Chapter 4

It's the first day of school after the holidays. Everyone in the classroom is busy chitchatting about what they did during the past two weeks. Some are bragging the expensive gifts they received, some with how brilliant their vacation out of town and countries were.

Carlo and Isabella are seated next to each other, just talking quietly. Isabella is sitting straight while Carlo is leaning towards her, his head resting on her left shoulder.

"How did you get my ring?" she asked, staring at her left ring finger where the ring is.

"I took it from you, but I asked permission."

"Huh? When? I don't remember that."

"Uh, you're so forgetful." He sat up straight and looked at her, then he took her hands to re-enact what happened.

"I held your hands and told you that your fingers are very thin. When I saw your ring, I asked you if I can borrow it, so you removed it from your finger and gave it to me. I was about to remove it myself but you declined, because you said that according to the stories, if you let someone remove your ring, you'll have a huge fight with that person. You gave it to me and I placed it in my pocket. After class, you started looking for it and totally forgot that I borrowed it.

She hit him with a book on his forearm lightly.

"I don't remember any of that. You're such a thief, I was almost hysterical looking for it and I really thought that I lost it. You were even pretending to help me look for it, when it was actually with you."

"Yeah, I remember that and you looked so funny."

"Oh! I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" she covered her face with her palms, pretending to cry so Carlo hugged her trying to console her while laughing.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to make fun of you."

"I still hate you. See, you're apologizing but you're still laughing?"

Carlo took her hands again and touched her ring. She immediately withdrew her hands from him, keeping her ring away from him.

"You're not touching my ring again, ever!"

Carlo laughed, took her hands back and placed a silver thing on her palm. "Keep this," he said.

She stared at the little cross pendant that Carlo handed her. It is the size of her pinky finger, with a hole in the middle and on all four sides. It looks like a gothic cross.

"That's for you, and I have one for myself."

"What is this for?"

"Sign of our friendship."

"The sign of the cross is the sign of our friendship? Doesn't it sound a little creepy to you?"

"Why?" he asked.

"Because Christ was crucified, so the cross is a symbol of his hardships, his pain, his wounds…"

"Oh, I get your point. But, He overcame all that and after He was crucified, He was raised to heaven after three days."

Isabella smiled. "You're good. I didn't think of it that way."

"You have to be positive even when things seem to be negative. Best friends forever?"

"And ever!"

The class started and Isabella is still holding the cross pendant in her hand. My best friend." She took a glimpse of Carlo from her peripheral. This is the very first time that she became close to someone. First time that someone actually cared about her. Sometimes she wonders if he sees her more than just a best friend. But then, if he is in love with her, then by this time he would've asked her already to be his girlfriend. But he never did, he never mentioned anything about it, too. Although she can feel the compassion and care that he is giving her, it doesn't mean that what they have is more than just friendship. As these thoughts flooded her mind, she thought that it's better for them to stay that way.

I'm confused. Every day, I think about him more, and I'm afraid that I might fall for him hard, only to know that I am just really a friend for him. What if I'm really in love with him? What if he loves someone else? Her mind started to panic so she shook her head to brush off those thoughts. She inhaled, and then exhaled slowly, trying to calm her heart and mind. Then the bell rang.

Lunch break. As usual, Carlo accompanied her to the pantry with his packed lunch prepared by his grandmother. Fish fillet with rice, good for two.

"My grandmother wants to meet you."

"Huh? Why?" she asked surprisingly while taking the Tupperware out of his lunch kit.

"Well, she wants to know who the girl she's been preparing lunch for is."

"Oh, Carlo," she said sweetly but her face looked sad.

"Why? What's wrong with that?" he asked.

"I don't know. I'm just scared that she might not like me."

"She already likes you."

"How come? What did you tell her about me?"

"Everything."

They've set a dinner at Carlo's house at seven in the evening on Sunday that week. Isabella told her mother that she needs to go to her classmate's house to finish their project. Carlo introduced her to her grandmother as his best friend. His grandmother, Lucy, now sixty eight years old, is wearing an orange dress and a pair of furry slippers. She worked as a teacher in a public high school in their town before and has just retired and opened a small canteen at the same school. She is sweet and gentle and very thoughtful. She's not the kind of teacher that you would think will torture you if don't get her lessons right. She has been a widow for thirty years now, when her husband died in a car accident after driving, Carlo's mom to her office.

Lucy walked towards Isabella and the latter hugged and kissed her on the cheek. "Good evening, Lucy. It's so great to meet you. Carlo told me a lot of good things about you."

"Oh, what a sweet child." Isabella smiled at her. No wonder Carlo is very sweet, like his grandmother.

"C'mon, let's eat, dinner is served. I know both of you are hungry." They sat around the circle table, Lucy beside Carlo, and Isabella beside him. Isabella felt comfortable with Lucy; she felt that the old woman really likes her. Lucy asked her a lot of questions about her life, her family. She seemed to be very interested to know her. She also kept on offering her food, because she doesn't want her to feel shy or out of place.

"Just eat, Isabella. Don't be shy," she said.

After dinner, Isabella sat on the couch and watched an evening show on local TV with Carlo. Lucy went to the balcony and called him. He immediately stood up and kissed Isabella's cheek first before going outside.

"I like Isabella. I hope that you will never break her heart."

"We're not a couple yet, grandma. I don't even know if she likes me more than just friends." Carlo looked at Isabella's direction whose eyes are focused on the TV. He wants to make sure that she's not hearing them.

"I know you love this girl, so do whatever you think is best for the both of you. Do whatever it takes to make her happy. I believe that she's the right one for you."

"I don't know about that grandma. She's like, she has created this wall that no one can penetrate. I just feel lucky that she let me be close to her. But about love, she looks like someone who will never be interested in someone like me."

"I doubt that," the old woman said. "Just do the right thing." Then she went inside to wash the dishes, and Carlo sat beside her again. After a few small talks, Isabella bid goodbye. She hugged Lucy and kissed her again on the cheek. Carlo walked her home. Isabella felt the bliss of the moment, the romance and love in the air that swept through her face while they were walking together, holding hands with the man she secretly loves under the beauty of the full moon and the millions of stars shining brightly in the sky. She felt that the cold breeze of the night is swinging her, lifting her high up into the sky. She wants to look at his eyes again and tell him how much she loves him, but she stopped herself. As they reached their gate, Carlo looked straight into her eyes, held her right hand and placed it on his chest. "Thank you, Isabella." Isabella only smiled, opened the gate and walked towards the door, while Carlo watched her every step.

It is already nine thirty when Isabella arrived home. Everyone is already asleep because it's the start of the school week again tomorrow. Isabella laid her back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She put her hand that Carlo placed on his chest, on top of hers. She replayed every single moment of that night in her mind until she finally fell asleep.

Carlo, on the other hand, couldn't find his sleep. He's been thinking about her, too, holding her hands, kissing it, it is just too much for him to bear. He knows that his grandmother is right. He is deeply in love with Isabella. That night, he made a plan. He will do as his grandmother said, "Do the right thing for her."