Still, Will and Always

Chapter 16 : sugar daddy

Today was supposed to be a day off for me, but somehow, I found myself at the mall with Marky. How did I end up here? Well, it all started earlier this morning. Marky, Larky, Gavvy, and I were chatting in our group chat and decided to meet up and then split up to find local artists. And so, here I was at the mall with Marky while Larky and Gavvy went to explore the town's plaza.

We searched every corner of the mall, hoping to stumble upon an artist, but we had no luck. Eventually, we ended up at the mall's activity center. There was a grand piano there, but no one seemed interested in playing it. Marky suddenly had an idea. He grabbed my hand and led me to the piano. He turned to me and asked, "Do you play the violin?"

I nodded and replied, "A little bit. My mother hired a tutor for me when I was younger, so I know how to play."

"That's great!" Marky exclaimed. He quickly rushed to the instrument section of the mall and came back holding a violin. He handed it to me, surprised so I asked him, “Why did you buy me a violin? I still have my violin at home? And do you still have money?”

He said, "It's my gift to you. I want to see you play while I play the piano, plus I want you to remember me everytime you’re playing that violin. And don't worry about the cost. I can afford it."

A little bit confused, I accepted the violin. Marky didn't say anything more. He simply went to the grand piano and started playing, while I prepared to join him with the violin. It was an unexpected turn of events, but it was shaping up to be an interesting day.

As Marky began to play the piano, I followed his lead with the violin. Before long, a crowd started to gather around us. I felt my heart race as I wasn't used to performing in front of so many people. Sensing my discomfort, Marky stopped playing and held my hands, reassuring me, "Hey, you've got this. Don't worry about them. Just imagine it's only the two of us here."

His words helped me regain my composure. We started playing again, and this time, I managed to push my anxiety aside. The music flowed effortlessly, and the audience seemed captivated by our performance. When we finished, the crowd erupted into applause. We stood up, bowed our heads in acknowledgment, and then decided to head to Jollibee for a bite to eat.

Once inside, we started ordering. I turned to Marky, a mischievous smile on my face, and said, "Hey, can you be my sugar daddy?, and why don't you buy me a burger, spicy chicken, palabok, fries, and some drinks?" He looked surprised and responded, "Whoa, calm down, I can be your sugar daddy, but are you planning to eat all that? I can buy you food, but don't waste it, kay?"

I was taken aback and quickly clarified, "No, you don't have to. I was just teasing. I can buy my own food, and yes, I can finish all that." But Marky insisted, "No, I'll pay for your meal. And I'll buy you anything you want." Despite my protests, he ordered everything I'd mentioned and paid for it.

We found a table and sat down, waiting for our food. As we waited, I suddenly thought of something and asked him, "Hey, what if I didn't know how to play the violin? What would you have done?" He replied, "Then I would have played the violin, and you could have played the piano." I retorted, "But I don't know how to play the piano." He just smiled and said, "Then I would have played the piano and serenaded you."

Feeling a bit flustered, I told him, "Stop saying cringey things. I have a boyfriend, you know." He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Oh really? Does Gavvy know you two are dating?" I didn't have a response to that, so I just said, "Well, whatever suits you. Be as corny as you want." He just looked at me, his eyes sparkling with amusement, and smiled.

As we sat there, waiting for our food, the atmosphere was filled with anticipation. It felt like a special moment, almost like a date, but with Marky. Finally, our plates arrived, and we eagerly dug into our meals, relishing the delicious flavors. Amidst the clinking of utensils and the chatter around us, Marky suddenly threw a question my way.

"Hey, umm... since when did you start liking Gavvy?" he asked, catching me off guard. I was taken aback and almost choked on my food. Coughing and trying to regain my composure, I managed to respond, "Man, you really know how to surprise me. I almost choked on my food because of your unexpected question. This isn't the first time, you know."

Marky looked apologetic and quickly said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just curious, you know... But hey, don't worry about it. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

I paused for a moment, collecting my thoughts. It was a question I hadn't really thought about before. Finally, I replied, "Nah, it's alright. I'll tell you. I guess I started liking Gavvy... well, it's hard to pinpoint an exact moment. It just kind of happened over time, you know? We've been friends for so long, and there was this gradual shift in my feelings. It's like he went from being just a friend to someone I couldn't help but see in a different light."

Marky listened intently, nodding as I spoke. Then, he surprised me with his response. "You know what? I'm not going to push you for more details. I'll just wait for you to share whatever you're comfortable with. I want us to be close, to have that bond where we can share secrets and laughter, just like boyfriends... boys best friends. I mean"

His words struck a chord within me. It was a reminder of the genuine connection we had, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. I smiled and said, "Thanks, Marky. I appreciate that. And you're right, we can be best friends, sharing our stories and creating memories together."

With that, we continued to enjoy our meal, relishing the flavors and the comfortable silence between us. It was a moment of understanding and acceptance, where words weren't necessary, and our friendship spoke volumes.

(To be continued…)

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crdts

Gawin - u.e
Clint - I'm sorry. (We broke up weeks ago so I couldn't make novels, and possibly it can change the flow of the story)
Blue - thank you for being a friend