My Love Pattern

Chapter 6 (Bite me)

"OMG, this spot is totally cool! Like, sometimes, it's just way better to bring your own grub and chill at school instead of always hitting up fancy joints or random fast food, you know?” I chatted with Adel as I cracked open my lunch box, and we were in my room because I'd invited her over.

"Yeah. You were all like, 'I want something new,' so here you go, something brand new," Adel remarked.

"What did you get in your food?"

"I have no idea; I always tell our chef to surprise me." As she popped open her lunch box, I spotted a baked chicken leg surrounded by veggies and covered in sauce.

"That looks amazing, let me try it," I said, taking one using my fork. I looked so excited as if I hadn't tasted something like it before, even though I was already sick of it. "I almost forgot to tell you, my brother Marshall finally bought me a car! It's his birthday gift for me!"

Adel's mouth dropped in surprise. "No way..."

"Yes! Finally, I can drive myself and travel independently rather than relying on drivers." I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

"Totally, and now we can throw parties wherever, no stress about the driver ratting you out to your handsome brother, haha."

"Yeah, as if they don't have more important things to worry about. I'm not exactly a fan of wild parties all the time. I'd rather have evening get-togethers, you know, with wines and a variety of cocktails. Gosh! That's pure heaven."

"True! But anyway, it's good you learned how to drive quickly?"

"Of course! I asked driver to teach me, so I know how—"

I paused in my speech as I remembered what happened earlier, how I struggled to park and almost got late. "Well... Almost," I continued disappointedly.

"Why though?"

"I mean, I do know how to drive, but parking is like my kryptonite. I was so stressed earlier because I couldn't nail the parking part... It's kind of embarrassing, but luckily not too many people witnessed my little garage fiasco. I must've looked like a total fool!"

"Hahaha, what a mess. So, how did you manage to park?"

I took a deep breath. "Well, earlier, uh... Jeal arrived." I hesitated in sharing.

"Wha..." Adel stopped mid-bite, placed down her utensils, and looked at me with a combination of surprise and confusion.

"Yes, Jeal, the Ramirez guy."

"And what, did he save you from being foolish?"

I widened my eyes.

"Hahaha, sorry, I mean, did he help you? That’s so romantic..."

"Adel, stop," I looked around to make sure no one overheard our conversation about Jeal. "He didn't help me because I did not let him."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Why would you do that? He's just being nice; you're being so mean, girl."

"Pff, whatever, I bet he's doing it on purpose. He's checking if I can't park so he can figure out how dumb I am and tease me later."

"You're so judgmental. Who knows? Maybe he genuinely cares!"

I faced her with confusion. "Him? Cares? Wait, are you on his side or my side?"

She shrugged calmly. "I don't know, maybe side to side, haha."

"Very funny," I rolled my eyes.

I grabbed my tumbler right after finishing my food. Taking a sip before speaking, I said, "I don't really like him, his vibe, it's just... you know... Like... Presko? Acting all cool and alpha, besides being... um... good-looking, I guess that's all he's got, nothing more."

Adel chuckled softly. "I know you're not a fan of those types. You're like anti-guys because you seem to dislike almost everyone you come across."

"I'm not anti-guys. I just can't stand their attitudes. I wonder why some girls are drawn to them."

"So, you're not a fan of Jeal? Maybe you secretly like him, that's why you're annoyed; he's surpassed your standards or something."

"He's not my type! I don't think he's that excellent; he seems like a flirty guy. And neglectful of studies. Guys who have a good face but no manners and brains are useless," I stated straightforwardly.

Adel showed a soft smile. "So, what's your type? A guy who's already a CEO at the age of 20? Young golf captain and dean's lister? Good-looking and very kind?"

I blushed as I nodded. "Yep! Exactly! But those kinds of men are too good to be true," I chuckled for a moment before sighing.

"Too good to be true? I was describing Jeal," Adel said.

I abruptly stopped laughing and looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"Maybe Jeal, the guy you hate the most, is too good to be true?"

I furrowed my brow. "Adel, what are you talking about? He's a CEO, Golf Captain, and—"

"Yep! Everything I described earlier!"

I forced myself to laugh. "You're joking, right?"

She grimaced. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Stop kidding me right now. You can't be serious, come on! Yiee, you're trying to make me laugh."

She laughed. "I'm amused, but I'm serious! If you want, ask someone else, or better yet, search about him yourself."

Surprise disappeared from my face, replaced by a blank expression as I turned to look out the window. "Never mind; why would I? Whoever he is, I'm not interested. It's such a waste of time," I calmly stated.

Adel nodded, a sign that she didn't want to argue with me. We both fell silent after that.

After a few seconds, I thought I could stick to what I said, convincing myself that I didn't care. But right now, I couldn't shake off the feeling of curiosity. "Adel," I called her seriously as she was engrossed in her cellphone.

"Oh?"

"Tell me... How on earth does he juggle everything? And how... a CEO at 20? Is that even possible? What does he know?"

Her eyes widened, and she momentarily fell silent in response to my intense questioning. Instead of answering, she shot me a furrowed brow.

"Adel!" I called her again. She pursed her lips.

"He's the CEO of their company, but only temporarily. I don't think he's bad at managing it, what do you think? Maybe he's excellent, not like what you're thinking about him."

"Why would they let a young guy like him handle the business? Is it a small company?" "It's a big business, girl. They've got multiple branches."

"But—How?!"

"And now you’re super curious? Nyee... You judge everyone so much, yet all the traits you like in a man are in him."

I lost my words. I crossed my arms and squinted my eyes at her. "And why do you know so much about him? Are you his stalker?"

Adel paused from applying blush on her face. "Stalker right away? Can't I be just curious?"

I scoffed. "Psh, curious? Liar."

"Or..." She looked at me carefully. "... You are the liar."

For the rest of the school day, I kept myself occupied. I had to focus on my studies because that's what I wanted. Responsibility. I lowered my pen and briefly looked at what was written in my notebook to review it.

"How the hell?" I frowned when I remembered Jeal again. One of the reasons I kept myself busy was because I couldn't stop thinking about it. I didn't know if Adel was serious, but it was impressive.

Imagine the amount of hard work, stress, and real skill in time management required to be able to do all of that. That's impressive.

Wait... Did I just compliment him? Well... I did, but it's just for now! I would never say something like that in front of him. But I don't know! Maybe even though he's a CEO or captain, he still has other unattractive sides.

Maybe he entitles himself too much to be a leader just to impress girls... Or... He's a CEO, so probably he's arrogant! I grabbed my bag and placed my notebook, book, and pen inside.

I initially planned to stay at school for a little while even though it was time to go home, but I couldn't focus. So, I decided to go home.

I smiled widely when I saw my car in the garage, neatly parked.

"Don't worry, I know how to park now, so we won't be late again," I said to my car before getting inside and preparing it for departure.

Well, I was a bit conscious because, compared to earlier, there were more cars in the garage now, and it seemed harder to get out.

"Well, I know the parking technique, so maybe it's just the same." I said, starting to take my car out, but like earlier, I struggled.

"Ugh! Why can't I get out?" I exclaimed in frustration, mirroring my previous attempts by moving back and forth, but with no success. The passage felt narrower than before; that must be it! If it was the same as before, it might not be that challenging!

I inhaled and exhaled before continuing, trying not to lose hope. "Okay... I got it, just turn to the right, then try to—"

"Again? I thought you were fine?"

I paused in my attempt to turn right when I heard someone speaking from the side. When I looked, it was Jeal. He wore his usual passionate and delicate smile.

"What are you talking about? I-I'm not—"

"Save the lies. Don't make it difficult for yourself, Miss Margot. Don't let pride get in the way."

I calmly smiled at him. "Thank you, but I really don't need help."

He crossed his arms. "The guy who offered to help you earlier, that's Gabriel, my friend."

"What?" My eyes widened.

"Yes, I asked him to assist you after he finished some work on his car, but it wasn't necessary anymore because you asked for help yourself," he raised a single brow.

I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling stressed and defeated. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't accept help from me."

I stayed silent for a moment after he said that. "Are you concerned about me?"

"I'm helping you. So you won't struggle next time," he shifted the topic, approaching my car. My mouth opened, but no words came out. I bit my lip and subtly looked down.

"Don't want it?" he asked after a while.

"Uhm... So?" I replied, pretending to check something in the backseat.

"Move back," he said, walking to the side of my car to guide me on where to reverse.

I followed his instructions and moved back.

"More," he instructed again.

"Okay," I moved back again.

"More," he tapped my car lightly with his hand.

"But it's too far already!"

"Listen to me."

I took a deep breath. "Okay, fine."

"If you want this done smoothly, stop nagging and do whatever I say," he said playfully, smiling. I just rolled my eyes.

I avoided eye contact because his smile was contagious, and I found myself smiling too.

"All settled, have a good ride, Molina," he said, ready to leave.

"Hey, wait, uhm..." I stepped out of the car to get closer to him.

He turned to face me, looking confused.

"I just want to say... T-Thank you," I struggled to say while avoiding eye contact.

He was about to speak when I interrupted.

"But! I hope you don't think that... I'm stupid or something. And don't brag about helping me. Forget about it and move on."

He raised an eyebrow. "I won't brag."

"Yeahhh... I believe you, nye nye, blah blah," I said sarcastically and rolled my eyes again.

He chuckled, amused. "What's your problem with me, ma'am?" he asked, laughing.

"I'm sure even with this situation, you won't think you're better than me at anything. Because you're not. Understand?"

The corner of his mouth lifted, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Hah... Wow, your dedication is one of a kind."

"Yeah, are you impressed?" I snorted.

He smirked. "Not really. To be completely honest, it's hard to impress me these days."

"Really?" I narrowed my eyes at his words, looking at him like a serial killer ready to strike if he said something I didn't like.

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

"Why? And how can I impress you?"

"You can't," he smiled.

I raised an eyebrow. "I will."

"You won't," he insisted.

"Then... bite me," I said, tossing my shoulder with a bit of flair. "Rawr!" I added before quickly getting into my car. I even saw his

face filled with confusion before driving off.