Chapter 19.1

Not quite long after she saw Jeff off, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Jerry. Jeremiah Baylor was his full name. They met in high school and immediately hit it off as friends. In all activities that required a partner, they'd always be together.

Back then, she did have a crush on him. He was the only boy she spent so much time with, so it was kind of a given for her teenage heart to lean towards him also. Unfortunately for her, hers wasn't the only heart that leaned towards him, so he spent a considerable amount of time in high school chasing off the bees.

He always gave the reason that he wasn't interested in high school romance, so she held her heart back and accepted all of his advances on a platonic level. It was better to preserve the friendship and let go off the crush than hold on to the crush only to be filled with resentment after a failed confession. At least that was what she believed.

Right after their final exams in high school, he disappeared. Before his family moved, she learned from them that he went overseas to complete his college education. Although she was disappointed that he didn't inform her beforehand, she sent him her regards through his family.

Counting the years, it'd been about 10 years since she last saw him. That was why she was shocked and excited upon meeting him earlier in the day. It was a pleasant surprise.

"Hey. It's Jerry," the message read.

Her smile widened as she replied.

"I saved your number, so I know it's you. What's up?"

"Lol right. Do you have time to meet tomorrow and catch up?" he asked.

"Yeah. I can definitely meet after work. Just text me the place."

"Okay. I'll let you know later. See you tomorrow. It was nice seeing you again after so long!"

She smiled at his message.

"It was nice seeing you too. Goodnight ^.^" she replied before setting her phone down to go freshen up.

Unlike the time when she was meeting Jeff for his "had some questions and needed your opinion" meeting, she wasn't nervous this time. She viewed it as plainly meeting an old friend, so it was funny to her when Jeff acted jealous during their ride home.

It was nice to see him have a sense of crisis after meeting Jerry. It made her heart flutter that he cherished her well. Her man was so cute.

By the time she was done having a shower and sorting out her work documents, it was already so late. She wanted to skip the videocall and just text Jeff instead since she was so sleepy, but she missed him, so she persisted.

"Ready for bed now?" he asked as he picked up the videocall.

She just saw him some time ago but seeing him through her little screen made her wish they were together right now.

"I'll be meeting with Jerry tomorrow. Do you still want to tag along?" she asked as she rested her head on her palm.

"No. Just make sure you don't get too close to him. Maintain a physical distance of 3ft at all times. Don't shake him, wave at him. Don't hug him, wave at him. Don't laugh too much while reminiscing. Don't smile at him too much. Be friendly but not too friendly. No goodbye hugs. No goodbye hand holding. A simple wave would do."

While he was busy being a dictator, she already laid her head on the pillow, as sleep weighed heavily on her eyelids. After listening to his instructions, she was amused by them. Did he think that she was going to hug Jerry then fall in love and elope?

Just as sleep won the battle, she managed to squeeze out her innermost thought.

"I miss you." Then his smile was the last thing she saw before everything else blacked out.

The next time she opened her eyes, it was already bright outside. She had a message on her phone. It was Jeff.

"Babe, you should always try to sleep a little earlier. You looked so tired yesterday and missed my confession."

"Don't forget to maintain a reasonable distance from Jerry at all times. No hugs, handshakes, pecks, and any physical contact. A simple wave from afar would do."

"Have a nice day at work. Love you."

She smiled happily. She loved it whenever he showed his care for her. Although it contained more nagging, she didn't mind at all.

"Have a nice day at work too. I'll call you during lunch. Love you."

She didn't agree or disagree to his "rules." Jerry was her friend anyway. She knew what was appropriate to do and what not to do. Plus, after not seeing him for many years, he probably started his own family or had a lover.

The day went by quick and very soon, she drove up to the barbeque restaurant where Jerry wanted to meet up. She was surprised when he sent the location because his taste still hadn't change. Back in high school, he was known as the meat monger because of his crazy obsession for meat, causing him to know popular bbq spots with authentic tastes.

He was already seated when she entered, and she walked up to him the moment she spotted him.

"Have you been waiting for long?" she asked as she placed her purse down before taking a seat.

"No, I came in not quite long ago. I still can't believe I'm looking at you," he smiled as he handed her a wet towel to clean her hands.

She gladly accepted it and shrugged at him, "in flesh and bones. What have you been up to?"

"Nothing grand. I started working right after my college graduation, then went on to graduate school. Business was going good overseas, so I'm back in the country to expand my business."

Before they started their feast however, she learned about a news that'd impress Jeff.

"I got married 5 years ago. We have two adorable twin daughters. Looking at how you introduced your boyfriend, thinking about marriage?"

Before she answered, Jerry made sure to show her several pictures of his babies and wife like a proud father. They were fraternal, one resembling him, and the other, their mother. She felt warmth in her heart looking at their family portrait.

"I enjoy dating. I don't think I'm setup up for marriage," she said still going through his gallery.

"Does Jeff also think the same way?"

"He wants to start his own family soon," she looked up at her friend.

"Then isn't your decision selfish? I mean, you enjoy dating, but he wants to start a family. That's already a point of conflict going forward," he explained carefully.

She thought about what he said and could only nod in agreement. She really was being selfish. How was she supposed to handle it?