Red Apples

        Catharina twisted her face upon chewing on the purple grapes. Not that she hated the fruit; it’s just that the juicy flavor of the grapes was so different from what she actually craved for – apples. Specifically, the red ones, not green or any other color. However, when she searched the fridge for some apples, the snack only available was grapes. How she wished her mom would rush from the grocery.

        For now, she thought, she would bear with the taste. Only a few minutes more, her mom would come back with a fresh batch of juicy red apples. She sat cross-legged on the couch and watched some television while shoving each grape into her mouth. Beside her, Cara, her pooch slept comfortably.

        Ding!

        The sound of the doorbell snapped Catharina from her reveries. After setting the bowl of fruit beside her, she sprang from the couch and rushed to the door. “Apples, apples, apples, my love,” She chanted in her head.

        When she opened the door, to her great surprise, her mom was nowhere to be found. In fact, nothing was there. Catharina scowled in annoyance. The kids at front were probably playing tricks on her again. She often imagined herself scolding those little devils up until she’s wrinkly old.

        She heard Cara bark beside her. The loud doorbell in the quiet house must have woken her up. The dog bounded happily on her feet. It was definitely ironic for Catharina to own a dog, considering her nickname was Cat. “Down, girl.” She commanded Cara. But has her eyes cast down on her pet, she also noticed the box sitting in front of her. How could I have not seen that before?

        Cat picked up the box, closed the door and studied it. It was gift wrapped in a pink wrapper with white polka dots. Tied around it was a pink ribbon. A bit heavy, she thought.

        She wondered what could be inside it. Her first thought was that it was yet again another prank from her obnoxious schoolmates. She ran through the chances and considered another options. If she found another gift inside, then it would be the second time around – the second time the anon (or her so called secret admirer) sent her a present. There’s only one way to find out, then.

        Cat opened the box, and there, revealed in its glory are apples. They’re not just apples, but caramel apples. The apples Cara got her name from. Wooden sticks perched on top of the handles as handles.

        She noticed the paper stuck on the lid of the box:

        Dear Cat,

        I heard you like apples – caramel coated ones, especially. You even named your pet after them. Enjoy, my sweet.

                                             -Anon, your secret admirer

        Whoever that person was, he was good. The note was typed and printed so that no handwriting could be recognized. Cat remembered the first gift he sent her. It was enclosed in a box wrapped in glossy red paper with a ribbon tied to it, too. It contained chocolates, delicious ones.

        She stared warily at the caramel apples. They were so tempting. Licking her lips, she picked up one and stared at it. At first she didn’t believe anyone would possibly be her secret admirer but she just decided to benefit from the gifts he sent her. If he really wanted to be with her, then he would try harder and actually speak to her, right?

        Cara barked again.

        Screw that secret admirer, whoever he is, she decided, I still love my apples. She took a testing lick on the caramel and made sure that the apple she would bite on is not an onion in disguise. The pranks were clever nowadays.

        She bit on the delicious caramel apple…

        And it tasted heavenly.

        ♥ ♥ ♥

        Cat still couldn’t forget the remarkable taste of the caramel apples sent to her. She noted to thank the secret sender – at least when he reveals himself. He must’ve been observant for knowing her obsession for apples. It’s a start.

        But she still couldn’t shake questions off her mind: What if he’s not attractive? What if he’s a perverted creep? What if he’s got too much pimples? EW, that’s gross. Holy God, save me. To her, appearance mattered. A guy should at least look decent.

        Cat walked through the corridor of her high school, hoping her secret admirer would send her another box of delicious apples. She pushed her glasses up her nose and brushed away the hairs crowding around her face. She was not too ugly, nor pretty like those girls who hung out in groups. She didn’t have advanced intellect but she does have average grades. Cat disliked those people who stereotyped her for a nerd. What does bad eyesight have to do with being smart, anyway?  She always thought. And what is she proud of? Her great sense of humor, of course.

        “Meow,” Cat felt Goosebumps in her arms when a voice whispered on her ear. And she knew exactly who that person was.

        “Benjamin,” she greeted with a smile and came face to face with her best guy friend. Benjamin – or Ben for short – could hang out with almost everyone, no matter what kind of personality they have. Despite that, he stuck with Cat because her name interested him and they both loved the same TV series. Ben had blonde hair (Cat always teased him to be Draco Malfoy), average height (Cat’s preference in guys) and the clichéd kind of blue eyes (Cat would love to stare at them all day). Like Cat, he wore black rimmed glasses that he would always push up his nose. But unlike her, he practically knows everything.

        “Rumor has it you’re turning gay,” Cat informed him. She had to.

        “No, Cat. Do you believe them?” Big blue eyes stared down at her.

        “God, no.” Cat denied quickly, shaking her head.

        Ben moved closer to her. Their faces were inches apart. Cat only focused on his beautiful eyes. “Would you like it if I were homosexual?”

        “No, Ben.” Cat said. If Ben was gay, she would have totally no chance with him. That’s right. Cat had an itty bitty crush on her best friend.

        “Why not?” Ben narrowed his eyes, stopping at their lockers which were beside each other. Cat flushed red. He could not know about it.

        “B-because,” she stammered. She hated it when she freaked out like an awkward penguin in front of her friend. Why must this happen? She wondered. “I’d hate to see you lusting after guys.” She crinkled her nose, “It’s weird.”

        After they collected their books, Ben said to her, “Well lucky you, I’m perfectly straight.” Cat heaved out a sigh of relief.

        They heard a snort behind them. Cat turned to see her other best friend and self-proclaimed to be her long lost sister. Azure had long brown hair and tan complexion. She’s pretty and smart enough but Cat thought her weirdness is the best quality in her. She wore contacts since the end of middle school instead of thick glasses. Cat couldn’t ask for any other girlfriend.

        “Hey Zuzu,” Ben greeted her. Azure gave him a playful glare.

        “No, Ben. It’s Azure, not Zuzu.” She scolded. “Zuzu is a family endearment.”

        Ben pouted. He’s so cute, Cat thought. “Am I not part of the family?”

        Cat spotted Azure’s eyes light up. She inaudibly gulped. Azure listened to her rambles about Ben and how cute he was. Cat told her everything – even about the secret admirer. That gleam in her eye means she’s got something sneaky in her mind. She is a Slytherin after all.

        “Of course, Ben!” she said eagerly, “You’re part of our little family.” She put an arm around Cat. “You happen to be my brother-in-law.”

        “Oh?” Ben smirked, “And whose husband am I then?”

        “I wonder who it could be.” Azure said sarcastically, stifling a laugh. Cat stood there awkwardly.

        Cat cleared her throat. She planned to steer the conversation away from that topic. “So,” she asked Azure, “Where is Taylor?” She referred to their other sister, Taylor Nadia.

        Azure shrugged, “She’s out sick or probably had an accident. I bet she played with that hair curler again.”

        A smile tugged on Cat’s lips. Her friends were crazy. “Oh and where’s Sky, then?” Sky was another friend of theirs, claiming to be their aunt. She was the rebellious one.

        Azure sighed, “She out ditching again. Seriously, is this how she raises her nieces?”

        “Cut her some slack,” Ben advised. Azure rolled her eyes, “Anyway, I have to go to class. Adios, amigos.” She scampered off to her classroom.

        “Shall we go?” Ben stared at her.

        Cat flushed again and opened her locker. “Uh, I haven’t picked up my stuff yet.”

        “I’ll wait for you.” Ben showed off his pearly teeth. He is so cute!

        Smiling to herself, Cat searched her locker for the books she needed. Sometimes, Ben sucked all her focus and attention. She becomes a nervous wreck when he smiles at her. She’s surprised other girls don’t like to flirt with him – not that she wanted that to happen.

        When she grabbed the last book, she noticed a pale peach paper peeking out from the stack of books. Her heart skipped a beat. It was totally unfamiliar, so that means it should be from Mr. Secret Admirer. She slowly picked up the paper and read it. Her heart was beating rapidly against her ribcage:

        Catharina, my sweet

        You make me safe and complete

        I want to hold you close

        And offer you a red rose

        I want to see your pretty smile

        When you see those tasty red apples

        My heart would run a mile

        My dearest Cat

        I’m crazy for you like that

        Cat gulped. She felt like there was nothing in the world except for her and that letter. She loved it a lot that she felt like crying. It was sweet that someone would go through a lot for a boring girl like her.

        Cat’s eyes widened even more when she saw the short note at the bottom:

        Meet me in the Music room today at lunch?

                                -You know who

        Cat could hardly breathe. He’s going to meet her. He’s really going to meet her? She could hardly wait though she’s nervous at the same time. What she won’t like him? What if he’ll change his mind? Second thoughts raced through her mind.

        A hand touched her shoulder then Cat yelped.

        “Are you okay?” Cat met Ben’s concerned face. She quickly fixed herself up.

        “Y-yeah,” she shakily answered. They walked together to their first class. Only one thought stuck in her mind: she was going to meet him.

        ♥ ♥ ♥

        Cat breathed in then out. She can’t believe she’s really going to do it. She had just finished her lunch and she felt like she was going to throw it up anytime. And now she’s in front of the door of the music room where they were supposed to meet.

        As soon as she got hold of her, Cat told Azure about the poem and the note. Zuzu smiled at her in reassurance and encouraged her to go (she even volunteered to be captain of their ship and name that very ship). Cat hadn’t told Ben about it, though. She was afraid he’d go overprotective of her. But now, a guilty feeling rested on the pit of her stomach. Cat promised herself to tell Ben after she met him.

        Alright, Catharina, here goes nothing. Cat took one last glance at the paper in her hands then went in.

        The first thing she noticed was that it was dark inside. All windows were shut and all lights were off except for a particular bulb in the center of the room. It illuminated the table prepared for Cat to see. On the table was a red tablecloth (her favorite color), scented vanilla candles and a vase with a bloody red rose on it. But what really caught Cat’s attention was the box of chocolates and the box of caramel apples perched on the table. They were simply magnificent.

        Slowly, Cat made her way towards the table. She picked up the small note on top of the boxes:

        For you, my sweet.

        She seriously and desperately wanted to cry.

        Ignoring the about-to-burst dam in her eyes, Cat excitedly opened the box of treats and started munching on the apples hungrily. This one guy touched her heart – he could never compare to Ben. He was the only guy so far that made her heart weep and smile at the same time. And she promised herself to give this guy a chance.

        “I see you like the apples,” a voice said behind her. Cat refused to turn since she wasn’t ready.

        “Y-yeah, I-I do,” she replied softly. Could she be more of a fool?

        “Look at me, Cat. Don’t you want to see me?” her secret admirer said.

        “So, this isn’t a dream? A joke? Some kind of prank, maybe? Is this all real?” words poured from her mouth before she knew it.

        “No Cat, it’s real. I really like you.” The voice sounded familiar. She felt like an idiot not knowing where it belonged to. She closed her eyes and quickly turned around. His smell engulfed her. She wanted nothing but to hold onto him forever.  “Open your eyes.” His warm breath tickled her cheek. She’s going to do it.

        Benjamin.

        The Benjamin Collins, her guy best friend, the boy she had a crush on forever . . . was right there in front of her.

        And so her hunch was right.

        “Benjamin!” she gasped and started to freak out. So he felt the same way as her. It was all too good to be true.

        “Look Cat, I know you’re going to freak out right now, okay?” he said carefully. “I’ve liked you ever since I met you. I tried to denying it a few times but each day I get to see you, my mind acts all weird as well as my heart and I get tongue tied. I…just…Cat, it’s almost graduation. I thought it was high time to confess to you. But I didn’t want to suddenly tell you…so I did this.” He gestured at the table. “We need to make the most out of our remaining time, Cat.”

        And so the dam broke. Cat wrapped her arms around Ben and cried her heart out. She felt dramatic, but that didn’t matter. Benjamin liked her back and that’s what’s important.

        ♥ ♥ ♥

        It didn’t turn out as I planned but eh, it’s okay.

        This is a short story I just thought of and I decided to write it. Your welcome, darlings. Anyway, I’m back to business and I’ll be updating Counting Stars soon. So stay tuned for upcoming updates!

        Adios Amigos