Special Chapter: Time Travel: 4 Years Into The Past

(Charlie's POV)

I was drowning in jealousy as young Frayne had his eyes glued on Jessica. It wasn't one of those furtive glances; he was in complete awe. His unrequited gaze made me realize that by this point, they hadn't been in a relationship yet.

A little part of me felt bad for young Frayne, and an even smaller part of me rooted for him to get her, as unbelievable as it sounded.

One of Frayne's jock friends must have noticed his lingering gaze and asked, "Dude, do you still have the hots for little miss sunshine?"

If memory served, they were at a phase where the girl of his dreams ignored him because he was being a jerk. To be honest, I didn't see any reason why she wouldn't date this current Frayne. Other than being slightly arrogant at times, which was somewhat understandable if it was to be excused as a defense mechanism to hide his sexuality, he was still quite ni—

"Nah, it's nothing serious," Frayne brushed his friend's question off with a smug smile on his face. Not looking at her anymore, his demeanor suddenly changed. "I'm just curious how good she is in bed." 

They all giggled disgustingly, entertained by his vile answer.

I was badly triggered. His answer formed a painful lump in my throat. My next course of action to speak up made me feel horrible, although not worse than saying nothing at all. "You're literally only fourteen years old, Frayne! The hell are you thinking?" Blurting out as if I was much older, I managed to confuse the entire group. "Don't you feel ashamed, viewing a girl in such a way? No wonder she doesn't like you."

I was convinced that this young man wasn't my boyfriend. So much could happen in four years. If I were to see this side of him in the present Frayne, I would've dumped him straight away. Hell, I wouldn't be in a relationship with him in the first place. And all this time I thought he was exaggerating about his past self's attitude problem.

When nobody said anything for ten seconds, one of them finally spoke up in irritation, "Dude, what's your problem—" I abruptly got up from my seat, leaving them frowning. A flash of Frayne's surprised expression stayed in my mind as I hectically searched for a quiet place to let my tears out, so that no one would see me crying in my 'first day of school'.

I found an abandoned classroom and flopped onto the floor, against the wall, trying to control my sobs.

"Charlie," Zuzu called out my name with a touch of motherly concern. She created another huge magical hand to give me a head rub. "I've been reading both Frayne's and your inner voices. I don't know if this can make you feel better, but he's equally hurt by his own word. He didn't mean what he said about the girl. Although I must admit, it was a foolish move."

"I hate that he's being such a douchebag. I don't know him, Zu. I don't know this Frayne. I'm not sure how I feel about him," I vented at my mature fairy. At fifteen, I sure had a softer heart and was more emotional than my average male peers. Not that I could always define my emotions, and knowing my loved one was capable of saying such hurtful things hurt me inexplicably. On top of that, it was addressed to someone dear to him. How could he?

Zuzu stayed silent for a moment, and let the magic hand do its magic. It had helped. Physical touches could make me feel better, surely it was one of my languages of love.

"Can I know why you wanted to look into Frayne's past?"

"I chose Taylor Swift, but you didn't approve," I sulked and pouted. Upon sensing that my mood was starting to get better that I could crack a lame joke, Zuzu giggled to my reaction. "At first, I just wanted to casually visit his younger self. I thought it would be fun and all, but things didn't turn out as I imagined. On top of that, I've been overthinking about Frayne's ex-girlfriend a lot. The girl with the angelic aura . . . he was so in love with her, until her death parted the two. I can't help but wonder what if. What if she was alive? Would they still be together? What if Frayne and I met when she was alive? Would we be just friends? Would he still fall for me? More importantly, would he still be a jerk like the one in this world?"

"I understand," Zuzu said, "Those are valid feelings." I smiled up at her and mumbled a thanks. "But I think you're having way too much unnecessary thought. Do you remember how it works here? Things that have happened in the past can't be changed. They transpired the way they did for a reason. And in Frayne's case, that reason has made him develop to be the way that he is in the present world." Zuzu flew next to me and sat on my shoulder. "Although I don't know how much he's changed toward the better, you deserve your present boyfriend."

Zuzu gave me an ample amount of lecture. In her views, Jessica's life had served a good purpose. She had helped the bullied victims, and that surely would've ingrained permanent marks in their hearts, made a lot of students' lives better, and spread her love abundantly. And her death wasn't in vain either. Eventually, she managed to change Frayne into a better person. If anything, I owed her my gratitude, instead of surrendering to the temptation to endlessly compare myself with her and feeling down from losing the competition that was all in my head.

"I guess you're right," I agreed quietly.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

I inhaled a deep breath of positivity and exhaled selfishness. "I'm going to help Frayne to get her. There's not much I can do here anyway. Might as well kill some time and learn something."

Zuzu seemed taken aback by my hasty decision. She underestimated how fickle I could be sometimes. At least this time toward the better.

Eventually, she supported my resolution, "That's the spirit. You've got a big heart and I'm proud of you."

Her compliment put a little smile on my lips.

As soon as my issue had been addressed, my seriousness switched into inquisitiveness. Come to think of it, I didn't know anything about Zuzu. Where she came from, what her purposes were, and so on. I bored into Zuzu's blue eyes, who was still sitting on my shoulder, and she gladly returned the favor. "So . . . if you're saying that everything serves a purpose of their own, what purpose do you have for bringing me back in time? What's your own goal?"

Zuzu broke our eye contact in the middle of my questions. From the corner of my eye, I could see Zuzu's troubled smile. Could she be hiding something from me?

"Actually," she dragged her word, appearing somewhat reluctant, "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I'll let you in on a little something. You're an exception because you've moved me with your selflessness," she said, flattering me again. "I'm here to perform an advanced-level sorcery, or magic, in your words. The task is to bring someone back in time for a predetermined number of hours and assist that person along the way. If I'm able to bring you back in one piece to your dimension, my sorcery is complete, and I'll level up. I'll probably get a certificate or something—"

"Hold on. Are you telling me that you have no guarantee that this will succeed? What if your sorcery fails and I'm unable to go back to my present world?" I added, "No offense, Zu. I'm just wondering the worst thing that could happen."

Zuzu nervously scratched her scalp full of silky white locks. "Um, I hope it won't happen, but I'll have to contact my senior, a higher-level fairy, to help me out. We won't ever harm the humans or put their lives in jeopardy."

"But what if someone murders me while I'm here?" I returned to yesterday's abandoned discussion; the one that we hadn't finished because of Frayne's emergence.

Zuzu let out a witch-like laugh that was cool somehow. I laughed along with her without any reason and stopped when her expression turned dead serious. "I'll kill them before they kill you." Her eyes glowed red as she let out the shuddering confession. "I won't let anyone physically harm my human. You're my responsibility, Charlie. You'll be back in your present world in one piece."

Zuzu pulled some of my heartstrings just then. Feeling touched, I verbalized my gratitude, "It's weird saying this to a tiny woman with wings, but thanks for protecting me . . . and for making me feel better, regardless of it being your responsibility or not."

"Taking care of your emotions isn't part of my responsibility. I'm doing this voluntarily because you deserve it," Zuzu smiled and hugged my neck, considering the ratio of our sizes. She was only about three inches tall but stronger and more mature than me.

We went back to class, only to find that the next period was P.E., meaning I had to sit out of this one since I didn't have the uniform.

"Do you forget that I'm a magic designer?" Zuzu had her little arms akimbo, faking a protest that I forgot about—apparently—one of her best skills that she prided herself on.

"Of course, I remember Zu." I was still hopeful for the free, customized clothes after all. "I just want to skip P.E. because I'm too lazy to exercise." When Zuzu gave me a lecturing glare, I added, "Please?"

"Fine, let's chill somewhere~" she sang, changing her mind in a heartbeat. Hmmm, suspicious. Zuzu seemed to be the determined type once she had decided on something, which in this case was to force me to join P.E. class. Why did she—oh.

Frayne walked toward my direction at the bench next to the baseball court. Sitting next to me, he fessed up, "I don't bring my P.E. uniform."

My first reaction was to gaze at Zuzu, who winked at me and said, "He brought it, but I manipulated his mind." Oh gosh, Zuzu you bad, bad fairy.

Feeling a little awkward from the lunch time incident, I kept my mouth shut and let Frayne start the conversation depending on his level of willingness. I would then adapt and put myself in a social position accordingly. After a while, he decided to initiate the talk, with an unexpected opening, "I do have a crush on Jessica Leighton, the beautiful girl that we all saw in the cafeteria. It's been unrequited for a year now."

All at once, I felt a mixture of pity and jealousy. Truthfully, I didn't feel romantic feelings toward this younger version of Frayne beside me. Despite having a seemingly mutual emotional connection, this Frayne, being so young, couldn't ignite my flames of love for him, unlike how adult Frayne could effortlessly do. But it seemed I still subconsciously wanted his attention. "Tell me more. Maybe I can help you."

Frayne's calm countenance turned into a playful smirk. "Charlie, I thought you liked me?" GOSH, how can little Frayne be this arrogant!?

Well, this time he wasn't entirely wrong.

I remembered correctly how history would be back to the way it transpired once I returned to the present time. If that's the case, there should be no harm in messing around a little bit.

"You can tell me that four years later, when you're hotter and nicer," I retorted.

"Excuse me?" he blurted out, feeling somewhat insulted.

"In an alternate universe where you're older than me, you'll be the one falling for me anyway."

Frayne had a massively disoriented look. "You wish. I wouldn't fall for a weirdo like you."

I had the biggest urge to say you wish right back at him, but I held it back. He wouldn't understand until he experienced it four years later.

"Only time will tell," I muttered, giving him an ambiguous, foreshadowing cue that he wouldn't comprehend. Frayne's only reaction was a squinted eye. "Anyway, I can help you with Jessica. Even though I'm gay, I have a lot of female friends and can understand how they think."

Sighing, he replied with, "Do you think I haven't tried everything? I'm sure I'm more experienced than you, anyway. Don't be so cocky." Grr, that last bit should've been my line! "What can you do to help me?"

That face . . . if he wasn't so beautiful, I would've punched that. Although, figuratively speaking, I had punched him in my head multiple times.

"I can teach and help you practice how to be a decent human bei—uh, gentleman."

His blue eyes lit up with excitement, or amusement, sarcastic-wise. "Tell me how."

"First and foremost, you go to her, and sincerely apologize for being an asshole in the past."

Frayne's brow furrowed. "I've never been an asshole to her."

"Being an asshole to anyone around her is equivalent to being an asshole to her, silly. Can't you at least try to see things from your crush's perspective?"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on." He held his hands up defensively. "Why do you act like you know her more than I do? What do you know about me anyway? Why do you view me as the bad guy here?"

Because I do from your stories, a lot because I'm your boyfriend, and, "Because you are the bad guy." I only verbalized the answer to his last question. "Seems like you have forgotten that you said you only wanted to see how good Jessica was in bed. To hell with your pride! You shouldn't—"

"Shhhhhushhh," he placed a finger on my lips. "She's right there. Don't mention her name so loudly like you're calling her." My eyes flew to the direction of Frayne's gesture and saw Jessica among the girl's team. I quickly lowered my volume and my presence, metaphorically. "And by the way, I didn't have a choice. I don't want to appear desperate in front of the guys. They can be super irritating sometimes, mocking you and stuff."

"Exactly why you shouldn't hang around those kinds of people. Find a good real friend or two, Frayne. I'm saying all these things because I care about you." Knowing Frayne, he must be able to tell right from wrong. No matter how much he denied it, either from wanting to fit the mold or merely peer pressure, he wouldn't not have a conflicting feeling originating from his good conscience. It was quite obvious from the difference in the way he talked when he was around them and me. I did feel a bit special, even though his arrogance was still there . . .

It might be very hard to notice but a slight blush crept across Frayne's cheeks the moment I finished my sentence. I didn't realize what I was saying. Seeing him blush must have made my face flush. Trying not to let it show, Frayne said, "Fair enough."

For the next couple of minutes, I lectured him on how to be a gentleman, even though I wasn't one myself. I just described to him the way that Frayne was in the present world; very caring and sweet, although playful sometimes. "My boyfriend always says good things about me and never leaves my side when we're around his friends. He cares about the little things that I do. That's how you should treat her."

"He sounds like a pushover," young Frayne jeered, not knowing that it was his future self he was directing it to. "But fair enough, fair enough."

I nudged his arm playfully. "Hey, don't mock my boyfriend. He's better than you," I remarked as if they were two different people.

The girl's team had just finished playing a round of game and the boys were readying themselves, while the coach positioned them. I was watching Jessica; wiping her sweat with a towel, her golden-brown hair in a tight ponytail. Not long after, our eyes coincidentally met, and my heart jumped. That was when she gave me a warm smile. Seconds later, she was heading toward my direction. Frayne was visibly panicking, hiding behind me, trying to fix his hair.

Jessica stopped in front of me and held out her hand in a friendly manner. "Hi, are you the new student? I'm Jessica Leighton. Nice to finally talk to you."

"Hi, I'm Charlie," I replied as I took her hand.

Without any warning, she sat down next to me, instantly making me nervous. She had a glowing smile on her face. I couldn't help but be exposed to the positive aura she exuded. Then, she asked, "How's your day so far? Is it good? And, by the way . . . " She peered over at Frayne who was hiding behind me, chickening out. "He's not bothering you, is he?"

I shook my head. "No, no. In fact, Frayne's been very helpful. Right, buddy?" I tried to subtly include Frayne into the conversation as a means of giving him moral support.

I was sitting in between my rival and my future lover, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. My heart was beating irregularly from how cool and friendly Jessica was. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but her personality and aura made her incredibly attractive. I could see why young Frayne fell for her. And I wanted to root for them as much as possible. One of the first things I did to support him was to switch our position to Frayne's left, who was originally sitting at my left. Frayne ended up sitting in the middle of the three of us, right next to Jessica.

"Sorry, I moved because it's easier to see the two of you from my position now."

"Hm, creative," Jessica giggled. Did she mean my excuse, or . . . ? "But what about Frayne? He's now in your previous position. Doesn't it make him harder to look at both of us at once?"

Frayne turned sheepish at the mention of his name. "It's okay. I don't need to look at Charlie anyway," he replied jokingly. Ugh, that was a good one, but why did I have to be victimized!?

Apparently, Jessica didn't take Frayne's harmless joke too lightly. The space between her brows wrinkled as she complained, "Is there anything wrong with Charlie that you don't want to look at him?" I was left astounded. It showed how much hostility Frayne must have shown her in the past that it could get sweet Jessica to this point.

Frayne seemed to be embarrassed and at a loss for words. My quick thinking figured that if he defended himself, it could potentially make him sound vain. So, Charlie came to-the-rescue, "I think that means he wants to look at you, Jess, ha . . ha . . I mean, who wouldn't?"

"He's right," Frayne chimed in, "It's because you're gorgeous. Especially when you smile." As much as my heart sank, I couldn't disagree.

Jessica's features softened up. "Thank you," she said in a formal manner. It was the perfect response. She didn't let it get to her head, nor did she reject it, as a form of respect to the complimenter. No sense of arrogance nor insecurity detected in her demeanor. She was confident but down to earth. Oh, how I wished I could be like her.

"'Thank God he's gay. If he were straight, he must have fallen for her smile just now' is what Frayne currently has in mind," said Zuzu for the first time in a while. She hadn't been spewing any opinion but was listening keenly as we spoke.

Jeez, Frayne.

I missed my adult Frayne already. My mature, loving, and cool boyfriend.

"Guys, I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back soon," I lied, standing up as I did. I left them in the middle of a small talk. Quite obviously, it was to give Frayne some private time with Jessica so that he could woo the girl of his dreams.

"Are you okay now?" asked Zuzu, flying close to my right side of face.

I nodded and smiled.

Watching from afar, they seemed to have a good time. The continuity of their interaction was worth my sacrifice. I didn't return to my spot. They were free to think that I had constipation; wouldn't complain if Frayne was happy.

For the rest of the day, Frayne and I had different classes. There was one time that I was in the same class with Jessica, where she sat next to me and introduced me to some of our classmates. I wished I had a Jessica back in my real school. She was very accommodating and easy to befriend. Always listening to what everyone had to say, but at the same time appropriately opinionated.

Seeing the way Jessica smiled so lightheartedly got me feeling sentimental. It was a shame that such a wonderful person didn't have much time left in this world. Why did I choose to selfishly label her as my love rival?—when I was sure from how she behaved, even if she were still alive, she would never try to take Frayne away from me.

That night, I couldn't sleep for many reasons. Zuzu kept me company until dawn. I first thought she didn't need to sleep but she did. She was battling her own drowsiness to make sure that I went to sleep feeling decent.

And that was all for day one.

***

(The next day . . . )

Early in the morning before History class, I came across Frayne who stopped me in the hallway.

Out of the blue, he asked me, "Do you want to have a sleepover at my house tonight?"

I replied, "What's with the enthusiasm? Did it go well with Jessica yesterday?"

Frayne let out an unguarded sheepish expression; one I'd never seen on cool, adult Frayne. "I tried to be 'nicer', according to you, and we had a great talk. It's been a while since I was able to talk to her face-to-face like that. Um, thanks, I guess." The way he thanked me was as if the word was foreign in his tongue. "And, that's why I'm inviting you to a sleepover, in case you haven't made many friends to hang out with in this town and um, yeah."

A wide smile quickly formed on my face. "Let's do it. I'll have a sleepover at your place," I said, throwing an arm around his shoulder. This went better than I expected. I couldn't believe our friendship escalated this quick. Then again, according to his story, Frayne was way worse before Jessica came into this school supposedly last year. So, this young one was already an improved version of him, luckily.

My mind started wandering far. He could be planning something else for all I knew. Although his invitation was a bit far-fetched, there was no way I'd do anything other than agreeing in a heartbeat. I couldn't wait to see his family again, and especially his siblings, Meggie and Tamara, younger versions. And more importantly, I couldn't wait to spend more intimate time with him, no sexual innuendos intended.

"He does want to talk about something to you, but he's not thinking about it now," Zuzu confirmed my gut feeling.

My head was light, eyes heavy, and concentration nonexistent during today's classes. Even Zuzu was asleep on my table. Everything was blurry; not that I'd absorb the subjects should I be awake. If this were my real school, I'd force my eyes to open, but since this wasn't, I fell right into sweet temptation called daylight slumber.

I slept through during the recess and before I knew it, the last bell of today rang. In search for Frayne, I went out of the classroom and walked down the hallway, looking left and right. It took a while to find Frayne hanging out in the locker room with his friends, the so-called 'cool kids'.

One of them obnoxiously greeted me, "Hey, if it isn't Charlie 'freak new student' Haynes."

I furrowed a brow at his childish taunt. Frayne seemed visibly upset but decided not to verbalize it. "Guys, I gotta go," said Frayne, heading toward my direction.

"Fray, you're going with him?" The same guy spoke up again.

Eventually, Frayne retorted, "What about it?"

"Yeah, what about it?" I repeated after Frayne. "Jealous 'cause you're not invited?" A second after it was said, I regretted ever wasting my time provoking the guy. He wasn't worth a shred of my attention. Oblivious to how temperamental that guy could be, I turned my back on them while thinking that I had the last word. Too bad, the childish guy couldn't accept it and slipped his hand into one of the straps of my backpack to brutally pull it backward, dragging me behind as he growled profanities. My brain automatically calculated his stats; he was about my height, with more muscles and fat than me, and got skinny legs—probably from skipping leg day. My fighting chance was slim.

Zuzu's eyes glowed red in offensive mode at the sight of the assault. She readied herself for a strike but Frayne's agility beat her to it. He forcibly made the guy release my bag and grabbed him by the collar. With a brutal force, he slammed the guy's back against the locker. His menacing tone to the guy sent shivers down my spine, "Fuck. Off." And with that, he released the guy. None of the rest dared to say anything; hell, I wouldn't if I were them. Sure, this Frayne was cute, but at the same time, I forgot that he was untamed. My eyes explored the lines of his muscles that bulged from his T-shirt. He was hiding such a menacing weapon underneath his cute bearing.

With a loudly thumping heart, I mumbled, "Thanks, Frayne." He was shorter and younger than me but damn, he was still Frayne Callen, my strongest protector.

"That guy's an idiot. Don't mind him," Frayne remarked nonchalantly. Even more obvious sign that he should find another group of friends. But he would get there eventually.

I decided to change to topic to fix the mood. "Do you usually walk to school? Are we heading straight to your house now?"

"I usually walk. Well, If you don't mind . . . actually I'm going to practice for about two hours, if that's alright with you," he paused for a second. "On second thought, I think you should join me."

"What kind of practice?" I asked.

There was a passionate glint in his eyes when he answered, "MMA. I have a class today." Oh, my muscle Lord.

Grinning from excitement, I answered, "Gladly."

And I thought I would be solely watching and rooting for him. Frayne dragged me to his practice and forced me to stretch my stiff joints and limbs. "C'mon, you can do it, Charlie! This is just a starter. Stretching your limbs is a vital step to avoid injuries and can give you more fighting energy. Stretch it, stretchhhh!!!"

"Ughghghghgh," I moaned in pain as he pressed my back down with my legs in a semi splitting position. "Stahppp. It hurts!!!!"

💀 💀 💀

"Why don't you practice with him? It's a free trial and just so you know, your muscles are one of the things that will remain once you're back to your present world. Your effort won't be in vain."

It was ironic, partly funny how Frayne was enthusiastically practicing with his trainer and my eyes were lusting over his abs while lying horizontally on the floor, body aching from the vigorous stretching. He was so powerful; his kicks and punches spoke of his strength and determination. It was as if his energy was limitless, more so his ambition. It was like watching a movie. This was one of the things that made me take back my word of regret about ever coming here—I got to see Frayne in his natural habitat, wild and free.

Zuzu was openly lecturing and teasing me regarding my lack of will to exercise.

Hardly feeling encouraged at all, I muttered in a lazy tone and position, "I don't have the strength, Zu." If there were snacks, I'd be watching while eating.

The session must have ended invigoratingly for Frayne. As for weak little Charlie, my legs turned jelly merely from the stretches. The images of Frayne's toned muscles lingered in my mind, contrary to my nonexistent ones. Despite being so young, he was so dedicated in his training. It made me question; did he give up on training now that he was in university?

The sky had turned dark just like the first time I met him in this world. We were on our way to his house.

"How was I?" he asked, in the middle of our walk back to his house.

"How was what? Your practice?"

He grinned. "Yup. How did it go? Was I cool?"

"Jeez. Fishing for compliments, are you?" I teased him. "Fine, I admit. You were cool just now." He always was.

Throwing an arm around my shoulder, he sang, "Aren't I always?"

. . . Uh-oh, his confidence.

On our way back, Frayne shared a lot of stories about his training and his fondness for martial arts. He had been taking classes for a few years now. Prior to that, his dad taught him. Along with a few humble bragging throughout our conversation, he had successfully made me forget about the pressure of meeting his family. However, I wasn't so nervous. I was going to be introduced as his school friend anyway.

His house was the same as the one in the present world. He had his own house key and unlocked the front door, gesturing me to follow him along the way inside. His mom, Vera, was in the living room.

"Welcome back, Frayne," she greeted. She looked exactly like the one in the present world; blonde hair, blue eyes, wrinkle-free skin. "Now who do we have here today?"

"Hi mom," he greeted back. "This is Charlie. Charlie, this is my mom. He's gonna have a sleepover tonight."

"Hi, ma'am," I greeted her politely.

"Hi, dear." She smiled humbly. "It's a rare sight to see Frayne bringing a friend here. Make yourself at home." Ooh, I just knew this.

Glancing at Frayne, his cheeks turned red from his mom's innocent remark but decided not to say anything. The inside of the house didn't differ much; the framed family pictures, some drawings, and probably a few less decorations.

"My room's upstairs. I can carry you if you're lazy," Frayne obviously joked.

"Please do," I played along.

He laughed. "Dude, I'm joking."

At the end of the stairs, Frayne was greeted by his two sisters, Meggie and Tamara. My heart dropped seeing how cute the two were.

"Frayfray~" Bouncy little Tamara squeaked happily at the sight of her handsome older brother. Frayne swept her off her feet and gave her adorable kisses that melted my heart. Meanwhile, the older one, Meggie (she was 10 at the time), stood next to me and gave me a wide-eyed stare; her round icy blue eyes glowed curiously. Her thick brunette hair flowed down to her waist. For someone her age, young Meggie was more beautiful than cute.

"Who are you?" she asked. There wasn't a hint of rudeness in her voice, unlike the first time that we met when she was a moody teenager. Thank goodness.

"Hi," I greeted and bit my tongue from almost uttering her name. "I'm your brother's friend, Charlie. What's your name?"

"Meggie," she said in a cute pout, before running away from me. What was that about? Was she shy?

Frayne carried Tamara to her room and Meggie tailed them. My legs moved on their own volition, opening the door to Frayne's room before he brought me there. And what lied before me surprised me.

Tons of posters littered the wall, ranging from bands to fitness posters; none of them was present in Frayne's university dorm, that means he just took them down completely for a reason. Some motivational quotes were glued above his bedpost. The room was painted light blue; last time it was cream-colored. The overall vibe, and even the odor of the room was different.

The room gave off an entirely different personality from the one that I knew. Fast forward four years later, it was much plainer and emptier. The only thing that remained was the carpet underneath my feet.

I could be overthinking, but could Jessica's death be the cause of the drastic change?

"Why are you here by yourself, intruder?" Frayne's voice made me flinch in surprise. He closed the door behind him. "I haven't even allowed you here."

Scratching my head, I apologized, "I'm sorry. I was wandering around thoughtlessly and entered without your permission."

"Lies," Zuzu commented, making me send her a quick cynical look.

"Okay then," he said, not questioning it further. He flopped into his double bed with grey sheet. We had showered before leaving the MMA studio where Zuzu gave me another free clothes. Frayne was surprised that I came 'prepared' despite the sudden notice, but I brushed off his curiosity with lame excuses. He wasn't convinced but stayed quiet nonetheless.

I set my book bag next to the side of the bed that I crawled from.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" I piped up. "There must be something you'd like to tell me for bringing me here, right?"

Even though I couldn't read people's minds like my powerful fairy, I could still sense that something was up with Frayne Callen, who secretly liked solitude, that made him bring me to his lair.

Frayne could try to fool everyone and make them think that he was such a loud people person, the life of the party. But I knew Frayne liked to spend time alone, doing his own thing. He despised the attention. Four years was a long time for someone's outlook on life to change but wasn't long enough to change anyone's core. Present Frayne just couldn't be bothered to pretend anymore and just, well, be his natural self. Although, being closer to young Frayne's age, I could understand his feelings. We still craved social acceptance more than anything else in the world.

Frayne pulled a blanket over his chest. His blue eyes bored into mine, making my heart skip a beat. I was still not used to seeing his blue eyes without feeling something inwardly, applicable for both young and present Frayne. He responded after a while, "You haven't told anyone that I'm bi, right?"

I answered convincingly, "I haven't, and I won't." Could this be the reason why he invited me to stay overnight? Because his insecurity wanted to make sure that I zipped my mouth tightly?

"The answer is yes," leaked Zuzu, stopping my train of thoughts.

"Right, you won't. I know that you're gay so you can't do as you please anyway."

My brows furrowed. "What does this have to do with me being gay?"

He sighed as if I was an idiot, talking about the obvious. "Because I can also tell people about it if you do . . . ?"

"You can tell anyone," I said, "It's not even my concern. Been out of the closet since I was like, what, ten?"

"Are you serious?" Frayne's eyes widened in disbelief. His nervousness started to show; perhaps from having nothing on me, for me to keep his bisexuality. Young Frayne already seemed to have some trust issues. His guard was up high. "But you promised not to tell a single soul about me, ok?"

I nodded lightly. Seeing how distrustful he was, I realized that my assurance would never be enough to convince him if he didn't choose to trust me. Showing how much I cared about him might do the trick. With that in mind, I changed the topic to focus on him more. "Since when did you realize that you're bi?"

"Since forever, really. I can find anyone sexually and emotionally attractive, regardless of their gender. I tried to force myself to be normal, but it never worked. So, I gave up. I'll just marry a girl that I fall for and hide the fact that I like boys too for the rest of my life." Did you hear that crack? it's nothing; just the sound of my heart breaking from imagining Frayne marrying a girl. Frayne was soon overcome with the realization that he had let out too much, causing his guard to go back up. "You are not allowed to tell anyone about any of this, okay?"

"Frayne," I tried to assure him for the hundredth time, "I'm not going to tell anyone. I don't have the right to. Can't you tell that I'm trying to be accommodating here? And that's 'cause I want to, before you assume otherwise. I genuinely want to be your friend. You can trust me, ok?"

Whoa, I could be the mature one, for once.

"I just don't want to disappoint and embarrass my family."

"You won't. Trust me," I assured him because I knew.

Frayne showed me a sincere smile. He looked relieved. "Thanks, Charlie. You make me feel better."

My hand moved on its own accord to pat his head, feeling his soft brunette hair in between my fingers. He quickly looked away, bothered by my act of kindness. I only knew what it actually was when Zuzu filled me in. "The physical contact makes him nervous. That's what it is." Oh my. It made me want to touch him even more.

"Do you have a type that you like?" I asked, out of curiosity. While I had the chance, I saw no harm in asking questions that I would get biased answers to if I were to ask adult Frayne.

"For both genders? Obviously, physical preferences are different. But for the personality, I like someone who's cheerful, bubbly, and has a wonderful smile. And, someone I can protect."

The shallow side of Charlie was curious. "And about the physical ones?"

"For girls, I like long hair and a slim figure. For guys, preferably a sweeter look rather than masculine, since I'm, you know, the masculine one." I laughed inwardly. "And I prefer a natural look, not too much make up or work done."

"I see," I muttered to myself while trying to match my traits with his criteria. "Anything else?"

"What is this? An interview?" he asked, grinning. "Are you interested in me now?"

"Hey, I have a boyfriend," I laughed nervously. Yeah, it's the future you.

"Your turn. Tell me how's he like?"

I began visualizing; adult Frayne's gorgeous smile, his broad shoulders and firm posture. The person this young guy would become in four years. "He's kind, protective, and handsome. He's also calm and doesn't care about what others think, as long as he knows that he's on the right track, doing what feels right to him. Although he's well-liked by his peers and constantly on the run from girls and boys chasing him, he recharges his energy when he's alone, reading books. And when he's alone with me, of course," I blabbered. My growing smile was uncontrollable.

Frayne became silent. For a moment, he looked like he was in deep thought. Hopefully he didn't notice that it was him. "How old is he?"

"He's eighteen," I answered.

"Physical-wise?"

"He looks like his age," I replied densely.

Frayne rolled his eyes. "I mean, what he looks like."

I got his question the first time, but I avoided it on purpose for obvious reasons. "He's taller than me, very good looking, and muscular."

"Eye color? Skin tone? Anything?"

My heart started beating loudly out of nerves. "Jeez, why are you so curious?"

"I just want to know your type. Now, answer me." This guy was so demanding!!

"Blue eyes, just the right amount of tan, and straight teeth . . . ?"

Young Frayne started to look very curious. His eyes were suffused with inquisitiveness.

"Is this guy an older version of me or what?" Zuzu burst out laughing from how accurate he was, whereas I tried my best to appear calm, at least on the outside.

"You're way too confident," was my quiet answer. Frayne's absence of response had naturally closed the topic.

I had intended to dig up about Jessica and his feelings for her tonight. For the longest time, I was curious about how badly he fell for her, and whether it exceeded his feelings for me. However, we both grew drowsy really fast as it was a tiring day for both Frayne and I; he had an intense training session and I had lacked sleep the night before.

"One last question," I demanded as his eyelids started to flutter. "How much does Jessica mean to you?"

************************* TO BE CONTINUED *************************