****Freen's POV****
The silence of the night amplifies the loud beating of my heart. I sit on a bench next to Becky, who gazes fixedly at the fountain, holding the cup of hot chocolate I purchased earlier. With no words exchanged between us, I take a sip from my hot chocolate. I steal a glance at Becky, her face illuminated by the lamp post beside our bench. She lowers her gaze to the cup of chocolate in her hands, about to take a sip before she breaks the silence.
"I ignored you because I don't want people to know about you. Once they do, they'll meddle in your life, and I don't want that. I don't want to disrupt whatever peace you have," she confesses, not even looking at me, but I can see the sincerity in her eyes. She finally take a sip from her cup, then let out a deep sigh, her gaze fixed on the fountain, as if something is troubling her.
"What's with that deep sigh?" I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.
"Hmm, I was worried. I thought something terrible had happened to you. I'm so relieved you're okay," she replied.
After uttering those words, she finally directs her gaze toward me. Her eyes glisten, the lamplight reflecting off them, making them resemble stars that have descended from the sky just for me. Becky places her cup on the space between us on the bench and leans closer, her eyes still fixed on mine. I notice a hint of curiosity in her gaze. As she inches closer, I instinctively lean back a little.
"What are you doing?" I inquire.
"Have we met before? Perhaps in my dreams? Or in a past life? For some reason, you give me a sense of familiarity, like I've known you before, but I don't know when. Do you know me, Freen?" she bombards me with a series of questions.
The furrow on her forehead reveals her deep confusion. I respond with a shake of my head, confident that we haven't met before.
Becky lets out another deep sigh, then leans back and sits upright on the bench. Once again, she stares blankly at the fountain, her furrowed brow indicating her search for answers. I can't help but wonder what kind of familiar feeling did I gave her.
"By the way, I'm not sure if you saw me at the cinema yesterday, but I was with my best friend, Deo. He's not my boyfriend," I interject, hoping to extend our conversation.
I feel a sense of responsibility to disclose who I was with, as it may have bothered her. After all, she wouldn't have messaged me if she didn't care.
She looks at me, a smirk playing on her lips. "Good. If you like me, you should only have eyes for me."
And there she goes again, weaving her enchanting words, as if she holds the key to my soul. Instead of harboring feelings of disdain and irritation, I find myself consumed by a whirlwind of butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I did not know that mere words can make me feel like this. But I wonder does she like me the way I want her?
"What about your boyfriend?" I ventured to ask, my voice laced with curiosity.
"Why? I don't like him anymore. I don't wanna talk about him anymore. Please don't bring him up in a conversation anymore. You're the one I like now." she answered without staring at me.
It may have been hard for her, and it may still be. And honestly her answer did not gave me any assurance at all. She offered no guarantee that she isn't using me as a rebound from her previous relationship. It scares me to think that I am falling for someone who may not be feeling the same way, but for some reason, I would still wanna jump in to it. For some reason, I wanna fall so hard for her even though she might end up not catching me.
I just smiled and nod while staring at her. Still in awe of the fact that out of the millions of people hoping to be with her, I'm the one she chose to be with tonight. I have never been so interested with someone that I want to know everything about her. What's going on in her mind? What makes her laugh? What are her pet peeves? What does she hate the most? What could make her fall out of love? I wanna ask all of those questions right now, but I'll save it for later. Hopefully, she is still interested in me after this night. Even though this meetup was full of silence, I still hope that she would still act like she owns me because I like it when she does that.
Suddenly, her gaze pierced through mine, catching me off guard. I startled, diverting my eyes elsewhere in haste.
"What are you thinking? Why were you looking at me like that?" Becky asked.
"Nothing," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Convince me," she insisted, crossing her arms and fixing her gaze upon me, awaiting my response.
"What do you want to know?" I furrowed my brow as I looked at her.
"Everything about you. What's on your mind? What's your favorite food? What's your favorite place? Just tell me everything that crosses your beautiful mind," she replied.
And just like that, she captured me once again. I never thought you could fall in love with someone over and over again.
"I'm thinking of you," I responded, feeling the heat rising to my cheeks. Then I continued, "I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I wonder what you've been up to, who you're with. I wonder if I ever cross your mind. That's what I've been thinking."
I saw a smile forming on her face as she leaned to pick up the empty cups from the bench. She stood up to throw them in the nearby bin. She gazed at me as she walked back to the bench and sat down beside me. I was taken aback when she suddenly took my hand and rested her head on my shoulder.
"I've been thinking about you too," she whispered softly.
For me, this is perhaps the most enchanting night I've ever experienced. It's beautiful how two people can collide by chance and find themselves thinking about each other. It's rare and the most magical thing that can happen to someone.
We sat there in silence, our minds dancing to the rhythm of our hearts. Without uttering a word, and without the world knowing, we sat in the park on the bench next to the lamppost, bursting with love.
We remained like that for a while, but a ring from Becky's phone shattered the silence. She quickly picked up her phone and answered the call.
"Yes, I'm on my way back now. I'm just waiting for the bus. Okay, see you later," she said.
"Parents?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's past 12 AM. I think we should leave. And before you go, you have to give me your phone number," she said, handing her phone to me.
I entered my phone number and handed it back to her. She saved my name as "babe" and showed it to me with a smile before putting on her cap.
She left first, so that no one would notice us together, especially at the bus stop. Once I was certain she had left, I went to the bus stop and waited for another bus to arrive.
I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. I never knew that even without spending a dime, a night could be as grand and magical as long as you're with the right person.
I arrived home around 1 AM, gently closing the door to ensure my mom remained undisturbed. With careful steps, I tiptoed my way to my room. But just as I shut the door, my phone buzzed, signaling an incoming call.
An unregistered number flashed on the screen. It must be Becky—I hadn't added her contact yet. Without hesitation, I answered and pressed the phone to my ear.
"Are you home? It's Becky," a voice spoke.
"Yes, how about you?" I inquired.
"I'm home too. Our house is near the park," she replied.
I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling before speaking again.
"Don't you have a car?" I asked, wondering why a wealthy celebrity would take a bus in the middle of the night.
"I do have a car and a driver's license, but guess what? I'm afraid of sitting in the driver's seat. I don't know when it started, but one day I woke up, ready to go about my day, and when I sat on the driver's seat, I suddenly couldn't breathe. However, I know I used to drive before. My parents told me I had a terrible accident. I was driving my pink Porsche when another car appeared out of nowhere and hit me. I can't remember much because the impact on my head was so severe that my brain forgot many things from my past. Can you believe that? Sometimes I come across people I'm supposed to know, but my head fails to recognize them, so I end up ignoring them no matter how hard they try to make me remember."
"That's quite sad," I empathized.
"I know. Sometimes I really want to remember because it feels like there's something important that I've forgotten. But my parents always convince me otherwise," she explained.
"Don't think about it too much. If it's truly important, I believe the universe will find a way for you to remember it or rediscover it," I stated, my voice laced with a hint of certainty.
"Let's hope so. Aren't you tired yet?" she asked, her words filled with concern.
"I am tired, so goodnight?" I responded, a touch of weariness seeping into my voice.
"Goodnight."
It has been three days since Becky and I first met. I still find it hard to believe that I have the privilege of conversing with her every day over the phone. She greets me every morning and bids me goodnight before she retires for the day. As for my business, I'm finally regaining my momentum. I no longer miss any important events, ensuring that I maximize my earnings.
A notification popped up on my phone from TikTok. It appeared that Becky had posted something on her verified account, so I immediately clicked on it. The video showcased Hiro, her co-star in their upcoming series, alongside Becky herself.
I am aware that it's part of her job, that she must be paired with someone. But why does it feel like it's breaking me apart? Why do I sense this twinge of jealousy within me?
Without pressing the heart button, I swiftly closed the app and continued with my day. Perhaps it sounds childish to feel jealous, but the thought of her potentially developing feelings for him terrifies me even more.
I attended an event with my friend Irene. Deo didn't accompany me this time; he claimed to be feeling sick, although I'm not entirely convinced. He has been avoiding me since confessing his feelings.
Throughout the day, I received messages and calls from Becky, yet I chose to ignore them. I wasn't in the right frame of mind to engage in conversation with her. However, I managed to post a video of Irene and me cooking burgers.
"Hey, Freen, do you have a boyfriend?" Irene abruptly asked.
"No, I don't," I answered, caught off guard by her question.
"But I thought Deo liked you," she inquired once again.
"Deo is my best friend, and I cannot offer him anything beyond that," I responded, my voice tinged with a touch of sadness.
"I thought so. But I wonder why you and Becky are together at the park in the middle of the night? I left my earbuds on a bench in the park so I came back looking for it. But I found you and Becky too" Irene stated, a smug expression crossing her face as she scrutinized me.
I was taken aback by her revelation. No one needs to know what is happening between Becky and me. My eyes widened as I looked at Dana, speechless. How can I possibly explain this situation? I swiftly moved closer to Dana, placing a finger on my lips, urging her to keep silent.
"We were just having a conversation, discussing various aspects of life. Please, Irene, don't spread any news anywhere people might misunderstand. We were just talking about life," I whispered, pleading with her.
"Talking about life in the middle of the night at the park with her head on your shoulder? Okay I'm going to act like I believe that," she finally relented. "But what exactly is your relationship status?" she probed further.
Relationship status? To be honest, we haven't explicitly discussed it yet. Now that I reflect upon it, why am I feeling jealous? Do I even have the right to be? We haven't exchanged "I love you's," but we have admitted our mutual affection. What, then, are we really to each other?
"Don't tell me your relationship doesn't have a label," she added, noticing my silence and seeking a response.
"Whatever we have, and whatever she is willing to give me, I'm willing to accept. It doesn't matter if she gives all of herself to me or just a piece of it—I'm willing to take it. It doesn't matter what we are to each other; all I know is that whatever we have right now makes me happy," I responded to Irene.
Honestly, this is the kind of thought I've been trying to avoid. The possibility that I'm just a rebound from his past relationship, the possibility that I'm just a fading infatuation—that terrifies me. I've never fallen in love like this, where I want to go all in when I've only known the person for a short period of time. Hopefully, she'll catch me.
"I guess this is how fate works," Irene remarked.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused by what she had just told me.
"Nothing," she replied.
At about 7 PM, Irene and I wrapped up the day. We put our stuff in the van and headed back home. I dropped Irene off at her house before heading to ours.
While on my way, several messages from Becky popped up on my phone.
[Why are you not answering my calls? Are you busy?]
[I miss you.]
[Did I do something wrong?]
[Are you okay? I'm worried.]
Then my phone vibrated, indicating that Becky was calling. I'm starting to feel guilty for ignoring her like this, but I'd rather stay quiet for now. I don't really want to say things that I don't mean. I'll talk to her once I clear my mind.
I finally arrived home and pulled over in front of the house. I got out of the car and opened the back door to take my stuff out when suddenly, a set of arms wrapped around me from behind.
"I miss you," a voice whispered.
Author's Note:
This is the end of Chapter 5, I really enjoyed writing this Chapter and I hope you'll enjoy reading it too 🥺. Please let me know what you think in the comment section.
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