Closeted freshman student, Aries Buan, falls in love with his senior after getting partnered with him during their freshman orientation. Afraid to admit his feelings, he kept his emotion in check and watched his first love from afar, swearing to him...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I WAS WAITING AT a convenience store, drinkingthe energy drink that I had bought because of how heavy my eyes were. I was tired from work, and I had an intense hangover. Honestly, the right thing to do is decline Aries's invitation and tell him that I haven't slept yet, but the hopeless romantic in me wants to suck it up and just hope for the best.
Aries isn't the type to invite people, specifically me, out on a weekend. Apart from the time when we met at the bar by chance, this is going to be the first time where I'll be seeing him outside like this.
"Maybe I should just take a quick nap before he arrives," I whispered to myself as I slowly rested my head on the table. But just as I was about to close my eyes, a car suddenly honked outside the store. My head lifted so fast I thought I'd fall off the floor. When I looked out at the glass window, I saw Aries's car waiting outside. I immediately got off the chair and grabbed my backpack before running out of the convenience store like I was chasing someone.
"Aries!" I excitedly called out, knocking on the window until Aries pulled it down.
"You're acting like a weird fan who saw an idol," he said as he removed his shades and used them as a headband. "Get in."
I smiled and got inside the car, automatically sitting on the passenger's seat, which had become such a familiar place to me. The familiarity of having Aries sit beside me as he stared at the road in concentration has slowly become a common routine in my life. I don't think I'll ever let these small moments go.
"Where do you want to head to?" He asked as I put the seatbelt on.
"Anywhere."
"Anywhere is a terrible answer."
"How about the café near Manila Cathedral? I saw one of my classmates go there and she took amazing photos. I think that would be a great place to...you know...study," I told him as a reminder to myself that this wasn't a date and we were only together because I asked him if he wanted to go with me.
"See, you do have a place in mind," he said, a small smile present on his face when he said it. "I know what you're talking about. It's La Cathedral Cafe."
"You've been there?" I asked, and Aries shook his head to answer.
"I haven't, but my friend Jesse has been begging me to go there with her, but I just haven't got the time," he explained to me, which somehow made me look away from him to hide the stupid smile on my face so he wouldn't know that I'm glad that I'm the first person he's going to take there.
"Thankfully, it's the weekend, so it wouldn't be too traffic," he then said, adjusting the rearview mirror so we could drive off.
I looked out the window and stared at the people walking past us as Aries quietly drove like how he usually does. But as I was staring, the energy drink I had earlier betrayed me because my eyes started to get heavy, and before I knew it, I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.
