"Through bribing," she said, and turned to flash him a smile. Toro would be lying if he said he wasn't puzzled and startled by her behavior. The way she grabbed his wrist and pulled away from his car without giving it a second thought on how he might have felt.
Her brown wavy hair was tied up in a ponytail, and the small hand tank top and baggy jeans she was putting on accentuated her slender figure. He watched as she dragged him from his seat from his classroom, her soft fingers wrapped around his gently.
"Where are you taking me?" Queried him as he let her drag him away from his seat toward the cafeteria.
"You don't want to take up this role no matter how much I have pleaded with you to take it," she threw him a quick glance and continued to pull him away. "So I know what will make you give in to my demands...." She leaned in, her feminine scent tickling his nostrils. She whispered.
"Bribing you will do," she flashed him a smile and winked. He felt his heart flutter at that small act of hers that he couldn't stop himself from smiling.
"So you think bribing me will make me have a change of mind?" He chuckled, throwing her an assiduous look. Everything about her seemed to set his adrenaline on high especially her eyes and lips, they have their own way of hypnotizing him. A way of making him submit. Jane was a cheerful and lively girl who never ceased to pull him out of any foul mood he was. He just got into a heated argument with his father over an unimportant and trivial matter.
"Why me? There are bunch of guys in the theater arts that could take up the role, you know." He sighed as they reached the cafeteria.
"Yeah but I want you as my male lead," she replied and pulled a plate from the plate racket. He followed suit. "I have seen your videos, your acting videos from childhood and I must say I'm impressed...I can't believe the child boy from the "Healing Hand " is my boyfriend, who would have believed it."
A confident look appeared on her face as she dished out her food, turning to him with a smile. "So eat whatever you want from all these...." She gestured to all kinds of dishes on display in the cafeteria.
"It's on me," she smiled, showing off her teeth and dimples. Her eyes shone with liveliness and Toro felt emotions swell up inside him, he had that burning needy urge to pull her to him and kiss her irrespective of the people in the cafeteria. Her sweet smile allured him, it captivated him he ended up smiling back.
"Is this your way of bribing me, with food?" He teased, harboring a desirable playfully look in his eyes.
She giggled and leaned in to whisper in his right ear. "My momma said, the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach." She leaned, beamed.
Toro almost let out a loud rich laugh but suppressed it into a low chuckle. "I see. Your momma must know a lot about men."
"Of course." She flaunted her charms. "Also, you look dejected when I saw you this morning so I thought food might pull you out of your dejected state." She added.
After dishing out their plates with varieties of food available in the cafeteria, they headed for an empty table on one end of the wall. They sat opposite each other, settling their plates on the table. Ready to dig in.
"So might telling me why you were looking dejected and lost this morning?" She picked up her hamburger and took a bite. She chewed, waiting for him to speak up.
Toro picked up a sausage from his plate, twirling it absentmindedly. Wondering how to tell her what has been bothering him. He didn't want to hurt her or see the bright look on her face vanish. He was enjoying his time with her and voicing out his worries might destroy this beautiful moment.
"It's nothing," a pale smile adorned his face, matching the lifeless look in his eyes. 'It's nothing important, it shouldn't give you headaches..."
"But it is already giving you headaches, your face looked troubled. Share your troubles with me, I'm your girlfriend."
Toro heard the assurance in her words and voice but it was best to not say a word. "Really, it is fine. I'm fine...." He trailed off, his eyes rested on the oily debris from her hamburger smeared on the left corner of her lips.
"You have something on your lips," he pointed out.
"Where?" She inquired and stuck out little of her tongue to wipe the place his finger was pointing at.
"There...on your left corner of your lips," he motioned, amused at the way her eyes were directed on her lips and the way her tongue was trying to find the smuge on her lips, making her look like a comic character.
Tempted by the way she looked at that moment, he couldn't control himself from pulling out his phone and taking a shot of her face.
"What did you just do?" She widened her eyes when the camera light flashed on her face. "Did you just take a picture of me embarrassing myself?"
"Nah, you look cute with that face on." He chuckled. Putting his phone away from her reach. "You look like a comic character so yeah you don't look embarrassing."
"And here," he reached out a finger to wipe the stain on the left corner of her lips. And proceeded to lick his finger. Her eyes went thrice big at what he did.
"What did you just do now? What if someone saw you?"
"So?" He seemed unfazed and unbothered by her concerns. "You are my girlfriend and I can literally do as I wish."
A small smile graced her lips, as she lowered her face, a blush appearing on her cheeks. Toro chuckled at the redness of her cheeks. A minute of silence swept across them when she lifted her head up to meet his eyes.
"So what do you say? You'll take up the role, right?"
His eyes beamed, taking a bite from his sausage. "Your bribe isn't working yet, I will consider it when your bribe has fully gotten hold of me."
●●
He stared at the woman, clothed in a stunning red dress he was taking into notice now. The dress hugged and fitted her figure he couldn't seem to take his eyes from her. Her hand clasped his wrist as she continued to pull him away to God knows where. Why does she remind him of her? Why does the things she does or the stuff she says remind him of her and she was holding his hand like Jane does and it busted his head she was bearing the same name and surname as her.
How could that be possible, getting entangled with a person that shared the same name and surname and similar personality like his dead girlfriend? Just then that glitchy bloody memory flashed across his face, he instantly pulled his wrist from her.
Noticing his demons kicking it. Beats of sweats started to form on his forehead and temple as he tried to suppress his demons from manifesting disastrously. He gulped hard, wiping his sweaty right palm on his shirt, avoiding eye contact with her. He felt his chest constricting as he pulled away from her.
His bloody hands appeared, making him lose his balance. He let out a horrified cough and instantly pulled away from her.
"Are you alright?" She took slow steady steps toward him. You suddenly look pale.
"I'm fine...and stay right there," he said and stuck out a hand, halting her in her tracks.
"Why?" Queried Jane with concern. "You look like you'd pass out anytime soon."
"Stay right there." He ordered in a firm solid voice.
Jane defiled the law of distance he was trting to pull between them and continued to walk toward him, she reached out and rested her hand on his forehead, gasping. "You are burning up. You don't look well." Looking troubled, she spun away from him to search for a cab in sight.
"We need to get you to the hospital now, you are burning up." She prompted, flying down a taxi coming in their direction.
Chest constricting and with heavy breaths, Toro impulsively grabbed her wrist when the cab lights flashed in their direction. He saw his fear manifesting the second time, trepidation rushed through his body when the cab lights flashed at them again and he saw the scene from years ago flash before him.
On impulse, he grabbed her wrist and pulled him to her. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, hugging her like she'd be taken away from him in a minute. Jane gasped, surprised at the way he tightened his arms around her.
Don't...go, his voice was barely a whisper against her ears as he said that.
His breathing was raspy like someone who had trouble breathing. He tightened his arms around her twice, burying his face in her right shoulder.
"Don't...…..go," Toro reiterated.