I was walking down the hall, when I suddenly stumbled upon our class secretary. As usual, she's always naggy and palagi rin nagmamadali na para bang late na siya sa lahat ng bagay sa mundo.
"Ano ba ‘yan! ‘Wag ka ngang humarang sa raan, Kaji! Alis!" She screamed as she picked up the books she dropped and ran off pretty quickly.
After she had left, I scanned my surroundings to see if she dropped anything else and I was right, she dropped a white tiny envelope. I picked it up and took a quick inspection to it. There's nothing really special about its exterior, and I'm quite curious to see what it contains, but I brushed it off because I don't want to invade her privacy.
Time Skip
I was in the library reading my favorite psychology book, when Adelaide, our class secretary sat by my side. I was pretty shocked by her actions, so I immediately set a distance between us.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, starting our conversation.
"Didn't I bump on you earlier? Uhm- this might sound a little weird, but have you seen any tiny envelopes when I fled off? It's really important and I really need it, Kaji." She replied. I then remembered the white tiny envelope I saw that she dropped.
"Oh, yeah- here.. I was about to give it to you earlier after class dismissal, but you flee off pretty quickly, so I thought I'll just give it tomorrow, if ever." I said to her while taking the envelope out of my bag that it is in between the notebooks.
"Thank you, Kaji.. and by the way, are you up for tutoring?" She asked out of the blue.
"Why? And which subject?"
"Science. I'm kind of slacking off on that subject, and you're the only student that is best on that subject.. So maybe, I'll take this as an opportunity to learn things with you." She answered.
"What branch, specifically?"
"Chemistry."
"Okay.. I guess I can help you with that." I replied which made her smile. I was astonished by this scene, because I never really see her genuinely smiling like this. She's always this rude and grumpy student, who always has something negative going on with her life.
"Really? Thanks a lot!"
"We can start right now, if you want. I won't really be able to tutor you kapag eight PM because I have to do something personal. Right now it is six PM and I guess we can use plenty of time." I said and she immediately took her science notebook and chemistry books off her bag.
After some time studying with her, I noticed that she keeps on staring at my face and it really is bugging me out. She would nod and pretends that she understands the things I'm saying, but it is obvious that the only thing she's studying is my face. I'm not going to lie, it's really freaking me out.
"Is there something wrong with my face or..?" I asked, which made her come back to her senses.
"No, no, nothing's wrong with it. Sorry if I creeped you out, something about how you look just reminds me of someone, matter of fact, you look exactly like him. Kase I have a childhood friend when I was 13 years old, he has a mole beneath his right eyes and..." Adelaide stopped as soon as she saw me reading the chemistry book, instead of listening to her.
"Sorry if I'm distracting you..."
"No, tell me more about it." I replied to her before I closed the book I was reading. "I'm invested."
Time Skip
Adelaide's POV
It's been weeks since Kaji started tutoring me. The first time we studied together, I took it as a chance to get close to him. Hindi ko naman talaga aksidenteng nalaglag ‘yung envelope, matter of fact, I intentionally dropped it, so I have a reason to get close to him.
That envelope has an antique photo inside of it, it's me and Kaji when we were in sixth grade. That's right, sixth grade and I already had a crush on him that time. We were thirteen when I started dreaming of marrying him and having him as someone I can take care of in the future.
Though, after sixth grade, I never saw Kaji again. I heard they moved out of town and it's been years since that event happened, so no wonder why he doesn't remember me. But now that he's back, I want to take this as an opportunity to finally confess my feelings, but...
"Hey, Adelaide." Kaji called me. I glanced over his direction and saw him holding a folded card. "If you have time, can you give this to Camilla?"
"Huh? Of course, I'll give it to her as soon as I see her."
"Thank you." And with that, Kaji walked away.
That's right, naging close ko nga ulit si Kaji, pero ginawa naman akong utusan sa tuwing may ipapaabot siya na letter for Cam.
"Oh ano? Taga abot ka pa rin ng mga binibigay niya kay Camilla? Sinabi ko na kase sa ‘yo, teh.. Itigil mo na ‘yang nararamdaman mo kay Kaji, hindi ikaw ang gusto niyan. Tamo, Valentine's day na next week, wala pa rin nagpaparamdam sa ‘yo dahil lahat sinusungitan mo, tapos kapag kay Kaji, kulang na lang tupiin ka sa walo." Dalia suddenly blurted, appearing beside me out of nowhere.
"It's fine, Dalia. Whatever happens, happens."
"Sus, ang eme mo. Tapos kapag nakita mo silang magkasama, umiiyak ka na sa selos." Dalia joked, trying to brighten up the mood.
"It's fine, really... Ganito na lang, kapag dumating na ‘yung Valentine's day, titigilan ko na talaga siya. Promise, bahala na si Batman kung hindi ka maniniwala."
"Grabe ha, pero sige, bahala ka. Basta, ‘wag mo lang kakalimutan ‘yung sarili mo, magtira ka para sa sarili mo, okay? Auntie said you're ngudngod daw sa school acts. Secretary na nga sa section, Auditor pa ng school council. Jusko, alagaan mo naman ‘yang sarili mo, Adel."
"Oo na, ililibre na lang kita." I offered.
"Ayan ang gusto ko."
-----
The following days before Valentine's day, I noticed that Camilla and Kaji grew closer even more. I would see their presence in the hallway, library, school ground, and elsewhere.
To be honest, I really am jealous of them. It hurts not getting remembered by your childhood friend, but it even hurts seeing them happily hangout with someone else.
After those days, rumors started speculating that they're both dating. Syempre, as a nosy I am, I asked Kaji about it.
Hindi na kase kinakaya ng selos e.
-----
Kaji's tutoring me when I suddenly cut him off. "So, alam mo naman ‘yung biochemistry ‘di ba? It's the study of chemical processes that occur inside of living organisms. Like for an instan-"
"Is it true that you're dating Camilla?" I asked, which caught him off guard. His eyes narrowed and he let out a heavy sigh.
"I don't have time for those and can we please keep everything professional? Whatever happens to my personal life, it should not be your concern."
Punyetang ‘yan, hindi naman niyan sinagot tanong ko... Wala na, back out na talaga ako. Stay strong, congrats, bawi na lang ako next life. I thought to myself, making fun of what's happening.
"Okay, I'm sorry for asking, I was just wondering if those.."
"Rumors? ‘Yung mga chismis ba?" I didn't respond to Kaji's questions and just stared at the book he's holding. "I think we should end here for today. I'll see you tomorrow."
Next Day
"Happy Valentine's Day, Adel. May nagbigay na sa ‘yo ng chocolates at flowers ‘no?" Dalia greeted me with a smile, while walking towards me.
"Wala pa e, ikaw ba?"
"Syempre, si Azra, sino pa ba?"
"Dapat pala hindi ko na lang tinanong." I sarcastically replied, rolling my eyes.
"Eh si Kaji? Ano na nangyari?"
"Hindi ko alam, atsaka wala na ‘yon, siguro nga totoo ‘yung chismis sa kanilang dalawa ni Camilla." I answered.
"Ha? Ano bang nangyari sa inyo kahapon? Atsaka paano mo nasabi?" Dalia curiously asked.
"Kung makapag-tanong naman ‘to, parang hindi sinabi sa akin noong nakaraan na tigilan ko na si Kaji." I jokingly responded. "Pero ayon na nga, tinanong ko siya kahapon while he was tutoring me. Sabi niya, whatever happens to his personal life should not be my concern daw." I added.
"Ha? Eh kung totoo ngang mayroon sila, bakit hindi ko sila nakitang magkasama ngayon? As in, teh..! Nakakuha na ng limpak-limpak na flower bouquet si Camille, pero wala man lang binigay na kahit isa si Kaji."
"Baka may hindi pagkaka-intindihan lang, you know how relationship works naman ‘di ba? Hayaan mo na, baka may problema lang sila." I replied.
Pero kung mayroon ngang sila, bakit gano'n? I remember when Kaji gave me his color crayons because I needed it, although we weren't okay before. I mean, bata pa naman kami no'n, but I don't think Kaji's the type of guy to not give a thing about someone he cares about. He always set aside the situation and help that person when needed, just like what he always do when we had some misunderstanding before.
"Okay, speaking of the devil, ayan na pala sila." Dalia blurted, making me look at the direction she's staring at.
It's Kaji and Camilla, Kaji's handing her a lot of stuff. My Melody plushies, bouquet of pink carnation, and a love letter. If this life is a movie, for sure, they're the main characters.
After seeing them together, I decided to just walk away from the scene.
"Hoy, Adel, wait lang! Saan ka pupunta?" Dalia called out, trying to reach out to me, but I didn't respond and continued walking away.
There I found myself in the student council room. I was planning on staying there for the whole day. There's a school event, so there's no classes for today. That means, it doesn't really matters where students go, except that we can't go out.
While sitting on my designated chair, reading a book when Camilla, the student council Treasurer, suddenly walked in. She was surprised to see me alone and questioned my absence outside.
"Oh- Adelaide... I didn't expect you to be here, I thought you were with your cousin, Dalia? You know there's an event right? Presi expects us to be outside, monitoring the students. Are you going to stay here alone?"
I didn't respond to her and continued reading. She just looked at me awkwardly and then left, without saying any more words. I knew I shouldn't do that, because I have no right to blame her, when she clearly doesn't know that I like Kaji, her possible "boyfriend".
I got up and was about to open the door, when I heard a voice outside. "I'm so sorry, Adelaide..." It sounds like a girl's voice, clearly with a faint of guilt, asking for forgiveness, but to me? Is there something I don't know that I should know? What's my connection to this person?
I was standing there, dumbfounded for about three minutes or so, when the door suddenly opened up. It's the student council President, Azra.
"There you are, Dalia has been looking for you anywhere and you understand that we need you to monitor the students, right? What are you doing here all alone? Hey, Adel, are you alri-"
"Did you see a person in the hallway, before you entered?"
"Huh? No one's at the corridor earlier, since every student's on the school ground. Is everything alright? Dalia's worried about you, you know?"
"Yeah, I-..I'm sorry, I'll check on her right now. I was just doing something earlier." I replied, ending our conversation.
Walking away, the voice I heard is still ringing in my ears, as if there's some mystery behind it. The last person who got out of the room was Cam, could it be her? But what if there's just another student who passed by? I thought to myself and sighed.
(time skip)
School is finally over, almost every student went home already. Bilang na lang din sa kamay ‘yung mga nasa school pa, which are mostly the student council members. While walking in the school ground, Dalia and Azra spotted me.
"Adel! Ano? Sabay ka na sa amin?" Dalia offered, which I immediately refused.
"No, please, it's Valentine's day, you guys should be celebrating it together. Have a fun night, alright?"
"Alright then, text me when you get home, okay?"
"Okay."
As I approached the school gate, I noticed a figure of a man, standing in front of the gate, patiently waiting for someone or perhaps just waiting for their ride, I think?
As I got closer, I found out that - that man is Kaji. Is he waiting for Cam? Should I tell him that she's still inside? Ahh... Who am I to bother.
I walked past him, as if I didn't see him. When suddenly, he called out my name. "Adelaide." His voice is quite soft. I looked over his direction and saw his eyes, that somewhat has a tint of hopeful look.
"I'm sorry, did you call my name?"
Kaji was quiet for a few seconds before he responded. "Can I take you out for an ice cream or just... hangout for tonight?"
..what? ANO?! WAIT- ANO ‘NG SASABIHIN KO? May girlfriend siya, ‘di ba? Bakit ako? Ha? Wait- wala ‘to sa inaasahan ko. Baka panaginip lang, baka pinagt-tripan lang ako ni Lord... ‘Wag naman, please.. ayaw ko maging homewrecker...
"So, Adelaide?"
I want to answer him, but something's pulling me back, as if there's a lump in my throat. "Didn't you have someone already?" I asked out of nowhere.
"No, can I take you out for tonight?" He asked once again.
HAAAAA?! Naknam.. WALANG SILA? WALA SIYANG GIRLFRIEND? MAY PAG-ASA AKO? Niloloko ata ako nito eh, pero sure, pogi ka naman eh...
"It's okay if you don't want to, I don't want to push you any further." He added.
"Sure."
"Hmm?"
"Sure, let's go out."
-----
"Kanina ka pa ba naghihintay ro'n?" I asked, starting our conversation, while walking on a sidewalk with him.
"No, not really."
The silence between the two of us is only broken by the soft sounds of the city at night. After a moment, he spoke softly, his voice soft and quiet in the night air.
"Adelaide, where'd you want to go first?" He asked, a hint of wonder in his voice, as if he's looking forward to hearing my answer.
"Anywhere that piqued your interest, but honestly, ice cream sounds like a great idea tonight." I answered. He hummed and nodded in response.
"Do you feel like reading books tonight? Or perhaps you're up for an arcade?"
"I don't really feel like reading tonight, but the arcade doesn't seem like a bad idea. Though, I know a place where we can go first." I replied, which made him smile.
I was taken aback by the sudden moment, my eyes widening slightly as I saw him smile for the first time. Was he really this ineffable when he smiled? I never knew...
-----
"Here, look at these! This one suits you." I said as we roam the bracelet aisle around the accessory store I brought him to.
Kaji just followed me around like a dog, while I picked up every item that I thought suits him, but put it back anyway, because I keep thinking that he's feeling uncomfortable. Until Kaji suddenly stopped following me and I noticed it later, when he popped up out of nowhere, holding a necklace with a small, gold butterfly as a pendant.
"I already purchased it, so please, accept it." He said as he showed me the necklace and even insisted on putting it on my neck.
After some time of hesitation and refusing it, I eventually accepted it, because it would be awkward to make him put it back.
"I appreciate it a lot, Kaji.. You're the first ever man to give me a necklace, so I promise to take care of it."
"Ji."
"Ha?"
"Call me Ji, please."
"Thank you, Ji."
He smiled at me as I thanked him for his gift. This is the first time I've seen this side of him. It feels unusual to say the least, because he's always mysterious and quiet. Though, this version of him tonight is somewhat the opposite of what I expected. There's something about him that changed.
-----
"How are you so bad at this?" I asked jokingly as I beat him in every arcade game we played. By the looks of it, you can clearly tell that I earned a lot more tickets than him.
He just chuckles and we move on to another game, this time we're playing a shooting game. I just know I can't beat him this time, but unfortunately... he only got twelve shots, while I got seventy eight.
Surprisingly, he doesn't even look like he's disappointed from having it. He's just smiling casually, being proud of me for getting a higher score than him.
"Let's trade these tickets." I suggested, he just nodded as a response and led me to the counter. The big Pochacco plushie immediately caught my attention, as soon as I laid my eyes on it.
"I'll get the Pochacco plushie, please." I said to the arcade attendant, as I point the plushie. After getting it, I gazed on Kaji's direction and offered him the plushie.
"The plushie costs more than the necklace I gave you, Adelaide."
"Adel, call me Adel."
He sighed and planted a small smile on his lips. "Adel, please, keep it... You worked hard on getting it, I can't accept that."
"Please, you already wasted a lot of money on me, just accept this one."
"Your presence is enough."
-----
"Thanks for tonight, Ji. Thank you a lot, I enjoyed everything." I said as he accompanied me to our gate. "I'll look forward to hanging out with you again."
"It's my pleasure, Adel. I had a fun night with you."
"Please, be safe on your trip back home." I replied.
"Thank you, I will."
Next Day
"'Cause you seem like a high school boy, ha-high school bo-" I was quietly singing in the school hallway, when I suddenly stumbled upon Dalia.
"Parang good mood tayo ngayon ah?" She sarcastically asked, starting our conversation. "May himala bang nangyari? Auntie said you weren't home til' 9 PM daw, may secret boyfriend ka ‘no?"
"Not really, but miracle talaga ‘yung nangyari!"
"Oh? Ano naman ‘yan?"
"Kaji and I hung out last niiiight." I excitedly said, exaggerating the letter I.
"Nako, ‘yang mga delusions mo na naman ha."
"Seriously, Daliii! And here, he even got me a necklace!" I said joyfully, while showing her the necklace. She looks at me with skepticism at first, but eventually believes what I said.
"Wait- ‘di ba may rumors na sila ni Camilla? Atsaka, teka nga... Didn't you mention before that you'll stop na kay Kaji? Ano ‘ng nangyari, teh? Here's what troubles some students too, wala raw si Kaji ngayon. Malapit na school dismissal, pero hindi ko pa rin siya nakikita. Even Azra said he hasn't seen him today, it's a bit suspicious, don't you think? Oh- and Camilla too, she seems a bit down today."
"Could it be..?" I replied, with thousands of thoughts building up in my head as I hear every word that came off of her.
"Adel... Ano ‘ng gulo ‘tong napasok mo?"
"Didn't you have someone already?"
"No, can I take you out for tonight?"
"But- he told me yesterday that he doesn't have someone already..." I reasoned, refusing any more thoughts that are running through my head.
"He used you, Adel."
Without any second thoughts, while our professor isn't around yet, I ran as fast as I could to the student council room. Barging in, I saw Camille with a medium box on her hand with some stuff that I remember Kaji gave her.
I got on my knees, as soon as I got close to her, asking for her forgiveness. "Cam, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you like that... I- I didn't know that you guys broke up because of me- please, forgive me, I-.. I'll do anythi-"
"Adelaide, please, get up..."
"N-no.. hurt me if you nee-"
"I'm serious, please, tumayo ka muna, Adel.. I have a lot of things to explain to you."
"H..h-ha?"
After those, she helped me get up and made me sit in the chair in front of her. She let out a heavy sigh, before started speaking.
"Me.. me and Kaji, we're actually cousins. Surprising, right...?" As soon as I heard it, my eyes widened. It feels like a truck is about to hit me, but the time gets slower. I have a big chance to avoid it, but my body couldn't move. "Kaji... he's a nice guy, but fate is too harsh to him. Kaji has a damaged heart, Adel. He's been fighting ever since, since you guys were thirteen. The day his family and I moved out, we had to take him out of the country, because his condition worsened. After those years of treating his condition, four years later, we finally came back again. Though, the cost of him getting treated is that he can't feel any extreme emotions. That's why he's so cold and distant to others, even to you."
"W-wait, what do you mean?"
"He remembers you, Adel. As soon as he stepped foot in this country again, all he talked about was you. About how to approach you again, how much it terrifies him that if you don't remember him anymore, how excited he is on meeting you again."
I was speechless all the time she was talking, I don't know what to say... Everything seems wrong, but it all makes sense.
"Hey, remember when you dropped that white envelope when you stumbled upon him? I guess you didn't check what it contains, after receiving it again. It's an old photo of you and Kaji, that's what it contains, right? Moving on... Everything we did was an act, Kaji doesn't want to hurt you, but that stubborn thought it'll help you move on from him before he dies."
"...Dies, what do you mean by that?"
"Just last night, at eleven PM in the evening, Auntie Clau called me, and her and tito were panicking because Kaji was having a heart attack. We rushed him to the hospital, fortunately, he was saved... but, Adel... you might never see him again, that's the thing. Auntie decided to take him back out of the country again, because that's what they think is the best. I'm sorry..."
That's where I know the time got faster, the bus hit me. I had everything that it takes to move away from that bus, but I choose not to and right now, it hurts.
"Remember when you told him before that you love pink carnation? He made me buy 3 crocheted pink carnation flowers. My Melody plushies too, he already brought tons, but that stupid man never stops spending a dime. Lastly, the letters... here." She added, handing me the box full of letters. "I just know he'll survive, because he's a strong man, Adel... and he will because he promised himself to, because of you."
And the next thing I know, I was crying on Camille's shoulder. Every word seems unlikely to be believable, he remembers me, he knows me, he knows Adelaide. He, Kaji, Adelaide's first and greatest love.
-----
My dearest, Adelaide
I can't believe that I would bump into you today, you're still as ineffable as ever. It makes me happy that Tia took care of you very well. When you asked me to be your tutor, I couldn't help but feel a bolt of happiness inside me. I know I shouldn't be, but it can't be helped if a Goddess like you talks to me, right? I never had second thoughts on refusing your offer, in that way, I can finally get closer to you.
— Ji
To my bombshell carnation,
Thank you for the wonderful night—I had a lot of fun with you, really. It's a bit disappointing that I can't move too much, because I’m afraid of collapsing and making you worry, but everything was great. Being with you diminishes my tiredness a lot. I wish we could do this often, and about the accessory store we went to? There's a lot of things I wish I could've given to you but I didn't want to creep you out. I’m so glad you love the necklace I gave you. It was wonderful, you’re wonderful.
— Ji
To my precious, Adel
By the time you're reading this, I’m probably already away or worse, dead. I just want to let you know that every moment with you is a treasure to me. I promise, I’ll get better for you and we’ll marry each other when we grow up. I promise to find you again and I’ll dance with you in an abandoned ballroom, where both of us are the only people that are stolen from time. By then, I’ll give you a pink carnation every day. I love you, Adelaide.
— Ji
Years Later
Adelaide's twenty-eight years old now, with a stable life and finally got her dream job as a teacher. While working as a grade one teacher, there's suddenly an interruption when someone knocks at the door. It's the first month of school, so late enrollees have never been unusual.
As soon as Adelaide opened the door, her jaw almost dropped on the floor as she saw the man standing in front of him. Her first love, her...
"Kaji?"
"Do I know you?"