"So, I think we should end the deal between us." Charles said which put Gabriella on a huge turmoil. Despite the sadness Gabriella was feeling, she still tried to smile in front of Charles and slowly nodded her head.
"If that is what you want, then I guess I don't have a choice." Gabriella said as she embraces her books tightly. She looks on the ground while biting her lower lip as hard as she can as a way to restraint her feelings to explode. She raises her head again to look in Charles' direction with teary eyes. "It was nice dealing with you, such experiences wouldn't be forgotten." She added. Charles smiled at her while looking into her eyes intently.
"Sorry if I couldn't help you to get close with Jonas anymo-" Charles paused and his face was filled with surprise when Gabriella abruptly spoke.
"No! It's fine. Don't mind it anymore; at least I've helped you get rid of that girl who has been annoyingly following you around. Gabriella jokingly said and laughs as if she wasn't feeling any sadness in her chest. She tried to act normal in front of Charles and she couldn't handle it anymore as she feel like she would explode in sadness any time now. She turns her head into her wrist watch and then turns her gaze back to Charles. "It's getting late. I have to go already; I still have lots of papers to finish. Again, thanks for all the good times."
Gabriella started walking away and as soon as her back is facing Charles' back, her tears fall. She lower head and didn't stopped walking until Charles grabbed her arms.
"Would you go out on a date with me?" Charles asks. Since Charles abruptly grabbed her arms, she has stopped walking with her back to Charles, and when she moves her arm slightly, Charles immediately releases her arms.
Gabriella avoided looking in Charles' direction because she didn't want him to see the look in her eyes as the warm liquids started to fall like a waterfall that never stopped. At that moment, Gabriella doesn't know how to feel. She wasn't happy at all, it was a mixed feeling that she couldn't explain. She realizes how laid-back she is as Charles asks her out on a date right away after ending their deal, as if nothing had happened. On the other hand, she feels sorry for herself as she considers that Charles might be asking her those things as a thank-you gift while she thought it was a genuine relationship. She understands she's had enough at that precise time and that those nauseating thoughts need to cease immediately.
Before turning her face in Charles' direction, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and gently caressed her eyes. Charles's expression changed as he noticed that her eyes were somewhat red.
"You're not required to do it anymore. I don't mind how things turned out." Gabriella said and smiled at him softly. Charles brows furrowed as confusion engulfs him.
"I meant it. I realized that I didn't want to see you with Jonas." Charles said as he looked into Gabriella's eyes while she snorted the liquid that was about to flow into her nose as a result of her recent tears. "For a while, I attempted to hide my feelings from myself, but now I'm ready to come clean. When I first noticed you getting near to Jonas, I had an unidentified bitterness inside of me. But it is now obvious to me what I was experiencing. On the days we were together, I started to like you." Charles added.
Unbearable nervousness gripped Gabriella from within. She remained silent and only met Charles's gaze. Charles finally decided to talk again after a few minutes of just staring at each other.
"I've mustered up my courage for days before I could finally confess my feelings to, cringe isn't it?" Charles said as he laugh softly and turn his gaze to the ground. Since he called Gabriella to chat, he has been feeling nervous, and he has been trying to suppress it so that he can appear calm in front of Gabriella.
Gabriella jumped as a voice abruptly resonated in the area of the garden where they are: "CHARLES! PRACTICE IS STARTING." Before shifting his attention back to Gabriella, Charles nodded and turned his head in the direction of the voice.
Charles said, "You don't have to answer me right now. I'll come back with a medal and then that's when I am deserving of your answer. We have an approaching game this week." He took three slow steps back while grinning at Gabriella before rotating his body to face the direction he was going.
"I wish you a safe journey home." Charles said as he turned his attention back to Gabriella while he was still grinning before he continues walking away.
Gabriella was left alone in the lawn as she watches Charles go before her eyes. She lingered there for a few moments, trying to process what had just occurred between them, before she finally made the decision to go. She was mentally replaying what had just happened as she made her way to where the majority of vehicles stopped outside their school, and each time, an inexplicable emotion flashed through her.
When Gabriella first arrived at their home, she went to her room, dropped her body on her bed, and just stared at the ceiling, completely unaware of the passing of time. She still finds it hard to believe what Charles just told her. She even gave herself a few self-slaps since she was so convinced it was all a dream at this point.
She just comes to her senses when someone knocked on her door. "Dinner's ready." It was her mother's voice. She turns her gaze on her door before standing up from lying on her bed.
"I'll just change." She said and walks through her dressing room, change her clothes and walks towards their dining hall. When she arrived, her mother and her brother were already seated there.
When she entered their dining room, her brother, Alex, smiled at her and urged her to eat, but her mother simply continued eating. She sat next to Alex and began eating as well. While they were eating, Alex kept asking about how her days went on while their mother was simply listening to them.
Once they were done, Gabriella comes back to her room. She sat on the white swivel chair in front of her study table and then tied her hair up. She opened her computer and starts working on her school works.
Her mind was entirely absorbed with what Charles asked her as she was reading her books, resulting in her not understanding what she was reading. She read the book repeatedly until she was just staring at it, her mind entirely off of what she was reading.
She was thinking about what she should do if Charles' words were true. She starts picturing herself as Charles' girlfriend going on a date since they were in a true relationship and not simply for a deal. A thrilling feeling began to ignite inside her chest as an imaginary small voice whispered in her thoughts, telling her how harsh her mother could be and how she would react if she found out about Gabriella's current relationship. That notion was like pouring a bucket of water into the raging fire inside her chest.
She leans back in her swivel chair and takes a long breath, attempting to clear her mind of the thoughts that have been bothering her. She paused for a few moments before returning her whole concentration to her book. When she was done with all her school works, she lay on her bed and immediately falls asleep.
The next day, Gabriella woke up early and went to their campus with his older brother's company. She went on her way to their room and no Charles greeted her on her way. That's when she realizes that what Charles said was real.
Gabriella's friends were already sitting on their chair inside their classroom when she arrived. And when Gabriella enters the room, all her friends looked at her with a very wide grin on their lips and an expression that shouts curiosity. She walks towards her sit and before she could even get close to her chair, Vanessa has approached her.
"So, what happened? Did you confess? What did he say?" Vanessa asked and follows her as she walks towards her chair. She puts her thing down and sat on her chair. Vanessa as well as Olivia and Chloe were standing near of her, waiting for her answer. She looks at them one by one before uttering a word.
"I wasn't able to confess." Gabriella said and her friend's expression suddenly changed, a wide smile on their lips immediately disappears. Chloe walks towards the nearest chair and sat on it.
"What?! So, what did you do when you were with him yesterday? Act cute? Gosh." Olivia said as she rolls her eyes.
"He asked me on a date, like officially." Gabriella said.
"WHAAAAT?!" Vanessa and Olivia said synchronously in shocked while Chloe turned her head towards Gabriella with wide eyes. Vanessa and Olivia's voice were so loud that their peers turns their heads towards them.
"And what did you said?" Vanessa asked in a lower voice. All of her friends were looking at her with a serious expression as if their future depends on her answer. Gabriella didn't say anything for a few seconds and just stared at her friends, which bored Olivia.
"Bitch, what?! Are just going to stare at us? What happened next?" Olivia asked in an irritated voice, which was normal between them. Gabriella looked at her and with a very small smile on her lips.
"I wasn't able to answer-" Gabriella stopped when Olivia immediately reacts.
"What? First you weren't able to confess and now you weren't able to answer. Bitch, you're so damn slow. If I were the one who asked you, I might've felt bored immediately and look for someone else." Olivia said.
"His teammate immediately calls him for a practice which leads us with no choice but to separate. He told me he'll wait for my answer." Gabriella answers with a slightly loud voice.
When their lecturer entered their room, her friends couldn't argue anymore and began their lessons right away. Though Gabriella appeared to be paying attention to their discussion, her mind was entirely preoccupied with thinking about Charles. And she would continually peer through their windows, hoping to see Charles whereas she knew Charles would not appear outside their room since he was away.
Time passes so quickly and their morning classes come to an end. They all walk together to their campus cafeteria while Gabriella's friends were still asking her about Charles which she didn't refuse to answer. Once they arrived at the cafeteria, they sat on the far end part of the cafeteria after they take their order.
They continue eating while they were chatting. They're all discussing about an online game they played last night, apart from Gabriella. Gabriella was just quietly earing her lunch them when Olivia notices her smiling as she munch on her food.
"This was the reason why I don't want to fall in love." Olivia said while pointing her fingers towards Gabriella. And Gabriella looked at her with a confused look with a smile.
"Really? Is Carlos an exception?" Vanessa jokingly asked. Chloe just laugh while Olivia was left stunned. Gabriella glances at her as her expression shifts to serious.
"Did I just hear my name?" They all turn their gazes at Olivia's back when a voice suddenly echoed. There they saw Carlos with Jonas holding the tray of their food. "Can we sit with you?" Carlos asked again. Since there were a lot of spaces, Gabriella's friends let them sit.
When Jonas was about to sit next to Gabriella, someone immediately comes between them. Jonas was shocked and even furrows his brows as he turns his gaze to the person. He was not able to speak anymore when he saw who it was and just sit in the opposite chair.
"Sofia?" Carlos said with a bit of irritation in his voice. Even he was surprised by what her sister did because they had planned to eat with Gabriella's friends so Jonas could get closer to her.
"What?" Sofia asked back as she raises her right eyebrow to him.
"What are you doing here?" Gabriella asked.
"Tita Isabelle suggests I enroll here, so I am here." Sofia answered and smiled at her. Gabriella felt nervous when she heard her mom's name and at that very moment she already knew something would happen again just like what happen back when they were in grade school. "Why? Did I make you feel like your happy days had come to an end?" Sofia asked and smiled sarcastically at her.
Though Gabriella felt nervous, she just smiled at her and continues eating. Sofia just looked at her as if she was enjoying what she was seeing and her smile continues to grow. She put her head close to Gabriella's ears and whispered.
"Don't worry; I'll be good this time." Sofia said. When Gabriella turned her head to see Sofia's eerie grin, she felt shivers down her spine.