[color=crimson][h3]Nylah Weiss[hr][/h3][/color][sup]Tuesday, January 3, 2017[/sup]

[color=crimson]“Oh Cordelia,”[/color] Nylah sang with a cheshire grin as she exited her last class for the day with her friend close behind her, [color=crimson]“I think somebody likes you.”[/color]

“Cut the crap, Nylah,” Cordelia Wright — or “Dia,” as friends like to call her — hissed from Nylah’s right as a certain Terrence Asher passed while directing a grin in Cordelia’s direction. 

[color=crimson]“Yep, no mistake — you’ve been marked, Dia,”[/color] Nylah cackled, grinning as her friend attempted a smile and wave in Terrence’s direction. [color=crimson]“If you must know, I approve.”[/color]

“Since when did I care whether or not you approved of who I was seeing and who I wasn’t?” Cordelia asked, a grouchy frown on her face as she looked at her friend. “And thanks a lot! He could have heard!”

[color=crimson]“That was kinda the point?”[/color] Nylah said, rolling her eyes dramatically before grinning and waving to someone behind Cordelia. [color=crimson]“Eoghan! Hey, how was — well — whatever class you just had?”[/color]

“Studying in the library the whole morning was fine, thank you,” Eoghan Massey said, rolling his eyes as a laugh bubbled up from Nylah’s direction. “At least now I’m fairly sure I won’t be absolutely [i]bombing[/i] the very important quiz-test thing my sociology professor is giving. No thanks to you, by the way.”

[color=crimson]“C’mon, you know that party last night was worth it,”[/color] Nylah said with a wink. [color=crimson]“I can [i]still[/i] feel the heavy beats! Oh and drinks weren’t bad either!”[/color]

“That’s ‘cuz you don’t pay,” Cordelia said, sighing. “Good luck on that quiz-test thing, Eoghan! I hope you do better than Nylah does here — which isn’t hard, if you ask me.”

[color=crimson]“Cute. Now where to now?”[/color] Nylah asked, walking to nowhere in particular as she followed Cordelia across the NYU campus. [color=crimson]“Any idea what everyone else is doing?”[/color]

“Not a clue yet, but I’ll be sure to text you when I do,” Cordelia assured her friend as she kept up a brisk, I’m-native-to-New-York pace. “That is if you’re not too lazy to scroll through the group chat. Speaking of, didn’t you say you wanted to go to some relationship counseling thing tonight? To ‘scout that waters’ or something?”

A pause ensued before Nylah clapped her hands together in realization, mouth forming an ‘o’ as she stopped walking. [color=crimson]“Right! I’ll catch you later then, Dia. Text me — I’ll probably be done before ten,”[/color] she said, giving her friend a brief hug before running off. Shaking her head in amusement, Cordelia resumed her brisk pace.

[hr]
If Nylah had to be entirely honest — which she hardly ever was — she had no idea why she was going to this mysterious group counseling session held in some cafe she’d never heard of that was tucked away in some obscure part of New York. If asked, however, Nylah could say it was an impulse go — she’d received an invitation from a friend claiming that the person hosting the session — a “famous love guru,” Ms. Diane — was a genius in the department of love, and Nylah's interest had been piqued. She could also claim that she’d been walking through town when she’d happened across a poster — which she had, at one point — and figured she had some free time. Or that she just had a huge, insatiable craving for a latte from some obscure cafe that might turn out to be so good she’d recommend it to a few friends. All in all, she had excuses, and now she was at the door.

A soft but whimsical bell announced Nylah’s arrival in the cafe, and the smell of sweet, roasted coffee beans washed over her as she looked around the quaint shop. A record played in the background, giving the scene a nostalgic feel, although Nylah didn’t recognize the song. Eyes skimming over the menu, Nylah made a mental note to buy something after the session was over before turning and scanning the shop. In a corner she spotted a small group gathering — the meeting, Nylah figured. While the group wasn’t as big as Nylah thought — [i]Well, then again I[/i] am[i] just here on account of some unreliable recommendation,[/i] she reminded herself — Nylah walked over and joined them, seating herself in a seat closest to the aisle lest something go awry.

Figuring that the group was probably not yet complete, Nylah pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her feed.