C3 'Cause you're a sky full of stars, 'cause you light up the path

002

'Cause you're a sky full of stars, 'cause you light up the path

"Do you want to see the future with me?"

I heard the staff giggled upon hearing his words.

I rolled my eyes. "You're a playboy."

"Ouch!" He acted hurt. "We just met, and you're already judging me."

"We just met, and you're already flirting with me," I scoffed. "A playboy would flirt at someone they just met."

"I'm not flirting at you." He chuckled.

"Then, what do you call this?" I raised an eyebrow.

He placed my guitar beside the wall before turning to me again. His smile never left his face since we met. "It's called getting to know the girl you love."

"Woah," I wagged my hand between us. "You can't love someone you just met," I argued. "Right, guys?" I turned to the staff who was listening to us because this guy's voice was louder than the drops of the rain.

"It's called love at first sight," the manager grinned.

"Okay, wow. Thanks for the help." I replied sarcastically that made them laugh.

"Well, let me rephrase it." He placed his fingers under his chin. "It's called getting to know the girl you like."

"You like me already without even knowing me?" I rolled my eyes.

"I'm starting to like you more now that I'm talking to you." He licked his lower lip. "Should we start dating?" He asked, but his tune was actually stating.

"I don't date."

"Why not? Don't you like me? I'm handsome." He pointed at his face. "I've got thick eyebrows, well they're slight bends, and they perfectly suit my heart-shaped face."

I stared at him as he continued complimenting himself.

"My nose is pointed, unlike yours that is uh," he chuckled when I eyed him. "They're small and cute." He laughed like a baby. "I also have red lips." He pouted.

I tried hard not to punch him in the face because I might ruin his pretty face considering he was so proud of it.

"I am a busy person, so I don't have time for you." I cut him off. I pretended to read my books, so he would stop. Well, he didn't stop.

"Don't worry about that." He pulled his chair closer to me. "I'll be the one to give you time."

I sighed. "My best friend is a nursing student just like you, so I know how busy you are too. Stop playing around," I ordered him like a boss, hoping he would obey. "Don't you have something to do?"

He crossed his arms while looking at me. "I have."

"Then do it," I commanded. I picked up my colored pens to truly start reviewing.

"I am already doing it." He smiled.

I ignored him for about a minute praying he would stop staring at me, but gosh, I was losing my patience. "Stop ogling me." I frowned.

"I'm studying." He said, laughing. The staff started to tease us. My gosh! Like, duh!

"Since when did staring became studying?"

"When I'm with you." He smiled.

I choked and was speechless when he started studying my face.

"This is your frontails." He pointed at my forehead down to the side of my left eye. "Orbicularis oculi, then this one is your nasalis," he said staring at the bridge of my nose.

I felt awkward when his eyes turned to my lips. "Orbicularis oris." He smiled with gritted teeth.

I rolled my eyes and looked the other way. Yet, he still captured my smile. Fine, I have a thing for guys who's studious.

"There you have it. You finally smiled." He placed his elbow on the table as he bent closer to see me.

"You are trying to make me smile, huh." I moved my head sideways.

"I'm trying to shed light in your eyes because they seem so dark," he said seriously.

"Oh, my life is the very definition of darkness you wouldn't want to know." I turned the other way because I hate the way he was staring. I felt like crying in a minute remembering how messed up my life was.

It took him another minute before finally saying, "Allow me to be your everglow."

I stared at him, thinking of what to say.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" He playfully smiled.

"Like what?" I acted innocent and turned the other way.

"Like you're imagining me naked."

"What the!" I hissed in disbelief. "For the record, you're not my type." I lied. Of course, there's no way I was going to tell him he was exactly my type. Uh. I hate his smile because they're too bright.

"What is your type?"

"Someone's not you."

"I can still make you fall for me." He winked.

"Okay, I'm out here." I hissed. But honestly, he cheered me up even though he was saying non-sense.

"You can't go. It's still raining." He stared outside, and the rain kept on pouring heavy. "How about we sing?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I will study. I'm busy." I emphasized every word.

"Our voice sounds great together, so come on let's duet." He pleaded like a kid trying to cry for candies.

"No, please, just give me a moment of silence." I showed him the books I need to read for our quizzes. "I have things to do. Okay?"

"Okay. Choose, then." He crossed his arms. "Are you going to sing with me, or I'm going to keep talking until the rain stops."

I stared at him. We stared at each other for a minute until I felt like melting so I looked the other way. He definitely has charming eyes.

"You really won't shut up?"

"Yes, I can talk all night," he proudly said. "I never run out of words."

"Just one song, and you'll shut up because I need to study." I picked my guitar on the side when he demanded four songs.

"One."

"Three?" He pouted.

"One." I strongly said.

"I'm a fan of Coldplay too, so how about we sing both of our favorites." He offered to play the guitar.

"Fair enough. You go first." I lend him the guitar.

He smiled like he won a lottery before strumming. What is he going to sing?

He coughed a little as he turned to me while his hand started to pair with the guitar.

"When you try your best but you don't succeed..."

I froze. How? How do you do that? I wanted to ask him how, but all I could do was to stare at him and listen to every line he sang.

"When you get what you want but not what you need. When you feel so tired but you can't sleep stuck in reverse..."

How can you make me speechless with your voice when I've also got an amazing voice?

When the tears come streaming down your face

'Cause you lose something you can't replace

When you love someone but it goes to waste

What could it be worse?

"What? You're just going to stare at me?" He tapped my shoulder and I felt embarrassed realizing he caught me staring at him. Not only staring but okay - admiring him. Damn! Why do I need to meet this guy?

He smelled trouble.

"It's my favorite song too," I lied. "So, let's just sing one song," I ordered and started to sing with him. I tried hard to avoid his gaze. I calmed myself, but I guess my voice was too obvious because I missed a few notes.

I was jittering. He might think I like him which obviously I don't. Okay, maybe he's my type, but ---- I screamed inside myself as he kept on singing. He would literally be the end of me if he kept on staring like that. Like I was some kind of goddess or whatever.

Gab! Pull yourself together!

"So..." He left it hanging.

I cleared my throat. "Let's study."

I heard him laugh before turning to his things.

I started to study, but I couldn't focus. I could feel his stare, and when I looked at him, he would look away with a playful smile on his face.

"Stop watching me," I scolded. "You're creeping me out. I can't focus."

He chuckled. "I like the fact that you can't focus because of my presence."

"It's not a compliment, dude. Stop being close, we're not close!" I exclaimed.

He shrugged. He pulled his chair close to me and started opening his notes. I caught a glimpse of his drawing of a muscular system. I wondered what other talents he got. Well, not that I care. I was just glad he stop talking, and we both found silence together.

Two hours had passed, and the rain started to slow down. I packed up my things. I needed to catch the last bus on my way home. Little raindrops wouldn't kill me.

"What's your name?" he asked as he arranged his things inside his bag.

"Let us stay as strangers with memories," I replied.

"You know my name." He stood up.

"I would forget it soon," I said as I picked my guitar and started going out.

"Do you believe in fate?" He was serious when I turned to him. I told him, no, but it was a lie. "Okay. I believe in God's time, so let me get your details the next time we see each other again." He handed me his yellow folding umbrella. "I live nearby, so just use it for your guitar."

I hesitated but decided to keep it. I don't have a guitar case because Zee told me she was customizing it.

"Thanks."

I didn't promise to give it back to him because I was sure we wouldn't see each other again. There are people we only meet once in our life. I believed he was one of the people destined to be part of my life for just a day.

"Give it back when we meet again." He winked.

"We're not going to meet again," I reacted. "How sure are you we are going to meet?"

"I'm not sure, that's one thing." He placed his fingers under his chin. "However, I would like to believe we are going to meet again because from now on I will be praying for you."

He left me speechless again. Should I pray?

I prayed too. I always prayed that my family would accept my choices and decisions, but He didn't listen to me, so I stopped praying. It's not because I no longer believed in Him. I just got tired.

I got tired of believing that everything happens for a reason because whatever reason it is, you could never deny the fact that my life was fucked up.

Okay, I know I chose this. But I won't be having this choice if my parents gave me my own choice.

I was blaming them, and part of blaming was revenge. So I definitely have to be a lawyer to prove that I could live without them.

I could if they stop involving their contacts in my life.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Tan, but we don't hire students," the manager lied. Their ads said that they're looking for a student. One second later, or should I say my last name made them change their mind.

Should I change my last name too?

"It's okay. You can tell me that my family will give you trouble if you hire me," I faked a smile. "Do me a favor, if you happen to see my mother. Tell her if she thought this would make me crawl back to them, she's wrong." I flipped my hair and walked out.

Missy was waiting at the door of the shop. "Is she wrong?" she asked.

I would prove them they're wrong.

"Just live with us," she added.

"I wanted to, but my family will give you problems if they knew."

"I wanted to know how influential your family is. Can they buy a person?" she asked, curious.

"Oh, you wouldn't want to know." I groaned in frustration. "My sister fell in love with a guy they don't like. You know what happened?" I smirked. "You wouldn't want to know."

"That's why you don't date, right? A lot of guys have been asking you, but you never said yes to any of them."

"It's complicated," I replied. "Let's not talk about it. I need to go to work."

"At least accept this money from me." She was about to pull something from her pocket when I stopped her.

"I'm fine. I still have money to pay my bills."

"Are you sure?" She looks concerned.

"Yes, I still have money."

She looked at me one last time before parting ways. She didn't believe me. Of course, I lied. I always lied. Honestly, I don't have money to pay my bills. I haven't paid my rent for the last two months and if I don't pay now, I would probably be living in the streets tomorrow.

Uh, I don't really know what to do.

If only I could pray for someone to save me.

"I'm losing hope," I whispered to myself. "I'm tired."

I looked up at the sky to stop my tears from falling. I counted the stars my eyes could reach until my neck hurts. I looked crazy as I stood outside the bistro, but I don't care. I just want to have peace of mind and to breathe air before going inside the bistro to sing. Honestly, I no longer have the energy to work.

"You can do it, Gab." I cheered myself. "It's for your future."

I closed my eyes and tried to remember the lesson for our recitation, but all I could imagine were the bills I needed to pay. Where would I get money enough to pay for all my expenses?

I almost jumped upon hearing a familiar voice I thought I would never hear again. How many weeks have passed since I heard it? "Look at the stars, Look how they shine for you and everything you do."

I stood still and felt his presence beside me. I did not open my eyes, hoping he would continue the song.

"Yeah, they were all yellow," he did continue the song. "I came along. I wrote a song for you and all the things you do, and it was called Yellow."

I opened my eyes and met his gaze. He smiled at me. What was his name again? Who would have thought I would see him again.

Should I believe in him?

Should I believe when he said he prayed for me?

Because I might start to pray for someone to light up my dark.

"So, then I took my turn. Oh, what a thing to have done and it was all yellow." He surveyed me from head to toe. "You're wearing yellow," he stated.

"What are you doing here?" I asked because it's my first time to see him in this bistro where I've been singing for the last years.

"My feet brought me here." He winked. "So, what's your name?" He offered his hand to me. "I'm Lauyton Diem Israel Elarde."