CHAPTER 14 - QUESTIONS
I didn't reply to Clarence's text last night and now I was thinking if he was bothered by it or not, cause most of the time I would always reply to him then we would be texting until he asked me to come over for some assignment when it's weekdays or to binge-watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S. when it's weekend.
We only eat breakfast together at weekdays, and since today's a Saturday, I wasn't expecting him to be here in front of my door with take-outs from Burger King. He was wearing a big hoodie and shorts with it's length above his knee.
"Pig out with me before your date?" He asked with a pleading look on his face. His eyes were as warm as his smile, enough to make my heart melt and so was my angst.
I rolled my eyes at him, "As if you get fat." I opened the door wider so he could come in. "No Chef Clarence today?" I asked. He always cooks our breakfast. And when I say breakfast, I meant eggplant omelet since it became our favorite. I just couldn't get enough of it.
"Nope. It's his day off." He took my placemats and put them on the coffee table before placing the take-outs on it. "I'd like to watch something while we eat if that's fine with you." He asked, while preparing our food.
I clicked my tongue, "Do I have a say on that? You were already setting up my sofa bed." I flapped myself on the ottoman while watching him set up.
"You can always say 'No'. But that would leave my effort into nothing so.." He paused after he was done with the sofa bed, he turned to me with his hands clasped together as if he was pleading while pouting his lips-- cute! "I hope you don't."
He sat on the sofa bed and tapped the one beside him so I settled there. He handed me my food and I started eating while watching him switch the tv on BuzzFeed Unsolved.
"Really? While eating breakfast?" I asked him, completely ridiculed by his choice of film.
"I've been eating breakfast with you and we always joke about shit, booger, snot or any disgusting things sometimes. Don't tell me you couldn't eat while watching this." He snapped.
"Yeah but this is about crimes." I countered.
"Yeah, but they don't show blood and everything. It's just storytelling and investigations, so chill." He blurbed before taking a large bite on his whopper.
"Make sure, Clarence." I drawled. "Make sure." Feigning threat.
"If they did, they surely censored it." He added, giving me an apologetic smile before pushing my hand that was holding the whooper into my lips, messing my face with ketchup, mayo, or whatever sauce it was around my lips.
I grunted and pushed his head against his hand that was holding the burger. He slowly pulled his head away from the burger, like he was still shocked from what had just happened, before turning to me.
I let out a boisterous laugh at the momentum. It literally had a slow-motion when he faced me, making it more laughable.
"Oh no, you didn't.." He trailed off, glaring at me.
"Oh, but yes, I did." I smirked at him before I continued laughing. My eyes never left his messy face as I stuck out my tongue to tease him. But I was struck when he ran his tongue around his lips-- oh boy, that was sexy. I didn't realize my breathing was hitched.
I tucked my lips in between my teeth before looking away to get a tissue to wipe my lips and handed him some so he could clean his face. I turned the volume louder to distract my mind from thinking about his attractive lips on mine. Gahd! I'll be dating Harry Hilton in a few hours and here I am thinking about Clarence's lips on mine.
"Are you deaf?!" He asked, looking at me ridiculously.
"Nope." I answered, popping the 'p'. "But it's more exciting to watch these stuff with a high volume." I continued, didn't even bother to look at him, and just focused on the tv.
He was turning my face to him, to check if I still have something on my face. I was reluctant at first, fighting and swatting his hand on my jaw but I stopped afterward. That was a lost case. He dabbed the tissue on my lips to wipe away some of the sauce.
I could feel my cheeks starting to heat up with his eyes focus on my lips, and I thought he felt it too when his hand stopped dabbing the tissue on it. The way his Adam's apple moved as he gulped didn't go unnoticed by me. I suddenly felt his grip loosen and quickly turned to the tv.
"You're all good." He croaked before biting his burger while still focusing on the tv.
"Thanks." I replied, returning my focus on the tv as well.
After eating, we continued watching unsolved cases. I was leaning on the armrest of my sofa while he was on the other one, though our legs were tangled with each other in the middle. Our eyes occasionally meet but either one of us would look away or we would just smile at each other before turning back to the tv.
I wasn't sure if he was aware, but I started to feel like he didn't want me to go on a date with Harry, cause all of the cases we've been watching were about girls who went missing after going out on a date.
I turned to him, his eyes were still fixed on the tv, until he noticed me looking at him. He raised a brow at me as if asking "what?"
"Is this your subtle way of stopping me to go on a date with your buddy?" I confronted, brows and nose crunched.
"No." He immediately answered with high pitched voice, "Why would you even think that?"
I just shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. You tell me. You knew Harry more than I knew him." I turned my body to face him, waiting for him to tell me stuff about Harry or what he was like, especially when dating girls.
"The purpose of dates is to get to know each other." He answered, returning his attention back to the tv, "If you want to keep asking me questions about him, then.." He trailed off before tossing me a suggestive sideway look. "Date me instead."
Even though I knew he was joking, it somehow had my hopes up-- which was strange, let me tell you. Feigning a scoff was all I could do to cover up. "Wow."
He chuckled at me followed by a sigh, "But if you really wanna know him better.." He said while standing up from the sofa, "Date him." He added. Those two words were said reluctantly as if he wasn't really into the idea. But I wasn't sure about it. Ever since I knew him, he never hold back with everything, he'd literally tell me what he wanted to say. He was pretty frank-- one of so many things I love about him.
He handed out his hand for me to reach and I grabbed it to support myself to stand up from the sofa. We both cleaned up my coffee table and put back the sofa bed into it's original form. He didn't bother speaking after that, so I didn't try as well.
He left my pad as silent as he could, leaving me wondering if I did something wrong, or said. Carrying the thrash with him and so was my chance to ask him if I should go out with Harry or not. I flapped myself at the sofa with a sigh, laying on his side of the sofa.
Boys always said girls are hard to read, little did they know, sometimes boys are like girls-- hard to read.
Harry arrived at the lobby earlier than expected, I was still taking a bath so I called Clarence to fetch him downstairs while I was prepping myself. They stayed at Clarence's while I was still dressing up. I didn't bother putting so much makeup, cause appearing attractive for Harry wasn't really my intention.
I knocked on Clarence door after I dressed up. I waited for a few seconds-- or a minute before Clarence opened the door. He looked at me cap-a-pie and so did Harry, who was, at the moment, standing behind him.
"Hey." Harry greeted me first. Walking towards the door, slightly pushing past Clarence's shoulder.
That's when I felt something strange between the two like there was intensity around the thick air. I wasn't really sure what happened to them while I was busy prepping up, but I thought it has something to do with Clarence being the closest guy to me and Harry being the guy who's gonna date me.
I smiled at them, shrugging off the awkwardness. "Hey." I greeted back Harry before turning to Clarence, "Thanks for entertaining your buddy while I was vulnerable."
I was waiting for a reply, but all I could get was a nod. Finding a chance, Harry started speaking. "So.. Let's go?" He asked, handing his arms for me to swing mine around his.
Before we started walking, we both gave Clarence a nod as a farewell. I was waiting for him to stop us but he didn't. Maybe it was really just me who thought he didn't want me to date Harry.
"9 o'clock." He hollered, making me turn my head back at him. I thought he was speaking to me, but then Harry scoffed.
"Yes, father."
Harry and I went to the parking lot to get his car. The guard in our building looked surprised to see my hands snaked around Harry's arm and I could already hear him saying "Aren't you dating one of the homeowners here?". I just put a finger on my lips, saying to keep his mouth shut. He knew my father partially owned the building.
The whole drive with Harry wasn't that quiet. Thanks to his trap songs that I couldn't relate to. I'm not really into songs about bitches, fame, money and such. I could tolerate it though, cause Mariel was also into those kinds of music. Speaking of music, it's a good thing Clarence and I was into more meaningful ones. I thank God for that.
"Sorry." Harry said out of nowhere, making me face him.
"For what?"
"Is the music bothering you?" He asked again, smiling.
"No." I immediately answered, "No, its-- it's fine."
"Oh okay." He said as if he was relieved. "Clarence doesn't usually like my songs so I thought you wouldn't like it as well." He explained.
I smiled at the sudden mention of his name, I knew he would openly tell Harry about it. "Figured." I replied.
"Seemed like you really knew him well, huh?" He replied. His eyes were fixed on the road but I could feel there was a follow-up question to that-- One that I was also dying to have an answer to.
"Do you like him?"