Chapter 2

“So... bye?"

He nodded before smiling. "Bye. See you tomorrow, love." He said and kissed my cheeks dearly.

He waited for me to go inside before leaving. I always admire that about him. He's a gentleman then and that didn't change one bit even when we are now officially together.

I know him before he courted me. I mean, who won't? He is a popular guy because he has everything. He's handsome, rich, and intelligent. Besides those three factors, he has a talent for singing. He's the guy that every girl on the campus is dreaming of. And even when we are now together, his admirers stayed but that wasn't a bother to me or the two of us. It doesn't affect our relationship either. We didn't have any problem with that matter because I already know that he's popular with girls even then. I guess that part of him is intangible.

I said yes when he courted and I said yes, accepting all of him. Well, it includes his admirers.

"How's the date?" Megan, my board mate asked with a tease. She's a year older than me and we get along because she's a Nursing student too.

I chuckled shyly before taking my shoe off from my feet and wore my slippers before going inside.

"It was okay."

"Amelia is so lucky! She's beautiful and smart. She even has a boyfriend who's a dream to most! I hope everyone has that."

I felt my cheeks heated when one of our board mates screamed from the kitchen who's peeking at us in the living room. Some who heard laughed with what she said.

I studied for three hours after eating my dinner before going to sleep. My class is going to be early tomorrow and because I was tired for the day, I immediately doze off to sleep.

I woke up by the sound of my alarm clock. I couldn't help but smile while massaging my temple. Who wouldn't smile upon hearing Revi's gentle voice first thing in the morning?

"Hey, love! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

I shook my head before putting a stop on my alarm clock. I grabbed my towel and necessities before going outside of my room to take a bath. There are just three bathrooms and two comfort rooms here in our boarding house and it wasn't the same as dormitories and condominiums like having both bath and comfort rooms in every room. It's different in boarding houses so we need to wake up early to take a bath especially if our class was set in an early time.

When I went out of the comfort room with my towel wrapped around my head, Camila welcomed me with my phone and with Revi's name on the screen.

She pointed my phone when I looked at her with my forehead creased.

"I accidentally answered the call. I'm sorry!" She apologized, panicky.

I gasped and immediately took my phone from her.

"Hey," I said when I drew my phone near my ear.

"Why was Camila the one who answered my call?" Revi asked me, confound.

Camila apologized again before going inside the bathroom.

I glanced at the closed door of the bathroom and sighed. "Her phone broke so she used mine."

"Oh, is that so? Isn't that a hassle for you?" He asked while I'm walking towards my room.

Revi always speaks his thoughts. He is blunt but in a good way.

"Ames! Breakfast?" One of my board mates offered.

I put my phone down. "I'll grab a quick breakfast outside because I might be late. But... thank you!"

She nodded and continued eating. I drew my phone near my ear again to answer Revi's question earlier.

"It's not, really. I have my laptop with me if I would need to research something," I answered before locking my room.

"And? Where will she be able to buy a new phone?"

I put my phone down on my bedside table and put the speaker on. I pulled my uniform which was hanged inside the cabinet before putting it on my bed.

I shrugged as if he could see me doing it. "I'm not sure. But in the meantime, I'll let her borrow my phone." I said before blow-drying my hair.

"What? I can't hear you at all. Are you perhaps blow-drying your hair?"

I chuckled. He really knows me or was it just because he's aware of everything? Either of the two, he made me laugh.

"I'm sorry. Can you call later, Rev?" I asked and turned my hair blower off for a moment.

"Sure. I'll call you later. Take care, love." He said before I heard the sound of the 'call ended.'

When I finished preparing, I applied light make -up and checked my notebooks and other things in my bag that I would need for this day.

When I went out of my room, Camila walked pass by with her body wrapped with just a towel and her wet short hair.

"You're going already?" She asked, surprised.

"Yes. My class is early today. You?"

She sighed when she realized something. "Oh, right. My class is set at 8 this morning."

I nodded and bid my goodbye.

She's a 2nd-year student of Nursing while I am in my 3rd-year. Their professor of a minor subject was on maternity leave, I think. So, starting yesterday, their class was asked to join ours so that we could share one professor in the same subject with them. That explains why I was with Camila in one room yesterday. We already went through that subject when we were still in our second year of college so some of my classmates decided to cut classes.

When my morning class came to its end, I received a text message from Revi. I was in the midst of a group meeting regarding one subject and because I don’t entertain anything that could disrupt our meeting, I secretly opened and read my boyfriend’s message under the table.

From: Revi

Yey! I’m vacant from 1-3 in the afternoon. Where you at?

I didn’t notice that it was already one in the afternoon because I was too engrossed in our discussion. I haven’t had lunch yet!

I turned my cellphone off to listen to my group’s plan. Our project at this subject would be something big thus it cannot be taken lightly. And even though it’s something light and could be taken frivolously, I won’t do it so easily. I can’t be carefree when it comes to my studies and good thing, my boyfriend indulges me into that too.

"What’s left is only clarifications. I’ll send it through group chat,” Joey, the leader of our group said before dismissing all of us.

Some already ate their lunch while some are on their way to eat lunch somewhere. I’m free for an hour this afternoon so I still have time to eat my lunch although it’s late for one.

I went to the nearest carinderia outside the university premise. I ordered one cup of rice and a certain viand of my favorites when I remembered something.

I fished my phone out from the pocket of my blouse and immediately checked Revi's message. Besides the message he sent to me earlier, there are two more messages from him, still unread.

From: Revi

Love? Did you eat your lunch already? Let’s eat together.

From: Revi

Still in class?

I immediately typed for a reply when a message popped out from the side of my screen, coming from my messenger. When I saw Millena’s picture, my block mate, displayed on the chat head, I tapped it to read her message.

From: Millena

A friend sent this picture to me.

My brows furrowed upon reading her message. Seconds after, Millena forwarded me a picture which caught me in surprise.

It was a picture of a woman who's hugging my boyfriend from behind. I could barely see the face of the woman because of Revi and because the picture was taken from a distance which made it a little blurry.

From: Millena

I saw Revi with the same clothes earlier. You’re not together?

Was this taken just this day?

The picture got me perplexed. Why would a woman hug a man who has a girlfriend? It was obviously not the hug of a friend! I know that almost everyone knows my relationship with Revi. Even our professors are aware of that too. So, why?

Maybe it's an admirer. He never loses that but this is the first time I saw him being hugged so dearly and... possessively by someone.

Me:

We're not together.

Me:

Who's the woman?

I bit my lower lip when I realized my way of asking a question. I sounded like a jealous girlfriend but I have all the right to feel like it, right? I am his girlfriend!

Yes, he has admirers and I know that. But this is the first time that a woman went physical to him. I was having a mental battle of what I should feel. I was in between frustrated and cool. I was feeling frustrated because Revi was held by someone so possessively and feeling that everything should be cool and fine because it was just a mere hug and not a kiss but I couldn’t get over the fact that I was not that someone.

Gosh. I am not a possessive girlfriend but why am I acting like I am?

Who’s she, by the way? A dedicated admirer?

From: Millena

That's Aubrey.

I sighed after reading Millena's reply. I have a feeling that the woman in the picture she sent was Aubrey and I was right!

I know her. We’re classmates from when I was in junior high to senior high school and she was my… friend. It ‘was’ because she doesn’t consider me as one anymore. She doesn’t consider me as her friend now. If I remember it correctly, our friendship was torn apart when Revi started courting me and we then drifted away from each other the moment I said my ‘yes’ to Revi.

I had a feeling that it was because of Revi because she might have a crush on him but she didn’t tell me anything about that. I just assumed that that’s the reason why. But from what I saw on the picture which Millena sent, it proves my assertion from before. If that’s not it, what would be her reason to cut off ties with me when we were friends for so long, right?

It has to be because of Revi. If that’s not it, then what is?

I tried hard not to think about it anymore and forget the picture I saw in the meantime. It was already afternoon and it is already past my lunchtime. If I’ll get swayed by those disturbing thoughts, I wouldn’t be able to satisfy my hunger. I value my health that is why I need to eat although it's already late for lunch.

I would just think about it all after eating. That’s better.

I paid for my food and then went my way back to the university. It was so hot especially at a time like this. I stopped walking under the heat of the sun when my phone beeped for a message.

I went to the nearest tree to get some shelter from the sun and so I could properly read the message.

I was planning to think about everything after class but I guess Revi knows me so much.

From: Revi

I think something's bothering you. Where are you?

Despite how baffled I was because of the picture I saw, I can't help but smile upon reading my boyfriend's message. He really knows me. Oh, right. Who wouldn’t know a person whom you’ve been together for 4 years, right?

I typed for a reply.

Me:

Yup, but let's talk later after class.

I was about to insert my phone in the pocket of my blouse when I heard the sound of a new message.

From: Revi

Okay, then :)

I raised my hand, the one holding my phone, to shield my face from the heat of the sun until I reached my building. I was on my way to get inside when I saw a familiar woman standing not that far from me.

I checked the time on my wristwatch. There’s still 30 minutes left for my class so it would be fine to spare some time to talk to Aubrey. She seems like she wants to talk to me about something too.

I went to her and stopped to leave a meter distance in between. I pocketed my phone and I let my hand stay in the pocket of my blouse.

“I was waiting for you,” she said. I didn’t know how to approach her, actually. Are you familiar with that kind of feeling when you talk to someone again who used to be your friend? That’s what I feel right now.

But with all the whirling questions in my mind, I managed to reply. "I had lunch."

She nodded.

I am mad at her but I am not the type to lash out. I always think rationally and I don't want any unnecessary thoughts to go between the conversation if possible. But my intriguing and perhaps, curious questions on my mind can't stay unasked.

"Why are you here?"

I have a feeling that what she wants to talk about is not our broken friendship that was torn for some reason. I have a feeling that this talk would be about Revi and between the two of us, not as ex-friends but as a woman of our own.

"I like your boyfriend. Revi," she said. She even mentioned Revi's name as she had to make it clear. It's not like I have a boyfriend other than Revi!

And I wasn’t even surprised anymore when she confessed that she really likes my boyfriend. That was what I thought back then.

She closed our distance and only left a few inches from me. She held a few strands of my long, straight hair and twirled it a little with her finger.

She advanced her face a bit towards mine like our distance from each other wasn’t enough for me to hear whatever she will say.

"He's mine in the first place... you just snatched him," she whispered in a soft voice yet with emphasis.

She distanced her face away and let out a smirk as if she won a certain competition or something like that.

I am an unica hija of the Savamontes and I was raised decently but I was told to be fierce if there's a need to. I can't be soft and kind every time because, at some point in life, I will encounter some people who need to be fiercely deal with.

And that's Aubrey.

"You're delusional," I said. My brows furrowed as her eyes widened in surprise.

"What? Revi's yours? Why is he my boyfriend, then?"