Colliding with Fate (Published under Pop Fiction)

False Hope

His phone rings at that instant, so I make that my cue to leave. I smile at him one last time and goes back to the house.

I bring the boxes of pizza to the dining room and call the guys. While waiting for them, I get glasses and put them on the table. After, I get the biggest soda from the refrigerator. I’m glad it’s well stocked. I don’t want to starve.

One by one, they come in. My heart skips a beat when I see KY. I try to be inconspicuous around him. I’m afraid my actions and expressions will betray me.

When we are already seated and no one is speaking, I try to think of a decent topic. Maybe they are testing me if I can live here with them. I remember what happened a while ago, so I ask, “You don’t come out of the house?” They made me go out and pay for the pizza delivery.

“No,” Lance answers, “we don’t want the people to know that we live here.”

“So you just stay inside the house when you don’t have concerts?”

Zeke snickers. “Of course not! We go to different places.”

“Where?” I ask curiously, munching on my second pizza. With my nervousness and worries, I forgot that I was hungry. The trip here made the boys ravenous as well, because two boxes of pizza are already empty.

“The mall, the beach, bars,” Zeke says. “Name it!”

“Hey dude!” Nate says slapping Lance’s hand away. “Slow down on the pizza!”

Lance ignores him and quickly grabs another one from the box.

I hide a smile. These boys and their appetite; I wonder how they don’t get fat.

“Any more questions?” Zeke inquires. I remember that he’s the one who told me about the rules yesterday. So, he likes talking.

I search my mind for a question, and an obvious one resurfaces. “What if people recognize you while you’re strolling?” I ask.

Surely they won’t just go out without disguising themselves. What if people see them? They will surely be cornered by those fangirls.

I look at KY in the corner of my eyes and find that he’s busy eating his pizza. He’s not even interested to join in our conversation.

A sigh escapes from my mouth. What will I do to make him notice me? We’re already living in the same roof, but he hasn’t talked to me yet. He hasn’t even looked at me.

“Brielle.”

I look up from my plate to see a tall young man beside me. He’s wearing dark shades and a baseball cap. A scarf is thrown loosely around his neck and over his mouth.

“Do you recognize him?” Lance asks a huge smile on his face.

I frown. Of course I know him. “Nate,” I say obviously.

Nate pulls down his scarf and grins at me. “It's not much, but it helps hide our identities.”

“But when you go out looking like that, people will be more suspicious,” I point out.

Perhaps they won’t be easily recognized, but with the scarf, glasses, and cap, combined, people will get a hunch that they’re a celebrity or something.

“Maybe you can do something about it?”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Like, be my girl when we go out so that people won’t stare at me.” His eyes shine mischievously. “Perhaps we can already try tomorrow if it will work out.”

“Nate!” I say in a weird voice, surprised at his suggestion. Why does he always like teasing me?

“You were flirting with the delivery guy earlier,” KY comments, staring directly at me. “Is that a habit?”

My eyes widen at what he said, that I almost forgot how to speak. When I find my voice, I say, “I was not.” Is he really talking to me?

“Yes, you were!”

I blink my eyes. Maybe he’s just kidding. When I look at him, I discern that he’s glaring at me.

Why is KY being like this? Yes, I wished earlier to have a conversation with him, but not like this. What is he trying to imply, and why did he suddenly say that? He was not even there a while ago so how can he accuse me of flirting with that guy?

At the back of my mind, I have a false hope that he’s jealous. But I know that he’s not, and I only have a wishful thinking because even though we just met yesterday, it’s obvious that he doesn’t like me.

“KY,” I start to explain, “The guy just asked the time—“

His smirk makes me stop speaking. I don’t like the fact that he has a hold on me. Just a single glance from him catches my breath away, but the attention he’s giving me now is too much to bear. Unfortunately—

“Next time do it somewhere else,” he says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Is he judging me? Even though I have a huge crush on him, I won’t just let him have his way.

I try my best to sound calm. “You don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“Hey!” Lance says in a loud voice, getting both my attention and KY’s. “Don’t fight guys!”

“We’re not fighting,” Ky and I say at the same time.

Actually, for the past few minutes, I forgot that KY and I were not alone, that we are with his band mates. I glance around and find that they have the same look of amusement on their faces.

Nate raises his eyebrows. “You were shouting at each other just a few seconds ago,” he says.

KY puts down his glass angrily. “I don’t have an appetite anymore,” he says a scowl prominent on his face. He gets up from his chair and walks out of the room.

I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“Well, well, well,” Zeke says, breaking the awkward silence. “That goes well for your first night here.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, ducking my head in embarrassment. I’m only just starting but I already make a fool of myself. What did I do to make KY hate me?

“Forget Kyle,” Nate says, “he’s just tired, and he has his moods.”

“Is he bipolar?”

Nate’s eyes widen at my question. A second later, my ears are filled with the sound of the band’s laughter.

I frown at them as I wonder if I said something funny.

When Nate’s laughter subsides, he studies me with an amused expression on his face.

“What?” I ask uneasily.

“Kyle is not usually that way,” he says. “Leave him be. He gets in a bad mood when he can’t find words that will suite the melody in his head.”

I guess I fell in love without knowing a single thing about KY. Yet truth be told, I know that what I’m feeling for him can’t be considered love.

“Brielle?” Lance says, “Please be patient with Yves. He’s a good person. He’s probably testing your patience.”

I smile at him. I hope so, because I don’t want to regret my deception and lies.

~*~*~*~*~

The song is Stuck in the Middle by Boys Like Girls.

 I hope you liked it! (: