"Fireworks exploded, marking a new year. Just like how a yellow daffodil shows bliss and simplicity, it also coheres with the same emotions my heart radiates. In the language of flowers, Daffodils signify 'New Beginnings'. May this new year signify new beginnings for you and me."
-Sol, Daffodils (January 3 1990).
Start. Each and every word in the letter was brimming with sincerity. Candy felt it too. She felt how much of a sparking moment Sol must have felt when she met Eleven. Time slows down as your heart beats faster. Time speeds up every time you laugh and enjoy each other's company.
Whenever their skin touches each other even for a brief moment, friction and static electricity is spread throughout their bodies. Everything was hot, yet wholesome and innocent. Tension was felt, but was welcomed. Each and every word spoken was taken as a nugget of gold.
Candy knew this all too well. After all, Candy loved Major very much. Whenever Major smiles, she could feel her tendons shaking. Every time Major dances on stage, Candy felt anxious, proud with a little tinge of butterflies.
Before Candy would reminiscent her moments with Major again, she quickly returned the letter to the envelope. After reading the first one, she ought to read more. On the side were three other letters. She opened the next one, hoping to continue their story in a chronological order. When she opened the envelope, another letter falls to the ground. This time, the letter was entitled, Roses.
R O S E S
To Eleven. February 13, 1990.
Time passed quickly after our first meeting. You were busy with your studies and so was I. Swamped with deadlines and assignments, for a quick moment, I had forgotten your existence. I was expecting you to have felt the same.
As midterms went and came, so did our precious moments together. I thought of you as my passing fancy. Of course, life never goes on our terms. I would have never written you another letter again after realizing that I was only experiencing infatuation.
The Department of Business Management ought to find a Mr. and Ms. Valentine representative to be held two days before the valentine prom. Together with my block mate, Jean, we were chosen as the representatives for Mr. and Ms. Valentine. Jean was pretty, she was very outgoing, a marathon runner and also quite the brainy nut, though she pales in comparison to you especially with your smile as sweet as chocolate and your eyes sparkling like the diamonds in the skies.
I never would have accepted the responsibility of being a department representative until I heard that you were chosen as the representative for the Department of Information Science. I wanted to see you again, and check if you were still doing quite fine.
A week before the final event, we had to rehearse for the upcoming Mr. and Ms. Valentine pageant. As representatives of the program, we ought to meet there.
On the way to the university gym, I saw you with Selena and Heidi. You were laughing so brightly that I could see the sunshine in you. All of a sudden, an influx of girls suddenly came in running inside the gym. They were holding a banner with a huge picture of Bonn, last year's first runner up.
At this point on, the point of view has shifted from Sol to a Third Person's View to better portray the details in Sol's letter.
"Okay everyone, settle down!" the event administrator ordered everyone. "Please go to your designated partners."
Suddenly, huge movement took place in the gym as everyone searched for their partners. In the corner of Sol's peripheral vision, he eyes at Eleven, in her university uniform. She looks stunning, Sol thinks to himself.
Eleven slowly picks her things up and walks to a tall—quite the familiar person. A handsome, muscular and tall guy. The guy looked very charming, emitting the classic gentleman aura, while at the same time, having looks depicting a very intimidating person. He slowly looks at who the person was. It was Bonn.
He slowly realizes that Bonn was Eleven's partner.
Eleven timidly smiled at Bonn while Bonn smirks at Eleven. Sol feels slightly annoyed. He could feel that Bonn is flirting with Eleven.
"Sol!" a voice glittering of confidence and poise echoed the gym.
"Jean? You're here already?" Sol chuckled. "That was fast. I called you thirty minutes ago and you still sounded like you just woke up from bed."
"Well, I― for one, am a very punctual person." Jean slowly twirls her finger until it pointed to herself. "I couldn't just let my man wait for me right?"
Sol chuckles. "Stop kidding, Jean, or someone might misunderstand." He eyes at Eleven.
"Who the hell cares about you, Sol?" Jean laughs. " Well— we are partners, right?" Jean asks rhetorically. "Giddy up your horses, city boy, we need to quickly head out."
"Head where?" Sol replied in confusion.
"To the waiting room, silly." Jean laughs. You've gotten a lot dumber than you ever were, Sol." Jean states as she points at the waiting room, laughing.
Eleven slowly eyes at Jean and Sol's interactions. She's fine— but inside, she is feeling a tad bit jealous. Not enough for her to take action but enough for her to take notice. She knows she and Sol never had any real interactions after that dance on the New Year's party, yet she feels a little uneasy.
In a distance, Eleven can smell a scent of strong perfume, followed by a deep, yet also a familiar vocal color. Eleven looked up and saw Bonn holding a tuna sandwich in his left hand and a sachet of prepackaged orange juice on his right hands.
"You hungry?" Bonn offered while slightly giving out a hand gesture for Eleven to take the tuna sandwich.
"No, not really, thanks for the offer anyway." Eleven replied.
"You sure? I'm quite certain I saw you eyeing the snacks a little while back." Bonn teased.
"I'm fine― really." Eleven answered.
"Well, if you're not gonna eat, then I will." Bonn starts munching at the food. "So, uhmm... *muffled* are you *munches* ready to go to the *gulps* the waiting room? I heard they are orienting the contestants there." Bonn said as he casually points to the waiting room while sipping the packaged orange juice.
Eleven nodded and went to the waiting room. As she walks towards the direction of the room, she can't help but think about Sol and Jean. It bothers her. Jean seems to be the perfect woman in Eleven's eyes. Jean is pretty and athletic, her poise and her presence itself could surely make a man drool over her. She can't help it but feel insecure.
Arriving on the room, Bonn slowly opens the door only to reveal So and Jean laughing about in the corner of the room. Eleven looks away. A few minutes fly by and the event administrator called out the representatives for each department.
"Department of Medicine?"
"Here."
"Department of Education?"
"Right Here."
"Department of Engineering?"
"Yup?"
"Please head to the stage so you can rehearse your formations." The administrator instructed.
Slowly, the room was a getting less and less crowded. More and more batches exit the waiting room, until only the Department of Information Sciences, Psychology and Business Administration were left.
Sol slowly gets off his chair. He excuses himself from his and Jean's conversation and slowly approaches Eleven's direction. Noticing Sol's arrival, Eleven corrects her posture and her hair, she suddenly feels like running away. She's feeling giddy all over.
"Hi." Sol waves his hands towards Eleven.
Feeling quite uncertain on what she'd say, Eleven replies with an awkward "Hi"
"Remember me?"
"Of course. Sol, right?"
It felt awkward for the both of them. They haven't met in such a long time. After having quite the romantic and personal exchange of words in the New Year's party, they just can't help it but feel the heavy and cloudy atmosphere.
"So, how have you been, Eleven?" Sol asks in a quite reassuring manner.
"Still same old― life has been busy, hectic and frankly, quite a bit suffocating."
Suddenly, Eleven noticed Bonn starring at the two of them intently. To break off unwanted awkwardness, Eleven suddenly twists her head to look at Bonn.
"Bonn, this is Sol, a friend I met at a party." Eleven looks at Bonn while her fingers clustered while pointing at Sol. She twists her hands and does the same for Sol.
"Sol, this is―"
"Bonn, right?" Sol interrupts, like thunder after the lightning.
"You know each other?"
Looking at Eleven with a full grin, Sol replies, "Personally? No." Sol then continues, now in the most preposterous and blatant scoffing manner saying, " But do I know him? Yes I do. Truthfully, who in campus doesn't?"
"Aw, thanks." Bonn replies as he takes the mocking comment as a compliment. He slowly feels the urge to go to the bathroom. "I need to go to the bathroom first. Do you mind?" Bonn asks as he slowly excuses himself.
"No, not at all." Eleven replies. Meanwhile Sol, quite amused realizing that Bonn will give them some sort of privacy, quickly tilts his head from side to side.
Bonn excuses himself slowly leaving only Jean, Sol and Eleven and two other representatives in the room.
"Are you free this evening, Eleven?" Sol asks.
"Yes I am, why?"
"I was wondering if I could get you out for dinner tonight."
Eleven was eager. She was actually all for it. But then, realizing Jean exists, she asks.
"Well, I would be glad to, but does your girlfriend mind?" Eleven replies while looking intently at Jean.
"Girlfriend?" Sol searches the room, meeting Jean's smirking face, he laughs "You mean Jean?" Sol chuckles while looking at Jean.
Hearing her name, Jean quickly walks towards their direction and exclaims, "Sol, my boyfriend? What exactly made you think that I like weirdos like him?" Jean points at Sol. "Take him Eleven, this douche" Jean grabs her fingers and starts pointing at Sol "this douche is not enough for lady Jean's standards."
Sol touches his heart as if hurt by Jean's comments, "Ouch, Jean." he laughs.
"Ouch, all right." Jean chuckles and goes away.
Slowly looking back at Eleven, Sol asks her "So, tonight at seven, Briggs and Martin's Place?"
"Sure" Eleven nods.
"So is it a date?"
Chuckling, Eleven replies, "Sure, why the hell not."