The Perks of Being Heartless

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Everyone inside the venue was hyper especially the participants. The organizers announced that the program will start after a couple of minutes. We can't hide the excitement we are feeling right now.

"God, this is it!" Mae said while shaking me.

“You know what, Mae? If this coffee I’m holding spills, I will not hesitate to plunge this serviette inside your mouth,” I said seriously.

Mae pouted and looked at the writing on her serviette. “You have two weeks to end this case,” is what’s written on hers. I concluded that her serviette is meant for mystery/thriller writers. I was supposed to have the same serviette. I wonder why I ended up getting this stupid serviette for romance writers.

“Alex, I have something to tell you–” Mae didn't have the chance to finish what she was about to say when someone caught our attention. A man wearing a gray V-necked shirt, faded jeans, and glasses was standing on the stage.

“Good day, writers!” He started. “I am Nicholas Valerio, the editor-in-chief of Silver Publishing Inc. and I have an announcement to make,” he introduced.

“We, the Silver Publishing staffs, proudly announce to everyone that the grand writing contest for this year has now officially started. You will collaborate with other writers who have participated for this year's grand writing event and start planning and/or constructing your manuscripts. Submission of all entries will be on the last day of this month of July, and the result will be released after a month; for we will evaluate all submitted manuscripts properly and fairly. We guarantee you a fair and square evaluation for all of your manuscripts,” he declared. A woman wearing a simple shirt and denim jeans went up on stage. The Nicholas guy gave her the mic with a very sweet smile.

“Hello, everyone! I'm Sarah Velasquez,” she started. The woman glanced at Nicholas and she blushed when she caught him staring at her. Now that’s what we call cringe-worthy.

I got distracted when someone whistled from behind. I lost track of what Sarah was talking about because of that. I looked at my back and I was surprised and annoyed at the same time when I saw the man who approached me earlier was standing behind me, whistling.

“Stop that. What you’re doing is annoying. And oh, stop being so malicious. Who knows! Those two is coincidentally together just because of work,” I said without looking at him. His mere presence is annoying. That's enough.

“Your conclusion might be right. But eventually, those two will fall in love with each other just like some cliché stories in books. That's how love works. It’s unpredictable,” Russell replied while still wearing the same smile he had a while ago. I got more annoyed with his reply. Seriously, is he playing as Cupid now?

“Let me tell you this, Mr. Romantic. Not all people fall in love with someone just because they have been together for a long time. And one more thing, you should always separate work from love. You'll be a mess if you combine these two,” I argued.

“Ms. Bitter, love isn't always a distraction as strict parents always say. Sometimes, it can be your driving force to move and despite the struggles and failure in achieving success.”

I pressed my lips together to stop myself from shouting at him. I could feel my blood boiling. The heck! This man is a love believer and it’s gross. I think he's gay.

I shot a brow up at him. “Are you a romance writer?” I asked. He smiled and nodded. So that explains it. Pathetic!

“Now I know why you are so corny,” I grimaced after saying those words. He suddenly frowned and gave me a ‘you-are-unbelievable’ look.

“Woah! Hey there. I'm not corny. You're just bitter,” he mocked.

“I'm not bitter. I'm just stating the facts here,” I said.

“Don't you believe in love?”

I was caught off guard and fell silent. I didn't respond. I turned my back away from him instead. I tried to focus my attention towards Sarah but Russell's manly scent bothered me. Can't he sense that I don't like him around me? Damn this man.

“Love… there’s nothing bad. It's somehow magical. You just have to embrace and feel it,” he whispered. Is he talking to me?

I took a deep breath before responding. “Love isn't magical. Science can easily explain what love is. We can actually live without love,” I answered.

He creased his forehead but then gave out a sarcastic laugh. “I never thought that women like you who hate love still exist.”

“Not all people are like you who are so into the idea of love.”

“Guys,” Mae interrupted. “I think we should keep quiet so that we can hear the mechanics properly,” she added. She looked at me suspiciously and then returned her gaze at the stage before I can even protest.

We did what she said. I moved away from Russell and focused myself in front.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the contest, as decided by the board, will be in a form of collaboration to reinforce cooperation. Four aspiring writers will work on one manuscript. You are given three weeks. You can submit your entries to our email address or you can visit our office. After a month, we will meet again for the announcement of winners,” Sarah said.

“So, as Sarah said,” Nicholas started to speak again. “We already grouped you into four members according to your genre,” Nicholas looked at his clipboard.

“For horror category!” there was no sound. Complete silence engulfed the room. The contestants are waiting for their names to be called. The room was filled with tension in every corner.

This is it. If I succeed here, this will be a big break for me. I should be very thankful to Mae for she was the reason I was luckily accepted as a participant, and I’m now part of this competition.

“Mae, we will be partners for sure,” I said excitedly.

“Alex, sorry,” she said. I frowned but I chose to keep it for myself for now. I let Mae talk and I was shocked by what I've heard from her.

“I was not able to submit yours for the mystery/thriller genre because there's only one slot left. Alex, you know how much I love mysteries. That's why I submitted mine instead of yours,” she said as she tried to avoid my eyes.

"So, does this mean that I'm not part of it?" I asked with a dismayed tone.

“No!” Mae held my hand.

“I passed the first story you wrote on your blog,” she muttered guiltily.

“I'm so sorry, Alex. I will make it up to you. I promise,” she said before she let go of my hands to go up the stage because her name has already been called.

I won't deny that I felt betrayed. But I can't stay mad with Mae. She's the only friend I have besides Michelle. I still should be thankful to her for forcing me to join here.

It became clear to me now why I received a serviette for the romance genre writers. But wait. What story was she talking about? My eyes widened when I realized something.

Oh my God! I think she was talking about the first and last romance novel I wrote. Well, yeah. I once tried writing a romantic novel to prove that love is nothing but pain. That story was actually based on my parents' love story. They started as strangers. They fell in love with each other but in the end, they broke up.

I tried to believe that love is indeed magical… that it will lead our parents back to each other's arms. But it didn't happen. My parents are now finally breaking their ties, and condoning the promises they made in front of many people and God.

I shook my head to brush away these sad thoughts. This is a happy day. Well, seems like it's no longer a happy day for me.

I turned my back and was about to leave when I heard Nicholas called the romance genre writers.

I closed my eyes tightly while hoping that my name wouldn't be called. I was about to sneak out, when a callous hand grabbed me by the arm.

"Wait," I looked annoyingly at Russell who was holding my elbow.

"Wait you shouldn't abandon your group mates during the last minute."

I tried to remove his hand but I failed. I am nothing compared to his strength.

"It was just a big mistake," I said coldly.

“They liked your manuscript, which means they want you and it’s not big mistake," he said.

"It was a mistake writing that story in the first place!" I said with irritation. He looked at the stage when Nicholas called our names twice.

"Leave us in the air?"

"You don't need me! I know nothing about this. And I'm pretty sure that your group could win without me."

"Let's work it out. Just trust us. Trust yourself."

I heaved out a sigh of depression. I was left with no choice. I looked down because I'm not comfortable with the attention they were giving us. I jerked when Russell covered my face using the serviette with the words ‘find your love in three weeks’.

"Sorry. This is all I have for now. I don't know where I misplaced my handkerchief," Russell's voice was soft as he uttered these words.

I willingly let him cover my face. We walked side by side. Russell gave the crowd a warm smile while I, on the other hand, bent my head down even more.

"Wow! The other genres haven’t even started yet, but it seems like romance is now starting its magic for real!" Nicholas teased, followed by Sarah and the crowd's laughter. I felt my cheeks heating up because of shame. Damn this man!