Chapter 5 - The Unrequited Temptation

"Sure, it is." She is my inspiration dad aside from you all."

Having been a grade eleven senior high school student among those who were taking up GAS- General Academic Strand, was unlikely giving him a hard time.

The outputs required for them for completion had practically consumed most of his time. He had almost no more idle time. At home his hands were full of some of the household chores. In school he had to frequently stay in the library during his vacant period.

Yet, he had to make time for his one and only sweetheart, his love at first sight, his true love. He scheduled his time for texting before sleeping. While on his bed, waiting himself to sleep, he would text his dazzling pretty Leony.

He was thinking of another song that would be his innuendo of his plan for their future. He knew that he became irresistible to her when his confession was through a song.

Here you go Leony darling my million dreams for us. A Million Dreams by; Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, ...

I close my eyes and I can see

The world that's waiting up for me

That I call my own

Through the dark, through the door

Through where no one's been before

But it feels like home

"My darling Leony, Expect for my four-day adapted musical revelation of my future plan for us."

"Oh, Ken. Here you go again with your lyrical sweet nothings."

On the second night, Kenneth Allen sent him the second stanza of the lyrical verse.

They can say, they can say it all

sounds crazy

They can say, they can say I've lost

my mind

I don't care, I don't care, so call me

crazy

We can live in a world that we

design

"For now, whatever we plan in each other's mind on how to live together in the future, let us just write them in our hearts as we are not yet ready for them."

"I agree with you. Let us both burn our midnight oil first for the meantime."

For the third night, the third stanza were sent once more.

'Cause every night I lie in bed

The brightest colors fill my head

A million dreams are keeping me

awake

I think of what the world could be

A vision of the one I see

A million dreams is all it's gonna

take

A million dreams for the world

we're gonna make

"The lyrics I have just sent you are true. By just thinking of a Leony of my life inspires me more to pursue my studies. These dreams I dedicate for you only."

"I dreamt of you last night Ken. I dreamt of a night with you."

"Thanks for dreaming of me by your side. Good night, sweetheart."

The fourth night was the sending of the last stanza where his dream house be transformed into a home.

There's a house we can build

Every room inside is filled

With things from far away

The special things I compile

Each one there to make you smile

On a rainy day

They can…

Source: LyricFind

"Planning a house for us that would be our home is passing all our subjects this semester, Leony. How's your grade? Me? I have difficulty in completing my requirements in every subject. But... rest assured that I can make it."

"We are in the same boat as we are in the same grade school level. The only difference is we are enrolled in two different schools away from each other. And of course, my course is ABM-Accountancy Business Management. I am not that good in

Calculus. Do you know it?"

"Just think of our plan in life, okay Leony?"

" Okay and bye for now."

Through this lyrical poem, they weaved their dreams for the two of them. To others, they may sound boring and lousy but to them it thrilled and excited them over the moon.

In their love story, the distance between them was not a hinder to their relationtionship. They even deemed it advantageous because they would have an Unrequited Temptation.

With the reading articles required for them to read, they learned that as teenagers they were on the brink to do a decision impulsively as they were still overpowered by their emotions.

They wanted a better future for them to share not only for themselves but for their future children as well, if heaven would allow them to be together, the happier they would be.

For now, they would have another song that made them more boring and lousy lovers in the whole world. They would just listen to this song below entitled "Never Enough" by; Loren Allred

I'm trying to hold my breath

Let it stay this way

Can't let this moment end

You set off a dream in me

Getting louder now

Can you hear it echoing?

Take my hand

Will you share this with me?

'Cause darling without you

All the shine of a thousand spotlights

All the stars we steal from the

nightsky

Will never be enough

Never be enough

Towers of gold are still too little

These hands could hold the world but

it'll Never be enough, Never be enough

For me, Never, never, Never, never

Never, for me, For me

Never enough, Never enough

Never enough For me, For me, For me

All the shine of a thousand spotlights

All the stars we steal from the nightsky

Will never…

Source: LyricFind

"Leony, are you okay if we make this our theme song as of that Valentines Night when we first danced and talked?"

"Does it matter if we have no theme song?"

"I will not insist if you don't want. We'll have no problem about it."

Both were very busy with their studies as the second semester was about to end. They had to comply all the required performances and outputs. They were also engrossed to the different school activities. Hence, their texting schedule was no longer followed. Their tired body would give in quickly to their drowsiness.

As the male, he found time to apologize for not sending him a message regularly. He promised to visit her in her place when summer vacation began.

.. Thank, goodness! He triumphantly met his goal during that semester to avoid a line of seven grade. He wouldn't be ashamed to show his report card not only to his grandparents but also to his parents as well.

As promised he told his grandparents about having a girlfriend and about going to her place to meet her .

Even in his casual attire still, he emitted elegance that can trully be visibe to those who saw him. He had to commute in going to her place and he had ridden to two vehicles.

Just like their first dance that coronation night of Leony being the Ms. Valentine whom he serenaded, his heart was thumping strongly. As a result of its strong pounding his body was trembling including his voice. The most awful effect of his nervousness was his very pale thin lips which of course he was unaware of.

He had already stopped the trimobile that he rode in and had gotten off in front of the house of his Leony when he became hesitant.

He could not believe himself for he felt his excitement and elation to its maximum level above the sky while he was still dressing up. Looking at him, his grandmother had even helped him plucked some roses from their garden.

He stood there immobile for about twenty minutes to calm himself down. When he failed to recover his composure, he decided to leave. He was already waving his hand to flag down a trimobile for the jeepney terminal when that familiar very sweet voice called him.

"Ken! Is that you?"

He fidgeted his body to face her as his back was facing her while calling a vehicle in going to the terminal.

"L.... Le.... Leo.... ny. Hello."

She grabbed his hand and dragged him inside her house. She told him to be seated and left him for a moment to give him a glass of water.

He drank it, bottom's empty that not a drop of the liquid was left.

"Thanks, your lips are no longer pale." She told her while leaving him once more in the living room to bring the glass in the kitchen. When she went back, she was also pulling her father slightly to the same room where he was seated.

"Papa, this is my boyfriend, Kenneth Allen Lacandula. Ken, this is my father, Augustino Dizon."

While hand shaking at the same time exchanging words of greeting her father said, "He was the one who serenaded you last fourteenth of February.?Am I right?"

"Yes, sir." He replied softly afraid that his trembling voice might be detected.

Then her father continued talking jokingly. "Are those flowers for me?"

Kenneth Allen smiled shyly and gave them to Leonor apologizing for the delay of giving them to her (at once) .

Before her father left them alone to continue what he was doing, he instructed his daughter."Give him the snack you prepared."

Kenneth Allen moved to the big and long sofa where Leony was seated in order to stay beside her. He fumbled pulling her hand, put it to his lips and kissed it lovingly.

Dissatisfied of what he did, he got her other hand, clasped and held them together with his two hands while his left and right thumb was petting her left and right thumbs' knuckles.

"Ken!" Leonor said softly, bowed her head shyly but she smiled that was even shown by her twinkling eyes.

Leonor felt a strange feeling with his touch and kiss on her hands. It was the first time that she felt it. She wondered naively of that foreign feeling she had just recently felt that caused her to pull back her hands and stood up, picked up the bouquet of roses then told him to excuse him for a while to get a vase and filled it with water.

She returned with the vase with water in her left hand, the bouquet of flowers in her right.

She pulled a small one seater sofa near the center table where she put the vase and the flowers. Both of them helped in arranging them in the vase.

While arranging them, she told him that they were her favorite flowers. She was smelling their fragrance that caught his attention. He had his smirk at the corner of his lips as he was telling her that the kiss she had given her to the roses should be supposedly be for him.

Leonor turned her eyes to the door from the dining room to see if her father or anyone else heard what Kenneth told her. She also simultaneously tapped her left hand as it was the nearest to her's, a gesture of telling him to stop those kind of conversation.

Unknown to her, in Kenneth's mind it was filled with his complaints. "This young lady... What was wrong with what I have just said when I really wanted to kiss her for I am missing her badly."

"You're so near yet so far, bhae."

"What do you mean by it, Ken?"

"We're here face to face, but I am not allowed to touch or kiss you."

"I thought we've already talked about 'waiting for the right time and age'?"

"Yes, we have... but can you blame me? Blame your irresistible personality."

"Kenneth!"

"Suppose I would ask you to elope with me?"

"Ken!"

"Are you going to run away with me?"

"Ken, stop it. I thought we should not be impulsive. Excuse me for a while."

She returned from the dining room with the snack she prepared knowing that Kenneth would be wooing her at their home.

She was seated back to the same seat. At first she was hesitant to be fed by her boyfriend. By and by, they were feeding each other. Kenneth was even tempted to feed her by his mouth but held himself.

They were hobnobbing the whole day that when it was time for Kenneth to go home, his feet hardly moved to leave her.

Their eyes were talking, expressively on the sadness in their mind and heart that they would once again be far from each other. They were just be together through their dreams and text messages. They were still holding hands, fingers locked, still they felt the craving of not being far apart from one another.

They had to wait for almost five to six years until they would legally be together with his love at first sight who turned to be his true love.