Until You See Me

Chapter 2

Alya stayed on her bed for a while, staring at the ceiling.

She was still embarrassed about what had happened downstairs.

But after several minutes of sulking, she finally sat up.

“No. I'm not giving up that easily.”

She got out of bed and walked toward her walk-in closet.

The outfit she had worn earlier wasn't something Alya normally wore. She had only started experimenting with more seductive clothes after turning eighteen because her friends insisted that Grey would notice her immediately if she wear that kind of dress.

*“Trust us, Alya. If you dress like that, Grey will surely look at you.”*

*“He might even get possessive.”*

So she had listened.

She wanted Grey to see her differently.

But apparently, none of it worked.

Grey had barely looked at her.

Alya sighed as she searched through her clothes.

“Maybe this is too much anyway.”

Her fingers stopped when she saw a yellow dress.

She pulled it from the rack.

It was much more modest than what she had worn earlier, but still seductive.

She found a matching yellow hairband with a little bow and placed it on her head.

“Perfect.”

Since Jericho was already angry about her previous outfit, Alya knew better than to come downstairs wearing something that would make her brother even more protective.

She sat in front of her vanity and started doing her makeup all over again.

A little blush.

A little lip tint.

A touch of mascara.

She carefully fixed her hair and placed the yellow bow on top.

When she finally looked at herself in the mirror, she smiled.

“I think I'm gorgeous.”

She tilted her head from side to side.

“This is not the time to feel embarrassed.”

A determined smile appeared on her face.

“I'll make sure Grey looks at me this time.”

This wasn't the first time Alya had tried to get Grey's attention.

In fact, everyone knew about her feelings for him.

Grey knew.

Her brother knew.

And the entire gang knew.

Jericho was especially unhappy about it. He had always been overprotective of Alya, even though the two siblings loved messing with each other whenever they had the chance.

But Alya couldn't help herself.

Whenever Jericho's friends came over, she would find every possible excuse to stay around them.

Sometimes, when the boys planned to hang out at Grey's house, she would even beg her brother to let her come along.

She was always there.

Always following Grey around.

Always trying to get him to notice her.

She remembered how Grey used to be so caring toward her when she was younger. He would tease her, look after her, and treat her like a little sister.

But everything changed after she confessed her feelings.

Since then, Grey had made it clear in every possible way that, to him, Alya was still just a child.

His best friend's little sister.

Someone he had known since she was young.

But to Alya?

Grey had never been a brother to her.

Her feelings for him were far too deep for that.

After almost two hours of getting ready, Alya finally left her room.

She smiled brightly as she walked down the stairs, quietly humming to herself.

This time, she wasn't going to embarrass herself.

She was going to impress Grey.

Her first plan was simple.

Dinner.

She headed straight to the kitchen.

If there was one thing Alya was willing to do for Grey, it was cook his favorite food.

She had actually been training herself to cook because of him. She had even hired a professional chef to teach her.

It was that serious.

She wanted to be good enough to cook for Grey someday.

Maybe, one day, she could prepare his favorite meals for him without even asking what he wanted.

Alya entered the kitchen with an excited smile.

“Manang Grace, I want to help cook!”

Manang Grace looked at her and smiled.

“Of course, Ma'am. But…”

Alya's smile immediately faded when she noticed her hesitation.

“But what?”

“The person you wanted to cook for left a while ago. Sir Jericho said they had somewhere to go.”

Alya blinked.

“They left?”

“Yes, Ma'am. Sir Jericho, Sir Nathan, Sir Jhaycee, and Sir Grey all left.”

She froze.

“And who's left?”

“Only Sir Bryan is still here.”

Alya's expression slowly fell.

All that time getting ready.

All that makeup.

The new dress.

The hairband.

And the cooking.

Everything she had planned for Grey...

Was wasted.

“Oh.”

Her voice became quiet.

She looked down at the kitchen counter.

“Hmm.”

Manang Grace gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Maybe they'll be back later, Ma'am.”

Alya forced a tiny smile.

“It's okay.”

She turned around.

“Never mind, Manang Grace. I'll just go upstairs.”

She walked out of the kitchen, her shoulders dropping.

The moment she reached her bedroom, she closed the door and walked toward her bed like a zombie.

Then—

*Flop.*

She collapsed onto the mattress.

Her face landed on the pillow.

“Why?”

She groaned.

“I spent almost two hours getting ready…”

She rolled onto her back and stared blankly at the ceiling.

“I even learned how to cook for him."

She pulled the blanket over herself.

“And he isn't even here.”

Alya stayed there, sulking for a while.

Eventually, she sighed and sat up.

Maybe today wasn't her day.

She looked at herself in the mirror one more time.

“Tomorrow.”

She nodded firmly.

“I'll try again tomorrow.”

And with that, Alya fell back onto her bed, already thinking about what she could possibly do next to make Grey Anderson finally notice her.

Alya had been lying on her bed for a while, still sulking about the whole situation, when suddenly—

*Knock. Knock.*

She lifted her head from the pillow.

“Wait a minute!”

Alya quickly got up from her bed and walked toward the door. She opened it and was greeted by a familiar face.

Bryan stood there with a wide smile, holding a plastic bag in one hand.

“Look what I brought you.”

Alya looked inside.

Her eyes immediately brightened.

“Mogo Mogo and siomai?”

Bryan chuckled.

“Your favorites. Do you want to eat with me?”

Alya's mood instantly improved.

She smiled at him.

“Sure.”

Bryan had always been the closest to Alya among Jericho's friends. She was close to all of them, but Bryan was different.

He was always the kindest toward her.

Whenever he went out, he would remember her favorite snacks and drinks. Whenever she was upset, he was usually the first one to notice.

In many ways, Bryan was like an older brother to Alya.

He also knew almost everything about her.

Including her biggest secret.

And, unfortunately for Alya, he knew just how much effort she had been putting into getting Grey's attention.

“Come on,” Bryan said. “Let's eat outside.”

They walked together to the gazebo in the garden.

The evening air was cool and peaceful, and the garden was quiet compared to the lively basketball court earlier.

They sat across from each other.

Alya immediately opened her Mogu Mogu drink and took a sip before grabbing a piece of siomai.

“You really know my favorites,” she said with a smile. “Thank you, Bryan.”

“You're welcome.”

Bryan watched her happily eat.

“You know, you're actually very easy to make happy.”

Alya raised an eyebrow.

“What does that mean?”

“I mean, most people your age ask for expensive things.”

He pointed at her food.

“But you're perfectly happy with Mogu Mogu and siomai.”

Alya laughed.

“Because they're good!”

“I know.”

Bryan smiled.

“You've always been like that. Simple things make you happy.”

Alya continued eating, her mood slowly returning to normal.

“You're probably the only person who remembers all my favorite foods.”

“Of course I remember. I've known you for years.”

Alya smiled warmly.

“That's why you're my favorite.”

Bryan laughed.

“Don't let Jericho hear that. He'll get jealous.”

“He should.”

They both laughed.

For a moment, Alya forgot about Grey.

Bryan looked at her quietly.

He knew she was a sweet and kind girl beneath all her stubbornness and dramatic attempts to get Grey's attention.

He also knew how much effort she had been putting into changing herself just so Grey would notice her.

And sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder how long Alya could keep chasing someone who barely looked back.

Still, he didn't say anything.

For now, he simply let her enjoy her favorite food.

“Eat slowly,” Bryan reminded her. “You're going to choke.”

Alya rolled her eyes.

“I'm fine.”

“Sure you are.”

She smiled.

For the first time that day, Alya didn't feel embarrassed or disappointed.

At least she had Bryan.

And somehow, having someone who genuinely cared about her made the evening feel a little less lonely.