Chapter 9: Who Is Brian?

The days had passed and Claire had completed a week in the company.

Jamie and her didn't have any encounters anymore. After that incident with the food, she didn't even threw her a single look, which she thought was fine with her?

Well, she wasn'tsure. Her not looking at Claire even just one hurt her a little bit. She knew she shouldn't be but for the two days that they were "close" she was giving her all these feelings, feelings that she didn't even know how to deal with.

And then now, she was giving her the cold shoulder because she didn't eat the breakfast that she bought for her? What was she, her girlfriend?

Her girlfriend.

That sounded... nice. Claire thought.

She immediately shook that thought. It was Sunday afternoon and she was with her college friends in the Starbucks nearby.

"You are so deep in your thoughts, Claire." Michelle said. She was sitting beside her, across us are Cara and Rose.

"What? No. Just, I just remember something. What are we talking about?" Claire tried to sound like she was interested.

Cara laughed at that. Among the three, she was more closer to Cara, maybe because they shared the dorm back in college and she knew and could sense if she was faking something or not.

Claire looked at her and mouthed shut up.

"I said, Brian is moving back to the city, you remember Brian, Claire?" Michelle with her teasing voice.

Claire glared at all three of them and sipped her coffee.

Brian was a senior when they were freshmen back in college. He was very handsome, every girl's dream they said. A guy with looks and money, every girl in their campus was throwing themselves at him but he was a true gentleman, he never took advantage of those girls. He just studied, played basketball and enjoyed his college days.

Claire met him at the university's library. She loved to read, every chance she got, she would open a book and be lost in her own world. She would even go to the library on her free time and borrow some books.

Nerd, right?

Claire was carrying, I think 12 books at one time back to where she was seated and there were kids that were playing around despite of the librarian reprimanding them couple of times already, the other kid accidentally bumped in to her while he was trying to catch the paper ball that his friend threw at him and it caused her to loose her balance, but before her body hit the floor, a very strong arm prevented it.

After that incident, they became friends.

Few months of their friendship, he admitted to her that he had feelings for her and wanted to ask her out.

Claire remembers when the news spread to the campus that Brian, the most wanted guy and every girls dream was courting her, most of them envied her, some threw hatred looks, judging her and saying she was not even that pretty and Brain don't deserve her, something like that.

Even if she told him several times that she didn't have time to have a boyfriend, that she wanted to focus on her studies, he didn't stop. He was persistent and was always there even if she didn't need him or ask for him. Her friends were telling her how stupid she was for not dating him.

She was a freshman, had so many issues at home and all she wanted was to focus in school, was it a crime if she didn't want to have a boyfriend back then?

She didn't care if Brian was the prince charming of every girl in the campus, she was not ready.

Though Brian still tried to court her for almost a year, she maintained a good friendship with him even before he flew abroad with his parents right after his graduation.

She remembered in his graduation day, she attended it with Cara. They were so proud of him. And right after the ceremony he came up to her and told Claire that his parents wanted to take him abroad to train him to manage their businesses but if she would give him the reason to stay, he would stay.

His face was so serious, looking at her lovingly and hoping she would give him what he needed but she just couldn't.

He left with his heart shattered as she couldn't reciprocate his feelings.

"You're zoning out again." It was Rose.

"Uh.. No, I was not. So, Brian is coming back, that's great." Again, Claire tried to sound like she was interested.

"Didn't you two keep contact?" Rose asked.

"I think Sophomore to Junior year? We both are busy so we eventually lost contact."

Liar. My mind shouted.

Brian kept contacting her even after h

She graduated but she decided not to return his messages and even reasoned to him that she was so busy with school and other activities.

They finished their afternoon with Michelle shopping in every boutique they passed by.

Michelle and Rose left before them, it was just her and Cara.

"Can you drop me home?" Michelle asked.

"Where's your car?"

"In the service, I took a cab to come here."

We walked to the parking lot both of us not saying anything. She knew she wanted to ask her about Brian but contemplated if she should or not.

"Do you really not feel anything for Brian?" Cara burst as soon as we climb up the car.

Claire started the car and warmed it up before looking at her side.

"You know that already, why do you still ask me?" Claire told her with bit irritation in her tone.

Cara ignored that and just continued.

"I know he kept contacting you, he told me. Well, he asked me about you when you stopped returning any of his messages and calls."

"I didn't know you were best friends now." Claire said sarcastically.

The whole drive to Cara's apartment, all they talked about was Brian. How he was coming back and if she was planning to meet him or at least say hi once he's back.

As soon as Claire reached her apartment, she threw her body in the shower, she felt exhausted not with following Michelle boutique after boutique but with the conversation with Cara about Brian.

Ever since he started pursuing her, those three were pushing her to date him like he would be missing a lot if she didn't. It was no effect to them even if she told them repeatedly that her focus was to study and not date.

And now, Cara was like, You're not studying anymore, Claire. Give the guy a chance.

Tomorrow was Monday, she was already laying in her bed trying to shut her mind thinking about what happened today when another figure was peeking her mind.

Jamie Miller.

Would she talk to her tomorrow? Or just, she didn't know, give her just one glance?

It got her thinking, there was this guy, almost to perfection who was head over heels with her but she never felt anything like what she felt whenever Jamie was with her. Or even when she was just looking at her, how she makes her nervous, how she made her heart skip a beat with just a single touch in her skin.

Is something wrong with her?

Those were her thoughts before she drifted to sleep.