The Billionaire's Secret

  Summer’s POV   They said a person will fall in love with three people in her entire life.   The first is our puppy love. That person we fell in love with during high school or during our teenage years. That love takes over our entire youth. We also tend to believe that love would be the last.   Second, is the love that will teach us valuable lessons about ourselves. It will bring great pain, the pain of deception, dishonesties, and loss. This is the love that would help us grow.   Then the third one is an unexpected love. It is the love that you never saw coming. The love that would make every negative experience from the past worth it. It is love that will teach us not how to feel love, but also how to give it.   I don’t believe it.   Because when I met him, I felt all those three at the same time. I realized it is possible to experience the three kinds of love with the same person.   I met him eight years ago.   “Do you know where the Literature building is?” a tall, handsome man with red hair carrying his backpack asked me while I was sipping my chocolate drink in the school garden. That has been my secret place during lunch break since I have no friends. That is why his sudden appearance really surprised me. Did he really go here just to ask me where the Literature building is?   I had to fix the thick eyeglasses that I was wearing just so I could have a clearer view of his godly face.   “T-That way. I-It’s beside the school auditorium.” I stuttered.   “Thank you so much. So, I’ll just see you around?”   “H-Huh? O-Oh, yes. S-See you around…”   Since that day, I have never been the same again. His face stayed in my mind the whole night.   I have never seen such a handsome man like him in my entire life.   And I thought I will never see him again, but then one Monday morning…   “Class, I want you to meet your new classmate. Red, please come in.”   As soon as I laid my eyes on the man who just stepped in, my heart started beating so fast, as if it was going to jump off my chest. It was the same man I met last week. The man who asked me where the Literature building was.   “Good morning, classmates. My name is Red Chavelier, and I am your new classmate. I hope we’ll get along well with each other.” He introduced himself to all of us with a huge smile on his face.   “Red…” I mumbled while staring at him.   No wonder his hair is red.   I think I was so lucky that day because Red had his seat next to me. All of the girls inside our classroom felt envious of me for having a handsome transfer student as my seatmate.   “You are that woman I met last week!” he exclaimed upon seeing me.   “Y-Yeah.. M-My name’s Summer. Summer Portmann.”   “Summer. That’s my favorite season. It’s nice seeing you again, Summer.”   I smiled at him. "I-It's nice seeing you again too, Red."   That day, he told me so many things about himself. It was as if we had already met each other before. He told me about his favorite color, favorite food, favorite music genre, and his favorite animal, which is a cat.   Before, I usually spend my entire school year studying and reviewing for upcoming exams. Then every summer, I’ll attend summer classes and do voluntary work at school. It was the same thing every year.   Not until Red came into my life.   He brought color to my black and white colored life. He made every moment so exciting and joyful. He taught me so many things that I have never known before, and most especially, he taught me how to love.   “Can I have this dance?” Red asked me while looking so heavenly handsome in his black tuxedo.   “I don’t know how to dance.”   He shrugged. “Who cares? I will teach you. Just follow my lead, and you’ll be fine.”   "But--   "Come on. Don't be afraid. I will hold your hand."   With that warm, baritone voice of him, he gave me an assurance that it will be alright. I have never danced with anyone in my life.   That was the best promenade I have attended. Well, that was my first one.   Red danced with me in front of so many people. He didn’t mind all those times I stepped on his shoes. He was just staring at me, with those ocean blue eyes of him that never fail to calm me down.   I experienced all my firsts with him.   My first best friend.   First dance.   First skipping class.   First crush.   First kiss.   First Love.   Red made me experience things that I have never experienced before. He changed my whole life; he changed me. That is why I promised myself that he will be the one I will marry someday. The one I'd want to grow old with.   I thought it would never end. I thought we could spend our lives together forever.   But then on the day of our high school graduation. He disappeared.   He promised me we would graduate together, but he never appeared that day. I just heard that his diploma was just sent to his house by the school after graduation.   I waited for him the whole day. I waited for him to call me, but he never did.   I tried asking the school staff and the people who know him about his house, but they said they didn't know. They just told me he went abroad to study and live there for good. Without telling me.   That night, I felt my heart break for the very first time. I felt like the person I trust the most betrayed and fooled me.   I will never forget that day.