SELEN still could not believe that she met Sage Avelino and that he was standing now in front of her with his wet pants. It was not a dream. It was indeed Sage, the man of her dreams. But the way he speaks was not the Sage that she knew from his dramas. He is far from those characters that he portrayed. He seemed cold.
Maybe he got mad at me…
Then there was a loud knock at the door.
“Sage, is everything okay?” asked the female voice outside the restroom.
He freed her arm.
“Yes.”
Sage opened the door.
“Oh, God! We should go to the hospital.” The woman looked down on his wet pants and turned at her. “Look what you’ve done.”
Selen sniffed and pouted her lips. She may be at fault, but it was an accident. An accident could not be avoided.
“I-I didn’t mean to hurt him,” she said in a low tone.
The woman held Sage by the hand and dragged him out of the restaurant. She followed them to the parking lot.
“Wait!” Selen stopped the car’s door from closing. “I am really sorry about this. I’d like to—”
“No need.” Sage was pulling the door close, but she did not let it go. “What the heck? Let go…”
There go his menacing eyes again. She was hurt by the way he was treating her. If Sage only knew that he was a fan, maybe he would treat her better. Then she felt a warm hand wrapped around her wrist.
“What’s happening here?”
It was her friend Reinald.
Selen finally let go of the door. She shut her eyes the moment it closed. The car already sped away when she opened them.
“Selen…”
She turned to face Reinald. His hand reached her eyes to wipe her tears. Yes, she was crying because she was hurt.
“What did they do to you?” Anger was evident in his voice.
Reinald was always like that when it comes to Selen. He did not want to see her cry, whatever reason it may be.
She threw herself to him and cried on his chest. Selen felt his strong arms wrapped around her waist.
“Stop crying now… I will make sure to beat them next time.” She heard him heave a deep sigh. “Who the hell are they to make you cry?”
“It’s Sage…” Selen said somberly.
“Sage who?”
“Sage Avelino.”
“Oh, that boy you’re so into?” He distanced himself a bit. “See? Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you before that he is no good. Don’t you ever dream about him again!”
She pouted her lips.
“He is just mad at me because I spilled the hot soup on his…”
“His what?” Reinald’s forehead formed a very deep knot.
Selen looked down there, and he did it too. His friend must have got what she was referring to. Reinald shook his head and laughed.
“If I were him, I’d get pissed too. You just ruined his most-prized possession, Selen!”
She pushed him hard. “How did you know? Have you seen it?”
Selen rolled her eyes and marched inside the restaurant.
“Hey, Miss crying lady!” Reinald called.
“Tseh!”
“Where have you been?” Nana Violy asked when she returned to the counter. “Ate is already throwing a fit because you went out in the middle of work.”
“Nana…”
“What is it?” Nana Violy glanced at her. “What’s the problem?”
“I think I just killed my future children.” Selen started crying.
Her grandma gaped at her.
“What are you talking about, Selen? Your future children?”
She wiped her tears with her knuckles and sniffed.
“I met him. I met Sage a while ago.”
Nana Violy smiled. “And?”
She cried again. “I… I spilled the soup in his crotch!”
“Jesus Christ… Where is he now?” Nana Violy looked around the dining area.
“They already left, Nana.” Selen pulled a chair and sat there.
She felt like all her energy has been drained.
“Why are you sulking there?”
Selen looked at her grandma. “He’s so cold when he talks to me.”
“We can’t blame him, though. Today is one of those unlucky days, after all.”
“What should I do now, Nana?”
Her grandma shrugged and headed back to the kitchen.
REINALD saw her sulking and told her to go home early. He took over the counter. But instead of resting when she arrived home, Selen opened her laptop and started searching on the internet about Sage. Some of the results were old articles that she already read before when she began fangirling on him. There were only a few latest articles about him for the past few days that she was busy. It was all about his fan meeting last week to celebrate his birthday. Other than that, there was nothing significant.
She propped her hand on her chin while the other hand kept scrolling her mouse. All she could see now was Sage’s posts on his social media account. Then there was this comment that caught her attention.
That place where he jogs looks familiar. I think that’s the Empire Ville’s quadrangle. Oh, my gosh! I’m from Empire Ville too! Does this mean that Sage and I live in the same neighborhood? Waaaaaah~ This is so exciting!
Selen blinked thrice. It took her a few more seconds before her mind processed what she had read in the comment section. Empire Ville? That was the village they were currently residing. And if it was true that Sage lives there, that could only mean one thing.
“We are really destined to meet…” She grabbed the pillow next to her and hugged it tightly.
Her next move would be hunting. Yeah, she will look for Sage. Selen was the type of person who does not give up easily. She already invested her feelings on Sage; it must not go to waste. Selen was so willing to do everything just to change his impression of her. Just like those dramas, the first meeting might be awful sometimes, but it leads two hearts to a happy ever after.
“I like that…” She stared at the ceiling. “I like happy endings.”
Meow!
Her gaze flew to the opened door of her room. Her cat was sitting by the doorway, looking at her.
“Yes, Lulu… I think I’m in love.”