Chapter 15

"Hey, do it again! There, I'm so awful. You didn't bring up anything to me!" I remarked as I attempted to reclaim my phone from him, which he was holding. I couldn't reach him because he raised his hand, and I had no choice but to put my hands down. "Jas, let's do it again," I begged. "It's okay," he said while looking at the photo. "You look adorable so it's okay. Just wait, I'll send it to my phone." He added and took his phone from his pocket.He transferred our photo on his phone while raising his hand so I wouldn't get the phone. I would have stood up to take my phone from him if there were only a few people on the bus. The bus is full, and I'll be able to draw attention to myself if I execute my plan. "I already transferred it," he said as he put his hand down and smiled at me. "If you want, you may delete it from your phone. " I snatched my phone and rolled my eyes at him before gazing at the snapshot of the two of us. The photo is good, but it would be even better if I was smiling as well. Why should I erase the first photo of the two of us? I opened my camera and placed it in front of us. "Let's take another picture," I remarked, smiling. "Our first shot is already fine, but because I'm a nice friend, I'll give you a chance," he added, moving his head closer to mine so that we could both fit into the camera. "A good friend, but he didn't wait for me to straighten up before clicking the camera. It's so unfair," I murmured. "Are you saying anything?" he asked as he looked at me. With a shake of my head, I expressed my dissatisfaction with the situation. "Nothing," I said as I began to smile for the camera. He, too, smiled, and our photo count had nearly reached ten. I'd like to share it on Facebook, but I don't want it to be seen by my cousins, auntie, and uncle. I don't know how they think, and I don't want them to think I'm here for anything other than learning. I'm just going to store it in my gallery and make a photocopy of it to keep in my wallet. "Lend me your phone again. I"ll just going to send on my phone our latest photo,"he said and I handed my phone to him. I watch how he transfers our photo on his phone so I also saw his password and wallpaper. His wallpaper is a photo of sunrise and his password is "sunshine". I felt again that he really loved the day so I couldn't help but open-up on that topic. "I see how much you adore the sun. When I checked your social media account, I saw that everything on your profile had something to do with the sun," I stated gently. "You checked my Facebook account?" he questioned, looking at me. I responded with a nod. "Do you only check at your Facebook account about once a week? I can't find you online, and you haven't accepted me as a friend." Before speaking, he paused for a few moments. "I haven't opened my account since I found out about my allergy. I'm not waiting for a message from someone far away, and my phone heated up when I accessed my data and consumed it for a minute. However, I can log in on my laptop, so when I go home, I'll open my account to confirm your name." I swallowed hard and shifted my sight away from him. "Don't squander your time. It might disturb you. I don't mind because I'll just be logging in once." He handed me my phone, which I immediately placed in the bag I was carrying. We're getting close to the city, and I can't wait to see it. I have no idea what will happen on this day, but I will make sure we have a good time. "Would you like to visit a cafe? We can go there," he said. I'm not familiar with this location, and I also don't frequent the cafe, so I'm not sure what to recommend to him. We'll just go where he wants. I'm not going to protest no matter where he takes me. "I don't know of a cafe, Jas. Maybe you know something, we'll just be there." I said. "Okay. Before I met you, I used to frequent a cafe. "I've been missing the taste of their milk tea, so we'll go there," he cheerfully offered. "Can you tell me what you want drinks? Are you a coffee drinker? " I like coffee, but I only drink it once in a while because it causes me to have a palpitation attack if I drink it every day. Even though I enjoy the flavor of coffee, I only drink it once a week. I don't want to go through what I went through when I was 16. I was panting and couldn't move my fingers because I was gasping for air. I thought it was my end but Auntie saw me in the room and took me to the hospital.In response to Jas, I shook my head. "All I want is milk tea, Jas. I'd like to try what you're saying since I'm sure it's tasty." "Do you think it's okay for you to drink cold drinks even though it's cold outside?" he said, and I nodded. "I don't want you to push yourself too hard on something you're not used to. El, don't make any adjustments for me. It's possible that you'll be affected." I'm stumped for words, so I started laughing at him while pondering what to say. "I want milk tea, Jas. Why? Don't you want me to taste the drinks you like? I'm not adjusting for you, I just want to taste it. You overthink to much, that"s bad," I said, laughing. He smiled and the bus already stopped. "I don"t want you to adjust for me, okay? Never pressure yourself on something because of me,"he warned solemnly. I gave him a nod, but I'm not sure I can promise. When I'm adjusting for him, I'm not under any duress. When I watch him smile, it makes me smile as well. That's how I am; every-time I see my special person happy, I become happy as well. Even if I only receive second happiness, I am content. The bus passengers had already boarded, and because our seat was near the back, we were the last to go. The rain hasn't stopped yet, which I am grateful for. The weather allows us to enjoy the day and forget about the worries. We first exited the bus and sought refuge at the bus station. Before we started walking, he opened the umbrella and placed his arm on my shoulder. My heart was happy as our skin touched, and this was the emotion I had been hoping for. He is there to remind me that not all feelings in the world are grief, even though I can't sense it in my family. "You should just wear shorts and sandals, El. Your shoes and jeans are now soaked. Your outfit is wasted, you look like a wet chick,"he said. I don"t know if he's embarrassed by my attire or amused by my predicament. He's insane. "Maybe the cafe you're talking about is nearby, isn't it? If it's far, let's ride a tricycle," I suggested. My shoes aren't wet yet, and the ends of my pants are only slightly damp, but my feet could get wet if the cafe is still a long way away. "Don't worry, we're already here," he assured me, and we took refuge on the cafe's side. We entered the peaceful cafe after he closed the umbrella and handed it to the guard to be placed in the safe area where goods that are not allowed in the cafe are left. There aren't many people inside, and the designs are highly instagrammable, with a combination of modern and vintage styles. We sat across from each other, and a waiter soon appeared. I believe the lady is in her fifties. "Is that you, Jas?" she questioned, staring and recognizing Jas intently. "You are, indeed!" How are you doing? You haven't visited in an a while. You also have a lovely lady with you. Is she a girlfriend of yours? " Because her question made my face heated, I bowed slightly. Jas stood and kissed the lady on the cheek before returning to his seat and answering the question. I'm OK; I haven't been able to come here because I've been busy these few days. El is the one who is with me. She was the girl I told you about from my childhood." When the lady turned to face me, I smiled and rose to my feet in respect. I kissed her on the cheek as well before introducing myself. "Hello, my name is El. It's nice to meet you," I said, bowing slightly. "My name is Nanay Lao. I was also relieved to see the woman Jas had mentioned." I smiled at her again and returned to my seat. "Jas had expressed his desire to see you at the time, so I'm sure he was overjoyed to see you again," she continued looking at Jas. "You didn't mention that this El is so gorgeous," she whispered with Jas cause for me to swallowed, and my cheeks flushing. Jas didn't say anything, but he did chuckle. She look at the both of us again. "I enjoy conversing with you, but I must depart since I have a job waiting for me." Her voice betrayed her want to speak with us, but she was unable to do so since she needed to return to work. "Can you tell me what order you want? Is it the same as your last order, Jas? " she inquired, and Jas responded with a nod. "How about you, El, what do you want?" she asked as she shifted her gaze to me. "This is what's on the menu." She placed a menu on the table, but I didn't bother to read it and spoke to her right away. "Same with Jas, Nanay Lao," I said, a smile on my face. She nodded and took up the menu she had set on the table while. "All well, I'll take care of your order and then i will treat you with a cake. What is your favorite flavor?" "It's embarrassing," Jas said, "so we'll just purchase it, Nanay Lao." "Give me a chance, Jas. I was delighted to see you both, and you introduced me to El, so indulge me. What is your favorite flavor?" Jas didn't refuse and just thanked her. "I like mocha, how about you, El, what do you want? " "Oum, just chocolate for me. Thank you. " I responded."You"re welcome. All right, I'll leave you and I'll prepare your orders. Enjoy staying, teens. " Both of us waved at her before she turned away. When she disappeared from my sight, I turned my gazed on Jas who was actually looking at me. "She"s so kind, Jas. Have you known her for a long time? " I asked "Oum, she's someone I've known for a long time. She is the cafe's proprietor and a kind person. She didn't have a husband or children, so as we got closer, she became my go-to person anytime I wanted advise from a mother. She, too, saw me as a son, and she wanted to be responsible for my education, but I refused." I'm relieved to learn that someone has taken up the role of Jas' mother. I know he misses his mother as much as I miss my father. God is great; He provides a method for us to lean on someone. "She also wanted me to live in her house," he said, "but I declined again." I'm not sure why he turned down all of Nanay Lao's offers. If I were in his position, I would accept it. "Jas, why did you reject everything?" I asked. He paused for a few moments before responding. "Dad and Mom have a family of their own. I am grateful for Mom's financial assistance, but I still feel abandoned by my family. Indeed, it never occurred to me that we would end up as a broken family because we were happy back then, as you saw when we were children. And I turned down all of her offers because I don't want my parents to know or believe I've started a new family. They did it without thinking about me; whether it's alright with me or not, I won't replace them even if they did it to me. El, I adore them so much." I swallowed hard as he concluded describing his inner sentiments. I wasn't expecting him to go into such detail about her family. It's quite difficult for him to read. You never know if he's upset or delighted. On the table, I reached for his palm. I smiled as I placed my palm on his palm. "No matter what happens, I will always be by your side. Okay, I'll always make time for you. Don't be afraid to lean against my back. Jasper, I've got you covered. " I said, smiling and winking at him at the same time to de-stress the situation. He laughed a little and nodded, saying, "I'm hungry, El, bu i'm grateful Nanay Lao treats you well. She didn't like Baki when I first introduced her to her, and I'm not sure why," he shrugged. "I'm glad to hear that, I mean, I'm glad Nanay Lao thinks well of me." I felt relieved and encouraged as a result of what I discovered. It feels great, and I'm hoping the day doesn't go by too quickly.