Chapter 2

Eriane’s POV

“Hey, it’s been such a long time since she had a crush on him! Don’t you know? My goodness, Matthew! You’re not her best friend for nothing.” Shane teased Matthew while smirking at me.

“Really?” Matthew asked again, turning to me.

“T-That’s not true! Definitely not,” I denied.

“Huh? Ms. Gonzales? Are you sure about that?” Shane responded, poking my forehead. Both of them were just staring at me, waiting for an answer.

“Could you both please stop doing this to me? It makes me really uncomfortable,” I said in an obviously irritated tone.

“Sure, if you answer the question first,” Shane said, not letting up.

“Fine. I did. And it’s been so long. I don’t like him anymore,” I explained.

“No, you stop that nonsense,” Shane laughed harder. “I refuse to believe that. You used to blush so hard whenever he was around since we were in high school.” She is indeed so talkative. I do not even know why I still trust this girl so much.

“Really? Of all people, why does it have to be that punk? Do you even know the real personality of that man? He is a total jerk,” Matthew said. That made me think deeply. He spoke as if he knew John so well.

Why do we even have to talk about John?

“That’s why I told you I don’t like him anymore,” I responded. “Excuse me, I’m just going to the restroom,” I added before standing up and leaving the table.

I could not stand the conversation anymore. That’s why I had to excuse myself for a while. When I entered the restroom, I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

“Why did I start to like him again? I was so stupid. Matthew is right. That man is a jerk,” I told myself. I did not seem like a crazy person because there was no one else here in the lady’s restroom aside from me.

I combed my hair using my fingers and then decided to walk out of the restroom. But as I was letting myself be eaten by my thoughts again while taking steps and not focusing on where I was heading, I happened to bump into someone once again. And just like what had happened earlier, I fell sitting on the floor because of the impact.

“Is it you again?” the familiar voice asked before clicking his tongue. “Why do you always bump into me? You’re such a clumsy girl,” he said while fixing his clothes.

What did he just say to me?

I stood up and brushed off the dust from my uniform before confronting him, “Do you think I wanted any of this to happen? Stop acting like you’re a perfect person here!” I shouted in his face, leaving him dumbfounded.

“Whatever,” he muttered as I turned to walk away and rejoin my friends. I ignored him, not wanting to cause a scene.

“Hey, Yana. What happened? We heard you shouting,” Matthew asked as I sat back down beside him.

“It was nothing. Let’s just forget about it,” I replied.

***

The school was finally over, and I was walking alone along the streets to go home. Both Matthew and Shane had their own matters, so we did not go together today. On the spur of the moment, I noticed John crossing the road. He was wearing his headphones, and as usual, his demeanor seemed icy.

I got to see that a speeding car was coming, beeping so loudly, but John seemed not to hear it because of his headphones. I quickly ran to pull him to safety, but I realized that I had used too much force, and we both fell. I fell to the ground, and he landed on top of me. Fortunately, he caught my head, so it did not hit the ground.

We were both just staring at each other, surprised by what had just happened. His face got too close to mine, which made me forget how to breathe properly all of a sudden.

“J-John,” I began to speak, feeling really awkward. People were starting to look at us.

He stood up, and I sat up from lying on the ground. When I was about to stand up… “AHH!” I accidentally lost my balance and fell once again, but John was quick to catch me again.

I couldn’t stand up straight because I had misstepped my foot. My eyes traveled from looking at my stinging foot to meeting the eyes of the man holding me. Here goes this abnormal heartbeat again.

“Are you alright?” he asked with concern obvious in his tone. He removed his headphones and left them hanging around his neck.

I looked down at my foot, trying to see if I could stand back up, but as I put my weight on it, it began to hurt even more. “No, I guess I’m not,” I responded.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” he asked further. Seriously, his concern is giving me butterflies. I might have to go to the hospital, not because of the sprain on my foot but because I have been having a hard time breathing.

“No, I think I just need to go home and rest,” I said. He then lifted me like a bride without any hesitation.

“H-Hey, what are you doing?” I asked while in his arms.

“Where do you live? I am going to take you home,” he said, his voice sounding both cold and warm at the same time. Warm enough to make my face turn red.

I couldn’t resist his offer since I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it home by myself. So I told him where I lived. When we finally reached my house, Dad was the one who opened the gate for us.

“Yana?” Dad immediately ran over as soon as he saw me. “What happened to her?” he asked John. I felt my cheeks getting hotter because Dad saw me in a man’s arms.

“She misstepped her foot. She can’t walk or stand, so I brought her home,” John responded courteously.

“Oh, thank you so much,” Dad said, bowing to show his gratitude before taking me from John’s arms.

John bowed as well before starting to walk away. Dad and I went into the house, and he put me down on the sofa.

“Honey, you should be more careful next time,” Dad said, grabbing some ice from the freezer. “Is he your boyfriend?” His concerned face suddenly turned silly as he asked with a laugh, patting my foot with ice.

“Dad, stop it. He’s just a schoolmate,” I responded, lightly pinching my dad’s cheek.

He and I were very close since we were the only family left. My mom died in an accident a decade ago, so it was just him and me. We had each other’s backs, and I didn’t know what I would do without him.

“Dad, my birthday is coming up. I do not wish for anything, but I just want us to stay together no matter what,” I said. Dad froze and looked at me with wide eyes.

“Dad? What’s the matter?” I asked, cupping his face.

“The deal…” Dad replied shortly.

“Deal? What do you mean? What deal?” I asked, confused by what he was saying.

“Nothing. Just forget about it,” he said, shaking his head. “What I mean is that time really flies so fast. You’re turning twenty; you’re not my baby anymore.” He patted my head as a tear fell from his eye.

I quickly wiped it away and hugged him tightly. “No, Dad. No matter how old I get, I’ll always be your baby.” Then I patted his back.