x

Wendy

“I don’t understand myself either.” Irene sighed and buried her face in the pillow.

“Maybe you don’t really like him.”

“But I do! It’s just that…” I know that she’s already crying but I’m not the one to console her. I don’t even know what to say and I’m not exactly sure if she wants me here. “There’s this someone!”

“Someone? Are you kidding me? You broke up with your boyfriend because there’s someone?” I practically yelled at her because I never pegged Irene to be that girl. She’s always so sure about everything and here she is. “So what’s your problem?”

“I don’t even know if I did the right thing. I feel like I cheated.” Does liking someone even though you’re still in a relationship considered cheating?

“Did you intent to like that person?”

“What?” she shot me a look like I’m crazy, “No! Of course not. It just happened. I didn’t mean to.”

“Then you didn’t cheat. But… is he flirting with you?”

“No. He always looks like he’s ready to kill someone.”

“Then—?”

“Our professor paired us in a research and so I have no choice but to talk to him every chance I get because the research is some serious and I just—ugh!”

“Is he a good person?”

“He is nice. But he isn’t flirting with me.”

“Why did you—?”

“I don’t know, okay? I feel like I should break it up to Arnold because… I know I’m starting to like this boy and I know that I like him more than I will ever like Arnold.”

“How? And… why?”

“I don’t know, Wendy. I really don’t.” she sighed. She’ll be sighing endlessly today. “He usually calls me by my last name but one day he called me by my name, Wendy. My name. And there’s something in his voice that made my heart leapt. I don’t understand. But I like the feeling.”

“So are you going to tell him?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think he’ll give a damn.”

“But you like him.”

“I do. But I’m also scared. I don’t think he’ll be happy to hear that I broke up with my boyfriend because of him.”

“Life is complicated.” I said quietly. We looked at each other and then sighed together because life is indeed complicated and not to mention… full of .

***

“Mark?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you busy?”

“Err—yeah—kinda.”

“Oh. Okay,” sometimes things just don’t go in your way, “Bye.”

The moment I threw my phone on the bed, it started ringing and surprise, surprise, Mark’s calling.

“Are you okay?”

“Wh—of course!” I replied. Just a little too quickly.

“You’re not a good liar.”

“Well, I just thought you can help me.”

“With what?”

“Just… something. But you’re busy so I think I’m okay. I can do this!” I tried my best to sound okay but even my voice betrayed me. I’m such a loser.

“Are you willing to wait for an hour?”

“No!—I mean, if you’re really busy, just do your thing. You know me, Mark. I can do it. Whatever this is. I don’t want to bother you,” because I’ve been bothering you so much, “I’ll be okay.”

“Give me an hour. I’ll pick you up.” Huh.

Maybe… I’m just overreacting. Again. I always do it. But there are some things that we really can’t help. Take our thoughts for example. One moment you’re not thinking about ty things but the next thing you know, all you could think of are ty things—only if I can talk about this with Irene, in fact I actually can, but she has her own problems and Jackson is busy with some shooting for his Photography class. He’s actually in Malibu right now. I’m close with our housemates but I don’t think I can talk to them about this. So… I only have Mark. But why is he always the last person I call?

I went to my class after talking to Irene—little did I know… going to class will actually ruin my day.

“Wendy!”

“Oh, Momo. Hey!”

I’m not so sure but I think I saw her grimace upon hearing me say her name. “We need to talk.” Talk? Why does she sound so serious? Last time I checked, we’re not exactly… close. Sure, we’ve written a paper about the Bronte Sisters together before and we aced it but after that we never really interacted with each other again.

We went outside the lecture hall. What is this all about? I’m really confuse because she’s eyeing me like I’m about to do something really dumb. “How can you act so… innocently?”

That caught me off guard. “What are you talking about?”

“Please don’t act dumb,” She scoffed. I stared at her because I seriously have no idea what she’s talking about. “And don’t stare at me like that. You know what you did.”

“I’m sorry but last time I checked we never had a proper interaction after the Bronte Sisters paper.”

“Oh yeah?” she let out a mocking laugh, “Just what the hell Wendy Son—don’t act like a little lamb!” she suddenly yelled and people who are passing by looked at her like she’s crazy. I might do the same.

But she can’t just be yelling at me like that “I’m not acting like one!” I yelled back. I don’t even know what’s happening but I’m already angry. You don’t yell at someone and act like a little without telling them what’s really happening.

“My boyfriend broke up with me.”

“And?”

“You ing seduced him!”

“Excuse me?” I don’t even know she has a boyfriend! “I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You know Matthew Perkins, right?” Matt?

“What about him?”

“He broke up with me because of you!” Me? Why would he break up with Momo because of me? Oh no, no, no, no! Don’t tell me this is the same with Irene’s problem. “You !” she said with so much hate. “You’re already with someone, right? Don’t go around seducing someone else’s boyfriend when you already have one.”

“Wh—I—”

“Stop acting like some kind of saint.” I want to tell her that I’m not acting like one but she ing left. And she left me dumbfounded.

I’m friends with Matt just like I’m friends with a lot of people. I like talking to people as much as Mark hates it. Matt and I… we’re both from Toronto and I’ve known him since high school. Sometimes I would receive a message from him saying that we should catch up. I can’t say no. He’s a friend and he’s really nice to me. And he never mentioned that he has a girlfriend!

I saw my professor entered the lecture hall and so I followed her. Two hours. This class is two hours long. Two hours and I’m stuck with the lingering thought in my head: Matt likes me? Everything’s a little crazy at the moment—but what’s crazier is that we were just together hanging out at Starbucks yesterday!

I can’t stay in this class. Not for so long. I might turn crazy if I did so I tried calling Matt. Good thing he answered his phone after two rings or I might just kill myself here. Things are… getting so crazy.

“Matt, let’s meet at Starbucks.”

“Right now?”

“Are you in class right now?”

“No. My class just ended. Okay. Let’s meet there. I have something to tell you, too.”

I made my way to Starbucks as fast as I can. Thanks to my short legs that it took me fifteen minutes to get there. When I entered, I saw Matt ordering something so I settled on a table and wait for him to look at my way.

Just few minutes after ordering, he turned around and saw me. He’s holding a tray with two iced-caramel macchiato and cinnamon buns. It’s funny how I can still keep up with the things in his tray when I’m dying to ask him questions that are clogging my mind.

“Hey.”

“Let me get this straight,” I heaved a deep breath and started telling him what happened. His eyes grew bigger and the irises of his eyes that are usually colored like the Mediterranean Sea darken as I spit out everything that Momo has said to me. I left out the  part. He doesn’t have to feel guilty than he already is. I know how he’s feeling. Just few moments ago my roommate was just sharing her story to me—a whole lot similar with this drama—but a little less dramatic. “So explain.”

“I’ve known you for years but I never thought that you’d be so blunt.” He looked so nervous. I hate that look because that’s the same look I was wearing what I told Mark about my… feelings. “I like you, Wendy.” He’s starring straight in my eyes so I had to look away. “I never thought I’d actually tell you this but I really, really do.”

I want to say something but I guess shutting my big mouth is the best thing to do.

“Ever since junior year in high school,” he unconsciously took a sip in his coffee before continuing, “But I never had the balls to tell you so I let it pass. To be honest, I followed you here. I was supposed to attend University of Toronto but when I heard that you’re going here… I only had one thing in my mind: that’s to stay by your side. I know,” he took a sip in his coffee again, “I know that I sound like a creepy stalker but Wendy… I just really, really like you.”

I thought I was ready for this. Turned out… I wasn’t. This is the first time that someone actually confessed to me. My body feels wobbly.

“Remember during college freshman year? Before Spring Semester started? I asked you out for a coffee date because I really want to tell you how I really feel but… I chickened out. And came sophomore year—” a.k.a now? “—and I heard that you’re going out with a guy named Mark so I gave up. I tried dating Momo because I thought… it’s time to get over you. But yesterday when we were hanging out you told me that you’re not dating him,” I want him though, “And that’s when I realized that I shouldn’t have dated Momo in the first place. I should’ve asked you first if you’re actually dating someone.”

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter