Chapter 6: Pictures On Her Mind

***Freen's POV***

Without even glancing back, I could sense her presence behind me-it was Becky. Her embrace tightened around me, rendering me immobile. A slight jolt of surprise coursed through me; I couldn't recall ever giving her my address. How had she managed to find out where I live?

"How did you know I live here?" I inquired.

She didn't answer. Instead, I heard her sobbing softly. She clung onto me even tighter. I was confused. We had only gone a day without talking, so why was she behaving like this?

"Are you okay?" I inquired, attempting to loosen her grip so I could see her face, but I couldn't.

""I'm sorry if I didn't talk to you today. I just didn't feel up to it," I explained. I didn't want to confess that I was jealous of what she had posted. As I had mentioned to Irene, we didn't have a label, so I had no right to be jealous.

"Why? Please don't fall out of love with me this time," she finally spoke.

"Are we in love? Do you love me? What exactly are we?" Suddenly, a barrage of questions spilled from my lips. How could she casually mention "falling out of love" as if we had openly declared our love for each other? We hadn't even exchanged "I love yous" yet, but she was acting as if she were falling for me, just as I was falling for her.

Suddenly, the front door creaked open. Becky let go of me and swiftly hid herself beside the van. Puzzled, I wondered why she had done that.

"Freen?" I heard my mom call out, her gaze intently fixed upon me. I was certain she couldn't see me clearly due to the lack of light.

"Yeah, Mom, it's me. I will stay here for a while for some fresh air before coming in," I informed her.

"Alright, I'll prepare your dinner so you can eat later," she replied before closing the door.

I shut the trunk of the van and walked over to check on Becky. She was sitting on the ground, trembling. I could see sweat glistening on her face, and her eyes were swollen as if she had been crying all night. I quickly grabbed a water bottle from the van and handed it to her.

"Let's go inside the van. People might see you here," I suggested. I helped her up, scanning the surroundings to ensure no one noticed us. I opened the passenger door and assisted her in getting inside before swiftly settling into the driver's seat.

I glanced at her and I caught her staring at me. Her gaze was different, as if she haven't saw me in years, she looks at me as if she has been looking for me and finally she found me. It's as if we are the only thing that mattered in this world, as if I'm the brightest color she ever saw, as if I'm loveliest flower her eyes have ever seen. She stared at me like that for a moment and to me it felt like world stopped, to me it felt like I don't care if we have a label, it felt like that moment was an assurance that she'll catch me no matter how hard I fall.

Suddenly, a tear fell from her already swollen eyes. I raised my hand and wiped the tear from her cheek. But I was caught off guard when she grabbed the back of my head and pulled me closer, and in a matter of seconds, I felt her lips gently brushing against mine. Her kiss conveyed the words she had never spoken. It was as if she was shouting "I love you" at the top of her lungs, as if she was telling me I was the most significant person in her life. That kiss dispelled my doubts and jealousy. However, a sudden headache struck me, and I pulled back, separating our lips.

Leaning against my seat, I cradled my head. The pain was sharp and heavy. I noticed Becky looking at me with concern, her lips mouthing words, but I couldn't hear them clearly. The next thing I saw was the passenger door was open, and I saw Becky standing in front of our house, while my mom slapped her in the cheeks. After that, everything went black.

The following day, I awoke in a hospital bed. I looked around to see if anyone was in the room with me, but there was no sign of Becky. I did spot my mother's jacket lying on the couch, though she wasn't present at the moment. It felt like I had had an incredibly long and bizarre dream, and for some reason, it felt real until I opened my eyes.

Not long after, I heard the door creak open, and my mother's footsteps slowly approached me. I looked at her and saw her swollen eyes widen, undoubtedly surprised to find me awake. She leaned closer and embraced me tightly.

"Does your head still hurt?" she whispered.

"I'm fine now," I reassured her.

"Alright, I'll be right back. I need to call the doctor to check on you. I won't be long," she said hurriedly before leaving the room.

I wanted to ask her where Becky was, but it seemed I would have to save that question for later. I wondered if what I had witnessed the previous night was real. Had my mother truly slapped Becky? If she had, I wondered why she would do such a thing. But I also questioned the reality of it all since I had experienced an extensive dream involving Becky. I remembered one fragment of that dream-a moment where I presented her with a bouquet of flowers, walking together on a beach as the sun began to set, holding her hand. Her wrist was adorned with a silver bracelet inscribed with "F x B."

"I heard you're awake. How are you feeling?" a voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see the doctor smiling as he approached me.

"I'm feeling okay," I replied.

The doctor checked my vital signs and inquired about any lingering headaches or unusual experiences.

"No," I answered directly.

Though something strange had indeed occurred. Becky had been present throughout my dream last night, and it felt so vivid. But I was fairly certain it had nothing to do with the cause of my headache. It was more likely because she occupied my thoughts constantly.

I've been plagued by this persistent headache for some time now. However, this is the second instance where I blacked out. I wonder if they've discovered anything unusual or if it's simply stress. But I don't think stress is the cause, as I distinctly recall being stress-free the first time this occurred.

After conversing with the doctor outside my room, my mother entered to relay the news that everything appeared normal. They hadn't identified any underlying factors, but they insisted on conducting monthly check-ups to monitor my condition.

"Mom, what happened to the person who was with me last night?" I queried while observing my mother arranging her belongings on the couch.

"What do you mean? You were alone last night. I came to check on you in the car, and you were unresponsive, so I brought you to the hospital," she replied.

Confusion overwhelmed me. Could it be that the image of Becky and me kissing inside the van was also a fragment of that dream? Yet, I distinctly recall losing consciousness thereafter. I know it was real; Becky was there with me last night.

"Mom, are you sure? I was with someone last night. I know I was with someone before I passed out. I even saw her talking with you, and you slapped her, but I don't know why," I insisted, causing my mother to divert her attention towards me. She grasped my hand and peered into my eyes.

"Freen, please don't stress yourself out. I'm positive no one was with you last night. You were probably fatigued from work, which led to your collapse," she explained.

I'm confused, I can still remember how tight her grip was. I can clearly remember how soft her cheeks was and how sweet her lips was, but why is my mom telling me that it's all just in my head? I am starting to question the fact that I get to converse with Becky, so I quickly grabbed my phone and checked on our conversations, and it's there. We are definitely talking. I noticed that the last message she sent me was last night. I checked the time and it's already 10 in the morning. She usually should've sent me a good morning message by this time.

"Hey, I'll go get some food for you. I'll be back soon. Don't stress yourself too much, alright?" my mother informed me as she tenderly ran her fingers through my hair before exiting the room.

As soon as my mother left, I dialed Becky's number, but to no avail. She might have her phone turned off or in airplane mode, but it strikes me as peculiar. Why would she do that? Is she avoiding me because I haven't responded to her? I decided to send her a text message and reached out to her on TikTok as well.

[Good morning. I miss you too. Can we talk?]

I spent the day waiting for Becky's response. I tried calling her a couple of times, but she is unreachable. In the afternoon, my mom and I left the hospital. She is driving the car while I sit in the passenger's seat.

"Do you want to live abroad?" my mom asked out of the blue. I looked at her in surprise, thinking she was joking, and let out a soft laugh.

"I'm serious. I think I want to see something new. Learn a new language, experience a new culture," she added.

"Why did you suddenly think of that?" I asked.

"I'm just thinking that maybe there are more opportunities somewhere else than here," she answered.

That's true, maybe there are a lot more opportunities somewhere else. And every once in a while, I also think of leaving. Sometimes, I want to go to a place where no one knows me, where there are no expectations about me. That way, I thought, I would be free to be myself. That way, I may discover a version of myself that I never knew existed.

I want to go, but there's a part of me here. The person I love is here, and I am not thinking of leaving her behind.

"That's going to require a lot of thinking, Mom. Plus, we still have a lot of debt to pay, and migrating to another country will also require a lot of money," I explained.

"Yeah, but I really want you to get out of here as soon as possible," she said softly.

"Hmm?" I looked at her, confused as to why she would say that.

"I mean I want more opportunities for you," she clarified.

We arrived home around 6 PM. Mom quickly went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for us while I sat on the couch, waiting for Becky's response. She left the door open, allowing me to see the garage where I parked the car last night, from what I remember. I looked blankly at the garage, thinking about what happened last night. I was sure Becky was there, but then again, the fact that she doesn't know my address is another story. Mom is probably right; she can't just appear here out of nowhere unless she had someone follow me to know my address, which is highly unlikely because we have to keep whatever we have to ourselves. But that kiss felt so real, the warmth of her lips, and the sadness in her eyes felt so real. What is happening to me?

A notification popped up on my phone - Becky has posted something on TikTok. The caption says, "Everything keeps us apart, and I'm not the one you were meant to find." I clicked and viewed it. It's just a view of a beach at sunset with the song "Rewrite The Stars" playing in the background.

She is definitely ignoring me. I wonder if those captions were written for me. Is she not the one I was meant to find? But why would she say that?

"Freen, dinner is ready," my mother called out. I quickly got up and went to eat dinner with her.

The night went by so fast, but I still haven't received any response from Becky. She's probably mad at what I did. I sent several apology messages; however, it seems like she is not buying it.

The days passed heavily, weighed down by a diminishing excitement within my heart. It appeared that she had no plans to reconnect, leaving me to wonder if I was simply a pastime or if she had truly fallen for Hiro. Whatever her reasons, I hoped she understood the pain I was feeling. It had been a week since our last phone call, and I was trying to get back to my old routine without her.

On Monday, with nothing on my to-do list, I decided to clean the van. As I casually vacuumed the driver's seat, something caught my eye, glimmering beneath it. Leaning closer, I reached out and found a broken silver bracelet. I was surprised to see it because I remembered Becky wearing it the night I passed out.

Could it be that she was actually there that night?

***Author's Note***

Hey! Sorry for the late update I was a little busy this week. Thank you again for reading this chapter!

Wondering why we're not seeing Becky's POV? 😂😂 Welp, just stay tune loves.

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