'Puh-lease,' I said to Jenna whose feet was on my legs. 'You're never going to commit. You've said that for – I don't know – maybe, a couple hundred of times.'
'Right,' she fought back. 'And you've said you don't like anybody.'
I formed a frown on my face from the statement that Jenna had made. There was absolutely no way that I'm going to end up liking or loving someone; I just knew.
'What?' My mouth slightly opened, and my back leaned onto the wall.
'Face it,' she said. 'You do like someone right now.'
'No,' I declared strongly. 'I don't.'
'Then why are you getting defensive?'
'Because, I hate matters like this. You should get going now, I know you have somewhere to be,' I said.
'I don't want to leave you alone here,' she made dog eyes.
'Owen's gonna be here. Anyway, it's Saturday, so don't you worry.'
'Alright,' she stood up. 'I'll go now, and you take care, 'kay?'
'Yes, mom,' I jokingly said.
'Hey,' the two said in unison as they passed each other through the door.
'What was that all about?' I asked Owen, who was hysterical when she saw Jenna.
'She and I had a fight last night about wings,' he said. 'You weren't there, so you wouldn't know about it.'
'I was busy with a deadline,' I said as a matter of fact. 'Without me, you both would kill each other.'
Owen was wearing a tank top, revealing his well-developed chest. I fawned over his body unknowingly; my eyes wide at the sculpture-like torso I was seeing.
'Like what you're seeing, eh?' He joked.
'Would I also have those if I work out?' I asked, trying to come across as innocent.
He looked at me with an are-you-even-serious face. He and I dropped the hilarious matter on the ground, leaving it as is because we both knew if we continued to talk about it, the atmosphere here would become awkward.
'Anyway, Owen,' I changed the topic. 'What's up?'
'Same as usual, stressed,' he whined. 'I can't concentrate now that prelims are three days away.'
Something I might have missed was his exhausted state – it was covered by a happy front, and he did appear tired for the past few weeks we met. He's energetic at most times, but there were moments he would just be quiet and unnerving. Owen lied on my bed, his arms covering the whole space while I forced myself to make do with the space I have at the edge of the bed.
'You're taking up space,' I complained. 'Sit down.'
'Let me be for a while,' he closed his eyes. 'I just need to feel free.'
'Okay,' I murmured.
It had been five minutes since Owen napped on my bed, and I was standing beside the fridge, rehydrating myself with water. I went to the balcony to catch some fresh air to recharge my drained brain. What amazed me as I think outside was my current situation – I have no problems, and everything has been an easy sail.
I smiled at the thought of ease. Interrupting my inner peace, I coughed loudly twice which woke Owen up. My breath became shorter as I went back inside. I sat on the couch, hugging the pillow for comfort.
'You okay there?' He checked up on me. 'Why don't we go to a doctor?'
'It's probably some cold,' I dismissed his suggestion. 'Don't worry.'
'Fine. But,' he paused. 'Can I talk to you about something?'
'Sure,' I said as I rest my body on the couch.
Owen grabbed the pillow next to him and signaled me to give some room for sitting. I sat up straight, my back supported by the back pillow. He jumped into the couch and quickly put his head on my lap. I look at his deep blue eyes, his lashes, and his hard-angled eyebrows; they were amazingly beautiful.
I caressed his hair, while I hummed some tune before saying, 'Owen?'
He looked at me, like he peered into the very depths of my soul. For a moment, I had grasped what emotion I was feeling, but it was lost after I retracted my gaze. My heart felt a sudden pang – a short, quick burst of pain – that I tried to remedy. From that moment on, I knew something had been missing inside me.
'Right,' he giggled. 'You see, I've been pulling all-nighters just to perfect my exams and assignments, and I'm really really tired from everything.'
'You have been? But, why? We literally have so much time since we're already studying a lot,' I said. 'You don't have to pressure yourself in doing this. It's unhealthy for you.'
'I know,' he consoled. 'It's not me who's pressuring myself, but rather my parents. When I didn't get into the med program for undergrads last year, they were mad and although it subsided, the disappointment is still there.'
'Now, I understand,' I muttered in recognition. 'I'm sorry for the tough things I said to you. You know I never meant those.'
'I do, Peter,' he said. 'I do. Now, my parents are pressuring me to get perfect grades as an assurance to them that I would get into med school.'
'Get up,' I said as I stood up from my place, leaving his head on the couch. 'Get. Up.'
'Why? I'm having a moment here,' he said.
'I know,' I replied. 'And that's why we need to go outside. I know exactly the place we need to go to help you, and no, it's not a therapist.'
'Fine,' he grunted. 'It's Friday anyway.'
'Come on! Let's get to your car,' I shouted while I took my room key. 'Hurry before we miss it! Oh, take two towels from my bathroom, please.'
We went to the parking lot where Owen had left his car. There were a lot of vehicles occupying the slots, but we soon found his car and went in it. I put on the seatbelt while Owen started the engine. I looked at his face before I put my head on the side window and looked at the windshield.
'So where are we going?' He asked.
'To the local beach, thirty minutes away from here,' I said. 'You know where it is, just drive.'
'That's why you asked me to bring towels,' he said as he started driving. 'Why the beach?'
'Just trust me. By the way, what time is it already?'
'Four,' he answered.
'Good.'
We were already at Bay Drive, a scenic town that boasts of its palm trees and warm winds and home of twenty thousand residents. What really makes their economy boom are tourists, who would either go to the well-sought Castellana Beach or restaurants. Its natives are welcoming, but things will become disastrous if you break any laws such as littering.
Bay Drive is the go-to of the university students whenever they want a place to hang out or go for a swim due to its location and accessibility. Owen, Jenna, and I have been here a couple of times, basking in the sunlight hoping to get a natural tan, or so how Jenna wanted it to be.
'Here we are,' Owen said. 'La Castellana. I miss this place, baby.'
'Good to know that you're already feeling better.'
Owen parked his car somewhere near the road beside the beach, in front of the pizza place. As we walked to the white sand, many were already leaving, but they probably didn't know that this was the best time to stay, relax, and enjoy the view.
Owen removed his top, revealing features that would make any woman head over hills. On the other hand, I looked like some skinny boy regardless of my weight being completely healthy. We dropped our clothes and shoes on the ground along with the towels, leaving it there unattended.
'You left your phone in the car, right?' Owen asked.
'Just like you told me,' I answered.
He also left his keys on the ground, hidden from plain sight.
'Bet you can't outrun me to the water,' I challenged Owen.
He smiled, a sign of accepting the contest. He was filled with anticipation, winning against me and having glory all over my face. Unfortunately for him, I had a head start and sprinted as fast as I could to reach the waters. When I had dived into the water, Owen caught up to me and sprinkled my eyes with water.
'Unfair,' I harrumphed. 'You blinded me.'
'You ran before giving the signal,' he spoke back. 'Tell me, who's unfair?'
'Fine,' I sighed, accepting the loss.
I splashed the water to Owen's figure rapidly, ridding him of his eyesight. Owen begged me to stop, and I did, but that led to him successfully getting revenge as the bombardment of water reached my face.
'Owen!' I begged loudly. 'Stooop, stop it!'
'You started it,' he shrugged.
'Fine.'
We hit the waters for a couple more minutes before sitting down on the seashore. We exchanged laughs as we got there, and when the time had slowed down, I felt as if our breaths were in sync. I lay my body onto the sand, my hands slightly above my head while Owen sat with his legs opened.
'Thank you, Peter,' he lowered his voice.
'It was no problem,' I replied. 'Anything for a friend.'
'Friend, right,' he said inaudibly when he leaned back on the sand.
'What?'
'Nothing,' he flashed me a smile.
His body next to mine felt like a invigorating summer experience, everything's vibrant and wild with some occasional mixed-up depression. I never felt like this before, a straight-up warm fluttering inside my heart, that is, until Henry suddenly came into my mind.
This unique emotion, this gut-wrenching, mind-confusing emotion had me going nuts. Believe it or not, I can't explain why this foreign phenomenon is happening to me. The two-dimensional world I knew had more depth than to what it truly was; I was looking at it in the wrong way.
'Are you, by any chance, feeling less pressured right now?'
I rolled my body sideways to his, my hand supporting my head.
'You know what?' he asked rhetorically. 'I am actually feeling a whole lot better now.'
'That's good to know.'
'I have something to ask,' I mustered up the courage.
'What is it? Ask all the way, Peter.'
I didn't immediately release all the words out of my mouth, no. What I did was I closed my eyes, imagined the best way to propose the thought of mine. My eyes opened to a sight of a smiling Owen, with his pearly whites.
'You have to be completely honest with me now, okay?'
'Go ahead. I will try to keep it as true as possible.'
'You don't like Henry that much do you?'
'Not really,' he answered with a sigh. 'We do get along pretty well it's just that there's something he's hiding, something ominous. I could feel it.'
'You're lying,' I retorted.
'I'm not, Peter.'
'You are. I just don't get why you don't get along with him. I heard you talking about me on the night I was sexually harassed.'
'What'd you hear?'
His eyes slightly widened, and he bit his bottom lip. This could be a sign that he was hiding something from me.
'Fine, geez,' he exhaled deeply. 'I told Henry to watch his actions around you.'
I could smile at his pure intentions to me as a friend, yet I couldn't imagine why he would control somebody. I let go of this matter, seeing that this was supposed to be Owen's moment to loosen up.
'That's sweet, Owen,' I said with a smile then a frown. 'But you know you don't have to guard me for the rest of your life. What I am going through is growing up, you should no less than let me take on this journey with full control.'
'I'm sorry,' he apologized sincerely.
'Forgiven,' I plastered a genuine smile on my face.
'Look!' Henry cried out. 'The sun is setting. So, this is what you were talking about. It's really beautiful, Peter.'
As the sun started to sink below the horizon, the sky was surrounded by a bold yet warm orange color that hazed the heavens. Fabulous colors, blazing like the sun itself, were produced from the existence of the object itself; rich hues of orange gold invaded the hearts of the spectators as the dawn approaches.
It felt like the sun was watching us instead of us watching it. Owen, who was marveled by the scenic experiences, bore the semblance of a smile. The reddish rays of the humongous ball of light hit our faces as we engrossed ourselves in it.
'Thank you,' I muttered to myself.