She was at the top of her class yet she said that she didn't have a dream.
Did that make any sense?
For a few seconds, Evan Livares stood still and stared at Aviana Valos who appeared very nervous. She was more complicated than he thought and he realized it only now.
Suddenly, he was curious.
What was her life like for her to think that way?
"Why, Aviana?" He mumbled. "You're so great in whatever you do and after a year, we will graduate from school and that means we will all have to make a very important decision for our own life. Why don't you have a dream?"
No matter how much he thought about it, it didn't make sense to him at all.
Aviana Valos seemed to be struggling to respond to him but Evan was always patient. He didn't pressure her and waited until her response came.
"Not everyone has a say in their life," she muttered. "So, know how lucky you are and work hard to achieve your dream," she encouraged him with that too fake of a smile. Before Evan could say anything, she resumed her steps and walked towards the section that had books on Geography.
Evan stared at her back for a while before he eventually followed her. The two worked together on picking out some books for doing the project work and then took a seat near the window. Evan took out his laptop and they started working on it without talking about anything else.
Nevertheless, Evan's mind was still occupied by their conversation before, and somehow, he could feel that the same went for Aviana. It seemed as if she was only trying hard to keep everything hidden.
When it was around 12:30 p.m., Evan Livares glanced at his wristwatch and rose from his seat. "I will get us something to eat," he said and with a nod from Aviana, he went to buy lunch for the two.
Once Evan turned his back at her, Aviana finally broke her gaze from the laptop and shifted to the back of Evan Livares.
Apart from her older brother and some teachers, he was the only one who ever asked her what her dream was. She was the top student who hailed from a wealthy family and maybe others just assumed that she would be having a grand dream but...
Sometimes, things were always different from what they appeared and it's hard to know every detail while watching from a distance.
Aviana stared at Evan until he was out of her sight and then shifted her gaze back to the laptop. Nevertheless, she found it so hard to concentrate.
What had gotten into her?
She was always great at brushing off everything while forcing a smile. Why was it so hard this time?
A few minutes passed that way and Aviana was inwardly reminding herself that everything would be fine when her phone went off. She looked at the caller ID and realizing that it was her older brother, she quickly answered the call with a genuine smile on her face.
"Do you have good news?" She asked right away, excited.
"How do you know that?" Her brother asked her back; a hint of surprisement in his voice.
"I was just guessing," Aviana said and propped up her elbow on the table to rest her cheek on her palm.
"You sound bored," Austin Valos pointed out with a sigh. "Where are you? Are you at home?"
"Nope. I'm in a library, doing some project work with a classmate," she replied and forced herself to sit straight. "And your good news is?"
"You're so impatient," Austin Valos remarked and chuckled. "I'll be flying home the day after tomorrow."
In an instant, Aviana's face brightened up and she sprung up from her seat. "Really? That soon?!"
"Yep! I still have a few things to do here but I miss you so much. So, I decided to come home first and worry about other things later," the brother jokingly responded.
"This is great, Auz! Will Natalie return with you?"
"Of course! She's my fiancee. I won't allow her to stay behind."
Her brother sounded so protective and Aviana can't help but laughed. "I know you will say that but you should ease down. If you're always so possessive, Natalie won't be able to stand you."
She heard her brother's hearty chuckle from the other line and it warmed up her heart.
"You don't have to worry about that," Austin Valos responded. "I will take care of my business. So, only think of yourself." He briefly paused and asked, "Will you come to the airport?"
"I'm not sure. I will have to check my routine first."
Austin Valos sighed at the response. "Why are you studying so hard? Give yourself a break. Even if you don't do well, you still have me." He playfully added, "Even if you don't do anything, I will let you live in luxury for the rest of your life."
Aviana chuckled but when she tried to speak up, she saw Evan coming back with some burgers and cold drinks. "I have to go now," she promptly said and added, "I will call you later." Before her brother could say anything, she hung up the call and looked at Evan who was now standing right beside her.
That was fast!
"I don't know what you like and I just got these," Evan Livares said while putting some burgers, cold drinks, and sandwiches on the table.
"It's fine. I'm not that picky," Aviana said and looked at the fast foods that Evan brought.
Double cheeseburger, coca-cola, cheese sandwich, iced vanilla latte; there were two servings each but... the thing that surprised Aviana the most was that... all these were her favorites that she often had at school too.
Didn't Evan say that he didn't know what she like and that he just picked these out? Was this a coincidence?
"Is something wrong?" Evan asked when Aviana kept on staring at the fast foods he bought. Though he had a guess on why, he decided to feign ignorance.
It's not like he can admit it.
"No. Let's eat," Aviana quickly said to him while looking up at him with a little smile.
This had Evan wonder if she really didn't have her suspicion or if she was just feigning ignorance as he did.
No matter what, it's truly hard to figure her out today.....