Chapter 10

I let my phone ring till it came to a halt. There was nothing that guy could do to make himself foolish. I'm not aware why he's calling. Is there anything else on his mind? Are we friends? Is he no longer ashamed of himself? He didn't even consider the idea that he was bothering me. For the time being, I need to forget about what he did. It's not a big deal for me; I was only annoyed for a brief period. I turned off my data and began going over some of my notes to keep busy. I always checked my phone every hour. Even though it's eleven thirty in the evening, I have yet to receive a text from Jas. A text from 8080 once tricked me, and I almost scolded myself for being so naive.

What did Jas give me to make me so interesting to him? It's amusing, but it's also terrifying because what if he doesn't like me as much as I like him? For the present being, I must deal with the motive he shows to me. I can accept if he doesn't like me, but if he wants someone else, that's something I won't be able to accept right away. Even though I had never been in a situation like this before, I knew it would be hard. It's difficult to comprehend that the person you love for is already in love with someone else. It's difficult to accept, and it's much more difficult to pretend everything is ok.

Even though it's twelve o'clock, he's still gone. Is he still to come here? I still have class tomorrow, and if I wait any longer, I will undoubtedly fall asleep. I'm hoping he said he couldn't go anywhere so I wouldn't have to wait.

I was putting my stuff back in my bag before going to sleep when the doorbell rang. My excitement had returned, so I dashed to the door to open it. I was excited to see him before, but now I'm frightened. I'm at a loss on what to do. I couldn't decide whether to hug him or ask as to why he took so long. Is it genuine that he's here, or am I just hallucinating? He was standing with his palms in the pocket of his hoodie jacket. His hair was blown out, but he looked much better in my eyes. This is really out of the ordinary! I'm not sure why, but his eyes chuckled slightly and his lips trembled as if he was distracted by my look.


"You stare so intently. I'm cold," He said as I awoke from his hypnotizing image. "You're assuming!" I exclaimed, turning away from him. "I'm just waiting for you to speak up; I'm not staring at you." The shame I felt caused my face to warm up as I heard his giggle. I just hope he doesn't get the impression that I don't think of him as a friend. I really hope he doesn't see how much I adore him. It"s not the right time because I know it"s too early for him to know.I'm afraid he'll shun me and feel uncomfortable with me. I'd rather he thought of me as a friend than ignore me.


I smiled as I turned to face him. "Sit down first, and I'll get something to eat." He took off his jacket's hoodie and then restrained me, saying, "Don't. I'm full." He also held her stomach. "Just sit there first," I said, pointing to the living room sofa. "Don't argue; you'll eat other food here." I overheard him murmuring, "So peevish," as he sat on the sofa. I turned away from him and walked into the kitchen. To alleviate my prior shame, I quickly drank water.

He appears to be in good health, with no apparent rashes on his body. He appeared to be at ease with his discomfort. It's no longer a big concern to him, and he's just accepted it, despite the fact that he's limited in what he can do. I'm not sure I'd be able to fight back if I were in his shoes. I'm not sure how many months, years, or decades I'll have to count to comprehend that I'm in this situation. He is so brave, and all I want for him is for his life to return to normal. I want him to relive the activities he is unable to do due to his condition.

I returned to the living room after retrieving what I had prepared earlier. I saw him on the sofa, and as soon as he sensed my presence, he sat down and turned to the food I was carrying for us to enjoy.

"What is that?" he asked, opening the container I had brought with him right away. "Ah, young coconut salad," he replied, turning to me and asking, "Made by you?"

I gave a nod. "Take a bite."

He took one of the bowls I'd brought and filled it with salad. He handed me the food he had prepared earlier, and we both tasted it. "What? Does it taste good?" I asked, a little nervously. I like the taste, but I'm not sure whether we have similar tastes. I want him to like it as much as he enjoys Baki's cooking. Yes, I'm back, this time comparing myself to Baki.

He replied, "Oum, yes, it tastes good," without looking at me. I'm not sure if he's serious about what he said because he's simply eating.


"All right, I understand it. It tastes fine, but it's not good, isn't it?" He gave me a look as he chewed and swallowed before speaking. "It's great, El," He say, "and you want me to eat it all to persuade you." I diverted my gaze so he wouldn't see me smiling at what he said. "Oh, why can't you look at me any longer?" he chuckled. "Look at me and I'll show you my expression while enjoying the taste." My face began to sweat even more, but I pushed myself to stare at him. "You're a corny boy," I rolled my eyes and returned to my salad dish, which I had placed on the little table to dine with him. This is a new memory with him, and I want to appreciate it rather than thinking that Baki's food is better than what I made for him. "By the way, why are you taking so long? You're practically unable to reach me, and I'm already sleeping."

For a little while, he put down his fork and wiped her mouth with his handkerchief. "I brought Baki home, and I felt embarrassed to decline her invitation to eat.

Oh, that's why he's already overflowing. It's a good thing I didn't wait for him because I had dinner earlier. If I have to wait for him, I'll just wait for nothing.

"I thought you were in school, so why did you take Baki?" He smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm in school, and she's in school as well; we're three schoolmates, but only two of us are in night class." Baki is a student of CU as well. Also her schedule is night class. They have similar schedule , but how did that happen? Was it a fluke or did she make a change? "Baki is also at night class since she is a soccer player, and she has morning training sometimes," he remarked, as if he could hear my thoughts.

"What grade is Baki in?" I asked, as I had a sneaking notion that the three of us were in the same grade. "We're all from the same batch, and we're in the same class." I knew it. I know Baki will not be willing to distant with Jas. Even if she doesn"t say it, I feel like I"m not the only one who loves Jas. Jas is just a numb and blind to what Baki shows but the truth is that Baki also loves the man so she treats me like a opponent. In fact, except that I have no fight compared to that woman, she also deserved Jas. She was there at times when Jas was looking for me. She was there at the times when Jas family left and broke him. He was there at times when Jas was diagnosed with illness and in need of care. "Ah, is that so? That's good, and at least you have someone with you and someone to keep an eye on you," I replied, masking my true feelings. "All right, I'll just go back to the kitchen, and I'll be back too," I said as I returned to the kitchen with the bowl and a container we'd been using.

I returned to where we had been earlier after washing it. I sat on his side and was taken aback when he lie down and used my thigh as a pillow. I was uncomfortable, but I didn't show it. So that he doesn't return home first and we can talk more, I'll fight the drowsiness as long as my eyes can. For about a minute, no one talked between us. I'm just leaning on the sofa, brushing my finger through his soft hair. "I'm sleepy because of what you're doing, El," he remarked, raising his eyes to me, "Are you asleep already? Considering the large of your eye bag, maybe you can sleep in your class tomorrow," he said. "I'm not drowsy in class, Jas," i says. "Maybe you have a crush on a classmate, so you're not sleepy are you?" he teased, and I just managed to pull his hair back. "Is that how you believe? Can't we just be afraid of the teacher so we don't feel sleepy?" "It's not like that. If you're not drowsy in class, it indicates the person you like is there. Of course, you'll be embarrassed to sleep because you'll spit and your crush will see it. And if you have a crush on one of your classmates, just seeing him would make you feel alive, so how can you sleep?" I'm not sure whether there's a relationship between what he's saying and what he's saying, so I just laughed. "Corny jokes. Why is it proven and tested?" "Of course. Even if you conduct a survey. And if you really want to expand the scope of your knowledge, that's the research topic you choose in the second sem." "I will not. I might just waste our research paper. Why? Are you aren't sleepy in class?" I joked about the question, but I was very nervous about his response. He didn't answer and instead smiled at me as he sat down. "In truth, I'm not sure what I'm doing in school, and I haven't learned anything from the teachers because I'm doing self-study."

"Why?" I asked, perplexed.

"I can't concentrate on the discussion because my brain is always depleted of oxygen, and every time there is a lesson, my mouth is on the verge of tearing up." Because of what he said, I felt relieved. That means he doesn't like anything in their class so he's sleepy. I don't have to worry because he definitely considers Baki just a friend.I won't intervene if Baki likes him, as long as the woman is merely a friend to him.

He got up and sat alongside me a few minutes later. He rested his head against my shoulder. He took my palm in his and massaged it.


He said meekly, "I haven't been able to thank you yet, El."

"What for?" I asked.


"Because you accept me as I am, and you're willing to wait and accompany me even when it's time for you to rest."

I hesitated to tell him I was willing to give up my entire night to him. I'd rather remain silent and avoid giving him a cause to shun me. "No need to say that, Jas; as I already stated, I'm not sleepy." How can I be sleepy when I'm with and talking to the person I really like? How can I be drowsy when you just claimed that seeing the person you love will make you feel alive?

"Maybe they'll leave you alone," I continued, "but not me." I swear that what happened in the past will never happen again.

You've made yourself at home in my heart and grown there. I'm certain we'll never be parted.