Zec (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER VI: Camouflage My Feelings

My love for you is bottomless… 

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I’m so excited to surprise my beloved!

Before 6 AM, I arrived back in Manila and went first to my house to cook Milena’s favorite bacon and eggs breakfast meal. I showered and changed to my uniform then I went to their house. Good thing she gave me a duplicate key last year!

At their house, I placed my home cooked meal breakfast with love at their dining table. Then I checked her room and found her sleeping like a baby.

I gently shook her shoulders, “Hey Mi, wake up…”

She mumbled, “Hmm…Go away intruder! I’m still sleepy!”

I continued waking her up, “Get up your lazy bones!”

She tried to whisk my hands away from her and annoyingly mumbled, “Please give me five more minutes!”

I hysterically laughed at her cuteness! She loves asking for more minutes of sleep! That’s why her alarms should’ve several snooze times. I jumped up and down her bed to annoy her more. Soon, she slowly opened her eyes and looked for her eyeglasses. I helped putting it on her. I liked to do that, so I could’ve a moment to stare at her beautiful face. I smiled at her slightly angry reaction. I successfully disturbed her sleep! She threw a pillow at me and she laughed when it hit my face!

I massaged my hurt nose and said, “Gah! Why did you do that! Just wake up already! You always ask for five more minutes! I am sorry my friend, but I am not Miss Isabel!”Milena suddenly sat up. She was taken by surprise and asked, “What? How did you know that? You’re not even my classmate! And you are absent yesterday!”

“Of course! I am the great Cez! Especially now that you have a new friend. So, when did the two of you started hanging out? Yesterday, during and after class, you’re glued to her! I’m gone for a day and all of that happened! Spill the beans, Millie Jeans!”, I said with a smugness that caught her attention.

“Am I really that blind not to see you? Or you obtained the power of invisibility?”, she asked curiously and changing the topic so quickly!

I threw her back the pillow, “Don’t change the subject! When did you and that spoiled brat become friends?”

She froze a little and slowly said, “Ahem… Azil and I... umm, we’re friends since we started our sophomore year.”

She’s avoiding eye contact. I felt like she’s hiding something from me! Aside from the fact that they kissed!

“Really? You’re friends? I didn’t know that!”, I suspiciously asked.

“You know…umm… we’re not really close before but we…umm… tried hanging out yesterday. And… she’s fun to be with! I think that you’ll like her too!”

Nah! I’ll never like that brat! She’s hesitating to tell me the whole truth! I continued my prying questions, “So… What’s change? I mean, you’re not close to her before but why start now?”

She deflected my questions easily by saying, “Well, your best friend is so friendly, and I felt like I needed to accommodate all my fans!”

I playfully pinched her arm but I couldn’t argue with that! She’s friendly to all and anyone would be lucky to have her as their best friend! I then body wrestled her, so I could have an excuse to hug her! I really miss her!“

Zec! You’re so heavy! You need to start checking your weight daily! I need to sleep more. It’s too early. I still have an hour before my wake-up time.”

Zec?! A reverse endearment of Cez. So, she didn’t want to call me her princess and queen anymore? That slightly stung my heart. I playfully pinched her cheeks before getting off her and laughed at my own bitterness.

She closed her eyes again and planned to take another nap, but I said, “I already made you breakfast. Your favorite bacon is waiting for you. Let’s eat then we’ll go somewhere else before going to school. You know, I miss---”

After she heard bacon, she hurriedly went downstairs while shouting, “Why didn’t you tell that first!”

That rude kid! I’m still talking to her! Bacon’s really her favorite! My arms automatically hugged her pillows and my nose sniffed her scent. What the heck?! I am so obsessed with you, Milena! My body parts have their own minds! I followed her at the kitchen after I neatly laid her pillows and blanket on her bed.

I saw her with a mouthful of food! She’s eating like there’s no tomorrow! She didn’t act like a poised lady, but I still love her so much!

I sat beside her and watch her eat heartily, “Wow, Mi! You really have an appetite for bacon! Oh! Why are you so rude to me?! I’m still talking to you and you left me there! Am I the only one who misses you? I miss you even if it’s just yesterday!”

“Zec, you know that I love bacon so much as I love you! And you’re my favorite cook, my great house cleaner, and my best person to do my laundry!”

She called me Zec again! Why did she change her endearment for me? Am I not suited to be her princess anymore? And why is she saying that I’m her cook, cleaner and laundry person? I am not her personal maid!

She hugged me, but I slapped her arms and pushed her away, “Am I your best friend or your best maid?”

She pouted and said, “Of course! You’re my best… maid, joke! You are the bestest best friend I ever had! So, where are we going later, my besty? Make sure we can still be on time for school. There are so many school activities for this week. We cannot miss a day. I told one of your classmates to let you copy all the homeworks they had yesterday.”

She hugged me again and I hugged her back. How could I resist such cuteness! She’s so sweet to worry about my homeworks!

“Oh thanks! Don’t worry. We’ll go first to a grocery store then to our house before going to school. We’ll just buy some bacon to replace what I took from our refrigerator. My sister’s favorite is bacon too. She’ll be mad when she found out I took hers. Oh, I also have souvenirs from where I was.”

“Okay. Start heating up my water, please. I want to bathe with a lukewarm bath water.”

I pinched her sides and said, “Wow! I’m really your maid! I’ll prepare the heated water, Your Majesty! A very hot boiling water to scrape up all your skin! You don’t need to scrub all the dirt! Free skin dirt removal!”

I stood up and went to her bathroom and started heating water for her. I whisper-shouted to myself, “You’re so lucky I love you this much! I could be your maid for the rest of your life in exchange for you to love me back!”

After she showered and grabbed her things for school, we went to the grocery store. We bought bacon and some snacks for my younger sister then we went to my house. I gave her the heart keychain I made with all my heart and gave her some delicacies too. We’re chit-chatting along the way to school.

“Zec, I wanted to travel to Ilocos too! Why didn’t you invite me?”

I wanna say, “How could I? You’re the reason I went there!” 

But instead, I said, “I was going to invite you during our lunch last time! But then you ran off and I didn’t find you after our last class period. So, I went home early.”

“Duh! You can inform me via call or text!!”

But I was hurt! You dummy Millie!

I cleared my throat and answered, “I changed my mind when I went home. I thought that maybe you’re busy and didn’t have enough time to tour with me. I just visited Grandma there.”

You’re so busy locking lips with that freakish spoiled brat!!!

“Why didn’t you make your vacation a week? One day is too short to enjoy Ilocos. You missed all the good spots!”

Did she think that I enjoyed my day there? I sulked inside my room all day! I cried for hours and didn’t have the appetite to eat! I missed her and she wanted me gone for a week?! She’s so unfair! 

I didn’t realize I said my thoughts out loud, “If I did that, you’re the one I’ll be missing! A day without you is incomplete. How much more if it’s a week?”

“You are so cheesy, besty! You learned that from me!”

See? She’s so insensitive! Calling me best friend again and taking my feelings as a simple joke! Try to see inside my heart just for once! Good thing she’s too cute! I pinched both of her cheeks then wrapped an arm around her waist as I ruined her perfectly pony-tailed hair.

She laughed as I started tickling her sides. And she tried to tickle my sides too. We’re having our moment when someone interrupted us, “Ahem… You guys are so cheerful this morning!”.

We stopped our good-nature banter to look at the person who greeted us. She’s trying to kill me with her stare, but I embraced Milena tighter like I’m telling that she could never get Milena away from me!

Milena giggled like a lovestruck teenager, not aware of the tension between the brat and me, and greeted back, “Hello, Azil! Good morning!”

Azil suddenly pulled Milena away from me! My love gave an apologizing look as they ran off the other way. What happened yesterday and the night before? When did they become so close like this? Why did Milena let that spoiled brat dragged her by her arm?

After a minute, I decided to follow them. Milena forgot that we’re in the same class today. I told her earlier that I wanted to sit in with their class. Our school allowed students that were absent for a day or a week to sit in a different classroom if the subject and the teacher were the same. I looked around for Milena and the spoiled brat. I went to their classroom and saw that the substitute teacher was already there. I checked other classrooms and then the rest rooms.

I tried to open the door at a nearby rest room, but it was locked. I wondered if they lock themselves here.

I knocked, “Mi, are you in there? Your substitute teacher is already in your room. Come on!”

Nobody answered. I sighed. Where did that brat pulled my love? I looked again for them in different classrooms. We’re already late!I was about to make a turn back to their classroom when I saw a glimpse of them holding hands. They were inside that locked rest room! I clenched my fist over my chest when I felt that it’s like twisting from the inside. I am so hurt! 

There’s something that Milena’s not telling me! Something that I’m scared of --- something that will break my heart even more! 

I ran outside the school as I couldn’t help the tears fall from my eyes. I went straight to a bar and picked some hard drinks to make me drunk and numb the pain.

I received a text from Milena that she’ll just wait me at their room.

I replied, “Where did that spoiled brat pulled you? It’s hard to look for you. See you in class!”

I lied. I won’t attend the class with them. I checked my phone again, hoping that she’ll at least tell me where they’ve been. But she didn’t reply to my query. I switched my phone to silent mode and continued drinking. After an hour, my phone vibrated from the continuous text messages from Milena. She’s asking me where I’m at and she couldn’t find me at our usual hiding spots. At her last text she said that we needed to talk tomorrow. 

I have a feeling that she’ll tell me ‘good’ news for her but bad news to me!Were they a couple now? Did that brat took away my love from me officially? Should I keep hoping that she’ll love me back? I am not even recovering yet from being hurt and here she was pushing me back to the ground! Am I too late? Gah! I couldn’t take this anymore! My heart’s wrenching in pain!

I needed to drown my feelings by drinking alcohol! Maybe my heart will die and never shout for Milena’s name again. Someone said if you drink, you’ll lose some of your memories, right? Ah! This is just a nightmare! Yes! That’s right! A f*****g nightmare! Maybe tomorrow when I woke up everything will be back to normal! Or maybe it would be better if I would have an amnesia; there’s no pain if there’s no more memories of them.

Our friends sent me text messages too. They were asking me why I didn’t attend my classes again today. Some of them were scolding me for giving up my love easily. Some were teasing me that the brat (the pauper) won over me (the princess). I am fortunate to have friends like them. I wished Milena knows how much I love her too.

After an hour of sulking and drinking, I drunk dialed Milena’s number. She answered the call after the fifth ring, “Hey besty. Where are you? I searched for you everywhere, but I didn’t find you.”

How could you see me with your four eyes if you only see one girl! That spoiled brat!

“Hello… there Milena Suárez! My besty for life! Howdy! Are you sure you searched for me everywhere? Did you really try your best to find me? Did you not know that I am drowning here? Your beautiful best friend is drowning her feelings by drinking lots and lots of alcohol! I am so drunk, and I never felt so free! Free…. Free like a bird! Let’s have a drink sometimes! Alcohol tastes so good!”, I replied, having difficulty in my speech because of my slurred words.

“Where are you Zec? Wait for me there. I’ll fetch you.”

“Papa Bert’s Bar down the road. Country roads take me home to the place I belong.”

I laughed a little at my own joke. I heard she’s talking to someone as she prepared to go here. She didn’t want me to end our call as I wait, so I placed my phone at the table and I continued talking to her even though I know she’s not hearing me.

“You’re asking me to wait for you here. Alright I’ll wait. Even if you already loved someone else! I am too late! Don’t you know that I’m always waiting for you to love me back? The first day we met you already took my heart. And now you were holding a knife. Knife cuts like a knife how will I ever heal? I'm so deeply wounded… knife cuts like a knife you cut away the heart of my life… Because I love you, Mi. And I will always love you… You will always take my heart…”, I half sang as I laughed and cried. 

Gosh! Loving her made me a lunatic person!After a while, I dozed off to sleep. I heard Milena’s voice waking me up but I couldn’t open my eyes. 

Someone’s helping her to carry me home. I lean my head on the crook of her neck. I smiled as I inhaled her scent. I love you!

I’m half awake as they helped me to bed. Someone changed my clothes and assisted me when I suddenly stood up and ran to the bathroom to vomit. 

Milena forced me to drink some medicine and heard her snide remarks, “Hmph! That’s your taste of freedom! Here, drink this.” 

They settled me back to bed and then darkness consumed me.