"What? No way! I'm busy."
"You're not."
"Yes, I am."
"I said, you're not."
"You have been used to bossing me around ever since I met you, but not this time, Hin," Tay said as he highlighted every important part of the book.
He is currently studying so much for his entrance examination. He will be a first-year college student next year, and this will be his last year as a senior high student. He can't let this fail since this is a free-tuition university provided by their government. Or else, he won't go to college. They can't afford tuition at a private university.
While New is currently in his first year of senior high. 3 years have passed. But New is still a brat and can be selfish at times. It was his nature to act that way, and even though Tay was just used to it, New still managed to annoy him. People don't change that much. Just like today, the younger won't stop calling and asking for tutors. No matter what reason the older told him, New still insist on making the older come and help him with his subject.
"You always boss me around," New murmured. Emphasizing the 'You'.
Though New has a boss attitude, Tay usually bosses him around without the older guy noticing it. Even New was not a fan of him bossing around, he just can't help it. When the older gets serious, the younger unconsciously obeys him.
Tay is the type of person who rarely gets angry and spends most of his time being a pushover—base from New—and kind to other people, so when Tay got angry, the younger just stood there and obey him no matter what. New a lion became a kitten all of a sudden. He's afraid of disappointing him but that seldom happens.
"What did you say?" Tay asked.
"I said, come here and teach me this stupid subject," New said, brushing his cat with a comb. "You haven't seen Mimi for so long!" He added.
"Oh please Hin, it's just 3 days," Tay answered.
New is good at studying. He was actually a fast learner despite barely listening to his class. Tay and Off tutored him for a while but not now, when they are busy.
"If you're not going to come then fine, I will end this call. You're wasting my time." New said.
Tay shook his head. "No, you are wasting my time." he made sure he said those before the white skin boy ended the call but before Tay could remove the phone from his ears, he heard something on the other line.
"What? Bella is here? Why is she even here? Ugh! Bye now. I have some business here." Then the younger finally ended the call. While Tay couldn't process in his mind what he just heard, he looked at the window and it was already dark. His grandma and grandpa are asleep.
"P'Bella is here?" he asked himself. It took him a couple of minutes before it was processed in his mind. Once it already sinks in him, he immediately stood up and changed his clothes to more decent ones since he was already wearing pajamas. He brushes his hair, puts on perfume, and makes sure that he has good breath. He walked fast, not ran. He didn't want to be covered in sweat after visiting P'Bella at New's house.
The gate was open and it was quiet. He went inside. All the lights were on but no sign of Bella.
"Hello, Te." He heard a very familiar voice. He turned around to find out it was New carrying Mimi, their cat. He is just alone with New's smile. He knows he was tricked. Again.
Tay's shoulder dropped after seeing those smiles of him, "No, you don't,"
New nodded, "Just accept that you were defeated," he said. He looked at him from head to toe and smirked at him. "You look nice and... quite disappointing."
"This will be the last time you use P'Bella to trap me," Tay said, as he walked to the countertop where New's book was placed. He accepted his defeat and ended up agreeing to teach New since he is already here.
"Let's say that Bella was really here," New said and put Mimi down on the ground and sat beside Tay. "So what?"
The older sigh, he doesn't want to have this conversation, they will just end up arguing about something that doesn't really matter, "I know you hate her."
The younger nodded, "Yes, I do. I really do."
"Why don't you tell me why?" Tay asked.
"I told you, she's a two-faced bitch." New answered calmly.
"Okay, enough with that cursing. From your perspective, she is, but not to me." Tay said, still defending Bella from her younger brother. "I mean, she's still your sister," he added.
He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "She should act as my sister then," he said lightly. More on whispering, but enough for Tay to hear. Tay could tell New was upset about their topic but the younger is the one who started this. He doesn't have any clue what happened to their family, or how he acted this way toward his mother and sister. What they did to him at a younger age.
"I like Bella—"
"More like you love her," and rolled his eyes
"No—stop cutting me off," Tay said, suppressing his anger. The younger shrugged and put his chin on top of the table, pouting. Without thinking, Tay put his hand on New's cheeks and pinched them. He can't resist how cute this young man is in front of him.
But the white skin boy glared at him. "You want your hand to be cut off instead?" he asked.
, Tay immediately removed his hand from his cheek. "Then don't pout. Anyway, I want to say that I'm not saying you're wrong or right, that's your feelings. I don't want to invalidate your feelings just because I like P'Bella."
New went silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Fine. I will try not to invalidate your stupid feelings then," the younger said, trying not to sound cool but warm at the same time. Tay chuckled, that the New he knows. The kid who is actually warm inside but purposely acting cold outside.
"I mean, it's better to not try at all," he said. "Mimi, come here, up!" Mimi jumped into Tay's lap.
"You trained her well."
"You raised her well."
"Woah, that sounds like we are a couple," New boldly said, amazed at how they were both in sync with each other but on the other side Tay panicked. He bit his lip and tried to calm down for a bit. He tries to hide his face by turning to the other side. He felt hot and awkward at the same time. He took a glance at the younger man who was playing with the cat on his lap. He seems unaffected whenever he pulls off that kind of joke on him.
The tanned boy thought that maybe New was still a kid who knew nothing about what he was saying. Because New will always say things like that now and then.
Tay feigned his cough. "Do you have something to do tomorrow?" he asked.
He grinned at him. "Are you asking me out?"
"Y-You should stop that kind of joke, really," Tay said, shuttering. He might pass out when that continues.
"Then why are you asking me?" New asked. The older scratched his head. It turned out that Mild was asking Tay if he can accompany and help her at the same time picking a gift for her mother's birthday this coming Sunday. Of course, Tay didn't take a hint at anything at all, so he ended up thinking of letting the younger come.
"You cold-hearted, insensitive jerk," New murmured again after Tay invited him to join his date with Mild.
"What—why am I a jerk? We're all friends, right?"
"Oh yeah, are we? I don't recall being friends with her," New said. The older was aware that New didn't like Mild that much. He sometimes gives her an attitude despite Mild treating him as a friend and showing how she wanted to be close to him. So he thought of asking New to come with them so that he can spend time with Mild as well and see that she wasn't as bad as he thought she is.
"I know you like her—not in a romantic way, just friends. You like her as a friend." Tay said as he saw New was ready to punch him in the face when he said that New likes Mild. "So, are you going?"
"Aren't you supposed to inform Mild first in this kind of situation? She clearly invited you despite you having the worst taste in picking gifts because she likes you," New said.
"You misunderstood something, we're going out as a good friends,"
He shook his head and sighed. New can't help but feel bad at Mild. She ended up liking a stupid person like Tay.
♡
It's the weekend and it's a day to pick a gift for Mild's mother. New agreed to go with them, but he regretted it afterward. He hates crowded places, he hates people, and now he's here. Tay and Mild were doing their business, picking a gift for the upcoming birthday of her mother, while New was standing behind them, sulking and hating every second of this.
"You know what? I'll just go home," New said. The two turned their heads to the young man behind them.
"What? Why?" Tay asked, confused.
"I hate places like this. You better do your business here and I'll go," New said, excited to go home. Mild nodded. She seemed to like the idea that New would leave them alone, but before New could step, Tay held a grip on his wrist. They both looked at New's wristwatch when it rang at the same time Tay held his arm. It was already 12:00.
"See, it's 12:00 already," Tay said, still holding New's wrist. The younger frowned looking at his watch.
"Damn watch, I don't remember setting this," New murmured, just like how their clocks turn when 12:00 strikes.
"At least have lunch before you leave," Tay said, but New insisted. He said he would just ask Tay's grandma to cook for him instead but the tanned boy won't let go of him. "Please?" Tay begged. Tay's puppy eyes make it impossible for New to refuse that look.
"..Pol—" New was hesitating to call for their red code. If he did, he could go home right away since Tay can't insist anymore. "Pol Steak House. Let's have our lunch there," he added, giving up on going home.
Tay corrected him. "You mean, Don Pol Steak House?"
"Whatever and pick a gift already for fuck sake!" New raised his voice. He meant to say Polca, but he couldn't, so he thought of a way to continue what he was saying. They ended up picking a perfume for her mother. New was on his way to breaking the Guinness World Record for rolling eyes whenever Mild moved or breathed.
"I'm going to the restroom first," Tay said, leaving the two behind.
"New, I know you know," Mild said. New remained deafeningly silent. "I like Tay."
"What am I supposed to do about it?" New asked.
"I thought you saw the sign earlier and decided to leave us here so we could spend some time together, but you didn't."
New talked back. "I didn't pick up a sign of whatever you were talking about. I want to go home because I want to, not because I want to give way for you." New said.
"So I guess you like Tay also." Mild held a grip on her bag's strap, hoping she was wrong.
New shrugged. "Not really sure about it," he said and crossed his arm. "And if you think that I feel threatened by you, you're wrong. I can let you flirt with Tay whenever you want because I know you can't get him," he added.
Mild breaths heavily. She's a little offended by his words. "What do you mean about that?"
"You never met who's your true competitor in Tay's heart, and I did. So I won't waste my time on you," he said.
Mild hand was shaking. Tay never mentioned someone he liked. So, hearing from New feels like she was about to give up. "You mean, T-Tay has someone?"
New nodded. "Someone in his heart." He said as he looked at Tay going in their direction, smiling like he always does. "Just thinking of it makes me want to back out 'cause it's too much for me to handle, my heart can't take that much anger." He sighed, "But how can you back out of those smiles?"
"I didn't know—"
"I don't like you really. I shouldn't have told you about this and let you suffer in the end." New said coldly. He turned his head to Mild. "But I can't afford to have another competitor in my life. I already have a lot in my pocket. Besides, you're quite nice." Mild was speechless. He knows that New secretly hates her. She didn't expect to hear those words from him. Let alone, saying she's nice.
"Let's go?" Tay asked.
Mild smiled and chuckled, looking at the young man beside her. "You should stay in the restroom a little bit longer." Tay sensed that he missed something, but whatever it was, he felt good about it. He just hopes he's right.
"Should I go back then?" Tay asked like an idiot.
"Annoying. Let's go and eat." New said and started to walk, leaving the two behind. They went to Don Pol's Steak House. Tay was amazed at how good the steak was. It was his first time eating steak this good. He's like a child.
"Why aren't you eating?" Tay asked.
"Yeah, you haven't taken a single bite of your steak? Was it not good?" Mild asked.
"No way! It's really good."
"I was thinking something," New said in a serious tone. Tay and Mild looked at each other. They were afraid New will decide to go home again without even touching his food. They know how quickly the younger's mood changes. "60 seconds..." Tay choked non-stop after what New said to them. They promised that they wouldn't say anything to anyone about the game, but out of the blue, New decided to talk about it. He's confused. He wondered what triggered him this time for his sudden decision.
Tay glared at him but New smiled at him. Laughing inside of his mind at Tay's reaction
The two remained quiet. "I wonder, what if all this moment is just 60 seconds of memories and we go back to the past?" New sighed and shook his head. "It's just nonsense. Let's eat."