muse.

He just hoped his poor heart could take it.