The Man Who Breaks My Heart (English )

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 10

THE MAN WHO BREAKS MY HEART

“Fighting? N-no, honey. Did you just get home?” my mother asked me again, then went to the kitchen. She grabbed a pitcher from our small fridge and took a glass to drink some water.

My father went outside the house, maybe… to get some fresh air? To calm down after the fight?

“I just got home, mama. Sorry, I arrived a little past five in the afternoon,” I apologized to her.

“It’s okay, honey. Go change in your room. I cooked turon earlier, you know you love it,” she said. I smiled because I love my mom’s cooking. “But before you eat, change into your pajamas so you don’t get your uniform dirty,” She added. I nodded and rushed to my room to have a snack even though I already ate earlier and had milk tea with it.

Maybe I just misheard what I heard earlier. Maybe they just talk loudly and I just misheard.

My parents were okay while havibg our mealtime. They were talking and even sweet to each other, which relieved me.

Maybe… I just imagined it.

The next day, we were busy again at school, and Ryker never left me alone. He always tried to get my attention, sometimes we even argued, especially when our professor gave us assignments. Sometimes our ideas and plans were conflicting, so people who saw us or our classmates called us “cat and dog.” Sometimes we were okay, but there were many times when he was annoying.

The worst part is that whenever he had an idea or I ignored him, he always resorted to handwritten notes. My bag’s pocket was full of notes he wrote on small pieces of paper, so I just put them there because they might get wet if students saw us exchanging letters.

The notes I gave him, I’m sure he already threw them in the trash. He doesn’t like clutter, so I’m sure they’re in the trash bin. But why am I still keeping mine? Ugh…

“Next week, girl! I’m so excited!” Rowela said.

“For what?” I asked, confused.

“Are you serious? You’re really forgetful or you just don’t care?” she said.

“Hmm… maybe both?” I said with a mischievous grin, earning me an eye roll from my friend. We were in the library, but my friend’s mind was already on our farewell party next week, and three weeks from that party, we’d start practicing for our college graduation.

For now, it’s thesis time, and hopefully, everyone passes, including me.

We didn’t have any classes in the afternoon, so Rowela and I just hung out in the library. While I was writing in my notebook, I felt my right shoulder getting heavier, and the culprit was none other than Ryker Matt Sullivaño.

I tilted my head to see him, and the first thing I saw was his sharp nose. “You saw I was busy writing, so… why is your head leaning on my shoulder?” I asked him softly.

“I’m sleepy. Is that okay?”

“Sleepy… then you should’ve gone home and slept in your room. You’d probably sleep soundly on your cold bed with aircon, not here in the library, and you won’t be able to sleep on my shoulder.”

“Ssshhh… .too noisy!” I suddenly realized because a student reprimanded us. This guy, he just leaned his head more on my shoulder while wrapping his arm around my arm. If there were a teacher, we’d definitely get scolded.

“Do you want halo-halo?” There he goes again with his halo-halo. It felt like this whole year was filled with halo-halo.

I shrugged, “I don’t want one yet. We’ll have it after graduation. You’ll treat me a lot because I’ll finish it all, and of course, the beans are for you because you love eating those, right?”

He lifted his head, and we locked eyes. I tilted my head again to see him. I was surprised because our faces were so close.

“You liked beans, right?” I asked almost whispering, and he swallowed.

“Y-yeah, I like it,” he said, so I smiled.

I went back to writing while he was busy combing my long hair.

“Don’t you have anything else to do but mess with my hair?”

“I’m busy here, so yeah, I don’t have anything else to do, and I have this now-” he said rudely. I just shook my head.

“I don’t know what to do with you!” Look, even though I was annoyed, this Sullivaño just laughed. I wanted to punch him, especially because I was annoyed with his hair style with a bandana. But what I was writing was important, so I didn’t bother him anymore. As long as my hair was in place, I’d definitely shave his head if he messed with it again. He and Sebastian are the same, they love messing with my hair when it’s quiet.

Speaking of him, I wonder how he’s doing? He said he was busy with their thesis too. We’re in the same situation. But I miss him. Ugh…

“Where do you want to work after our graduation?” Because of his question, I stopped what I was doing. Rowela already said goodbye because her boyfriend picked her up. Yes, she has a boyfriend, while me? It’s unlikely for Sebastian to notice me, but I’ll find a way to tell him how I feel. I’m in the exciting part now.

I turned my attention back to Ryker, who was leaning his head on my shoulder again, but this time his arms weren’t wrapped around me, he was playing with my fingers. Sometimes he’d put his silver ring on my finger. But it’s a shame because it doesn’t fit because it’s too big for me.

I thought about his question and the right answer.

“After graduation, I might apply in Manila, to my mom’s acquaintance. It depends on where fate takes me. I don’t want to leave my parents here right away,” I answered.

“Do you want to work in our company? In Manila, I can help you get accepted right away,” Ryker offered.

“Can I handle it there? Maybe the people there are too strict because you know, your company is well-known, and if I make a mistake, I might get kicked out in a blink,” I said laughing.

“You’re thinking ahead, I’ll help you if you’re having a hard time with your work.”

“You will? Thanks in advance if that’s true. But I doubt we’ll finish our work because you know, you’re lazy sometimes,” I said laughing.

“Try me, Aubree Lynn Corpez. Try me!” Wow! He even had a threatening promise. I looked into his eyes, and he did the same. He’s handsome, but I’m more into Sebastian’s personality. I looked away and gathered my things.

I was about to stand up, but he stopped me, so I went back to my seat, “What?”

“We don’t have dismissal yet, so let’s stay here,” he said.

“You don’t want to be with your friends? Why aren’t you with them? Or you can bring them here if you don’t want to go out,” I said.

“Are you chasing me away?”

“No, I’m just wondering why you’ve been clinging to me these past few months. While before, it felt like you didn’t want to talk to me anymore when you had friends in college!” There… I said it. I’m just curious…

“Tsk… nothing. I’m just tired of their faces,” he said, and I laughed because of that. This guy is really crazy.

“So, because you’re tired of them, you’re clinging to me, then one of these days I’ll just find out that you’ve distanced yourself from me because you’re also tired of someone like me! Is that it?” I raised an eyebrow to catch him.

Now, he wrote on my hand again, near my wrist. RMS & ALC

“I don’t think so…” he continued.

I didn’t pay attention to what he said anymore because I took my black pen to write on his hand, the same place where he wrote on me, and the same letters, I just reversed it. “There… friend-enemy forever…” I said happily, showing our hands with the writing on them.

“Friend-enemy, huh?”

“Yep! We’re really cat and dog. What do you want, rat and cat, but you’re the rat?” Instead of answering me, he messed up my hair, so I glared at him.

“Just cat and dog. Wait! Do you want to get this tattooed? I know a tattoo artist?” he said happily, and I thought about what he said.

“Do you really want it to be like that forever? You might regret it later?”

“Never ever gonna happen!” he said smiling. I don’t know why, but my stomach suddenly churned. Why? “Let’s go?”

“Ha? Now? I thought–”

“Yep, and when do you want it? You might erase it, and you might change your mind.” He said, so I rolled my eyes at him.

If you only knew, Ryker Matt Sullivaño.