“So, what is it going to be, Tina?” Jane said to me, while staring at me. There’s no way out. It’s like Zee and Jane are cornering me. I continued to smile because all of their attention is with me. Wait, did they plan this when they were driving??

“Wait a minute, Mom is calling me. Tina, don’t answer without me” Zee said, while standing up. He went to the kitchen to help Aunt In. I let out a relieved sigh. If this is Zee’s way of apologizing for earlier, then he’s forgiven. At least he bought me some time. So what would I do? Do I really have to kiss someone? Then should I…. kiss her?

I felt my face heat up. Just thinking of it makes me go crazy. Anything related to her makes me go crazy.

I still don’t know what to do. My eyes wandered to Pie’s cheeks. Should I…. kiss it? No Tina. Get yourself together. I just can’t keep myself from studying Pie. If there is a subject about her, then I’m sure I’ll be the ace. I looked at her brown waves, it’s quite messy but I’m getting used to it. Actually, her messy hair made her look ier. I looked at her lips. She’s wearing a shade lipstick, which suits her so much. Anyone looking at this would want to kiss that delicious lips of hers. What are you thinking, Tina? I mentally slapped myself.

“Guys, Nerd and I forgot something in the car. We’ll be right back” Puey said, as he and Nerd stood up and headed to the door. I wonder what they forgot. I don’t really care, I’m too nervous to mind anything else besides this beauty beside me.

“Yo, Tina. Mom needs some wine. Go get some. And babe, come here. Mom wants to know you” Zee shouted, coming from the kitchen. So what about the game? Jane stood up quickly and turned to Pie.

“Hey, do I look fine?” Jane asked, twirling her body, probably worried that she gets to talk to the in law today? Pie brushed Jane’s hair using her hand and said, “You look wonderful, Jane. Now go”. Pie smiled at Jane and Jane smiled back.

“Tina, can you bring Pie with you?” Jane asked me while looking at Pie. I gulped. Me? Alone with her?

Pie slapped Jane’s shoulder. “Aish! Jane, I don’t really want to bother Tina” Pie asked. Oh Pie, I wish you knew that you will never be a bother to me.

Jane shooked her head and said, “Just go. Maybe Tina needs some assistance”. She turned to me.

“Tina, bring Pie with you” she asked once again. I glanced at Pie. She’s furrowing her eyebrows while crossing her arms to her chest. I wonder if this is the chance to apologize to her. Yes, I need to be with her. Before Pie could even say no, I smiled to Jane and said, “Sure I’ll take her”. I won’t let another chance slip by, Princess.

I looked at her. I still can’t read her mind. She’s looking away at my direction. I don’t know if she’s happy or not but I was craving of her presence that I couldn’t take it anymore. I need to do this.

I touched her shoulder, making her look at me.

“Pie, please follow me” I said and smiled at her. Her eyes dissapeared when she smiled at me too. So is she happy that she’s coming with me?

I could die any moment now.

We walked towards the cellar near our garden. I could tell Pie is really enjoying the scenery because she kept on smiling while we’re walking. I never appreciated the scenery here before but now that Pie is with me, I realized that it’s really beautiful here. But Pie’s mansion has gardens bigger and prettier than this, I wonder what made her look so happy right now?

We walked towards a door leading to the cellar. I don’t have my cellphone with me and I’m afraid of the dark so I was planning to keep the door open while searching for the wine.

“Let’s go” I said to Pie in which she nodded and smiled. The light coming from the door illuminates the whole cellar. I will definitely shout if someone were to close the door.

BANG! Just like on cue, the door suddenly closed.

“WAAAAAAAAA” I shouted with all my might. I grabbed something and I closed my eyes. . I might as well die in a heart attack tonight.

After some time of grabbing and closing my eyes, I heard…

“Okay, crybaby. You can stop hugging me now” she said, I quickly got off her body. . I was hugging her? I slowly opened my eyes and saw Pie making weird faces while putting her phone’s flashlight in front of her face. It’s supposed to be scary but it turned out funny instead. I can’t help but to laugh.

“Pie, you look funny” I said and the exact minute that I’ve said that, that funny face turned into a glare.

“Okay, I’m sorry” I said, scared that she might hit my shoulders again.

“I didn’t know that you’re afraid of the dark” she scoffed. Even though she’s mocking me, she still looks cute. I scratched the back of my head. It’s one of the traumas I got from the accident.

“Well, we all have something that we’re afraid of, right?” I said. She put her fingers to her chin, as if she was thinking. Don’t tell me that she’s not afraid of anything? That made me realize that I don’t really know anything about her fears back when we were younger. I just know that her only fear is that someday, she’s going to screw up their family business.

She broke my reverie when I saw her staring at me, looking confused. I felt something pressing against my tummy. It was her hands, holding some wine bottle.

“This is the wine right?” she said. I inspected the bottle and I nodded at her. I took the bottle from her, I don’t want her pretty hands to carry anything. Now, that we got the wine, we can leave now.

I wonder why the door suddenly closed. This door is made of metal. It will not budge unless force was used to move it.

“Pie, let’s go” I said as I held her wrist gently and went towards the door. Good thing that Pie is in here. I’ll definitely die earlier if she wasn’t here.

We went towards the door and I pushed it.

BLAGGGG! . It won’t open.

 “Damn” I complained, as I pushed my whole body on the door but it still won’t budge. Is it’s locked on the outside?

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Pie said, maybe she’s starting to worry.

I pointed at the door and said, “I can’t open this”. Her eyes started to open wide. I know that I should panic that we’re locked here inside but I still can’t help to be nervous about the idea of us being alone here. I could even hear my heart beating so fast. She tried to push the door to see if what I said was right. She gave a much more effort to push but after some time, she gave up.

“It looks like we’re stuck here, huh?” Pie said, crossing her arms to her chest while closing her eyes. I could feel how stressed she is, maybe because she thought that she’s alone with a guy?

“Yeah…But I’m sure they’ll look for us later” I said to her while flashing my sweetest smile. The last thing I wanted her to feel is to be uncomfortable with me. She stared at me for a while and then she smiled. Did she smile because of me?

We decided to sit beside the wine rack, we were sitting beside each other but there is a space between us. We put Pie’s cellphone flashlight on the top of the rack to light the place somehow.  It’s really silent…

This is so awkward…

I’m just staring at her while she’s looking away from my direction

She opened her eyes wide, as if she remembered something. She put her hands into her pocket and fished for something. Soon, she was holding a small plastic, probably coming from the supermarket she went earlier.

“Here” she whispered, as she lifted her hands with the plastic near my face. I furrowed my eyebrows and said, “What is this?”. She stared at me for the longest time, like she’s telling me that I’m stupid. Did I… do something wrong again?

She put her index finger and pointed something on her lips, it’s like she gesturing me something.

“An ointment for your lips. It was bleeding earlier” she said while looking away from me. I can’t believe this… is she caring for me?

I can’t stop myself from smiling. I thought she doesn’t really care much about me.

“Thank you, Pie” I said while smiling at her. She looked at me and looked away again. I don’t know if what I’m seeing is right since the room is not that light, but is she blushing?

Her face started to look serious, she furrowed her eyebrows. Why do I feel that she wants to say something?

“Why is your lips like that? Did you have a fight with someone?” she asked me, looking at me intently.

Yes Pie. I had a fight. I had a fight with MYSELF. Because I’m so stupid to let you go yesterday.

“Yes. I did fight with someone. I know how to fight” I lied. Even though I really know how to protect myself, I won’t harm someone else using my skills. I learned how to fight to protect myself, not to harm anyone without reason.

“Ohhh..” she whispered. She bit her nails. Silence started to engulp us.

“Heyy... Thanks for dropping me off when I was drunk and for that…” she whispered as she pointed at my jacket. Her voice was so low but I still managed to hear it. Did the guard tell her that it was me or did she remember me dropping her off?

“At first, I couldn’t believe when I heard that it was you who dropped me off since I’ve always thought that you don’t know me but when you wiped my sweat in that class, that’s when I believed that it’s true. I felt that you wiped my face when you dropped me off” she said, to which I laughed.

So she remembered me dropping her off?

“Why? How could someone not know you? You’re the face of the Manaying Corporation and not to mention your posters in our universities. It was me who’s lucky that you know me” I said. Well, it’s true. Every business magazine never failed to feature the Manaying Family and the university uses Pie to endorse the school.

Instead of answering my question, she just smiled instead.

“But… can I ask… why are we together that night? I really can’t remember why… Did…” she said but she was hesitating. I furrowed my eyebrows. “Did what?” I followed up.

“…something happened between us?” she said. The minute I heard that, I almost died from coughing.

“Do you think I could do that?” I said, cathing my breath.

“I don’t know. I was drunk and we barely talk… You’re technically a stranger” she said, covering her her face with her palm. Ouch.

“I understand. But please trust my words, Pie. I didn’t touch you” I said, reassuring her that nothing happened to us. She removed her palms and shooked her head.

“Can I really trust you, Tina?” she said with a bit of hesitation in her voice.

“Yes, Pie. I will never do anything to break that trust”

“But why are we together?” she said. She stared at my eyes. I guess I should tell her about the storage room.

---------------------

“Oh I see” she mumbled. I told her everything that happened to the storage room, I did not tell her about the part when I saw her cry in the car.

“So, do you have any ideas of who that girls might be?” I asked. If she knew who those girls are, then it’s easier for me to protect Pie.

She let out a heavy sigh. It looks like she’s so deep in her thoughts. “I don’t really know. I made a lot of enemies so I really can’t tell who” she shrugged.

Her having enemies? The Pie I knew never made an enemy.

“Why do you have so many enemies?” I asked out of curiosity. How could someone hate this beauty? Maybe girls are insecured of her?

“I don’t know. I just do” she shrugged. She sighed again. “I think they did that to set me up. I always had this hunch that someone wants me expelled” she said, saying it in a tone like this isn’t the first time this happened to her.

“Then I guess it’s about time to stop partying so that this won’t happen again?” I asked, almost begging her. I don’t really her partying so much. Boys always surround her when it comes to party. I saw how some boys looked at her. They’re like looking at her like she’s some piece of meat. I’ve always known that Pie is a boy magnet, and I’m okay with that. But I will never be okay if Pie is attracting s.

She smirked, it’s like I’m asking her not to breath air. “I will never stop partying, Tina. I party when I’m sad and I party when I’m happy. I think I’m gonna party till I die” she said.

I can’t believe what I am hearing. The Pie I know doesn’t want to party.

“But how about studying?” I said, she laughed when she heard me.

“Geez, I really don’t care about that now. For now, I’m enjoying youth. Partying, Drinking and dancing, I’m just enjoying what life has to offer” she said.

Is she really my Pie? How can she be this corrupted?

“But—“ I said when she put her index finger in my mouth.

“No but’s, Tina. Geez, you’re sounding like an old man now” she said. Okay, I get it. There’s no talking sense to this girl, but I’m still going to try and encourage her study. I nodded at her. She put down her finger and the room is filled with silence after that.

The tension is killing me.

“Pie…” I mumbled. I have to talk about this. I gulped.

“Yes?” she asked, looking at me.

“I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t know that it was you who sent the note” I said, looking away at her direction. I remembered the stupidity I made yesterday.

I saw her purse her lips even though she’s also trying to avoid looking at me. What is she thinking?

“It’s okay. I just asked someone to put your jacket there, anyway” she said coldly.

“Oh…” I can’t help myself to utter that word because of my dissapointment. I thought that she personally put my jacket there.

“Are you okay, Tina?” she asked as she looked at me straight in my eyes. Oh Pie, how could you do that?

 “Yes. Thank you for returning my jacket, Pie. L-let me make this up to you” I said to her. Stop stuttering, Tina.

“Really?” she said as she quickly turned her head to me. Why does it look like she’s so excited about that?

“Yeah” I said while lifting my pinky next to her. She smiled as we pinky promised each other. I wish I could record this moment. We stared at each other and when we realized that our pinkies were still touching, we quickly let go of each other.

Silence once again filled the room. Pie looked at my eyes.

“Tina…” she said, almost a whisper.

“Yes?” I immediately answered.

“If you knew that it was me who sent the note, would you come?” Pie said, looking away at my direction.

I could feel my face heat up. What is on her mind right now? If I said yes, then is she going to be happy?

“Yes, Pie. I will” I said to her, also avoiding her direction. I continued to look away at her direction. It’s too bad that I’m so shy to see what reaction she’s doing right now.

BRRRRRRRRRRRR!

“Wahhhhhhhhhhhh!” I shouted when Pie’s flashlight went off. It is dark again, and I can’t stand it.

I could feel something vibrating and that is when I realized that I was hugging the laughing Pie again.

“Such a baby!” she mumbled while laughing.

“I’m sorry” I said, still not letting her go and still closing my eyes since it’s still really dark.

Silence filled the room ONCE AGAIN as I was hugging her.

“Hey Tina” I heard her say. I would look at her but since I think it’s still dark, I still can’t open my eyes.

“Open your eyes” she said. No matter how scared I am, I complied in her command. Pie is my strength and I will follow her words. I slowly opened my eyes.

TOK TOK TOK

I could hear my heart beat.

She’s looking at me and our face was so near. I could see her gorgeous hazelnut eyes. It’s the same eyes that gave me warmth in my youth. I suddenly remembered how speechless I am looking at her eyes the day when I asked her to be my girlfriend.

TOK TOK TOK

I don’t want to leave that gaze ever again. I could look at her eyes, her nose, her lips all day. Oh Pie, if only you knew how much I missed you.

“Earlier in the game, what do you intend to do?” she asked, her gaze still meeting with mine. Pie, if I told you that I’m Kim, would you still love me?

“This” I whispered as I tilted my head and planted my lips to her cheeks. And just like that, all of our memories together came back to me. The first time I set my eyes on her… The first time I talked to her… The day we became friends… The day we become lovers… I miss all of that and if I were to turn back time, I would gladly repeat the day I’ve met her over and over again.