As he saw a tear fall from Gabriella's closed eyelids, Charles's chest seemed to break. He raised one of his hands to her face and tenderly wiped the tear off Gabriella's cheek with his thumb. He then gently shakes Gabriella's shoulder while calling her name in a soft voice. He's treating her as if she's some kind of a fragile glass that would be easily shattered if not handled with care.
"Ella, sober up first and we'll talk." Charles said when Gabriella finally opened her eyes. Charles blew the cup of coffee he was hold before handing it to Gabriella. "Drink this." He added. Gabriella drinks the coffee little by little while Charles was just watching her and waiting patiently.
"I thought I will not see you here too." Gabriella said after sipping a few sip on her coffee. She's not completely sober up but she's sober up enough to handle a proper conversation. Gabriella turns her eyes from the cup she was holding to her side where Charles was, their eyes met and never parted again. They were looking into each other's eyes intently until Charles suddenly speaks.
"I told you, I was away for a badminton match and I just came back yesterday evening. I thought it was too late to text you so I didn't." Charles explained without making Gabriella feel like her worries were worthless. Gabriella was just looking at him as he speaks. A bizarre behavior suddenly inculcates inside her by just looking at him while he talk.
"Why didn't you text me while you were away or even inform me before leaving? You could've at least leave me a message, right?" Gabriella asked though she's well aware that it's not Charles responsibility to answer her question or to do as she say because they are not in a real relationship, they were just each other's fake boyfriend and girlfriend but Charles still answers her.
"I was unable to notify you since the match was so unexpected, and there was no signal in the region where we were staying. I'm sorry." Charles explained with an apologetic expression on his face. After that, Gabriella didn't speak again, she sip on the cup of coffee Charles' gave him until she empty the cup. When Charles saw the empty cup from Gabriella's hands, he took it and placed it back to the table.
Charles answered her without hesitation. She's starting to feel like they were real lovers. Gabriella turned her eyes back to Charles' direction and all she could see was him as if everything around him was automatically blurred by her eyes. Her heart pounded as they stared into each other's eyes. His ears were almost deafened by the loud, screaming beat of his heart.
"If there's not an agreement between the two of us, I'll start to assume you like me." Gabriella jokingly said. She laughs but also stopped when she notice Charles was just looking at her face with straight face.
"What if the deal was never made? Would you like me back?" Charles asked still having a straight face. Gabriella's heart skips a bit in some new rhythm, she felt a million of butterflies flew out her stomach. She was stunned for a moment.
"I don't know. Should we try?" Gabriella laughs as she utters the question. She tried not to seem like she's taking their conversation seriously so she would not be embarrassed when it turns out that Charles was just joking. She knew Charles wouldn't be serious with what he has just said. And it just confirms her speculations when Charles laughs along with her.
"Of course you wouldn't. How would you let me in your heart when the space has been occupied by someone else already, right?" Charles utters while he was laughing faintly. Gabriella laughs along with him though she feels like she was suddenly dropped into the pits of despair. She feels unworthy, stupid, and childish for having his emotions tied so completely to a person whose not even committed to her officially.
"It's getting late." Gabriella said with a strained smile after looking at her wrist watch. Charles looks at his wrist watch too after hearing Gabriella.
"You're right. Should we get home?" Charles asked and Gabriella just nodded. Charles rose up first from his seat on the sofa to aid Gabriella on standing up. When they were already standing up beside each other, Gabriella's strained smile suddenly fade and she breathed deeply.
"I'll just inform my friends that I'll go home." Gabriella said while they were walking together. They were about walk towards Gabriella's friends when someone suddenly called Charles' name, they both look where the voice came from. A guy wearing a maroon polo tucked in a black pants, three buttons of his polo were unbuttoned that reveals his chest with a tattoo. He walks towards their directionand placed his left hand on Charles' shoulder while his right hand was holding a flip cup with champagne on it.
"Bro, where have you been?" Jonas asks Charles, they talk for a moment while Gabriella was waiting for them at the side. Jonas whispered something on Charles which Gabriella didn't hear. Charles turns his gaze to Gabriella. Gabriella was confused when both of them started staring at her, Jonas has a wide smile on his lips while Charles has a straight face.
"Ella, this is Jonas. Jonas, this is Gabriella." Charles introduced them to each other. Jonas wiped his left hand on his pants and extended it to Gabriella. She looks at Charles to see him looking at her too. He nodded his head and smile, trying to encourage Gabriella. When Gabriella took Jonas hand to shake it, Jonas holds her hand firmly as if he doesn't want to let her go anymore. Gabriella flinch and she started to feel uncomfortable, Charles notice it. He was ready to break their hands apart when Jonas suddenly pulled Gabriella to the crowd.
Gabriella tried to escape from the crowd of people as she was starting to feel dizzy. She looks around to find where Charles is but she couldn't find him due to the increasing population of people on the crowd. They got into the middle of the crowd which makes escaping became more impossible.
"Are you okay?" Jonas asked when he notice Gabriella was feeling uncomfortable. Gabriella didn't answer so he supported him from walking away. He was holding Gabriella's waist while they were walking away from the crowd.
When they got out the crowd, Jonas let Gabriella sit on one of the chair there and wait beside her until she's feeling okay again. Jonas walks inside Carlos' house for a moment to get a glass of water he could give to Gabriella. Jonas gently held Gabriella's elbow as a support while she was drinking the water he gave to her.
Jonas was shocked when someone suddenly pulled his shoulder away from Gabriella. When he turn his head to look who pulled him, he was taken aback. He saw Charles at his back with serious expression on his face. He was glaring at him and when he turns his head towards Gabriella, his expression suddenly changed.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Charles asked thoughtfully as he examined Gabriella's body for possible injuries. Luckily, Gabriella's dizziness has gone, she could stand up properly now.
"I just felt a little dizzy but I'm okay now." Gabriella answered Charles with a reassuring smile as she stand up from the chair she was sitting on.
"Let's go home." Charles said with a deep-pitched voice.
"Yeah, I'll just inform my friends." They both walk towards a group of people playing at the side where Gabriella's friends are. When Vanessa saw her she invited her to play the games with them before she could even talk, they were all sitting in a circle. Carlos, Chloe, Aiden, and Olivia was also playing there, they were playing truth or dare. Gabriella sat beside Vanessa while Jonas and Charles were beside Aiden and Carlos. When they were settled, the game continues.
Charles's eyes are focused only on Gabriella as the game continues as if he doesn't care about what's happening around him while Gabriella is starting to have fun because of the questions and dare that is being asked to the person where the top of the bottle points to.
When the top of the bottle points at Gabriella's direction while the bottom points at Carlos direction, Gabriella's friends start laughing and shouting since it was the first time the bottle points at her since the game started.
"Gab, Truth or Dare?" Carlos asked with a mischievous smile on his lips. Gabriella is now worrying for self as she knew how naughty her cousin is.
"Truth." Gabriella answered.
"You like him right?" Carlos said while pointing his fingers to Jonas. Gabriella and her friends thought it was Charles he was pointing his fingers at since they were sitting beside each other, so her friend started teasing her. Gabriella nodded as the smile on her lips gradually widen.
'Is this what you called confession?! OMG!' Gabriella screamed in her mind. Everyone on the group started teasing them while the misunderstanding hasn't cleared up yet. Gabriella look at Charles to see his expression and her heart were filled with bitterness with what she saw. Charles was just looking at her with a straight face. So Gabriella thought it was a wrong move, her mind were suddenly filled with worries.
'What if he'd feel disgusted and distance himself after this?' Gabriella utters in her mind. The game continues. While everyone was enjoying the game, Gabriella's train of thoughts starts gushing into her mind. It sucks, doesn't it? Liking someone you know will never be yours. Seeing and talking with them every day, have a date with them, and even receive mix signals from them. And then at the end of the day they will make you realize that no matter what happen and no matter what you do, they will never be yours. It is the worst feeling, because all you could do is dream about them and wish for them but never have them.
Gabriella suddenly feels like an insignificant, cowardly grain of salt from the sea while Charles is one of the glorious nacreous clouds floating above the sky, no matter how the waves from the sea carries her, she would never reach him. They say it is called 'crush' because that is how you feel when they don't feel the same way in return. All you could do is to wish they were yours. You secretly create ideas where you have them in your arms, and often forget that it is something you have just made up. They do not like you and so, you will never have them. But then you still feel scared, scared that one day you might lose them. How come you are afraid to lose someone who is not even yours? It is because they give you a warm feeling inside. Everything they do makes you happy and everything they say put a smile on your face. Every little things that involves them gets you excited. You even try to improve yourself without noticing so you could impress them.
Gabriella return to her senses when the people around her started screaming, hyping something. And then she shifted eyes at the bottle in front of them. The top of the bottle is pointing towards Jonas' direction while the bottom is pointing towards some guy she doesn't know. Gabriella realizes it is someone from the soccer team when Carlos suddenly called him and signal something to him when Jonas chooses to be dared.
"Dare huh?" The guy said in a deceptive tone and then acted as if he was thinking. "I dare you to kiss Gabriella." everyone on the circle was hyping the moment while Gabriella's friend was just silent at the side since they know the truth.
Gabriella was left flabbergasted, still trying to process what is happening. Jonas and Carlos on the other hand were enjoying the moment. When Gabriella have grasped on what is happening she shifted her gaze to Charles. And she saw an expressionless face of Charles, she was quite disappointed. She was expecting him to be mad for her or something but he didn't.
"What the fuck?" Vanessa exclaimed in irritation.
"What? It's just a kiss. Stop being old-fashion, plus they like each other." Carlos explained while laughing, Jonas laugh with him.
"Dude stop, it's not funny anymore." Vanessa said as she rolls her eyes. They change the dare to something new to avoid the quarrel between the two of them and to not ruin the mood. After Jonas finishes what was dared to him, they spin the bottle again.
Gabriella suddenly feels a bit excited when the top part points towards Charles' direction while the end part point at Vanessa. Gabriella met Charles' eyes, but she looks away when she started feeling intimidated from his gaze. Charles chose to be questioned as he was too lazy to be dared.
"Who owns your heart?" Vanessa asked him with a confident expression as she wanted to slap Charles' answer to Carlos' face.
"I know who she is!" Carlos suddenly shouted before Charles could even answer. He started laughing and so as the other people on the circle aside from Gabriella.
Carlos is starting to get on Charles' nerves, he turns his head to look daggers in Carlos' direction. At that moment he wanted to punch this birthday boy in the face but he was still tried to self-restraint.
"You know nothing." Charles said while looking at him with a deadly look. "Excuse me, I'll just get some drinks." Charles said as he stands up and walks away.