He places the meatballs he cooked in a plate, turned off the fire before facing me again.
"You want to flirt with me?" he said, also challenging me.
"Well you basically liked me even as a kid." I smirked and he shrugged.
"Where did that come from?"
"Uh, from you?" I sarcastically said and his jaw literally fell on the counter top.
"Eero, you don't put words on the mouth of others."
"There goes the lecturer of the century."
"Eero!" he shrieked and we both laughed in the end.
It's crazy how our conversation can turn into chaos in just a snap of a finger. One minute, he's consoling me then before I know it, we're now back in the state of bickering.
This... friendship or whatever that we have right now is something that I'm sure I also had back then.
Maybe this is one of the main reasons why I badly want those memories back. Even though it's painful. Even if it's bloody, tragic and sad. This friendship is something worth remembering.
"Are you hungry now?" he asked like he's talking to a kid but I let it slide as I shook my head. "The food is almost ready. I'm making pasta."
I just nodded and let him do his thing. Weirdly, staring at his back right now and imagining the scar that he got from the shooting incident, is enough for me.
The search for the missing has finally come to an end and for the very first time, after a little while, I felt sense of contentment.
I lost track of time while staring at his back and his muscles flexing while cooking. I just found myself still sitting on the high stool with a plate of pasta served in front of me.
"Dig in, mister Claveero Quiterio." he playfully said and I pouted before getting the fork.
He sat next to me and I don't know why, but my heart has been racing for quite some time now — like it's being chased by a dog.
"Eero, can you tell me about your college life?" he opened up a topic and that caught my attention. I threw a glance at him while chewing my food and saw that he's all ears for me.
"Why do you want to know?"
He shrugged. "I just want to know. We never talked for the past years."
"And whose fault is that?" I jokingly said and he gave me his infamous pouting face.
Hmmp! If this man don't stop pouting, I'm tearing that with my lip!
Eero! Oh my God!
"Your dad's fault, I guess?"
"Oh my God!" I screamed and he let out a hearty laugh. "You have guts now huh?" I said and he boastfully shrugged. "Is that the power of education?"
"It's the power of money, I guess?" he replied in a proud tone. "Come on! Tell me about your college life." he whined and I rolled my eyes before nodding in defeat.
"Fine. What do you want to know?"
"What course did you take?"
"Bachelor of Science in Interior Design."
"What university?"
"University of Santo Tomas." I replied.
"Did you have fun?" he inquired.
"It was okay. I transferred there after taking the same course here in Cebu."
"Why did you transfer schools?" he curiously said and I took a deep breath before putting my fork down.
Chapter 20: Destroyed
Start from the beginning
