From: Your Secret Admirer

Chapter Six

For Jho — Yen and Ynigo will always be my favorite characters :)

***

He was just kidding. I knew it with the way his eyes were dancing with amusement as he witnessed me trying to gulp down the cold water the waiter had given me.

"Here, have some more," he said, pushing his glass of water towards me.

"I'm good, thanks." His sense of humor almost caused me a trip to the ENT doctor.

"I better go," he said a moment later, glancing at his wrist watch. "I have a class in ten minutes."

"Oh. Okay. I have to go as well. Thanks for the coffee."

He just gave me a shrug. "Yeah well, see you around, Kyla."

The moment he stepped out of the coffee shop that was the time I realized I hadn't given him my name.

How did he know my name?

***

Later that afternoon

"Hey Kyla!"

I turned around and saw Luke jogging towards me, which was kind of weird because Mer wasn't with me this time. Maybe Mer's theory was right. Maybe Luke liked me enough to approach me? Or maybe I just like to assume that much. Because frankly, why would a cute junior, who was running for school senator, popular on his own right, approach ordinary me? Maybe he needed help with his campaign? "Hey," my greeting to him.

He stopped in front of me. He ran a hand over his hair and sort of gave me a shy smile. Totally cute. "Our band has a gig this Saturday night, and I was wondering if you could join us. I mean to sing a couple of songs with John."

Oh, that. Guess Mer's theory was wrong. Bummer. "I'm not sure. I haven't asked my mom yet if she will allow me."

"Oh." He really looked disappointed. "But you will give it a try, right? I mean, I was thinking that we could, you know, hang out after the gig."

Luke Gregorio wanted to hang out with me.

"It's really not a date or anything, if you're not into that. I mean you could bring your friends along if you like," he added. "But I was hoping that we could spend some time together... What I'm trying to say is I want to ask you out."

I was not sure if I heard him right, or if I understood what he was trying to say. I just stood there, my mouth hanging open in disbelief. "I —Uhm... okay."

His face suddenly lit up. "Great. So, I'll see you around." He went on his way after that and thrust a triumphant fist up when he thought no one was looking at him. I was half expecting he would do a happy dance.

I was not sure what really happened, but Luke just asked me out.

***

Much later that afternoon

"Dumbo!"

"What!"

"You have a death wish or something?"

"What is it to you?"

"I just don't want to see a poor elephant getting slaughtered by a gangster. Aren't your species going extinct nowadays?"

I rolled my eyes at him. Jocks —cute but not that bright. Or maybe it was just Mark? "Elephants do not belong to the endangered species. You should watch Animal Planet more often."

I turned my back and made my way towards the open field. But Mark decided to be his obnoxious self again and followed me. "I saw you with Franco this morning."

"Yeah. So?"

"You shouldn't go with him. He's bad news."

I snorted. "Since when do you care who I go with? We're not close, Mark. We don't even move in the same circle."

"I'm just concerned," he said, keeping up with my pace. "You know, as your senior, I think it's my duty to look out for the freshman."

"Right. And I believe you, I really do," I answered sarcastically. "Franco's cool. He's just misunderstood by the rest." I couldn't believe I was defending an alleged gangster. Maybe there was something in that coffee earlier...

"Look, he isn't really that reputable. I mean, he belongs to a gang. His group just beat some poor guy yesterday at the back building of their college. Just don't associate yourself with those kind of people."

This time I stopped walking and faced him. I really don't get Mark. Why was he acting protective all of a sudden? "Mark, I really don't know why you're suddenly concerned with my welfare. You don't even like me. You hate me and the feeling is mutual. And we already agreed to hate each other since fifth grade."

Mark suddenly let out a sigh of frustration. "Kyla, I don't hate you."

"Hmm. Let me see. Your previous display of severe loathing by nearly decapitating my head with a soccer ball was a clear way of expressing your hatred towards me."

"Kyla, listen I—"

"I have to go Mark. I have a class in five minutes."

The defeated expression he wore on his face was something I had never seen before from him. He usually didn't give up that easily when we engage in a heated exchanged of barbs. But this time, he just gave up. "Fine. I'll text you after class."

"Whatever," I told him and went on my way. When I reached the classroom, only then it dawned on me what Mark had said.

I'll text you after class.

I wasn't even aware he knew my number.

Maybe Mer was not the only clueless one.

***

Okay. I was not really a person who liked to make assumptions. Assumptions and expectations could result to disappointments later on.

But now I couldn't help it but make one (or several).

Franco. Luke. Mark.

Those three demi-gods (I really wouldn't consider Mark as a demi-god but that would be because I hate him, but I have to be honest and admit that, yes, he resembled a demi-god) and my brief, but very entertaining and intriguing, encounter with them had made me reconsider my thoughts about the alleged curse and its role in my life.

Franco knew my name even though I never introduced myself to him. (And he bought me coffee.)

Luke just asked me out.

Mark just showed his concern over my safety, not to mention him knowing my cell phone number.

And then another note arrived. "Your eyes are the stars that adorned the velvet sky..." it said.

So my conclusion was this: The curse was tired of seeing me avoiding love so it conspired with the universe by hypnotizing those three gorgeous beings into believing that they like me. And by doing so, the curse would finally make its toll on my life by ruining a perfect love life, thus making its emphasis that, indeed, mom and I were definitely cursed for eternity of not finding love and happiness.

I know, I know. I'm not making any sense.

But what other reasons could I come up with to explain why Franco, Luke and Mark suddenly exhibited strange behaviors towards me?

Why was I so caught up with this curse business anyway? I should focus on reviewing for our mid-terms.

I should do that, review for the exams. I would be reviewing now.

Darn. Why do I need to study Physics? I'm taking up Nursing for crying out loud!