Chapter 5: The Routine

From that point forward, I had my eyes set and committed to a single girl. I was locked in planning to do with the best of my abilities to be the best person I could be for her.

As the school year progressed, our friend group became inseparable. We did everything together—lunches, cafes, parties, malls, and shopping trips. It felt like we were on a field trip, always together as a pack. Among them, I always felt special because Jackie consistently chose me as her partner in academics, in seating arrangements, and in almost everything. It made me feel like I was her number one choice. I cherished every moment, man, I just wish this feeling would last forever.

At the end of each day, me, her, and my friends would go on a route that would pass by each of our bus stations. The first half goes home at the first bus station we pass by. The second half goes home at the second bus station we pass by. While Jackie is always the last to go home at the third bus station. The third bus station was near a famous mall that people usually go to. Me? Where's my station? I could have gone home from the first bus station. However, most of the time I would tell them an excuse that I need to buy something from this famous mall, such as groceries, school supplies, or even got an activity planned. Which in fact I never did any of those just so that I could get a few extra minutes alone with Jackie. It may delay my time to go home by an hour or so, but every second of it was worth it. Those few minutes almost every day allowed me to bond with her and get to know her a little bit more. Nothing really happened out of the blue in all those times. Just doing the normal and usual. I have thought about confessing my love for her in one of those times, but it just never felt right or I might just have been too timid about the timing.

There was one occasion when Charlize and I had a chance to spend time alone together at the mall. As we shared fries and discussed recent university events, I felt the urge to confide in someone about my feelings for Jackie. Just as I was contemplating how to approach the topic, Charlize suddenly said, "You know what I think? I think you like Jackie. It seems pretty obvious." At that moment, I knew Charlize was not just a friend but my closest confidante in the group.