Chapter 69: Chapter 64: Evanescent
"Hey hey hey! What's up Joy? Hello your majesty, my queen." Nick said as he approached Joy and Mari as they were chatting on the wide peach hallway just outside their room. The girls were gazing at the window before them and were giggling non-stop. Nick, not wanting to miss any fun, went and decided to make it even funnier- however, Mari gaze him a cold gaze because she did not want to be called that. Afraid of having her mad at him, he shot her with a pouty apologetic look that was unfitting to his personality. "What were you laughing at?"
"You know you shouldn't stick your nose to other people's business. You know?" Nathan said from behind. However, Nick chuckled after he spoke because he used redundant words and it caused Nathan to hide himself in dismay and embarrassment. The two girls laughed as well and as he was about to tell them off, the image on Mari's cellphone caught his attention and he looked away, trying to suppress his laugh.
"That's not fair! You made Nathan see it but why are you hiding it from me? Could it be that-"
"No. That's not it. You were thinking that we were to surprise you, right?" Mari asked him as he blushed and nodded like a small cute dog with sparkles in his eyes. "You are wrong. Jeez. Since it has already come to this, fine- we'll let you see it."
Nick approached them and he made sure to be mentally prepared for something funny. He had to make sure to get his reaction as funny as possible to make all the people beside him smile. However-
"WHAT?"
The three of them let out their laughs they tried so hard to suppress ever since they saw the picture- it was Nick, eating like a pig and the last single noodle he ate [on his mouth of course] came out on his nose as he was laughing so hard.
"Mari." Nick wasn't laughing and the sudden cold tone in his voice as he called her name was strange and scary that all of them went silent. He placed his hand on her left shoulder and his hair hid his eyes, making them unable to read him. Mari gulped and thought of a way to get out of the situation, but Nick looked at her with happy tears in his eyes. "I'm happy that my picture made you happy and it made you laugh. I'm happy. Really happy! And the fact that you are showing my face around makes me feel that you are proud of me."
"What? Shut it." Mari said and hid her face away from him as Nathan and Joy looked at each other and smiled.
"Ah, this day's great I don't want it to end!" Nick said and everyone cheered up. His presence was able to change the mood of their group and they went back to their room as soon as they heard the bell ring.
'Ah, it's good that everyone's happy. It's so good that I am happy!' Joy thought as their Math class started.
"Aren't we missing someone?" their teacher asked and looked at the empty chair between Nick and Joy.
"That chair's been empty ever since ma'am. Have you forgotten about the seating arrangement?" Nick said and wondered why their teacher seemed to be searching for someone- and it was strange that he also thought that someone sat there before.
"Is, that so? Then we'll have a quiz today regarding yesterday's lesson. It'll be a dictation because I don't want to write on the board, and you all are required to answer it within 2 minutes each question." The class were protesting but their teacher won at the end.
'Everything looks so perfect and it seems like I don't have any reasons to be sad. I'm happy. I don't know why, but it feels like this happiness isn't mine.' Joy thought and looked at the blue sky above her. 'I feel like someone is guarding me from the sidelines and it makes me feel secured and safe.'
'this feeling is foreign to me.' She held her chest and searched for something that wasn't there. 'it's like it is not a part of me.'
"Number 1." Their teacher said and she regained her composure and started to take the class seriously.
'…the question is easy I can answer it without even computing for it.' Joy said and smiled.
'…why am I smiling? What is this happiness building up inside me? It suffocates me.' She said as she answered and held her chest.
"Number 2."
'…it's starting to feel like this feeling is being forced inside of me. I don't want this. I've been on the darkness for so long I don't know how to deal with light.'
"Number 3" the teacher said as Joy just finished answering the second question.
'…but damn… maybe it's alright to be happy sometimes. This feeling makes me feel safe- and for some reasons, it is familiar.'
"Number 4."
'…an easy question again. I feel guarded and safe. I hope everything stays like this for a long time.'
__________
"I can totally read her." A green-eyed person thought as he hid at the tree near their building. "She's probably thinking how happy she is at this moment. Poor Hope, I'm telling you. That feeling won't last" he started to leave the tree he was leaning with and walked away.
'Those are just the embers of his presence left for you to suffer more. Once that embers completely shut, that's when the real deal happens' he thought and purposely bumped a person who walked past him.
"Sorry." The sickly girl said and walked.
"It's such a pain that you look exactly like my Twinquel I can't help myself from coming back here and search for you. The heavens must have fated our meeting to remind me that I should suffer more" he said and chuckled at himself and started taking his leave.
He was getting away from her- he decided not to look back at her because the sight of her back would hurt him more and that would mean that he will suffer more greatly, but…
A hand reached the sleeves of his black formal polo and that made him stop walking. He was about to drag his sleeves back to him to let loose from the hand that held it because he had the idea about who it was.
'…intrusive thoughts again. Stop now.' He said and pulled his hand.
"Yvan Uriel, of Nielebene Law Firm,"
As if a voice commanded him, he reacted swiftly with the voice that he just heard- and he faced her without hesitation. There and then- he saw the face he wanted to see but did not dare to look twice, because all his frustrations would come to him and he might not be able to bear it.
"You dropped your wallet" she told him- but he seemed unresponsive and his eyes were covered by his hair- so she took his hand again and gave him the wallet. "Sorry for bumping at you a while ago."
She turned around- and he used that chance to look at her again as she left- like everything was in slow motion. He observed everything- the fine strands of her hair that swayed with the wind as she left- the scent of the surroundings- the humidity- and even his wilding heartbeats because of pain.
'…that… that was fatal. I had to restrain myself from hugging her.' He thought and he let go of the tears he tried so hard to suppress the moment their eyes met. 'How can I forget how beautiful she was when she came? How can I forget how beautiful she still was when she left?'
"Thank you Stellar" he said- but she can no longer hear him because she had entered the building. "You must have been guiding me, my Twinquel." He added and looked above- and he then wiped away his tears. He stole a last glance at Joy- who was smiling wide that time and looked impeccable and carefree.
"we really don't know what tomorrow will bring."
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