May's POV
It was already 6:30PM Friday evening that I decided to try and cook Drew's favorite soup which I just learned from his Mom.
Because why the hell not.
I also thought that it would be a good opportunity to level up my cooking skill.
It's my first time being back in the apartment after five days living in Dawn's place so I thought it would be bad if I just go back to enclosing myself within my room.
Pffft I'm so good at being a wife I don't even need to be trained. Wait, does it even need training?
Speaking of being a good wife, I was depressed earlier that I didn't see him there at their usual lunch table. I was hoping that I could somehow see his oh-so-day-brightening and welcoming smile full of arrogance. And instead I found him challenging Brendan to a match.
Of course that's not all, I'll stay away from her, just like what you've always wanted. I'll even gladly tell her myself that I won't bother her anymore. What do you say?
Deal
If I have to describe Drew, like honestly, the first word to come to mind would be annoying and perverted. Hundred percent fact. But even with that, it's not like I totally hated him for being perverted or arrogant. It's like a part of him that I've long understand.
It's just his protective and caring attitude that is still a big mystery to me.
It's like I know he cares and wants to protect me, prince charming and all, but, it needs more research. Sort of like that.
Hitting a girl for a swing? Two on one? You're 12 and she's only 8, aren't you ashamed of yourselves?
Don't you dare show up your faces here again.
And I never knew I would see those fierce expression in him again.
What did you do to May?
Why did you make her cry?!
He was seriously mad, but, damn it why do I feel so oddly good about it?
How many times do I have to tell you?
That I don't want someone like him meddling with your life.
Then I felt a butterfly flutter in my stomach.
So okay maybe a few dozen of butterflies.
So to perfectly put it, I'm cooking him his favorite soup hoping that it could somehow lessen all the tension that's been building up these few days, exams and everything.
I took out the pot from the stove and poured the steaming contents on to two separate bowls. "That should do it!" I congratulated myself as I placed the two bowls on the opposite ends of our dining table.
Now that I think about it, we usual eat at both ends of the table. Maybe we could try eating beside each other?
Nah nevermind, that's just way too embarrassing.
I eagerly sat on the other end and waited for him. I took a glance at the clock and saw that it was already ten minutes before seven. He's getting late, again.
I sighed as I moved my bowl sideways so I could place my head on top of the table.
What's that pervert been up to? Had this room been this silent before? This lonely?
I wonder if Drew felt this kind of loneliness when I was away.
I raised and moved my left hand in front of me. It was wrapped with two band aids, one on my index finger and the other on my thumb. I winced. I felt a slight pain from trying to move them. I really need to practice using the knife, next time I might end up butchering myself.
I finally stood up and went to the living room to find something worth spending time on the television while waiting for him. I flopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV. It took me a couple of minutes switching through the channels before settling down on a cooking show. At least it was the least annoying channel. I kept on changing position on the sofa until I got in a comfortable position that I eventually drifted off to sleep.
My eyes opened partly when I felt like I was slowly being carried away. I vaguely saw something, or someone. Against the light, his or her hair darkened the face I was trying to figure out. But the floating atmosphere which felt heavenly good enticed me and I just let the lightness and pleasure took me wherever it was going to take me to. The floating feeling was dream-like.
I closed my eyes again.
The other half part of my body was cold, while the other part, the part closer to that something carrying me, felt very warm, that I unconsciously flipped my body closer to the warmer side, closer to the source of warmth that without even noticing it, I felt myself, particularly my face, snuggling to a very aromatic piece of cloth.
It was then I heard a loud beating.
A heart beat?
It sure was a heartbeat, and it was beating faster and faster.
I snuggled even closer, as if there was even more possibility of getting to the center of that warmness that I longed and craved, closer to that heartbeat as if it was calling my name. Everything was warm. Everything was cozy. I was totally clothed by this unknown warmness that I didn't want to move anymore. To stay still like this forever, or for just another minute at least.
"S-so w-warm.." I muttered.
It was then that I felt pair of warm lips touched my forehead that I my eyes instantly flew open.
"Drew?!" I moved away so suddenly that I could have fallen off if only he hadn't tightened his hold on me.
I just can't believe it! He's carrying me? Bridal style?! I cupped half of my face when I noticed how embarrassingly and incredibly intimate this position we got. "Are you taking advantage of me?!"
"What? Of course not!" He strongly reasoned out. "It's just that I found you sleeping uncomfortably on the couch and decided myself that I should carry you back to your room." He lightly smiled.
I raised an eyebrow at him accusingly. I pulled myself back a bit from his carrying arms, but close enough still to be called intimate. "Are you sure that's all there is?"
"No perverted intentions?"
"Oh come on is that all I am to you?" He exasperated, and sighed right after. "Well, you looked unfair, so uhm." He shifted his eyes from me uncomfortably before continuing. "That is why I kissed your forehead."
"How am I unfair?" I replied, both of my hands still covering my mouth and nose in a poor attempt at hiding how my face was blinking multiple shades of red or that I was literally overflowing with embarrassment right from the tip of my toes up to each strand of my hair on my head. And the ginormous butterflies fluttering in my stomach seemed to have become more wild and rabid, fluttering even more annoyingly in each corner of my probably-wrecked gut.
"When you snuggled close to me..."
Oh my freaking god! I freaking did snuggled freaking close to him!
"You looked so calm, cute, adorable and.."
"And?" Someone please tell my heart to slow down, I can no longer take it.
"..my heart sped up that I couldn't help but..."
"Help but?"
"..kiss you.."
"Kiss me..?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah?"
I felt his heart racing like mine, our faces turned red and I couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that I felt reasonably comfortable knowing that he was just as uncomfortable and as awkward as I was.
My eyes widened in utter surprise, my face felt like it just kissed a volcano, my heart felt like it just went from a triathlon, my hands and lips trembled like a magnitude-nine earthquake, the butterflies in my stomach seemed to have overpopulated, and finally, my whole self was completely in a state of coma while being fully conscious.
It was all too crazy. I couldn't express more than I could even wonder how it all even come up to this point.
"I really did miss you after all." He pouted. "Don't leave me again please."
I forcibly closed my eyes, straightened my left arm preparing to slap him hoping that it would knock this annoying emotion out of me. I know it's a selfish and rude reason, but I would be lying if I said that I hated this feeling or that I didn't miss him too. I launched and swung my left hand but I eventually paused when it was just a good few centimeters right from his cheek. I paused because it seemed that he had no intention of defending or evading, I just saw him with both of his eyes closed bracing for the impact.
"Hey." I called out which made him open his eyes slowly. "Aren't you gonna defend yourself?" I pulled back my left hand and hung it down remembering the band aids I placed on it earlier.
"I said some really embarrassing stuff, so I thought that it might purge that feeling out from me. It's awkward." He chuckled. "Or at least that's what I deserve I think."
I raised an eyebrow as I let myself free from his arms. "You're so boring." I mumbled as realization hit me that we were already in my room.
"You know what, I somehow felt sexually harassed with what you said." He bluntly retorted.
This guy can't be serious!
"Are you saying that I meant something really perverted?!" I scowled at him.
"No! N-no, no of course not! Never!" He immediately took back what he said. "How about we eat that dinner you made! I can't wait to eat it, especially that you worked hard for it." He happily suggested as he started walking ahead of me out to the door of my room.
Did he perhaps saw the band aids on my hand?
"Shut up." I retorted as I glanced at my wall clock and read 8PM. "I prepared two for us!" I followed after him.
"So that's why I was able to carry you, you haven't eaten dinner yet!" I could tell that he was smirking even with his back facing me, unfortunately I have always carried his smirking impression in my memory since who-knows-when, it's so clearly imprinted that I think I could even perfectly draw it with eyes closed.
"You jerk!" I stormed at him and gave him my famous neck-lock submission.
...
It was already quarter to midnight that I was still unable to sleep. Thoughts seemed to be very busy coming in and out of my head, considering the coming events.
The Christmas party, Drew and Brianna's past, Drew and Brendan's upcoming match and why Brianna was absent throughout the exam days.
Brianna didn't take the midterm exam, she was absent the whole week right after their date with Drew.
During dinner earlier, I asked Drew what kept him late tonight. He said that he visited Brianna in her home to check on her because she was absent during the exam week. Honestly I was jealous at first that he would go that far for her sake, but eventually I came to understand that it was something to worry about, it would affect her grades badly. I guess it ain't only me who he's taking care of.
For some reason, Drew said that it was his fault why she didn't come to school to take the exams. I asked him if he knew exactly what he did, and he just said that he's not sure. I would have asked for more but I forcefully restrained myself.
Deep down, I knew he was lying, he knew what he did why she was absent. And I don't know why he's so secretive about it.
If it was something he's willing to share with me, he would have had. I just don't need to look so stupidly curious. It's about them anyway.
I shaded both of my eyes with my left forearm and clutched a part of my chest that pained a little bit.
He's her 'big brother' anyway, and whatever it is, I'm sure that it had nothing to do with me.
Ugh.
After that chat, I became so preoccupied thinking about how deep could their relationship be that I forgot asking him anything about his match with Brendan.
Gosh darn it!
I released a few tantrums and squirmed like a fish out of water on my bed. This is really so vexing!
I relaxed and slumped back, grabbing dear hold of a big pillow beside me.
He would have definitely shared it with me if he wanted. I sank my head on the cushion and sighed.
Why won't he tell me anything? Am I not trustworthy? There are just so many things I don't know and answers I want to hear. That self-made dinner was supposed to be a cheer of some sort for him. Damn it.
After a few more squirming on my bed, I decided to drink something that could calm my raging self. That's when I remembered that he brought home some cocoa from the nearby convenient store earlier. That should probably do the trick.
I stood up from my bed and went outside of my room. I took out the cocoa from the fridge and after a few minutes of reheating it, I sat down on the table in the kitchen and took a quick sip.
I let out a relaxing sigh. "Chocolate, everybody's best friend."
After taking another sip, I heard the door of Drew's room slowly opening. I thought that he would probably just use the toilet so I didn't mind and continued enjoying myself. I placed the cup back on the table when I heard him enter the kitchen.
"May?" He asked, judging from his look, it seemed that he was also restless. What could the reason be? "Why are you still awake?"
"I can't sleep." I answered without looking at him, but instead took interest at the swirling brown mixture in front of me. "What are you doing up?" I asked, hoping that he could at least answer this question for me.
"That's funny, because I find it hard to sleep too." He replied as he walked closer to me. "Mind if I sit beside you?"
I nodded as he took a sit beside me. I offered him the hot cocoa which he gladly accepted.
"Remember when I told you about how I don't want Brendan meddling with your life?" He started soon after placing down the cup in between us on the table. "Are you okay with that?"
"What do you mean?" I questioned back.
"You know, you seem to enjoy his company."
"How c-can you s-say that?" I bit my lip, focusing even more on the swirling mixture.
"You just had a date with him right?" He asked.
"B-but t-that was o-only b-b-because you had your own d-date with Brianna!" I stammered really hard like an idiot.
"N-no, no, it's okay, really. I know that." He placed a hand over the nape of his neck. Even with the little lighting in the kitchen, I could still see the piercing seriousness of his jade eyes. His look was distant, confused and troubled.
So he had his own confusion and worries about me and Brendan like I do with him and Brianna.
"It just feels wrong to do something that might end up you hating me. I don't want that."
Was he asking if it's okay for me about Brendan not talking to me anymore?
"I mean, yeah, I don't like him, but if it causes you discomfort being no longer friends with him, then please don't force yourself to this very selfish reason of mine." He uttered.
"Look, Drew, you might be someone arrogant and perverted in my life." I started and looked back at the swirling mixture. My emotions were starting to riot up inside me as I tried to figure out really hard about the exact words I want to say to him. "You easily get to my nerves, but I don't clearly hate you."
I officially hate how you make me like you!
"I easily get to your nerves yet you don't hate me?"
"No, uh, yes? I mean you easily getting to my nerves is, is something very different from hating you." I added and bit my lower lip, one of my habits of flustering.
I may have said that I hated him in the past, but now that I think about it, it was all just frustrations.
"That's a relief." He replied. He took the cup away from my gaze and took a drink of it. "Because I'm gonna kick his butt out of his current position in the soccer club tomorrow!"
"Huh?" I asked looking back at him, feigning ignorance.
"We're doing it tomorrow Saturday afternoon at school." He answered firmly. "You're free to watch." He cockily smiled.
"No way! You can't possibly be serious! He's not just the prez for nothing you know." I replied back at him, ignoring his cockiness just to show him that it's clearly not as easy as he's claiming it to be. "He trains them as well. And he's been a soccer medalist since grade school. He has twenty one medals as of date, ten gold medals and eleven silver medals." I enumerated all the information I remembered from Dawn. "You can't possibly wi-"
I was cut off by his face immediately coming near to mine by just mere centimeters.
I choked on my own air.
"I told you not to worry about me so much." His monotonous voice answered.
"B-but.. That's like walking in enemy territories. Fighting in his own domain." Fighting in his domain blindfolded is what I should have said.
"I won't know unless I won't try." He backed away and let out a relaxed sigh. "I was really happy when you cooked that dinner for me. It encouraged me not to lose to him even more."
My cheeks felt like coal.
He stood up from his seat and stretched his body. "Were you thinking that because I'm your husband that's why you cooked dinner?"
I was about to deny that embarrassing fact when he just turned his head to me and smiled. "Because right now, I'm thinking that because you're my wife and that I should be doing what I can do to have all your attention at me."
There goes my heart again, going over the maximum beats per second of an average normal human heart beat.
What is up with him?
"Pervert..." I puffed my cheeks, suppressing my heart from screaming right at this moment. "You don't have to say it that frankly."
"Good night." He turned his back at me and went back to his room. The room became all silent again as if he took with him everything that made sense, color, and life the room once had just a few seconds ago. I placed a hand over my chest and looked down. Gosh, judging by how he easily drove my heart over the speed limit, I really need to control my heartbeat properly. I smiled inwardly before taking the final sip and went back to my own bed.
When morning came, I woke up by a phone call from Misty. She told me that the four of us will be shopping by nine for the coming Christmas party. As soon as we hung up, I bolted up from bed remembering that I still had no clue who to give and what gift to give for the Christmas party.
Since when did giving someone a gift become so much trouble? I shook my head off the topic and quickly took a warm bath, change to some thick clothes before heading out.
But before I did, I checked out Drew's room, knocking twice on his door. When I got no answer, I found out that he did not lock his door so I decided to take a quick peek at him. As I have guessed, he was still sleeping on his side and I smiled at the view of it because I got to see him look this calm again.
He must have rested very late last night. I would've have closed the door and walked away because God knew that my heart might start driving drunk again when I noticed that his left arm was hanging outside of bed. I went in and saw that there was a sort of folded paper that fell from his left hand. What could he be doing with this piece of paper?
It looked quite faded.
After taking his hanging arm lightly and placing it back on the bed, I picked up the piece of paper and saw that it was folded twice in a crosswise manner. My curiosity flickered so I tried to open it slowly. I stopped opening it slowly when the first words that I saw on the paper were 'I love you Brianna. I love you so much. Take care.'
I felt I was struck by lightning. I was incapacitated right on the spot.
"A letter for Brianna? Love?"
I trembled in extreme anxiety. I don't understand what I felt, it was all too mixed up that it doesn't make any sense.
I quickly folded back the piece of paper.
I placed it on the spot near his pillow before finally leaving. Whatever that letter was, it was for Brianna. Drew must have written it for her.
Just what in the hell.
And there I go again swimming in doubts and confusion. This is so not good. I need to keep my thoughts busy, pronto.
When I was out in the street, I was reminded of my date with Brendan. It was so full of people. And as expected, Dawn was already waiting for us in front of the mall, seeing her so excited and frustrated about the gifts made me laugh genuinely. It made me forget of the heartache I felt earlier. "What are you so frustrated about Dawn?"
"I can't choose between Lucas and Paul!" She exasperated and frantically waved her hands in midair. "This is so frustrating!"
"Why don't you give them both a gift?" I replied casually, as if it was not the most obvious answer to her question.
"Weren't you listening yesterday May?" I heard Leaf coming over from our west side. "Red said that we are only allowed to give a single gift to a particular someone." She smiled as she stopped besides us. "It's like you give a gift, and that's it."
"So you really were out of yourself yesterday." Misty's monotonous voice came over from the east side.
"How come that's the rule?" I asked. It's not entirely my fault for spacing out yesterday, Brendan and Drew's not-so-friendly afternoon chat filled up my brain. I wasn't able to focus on anything discussed about this party or how absurd were its rules.
"Red said that the hotel has a sort of luck or fortune when it comes to true love, so the hotel might endow us with its luck when we give a present to our special someone." Dawn exclaimed happily like it was her shimmering chance for Paul or Lucas. "That's why I badly need your advice guys!"
"Why not go with Paul?" Leaf sweetly suggested. "You might be the cure for his awkward attitude towards socializing with others."
Awkward attitude towards socializing with others? That's like an understatement! He's a bastard! I don't even wonder how he doesn't have that many friends. He is far from awkward. He hates socializing. He hates everyone.
"Wait, wait, let me get this straight." I coughed once before continuing. "If I give something to someone I like in the class, this unknown and unproven charm of the hotel might end us up together?"
"Partly." Leaf replied.
"Partly?"
"Yes, partly. You need to confess too." Leaf affirmed. "But I wouldn't say it's unknown and unproven May. There are indeed a lot of successful marriages that occurred from a simple love confession that happened in the hotel."
Romeo and Cinderella Hotel and Suites right? That name really makes me question about Juliet and Prince Charming. It even sound suspicious like they eloped or something. How could that become luck for true love? And if it's for the sake of poetry? Yeah, maybe I could accept that. It does sounds creative.
So it's a Christmas party that's gonna become into a one huge love confession party.
Wow, can't totally say that I'm not interested.
Might as well get this shopping over with too, or I won't be able to catch up Drew's match with Brendan later this afternoon.
It took us hours to look for something neat to buy as gifts. Dawn said that she will be giving Paul something. Of course we all rooted for her, considering the ill attitude of Paul. She would need that charm, plus even more cheers than what we three could give. She was having second thoughts about confessing. I, on the other hand, thought she shouldn't. Because Paul is a vicious wild carnivorous animal and I can't have my precious bestfriend be subjected to his cave. But nonetheless I still cheered for her.
And without even asking, Misty was planning to give one to Ash. It was pretty obvious, we have been friends for so long and every time it's Christmas she'd always has something for him. She might have not shown much interest about the rumor going on about the hotel, but I could clearly tell the curiosity that bloomed in her. And if that charm is indeed true, this might be her biggest chance for Ash. I'm not saying that she would really need this stupid luck for him, it's just that he's so dense that I feel sad for Misty that she would even rely on this shady charm on him. She also said she wouldn't confess, because God knows how many times she already tried.
On Leaf's side, she decided on Gary. She just simply said that she already knew that Red would be receiving a lot of gifts. When us three asked if that meant that she hoped to be with Gary, she denied it so hard that it was really cute and funny, the way how she stammered and panicked made it even more prominent that she really harbored some kind of feelings for him. But after all the denying she did, she admitted in the end that one of the reason she wanted to be with Gary was to lessen his attachment from brawls against the boys from the neighboring schools. It was really adorable the way how she worried about him like she was his girlfriend of some sort.
In my case, I told them that I would be giving one to Drew.
Pretty obvious there why.
And as expected of course they went loco over with it that I just laughed. If the charm's really true? I doubt that it would even have an effect on me. I mean come on, we're already married and I'm practically giving one to my husband. What difference could the charm do about it? Of course I was the only one being neutral about the fact that I would be giving Drew a present, considering the weird rules for the party. They kept on repeating that we might really end up getting married someday.
Ha! I could only just laugh at them.
But the bad news is, I haven't picked a gift after hours of searching. And only me. This is what I hate most about this occasion. I don't know why finding someone a gift seem so annoyingly difficult.
We continued searching around the mall for my gift after we ate our lunch in a fastfood store, but it was still useless. I was still unable to find something that I really wanted to give to him. I wasn't able to bear Misty's frustration anymore that we decided quits about 3PM.
"I'm really sorry guys that I had to drag you along with me for hours." I apologized and awkwardly scratched the back of my head.
"And you still haven't chosen a gift you wanted to give, great May!" Misty scowled at me. "My legs felt like they gained a ton!"
"It's okay May!" Dawn cheered me up. "There's still a week left before the Christmas party."
"That's right!" Leaf followed her. Misty grunted beside me.
I looked up at them and smiled. That's right! There are still five days to shop before the party. That's plenty of time.
We bid farewell right after that, and I would have gone straight back to the apartment when I remembered the match.
Oh crap! They must have started minutes ago!
I ran as fast as I could to the university without even pausing. As I entered the gate, it was starting to snow a little. After a few more curves behind buildings, I came to a stop at the side of the school's open field.
I darted my eyes around the wide oval area looking for particular and familiar signs. And that's when I spotted two individuals at the left most side of the field. I narrowed my eyes to have a clearer vision since I was behind the wire fencing. I clutched hard on the wire when I saw that Drew was on his fours, clearly exhausted. Though Brendan was standing up with the field goal behind him, I could tell that he was as exhausted as Drew was. I could vaguely see the numbers on the scoreboard just beside them so I ran to the front to have a better view.
I stopped in my tracks when I reached the front wired gate and saw the score, it was 1-3. I didn't know who won, who score three and who score one. Drew might have scored that three.
But the broken and frustration on his face proved otherwise.
No way! You can't possibly be serious! He's not just the prez for nothing you know.
I told him, didn't I? The medals and all.
I won't know unless I won't try.
Drew lost.
End
Chapter Sixteen: Home Sweet Home, Or Something