Chapter Four

One week. It's been one week since he made that statement. Yes, just one week. But it felt like an eternity because it was also one whole week of him not showing up. I couldn't help but feel giddy during those moments. Ugh, it's so annoying.

Automatically, I found myself facing him again. My heart was pounding loudly, as if it wanted to escape my chest. I felt like I could faint at any moment.

"Repeat what you said," I demanded.

"Huh? What?" he asked, looking puzzled. I almost rolled my eyes at him.

"I mean, repeat what you said earlier," I said, giving him a stern look.

"Oh, that we should eat because the food is ready," he replied, starting to serve the cooked dish. I kept staring at him. Was he kidding me?

"You're lying," I eyed him suspiciously. He paused from what he was doing and looked at me again, seemingly amused.

"And give me a reason why would I?" he challenged, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the kitchen counter.

"I don't know. You tell me," I said, averting my gaze and biting my lips.

"Tsk!"

I couldn't bring myself to say it to him. I didn't know if I just imagined it or if he really said those words. I didn't want him to make fun of me. So, I settled for the first theory-I was just imagining things. In short, I was being an assumption queen.

Not much happened while we were eating. We simply had our meal, but there were instances when he would sneak more food onto my plate. I ended up feeling full. He was surprisingly good at cooking.

We didn't stay there for long. We had a class after that, so we went back to school. I thought we had the same schedule for that subject, but apparently, we did not. He remained silent as we walked. He looked cool and handsome, his hands in his pockets. He seemed very oblivious to the people around us, some admiring him while others glared at me.

"Uh, this is now the way to my classroom" I said. Our buildings were now separate, and he'd have to go out of his way to take me to my classroom. Though, the temptation was very real.

"Okay," he replied. I pouted, disappointed. I thought he'd insist on escorting me to class. As I started walking towards my building, he called out to me, "Diane, wait."

I immediately stopped and turned back to where he was standing. Was he going to be insistent after all? I couldn't be bothered with acting coy anymore. No way.

"What is it?" I asked him. I felt like he was going to offer to take me to class.

"Uh... because..." he seemed shy as he spoke.

"What?" Oh, no, he's getting all bashful to ask me.

"Because there is... There is... " his cellphone rang. Darn, what bad timing. He frowned as he read the text. So, I grabbed his attention.

"What is it, Tyrone?" I said, trying to act cute.

"I'm embarrassed," he said, looking down.

"Don't be shy. We're friends, right?" I replied, smiling brightly to reassure him. He moved closer to me, and my heart skipped a beat. I could sense that something was about to happen. My heart was pounding furiously. He looked into my eyes intently. I was anticipating something, but my heart was also going haywire. He glanced at my lips and then swallowed hard.

"Because you have something in your eye. There," Tyrone said, reaching out to wipe away the speck from my eye using his thumb.

I quickly moved away from him. I was speechless. Not because of giddiness, but because of embarrassment. I-I had something in my eye. Was it that bothersome to him?

Something in my eye.

Something in my eye.

I wanted to evaporate. To become invisible. I didn't want to look at Tyrone because I was so embarrassed. He didn't seem disgusted or anything. In fact, it seemed like it was no big deal to him, but it was a different story for me. I felt like kicking and rolling on the floor. I was so ashamed. Why did Tyrone notice the speck in my eye? Why?

"Are you okay?" Tyrone asked, looking concerned.

"No," I replied immediately. His phone rang again, but this time it was a call.

"I said I'm on my way. Don't call. I'm coming," he said to the person on the other end before hanging up. I thought he was going to leave, but...

H-He kissed me!!!

Tyrone kissed me. Not on the cheeks but on my... NOSE!

"Miss, are you okay?" a concerned man asked me.

"H-huh? Oh, yes," I stammered.

"I was just checking on you because you were lost in thought, touching your nose," he said. I felt embarrassed. That happened a week ago, but I still feel his lips on my nose. If it weren't for the importance of the moment, I wouldn't be touching my nose, fearing that Tyrone might be turned off if he sees it oily. So, since that day, I've been taking extra care of my face, especially my nose, and I check the mirror every now and then to see if there's any dirt. I wouldn't want Tyrone to be turned off.

"Miss, there you go again," the guy beside me said.

"I'm really sorry. What were you saying?" I asked him, looking at him for the first time. Now, I noticed that he's a nerd. His glasses are so thick you can tell right away, but, in fairness, if he dresses up nicely, he might become handsome. It's adorable to look at the dimples on both sides of his cheeks.

"I said I'll show you where Classroom 450 is," he said.

"Oh, that's perfect because I'm headed there too. We're classmates after all," I said, smiling at him. "By the way, I'm Diane."

"Rye," he said, accepting my outstretched hand.

"I think this is the first time I've seen you," I said to him as we began walking towards our classroom.

"Yeah, I just shifted from engineering to business administration," he said.

"Oh, really? What a shame," I replied. He just shrugged.

"It wasn't really my field," he said. I didn't know what to say, and we continued walking. We were on the 4th floor, and the classroom was still far.

We stopped when we heard subtle screams from some student. Suddenly, everything felt like it was in slow motion. Flashbacks of everything we did last week rush into my mind. My heart started beating faster, like someone had removed a thorn from it. Tyrone seemed upset about something. His friends were laughing, but he was unusually aloof.