Cha
Chapter 106
We had dinner with Colin that night. To be precise, Colin cooked for us and ate with us. It was my first
time having Colin’s cooking, and it was delicious.
That said, nothing beat watching the six–foot–three–tall Colin cooking in the kitchen. He donned Mom’s baby blue apron as his slender fingers waltzed around the ingredients under the mellow light. The view
was mesmerizing.
After dinner, Colin proposed to take me out on a stroll. Mom was worried, but she relented after Colin
vowed many times to return me in one piece.
Coincidentally, it just so happened that there was live music at the entrance of a shopping mall. Loud music blasted through the speakers. Young performers sang and jumped on the stage, instructing the
spectators to sway to a certain rhythm.
Everyone raised their hands and enjoyed the music. The heat they produced was enough to dispel the
wintry coldness.
We were late to the concert, so we were in the outermost circle. I couldn’t see what was happening on the stage, but I loved it already. I clapped my hands and jumped on my feet, screaming at the top of my
lungs when we hit the chorus.
“Do you like it?” Colin held my head with his broad hands and asked next to my ears.
“Yes! Very much!” I cheered. I supposed my eyes must have sparkled brightly, like Colin’s.
He then grabbed my hands and led me through the crowd. Some glared at us; others reprimanded us. But Colin ignored them and moved forward until I was close to the stage. I could see the bassist’s hand movements and the masks the performers wore.
I looked back and met Colin’s affectionate eyes. He stared at me, the tenderness in his orbs threatening
to consume me.
There were dazzling lights and a reveling crowd in the square. But at this precise moment, I saw the reflection of my clumsy self in Colin’s eyes.
He gazed at me as if I were his dearest princess–something to be treasured forever. The gazing continued. Not a word was uttered yet it felt like many messages had been conveyed. I could feel them.
My heartbeat picked up its pace. My cheek slowly heated up until it turned crimson. We went home after 10:00 pm. I was recounting my experience enthusiastically at the concert. Colin listened patiently and
made some responses intermittently. His eyes never moved away from me.
+15 BONUS
Was I hallucinating? Why did I think that the way Colin looked at me was full of fondness and love? It was
Colin. No way. I must be mistaken.
That year, Felix said that I flattered myself. I then learned that he had always regarded me as the little girl
next door. I misinterpreted his feelings and was humiliated for it.
If being the little girl next door could shield me from a world of hurt, let me stay that way. For I was afraid
of getting my heart broken.