Chapter Eleven

“Hi, Kharris,” my schoolmates greeted me in unison as they passed by the table where I was sitting.

“Hello,” I replied, and they pushed each other, teasing like a kid who has been noticed by their crush. I just shook my head and looked at Reo, who was standing at the counter, waiting for the food he’d ordered.

We chose to eat outside rather than in the school’s cafeteria because Kathy might show up again. I don’t want to deal with her right now, especially now that I’m not in the mood to argue. Yesterday was enough for me. I need a break, for God’s sake!

“Are you sure you’re not going to eat rice?” Reo asked as he placed the tray on the table and sat across from me.

“Yeah, I don’t have an appetite,” I pouted before taking the fries and sundae he had ordered for me on the tray.

“You’re already pale, I don’t want your condition to get worse. You should eat this burger to fill your stomach,” he said as he placed the burger in front of me. I smiled slightly and simply followed his advice because I knew he was concerned about my well-being.

He’s always been sweet and caring, so I’m not surprised that from the other’s point of view, we appear to be in a relationship. We got involved in rumors a few times, and we also denied that we were in a relationship until we got tired of explaining to people and just letting them think what they wanted to think. After all, people will always believe what they want to believe; they will always create their own truths.

“Thank you, Reo,” I said as I took off the burger wrapper. “If you’re not too busy, let’s have a drink later.”

“Where? What time? I’ll make time for you.”

“Let’s go to our favorite PUB later after school,” I said, gaping wide and biting the burger in half. When Reo shook his head at what I did, I tilted my head and chewed my food quickly. I even closed my eyes when I swallowed hard and hurriedly drank my iced tea.

“What’s the matter?” I inquired when I noticed Reo staring at me as if I were an endangered species.

“You’re beautiful, but you sometimes act like a man,” he said, shaking his head, “Are you sure you’re a woman? Maybe you’re just pretending to be one.”

I shook my head and laughed at what he said. I’m not gonna lie that there are times when I really don’t act like a woman. I’m one of the boys; my adventures in life are sometimes unusual, and I’m not really concerned with my physical appearance.

I could go out without putting on make-up or combing my hair. I don’t even care what other people think about my appearance. Well, I guess that’s what distinguishes me from the others; I didn’t think it was all about the looks.

“Will you fall in love with me if I’m a man?” I slyly asked Reo, who was watching me eat.

“I told you I’m not going to date or flirt with a friend.”

“Yeah, whatever. Hmp! You’re a party pooper!” I muttered as I dipped the fries in the sundae, giving him another reason to be weirded out by me. Soon after, we returned to university, and the class ended without me even understanding the lesson. I’m having difficulty focusing; something is troubling me and my mind was flying around at times, and I was completely unaware of it.

“Hi Kharris, are you coming to Ashton’s birthday party?” Klara asked as we passed each other in the hallway. She is in my circle of friends.

“No, Ashton hasn’t invited me yet. I mean, I haven’t responded to his message from the other day. I suppose it’s about his birthday.”

“What’s up? Why are you leaving my message on read?”

“I accidentally opened it and I don’t have the energy to reply to you," I stated, and Klara laughed before saying goodbye and leaving first.

“Rude, but I’ll still invite you to come to my house next Sunday; everyone in my circle of friends is invited too," Ashton said, and I nodded; he’s on the basketball team, so I’m sure many people will attend his birthday party.

“All right, I’ll go.”

“Sweet!” He pinched my cheek before saying that he would leave first. I just nodded and looked at the door next to me. Reo hasn’t finished speaking with the professor yet.

I was about to sneak a peek when my phone rang. I took it from the bag and turned to see who was calling.

“Dos.” I cheerfully called his name when I answered the phone.

**“Has your class ended?”**

“Yeah, what’s up?” I asked.

**“Oh, I wanted to talk to you,”** he said, giving me a bitter smile. He’s already engaged, and I shouldn’t give any meaning when he acts this way toward me. He’s always been like this, and I tried to convince myself that it didn’t make a difference, but I couldn’t; I still hoped that his call to me meant something, and I hate myself for it. I’m feeling like a bitch.

“Sorry, let’s talk later, okay? I need to go,” I hurriedly said before quickly hanging up the phone and leaning against the wall. I need to get over my unrequited feelings for him, but my old habits are preventing me from doing so.

“Fuck!” I muttered. I can’t believe I’m still capable of assuming Dos’ small gestures have a different meaning, and I’m starting to despise myself because of it. I’m the worst!

I’m just making it difficult for myself to move on, and it’s not right for me to think there’s something between us when he’s already married. It’s already over, our love story has ended even though it hasn’t begun yet, and that’s a real bummer.

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain?” Reo asked as he exited the classroom. I turned to face him and shook my head in response.

“How did it go?”

“Oh, the prof told me to change my site,” he scratched his temple, obviously stressed.

“What? That’s sucks!” I commented.

“Damn right!”

“Come on, let’s just drink. I’ll assist you in finding a new site in exchange for you helping me in finding a new love interest.” I said before hugging his arm, and because the PUB we’re going to is so close to the university, we decided to just walk and leave his car in the parking lot.

We were walking out of the gate when I came to a halt because I noticed a familiar car, which gave me a sense of déjà vu. As a result, I grabbed Reo and hurried to walk, but we stopped when a man in a suit blocked our path; he had a scar on his brow, and Siegren was standing next to him. I looked up at him because he was almost as tall as his boss. Besides, he was far too attractive to be a secretary. I mean, he looks like Jamie Dornan and he could easily pass as a model.

I'm not sure why so many people are staring at us right now. This is exactly what happened when he picked me up yesterday.

I’m not surprised anymore that many people are staring at us right now. This is exactly what happened when he picked me up yesterday.

“Siegren, what are you doing here?”

“Sir Uno wants to talk to you,” he said, causing me to turn my gaze to Reo, who came forward to hide me behind him and protect me ignoring the fact that he knew he had nothing against the two. Uno’s family is a well-known conglomerate, and them being a mafia is no secret; they are one of the scariest and, at the same time, most dangerous families in the country.

I didn’t realize how powerful their family was since I was just a kid when I discovered they weren’t ordinary. I mean, if I hadn’t seen in the news that the family business of the man who bullied Dos had gone bankrupt, I wouldn’t have known I was friends with a dangerous person.

To be honest, I used to be afraid of them and tried to avoid them, but my mother assured me that they weren’t bad people. They do not cause harm to innocent civilians unless they are provoked, and their businesses are entirely legal. It was just unfortunate that Mr. Del Roman did a background check on the family of the boy who bullied Dos and discovered that sexual harassment was taking place in the company, so he did everything he could to destroy it.

“It’s okay, Reo... He’s not a bad guy.” I said softly as I barely pulled the sleeve of his uniform. He turned to face me and asked if I was certain. I nodded in response so he stepped aside.

“Tell Uno that I’m going to drink with Reo, and whatever he needs from me, I’ll deal with it later,” I told Siegren before finally yanking Reo away because I couldn't take the attention we were getting any more. Also, in my current state, I don’t think it’s a good idea for Uno and me to meet. My arms are still bruised, and it’s not impossible for him to notice that something was wrong with me.

Just like Reo. He's also sharp as a tack. He’s unnecessarily perceptive, which is one of the reasons he discovered I had a crush on Dos when I was 13 years old.

I recall him telling me not to expect Dos to like me back because his twin isn’t a pedophile. I was offended by his remark at that time, so I cried, and Dos ended up scolding him. From that day until I became an adult, I never thought about confessing because what Uno said stuck in my mind.