19 Chapter 17

LEVI'S POV

"Please... p-please don't leave me, Levi. J-just stay b-beside me... always."

"Please... p-please don't leave me, Levi. J-just stay b-beside me... always."

"Please... p-please don't leave me, Levi. J-just stay b-beside me... always."

Sitting on the sofa with just boxers on, I leaned my naked back against it, my legs were widespread as I turned the pages of the book I was holding as if I was counting it—but really not. Something was upsetting me.

"Levi?" Caius called out as he stopped from browsing his phone.

"Oh?" I answered lazily. I remained turning the pages of the book from beginning to end, then from the end back to the first page.

"Something happened?"

"I'm not sure."

"Are you okay?"

"Do I look like okay?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"How many hands do you have?"

"Ten—oh? I mean, t-two. It's two, I guess?"

I heard him sighed upon hearing my stupid answers. Seriously! This was definitely brain cracking! This thing was more complicated than answering which came first between an egg and the chicken! I started to release more of my frustration towards the book as I turned its pages carelessly.

"Ya!" Hey! he snorted. "What are you? An alien or something? Ten hands, my ass. Why are you so distracted today? That book... does the book really need to suffer? As far as I know, it's your favorite book. Look, you're murdering the pages and—"

"What should I do?" I stood up and screamed from the top of my lungs. "What should I do? Those girls are killing my brain! Why do they have to make me think like this? Why?"

Caius who was just standing at the entrance of the bedroom almost dropped his phone because of what I did. His jaw dropped as he stared at me confused and surprised.

"You startled me, you jerk! What's going on with you? Why are you shouting? What girls? Who are the girls that you're talking about?" he exclaimed, face crumpled.

I plopped down on the sofa and threw the book on the floor. I curled up, reached for the pillow beside me and pressed it on my face. Paddling my feet as if I was in the water, I shouted with my face under the pillow.

"You idiot! What are you doing?" he asked when he finally drew beside the sofa. He started nudging my butt with his finger, but I didn't mind him.

"Ya!" Hey! he shouted and slapped my butt hard. That made me bolt upright and glared at him.

"What's wrong with you, Levi?" he asked again, raising his eyebrow on me.

I heaved a deep sigh, leaned my back again against the sofa, and hugged the pillow.

"I'm upset," I said.

"Upset? About?" he asked and sat beside me.

"I met Seoyeon yesterday—no. She came running towards me in the hall and hugged me. She even cried on me when I was still with Adalee. She—ugh!" I stopped.

It was really frustating to think and remember how Adalee left again just because of me and Seoyeon.

"Wait," he stated. "I think I've heard that name. Seoyeon? I just can't remember it."

"She's the girl at the park. The suicidal girl. She's Seoyeon. The one that I—" he cut me off.

Pointing his finger on me, he said, "Right! She's Seoyeon, but wait! What did you just say? She what?"

I face-palmed when I remembered that Caius didn't know about what happened to us yet. Especially the... the kiss. Dang!

Silence followed when I ignored his question. After a quite while, Caius had spoken again.

"Levi? Tell me the truth."

My heart suddenly pound hard when his voice became as serious as hell. Slowly turning my head to look at him, I saw how his eyebrows met as his eyes was staring fixedly at me.

Sitting straight, I forced a smile and said, "W-what? What t-truth are you talking a-about?"

He crossed his arms and suspiciously looked at me. "Jangnanhae?" Are you kidding me?

"W-what?" I stuttered as my smile faded.

"Spill it out. I want to know," he ordered. "Ppali ppali!" Faster! Faster!

"Fine."

"What?"

"Alright! Just wait! Stop pressuring me!" I shouted as I gathered all my strength just enough to tell it.

"Levi," she said, "my father was dying that night."

It surprised me. My mouth was even in agape because of what she said. I asked, "I'm sorry to hear that, Seoyeon. I didn't know. How's your... father?"

She heaved a deep sigh before she answered me. "That night, when I came back home, he was still there with his life support. He... he was smiling and waiting for me. He didn't leave me," she looked at me, now with her teary eyes again, "yet."

Tears just came out from her eyes again as she continued. "He's all... he's all that I have, Levi. He's all that I got yet he was taken way from me. Today... today is the day that he already bid his goodbye to me. He's gone. He's... he's g-gone, L-Levi. H-he l-left me," she said as she bursted into tears.

My heart was torn.

I stood up and drew beside her. I said, "Hey. I'm... I'm here. I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm sorry."

While in tears, Seoyeon suddenly held my hands and uttered, "Please... p-please don't leave me, Levi. J-just stay b-beside me... always. Please. I'm begging y-you..."

I looked at her as my mouth suddenly lost for words to say. I couldn't think of anything or what I could possibly do now. What should I do?

"Seoyeon..."

"Please Levi. I don't know what to do now! I'm... I'm so upset. Please? Just... just stay with me."

I gently caressed her hands and said, "I'm here. I'm your friend. You can—"

She interrupted me with the words that left my mouth in agape.

"No, Levi. Please be my boyfriend."

Just as I finished telling him what had happened, his expression became even more serious.

"Do you like her?" he asked straightforwardly.

I gulped before I could be able to utter words. "Y-yes," I answered.

He was a bit confused and surprised about my answer, it was written all over his face. "As a woman? I thought..."

"As a friend. I like her as a friend."

"You surprised me!" he snorted.

I barely smiled and said, "I know that you're aware about who captured my heart."

His lips suddenly twitched in annoyance as I remembered how did Caius corner me to spill out what I really felt for Adalee.

"Everyone, please listen," I said as I looked over my classmates. They immediately stopped from their businesses and pay attention to me. They're confused, as I expected. "We will have an important meeting right now about an important matter," I continued.

"About what?" they asked.

"All of a sudden?"

I just smiled and said, "We'll talk about that later. This will be short so please cooperate. Now, please proceed to the hall."

I marched outside the room after the announcement I made. This would be a help, at least, for Caius.

"Levi!" Caius called as he walked fast.

I barely turned my head to him and reduce my speed.

"If you're going to ask me about what the meeting will be all about, I won't answer you. I'll tell it in the meeting."

"I don't care about your meeting, Mr. President. I'm here to ask you why you like her."

Few more steps and I stopped. I looked and eyed him suspiciously.

"What did you say?" I asked.

He smirked, the reason why my forehead creased. Putting both of his hands inside his pocket, he said, "I should be the one to look at you suspiciously like that, Levi."

"What are you up to, huh? What are you saying?"

"Levi," he uttered and held my shoulder, "you can't hide it to me. I know you like Adalee. Admit it. You like her—"

My eyes widened in an instant. I moved closer to him and immediately shut his mouth with my hand.

"Hey, you idiot! Shut up! Seriously? You're going to corner me here at the hallway? Shut your mouth before I ripped you neck for real!"

He nodded his head several times, so I slowly removed my hand away from his mouth. Just as the moment I removed my hand, he bursted out laughing. I face-palmed when he almost caught all the attention of the students around.

"Caius! How dare you humiliating me here? Stop laughing! I'm going to punch you! I'm serious!" I warned him, but it seemed like he didn't hear me.

"I'm not humiliating you, Levi. I'm the one who's laughing here, not you. So basically, I'm humiliating myself!" he said between his laughs. He almost slumped to the floor, holding his tummy, and eyes almost teary.

"What should I do with you?" I said under my breath. I had nothing to do, but just to watch him laugh hard at me.

I looked around, making sure that no one would hear what I was going to say.

"Yes!" I said, barely a shout. "Yes, I like her. I like Adalee. She already captured my heart, Caius. Happy now?"

From that moment, he stopped from laughing. Resting his back comfortably at the wall, he asked, "How did you like her? She doesn't even smile a lot." I stood straight and looked at him.

"That's why I like her," I stated. "She doesn't smile a lot, but she already got my interest. I want to be her reason to smile more soon. She's still beautiful though she always wear a plain face."

"I didn't know that you're going to be this so cringy and corny."

All I did was to suppress myself from hitting him when he started to laugh again. How the hell did I became friends with him again?

"Captured my heart, my ass, Levi. Yeah. Just stop it. You're making me cringe," he snorted. I almost rolled my eyes because of what he had said.

"Anyway, she's a real quick," he added as his lips twitched. "I feel bad for her about her loss, but I don't think it's right for her to ask you to be his boyfriend. Well, I'm..." he sighed, "actually starting to wonder if she's taking advantage of you."

"No, I don't think so. She's really... really broken."

"We both know how hard it is to lose someone we love, think of it Levi. It's understandable that she's hurting, but she doesn't have to make a move like that."

"That day... that day when you were attacked by your phobia, something happened before I could be able to go to you at the garden," I finally spoken.

"Huh? "What happened?" He frowned and held his chin as if he was thinking. "I left you with Adalee before I buy my own Delight drink, then I stopped by at the garden. I assumed that you were still with Adalee inside the room when something happened to me, if I'm not mistaken. Why? What happened between the two of you?"

"Should I say, among the three of us?"

His eyebrows met and asked, "Three? You mean, you, Adalee, and... and Seoyeon?"

I nodded in agreement, then I saw him smirked.

"What's with the smirk?" I asked.

"I smell something like," he said as he sniffed so hard like an idiot, "love triangle."

My palm automatically landed on his head. "Love triangle, my foot!"

"Why did you hit me?" he yelled.

"I'm serious!" I snorted. "One more thing you have to know..."

"What?"

"We kissed."

"Mwo?" What? he screamed again. "Kissed? As in, kiss? With who? With Adalee? How? For real? Really?"

"No," I shook my head, "not with Adalee, but with Seoyeon, but it was just... it was just an accident," I whined as I pressed the pillow hard again on my face.

"No... way... Levi..."

"Yes way, Caius. Punch me," I commanded and faced him. I closed my eyes and my face was ready to get beaten, but I just got disappointed. Caius kept on asking and asking.

"What happened? Like seriously? In front of Adalee?"

My face scrunched up more upon hearing her name. "Kill me instead!" I shouted, but Caius still didn't mind me. He kept on thinking how did it happen.

"How? I mean, why did you two kissed? Why?"

"Damn it! It was just an accident, Caius! I was about to leave the room with Pino, and... and go to the garden, but when I turned, my lips... my lips landed on Seoyeon's lips. You're... you're watching dramas, right?" I asked.

"What had happened was something similar when a man and woman accidentally kissed. Argh! Caius! I'm going insane!" I screamed out of frustration. I even threw the pillow on the floor next to the book. My poor book with wrinkled pages!

"That's sweet."

Just as I glanced at Caius, I cussed. "What the hell? Sweet?" I barked to him.

"Levi," he said, "you're too frustrated about what happened. Come to think of it. So what if Adalee saw the two of you kissing in front of her? Do you even ask Adalee if she would give a damn about it? I mean, yeah. I know you like her, but the question is, does she likes you too?"

"Are you insulting me?" I glared at him.

"No. I'm just asking," he said and stood up. Browsing his phone again as he inched towards the kitchen, he asked, "Do you think Adalee likes you too?"

I turned mute. Caius was right. Questions started popping in my mind about what if I was the only one who was actually giving a damn about it? What if I worried too much about nothing? What if... what if Adalee was actually paid no mind about it? That what she saw was fine at all because she didn't like me in the first place? I clutched my chest as it became heavy.

"It's pretty hard, bro. You like Adalee, yet you can't just leave Seoyeon behind. What are you going to do now?"

"I'm not sure. I still can't think clearly. If love would be a subject, I might definitely drop it," I sighed.

"Brain cracking," he mumbled that I almost couldn't hear it.

I looked at Caius as he got himself a glass of water in the kitchen. Staring at him for a second, I just realized and noticed that he looked upset as well as he continued to browse his phone.

"Caius?"

"Yeah?" he replied without giving me a look.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?" he uttered as he barely glanced at me. "Yes, why?"

"You keep on browsing your phone. What's the matter?"

"Oh. I just can't contact Romina for the past few days."

"The Nursing student? Your friend?"

"Yeah. I was also with her at the garden that time when you know, something happened to me, but she left immediately. I'm just worried since she looked upset that time," he stated. "Why do women keep us men worried? Tsk."

"Speaking of a woman, I met a girl in my dreams last night."

"You met a girl? In your dreams? Who?"

"I'm not sure," I said as I tried to remember her. "Her face was blurred or I should say, she has no face at all."