Chapter 2

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I thought we would just be ordinary pals, but then I had problems and he would be the first to come along. He became my trusted confidante, until the day he revealed his feelings towards me. And just like that, we became a couple without me expressly agreeing to him that we were.

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"So here's where I live. Thank you for bringing me back to my humble abode," I said with open arms and a wide smile on my face.

I was deeply grateful that he offered to walk me back to my apartment after the fun dinner we had. It was only a short walking distance outside the campus. I did not want to rent a place that was farther away. I never liked being late for class due to traffic.

I turned to face him when we stopped right in front of the door to my unit. He was looking at me with a smile on his handsome face. I almost sighed. There goes that dimple again!

"You know, for someone who does not want to be bothered by outgoing friends, your place is literally nearer to the campus than I thought. You could have just availed a unit on campus. It is a whole lot safer there," he said.

I laughed. He's got a point there! Okay, well, I can explain.

"I know... but I really can't see myself living the school life 24/7 in that campus atmosphere. But since I also didn't wanna be late for class, I decided to live as near to the university as possible," I said with a chuckle.

"Don't get me wrong, Fiona. It's good to know. I'm actually glad that I can easily locate my friend this way. So now I know where to find you in case you need helping."

"Right. Well, I don't usually need helping but, yeah, we can keep in touch."

"So, I guess we can call it a good night. I hope to see you again tomorrow on campus."

"Yeah. It's been a fun day today. It was nice meeting you. Super thanks for being my research buddy!"

He nodded and hesitated before he spoke again.

"You know, I would love to stop by for coffee or tea in your place... but I think I'll pass for now. Maybe next time, though, since we've only technically met today," he said.

I laughed. Oh, right! I hadn't even thought of inviting him in for a refreshment. Hospitality, where are you?

"Is that your roundabout way of saying that I should be inviting you inside?" I asked. Geez! Did I really have to ask?

"Hahaha! It's okay, bella (beautiful), I don't mind." He laughed.

"Okay... if you insist," I said with a shrug and a smile.

"And I also would like to kiss you goodnight but then again... we've only just met today."

My beautiful brown eyes widened in surprise. Was that a joke? After a second, I let out a laugh. This guy's candid sense of humor was kinda contagious!

"Right. I don't usually kiss strangers I've just met."

"Yes. Me, too! You could be a pretty serial killer," he said and winked.

"Pretty, yes, but... No, I cannot pass up for a serial killer! I could not even hurt a spider. But you could be one! I've read there's quite a lot of young and nice-looking serial killers in Europe. You could be one of them for all I know," I said.

Wait! Did I just tell him that he looks nice? My! This chatterbox of a man is really quite contagious. Keep it cool, Fiona!

We both laughed for seconds.

"Goodnight, bella (beautiful)."

Without another word, he closed the gap between us with just one step. Then he leaned towards me and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. His sudden sweet gesture surprised me a bit. The warmth of his friendly closeness seemed to have sparked something within me. But I did not give it any deeper thought at that moment.

I was speechless for a few seconds. He stared at me, probably waiting for a reply. What should I say to him? How should I react? #Flabbergasted

Finally, I decided that I could only smile and wave a hand. Then I said, "Goodnight, Cliff. See you tomorrow." #FeelingAwkward

He smiled, nodded, and turned his back to leave. At last! I found myself being able to breathe properly. #Relieved

"Alright, spill!"

"Maddie, what do you want me to say?" I asked, a hint of irritation in my tone.

My importunate best friends had placed me in a hot seat.

Sitting on the bed with my laptop settled in front of me on a foldable mini table, I dabbed some moisturizing cream on my face as I talked. Then I reached for the hand mirror on the bedside table and held it in front of me. I sighed, rolled my eyes, and put down the mirror to stare at the faces of my friends in the screen of my laptop. Then I went on to blend the moisturizing cream on my facial skin using my forefingers.

The Skype video conference call with my three best friends went on. I just had a bath. I wore my night robe and was about ready to doze off when my Skype app rang in my laptop.

Alright, I was the kind of girl who never logged out of my social media and messaging apps on all my gadgets, so my status was always online. I planned to remedy that anytime soon but... Guess what? I always forgot to do so.

"You got yourself a new boyfriend, girl, and you didn't tell us," Madison said.

"Hey, don't deny it, beeyotch. We got word from an eyewitness on campus this afternoon that you were with a hot dude in the library. Oh my G!" Sidney said.

"What? Library? You made out over piles of books?" Hillary retorted.

My eyes widened at the statement... but the thought of it made me hide a smile. Gosh! It seemed the temperature in my room had risen just a little bit. Is it just me or is the air conditioner broken?

"No! Wait a minute... Ladies, you got it all wrong. I was just being nice to the new guy on campus. I'm just touring him around because I'm probably the first schoolmate he ever got to know. He's a transfer student. They just migrated from Spain three days ago," I explained.

"Well, I'll be damned, girl! So he's a hot Latino! I wish I could've met him first," Sidney exclaimed.

"Duh!" I commented, rolling my eyes.

"What's his name?" Madison asked.

"Cliff... uhm... Clifford Castellanos. Med student. His dad's a Spanish doctor and his mom's a chef," I said.

"Ooh! His name already sounds hot! Hmm... What's your hidden agenda for him? Come on, girl, spill!" Madison said.

"Well, he's hot, yes, but I don't have any hidden agenda. Nope! What the H are you talking about? I swear! I got my studies to focus on for now! I think he's a nice guy but sorry, folks... Relationships? The hassles of it? It's a no-go for me," I said.

"Oh, come on, girl! If he's hot then go get him! As the saying goes, there are many hot fishes in the sea, so go fish as many as you can, see what they all taste like," Sidney said.

Yup, that was naughty Sidney talking! I wondered what sort of fish told her that in her dreams.

"Why not? Does he look like an F boy? Is he arrogant?" Hillary asked.

"Well, I think he's not like that. As I've said, he seems nice. I've read online that Spanish guys can be passionately serious in relationships. And I'm not ready for that. Besides, girls, I've only known him for one day... so chill!" I said.

"Duh! It won't be just one day. You're both on the same campus, remember? For sure, you're gonna bump into each other over and over again," Sidney said.

"But what about Neo? You're still crushing on him, right?" Hillary said.

I was about to react to her statement when she went on to a litany. "Oh, don't deny it! We knew you've been crushing on him since time immemorial! And Ronald. You know he's still really obsessed with you. And there's David. He's been asking so much about you lately. And Stephen, I thought you were dating him because the two of you have always been really close."

"Wait, crushing on Neo is not the right term, Hill. It's lust. She's been lusting on him since time immemorial!" Sidney teased. They ooohed in chorus. I rolled my eyes and held back a grin.

"Hill, did you really have to enumerate all the guys involved with this beeyotch?" Sidney said.

"Oh, dear... It must be hard to be so damn blessed with your looks!" Madison said while shaking her head, a trace of sarcasm in her tone.

"If you don't want any of them, sister, we're willing to share the deal," Sidney said with a wink.

"Oh, to hell with them all! It's their choice, not mine. It's not my fault that I'm a goddess," I joked in self-defense. I flipped my hair to one side for a comical visual effect.

I continued, "But wait a minute, let me clarify one thing... Stephen and I are just friends. He knows that."

"Yeah? Friends with benefits?" Hillary said.

"Oh, don't worry. Our lips are sealed for you. And of course, we wanna know about all the juicy details. Girls just wanna have fun, right?" Madison said.

"Oh, come on! Stephen is really just a friend. Gosh! He's my childhood friend. He's like a brother to me. Just friends, no benefits! I can't feel even the slightest spark towards him."

"Spark? Really now? What are you? A power outlet?"

"So Neo's still your one and only crush then?"

"Admit it..."

"Well, he's fun and we agree on a lot of things together but..." I said but I couldn't finish my sentence.

"But... you tried but you're not destined," Madison continued for me.

"Oh, that's because he's locked away in a cage of cheerleaders," Hillary commented.

And so the online girl talk session over Skype went on for a couple of hours. In the end, I hoped I was able to convince them that there would not be anything deeper going on between me and Cliff. Never ever! I was determined to keep him in the friend zone. Or so I thought.

The next morning, I woke up to the shrill ringing of my alarm clock at the bedside table. Annoyed, I reached for it as I shifted lazily on the bed. And I was about to throw the noisy thing away... but then I remembered that I got a class to attend. So I forced myself to get up.

Even after a quick shower, my mind was still feeling groggy as I was scanning my wardrobe and choosing what to wear. Obviously, I was never a morning person.

I decided to put on a navy blue pair of pants and a simple black and white statement tee. Then I wore my high-cut black sneakers. Yup, no doll shoes for a while. It might rain again! The weather forecast had not been so accurate lately.

After donning my outfit for the day, I headed down to the small kitchen in my apartment. I made myself some vitamin C — vitamin Coffee! Because I'd probably die if I can't drink coffee even for just one day. Ever since I got into high school, I have unabashedly become addicted and dependent to this beverage.

I placed the cup of coffee before my nose and sniffed its intoxicating aroma. I sipped it slowly. Bit by bittersweet bit, I savored the flow of its lukewarm liquid in my esophagus. And in every sniff and with every sip I made, I felt the slow awakening of my soul and nervous system. Yes, this is just how I like my coffee!

I opened my airtight bread container and began feeding myself with the wheat bread it contained until my coffee cup ran dry. I was used to this manner of breakfast. As long as I got my coffee, I'd be so darn ready to face the day!

Before heading out of the apartment, I did a quick check on my smartphone. No text messages from my friends... It's a miracle! But I got one from Cliff and another one from my mom. I tapped on my mom's text message. #FamilyFirst

MOM: Sweetie, be sure to eat a proper meal for lunch. Take care always.

I replied: Thank you, mom. Luv u.

Then I tapped on Cliff's text message. What I read made me smile in an instant.

CLIFF: Morning, Fiona. I'll b BZ 2day, nid 2 adjust 2 new campus & catch up wd new curriculum. C u around 4 campus tour.

I hurriedly typed: Ok. Wish u luck! Looking 4ward 2 c u again.

Wait! Scratch that last part. Delete. Delete. Delete.

I typed again: Ok. Wish u luck! C u wen I c u.

Sent.

I headed out of the apartment, secured the door lock, and walked towards the campus with a lighthearted smile on my face. I secretly wished that I could spend some time with Cliff today.

Can you blame me? He was so fun to talk to that we immediately hit it off as friends on the very first day that we met.

But days passed and even Cliff's shadow was nowhere to be seen on the trails that I usually trudged on campus. I wondered how we were able to cross paths the other day.

"Fiona! There you are!"

I looked up and saw someone I least expected to see. The automatic smile on my face slowly faded.

"Stephen! Hi!"

I was sitting on a short bench under a campus tree by the pathway going to the library. I was reading a Cosmopolitan magazine when Stephen passed by. He approached and immediately sat beside me. He inched closer. I did not react when he put an arm around my shoulders.

"I missed you. Been looking for you yesterday, but it rained in the afternoon. Sorry, I wasn't able to find you," he said.

"That's okay, Stephen. I was busy anyway... with my research project," I said.

"Did you change your mobile number? I couldn't contact you. What happened?" he asked. There was a slight hint of displeasure in his voice.

"Sorry, I was gonna tell you about it, but I didn't get the chance to see you."

He laughed. It was a friendly laugh. At least it sounded that way to me. Well, Stephen seldom sulks!

"Oh, I don't mind it now that I've seen you. So tell me..."

Stephen's talk went on but my attention drifted on to something else.

In the corner of my eye, I spotted a familiar figure walking along the pathway. I turned my head and my breathing paused for a second when I saw Cliff. When he saw me, he waved and smiled but he did not bother to stop by. He just kept on walking until he went past me. I followed the sight of him until he disappeared into a building.

Seriously?! And here I thought we were close friends already? Hmph!

"So, I was wondering if you could join us this Saturday. You're joining us, right?" Stephen asked.

Oh, right! Stephen's speaking. He's still talking to me! I returned my focus to him.

"Joining what?" I asked.

My forehead creased a bit. I had no idea what he was talking about. That's what you get for snubbing your friend when prince charming passed by!

"On Saturday. To the house party. Ronald's house party. It'll be awesome! You like house parties," he said.

"Oh, that? Yeah. Of course, I'll be there," I said.

Stephen's face literally lit up in relief. I smiled at his reaction. He was so happy, he swiftly locked me in his tight embrace. But it did not surprise me anymore. He had always been like this. This was why people often mistook him for my boyfriend! Tsk!

"Alright! I thought you weren't listening to me. Thank you for confirming that you'll be there," he said when he let me go.

My phone alarm rang. I hurriedly took it out of the bag and turned it off. Then I stood up.

"Hey, I gotta go. Class in a few minutes," I said.

"Sure, babe, I'll text you later. I'll just go ask Sidney for your new contact number," he said.

I nodded. Then I waved goodbye and went ahead.

Actually, I was secretly thankful for my phone's alarm.

Stephen had always been a nice guy and I knew that he liked me. At first, I thought that we had an emotional connection. But I realized sooner that we'd be better off as friends. And I wasn't the only one who came up with that realization. Apparently, he did, too! Thank heavens!

I was happy that I was able to talk to Stephen today. But, to be honest, he just was not the one who I wanted to be with at the moment. So I felt disappointed as I walked to my next class.

Gosh! I feel like I'm PMS-ing with a craving! I'm craving the presence of someone I just met. This isn't right! What is happening to me? Was there something in the rain yesterday?