Paper Planes (@QueenMichelsa Collaboration) (Watty's2016) (NewVoices)

12th• You Are Not Alone

12th · You Are Not Alone

"So you can play the piano. Don't you know most girls' dream guys are the type who can play the piano?" I teased Finn, grinning at him.

"Har har," Finn sarcastically laughed, probably thinking about Tammy already. I'm still trying to set them up as much as I can. "I'm not gonna confess to Tammy by playing the piano. I don't even like her in the first place."

Since this opportunity was rare and it probably only comes once every blue moon, I asked Finn, "May I ask why you don't want to get a girlfriend?"

Finn was rather hesitant again, like me. We were the type to constantly hesitate. We weren't an open book and we preferred to keep things hidden as much as possible.

Finn inhaled deeply before he confessed, "There are two reasons to  why I don't want a girlfriend. First reason is because most of the girls are desperate, thirsty girls who want a handsome 'hot' boyfriend they can brag about."

I nodded, agreeing to his words. I wasn't sure about Tammy, but I still agreed with his words. "True. The world these days. Nothing but people thinking love is everything. It's definitely important, but it's not everything. And it's definitely not something to brag about."

"Right," Finn replied with a smile.

"And... what's the second reason?" I slowly asked after a minute.

It looked as if Finn almost forgot to mention the second reason to why he didn't want to have a girlfriend. He fell silent again, and I only continued to wonder what the reason was to why he was hesitating in answering my question. Or rather, telling me the second reason.

"The second reason..." Finn's eyes flickered and he continued to blink at a fast pace. It was as if he was trying to blink away tears. "...my mom. We made a promise when I was younger. She always made me believe love was something innocent and beautiful, that even if it was fragile, it was also strong. She believed in those girls. The ones who are true to themselves. The ones who are real. No make up. No fake attitudes. Nothing plastic.

"So I continue to believe a girl like that would exist in my life. Even after my mother's death, I continued to wait patiently. If there's one thing I learned from reading books and listening to stories, it's that love takes time. You don't have to rush anything because most of the times, love progresses by itself."

I smiled and patted his shoulder. "Your mom was a dreamer, Finn. She believed in the good of this world. I respect that."

Finn half smiled. "You know what? The world should have more people my mom, more believers. Because in reality, there are a lot of people who give up and lose all hope and it leads them to make stupid mistakes. That's why probably everyone in this life has to have someone who can show them the good in this world."

"To, like, open their eyes?" I said. Finn was talking a lot and it lulled me because the words he was saying, they were nothing but encouraging. They say if you grow a seed well, it'll sprout well. Despite Finn's environment, as long as he was taken good care of, he managed to grow into a boy with beliefs. Though, he was still quiet and rarely talked.

"Do you have someone in your life like that, Nat?" Finn then directed the conversation to something else.

"Me? I don't really have one, but there's this voice in my head that continues to encourage me. When I feel like I might give up, there's this little voice that tells me not to," I told him, smiling. "It's like a person lives there inside my head."

"That's a rare case."

I looked up, confused. "What is?"

Finn shifted his shifting position into something more comfortable. "Usually, it's either you have people that encourage you or you don't. If you don't, then your mind is full of discouragement. In your case, it's the exact opposite. I mean that in a good way, Natalie. I'm not exactly sure if there are more people like you, but it's the first time I've met someone like you."