Chapter 9
I felt myself slowly sinking in the ocean-like blueness of Mohan’s eyes. But I knew I would not drown in them because he was there to save me. His eyes were inviting—pleading, almost. Those blue eyes offered me happiness and warmth. But I knew deep down that my true happiness didn’t belong to this boy with eyes like the sky and the seas, but with him whose gaze reminded me of the forest and the trees.
“Mohan,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.” The truth was, even if he somehow managed to erase my fears and my worries, I still could not assure him that I could requite what he wanted to give me. Not when my heart already belonged to another.
There was a sudden pooling in his eyes as he looked down at his feet. For a few seconds he just stared at the ground, not moving. Then he raised his head and met my gaze. “Is there someone else?” He asked.
I couldn’t bear to say that there was. I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t hurt him. So I didn’t answer his question. But maybe he knew anyway. “It’s Calix, isn’t it?” And when I couldn’t answer him again, he held my hand gently and smiled. “It’s okay. I understand.”
I softly held his face between my palms. “I’m really sorry.” I hated that it’s all I could say. I was hurting him and all I could say was sorry! I hated that I didn’t deserve the tiniest bit of him. I hated that I couldn’t just teach my heart who to love.
A small smile appeared on his lips before he wiped a single tear from his cheek. “It’s alright,” He said. “But I want you to understand what I’m going to tell you, Kristine. I am not giving up. We can be friends for us long as you want, but remember that I won’t give up. I will wait for you. I will wait even ‘til forever. Just let me hang around the wings, so if you ever break your heart over him, I will just be beside you. And if that time comes, and you needed someone to fix your heart, please choose me.”
The next day after class, I went to the gym to find Calix. I still haven’t talked to him after what happened at the amusement park. He was playing Tennis again with a few senior guys. I waved my hand when he looked my way, but he just ignored me like I didn’t even exist. After about half an hour, they left for the shower room. I was getting antsy as every minute passed. Why was he ignoring me? I couldn’t take it anymore. So I burst inside the shower room and looked for him.
There were a lot of shrieks when the half-naked guys saw me barge in. Quickly, they grabbed whatever their hands landed on to cover what they needed to cover. As if I even wanted to see those things. Eww.
“Hey girl! Watcha doin’ here?”
“You looking for Calix? You could have just waited for him outside.”
I ignored them and started looking for Calix. “Calix! Where the hell are you?! It really stinks in here, and I have no intention of staying any longer! So get your ass right here this instant!” I yelled like a madwoman.
“Smells like hell, looks like heaven.” The guys snickered and I rolled my eyes at them before walking away.
Calix freaked out the moment he saw me. “What the hell are you doing here?! In case you haven’t noticed the big sign outside, this is the men’s shower room!”
“Why are you ignoring my calls and texts?”
“Ha! I wonder why!” He glared at me. “Get out. You’re going to get your mind polluted in here.” He quickly pushed me out the door.
“Oh let the girl have her fun, Calix!” His friends inside jeered and laughed like maniacs.
“Shut up, you morons!” He yelled at them before slamming the door shut.
I put a hand on my hips. “You didn’t answer me. Why are ignoring me?”
Calix cupped his head like he was frustrated. “Why does it matter? I’m quite sure you were having fun with that stupid mutt anyway!”
“Oh… Mohan?” I mumbled. “Well yeah. We went for a few rides after you left. You should have tried the rollercoaster. It was so awesome.”
Calix made a face. “As if I’m interested in knowing what you two did.”
A sly grin escaped my lips as I realized what’s going on. He was jealous. I was certain of it. “Calix is jealous. He is jealous of Mohan. Calix is jealous,” I sing-songed Ms. Congeniality style.
“I am so not jealous. Why would I be? It’s not like I like you or something. Stop it! Your voice is freaking me out!” He muttered, but I continued anyway. He started to sing-song too. “I am not jealous. Kristine is crazy. Mohan is stupid,” He sing-songed back.
I laughed at him. “Whatever, Calix. If you don’t like me, then I suppose you like him.”
He shook his head and adjusted the collar of his shirt. “You’re insane. I’d rather like a plank of wood than any of you.” He heaved a sigh then changed the topic. “We’re having an individual song practice later? Are you coming?”
“Yeah. I don’t have a choice. Are you?”
“Of course! I’m directing the play, remember? And besides, I can’t miss your performance.” He motioned for me to get going as he opened the door of the shower room. “Do your best because I will be watching!”
I thought about what Amber said the other day about Calix and Mohan’s fan clubs. I bet that if they knew what were happening lately, I’d end up on top of their burn lists.
A few hours after, I put my things inside my locker before making my way to the stage at the back of the school where everyone participating in the play was already waiting. I glanced around and saw Madison talking to a bunch of girls beside the speakers before she hopped on stage. She got the role of Anastasia, one of Cinderella’s evil stepsisters. It’s perfect for her.
Up on stage, Madison volunteered to be the first performer. She sang a piece I never heard before. It was a selfish song about how Cinderella stole everything that was supposed to be hers. When it was my turn, the musical technician left his place since I didn’t prepare a minus one. I didn’t even practice my song, but when my eyes caught Calix’s green ones, the song just came out of my lips, as if it was written with him as the inspiration.
“You are the star that shone at me every night. Up above me with all your might. So high that we are worlds apart. Wanting you will only break my heart. Maybe I should be contended with just staring. It is better than to wake up and realize I was only dreaming.”
Bunches of something wet and slimy hit me and exploded before I even finish the chorus. “Get off the stage you pig!” It turned out the girls Madison was talking to earlier were throwing me water balloons, only it wasn’t water, but something that smelled like a mixture of rotten vegetables, slime, and maybe egg. I felt something hard hit me too, but I couldn’t see clearly with all the flying balloons. I forced myself not to cry.
When something huge hovered over me, I looked up to see the loveliest face smiling at me. Calix was using his massive frame to shield me. A slice for cucumber slid down his cheek.
“You did well,” He said, and then kissed my forehead comfortingly. “Are you okay?”
“Let me guess, Madison is the president of your fans club?” I asked, and then squeezed my eyelids together to prevent myself from crying.
The water balloons kept coming our way. The fan girls didn’t even mind that they were hitting Calix too. Another one hit me on the butt, and I turned to glare at Calix. “Make them stop! They’re your fan girls!”
Calix studied my face for any damage. “I doubt they’ll listen anyway.” Quickly, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me along with him. Once we were at the parking lot, he let go of me and took out his hanky and started wiping off the slime off my face.
“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up. I don’t want your mom worrying about you.”
“My things are still in the locker. I have to get back there,” I said with a frown.
He shook his head. “Screw that. Unless you want another round of food fight.”
I shrugged. He was right. I was sure those fan girls won’t even hesitate to assault me with their grenades again. “So where am I supposed to clean up?”
“We can go to my house.”
“And where am I going to get clothes?” I asked again.
He rubbed his chin gingerly. “I think you’re the same size as our housekeeper. I’ll ask him to let you borrow his shirt.”
When we pulled into the driveway of Calix’s house, I was surprised to see how huge it was. It looked like the big houses in Europe with third floors and sophisticated designs.
Calix helped me out of the car and led me to his house. A huge man with Asian looks and a protruding belly greeted us as we rang the doorbell. “Hi, Ray. This is my friend Kristine. Would you be nice enough to lend her a shirt of yours?”
The man smiled cheerfully. “Yes, Sir Calix. I let friend borrow shirt,” He replied before moving along, and coming back a few minutes after with a freshly washed cotton shirt.
“Thank you, Ray,” I said.
“We have a home theatre downstairs, would you like to watch a movie?” Calix asked after I have changed my shirt.
He wasn’t kidding when he said that. He did have a home theatre at the basement. But instead of the stiff chairs movie houses had, their home theatre had soft and comfy recliners.
After he popped the DVD into the player, Calix came to sit beside me. As the opening credits started, he grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together. I didn’t stop him because friends held hands, right? I mean, I’m sure it didn’t mean anything for him.
He chose to watch Spider Man 3, and the movie was great. I have already watched it before so I really didn’t have to pay much attention to it. My mind kept drifting back to our intertwined fingers, wondering what it really meant to him.
Half way through the movie, I could feel my eyelids getting heavier. And before long, I drifted off to sleep.
The next thing I knew, he was whispering my name softly. It took me a few seconds to collect what was happening but then I realized my head was resting on his shoulder and he was looking at me with the sweetest smile. “You fell asleep,” He said. “I think I should get you home.”
Running a hand to smooth my hair, I caught him staring at me with his mouth open. I put a finger under his chin and closed his mouth. “Close that, or a fly will get in there.”
He chuckled slightly. “Let’s go. Your mom’s probably looking for you already.”
I got into Calix’s car and waited for him to get in. I leaned my head over and rested it on his shoulder as soon as he was in because I was really tired and I wanted to sleep some more.
Soon after we were already in front of my house and Calix woke me up again. He came around the car and helped me out to my front door.
“It was fun hanging out with you,” He said, brushing a finger across my cheek.
“Thanks for the movie,” I replied.
I was getting ready to say goodbye when Calix planted his lips on my cheek. I would have reacted differently, but the connection between his lips and my skin sent currents of electricity through my entire system. Suddenly I felt my legs go limp, and all I could do was wrap my arms around him to support myself.
Calix straightened his posture after he seemed to realize what happened. “I’m sorry,” He said before he turned and walked away.
I ran to my bedroom and shut the door before resting my back against it. All of a sudden everything was so complicated that I didn’t even know if it’s still reality or just a dream. The things Calix did… Did any of it mean something? Should I let myself fall deeper when there was a chance of me never resurfacing? I never let myself fall in love because I was always so scared that I’d always end up hurt.
Then Mohan’s words echoed in my mind.
“I am not giving up. We can be friends for us long as you want, but remember that I won’t give up. I will wait for you. I will wait even ‘til forever. Just let me hang around the wings, so if you ever break your heart over him, I will just be beside you. And if that time comes, and you needed someone to fix your heart, please choose me.”
A/N:
Sorry for the super late update lovelies! Caught a bad flu, so I couldn't make myself type :( Anyway, I'm feeling better now. So here's the next chapter. I hope you like it!
If you like my work, please please please FAN ^_^
And of course, comment and vote!
50 VOTES for the next update. :)