||ASAHD||

The gate was closed compelling me to call Serah to come and open it. The busy alley as usual has people staring at me, curious to see who this rich 'boy' is here to see in case they still don't know. They no longer irk me with their behavior. It's already old news. About two minutes later, Serah opens the gate with a sweet welcoming smile. Smiling back, I let myself in before she closes it. The eager folks on the outside don't get lucky to see her because she doesn't step or peek out of the gate.

After closing it, I pull her into my arms for a warm hug, resisting the urge to lift her in my arms and carry her to the house. For one, it would cause extreme attention. Secondly, it would somehow confuse her and then arouse questions in her whose answers I've got none. Perhaps scraps and not solid ones.

"Do those women give you a hard time in the literal sense?" I ask her as we leisurely walk to her house.

The scorching February sun is burning hot on our skins you'd think it's the start of January. The wind, however, is trying to work some magic blowing its currents around us. Thankfully, the compound is grassy otherwise there would be sandy dust filtering through our nostrils and eyelashes.

"Literally, no. They just whisper or gossip but never cause trouble. I don't know what has changed but recently I find myself saying that they can gossip all they want. They can also twist the stories to fit whatever fantasy they wish. It is not my business and I no longer care," she boldly says making me smile.

She is slowly regaining her confidence. For her to say that she doesn't care counts much. The words might be a bluff but they do have a sincere root deep within her. I don't know what cost her confidence and triggers her inferiority complex disorder. She just mentioned it but never told me the specifics. However, I believe that she will tell me when she feels it's the right time.

"You look adorably tiny today," I compliment staring at her back as she leads through the backside corridor to her house.

"Probably because of the oversized clothing," she chuckles.

She's is wearing buggy violet sweatpants with a tiny waist to fit hers and a buggy black striped t-shirt. She makes me think of her in my clothes. They would make her look adorable and sexy at the same time. Damn, my mind is starting to picture things that it shouldn't. Seeing Serah as more than just an ordinary person was never my intention but as it is, things are changing. Fast too for that matter.

"I think so," I respond checking her out a little more.

Once we are at her door, she opens it and we stalk in before I close the door behind me.

"Thanks?" she appreciates but it comes out as a question making me laugh lightly.

She scowls at me as I bend to kick off my shoes and put on my maroon slides. About a week ago, she made me carry them to her place. She's quite a demanding fella when she is determined. She insisted that she doesn't like me stepping on the floor 'barefoot' despite having socks and a rag to step on.

"Don't thank me for looking adorable. That's something you're supposed to be unapologetic about," I say while placing my shoes on the shoe rack. "You're not wearing glasses?" I ask when I take note of her naked and calling eyes.

"I've just removed them for an hour. I still have uh," she goes to check the time on her phone which is placed on the bed. "About twenty-five minutes."

"Your glasses are good at hiding your beautiful eyes," I point out taking a seat on her bed. It has become a favorite lodge as well.

"Are they?" she asks trying to hide a smile.

"You know that too," I point out breaking her smile.

"I knew that from you maybe," she comments in a low tone as she takes a seat beside me on the bed.

"What are you up to?" I ask studying her curiously when her appreciative smile turns into a mischievous one.

"You read me so well sometimes it scares me," she confesses making me chuckle.

She steps off the bed, walks to her kitchenette, and opens the lower cabin to retrieve a blue canvas bag full of matchboxes. She brings it with her and pours the seemingly empty matchboxes on the bed.

"How many are these and how do you have so many? Are you in some kind of matchbox collecting competition or what?" I ask watching her spread them on the bed with an excited yet determined face.

"They are a hundred and I stock them up once a box is out of matchsticks. I want us to play building blocks," she says as she goes back to the same cabin and removes a board resembling a checkerboard.

"With them?" I ask with a raised brow.

I've played the game a couple of times before but not with matchboxes and that too their emptiness being a plot twist.

"Yeap," she responds resuming her position on the bed.

She places the board on the space between us, sits cross legged, and then prompts me to assume a similar position.

"Are you sure? These boxes are weightless to build blocks let alone maintain balance on high levels. Secondly, they're too small for the normal blocks. Some don't even have definite shapes," I complain while scrutinizing the boxes.

"That's where the fun comes in," she counters. "Especially when the rules apply. It will be thrilling. So, we have to choose penalties for each other for when one demolishes the blocks."

"This is going to be a disaster," I grumble making her laugh lightly. "Have you played before?" I ask and she nods.

"I do play the game with Sue sometimes. Though no one ever wins. We are always losing."

"You have experience. I don't have it," I say in an almost whiny tone.

"Well, it's not entirely about the experience. It's about creativity. You're creative so it shouldn't be so hard," she says in a convincing tone.

"If that's what you say then I am ready," I state ready to take on the challenge.

"Good. This is going to be fun. Let's set the ground rules first though. No easy ones. That's what will keep the game moving and more fun," she suggestively says.

"I'm good with that. Thought about my penalty?" I ask with a slightly mischievous tone.

"Uh, let me think," she says assuming a thoughtful expression.

"Waiting for that. Meanwhile, I think I already have your penalty," I state with a mischievous smile of my own.

"That fast?" she asks in surprise.

"You said I'm a creative," I volley.

"But I didn't say you show it off," she counters with pouty lips making me chuckle.

"Regardless, if you demolish the blocking, you will have to wear my hoodie to school," I start.

"That's not hard," she shrugs.

"I'm not finished, sweet Mawia," I state. Her eyes slightly ball out as she bites the inner cheek.

"You seemed content with that," she mumbles.

"You thought so. Anyway, you will wear it as a dress, have a belt tied around your waist and in your legs, you will put on those red heels over there," I point to the sharp-pointed and strapped heels on the rack.

That look would define a whole other Serah I want to see. The complex Serah. I know she is somewhere hidden and she just needs a trigger that will call her out to the light.

"No way," she gasps with a broad smile on her face.

"Yeap," I affirm with a nod.

"That's extreme," she miserably complains.

"I don't think so," I smirk and she rolls her eyes. "Gotten my penalty already?"

"Yeah," she mischievously says. "You will go to rehearsals in your slides and no socks. Just the slides."

The heck! In my soft berry pink hoodie and black ragged trousers, maroon slides aren't the best shoe option.

"That look is ridiculous. I'm never doing that," I grumble laughing at the image of my ridiculous looking self during rehearsals.

"Well, there is only one way to determine that," she challengingly says.

"To play and make sure we don't demolish the blocks," I remark.

"Yeap," she nods in agreement.

"Let's get started then."

We lay down a perfect foundation for the structure. She is the one who starts the game. The thrill of it is coaxing inside me and it's just the start of the game. She was right, it's going to be fun. The first round works well but we get to a level where the matchboxes just decide to fall by themselves as if summoned by a dark force. It leaves us laughing hysterically. As we build the blocks a second time, some realities that I've been ignoring start dawning on me fervently.

For one, I've never acknowledged the fact that she harbors real feelings for me. Feelings that she tries to hide every time we are together. During those times, she smiles, laughs, speaks, and generally enjoys our time together. She does it all with a crystal clear genuineness. However, when I carefully look into her calling eyes, there is always a distant pain in them. Sometimes I think I'm the cause but I can't be sure. Just like I am not sure why she chooses to hide her feelings from me.

I'm used to having ladies approach me and confess their feelings for me but she has chosen to shut them all in. She probably thinks that I don't know about it but I've known all along. I've just failed to acknowledge it. Well, if that doesn't make me a hypocrite then I don't know. Nevertheless, she perhaps prefers it when her feelings don't get in the way of our friendship. She may have feared that they would ruin it since they weren't even reciprocated. Well, until recently when my heart has decided to get into a confusing and complicated web of feelings.

In about an hour, we have built more than twenty blocks. None of them went past level number seven without falling, which was slightly frustrating. On the brighter side though, I ended up doing better than Serah. She is still pouting about it as she expected to beat me. I should have let her be the better one but I'm having a fun time enjoying her. While in the building process, I don't remember when she joined me on my side. It's sometimes hard to keep track of events when we are both engaged. As of now, she is sitting right between my legs and mumbling things about me being a genius creative. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been better in the game.

"You're not done pouting, Mawia?" I ask with a mocking smile.

"Just one more minute," she grumbles as she shoves the matchboxes in their blue canvas bag.

"One more minute," I drawl while helping her shove them all in.

When we are done, she steps off the bed and takes them back to the cabin. She then comes back to bed and resumes her position.

"So, are we going to face the consequences now?" she asks as I lean on the wall to support my back.

"We are horrible blocks builders," I point out and she laughs lightly. "That's why I'm not wearing slides to rehearsals."

"Since we are equal, I'm not wearing your hoodie and heels to rehearsals," she states.

Absently, her hands warily rise to feel the barely present stubble on my face. It is soothing if not distracting causing me to have scandalous thoughts. My eyes dart on hers to see the longing that I saw in Vanessa. The same longing that made me dump her now makes me want to keep Serah with me. This is all weird, complicated, and not understandable.

"I guess so," I absently state while letting out a heavy sigh.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks in concern as she retrieves her hand unsurely.

She also completely masks her longing by replacing it with concern. I doubt she meant for it to show. Maybe it was a weak moment for her. Now I really want to know why she is keeping everything to herself. Although I can't broach the subject if she is choosing to disregard it. I'll be a little more patient and hopefully, she will open up. She may even be the one to help me understand everything happening to me-to us.

"From tomorrow I'll not be coming to the university," I respond.

She goes blank and still as she scrutinizes my face for a whole two minutes. It is as if she is trying to take in all of me and commit my image to her long-term memory. The prevailing silence creates an uncomfortable drift in the room. I have a feeling the news just broke a part of her before crowning it with hopelessness.

"Why is that?" she asks in a soft tone as her eyes dart on mine deeply.

There in a flash of evident fear in them. She probably is afraid that this is the end of us and our smooth friendship.

"I have a job awaiting me tomorrow and it will require much of my attention," I respond.

She breaks our eye contact and looks at anything else other than me.

"What about the guys? The dancers?" she asks sounding a little scared and restless.

"They will have Gabriel," I respond hunting her lost calling eyes.

They won't stop darting around on a mission to evade mine. She is trying to hide her fear, restlessness, and brokenness.

"Uh, will you go to the festivals?" she asks sounding like a person who has disappeared into her thoughts.

"I'm still not sure about that," I huff.

"So this is the end of our friendship? I'm sure when your schedule goes back to normal it will be hard for us to see each other leave alone meet," she asks sounding broken but still hopeful. "It is ending as fast as it started," she mumbles to herself but slightly loud enough for me to hear.

"We are not over, Mawia," I respond with a soft yet firm tone as I caress one of her smooth cheeks with my knuckles.

A hint of hope creases her face making me smile. I don't imagine leaving her behind and throwing everything we have into the Past-Things Bag. I'm convinced we have a connection worth keeping.

"You're serious, right?" she asks trying to get my affirmation with a hopeful smile.

"Yes, I'm sure," I affirm.

"So I don't have to say goodbye and probably cry a little?" she asks making me chuckle.

"You would cry?" I teasingly ask.

"A little," she says with a shrug. "Perhaps a single tear and a tiny one for that matter," she adds with a demonstration of her thumb and index finger.

"You are a liar. Anyway, it's just that I'll not be coming to EAMS unless needed. However, I'll be coming to see you when the schedule is not overly tight. Well, if it is, I'll have to steal time to come see you or you can come to visit me at my place," I suggestively say.

"I don't know your place, remember," she points out with a raised brow.

"I'll take you," I assure her. "After the festivals though. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes," she agrees with a broad smile.

"Good. Are we settled now?" I ask and she nods.

"However, if you do come to the festivals, let me know, okay?" she requests.

"I can just surprise you," I retort.

"If that's what you say as long as I get to know that you came," she says.

"Alright," I agree.

Subconsciously, I pull her to me. She willingly squeezes closer until she is engulfed in my arms warmly and somewhat intimately. Comfortable silence prevails as our thoughts run wild. Probably in different directions or even paralleling. I wouldn't be so surprised as things are slowly changing between us.