Chapter Seven

AVON woke up earlier than usual. Her phone kept on buzzing. It would not let her go back to sleep in peace. Groaning, she reached for her phone on the bedside table. Merc was calling her. He was a good old friend who never gets tired of bugging her whenever he has time.

“Madam, are you still sleeping in broad daylight?” Merc said when she answered the call.

“Hmm.” She lay flat on the bed and yawned. “What’s the matter?”

“What happened to you? I can’t reach you online.”

“I’m on hiatus.” She scratched her eyes. “I am trying to finish my novel. Why?” To avoid destruction when finishing her novel, she used to distance herself from social media.

“Well, Inay Maricel came home.” Merc was referring to their high school teacher, whom they consider as their mom back in the days and up until now. “We’re going to visit her. Would you like to come with us?”

“It’s been five years since they moved to Canada. Of course, I’ll come with you. I miss her a lot. So, who’s coming?”

“The originals.” No need to enumerate them one by one because she already knew who they were. So, see you later?”

“Where?” She sat up.

“The usual meeting place at three pm.”

“All right.”

Merc ended the call.

She looked at the time on her phone screen. It was already twelve in the afternoon. She still has time to prepare.

AFTER five years of being missing in action to their gatherings and meet-ups, nothing really changed with her friends. They were always late, and she was always the first one to arrive at their meeting place. Avon sent a message on their group chat, asking everyone where they were. They all replied they were on their way, but she did not believe that. Of course, she knew better.

She occupied a table near the door so that her friends would see her easily. While waiting for them, Avon kept herself busy by looking at her favorite K-Pop boy group’s SNS account. She was so busy she did not even notice that one of her friends already arrived.

“Busy?” said Joanadel as she sat on the chair beside her.

“Oh! How long have you been here?” She beamed.

“Not that long.” Her friend nudged her to the side. “How are you? You’ve been missing in action for years. How dare you!”

“I’ve been busy,” she said, smiling.

“Well, I bet you’ve been very… very busy.” Joanadel pouted her lips. “Anyway, where are the others?” Her friend’s head turned side by side.

“They said they’re on the way. But I don’t believe—”

“Who’s that?” Joanadel asked after taking a peek on her phone’s screen where she saw Min Yoongi’s photo, one of BTS’s members. “He looks like Roeden with makeup.” Her friend’s gaze shifted on her.

Avon laughed and cleared her throat after hearing that. There go the bats inside her belly again. Ah, why do they always rejoice whenever she hears his name?

“He looks more like Roeden without makeup.” She showed her friend a photo of bare-faced Min Yoongi. “They have the same eyes. They disappear whenever—”

“How’s your feelings for Roeden?” Joanadel cut her off.

She heaved a deep sigh. “It’s… still the same.”

Her feelings for him remained the same. It never lessens. It grew deeper instead.

“It’s been so long, Avon. Aren’t you getting tired of it?”

She was about to answer her friend’s question when her gaze suddenly reverted in the door’s direction, and she saw Roeden coming in.

Her heart started beating crazy. There was this chaos inside her chest. As if it was a racetrack for tens of horses. Roeden went to her house just a couple of days ago, but it felt like another five years had passed. There was this voice that tells her to rise on her feet, meet him halfway, and hug him tightly. The bats inside her stomach were replaced with butterflies, swirling around. It was a beautiful feeling. It felt like she was one of those heroines in novels that came to life.

Avon held her breath when Roeden finally reached their table. He sat on a chair across her and smiled, showing his deep set of dimples.

“Hi,” Roeden greeted cheerfully. “How long have you been waiting?”

She could not find the words to say.

“I just came here a couple of minutes ago. Avon was the first one to arrive here,” said Joanadel.

She looked away when Roeden turned his gaze on her. For an unknown reason, her tongue seemed to be paralyzed at the moment.

“Hello, everyone!”

They all looked in the direction of the voice. Merc was sauntering towards them with Mau beside him. Her friends were arriving one by one. That was good news.

“MADAM, did you bring your car?” Merc asked after he came back from buying their food for the slumber party. “Joanadel, Jaja, and I will be riding Mau’s car.”

“I didn’t. I just hitched with my cousin.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I brought my car. You can hitch with me,” Roeden butt in.

“Great, that’s a good idea,” Merc said, grinning.

“Joanadel,” Roeden said as he turned to their friend. “Why don’t you join us?”

Avon could not help but raised a brow. Why was he inviting Joanadel? Was he afraid of her now?

“No, thanks. I don’t wanna be the third wheel.” Joanadel turned to her and winked.

“Ah.” Roeden put his hands inside the pocket of his jeans and smiled. “I just thought Avon might want to be with—”

“Why is it me now?” Her brows furrowed. 

They just laughed at her.

“Let’s go. Inay’s waiting for us,” Merc said as he beckoned them to stand up.

Avon grabbed Joanadel’s arm and tagged along with her as they walked out of the fast-food restaurant. She then let go of her friend’s arm when they reached the parking lot.

“Sit beside me,” Roeden said as he ushered her to his car. “I took away the car freshener so you won’t get dizzy along the way.” He opened the door to the passenger’s side of his car.

She hopped inside quietly and waited until Roeden settled himself in front of the steering wheel. He started the engine without talking to her and sped away.

There was this deafening silence between them. But it seemed that Roeden could not take it any longer. He broke the silence.

“Avon.” She turned her gaze on him. Roeden gave her a side-way glance and focus his eyes on the road again.

“What is it?”

“I waited for you to come to the office, but you never showed up.” He glanced at her again.

“O-oh… I’m sorry about that. You told me to come when I’m available. Unfortunately, I’m not. I had to finish writing my novel.” She looked away.

“You really have the passion in writing,” Roeden remarked.

“Aside from I need to earn money, writing is my only escape from pain and reality.” And that’s where I can find the happy ending for you and me, she wanted to add, but she decided to keep it to herself.

“I have this college friend who also loves writing, though not as much as you do. Whenever I tell her about you, she always bugs me to ask you to be her mentor.”

“I… I’m not that good to be her mentor,” Avon said in a low tone. “I’m a failure.”

“Hey… why are you saying that?”

“Lately, my novels got rejected consecutively. I don’t even know what’s wrong with me.”

“But still, you’re writing. You’re doing your best to improve your craft, and that’s why I’m always proud of you. You never give up.” She flinched when Roeden suddenly reached her hand and cupped it. “You’re not a failure, Avon. Call yourself a failure if you don’t even make an effort.”

His hand was warm, and that warmth crawled from her hand to her chest, making her heart skipped a beat. Once again, Roeden lit up her world and gave her another seed of hope. And that was why she could not let go. He has his way to rekindle her feelings for him that she tried so hard to buried deep.

Then, her phone rang. She withdrew her hand from him and fished her phone out of her bag.

“Jaja’s calling,” she told Roeden before answering the call. “Yes?”

“What’s taking you two so long? It’s been half an hour since we arrived here.”

Avon looked at Roeden, whose eyes were focused on the road, then her gaze reverted to the car’s speedometer. She noticed that the car’s speed was only at thirty kilometers per hour.

“We’re almost there,” she told Jaja and hung up. “Make it fast, Roeden. They’re waiting for us.”