The Guy With The Diary

Chapter 1

BELLA

Sometimes my mind drifted back to the time when I was little. No taller than Grandpa's walking stick which I thought looked like a rifle. It was all running, drawing, playing in the sand, building sand houses, building snowmen, reading books and getting obsessed with one particular seven-book series that was written by a woman who came from a poor background. Mum would always tell me that the writer was a role model for little girls.

I grew in pretty much the same way. With the kind of parents I had, every day was bound to be exciting. Life was beyond wonderful for me as a kid. When my parents did the nasty that brought me to this world, well, it's fair to say they understood the assignment. I had the most amazing parents anyone could wish for. Life was just like one big party that would never end.

I remember asking myself if my life will always be this way. I mean, I was a kid then, but I wasn't stupid. At least not entirely. It felt unrealistic to live a life of endless happiness. That was absurd, right?

Then it happened.

I guess life wanted me to know that it could make me sad. That it could make me feel empty inside— that it could dim the light in my life that seemed inextinguishable for the longest of time. Sadly, to a large extent, it did. Life struck me just where it hurt the most.

A year ago, I got into Bambokky university in the same state I lived in. I was saddened by this because I wanted to get into CustoDia university so that I could be with my boyfriend, Luke.

Didn't I tell you about Luke? Silly me.

Luke and I have been lovers since I was fifteen and he was sixteen. Our love story was the sweetest tale to tell and everyone admired what we had. We were that one couple in high school that never left each other's side. And we intended to be like that in university too. We had heard what people said about distance and what it had done to even the best of relationships. And so we wanted to go to the same university so that we could be together always. A picture-perfect dream, ain't it?

Truth be told, I haven't dated anyone besides Luke and I never felt bad about it. People say don't get stuck with one person, but why I should bother about being stuck with the love of my life? I knew no one was perfect, but Luke was pretty damn close.

Life did its thing and brought me to the most vulnerable point of my life. Last year, I lost my father and it was, without any doubt, the saddest point of my life. What made it sadder was that I was the only one who hadn't known that he was dying. After his death, my Mom told me Dad had her promise that she would never tell me that he was battling a heart disease. He had been battling this disease for over a decade.

I had just started my first year at Bambokky when Mom called me one cold evening and I was told that my good old Dad passed away in his sleep. To say I was devastated was, well, an understatement.

Even though Luke was thousands of miles away in the city of CustoDia, he came to see me more often than he usually did. He comforted me, and in utmost sincerity, I wouldn't have survived without his constant love and support. Oh, didn't I mention this? Luke Gallagher was damn close to being perfect.

I was happy now. I never knew I would find happiness after Dad died, but I guess I did. I learnt to remind myself that Dad was smiling at me, somewhere beyond the clouds, super proud of the girl he helped raise.

There were two solid things happening in my life at the moment. First and foremost, I was transferring to CustoDia to start my sophomore year and was going to be with Luke. Uni life was terrific, and so, I couldn't imagine what life in uni with Luke would be like. No more video calls and ridiculously long late-night chatting because we would see each other every day. Every day.

Secondly, I would live with Maggy at CustoDia. Maggy was my bestie since I was six or seven. We did everything together, and unlike me, she had gotten into CustoDia as we had planned. Let's just say Maggy was just as happy as I was. In fact, she had left her hostel and rented a small apartment off-campus where we would be staying together. Luke lived with two of his friends— also off-campus.

“Tomorrow is the day, isn't it?“ Mom voiced as she sat beside me, her eyes focused on me with a fixed smile on her face. As always.

“It is, I guess. Bambokky was great, but CustoDia is going to be very special for me.”

“Bella, I'm always happy for you and I know your Dad, wherever he is, is happy for you too.”

I drew her closer and rested my head on her shoulder. “You are the absolute best.”

“That is the reason I say ‘only the best for you'.”

Mom left my room a while later and then I got a call from Maggy who was already at our new apartment.

“Can’t wait for you to see the apartment. It's very, very, very, very beautiful.”

I laughed and found it hard to stop. “You have said this only a million times and I always say that using more ‘verys' won't make me think of the apartment as heaven or something.”

“I will say it even more. Can't wait for you to see it tomorrow.”

“My flight leaves at eight in the morning and it's a five and a half hours flight. I'll get there in the evening, at the latest.”

Maggy and I talked for about half an hour on the phone before ending the call. We were very close so we always had so much to say. We were also very much like each other and so we did most things together when we could.

That night, I slept like a newborn and woke very strong and ready for the day. I needed my strength because it was going to be a very long day.

My little brother, four years of age, was still asleep when I left for the airport, but I had already said my goodbyes the night before. I would miss little James.

Mom kept speaking non-stop and was a little clumsy as she brought out my bags from the SUV. She was always this way whenever I left for school, or just anywhere in general. I was like this friend she was not used to staying away from.

“How are you my mother? You look too young,” I muttered to her, smiling all through.

“Don't flatter me,” she said. “I'm going to miss you, Bella.”

“I will miss you even more.“

Mom made me promise that I will call every single day till I came for the holidays. I told her that I would though I knew she was going to do most of the calling anyway.

The flight was a pretty calm one. The five and a half long hours breezed through without any stress or anything. And as expected, I slept, woke, slept. . .

“My sweet baby,” Luke whispered in my ear before pressing his lips against mine, cupping the back of my neck in his palms. “You can't possibly know how happy I am that you're here.”

“Luke, I'm equally excited. We have waited for a whole year and now it's here.”

Luke found a cab for us, and in less than an hour, we got to my apartment. Yeah, my apartment!

Maggy had a smile on her face as she pulled me into a hug. “I wanted to come get you, but my car broke down. Also, your boyfriend here—” she made a funny face at Luke, “ —suggested that he go alone so I keep making this apartment look livable.”

Maggy wasn't playing when she said the apartment was beautiful. It was a typical modern building and we agreed it was a miracle that we got it for the price we did, being that apartment in uni environment were popular for costing an arm and a leg. The apartment had two small rooms, a living room that was barely bigger than the bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom and toilet that were demarcated only by a curtain.

I didn't find the room crampy at all. I mean, it was small and all that, but students were used to living in small spaces. So I was fine.

I flung my hands in the air. “Tomorrow is going to be busy for me. Still got a lot of stuff to do …damn, it's like starting uni all over again.”

Maggy slapped a hand on my back though I barely felt anything. “Yeah, it is just this first week. I'm certain you will find CustoDia to be everything you want it to be.”

I was counting on that.