"J-Jess!" Edison stuttered. He turned around and saw Kris behind Jessica.

"I really missed you!" She said and turned to Victoria. "Hi Vic!"

"H-hi..." Victoria tried her hardest to smile.

"You're back already?" Edison asked.

"We'll go back to New York after a few weeks. Kris is here to take care of something."

"Ah, you two ate already?" Edison asked.

"Nope. Let's eat together! My treat." Jessica said and smiled at everyone.

 

 

Before Victoria could say no, Jessica already linked arms with her and told her a lot of things that happened in New York. That left Edison and Kris behind. They both looked at each other, and Kris just laughed. Edison was confused, but laughed along.

 

 

"Your sister isn't like that to a lot of people." Kris said and smiled, looking at Jessica enjoying Victoria's company.

"Yes. She's cold." Edison replied calmly.

"You and Vic, huh?" Kris opened up and smiled bitterly.

"Can I explain?" Edison said.

"There's no need for that." Kris just said. "Besides, Victoria deserves someone better than me."

"And am I even any better than you?" Edison asked.

"Well, no. So you better take care of her." He said. "Honestly, I'd rather see you and her together than her with someone else... I mean, you may be a jerk, but I know that when it comes to relationships, you're serious."

 

 

Edison nodded. He didn't know what to say. He saw Jessica and Victoria enter a Italian restaurant, so they followed the ladies. Jessica was already ordering, and Victoria, well, she looks uncomfortable, but orders anyway.

 

 

Edison sat across Jessica, and Kris sat across Victoria. Their food arrived. Seafood pasta, pizza, and cold drinks. They all ate silently. It wasn't the awkward kind of silence, but two of them are really hungry.

 

 

When they finished eating, they went to the parking lot and said goodbye. They left Kris and Jessica in the mall. Edison looked at Victoria. She wasn't speaking ever since the encounter. Does she still love him? He felt down. But he knows he should do something about it before everything's too late.

 

 

"Talk to him." He said out of the blue, and he glanced at Victoria, who also turned her head to him. "I mean... you both need closure."

"I guess so." She said and sighed. "But I don't know how to approach him."

"I'll let you two meet." He said and held her hand. "Don't worry. You know Kris."

"Yeah." She smiled at him.

 

 

*

 

 

Victoria was told to meet Kris at the park, where they first met. When she arrived, she saw Kris in a bench. She went closer to him, and when Kris spotted her, he just sighed. He knew it. It wasn't just Edison. He knew something was up. She sat down beside him, and the silence ate them.

 

 

"Sorry." Victoria started.

"For what?" Kris laughed bitterly.

"For putting you in this situation?" She laughed, as well. "But seriously. Sorry for everything."

"I just... want to know. Why?" Kris finally asked. "Was it because you loved someone else?"

"No!" Victoria exclaimed. "I... broke up with you because the school found out about us..."

"Was that it?" He asked in disbelief.

"And the director told me that if your mother finds out, who knows what will happen?"

Kris looked at her. He's so sure of how he feels right now. "We could've fought together."

"Could have." She said. "But what life would I give you if we chose to fight?"

"I don't care about those stuff." Kris said and looked at her with pity.

"I know." Her tears fell down. "I'm sorry. Are you happy with her?"

He stopped for a moment. He's not sure of what he's going to say. "Yes." And it's the truth.

"Then I'm glad you're happy with someone else. You deserve someone better." Victoria smiled bitterly and stood up. "Thanks for this, Kris."

 

 

She walked away from him, not looking back. Victoria just let the tears flow from her face. She is so hurt from what he said. It's so unfair. She's still hurting, but look at him, happy in someone else's arms. But what right does she have? She can't complain. She decided on this. This is the result of her own doing.

 

 

She thought about their what-ifs. What if they got married? Or what if she fought for it? Would they have been happy? Would that make him happy? Why is she confused now? She laughed at her thoughts. 'Why am I like this?' She thought.

 

 

Before she could walk any further, she felt someone grab her hand and pull her in for a hug. Judging by the scent, she knew who it was. She just cried, and hugged him back. She looked up and saw Edison who looked at her with so much sadness.

 

 

"Why am I feeling this? This is what—" She huffed. "This is what I wanted right!?" she continued sobbing, and Edison rubbing her back, trying to comfort her. "I did this for him! So why does it hurt so much?"

 

 

She felt her knees giving up. Good thing Edison was still hugging her, supporting her weight. He motioned his car and they silently went inside. She continued crying, and the tissue box was almost empty, and Edison drove to the nearest convenience store. He bought a lot of cold drinks for Victoria.

 

 

When he got back, she just stared at the windshield blankly. He handed her the plastic bag full of cold drinks. She looked at him and smiled. She thanked him and opened the bottle of water. She drank it down to the last drop, then opened the bottle of apple juice. Same thing, she drank the whole bottle. When she finished drinking the juice, she turned to Edison and smiled bitterly.

 

 

"Seeing me like this right now... You probably regretted asking me out, right?" She said and laughed.

He just looked at her seriously and frowned. She proceeded. "You probably want to break free from me, right?" She said and cried again. "Because... I-I'm such a mess... Because... I'm a coward..."

Edison pulled her in for a hug. "Don't ever think that way." He told her carefully. "Listen to me. I was serious when I told you to use me as your rebound. I'll stay for you. I'll be here to love you."

"Why?"

He stopped for a moment. He rubbed her back and closed his eyes. "Because... I think I am falling in love with you, too. And I don't care if it would take you years to forget him. I won't leave you behind."