Chapter 13: Yes I do the listening!

The weekdays had ended so fast and a lot had happened. Claire transferred to another university. I felt bad about it but it's her decision, there's nothing I can do about it. I was able to talk to her on her last day. She said it's the best thing for her to do... Being around Luke just makes her feel horrible about herself. She said she's sorry for involving me with her obsession with Luke but I felt it should be me who should be sorry.

Miya became the new cheerleader captain and Niko was so proud of her.

Chad somehow got my number and kept on checking on me from time to time. I guess it's a good thing... because I have a new friend now.

Jenna and I talked about my decision to quit being a secret matchmaker. She understood my reasons and was happy about it. She may have caused trouble for me but she's my best friend, she's the only person who can understand me right now.

I haven't talked to Luke since our argument last week. I don't know how will I approach him. I still want him to apologize to Claire but I guess it won't happen anymore. There are times that I caught him staring at me during class but I just kept on ignoring him. I'm anxious if he's still mad at me and I don't have the guts to ask him about it since I caused all this mess to begin with.

I'm no longer grounded and I can go back to my part-time job but my brother deterred me from drinking too much. I remember when I talked to him he didn't give me any sermon or brotherly whipping. In fact, he's not mad at all. He shared that he had done the same thing when he was in college so he knows how it's like.

Many things may have happened but there is still a mystery that I haven't solve... I still don't know who gave me the bolster pillow. I asked Chad about it but he said he has nothing to do with it. I thought it's from Luke but he had no idea when I called him that night. Well... Even though I don't have the slightest impression who could it be... thanks to that person, I sleep happily every night because of it.

-----

It was Saturday morning. I prepared myself to go to work. I planned to be there an hour early to make up for the times that I was grounded. I was about to leave our house when Jenna called me.

"Good morning, Bes! What's up?" I greeted as I answered her call

"Bes! I need to show you something!" She said very excitedly.

"Right now?"

"Yes! Are you at home?"

"I'm about to leave for work, if you want, we can meet there at the café"

"Great! I'll go now"

"Wait. Jen..."

"See yah" then she hung up. With the way she expressed her excitement, it should be something good.

-----

I was a block away from the café when I noticed a white van parked adjacent to the café. I didn't mind it and head inside the shop.

The manager was at the counter and I overheard him talking to someone over the phone.

"You did make sure she got it, right? Good. I'll call you later when I processed the payment already."

"Good morning, Sir!" I greeted as I walked closer to him.

"Oh... Kris! You're here? I mean... you're early..." He sounded shocked to see me.

"I just want to make it up to you for the days that I was gone."

"I see... Uhm... Actually... I'm about to give you a call... We... We won't be operating today..." He's stammering. Something's fishy.

"Huh?"

"Something came up!" He's acting the same way as Jenna when she's hiding something from me.

"O-okay... I guess... I just go home then..."

"Yes! Go home! And don't go anywhere, okay?..."

"Okay?" Now I'm sure there's something going on.

I walked my way out of the café very confused. What's wrong with the manager?

I haven't gone far from the café when someone approached me.

"Excuse me... Do you know where the Goloso Café is?"

I looked at this guy wearing plain white long sleeves and dark gray slacks matched with black and white loafer shoes. He has the same nose structure as Luke, good skin, almond eyes, and thick eyebrows. Overall, another legit handsome guy... But he looked young.

"Uhm... Do you know where it is?" He asked me again and I got embarrassed for staring at him.

"Yes! I actually work there... But we are closed for today so we can't accommodate you."

"That's fine. I'm heading there to see the owner, actually." He said then smiled.

He must be talking about the manager. Hmmm... Is this what the manager mean when he said 'something came up'?

"The manager is at the café right now so you can definitely talk to him... If it's okay with you I can walk you there." I offered and we walked our way to the café.

As we entered the front door I called out to the manager.

"Sir, I'm back! Someone came here to see you!"

"Be there in a second!" I heard the manager yelled out from the back room.

The manager came out the door and the moment he gazed at us, his eyes widened with surprise then bowed down.

"Good to see you! Young master!"

What?

"You're looking great, Ben"

Ben?

Then I saw Luke walked in from the backroom as well. So he was here all along?

I saw him getting surprised at first then his expression shifted. He had his straight face mask on.

"Why are you here, Alex?"

Alex?

"I came to see you... brother."

Brother?

What the heck is going on?!

-----

"On behalf of young master Luke, I'm terribly sorry for keeping this secret to you, Mr. Kris."

"You don't have to be polite with me, Manager Ben, You're my boss," I said trying to convince him to not be so formal.

"But I must... we're in the presence of my two young masters." He contended.

We were at a table beside where Luke and Alex were sitting. Our manager happens to be Luke's personal butler and he volunteered to help him manage this café so Luke can focus on his studies. I have the idea that Luke was from a wealthy family but I didn't imagine it to this extent.

I still can't believe that Luke is the owner of this café and that he got a brother. He never mentioned him once.

"So what brings you here?" Luke asked his brother with his tedious voice as he slouched on the chair.

"I just want to see my brother, isn't that enough reason?"

"Knowing you... There should be another reason behind your sudden visit," Luke was looking at him skeptically.

"Okay... Okay... Our father asked me to check on you... He's worried about you, " Alex explained.

"He's the one who put me in this situation. Why would he care?"

"Well... He thought you couldn't stand with your decision and would be back sooner but you didn't,"

I noticed Luke scowled after hearing that.

"I'm doing great alone without his help. You can go now!" He suddenly raised his voice to his brother.

"No! I'll stay! I want to chat with you more... like when we were young." His brother was acting stubborn.

"I just called you the other day."

"But... I want to spend more time with you... Please! Please! Let me stay!"

I chuckled at Alex's childishness. He reminded of Jenna with his sulking face.

"Huh?" Alex uttered as he noticed me chuckling.

"I'm sorry, you just reminded me of my friend," I explained.

"Oh okay! By the way, I haven't thanked you yet for bringing me here," he stood up and bowed down.

"That's okay". This guy is traditionally respectful, unlike his brother.

"Let me introduce myself formally. I'm Alexander Fuentabella. I'm a year younger than my brother but I'm already a grown-up. I may not be lucky with girls but I'm definitely more charming than my brother!"

His hilarious way of introducing himself made me want to laugh again but I held it in.

" It's nice meeting you, Alex. I think we could get along pretty well if we have a chance..." I said giving him a smile.

"See! Even your friend here wants me to stay!" He gazed at his brother and back at me again with a questioning look...

"Uhm what's your name again?" He asked.

"It's Kristofer, you can call me Kris."

"Yes! Kris is my new friend and I want to..." He stopped.

"Wait... You're Kris?"

I just nodded.

He gave his brother a side-eye and grinned.

"Brother Luke... You're a sneaky one... You didn't tell me you're with your-" He was not able to finish what he was about to say when Luke abruptly covered his mouth with his hand.

"Fine... You can stay... just shut your mouth." He then let go of his brother.

"Okay, promise!" Alex said as he zipped his mouth.

They reminded me of me and my brother Lance. I wished we could have the time to bond as well.

"Well, we won't be staying here for long so eventually, you'll have to go home," Luke slouched back on his chair and gave him a smirk.

"What?" Alex uttered.

Oh... He had plans for today? What does he mean by 'we'? I'm confused.

"Uhm. Manager Ben, I thought this is the reason we won't be open today..." I asked the manager.

"Well, actually... This is not in the plan..." He looked over to Luke who's giving him a wide eye.

"Uhm... Let me excuse myself Mr. Kris", he said as he stood up, bowed down, and walked over to the counter.

What was all that about?

Suddenly, the front door opened and Jenna came in very cheerfully. She looked around and came rushing when she saw us...

"Bes! Look what I got in the mail!" She took something out of her purse then showed it to me.

"Tadah! I got vouchers to enjoy an overnight stay in a luxurious private resort by the beach!" She was very happy smiling from ear to ear.

"Whoa really?"

"Yeah, I don't remember joining any raffle contest for these but I got these on our mail this morning!" She explained.

Then I remembered our manager talking to someone earlier. Hmmm...

"I think I know who send those " I glanced at Luke after I said that.

"Really? Who?"

"A rich guy who doesn't know what to do with his money." I said still gazing at Luke who was looking away trying not to make any eye contact.

"Huh? Why would he do that?" Jenna was so naive.

"There are a lot of things that we don't know about this person. Maybe... he enjoys fooling us," I said. My eyes still nailed at him.

I saw Luke narrowed his eyes then scoffed. He heard that right.

"Whatever... I got these so these are mine now and I personally meet you to invite you to join me... I can invite our friends, besides, I got quite a few," she demanded.

"I don't feel like going..." I said trying to turn her down.

"Oh, come on! Kris! It's my birthday tomorrow! So this is a good opportunity to celebrate!"

Shoot! I almost forgot about it.

"Don't tell me you... forgot... your best friend's... birthday..." She said that with breaks on her voice. Is she about to cry?

"No! I... Ah..."

She leaned closer with her teary puppy eyes.

"Fine! I'll go with you!" I rolled my eyes in defeat.

"Yey" she exclaimed happily. She turned to Luke and said...

"You are invited too..." She pointed at him then noticed Alex who was staring at her with gleaming eyes.

"Who's this?"

Alex stood up and introduced himself.

"I-I'm A-Alex! N-N-Nice... to... m-meet you!" He's stuttering and his face was really red.

"Oh," Jenna uttered then glanced back to Luke. She totally ignored him!

It's odd to see her ignore someone who is as handsome as his brother Luke... Usually, she would scream and start to imagine scenes from her fantasy-filled BL world. But this time, she's acting quite normal, right?

"Sure! I'm in. If you want we can use our van," Luke pointed to the van parked outside the café.

I knew it! He definitely planned it from the start!

"Cool! Then all we need to do is invite our friends..." Jenna said then took out her phone. Alex was just there standing and watching Jenna.

I don't know what Luke's planning right now, or what kind of trick this would be... But I will surely not going to fall in his trap this time. I need to set my mind ahead of him...

"Uhm... How many extra do you have?" I asked Jen.

"Let me check... Including our friends and Luke's... There's still two more..." She said as she counted the vouchers.

Perfect! I got an idea.

"Let me have one... I'm going to invite another friend," I took two of the vouchers, one for me and one for the person I have in mind.

-----

After that, We told Jenna that we won't be opening the shop for today. Obviously, it was Luke's plan... He's the owner after all. We decided to meet at the café past noon so we could arrive at the resort before sundown. Jenna invited our friends Niko, Miya, and Pam. While Luke invited his squad, Jessie and Mike.

I was preparing my stuff when I thought of the person who I wanted to come with us. I pulled out my phone and called a number.

"Hello?" The person greeted as she answered the call.

"Hey, Claire! It's Kris. Do you have something to do today?" I asked.

"Hi, Kris... Well, I'm done with all the preparations to transfer to another school, so... I'm free today." She answered.

"Great! Uhm... It's Jenna's birthday tomorrow and we are going to a beach resort later today as part of her celebration. I called to invite you to come with us..."

I'm really hoping she would say 'Yes' but...

"Is Luke going to be there?" She asked.

"Uhm... Yes..." I'm hesitant to answer her but I don't want to lie to her.

"I'll think about it." She sounded distressed.

"Wait... Listen... It's a great opportunity to mend things between you two..."

"I said... I'll think about it," then she hung up.

I really want her to join us so that she could relax a bit and somehow fix things between her and Luke so I texted her the time, meeting place, and the name of the resort.

I hope she would come...

-----

It's almost 1:00 PM when I arrived at our meeting place... We have the manager as our driver which made it more obvious that Luke planned it all. Jenna asked me about it, I just told her that I will explain everything later on. Everyone was present and already boarding the van. Everybody was seated but I'm still outside waiting for Claire.

"Get in, Kris... We have to go..." Jenna told me as she opened the van's door.

"Just wait for another minute..."

It was already 1:05 PM but there's still no sign of her. I guess she won't really come. I got in the van and we headed our way to the resort.

We arrive at the resort after a three-hour drive. I was the first one to get out of the van and I was amazed by the beautiful ambiance from the outside of the resort. We're still early for sunset so we have enough time to prepare to witness it. Hearing the waves, from afar, was really relaxing. The white sandbar that stretches a mile long was really fascinating.  There's a two-story Mediterranean mansion that looks stunning from its exterior. I wonder what it's like on the inside?

"Wow! This place is beautiful!" Jenna was in awe the moment she saw the place.

"This is amazing!" Miya said

"I can't wait to get inside," Pam said.

All the girls' eyes were glimmering and I giggled seeing them like this.

"Bro... Thank you for inviting us but who is this guy? He's been staring and smiling at Jenna all the way here!" Niko asked me as he got out the van referring to the person before him.

"Uh... That is Alex... Luke's younger brother"

"Really?" Niko uttered in surprise.

"I miss this place!" Alex blurted as he stretched his arms up in the air.

"Huh? You've been here before?" Jenna asked him and all girls turned to face him.

"Yeah! My brother used to live here with his mom."

"Haaaah!!!" The girls were all surprised to hear that. Well... I wanted to react the same way but with all the things I found out today, nothing else surprises me anymore.

Luke walked behind Alex and whacked him on the head.

"Ouch! That hurts!" Alex cried out as he rubbed the pain on his head.

"I told you to shut up!" He scolded him.

"Is it true?" Jenna asked him.

Luke gazed at me for a moment. I just stood there waiting for him to answer Jenna.

"Well, it can't be helped. You will know about it eventually... but it's better to say it now..." He paused a bit as the girls leaned closer to hear what he's about to say.

"It's true..."

The girls were shocked especially Jenna. I peeped on my side and Niko had his jaw dropped as well... I guess... I'm the only one who reacted normally with his revelation. I just listened.

"We used to come here when we were in high school," Mike said as he put his arm around Luke's shoulder.

"Luke didn't want to leave her mom alone so we always end up staying here during weekends back in the days," Jessie added as he walked beside them.

His friends really do care for him, I sensed that by the way, they shared that story. But somehow, I saw the sadness in Luke's expression. It must be because of his mom. He misses her.

"So that means... the vouchers are fake?... I thought I was lucky!" Jenna asked with a sad face.

"No... they're real. After I decided to move out, this place was newly renovated and will be established as a luxury private resort." Luke explained.

"You mean..."

"Yes! We are the first one to experience it."

"Yey!!!! This is awesome!!!!" Jenna exclaimed and all the girls screamed with excitement.

They picked up their stuff and ran towards the reception area. The boys followed them leaving me and Luke alone.

"What are you thinking?" He asked me as he stood beside me.

"Huh?" I uttered.

"With all the things that have been uncovered about me, it seems like you're not surprised at all."

"I am."

"So... Did it change how you see me?" He's acting serious all of a sudden.

"Of course not... It's a lot to take in... but... I already prepared myself for anything unknown by the time I learned you're my actual boss."

He nodded and took a deep breath.

"There might be other things that I don't know about you... but whatever they are... it won't change the way you are to me..." I added then I put my hand on his shoulder, he looked at me and our eyes met. I felt my heart fluttered and I said;

"You're still the guy who likes to tease and annoy me."

We both smiled after that then manager Ben walked over to us.

"I'll have the staff know we're here, young master"

"Thanks, Ben"

Then we picked up our things and head inside where our friends are.

-----

We were in the lobby and the girls were busy taking photos and posting them in IG. Jessie and Mike went out for a walk on the beach. Alex was tailing Jenna wherever she goes and sometimes Jenna asks him to take her picture. I still can't believe Jenna won't get crazy over him. It's the other way around. Niko was sitting on one of the sofas watching them. Is he getting annoyed somehow?

Luke was talking to the staff about room preparations, dinner, and other stuff. I'm just enjoying watching everyone from my seat. As expected the interior of this mansion turned resort is incredible. The details of the furniture are exquisite. The modern vibe mixed with the aesthetic of Mediterranean villas really make this place a luxury. I can't believe we will be staying here for the night, it's like living in a fantasy.

Then one of Luke's staff came in.

"Young master, someone just came in saying he's with you. He's looking for Kris."

Luke glanced at me with narrowed eyes.

Someone's looking for me? Could it be Claire? Wait... the staff said it's a 'he'... Don't tell me it's...

"Hey, Kris!" The guy called out my name.

I looked to where it came from...

"No way!"

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