Sophia
Lucas continued to stare at me with his warm brown eyes.
Should I bolt? I could bolt. Hold on.. I can't run very fast.
Not anymore. I sighed inwardly.
"How are you?"
I blinked at him. Repeatedly. "I'm sorry, what?"
His smile was full of patience. Darn him and his charms. He asked me again: "How are you?"
"I love Ryan Reynolds," I blurted out, then I heard some young girls giggle when they heard me.
"..Okay?" The black-haired teen tilted his head to one side. "I'll take that as a 'maybe.'"
I stuttered while looking at him: "Y-you.. what.. w-why are you here?"
Lucas shrugged his shoulders as he inserted his hands into his pockets. "Malls are fun."
"O-Oh. R-right." Cease the stammering, Sophia! Of course he's allowed to be here. It's a mall.
He pointed at the movie schedule inside a glass display. "Are you going to watch a film?"
"Hmm? No, no." I waved a dismissive hand. "I just like browsing the selection. It's a thing."
A toothy grin crept onto his cute face as he told me: "Ditto. I do it, too."
"That's nice.." I commented, summoning a normal smile across my lips.
"Sophia, if you have someplace else to be, you can go. It's alright," said Lucas.
My brown eyes swiveled to his understanding expression. "Um, thanks. So.. I'll.. just go now."
"You idiot," I scolded myself as I turned around and walked away from him. "You're such an idiot, Sophia. Now he probably thinks I didn't want his company. You could have handled that situation better." I exhaled some air. "What could I have done? Invite him to stroll the mall with me? Know your place, Sophia. You're a friend. He is courting your sister. Your. Sister. Not you."
I angrily smacked my forehead with the heel of my palm, forcing the fact to be embedded in my stupid, hopeless brain. He likes Stacy. He's pursuing Stacy. He's not interested in you. Never you.
"He doesn't like you," I whispered to my reflection as I passed by a glass wall of a flower shop.
The sadness in my voice matched the brokenness all over my face. I pushed my glasses up my nose, tearing my brown eyes away from the glass window of the store.
I rode another escalator, this time heading in the direction of Mood Music, the best music store in the mall and a sanctuary I visited often whenever I needed to placate my negative vibes.
Various guitars hung along the walls,and some were displayed on racks. Music magazines were stacked on shelves. There were couches and small tables at a corner, giving the place a comfy feel. It was also quiet, similar to a library.
I went to the shelves where several CDs were displayed. The store was filled with a countless array of music albums.
The bells clanged, signalling that someone had entered the store, but I didn't turn around. I continued rummaging through the stacks of albums until a hand caught my eye.
My gaze stayed on the masculine hand, then my eyes traveled up to the arm up to the face.
"..Lucas?" I sounded incredulous, which exactly was how I felt at the moment.
He waved at me. "Hey, stranger."
"Another coincidence," I remarked as I maintained eye-contact with him.
Lucas gave me a sheepish grin. "A coincidence is defined as an occasion when two or more similar things happen at the same time, especially in a way that is unlikely and surprising. You live in Quezon City, and so do I. This is the nearest mall, so I disagree with your observation."
"O-o-okay," I said slowly, my tone heavy with skepticism.
I shifted my attention to the albums beneath my fingers. I heard Lucas say: "I swear I wasn't following you."
"Mm-hmm." I cast him a side-glance. "You're certain you aren't the trailer type?"
"I'm.. not."
"You hesitated."
"It was a slight pause!"
"Have you ever followed someone before?"
"No! I'm not a stalker!"
I giggled at his reaction. "No, I don't take you as one. So why are you here?"
"A music store is one of my havens," he answered, skimming his hands over the albums.
"You mean it's therapeutic for you? Like if you're blue or problematic?"
"I guess you could put it that way." His let out a sigh then he looked at me. "What about you?"
Before I could measure my words, I told him: "Never underestimate the healing powers of three things---Music, the moon, and the ocean."
Lucas frowned. "Are you feeling down today? That's why you came here?"
"Ah? N-no. I just.." I mentally groped my mind for responses. "Well, perhaps a little."
"Can I ask if you're brokenhearted?"
His query caught me off guard. He doesn't know about my long-time crush on him, does he? I haven't been that obvious, right? I've done my part of distancing myself. He can't possibly---
"You once mentioned something about your biological parents. Could that be it?"
I turned to Lucas so fast I thought I caught whiplash. "Y-yeah. That's why I feel off."
Okay, that wasn't a complete lie. But what else was I supposed to tell him?
When my brown eyes slid to Lucas once more, I watched him make a beeline for the display of different guitars hanging on the wall. He asked Jonas, the guy behind the counter, for permission to play one of the instruments, and the worker replied in the affirmative with a curt warning.
"You shouldn't mess around with those! They look really expensive!" I chided Lucas.
His brown eyes held a mischievous gleam as he presented me with an acoustic guitar.
"I don't know how to play that," I awkwardly told him.
"But I do." He slung the strap over his head and around his neck, securing the object on him.
I stroked my collarbone as I saw him reach for a short stool. "Lucas, just.. just put it back."
"I promise, I'll be extra careful." He pretended to drop the guitar, which made me scowl and smack his arm hard. "Sophia, please relax. I know how to use this."
"What if you break it? What if you move something you're not supposed to move? You shouldn't meddle with precious instruments like that one, Lucas! I'm really worried, you know."
"For me or for the guitar?" He arched a quizzical eyebrow in my direction, making me swallow.
"I-I.. oh shut up and just play something!" Why did my cheeks feel so hot?
With a ready smile plastered on his face, Lucas hoisted his right foot on the short stool and placed the acoustic guitar on his right lap before he tweaked a bit with the tuning pegs.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I warily asked him.
"Positive. And what you said earlier? About not meddling with something precious? How would you know you can't create beauty and magnificence without taking risks, Sophia?"
He had me there. Although this wasn't the first time a person spoke to me about loosening up, I still bristled under his prying gaze.
Lucas clicked his tongue, and I saw a hint of satisfaction cross his face as he poised his fingers over the strings and fret-board of the splendid guitar.
"Are you going to sing while you play?" I asked him.
The tall male in a purple shirt threw me a cryptic smile.
And then, he sucked in a deep breath. When he began to sing and play, I instantly felt my eyes flutter, my heartbeat pounding fast.
Sophia, you truly are doomed.