Still, she continued.
"If you didn't care about your own daughter's feeling, you should at least feel ashamed for using others to control me!" she breathed heavily as she kept on talking. She felt frustrated.
She already had an idea that they knew about her antics but knowing the truth is more shameful than before.
"We did not ask him to do it." her mother came to her father's defense.
"He came to us. He said he would make you smile again. Did you think we won't agree to that? Our smiling daughter from before, we want her back!" her mother's voice was steady but firm.
"What are you talking about? I'm always happy. I'm happy with you. Why are you giving me this kind of explanation right now? It doesn't make sense. It's not even acceptable!" she looked at them incredulously.
"Have you ever seen yourself in the mirror? You're a walking ghost! You're far from our happy little angel that has a bright smile."
She wiped the unformed sweat from her face. So they never really understood her. She scoffed.
"Mom, I'm just the same. Can't I be a little serious once a while? Do I have to always pretend that I'm happy?" she can't help saying out loud.
"Don't you the think I should feel pain to learn to be truly happy? I can't just keep on smiling. This world is not a fairytale. I'm trying to live in the reality but you want to cage me in fantasy." Her parents looked more confused.
"I really appreciate that you have always put me in your priority but if you don't let go of my wings, I won't ever learn to fly."
She relaxed from her tensed position and exhaled sharply.
"I had been in love with that guy since I don't remember when. But that was the childish me that had those silly feelings before. I had grown up and matured from all my silliness and I'm just trying to be a better person. Can't I do just that?" The couple just looked at her with shock as she patiently explained. You want the truth, here's the truth.
If she can't persuade them with her honesty, she'll just run away from home.
"I'm getting annoyed with him because of the way he treats other people compared to his interactions with me. He's very reserved and cold only with me but he's warm and cheerful with others. I no longer have lingering feelings for him but they way he acts like that still felt insulting for me. Can't he treat me like an old friend?" she said it. It was the painful feeling of being treated differently that she despised from him.
"But I've gotten over that already so please, just let me deal with my own troubles from now. Huh?" she smiled at them as they still try to process all her revelations for today. Please, please, please. Help make them understand, she prayed.
She didn't mean to put Handsome in the middle of their family disputes but until she tells them the truth, which would always involve him, they would never stop interfering with her affairs.
She indulged them and answered all their questions as honest as she can. She just won't reveal those times when she had to empty her father's pockets for more coins. Hehe.
When her parents stopped asking any more questions, she stood up and walked towards her room in satisfaction.
Finally, she got her freedom, she had a heart to heart talk with her parents and her long forgotten puppy love put to a proper closure.
"Then, is Handsome the only one in love?" she heard one of them say which made her stop on her tracks.
They're at it again! She turned around and helplessly smiled.
"Hey, don't get him involved here anymore. I thought we already talked about it."
"Well. If you say so." her mom stopped talking and just pointed towards their neighbor's house as they both replied.
"We won't talk anymore." she scoffed.
"Really?" they both nodded. Whatever. She needs to sleep now, her day has been too busy and tiring that she just wanted to lay down her bed and drift to sleep.
"That guy has been in love with you." they said in chorus and walked to their room with their goofy grin on their faces, leaving her in a state of annoyance more intense than before. Hey, stop it!
Sweetheart rubbed her eyes when she saw that the dark sky is starting to be lit with sunrise.
It's already morning and she did not get any sleep after her parents' last words to her last night.
That guy has been in love with you.
What was that supposed to mean? And that late night kiss... She unconsciously bit her lips and gulp down.
As she can't get any sleep anymore, she dragged her unwilling body back to the cafe and swept it clean again. When she's still unable to get any sleep, she prepared the needed ingredients for their next day's menu.
Of course, she still wouldn't be able to sleep so she just gave up and went back home.
She sat on her bed, gathered the blanket to cover her body and stared blankly. Her mind drifting but not working.
When she checked the clock on the wall, it was already morning. Roosters have started crowing and the young guy that delivers newpapers can already be heard biking through their neighborhood.
She got up from her bed and prepared breakfast for her parents before she moved to their room to wake them up.
"Breakfast." she spoke softly before she walked back to the dining room when she saw them stir awake.
Both parents are definitely shocked when they saw her bloodshot eyes and the dark circles around it.
"What happened?" there was little worry in their faces but more of curiousity.
"Huh? I can't sleep." she answered blandly.
"Is that because-" they both held on their tongues, afraid that making her remember their last night's conversation might put her on a nervous breakdown.
"I was just shocked with everything that happened last night. Don't worry about it, I'll take some sleeping pills later." she laughed halfheartedly.
"Sweety?"
"I'm fine. I just need to organize my thoughts. Then I'll be okay."
"Sweetheart?"
"It was just a secondary information so you may have heard it wrong. I have to stop thinking about it."
"Sweet-"
"I'm fine. I'm fine." she kept blabbering.
The she remembered all the night's event's again, his soft lips, she screamed.
"Aaahhh! I'm not okay. I'm not okay." her voice turned into hysteria now.