AGNES

"I suppose I should say I'm sorry."

He looks at me weirdly. I too am surprised how we got here, and I'm apologizing to him. I never expected any of this either.

"Why are you apologizing?" He asks.

"You haven't done anything bad to me before. Also, you didn't deserve the way I have unfairly treated you."

At last! I admit all my burdens as we walk to my humble home. The streets for some outlandish reason are less busy, the weather is good and I can rest easily knowing that I have satisfied my conscience. It's been a quiet walk since the riot and honestly, the only thought that was on my mind was how I need to clear the air before we reach my house. It took me a lot of gallantry to suppress my ego and say my sincerest apology. I bet it is going to be worth it since I'll have one person less to loathe.

"I'm touched," he says casually. "But seriously, I hold no grudge."

Out of sheer interest, I raise an eyebrow. "How come you can forgive me just like that?"

He laughs, "that's nothing new. I can't help that I'm this kind-hearted."

I chew my lower lip to conquer the overflowing emotions of fuzziness as we continue walking. It is a great feeling to heal permanently after so many years of struggling trying to comprehend the connection I assumed he had with my past.

We arrive in front of my gate, and I kind of wait for him to say something, or react since it is his first time coming to my home, but he comports himself as if he's been here before, and I'm one of his unending lists of friends he usually hangs out with.

I don't mean it as a bad thing though, to be that free minded, but I do wonder what impression he'd have when he enters and sees everything about my kind of living.

"I guess it's time for me to go home now."

Before he turns around to leave, I bravely seize the opportunity to ask him, "um... Felix, would you like to come in?"

"Really? I hope your parents won't mind."

"I live with my aunt and she won't mind at all."

"Okay." He displays excitement with fragments of worry. I'm not sure if he'll enjoy his welcome but it's the least I can do for saving me today.

I lead the way, opening the front gate, then the front door, and the fruity aroma of banana and avocado welcomes us inside – definitely aunty Cherry doing some crazy new recipe with these tropical flavours.

"Did you hear about the uprising today, dear?" From the kitchen, aunty Cherry asks as soon as she realizes she's not alone in the house.

"Err..."

While I rack my brain to think of an appropriate answer, she steps out of the kitchen wiping her hand with a towel. "Who do we have here?"

"Aunty Cherry, meet Felix. Felix, my aunt."

The funny surprise look on aunty Cherry's face is pure gold. "You mean, Felix?! The Felix! He is here in our home?" She says it like I just sinned against God and humanity.

"Yes, aunt. The Felix." I give a crooked smile.

"You're welcome, dear. You just make yourself comfortable," she says to him.

"Thank you," he replies and sits on the sofa.

"Let me get you something, Felix. Agnes, come with me."

As I playback aunty Cherry's first reaction in my head while following her to the kitchen, I erupt into a laughter, the thought refusing to exit my brain. She will question me thoroughly, maybe tease me a bit. I would understand her surprise since she knows all about our little adventures. And if I describe to her what happened exactly, oh no... she would definitely tease me nonstop. I don't think I have it in me to narrate the story of how we became friends... sort of... hold on... friends? Are Felix and I friends now?

"You mean Felix is here!" She still has the funny spooked out look on her face.

"Why? What's wrong about that?" I pretend to not know what she's surprised about.

"What's wrong?!" She gives me her instigating gaze. There's no escaping this one. So much for having your aunt as your gossip mate. "Are you seriously asking me that question?"

"Aunt, I'll explain it to you later. First, let's treat our guest with one of your specials."

When that later time comes, I hope she forgets to query me about it. On the contrary, I can see how she stares at me so curiously, anticipating the whole story. So I guess it is happening. "He can wait a while. Tell me what happened!" She transcends from being super shocked to super excited.

"Let's not keep our guest waiting. I promise, I'll tell you about it."

"Good. Because I'm not sure of what's going on in that head of yours."

Gosh! It's not like what happened was anything that interesting. I was in a terrible situation and he was there. Is that worth gushing over?

After she selects a small silver tray and sets two banana flavoured cupcakes on it to serve Felix, I follow her out as she offers the cupcakes.

"You should try this."

"It's really good," I weigh in from behind.

He takes a bite from the top, leaving a stripe of whipped cream on his lips. "Hm! It's delicious!" He comments, licking off the stain.

"I'm so glad you like it." Aunty Cherry is the one to give a crooked smile. The reality that Felix is in our house still hasn't settled with her yet.

"I taste this stuff in school every day. It has the same sweet essence as the cookies Agnes sells. Are you the one who bakes them?"

"Yes—"

"I make some of them," I cut in. She gives me a sharp cautious stare, and with a half-smile, I try to soothe her temperament, also pleading with her to go with the lie. "We are both caterers as well as business partners."

"Wow! This cupcake is as quintessential as the cookies you sell."

"Thanks," I accept the commendation.

"I'll leave you guys now." Aunty Cherry excuses herself to her bedroom.

I sit beside him silently wondering what he may be thinking. Is he loving his stay here? Does the house look presentable enough? Hold on, since when did I start caring about what people think of my kind of living? I have been on edge about this since I brought him here – and that's unlike me. I don't suppose I'm changing myself to suit him, right?

Of course not. Because why would I?

"You painted these yourself?!" He enquires out of the blue. He must've noted my signatures on the framed paintings hanging on the walls.

"Yeah. I did but not anymore. For now, that is."

"Why did you quit?"

"I felt like quitting, I guess. Probably because of school and stuff."

"If you were given an opportunity to continue, would you?"

"I-I don't know. I haven't thought about it yet."

"You should. Well, it's great you do so probably one of these days, you could teach me. I always wanted to learn something artistic like drawing or painting."

I snigger softly, "oh really! I'll have to see about that."

Then an uncomfortable silence hangs between us, and it further gets really awkward assuming we've exhausted what to say to each other.

"It's getting dark."

I look at the wall clock. It says 4:22pm, and that is not even late but it's better he leaves though so I won't have to deal with the distress I keep having. "Yes, you should be on your way home. I have a couple of things to do – tons!"

He stands up and I stand too to see him out the door, but instead of allowing me open for him, he acts the gentleman and lets me go out first.

I never realized he could actually be this kind. I better ward off these butterflies trying to make me soft on him for my own good.

"So I'll see you around, right?"

I fight the urge to blush. "Of course."

He waves me goodbye as he finds his way out, a plastered smile on his face.

My moment of sunshine and rainbows come to an end when aunty Cherry shows up beside me with a knowing smile. "So, are you going to tell me in details exactly what happened today?"

"Nothing spectacular. We just became friends, that's it." It still sounds so weird hearing myself say that.

"On what grounds? Yesterday, you were telling me... nope, you were reminding me about your hatred for that particular boy, then today, look at the both of you acting all chummy."

This is exactly what Yvonne or Tessa would say. I guess from here onwards, it will be me hoping I live through my friends' judgments when they eventually find out. "I will explain to you better in the kitchen. Let's make more cupcakes, shall we?"

I go inside and aunty Cherry hesitantly follows.

FELIX

Rex: You escorted Agnes home!

Felix: What else could she have done? After all, I saved her life.

Rex: Hold on, I don't like this drama I'm in right now. Are you actually going to hurt her like you said you would?

Felix: Let us just take what she did to me as the driving force and the reason I must accomplish my mission, get those action figures, and prove to you that I'm the King of the Impossible while you'll be my getaway car if shit goes down.

Rex: Honestly, you are getting me worried, you know.

Felix: I don't get it. Aren't you the person who started all of this?!

Rex: You saved Agnes to make her like you, and you sit there acting like that's okay? And if you eventually succeed, the blame will be on me!

Felix: Calm down. Stop being ridiculous. Agnes won't know about our bet. It's just you, me and Xian.

Rex: Xian knows!

Felix: He gave me his word, and I trust him.

Rex: Just keep me out of this when things turn out ugly. It's someone's feelings you're playing with here.

Felix: Mate, aren't you beginning to sound like a hopeless romantic right now?

Rex: I know stuff when it comes to the matters of the heart and I can tell you what girls like her can do when their heart gets broken.

Felix: Don't tell me you believe in love, too.

Rex: Of course I do!

Felix: You guys are pathetic. I'm surrounded by love psychos. Goddamn!

Rex: Because you don't believe in love doesn't stop others from doing so. I'm not a player like you. Only a cold-hearted person would actually do something like what you're about to do.

Felix: Well, suit yourself.

* # * #

I am trying to paint Felix awful as I possibly can. If I'm doing a perfect job, tap the star staring at you, okay.