My First and Last Love

CHAPTER THREE

TALKING with Bernard somehow made his heart lighter. This guy’s antics are really funny. That’s actually the first time he slept over in his room. He knew it would be that fun. He should have visited there often.

They were talking and laughing all night that they got flustered when the sky starts to get bright. It’s already morning and they still have to go to school. They just laughed at it though. Maybe because they both enjoyed each other’s company.

 And now, Bernard’s laughing hard at how his pants look so short on him. He’s 185 cm tall while Bernard is 174 cm. He said he’ll go home and change but Bernard did not allow him saying he might just decide not to go to school to avoid Thomas.

“I’m not going to wear this.”

“B-but it looks g-good on you!” Bernard who almost can’t talk clearly because of laughing too much.

But instead of feeling annoyed, seeing Bernard’s laugh made him smile.

“Thank you.”

“For what? For making fun of you?”

“For making me smile.”

“Well, I guess you should really thank me,” still laughing his heart out.

His gaze suddenly shifted to the table beside the bed. There’s a picture there that caught his attention. He’s sure that’s him when he was a kid but how come Bernard has it?

“Where did you get that picture? I mean, we only knew each other in junior high school but I’m sure that was me when I was around seven years old.”

“Well, it’s because you’re an idiot.”

“What?”

“You’re making me annoyed, Richard. You already saw that but you can’t still remember me,” the smile on Bernard’s face was replaced with irritation.

“Wait, remember you?” he frowns in confusion.

“Just forget it. I know your mind is still preoccupied with your break up that you can’t still remember your best friend number one even after seeing that photo. If you really don’t want to go to school looking like that, fine, go home,” Bernard said leaving him alone.

He wanted to go after him right away but it’s really awkward to wear Bernard’s pants. In the end, he decided to change his original pants. While changing and looking at the picture, that’s only when he realized the resemblance Bernard has with the kid in the picture.

“Best friend number one?”

“HEY, stop that! Don’t hurt him!” Bernard’s afraid he’d get in trouble but he’s really worried about this chubby kid they’re hurting and just crying. He must be a coward like him.

His dad always tells him to fight back whenever someone tries to bully him but he’s such a coward to do it. But surprisingly, for this kid that he doesn’t even know, he had that courage to fight off.

“Don’t hurt him!” he covered the chubby kid with his own body. “Ouch!” he complains when these evil kids start hitting him. “I said stop it!” he said before jumping to one of the four bullies. But the other two kids only pulled him up and start kicking him and the chubby kid again.

“Hey! What are you doing to my child?” he heard a woman’s voice.

That’s only when the bullies left.

“Are you okay?” the chubby kid asks him. Face covered with tears, drool, and snot.

He’s hurt and every time he’s hurt, he cries. But at that time, he laughed. “You’re so cute.”

The chubby kid looks like a dwarf in the storybook at school because of his big and pointed ears.

“Are you okay, son? Who are those kids?” the woman asked hugging the chubby kid. “Why did they hurt you?” she then moves near him and starts shaking off the dirt in his white shirt.

“I helped a friend. I’m brave now,” he said smiling.

“Help a friend?” looking at his son.

“Those kids took my food, mom. Then he came and helped me.”

“What a brave kid, indeed,” she pats his head gently. “Thank you for helping my son. What’s your name?”

“Bernard.”

“And I’m Channie,” the chubby kid said. “Thank you, best friend number one.”

“Best friend number one?”

“Yeah. I already have a best friend but I want you to become my best friend too because you helped me. So you’re now my best friend number one.”

“Okay. I don’t have a best friend so you’re now my best friend.”

Bernard pouted his lips in annoyance. “How could he not remember me? I remember his mom also took a picture of us in the hospital,” Richard’s mom brought them to the hospital and that’s where his mom picked him up. “Did they not keep it?”

“RIGHT! Best friend number one. That kid, Bernard. I remember his name now,” he said joyfully looking at the picture. It’s the kid he wished to see again one day.

It only means he’s been with that kid for so long and yet, he didn’t recognize him at all. And for Bernard to act like that, it only means he knew it was him since day one. But why didn’t tell him? He followed Bernard who’s luckily still downstairs.

“Hey, I’m sorry. You know how bad my eyes were back then, right? I even have those thick glasses that got broken because of those bullies. If you knew I was that friend from the start, why you didn’t tell me?”

“Because when I met you again, you didn’t recognize me. So what’s the point? I’d only get myself embarrassed,” resentment evident in his voice.

“But I remember you now. Well, I never really forgot what you did for me. You were my hero, Bernard. It’s just that, I wasn’t able to see your face clearly to remember. But maybe we’re really destined to become best of friends,” he said hanging his arm in Bernard’s shoulder. “So, best friend’s forever?”

“Whatever.”

“You’re still mad?”

“I’d really get mad if we get late!”

“Oh, right, it’s almost time!”

HE just let Richard pull him. They run until they reach the bus stop. His friend tried to make a conversation but he just answers him directly and short. He’s not in the mood to talk a lot. He’s not mad but he still feels down. Maybe because he lacks sleep? Or maybe because he didn’t like the words “best friend forever”.

Though Richard exposed his true self to him, he thinks there’s no way he can do the same and tell him about his feelings, about how he hates to be just his best friend. That it was that kid Channie who made him realize his true self. He was still young back then but with his young heart, he knows he felt something special for Channie.

When he got the chance to meet him again, that special feeling became stronger. That round kid is now a handsome giant. With this guy’s kind personality and astonishing visuals, only a fool won’t fall for him.

Even so, he got contented with the friendship because he thought, being around him would be enough. But after Richard’s confession, that he falls for men too, he had this little hope. He may be selfish but he somehow felt happy finding out that Richard and Thomas broke up. But after that best friend forever thingy, he suddenly felt like Richard just placed a boundary between them.