He loves me, He loves me not, He loves me, He loves me not,

He loved me.

What makes our heart confused? when everything he say was like a knife that keep on pushing through my heart and when, all of his action show how gentle he was like he can hold you like a wine of glass.

He love me not...

Lauren POV

"Wow! So this is your cafe?" Tristan said, as he was so amazed when he looked around the shop. I couldn't hide my gratitude as I smiled when he praised everything inside.

"Is this making me the first customer you have?" He asked when he took a seat on the table in front of the counter.

"If you pay for the coffee, you will be the first," I said, teasing him as I served him a cup of coffee and pulled the chair in front of him.

He immediately took his wallet out and put his card on the table. "Should I also give you a tip?" he said, trying to give me his serious look, but he eventually smiled at me.

As we both laugh, Tristan's childish act is not that bad at all, as I always see myself smiling and laughing when he is around.

"Oh! What is he doing here?" someone shouted in the front door when Riza's walked in with a plastic bag of bottled beer in her hand.

Her eyes locked on Tristan's back. 'I already know what she was thinking' I try to stop her, giving her a sign using my hands, but the way she quickly ran over to our table and slammed her hands to it, making Tristan's coffee spill a bit.

He almost jumped in surprise, and I looked at Riza's, saying, 'What are you doing? '

"Hah, did you really still have the guts to show your face here?" Riza's sudden question makes me stand up as I cover her mouth, trying to stop her from saying the things that she shouldn't have.

It takes a minute before she realizes that she was talking to the wrong person. when she saw Tristan with a shocked face as he looked at her.

"W-who are you?!" Riza exclaimed as he looked at his hair, which was so similar to Matthew's curly hair. She looks at me, giving me a look of, 'Who is this guy? '

Riza later apologized for her manner, but knowing Tristan's attitude, he just played it cool and made fun of it. The two of them got close easily—not even in a minute.

"So, who is this guy that made Lauren cry before?" Tristan asked as I could see they were having a fun time around.

Riza's talk was so drunk that she even told Tristan how I fell over heels for some guy during high school. that it changes me a lot, and I didn't even resemble the old Lauren before.

I just rolled my eyes, hearing the both of them talking about my past.

"That asshole," Riza said as she opened a can of beer on the table. They have already finished six bottles, and five of those were all consumed by Riza's.

"I should kick him in the ass before," Riza said, standing up as she acted as if she were kicking someone in front of her. I looked at her in disbelief, wondering how she was already drunk.

"But Lauren, always—" she continued, stopping in the middle as she looked at me. "She always likes that—."

"Riza!" I called her name when Riza fell on her feet and sat on the floor. Tristan tried to hold her arms, helping her to stand up, but she was too drunk at that moment.

"No one likes him because he— lies to us," Riza said as Tristan helped him to sit as I pulled the chair beside me. But Riza reached my face as she grabbed my cheeks and faced it to her. Her eyes wonder at my face, and I see how she smiles while looking at me.

"But this girl—she was soooo deeply in love with hii--m" I was stunned for a second by what she said. I can also see Tristan's worried eyes as he tries to look at me. Riza's was so wasted that night that her cheeks were red as she slowly fell asleep, and I rested her head on the table.

"Is she alright?" Tristan asked me, as I could see that he could hold his drink. I just nodded as I put a blanket over Riza's.

"So who is this guy, Lauren?" Tristan asked again, with those serious looks on his eyes.

I open the beer and smile back at him. "It's all in the past," I said to him before I took a sip of my beer.

"Matthew?!"

the named echoe, as I can see Jonathan open the door of the shop. His eyes were glued to Tristan's back, but he then realized that he was wrong when Tristan stood on his seat and looked at him with doubt.

"Jonathan, can you help me take Riza's upstairs? She's drink a lot," I asked, getting his attention as I could see his eyes were not leaving Tristan.

"Are you sure you can drive? I asked Tristan when I walked him outside the shop, where his car was parked.

"Can you drive for me then?" he asked, facing me as he opened the door of his car. I paused, thinking about how I would answer him.but he laughed at me.

"Im fine, im fine, I only drink not even one bottle. Lauren, I can drive," he said, convincing me that he was alright. but his awkward smile at me as he ran his hand through his hair makes me feel like he wants to ask something.

But I will not ask, as I know what he wants to know—about Matthew and me.

"You should go," I told him. The smile on his face faded, but his eyes were still on me.

"Lauren" Tristan called my name, even though we were only a few steps closer to each other.

I looked at him with a questioned look, waiting for his next words, but his eyes were like a magnet with lots of emotions, like it's pulling me.

When Tristan pulled me into his arms for a hug,.

I was confused for a second, but eventually I got my sense back as I tried to push him away, but he was too strong, not letting me to step back from his arms.

"It's all in the past, Lauren," Tristan said. I could feel his head on my shoulder as he leaned toward me, still not loosening his arms around me. "Can't you let me in, in your heart?" What he told me made me lose my strength as I let him hug me for a minute.

"I don't know what Matthew did to you in the past, but I will make sure, Lauren, that I will not make the same mistake like he did."

His voice was soft, and I could hear how true his feelings were for me. Tristan was maybe a year younger than me, but knowing how brave he was in showing all his affection to others makes me see how grown he was as a man.

'It's all in the past,' I always say when they are talking about Matthew. but I see as the times passed that it was just all my excuses, that all along until this time, I was not moved on, but I was just running away from it.


from him,


from Matthew.





Teaser (Tristan POV)

"Ms.Lauren!" I called Lauren when I saw her walk out of the office building. but she didn't hear me, as I can see how she keeps on going and stops when she reaches the pedestrian lane.

I go out of my car as I try to come closer to her. but before I can grab her shoulder, the light turns green as she also makes her way crossing the street. stopping me before I can reach her.

"Lauren," I said to myself as I could see the looks on her eyes, 'it looks gloomy, sad, and confused'. My eyes automatically followed her from behind.

'Did something happen at the office? ' I asked myself.

"Excuse me! Sorry, sorry!" a man shouted in the crowd as he ran over them. He was in a hurry, running as he crossed the street. He's about to be near Lauren, but she didn't hear what he was shouting.

And I saw myself running towards Lauren as the man hit her shoulder, causing her to lose her balance.

I quickly grabbed her back as I pulled her close to my body. She looked so surprised when I caught her, I could feel her arms on the back of my neck. 'she was too close' I want to see how shocked she was when she saw me. I smiled at her.

"Matthew?"

Her voice shakes for a bit when she says his name.

"Are you okay, Ms. Lauren?" I said in disappointment.

I can't hide from the looks on her eyes that she was expecting someone other than me, and thinking that she was waiting for Matthew makes me feel the pain that I always had for him. My brother.

Matthew in my life was a big hindrance. He takes everything away from me; he was too selfish to have the things that I care about since I was young.

I met him at the age of 18, when my father took him home with us, saying that we needed to treat each other as family. At first, I was fond of him. He was gentle and caring. He was quiet, but he was fun when you got closer to him.

but everything starts to fall between us as we grow older. My father liked him more, while my mother and I became his excuses for his success. He almost abandons us, saying that we are not supposed to be a part of their family and that everything is all about showing off his business.

His father was a wealthy man but too greed of his own power.

He didn't even show up when my mother died, leaving me alone during the most painful time of my life.

Matthew takes over most of the business in our family. While me? I am just living the life of the son of a wealthy businessman, spending all his money.

I always showed them that I didn't care, I always made a scene just to bring them down until Matthew decided to take me here, letting me learn all about the company and other businesses.

But I know what he is after going back here after all these years.

I know because he told me everything before.

 

everything about her.

About that one girl,

Lauren.