The Damsel and the Distressed

A warm ray of sunlight peeking through the storm clouds—that’s how she appeared to Wes.

“Mia! What are you doing?”

Another girl ran forward, worry and confusion on her face. It could be because her companion was talking to a stranger, and she didn't understand her actions. He didn’t blame her; he felt the same.

“Y-You can go ahead, Jenny. You have cram school, d-don't you? I…” she trailed off, glancing at him. “...I-I’ll leave in a bit.”

Wes figured her intention at once; she's staying behind for him. Jenny, as she called her, shared his puzzlement.

“Are you sure? Will you be okay? You’re...not really good with people, right?”

‘She's not?’ His brows shot up in surprised enlightenment.

That explained her speech and gestures. She wasn’t only shy; she was struggling. But she chose to help him anyway.

“Yeah... I-I’ll be f-fine...”

Even when her words continued tripping over each other, she remained.

Later on, Wes found himself seated across from her. He honestly didn't want to linger too long in a wet shirt. But seeing her determination, he couldn't refuse her invitation to join her.

“My n-name is M-Mia, by the way... A-And, um, this will be q-quick! You can't s-stay like t-that, after all! I-I’ll just finish telling you the r-rest about washing off the c-c-coffee stain…”

Wes blinked at her, still unsure why she was going through all this trouble. He hadn’t even introduced himself yet, or thanked her, or said hello. But rather than any of that, what he ended up saying was, “You mean, you'll teach me how to do laundry?”

“Y-Yeah? D-Did you not say you wanted to know?”

“Huh?”

Their eyes widened in unison as realization struck. Apparently, she thought he’d agreed to her offer—that he’d said yes, he wanted to learn how to get rid of the stain. They hadn’t actually talked properly, in fact, and she just made an assumption.

Her face flared bright red. “S-S-S-Sorry, I…!”

Wes couldn’t hold it back anymore. A rich, bubbly laugh burst out of him, startling her into silence. She gaped and stared openly; even this was amusing.

“You really are cute,” he said almost breathlessly, and she blushed harder.

---

Mia had no idea what's with the tingling sensation that's running through her body.

While she watched him, everything around her seemed to slow and still, as though he was the only one that existed. It was an odd, foreign feeling. If it meant hearing him laugh, she thought she didn't mind getting embarrassed over and over again.

She had the initial impression that he was reserved and detached like her. That was until he showed her a side that people usually wouldn't reveal to another unless they were close. His laughter was genuine, she could tell. There wasn’t a hint of haughtiness or ridicule, just pure mirth.

‘Then again, I deserve it for being an airhead,’ she grimaced inwardly.

Earlier, when she initiated the conversation, she had been panicking so much that she jumped to her own conclusion. She didn't approach him out of pity, though. All she wanted was to lend a hand and, at the very least, bring him away from the bad attention he'd garnered.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Mia. I can’t help it,” he apologized, laughter subsiding. “I’m Wes. A pleasure to meet you, or so I hope to say.”

“Erm… I-It is nice meeting you, and p-please just call me M-Mia.”

He grinned, expression no longer glum. “Forgive me for not conveying my thanks first, Mia. I wasn't in my right mind when you spoke to me and asked to sit together. Really, I’m sorry. I didn't want to come off rude.”

“N-No worries, and I… I-I was just too n-nervous to r-realize that you didn’t a-accept my offer then... I a-apologize for deciding t-things on my o-own.”

“It’s alright. Thank you.”

He did not seem weirded out by her. Every time, he waited for her to finish talking. His eyes were patient and his smile amicable.

‘That’s a relief. I was scared he'd tire of me or get irritated and leave.'

Wes was quite the gentleman.

She felt comfortable around him, compared to most, even as she kept messing up her words. He was easy to get along with, but for someone who'd just gotten dumped, he sure smiled a lot. She wondered what about him repulsed that girl from before so much that she’d throw a fit and do something terrible.

“I-I’m sorry for what happened to you... A-Are you okay?”

Wes froze, reminded of the incident earlier. His lips formed a thin line, and he averted his gaze. Mia immediately regretted mentioning it. She didn't intend to ruin the mood.

“I-It’s fine if you d-don’t want to t-talk…”

“No, it’s a given that people would be curious, especially after all that fuss. I myself didn’t expect she’d be that mad.” He sighed dismally, a frown forming on his face. “I’ve had my eyes on her for a while now, so I started courting her. She didn’t know I was the one sending her gifts and letters, but she was always happy when she received them. I thought she’d be ecstatic once I finally confessed, but then... Well, it turned out as it did.”

“Um, h-has she seen y-you before?”

“Yes. We talk every now and then.”

“A-And earlier… That's the f-first time she a-acted that way to y-you?”

Wes nodded, and now, Mia felt awful for comparing herself to him.

All her attempts at love couldn't match the effort he’d put into his. She found his experience disheartening, and though she’d only met him today, she figured he was a nice person and didn’t deserve that sort of treatment. Such public humiliation was definitely unwarranted.

‘Wes is only in love. He hasn’t done anything bad,’ she lamented. ‘And gifts and letters? But that's so romantic!’

Of course, it's a different story if the girl didn't like the attention from the start. But he said that his presents pleased her all the time. From the sound of it, she’s not opposed to the idea of having a secret admirer. If she wasn't interested after all, a simple ‘no’ could've gotten the message across. 

‘To do so much for the person he likes… How wonderful…’

Again, they still didn't know each other that well, yet Mia felt a growing fondness for Wes. He was passionate and devoted. What's more, he was kind to Mia despite how awkward she could be.

Perhaps, this feeling was that of someone who wished to see their friend succeed.

“I have no idea that she’s the type who looks more on the outside,” he muttered suddenly. “How stupid of me.”

Her expression dropped at his self-deprecating words. Hearing him imply that being himself was like committing a crime sent a pang of hurt to her chest. Just because he wasn't attractive by others' standards didn't mean he had to go through all of this.

She wanted to assure him that nothing was wrong with who he was. But there's the fact that he'd shown up as he was when he confessed, and that told her that he did try to believe the same. She doubted words alone would work at this point.

An idea crossed her mind.

“W-What if I help you, Wes?”

His brows arched up, gaze locking on hers. “What?”

“I-In university,” she mumbled out, “I dream of taking f-fashion design, y-you see… I-I may not seem like it, but… I’m i-into styling and stuff, and I... I-I can help you do a makeover, if y-you will let me…”

She admitted it was presumptuous of her, brazen even. The mere thought of helping in this manner was petrifying, as she had never done it before, but receiving his sincere gratitude and understanding had given her a bit of courage. So, she steeled her resolve.

She had to change. She would change.

“You already helped me more than you think. Of course, I appreciate it, but why go this far?” he questioned.

In all honesty, part of the reason was that she wanted to see him again after this. If it meant she could do so, she would support him however she could.

“That’s, umm…” Her cheeks flushed, and she fiddled with her fingers. “...B-Because Wes thinks he’s not worth it... You think little of y-yourself, a-and you think you’re fine with it...”

He stared at her in all seriousness. But he didn't appear incensed that she spoke out her honest thoughts. She took the reaction as him considering her suggestion.

“P-Please, let me,” Mia said earnestly. “I… I promise I’ll do my best.”