Ven tossed and turned in her bed while trying to make herself fall asleep. Tomorrow was the day that she feared. Tomorrow she was going on a date with the mysterious person that Erin arranged for her. Eve was already very excited while she was totally scared out of her mind. She couldn’t even sleep for three days already.

            She quickly got up and walked out of her room. She was alone again. Jiajene was staying at a classmate’s house since they had a project they needed to do. And their parents were at a friend’s birthday party. She then glanced at the wall clock in the center of the living room. It was already 10 in the evening.

            She was feeling uneasy and somehow she felt like she needed some fresh air. “Just a quick trip to the store might do the trick. I’ll just walk and take my time in walking. Maybe when I get back, I can finally fall asleep,” she said out loud as if she was talking to someone. She quickly shook her head after realizing that she was talking to herself again. “I am really going crazy,” she uttered with a sigh.

            Just ten minutes passed and Ven was already walking to the nearest convenience store.

            “Hmmm, what should I buy when I get to the store?” she then started to ask herself. ‘But what will I do if I still can’t sleep when I go back? I look like a zombie already. My eyes are already having black circles around them. What will my date say if he sees me looking so ugly?... Wait, date? Date? I can’t go on a date looking like this. Maybe I can just say that I am sick and I can’t go. Maybe… maybe I can just…’ Ven’s mind started to get crowded with so many ideas that her head started to ache. She suddenly stopped walking and started to massage her head. “Oohh, my head,” she uttered in pain.

            And out of nowhere, someone suddenly placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to a corner. “Are you okay? Are you in pain?” the man asked with concern.

            Ven blinked her eyes twice and tried to think. ‘Am I hallucinating?’ she asked herself.

            “Are you all right? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?” the man asked again. He then carefully touched Ven’s cheeks and her forehead as if to check her temperature.

            “Yunho? No… I’m okay. Just a little headache, that’s all.” Ven was finally able to utter. “By the way, what are you doing here?” she asked, quite surprised.

            Yunho’s expression became more serious. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that question? It’s late already and you’re still out? Shouldn’t you be at home and resting? You know it’s not safe to be outside at this time, especially when you’re alone.”

            Ven sighed. “Exactly! I was all alone at home and I was feeling a bit uncomfortable so I decided to go to the store. I was planning to just buy something then go straight back home,” she tried to explain.

            Yunho shook his head in disapproval. “You should have stayed at home. It’s obvious that you’re really just trying to pass the time. And if I’m not mistaken, maybe it’s just because of your date… tomorrow,” he said with a changed tone of voice.

            Ven stared at Yunho’s face and she immediately saw the change in his expression after mentioning her date the next day. ‘Strange,’ she thought to herself. ‘Why is Yunho acting so strange all of a sudden?’ she started asking herself again.

            “Are you all right now? Is your head still hurting?” he asked.

Ven shook her head as an answer.

“Come on, I’ll take you home,” Yunho tried to change the topic all of sudden after noticing that Ven was looking at him seriously as if analyzing his actions.

            Ven tried to put on a smile. “Eh, how about we just continue going to the store first? I really want to get an ice cream right now,” she tried to lie. She didn’t really want to go home just yet.

            Yunho looked at her with a questioning stare as if he already knew what she was thinking. But just after a few seconds, he finally nodded his head in agreement. “Fine, I need to get something too. But after that, you need to go home right away… is that understood?” he said with an authoritative voice.

            Ven nodded obediently. “Yes, big brother,” she said sweetly.

            Yunho’s eyes instantly landed back on Ven after hearing her last two words. “Big brother?” he couldn’t help but utter the words back.

            Ven again smiled sweetly. She was just being nice to him and didn’t really have any other meaning to her words. Yunho tried to brush away the ache he was feeling. “Come on. It’s getting late,” he tried to act normal again. Ven quickly followed while smiling happily. She was glad that at least she had someone to accompany her to the store. She wasn’t alone anymore.

            ***********

            “Go in. And don’t forget to lock your door,” Yunho reminded Ven.

            Ven looked back at the door of their house and then at Yunho. She didn’t want him to go. She didn’t want to be alone. She needed someone to talk to right at that moment. “Uhmm, can… can you stay for a few more minutes… or maybe until my parents arrive? I don’t know what’s wrong with me. But I don’t want to be alone right now,” she finally confessed.

            Yunho stared at Ven and somehow an unknown force tugged at his heart and forced him to stay. He slowly nodded his head. “All right, I guess I can stay until your parents arrive. But I am not going in, okay? We can just sit here on the porch while we wait. I don’t want your parents to think that I am taking advantage of you since you’re all alone.”

            Ven suddenly laughed. “You? Take advantage of me? You’re like my big brother. And besides mother and father know you, you’re always welcome here… you know that.”

            “But still I really don’t like being inside your house especially when it is just the two of us,” Yunho continued. He then slowly sat down on the bench near the front door.

            “Fine. Then let’s just sit here and look at the sky. We can try to count the stars too,” Ven teased. She then sat down beside Yunho.

            Yunho couldn’t help but laugh at Ven’s joke. “Yes, we can count the stars but it would take us forever before we could ever finish.”

            Ven unexpectedly became serious. “Forever? Is there really such a word? Sometimes it’s foolish to even use that word. Sometimes I think forever means no start and no ending. So basically it’s just pointless. You can never get anywhere…”

            Yunho glanced at Ven. “Is something bothering you? You know, you can always talk to me, if you like. I am always willing to listen,” he said with concern.

            Ven lowered her head and sighed. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Maybe it’s just because I feel lonely most of the time. And because… I am afraid.”

            “Afraid of what?” he asked curiously.

            “I… I haven’t been on a date with a guy before. I am afraid of what he will say and what his reaction will be when he sees me. I know I am not pretty and I don’t have any special qualities that guys will find interesting. Sometimes I really envy Eve because she’s so pretty and smart. While I… I am really nothing compared to her… or compared to any girl,” Ven answered with a low voice. She felt totally down and was lacking self-esteem.

            Yunho suddenly stood up. “Come on… stand up,” he then made Ven stand up to face him.

            Ven was suddenly confused. “Why?” she asked while standing face to face with Yunho. Her heart suddenly started to beat wildly as she stood so close to her so-called big brother.

            Yunho suddenly cupped Ven’s face in his hands. “Don’t you ever say that you’re nothing compared to other girls, because you’re wrong, totally wrong. You’re a very special girl and any man would be lucky to have you in his life. You have special qualities that can captivate a man’s heart instantly. You need to have faith in yourself Ven. I don’t like seeing you so down. If the person you’re going to meet tomorrow doesn’t like you, then just let it be. It’s his lost, not yours. You should always tell yourself that you are special, because that’s what you are to everyone who loves you especially… me.”

            Surprised with what she heard, Ven suddenly looked straight at Yunho. And it was then that their eyes met… and a long hidden secret was finally revealed.