72 TBBM LXXI. Finale

I could not believe what I just saw.

My phone kept buzzing as if it were the school bell that rang mightily after each class.

Thirty-two unread messages.

Fifteen missed calls.

It seemed that the whole class was looking for me. Was there an emergency?

Was there anything in my world now even more alarming than this sketch book?

I was completely astounded by it that I couldn't even keep my mind to focus on the surgery.

"Yes?" I spoke weakly to Roma's call.

"Where are you?" her voice was rather ecstatic. "Everyone... everyone's looking for you. What are you going to do?"

"Every---why?" I asked, confused. "Are they going to ask about me removing---"

"Just come over! Now!"

I arrived at the clinic for my appointment. I signed at the lobby and waited in the hallway. My mind was empty. I was only functioning as planned for the day. But I could not think straight.

Red.

What was that? Did he just confess? Did he just tell me that he liked me? How was that even possible? He had it all. I was just me.

Two hours had passed. There was an unusually long queue for the day due to postponements in the last few days' schedules according to the lobby attendant.

My phone buzzed relentlessly.

Even my professors were texting me. I knew I had to be in the Recognition today but...

"Mother," I picked up the phone.

"Where are you now?"

"Clinic-"

"Are you dead serious!?" her voice raised. "Something this great doesn't happen everyday. What else would you be doing there!?"

"M-mother-"

"Go to school. Now!"

A part of me didn't want to go because I hadn't fully digested Red's confession yet.

My palms were sweating. The clock ticked loudly in my head. My phone flared up.

Whatever.

I sped out of the hallway and grabbed the first taxi I caught sight of. My heart was quiet---suspiciously quiet. It should be going crazy now. Someone just confessed to me; I'd never been confessed to before.

Take this, then leave.

Don't be mad at me anymore.

When a guy---when I insult you---I don't mean it.

Don't cry because of me.

Don't leave me, like I left you, okay?

If I die now, it'd be nice to be forgiven...

You're oddly cute when you're aggressive.

She definitely changed since she became cute.

So, sleep here with me. The bed's big anyway.

I'm Romeo, after all.

Red McIntyre. I'm a semi-pro racer...

If no one wants to volunteer, I'll do it. But she should be the vice.

Loser.

Just think as though you were taking the quiz.

I'm sorry. You must leave.

Did I make you jealous?

You don't need to hide it from me.

I'll stay by your side until you're better.

Suddenly a stream of memories I had of Red flashed before me. I didn't expect me and him to have so much memories. But we made a ton. We fought allot. I found myself smiling.

I was smiling because of him.

Dub dub. Dub dub.

Dub dub. Dub dub.

Suddenly, my heart started to come to life. It beat so fast I thought I was going to faint. I hurried out of the car soon as I reached Gate One.

There was an unusually large throng of people outside the school. It looked like they were waiting for someone. I could see them all holding the quarterly features magazine of the university.

There were students handing out a copy by the entrance. I got one handed to me.

No.

It had the same title as Red's Sketch Book.

I covered my mouth.

I flipped through the pages. They-they were the same as Red's drawings---but digitised.

How could this happen? My phone kept ringing. Everything was just so overwhelming.

"Where are you?" I called Red.

"I-I thought you were never going to call... or show up," he spoke casually.

"Uhm, where..." I stuttered. "Where are you?"

"I'll wait for you at Gate Three."

I saw Arthur, one of my friends at the facility department as he was heading out. He showed the magazine to me, smilingly.

"Yeah," I fake smiled. "So let me borrow your bike, please."

I rode on his bike even before he could answer. That Red, he turned me into a thief for a day. If only he wasn't handsome... if only I wasn't dying to see him now, I'd definitely not do this.

It was a cold hour by sunset. It was just an ordinary day until I learned that someone had been looking at me intently and decided to draw me. It fascinated me how someone could actually pay that much attention to me. I wasn't anyone particularly interesting.

I passed through the driveway and marveled at how many people stopped their day's work and actually glued themselves on each page of the magazine, trying to peer into Red's drawings.

I always wondered what he was doing when bored in class; little did I know, this was how my curiosity would be fed.

I dropped the bike carelessly as I reached the Gate Three. I kept looking around for him. I couldn't find any trace of him.

My phone rang. He was calling me.

"At your back," he said.

I turned around.

There he was, sitting at the hood of one of the parked cars. I paused as I saw him. He sat there handsomely with his usual air of confidence. He was wearing a blue polo shirt and black jeans. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him.

What was I feeling?

I ran towards him.

"You're late," he smiled. "Do you know what time it is now? I even groomed my hair and looked for really nice clothes---"

"When?" I cleared my throat. My chest felt like exploding. "When did you start to l-like me?"

"That hurts my feelings," he started on his childish expressions again. "That means you never really paid attention to me."

"And... in the confession room---"

"I didn't intend to eavesdrop. It just kind of happened."

"But why didn't you ever tell me? Those were my private thoughts. I feel like you stripped me naked---"

"Should we get married then?" he leaned towards me, teasingly. "You saw me naked and I saw you, too. Should I ask for your hand? Should I take responsibility?"

"Red."

He stared at me. His eyes were full of passion. It made me nervous. I felt like I wanted to kiss him. I melted in his stare.

Nobody spoke for minutes. Either because speaking was unnecessary when two people's feelings finally matched; or because nobody wanted to give in to what was already known.

"The comics..." he put his hands on my shoulders. "We could let it stay as a story, or we could make it real. Do you want to grab the chance with me?"

He said it breathtakingly. I almost forgot how to breathe.

"This... Tell me it's not a joke."

He shook his head, brows furrowed forward. He looked so manly decisive.

"I love you, Hicks... with birthmark and all."

Dub dub. Dub dub.

Dub dub. Dub dub.

I thought I was going to lose consciousness. His presence overwhelmed me. His eyes spoke volumes but he only characteristically let out a few.

My mother was right about him. She was right about this.

"If you can't say it back, please let me save my face and leave first," he spoke lowly with pulled down expressions. His hands left me and started to walk away.

I knew I saw this scene played before at the parking lot. When he left, my mind felt like shattering to pieces as I narrated inside my head how I let him leave without even grabbing him back. I couldn't let that happen again.

"Kiss me," I blurted out. "In movies, this was the time the main characters kissed, wasn't it?"

"I didn't take you to be that aggressive," he paused before he looked back at me. He smiled widely. "Come here."

All my life, I thought my birthmark just brought me pain and sadness and misfortune. I thought that the way I was different caused me to be misunderstood and ultimately, repelled people from me.

But on my third year in the university, I learned that out of the hundreds of people who'd judge and dislike you, there'd be one person who would genuinely take you for who you were and treasure you the way you should be treasured.

I could say that I probably met a hundred haters because that led me to finding Red; or maybe, two hundred, because earlier in my life, I came across James. But then I thought of Mother, too... and Roma, and Betty and Seb and Nina and Angie. I might have allot of haters but I also had them. And I thought that was enough for me to live with.

I started my life looking forward to the day I could finally get that stretch of uneven skin peeled off and removed. I wanted it as badly as I needed my transition-related surgeries. But, I had no idea that one day, I would meet a man brave enough to tell the world that he would keep me birthmark and all.

I could sense Red's scent hovering around me as the old sun dipped into the horizon. It was calming. It was perfect. I could feel his breath on my face. He held me so tightly.

And that was the day I decided to keep the birthmark behind me.