HER heart hammered against her chest as Hapi tugged her farther. Sapphire did not know his motive for taking her to a secluded area. She was not even sure if that forest was still part of the university. But all her negative thoughts flew away when they arrived at the heart of that forest-like place.
There stood a ranch-style house surrounded by wildflowers and beautiful butterflies. The place looks really old, but its beauty remains. How come there was a place like that inside the campus?
“What is this place?” Sapphire asked in awe. Her eyes roamed around again.
“Did you read the university handbook?” Hapi chuckled. “I can’t believe you still haven’t heard about this place.”
“I read it.” She bit her tongue. Of course, it was a lie. She did not bother to read even a single page of it. “Was this place mentioned on the handbook? On what page?”
“You won’t find it there.” He grinned.
“Liar.” She scowled at him. “Why did you bring me here, anyway?”
“I just wanna show you the place where I used to hide when I want to escape from reality.”
When Hapi turned in her direction, suddenly, her impression of him as the handsome good boy changed. There was something more behind that handsome face; his personality was deeper than she thought.
“Let me tell you a story. Lycevm de Royal University is supposed to be a residential place. Gregorio Real Ondo bought this land for his fiancée Leonor. He built their matrimonial home back in the 1950s. But they never get the chance to live here.”
If truth be told, Sapphire did not have any interest in that story. Why would she care about other’s love story that happened more than fifty years ago? But because it was Hapi, she listened to it.
“Why?”
“Leonor was found hanging inside the house on the day before their wedding. They say she took her own life.”
“It is sad and tragic… Where did you learn about it?”
“From Amethyst.”
Her forehead creased. “You mean my cousin Amethyst?”
“Yes.”
It looked like he was close to her cousins, while she was just a stranger in Hapi’s life. She could not help but feel envious of them. How sad.
“Anyway, what is it that you want to talk about?” he asked.
That was when she was able to compose herself.
“Why did you do that, Hapi?” Sapphire looked at him straight in the eyes.
“Did what?” His brows furrowed.
She did not expect that Hapi could be that slow, or maybe he was only acting clueless.
“Why did you pay for my mother’s hospital bill?”
“Oh, that…” He smiled.
And she did not like it. The more she saw him smiling like that, the more her heart beat like crazy. She never thought that he could be bad for her health.
“Yes, that…”
“I don’t see anything wrong with that. I just want to help you.”
She shook her head.
“Lending me some money is fine. But paying the bill on your own accord? I just can’t accept that.”
“You mean to say you’d rather be indebted with money?” Hapi asked in disbelief.
“Yes.” Sapphire pressed her lips together. “I don’t want to owe you something I couldn’t payback.”
“Well… when I helped you, I was not expecting anything in return.”
He crossed their distance. Now they were so close to each other she could smell the scent of his cologne. Suddenly, she was out of breath.
“I was not informed that behind this sweet little face lies a woman with an overflowing pride.” He cocked his head to the side.
Sapphire was torn between getting insulted or not. Hapi sounded like a flirt when he said that.
“I don’t have the money to pay you now. But I will pay you in another form, Hapi.”
His eyes seemed to twinkle.
“How will you pay me then?” he drawled.
Sapphire raised a brow. It looked like his mind went the opposite way.
“It’s not what you think it is.” She crossed her arms above her chest.
Hapi laughed out loud; it scared the birds away.
“Relax, Sapphire. I was just kidding. You don’t have to pay me. I mean it.”
“But I want to,” she insisted. “You said I’ll be your slave for a month because you got me out of jail. Then make it six months or a year.
“That long?” His jaw dropped. “No way! A month is enough.”
“How about this, I’ll be your slave until I—”
He put his finger above her lips to silence her. “Enough. I am your master, so I’ll be the one to decide.”
They stared at each other for seconds before she pushed his hand away.
“Fine,” she said.
“Shall we start today?” Hapi put his hands inside his pockets and beamed.
“If that’s what you want.” She shrugged.
“Call me Master.”
“E-eh?”
“Master.” He leaned even closer, their lips almost touched. “M. A. S. T. E. R.”
She scoffed. “It seems to me that you are enjoying this.”
“Am I?” His finger patted his chin. “Ah, I think I’m feeling thirsty.”
He straightened his back and turned around. And because from now on, she was his slave, Sapphire had to tug along.
They went back to the campus.
“I thought you’re feeling thirsty,” she told Hapi.
“Hm, I am,” he said without looking back at her.
They went to the school cafeteria. Instead of ordering Sapphire around to buy him a drink, Hapi was the one who bought it for himself. He even bought two.
“I-I am not thirsty,” she said when he handed her one.
“Drink, or I’ll get mad.” He opened his canned juice and took a sip.
“Well, well… Look who is tugging along.”
Sapphire turned around and found Ruby walking towards them.
“Ruby…” she said in a low tone.
Sapphire froze when Hapi suddenly pulled her close. Her back touched his solid body.
“What’s the meaning of this, Hapi?” asked Ruby.
She did not like the way she sounds.
“None of your business,” Hapi said in a stern tone.
Sapphire was surprised by his response to Ruby. It seemed to her that he was somewhat protecting her from her evil cousin.
She wanted to laugh when she saw Ruby’s nose crinkled.
“So, you’re choosing her over me?” Ruby narrowed her eyes.
Hapi let out a sigh. “Ruby…”
Her cousin stomped her feet and stormed out of the cafeteria.