Chapter One
It was the first trimester of June. People expect to have bad rain, or not that good weather because yesterday a bad rain struck the city, but look now. The road shimmered in the heat of the noon sun. Sunlit skyscrapers have pierced the warm blue sky. It seems to me that this is a good day to start. As matter of fact, this is the first day of my second year at college. As I was walking to get through the bus station, I saw people who work on their own. Some are walking through me while talking to their phones, some are selling something to eat, and people that you can determine that they are chasing their dreams. You can see in their eyes and their actions that they do it for their dreams. While I, I'm only walking until I successfully get into the bus station. It's very common. Nothing special.
I stopped when I got to the bus station, put my headset in my ear, and put it in a full volume, where I can't feel nor hear anything around me anymore. A chaotic reality where people only care for themselves.
I usually listen to a piece of funky music, songs that can make my nerves dance. However, at this point, I want to have something that I didn't listen to before. I grab my phone to find something that I can listen to when I fall in love, even if I didn't experience any sort of that. I feel skeptical about myself.
I just picked a playlist and let the shuffle thing do its job. A soft, slow, and sweet melody is coming into my ear that makes me close my eyes. Is this really how it feels to be in love? It feels like my light skin on my ears softly tingling that even my nerves can feel it.
My thoughts suddenly vanished when I felt that someone touched my arm with his warm hands. I instantly opened my eyes that were closed a little while ago. After I open my eyes, I feel uneasy right inside my stomach, my heart starts skipping a beat, and my mindful brain can't function well. How is that possible?
His almond-colored eyes are bright, crystal-like that twinkling in front of me. A smile as soft as cotton is fascinating to see. As he blinks his almond-colored eyes, I eventually way back to reality. I shoved his hands into my arms that he's holding for a long time, and then I removed my headset.
"Are you okay?" he sincerely asks while his lips are drawing a lovely smile, "What the fuck are you doing?" I said with a toneless tone,
He flinched when he heard what I said. He put his hands into his head, it seems like he doesn't know what he should say.
"I just save you from the dirty water in the street that will be splashed in front of you" he explained,
"Do I tell you to do that?" I complained,
"No?" "Then, why are you so nosy?"
"Is this how you say thank you?" he responded while having a puzzled face. "Did I tell you that I'm thankful?" I answered,
He's about to explain again his side but a hissing start to come near us. A bus suddenly came, and I'm not having any shit about him and his side.
"Don't explain. I'll never listen" I told him, I walk past him and enter the bus. I decided to take a seat near the window and put my headset into my ear. Just a minute later, that guy also entered the bus. I saw that he stared at me so our eyes locked like a magnet but he broke it off as the bus started running.
I focused my eyes on the scenery of a bustling city. As I went to my university up until I went home, I still saw this bustling and crowded city everywhere I went. After viewing the city, I sneak peek into that guy again. I saw how to rubbish her white shirt at the back, it almost got black. I felt guilty for what I did. This is the reason why I don't want to get attached to anyone, my conscience hitting me so hard.
Only one stop left before I got off the bus, but I and my conscience are still arguing what should I do with that man. As I got ready to get off, I saw that guy walking near the door of the bus, it looks like we're having the same destination. The bus stops and the door starts opening. I let that guy go out first after I went down.
I follow him. Having a great proportion is an opportunity. His long legs walk so fast like my little, tiny legs can't fight with it, so I decided to run into him. He is having earphones on his ears, that's why he can't sense that I'm running into him.
There's a great opportunity that was given to me and I grabbed it as I grabbed his big hands and I can think that I need both of my hands for me to hold it tight.
I can see his startled face when I grab his hands without his permission. We both stop walking, I see that he is trying to say something but my headset is still in my ear, with a full volume, and can't figure out what he's trying to say.
But instead of taking my headset off, I pulled him using his hand to go somewhere we can buy a jacket that can hide how rubbish his back is. I can't feel that he's arguing with me or against where we are going, and that's fine for us to find something that my conscience will be happy about. Minutes passed, we saw something like a clothes store because they're a lot of clothes that were displayed in front of it. We enter there and I find a jacket that is decent enough for him, which means it's good for his outfit.
My eyes almost popped out when I saw how expensive this is. Is this made of gold or something? 20 bucks?!
I was still looking for something cheaper than the previous one, but I guess I need to look for a needle in a haystack because all the clothes are below 20 bucks. What kind of fabric is used in them to be too expensive?
But luckily, I found one. It cost 12 bucks but I guess that's better. I walked to the cashier and paid for that jacket. When it's done, I went to that guy and gave him the jacket I just bought for him. His eyes got bigger as I lent him the paper bag where the jacket is placed.
I sighed, "take it," I said,
"I can't accept that" he declined; he pushes the paper bag towards me. I put down the paper bag first after I speak. "My conscience wants me to buy that for you," I said and that makes him glance at me.
"Is that enough for you to accept it?" I added; He is still staring at me like we're having a war using our glance at each other. I saw his eyes went to the paper bag, eventually, his hands were about to reach the paper bag. I just gave it to him to walk away.
"Hey, Rose-colored girl," he said, I stop for a second and instantly face him.
"What did you just call me?" I asked, did I hear a rose-colored girl?
"Rose-colored girl" he answered innocently,
"And where did you get an audacity to call me that?" but instead answer my question, he just looks downward that's why I just follow him and I figure out I'm wearing a tee were written the 'rose-colored boy'.
"You're annoyed?"
"Cause I just killed off what was left of the optimist of yours?" he teased me while his lovely smile showed again, now I pissed off in his face. Why is this guy wearing an angelic smile but having a demonic trait?
"Is that how you say thank you?" I asked while I felt irritated,
"Did I say I'm thankful" my jaw dropped and my hands clenched when he said it like how I said it a while ago
"Unbelievable," I commented, I rolled my eyes after I walked away from him. He makes veins pop because of the anger that I have for him.
I tell myself to erase him and what happens today. This day is not good for memories, even my conscience, I felt like I regret what I have done.
Instead of thinking about how to suck that man, I attend my class and listen to the professor that gives me a good lesson that is good to retain in my brain.
When I finished all the subjects that I needed to attend. I went straight home, I don't have any friends to stay with that's why it's better to get home rather than wasting my time in a bustling city.
Finally, I got home. When I opened our gate, I saw my aunt having a conversation with a lady that I'm not familiar with, maybe she's my auntie's friend.
"Millie! You're home" My auntie said, I gave them a forced smile and walked towards my house. However, my auntie said something so I needed to stop and face them again.
"Eliza, this is Millie, my niece" My aunt introduced me to that woman named Eliza. She went near me and put both her hands on my shoulder, I felt like I'm carrying a heavy obligation or responsibility where it currently happening.
"She's studied in a prestigious university in this city," she added,
"My son too. He's currently taking Media Arts" the woman said,
"She's taking MEDICINE," My auntie said while she emphasizes the word 'medicine'. Being in a toxic family, they will recognize your success when you have a degree in a field that is sophisticated to hear. The degree that when it adds in your name, that makes it aesthetically pleasing to hear and to see.
"oh! Here's my son! Miggy!" the lady suddenly said, both I and my auntie traveled our eyes to the gate of our house. Nerves in my head almost exploded when I saw the son of the woman with us. That asshole!
The guy went straight to his mother and hugged her tight, after the heart-melting hug moment, I guess he felt that there were unfamiliar eyes looking at them so he immediately went his eyes toward us, to me.
His sparkling and twinkling eyes met my piercing dark eyes that stared at him intensively. I eventually didn't know it would happen. His angelic smile just replaced a very teasing one, He's starting again.
"Rose-colored girl!" he called me with that name while staring straight into my eyes.
This is all the fault of my shitty conscience.