I can feel my heart beating so loud like a drum I feel like any minute it will come out from my ribcage. My eyes are still closed and I can clearly feel his warm breath on my face.

I heard him sneer and I peeked at my one eye until I opened them fully. He was giggling and then he’s laughing while he move away from me. I glared at him and crossed my arms. This guy is so annoying as I thought him to be. Tsh.

“You’re cute.” He suddenly blurted before the elevator opened and he went out. I was left there a few seconds before I followed outside. I mentally rolled my eyes before getting myself together. No, you won’t fall for that. Let’s not grow our feelings toward him him no more. This will be the last time.

I got inside his car, and he started it as soon as I did.

“Wait. How do you know I was leaving for my hometown today? I never told you that. I don’t think you even know where I am staying here.” I asked as he started to drove off.

“Seatbelt.” He only answered, and I followed him before turning to him again to ask.

“So, how? And why?”

“Wendy told me.”

Wow, how straightforward. And that girl, really. Tsh.

“Do you even know where I live?”

“She also told me where.”

Aigooo! That girl, she’s dead when I see her. Urgh.

“Okay. So I just want to make myself clear. You are not taking me home to my hometown. You are just gonna take me to my boarding house and then leave.”

“What if I don’t?”

“Yes, you will. I don’t wanna talk to you after I leave this place. But before that, thank you for uh, awhile ago and this. I’m saying it in advance. Once again, thank you.”

He didn’t answer or said anything or even nod. What did I even see in this guy that I end up liking him so much?

———

“Oh, so this is ‘few things’ for you?” He asked as soon as we came in my boarding house. There were like, a small luggage and two hand-carry bags ready to go on my bed. Why did I even let this guy in? Tch.

“Hello. Good thing you’re here to help Clara move. Oh, this girl! She never really wants to get help. I asked her if she was going with someone and she said she’s only going by herself. Aigooo~! I even offered her to ask my son to help her but she refused. Tsk tsk.”

It was Aunt Annie, my landlady, nothing related by the way. But she has been good to me since I started living in here.

“Thank you for taking care of Clara.” He said and bowed at her.

“Oh, it was nothing. It was nice having her here. I’m quite sad that she’s leaving. Are you his boyfriend?” She suddenly blurted.

My eyes widened and I quickly shook my head.

“No, no. He’s just, uhm, a helpful coworker.” I awkwardly laughed. He just smiled, that rare smile I see.

Aunt Annie laughed and he got a quite hard pat on his shoulders which made me snickered.

“Aigoo! Still. I thought this kid will never have a friend here because she never goes out and socialize.” She laughed again.

“Alright, alright. You should get going so you’ll arrive there early.”

“Thank you again, Aunt Annie.”

“It’s my pleasure. Go ahead and take care. I’ll need to go back to my store.”

We both bowed and waved goodbye to her.

He started getting the baggages on my bed, but before he could get out, I blocked his way and asked.

“You can leave now. I can do this.”

But being the sulky him, he ignored me and gave me one of the bags before moving outside. I groaned and rolled my eyes as I followed him. Before he can put the other bag on the trunk, I stopped him and let him face me.

“What are you doing, really? Why are you doing this? We’re not close just yesterday, and now you’re doing this stuff as if we’re that close? We’re just, uhm, acquaintances, don’t you think? And why would you help someone you hate this much? Care to explain?” I crossed my arms.

“Oh, are we just acquaintance? Aw, that hurts.” He slightly pouted.

I raised an eyebrow.

“I told you to tell me everything you want to say before I leave. Because I want to hear and leave everything here once I left this town. I’m not taking anything from here to there. Everything in here will remain in here. I don’t want to talk to you either after this thing.”

“I was going to tell you last night but you passed out.”

“Tell me what? You can tell me right here, right now. So I can leave it here, we can have our separate ways after and live on our own. You won’t need to take me to my hometown. I can do that.”

“Is it because I look too serious and not minding you in the office that’s why you thought I dislike you so much? Is it because how I’m always too sulky? What is it that made you think of me that way? And I just to brought it up again how or why or what and when did you think of me as gay?” He said while half-laughing.

“Uh, that— I don’t know. Do you not really hate me?”

He just looked at me and didn’t answer, as expected of him. He then got the last bag I am holding and put it on the trunk. He closed it before going inside.

“Get in.”

I sighed and just hopped in the car. As soon as he started the car, he asked me.

“Where do you live?”

“Just take me to the bus stop downtown.”

It was silent the whole time we were on the road. I just want this day to end quickly and get away from this place, then start a new and different beginning. All I wanted was to forget everything but it seems that he’s making it a bit hard to even do it by doing these stuff before I go.