MY PRETEND BOYFRIEND

Chapter 10

When Sophia got back to their practice area after using the restroom, she thought they were done, but...

"Are you ready? Let's continue practicing."

"Aren't we done yet?"

"Today, we will complete the eight basic chords."

Nakakainis naman. Her fingers will break first before they finish the session. She just wanted to cry.

"Laurel, for A minor, right fingertip on the 4th string and one on the 2nd."

"Yes." It was karma to have short fingers, as David said. She couldn’t reach what was destined for her.

"Try playing."

"I will do it."

Trung~

"Wrong."

"Umm."

"Try again, Laurel. Try your best."

She was trying! Ahh! She hated it. She just wanted to go home. She didn't want to play guitar anymore.

"It's wrong when you play it like that. Press on the strings firmly. You’re doing it as if you have no strength at all." The low voice that echoed was from David, who was sitting and watching her from afar.

"I can't help it. The strings are too old, and I’m in pain." Then the guitar in her hand was openly taken by David and replaced with a new guitar with his name on it.

"What is this?"

"My guitar. Now try playing."

"No need."

"Try it. The strings in my guitar are thinner."

"I don’t have strength anymore, and my fingers hurt so bad."

"Just try it! You troublemaker!"

"Do you really like that word?"

"Try the first chord. Chord C."

Okay. She knew the C chord starts with the hand on the second string, first row.

Finger... Which finger again? Ahh! She forgot. So, she just sat down, trying to remember what was taught to her earlier. David must be disappointed because he immediately pulled her middle and ring fingers on the guitar strings.

"Try to follow me." He exclaimed, and she followed him.

"..."

"Does it hurt?"

"No." Now she knew the feeling of playing David’s guitar.

"Keep playing it." Then, his tall body retreated to sit back in his chair. He made her play the same chord for ten minutes. She heard the seniors order the other juniors to prepare and go home. But David was still teaching and watching her, so she still couldn’t leave yet.

"Keep playing." He said with his cold voice.

"My fingers will break any time soon."

"Keep playing."

"I want to change the chord."

"Keep playing."

"Oy ano ba ‘yan!" She complained, but her hands were still playing and didn’t stop moving.

"Horan, Laurel, we will leave first. Please lock the door when you're done." They nodded, then focused back on practicing as if she were a professional artist who only knew one chord.

"Change it to E chord."

"Wait a minute."

"E."

"Okay. I have to remember it first. Can’t you wait?"

"Pagong ka talaga."

"I’m a beginner, of course! Gago ka ba?!"

"Hurry!" She tried placing her fingers anywhere. Honestly, she couldn’t remember chord E.

"Is this correct?"

"..." She heard a deep sigh from him.

She knew he was really disappointed now, so he sat beside her. He then pulled her fingers again to place them on the strings properly.

"Chord E is like this."

"Oh."

"Play it."

"..."

After that, all she heard were the words 'play it' and 'wrong' repeatedly for half an hour. The bones in her fingers were broken, emotionally. She was really in pain, and her arms were now tired. Also, her hands were tired. Even her breathing was tired. Everything about her was tired.

"That's enough." Finally! That sentence sounded from heaven. Once David said that sentence, her tears wanted to run down her face.

"Can I leave now? Here’s your guitar!"

"Wait!"

"Why?"

"Store your guitar in the corner of the room. Do it nicely. Leave it like that so the neck of the instrument doesn’t bend and get damaged."

"Why should I do it? I’m not the one who messed this up."

"Aren’t you going to play again tomorrow? Then clean it up. I’ll tidy up the other instruments."

“What is this?” She saw him just sitting in the same place, looking at her while she dragged her body and tired hands carefully adjusting each guitar.

Are these musical instruments or newborn babies? Damn!

"Done."

"Hey! Take this." David threw something to her.

"What is this?"

"Plasters."

"Thanks."

"You always mess things up."

"What are you saying?"

"..." He answered nothing.

She didn’t understand why other people said he was a shy guy when he always argued with her and drove her crazy.

"Pwede na ba tayong umuwi?" She didn’t want to argue with him anymore, so she asked him.

"Umm. Go home now."

"Don’t you want to go home yet?"

"Not yet. I wanna play a song."

"What song?" She asked while bending down to look at the thin music notebook placed on the table.

"Hindi mo siguro alam, ano, for sure."

"Don’t underestimate me. I’m a musicaholic! I know every band that exists."

"Desktop error." Erm—yes. Actually, she didn’t know that.

In the end, Sophia didn't leave just yet. Instead, she sat down again, feeling the urge to understand David better. She wanted to know what made him so different from the others, what made all the girls on campus swoon over him.

"I... probably never heard about this band. But..." she trailed off.

"Backstreet Boys."

"..."

"N*SYNC."

"..."

"5 Seconds of Summer."

"..."

"I know that band! That means moving and cutting, right?"

"Stupid. Learn to listen to other songs that you don't know."

"I will! But I'm afraid I'd be insane like you."

They lapsed into silence, only the gentle sound of David's guitar filling the space, a soft melody that seemed to caress the room. It was so soothing, almost like a lullaby, and Sophia felt her eyelids grow heavy.

"If you really like music like this, why don't you take up a major from the Faculty of Music?" Sophia couldn't help herself; her curiosity bubbled up. She had never really heard David talk about his major before.

"Because I am crazy about music, so I decided not to study it," David said, glancing up at her. "It's an interesting paradox."

"How? I just don't want to hate the things that I like. Besides, choosing to enroll in music is more stressful than just casually playing it. I don't want to sit down and learn about its history because it will bore me. I just want to play anytime, play whenever I want, without being forced by anyone. Without the need for exams. You understand that, right?"

"Yes. You are really insane."

"What about you? Why did you study law? Do you like it so much?"

"No. I'm good at everything except law."

"It's the same with me."

"So, what song are you playing?"

"Sleep Tight (03:00 AM) from Solitude is Bliss."

"Huh?"

"This is a band that writes philosophical songs and there is no love song on this album. Try listening to this song on YouTube. You might be able to see ghosts at the end of your bed at 3 am."

"Damn! You bastard."

"Afraid of ghosts?"

"Well, look at my mouth—"

"Go ahead."

"I-am-not."

"That's it?"

"Yes. That's it. I'm a Prince of Law, not only by my good-looking face but also by my good heart."

"What are you talking about?"

David didn’t seem to understand, and Sophia sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Nathaniel..." she started, but David didn't look up, too engrossed in his guitar.

"Umm?" he mumbled, barely acknowledging her.

"I'll cut to the chase."

"Umm," he murmured again, still not looking up. He kept playing.

She waited for him to notice her, but he didn't stop, so Sophia grew more determined. "Be my boyfriend."

"..."

"Just pretend that you are my boyfriend. Please? I don't want to be bothered by Adrian anymore. You know I joined this club for you to help me."

"No way."

"Sophia, please. Help me?"

"You should reap what you sow."

"I didn’t sow anything. Destiny pushed me into it."

"Then tell him you don't like him."

"I already did, but he didn't listen."

"That's your problem."

"Then I'll give Adrian to you. I'll tell him to chase you."

"You think that's funny?"

"I'll tell him you like him."

"You want to get hurt, right?"

"You think I'm afraid of you?" Sophia took a step back teasingly, almost like a thief trying to sneak away.

But before she could reach the door, something fell from the doorknob. It was a bag of snacks from David's fans, the usual gifts that were now strewn across the floor.

"Damn! Snacks from your fans again."

She cursed as she saw food wrappers scattered everywhere, each with David’s name on it. Then, something caught her eye: a note with an unknown number written on it.

"Don't forget to eat your snacks!" it said.

"Mom? Is that from you?" she wondered aloud.

"Hey! That's mine." David's thick hands grabbed the snacks away from her, clearly possessive.

"So what?"

"You have a lot of snacks. Why take mine?" she asked, still holding the paper with her name on it, but she couldn't read the sender’s name.

David didn’t respond. He just scribbled something on the note in his terrible handwriting and handed it back to her.

"Okay."

"What okay?"

"I'm okay with it. Yes!"

"What the hell are you saying?"

"Okay. Pumapayag na ako."

"..."

Sophia blinked, confused, wondering what had just happened. Her mind went completely blank as she stared at the paper.

David's words were clear: Don’t forget to eat your snacks! I am now your boyfriend.

-David

Her heart raced. Could she really believe it? David? Her boyfriend? Was it for real?