A Million Sunsets With You (A Boys Love Story)

CHAPTER 6

Alex grabbed the ball. "Three points shot!"

Sir William, Alex Perez's basketball coach, was sitting on the bench inside the court. He was just watching Alex Perez while practicing his basketball skills. It was Saturday morning in July when Alex was called for practice. The team members were also practicing for an upcoming tournament. They will be competing with the other state university basketball players. When Alex was dribbling the ball, Sir William approached him. "Alex, you have to focus. Why does it feel like something is bothering you?" Alex left the ball and went towards the bench with his coach. He was so upset with his performance. He couldn't concentrate. Toweled himself and faced his coach. "Sir William, I don't know what to do with my performance. I feel like I'm not in focus." His coach tapped his shoulder and said, "Don't pressure yourself. You have already proven your worth here at this university. All you need to do is be consistent and enjoy the game." He grinned. "Thank you for understanding me, sir." Sir William interrupted him. "Wait, will your parents watch you during the tournament next week?" Alex felt sad that he knew his parents could hardly come due to business conflicts. He didn't want to disturb them.

He smiled. "Maybe they couldn't come, sir, because they're so busy." Sir William knew it from the start when Alex Perez entered the university as a varsity player. Every time they had a tournament, his parents were missing from the audience. They didn't have time to see and watch their child play basketball. That's the reason why Alex Perez sometimes couldn't focus on playing. Despite that, he still managed to produce great performances during the tournament. He didn't have time to mess up; rather, he gave his all to be the pride of his university. All along his journey, Alex Perez was independent. Well, he was supported financially by his parents, but he chose not to be dependent on them. Even though they were so rich, he managed to wash his clothes and cook food by himself. He was a tall, dark, and handsome guy that everyone dreamed of having as their partner. Besides being that kind of heartthrob-looking guy, he was also a hunk. He had a perfect body shape, full of abs and curves. He was the ideal guy for everyone at his university.

After talking with his coach, Alex Perez went to the team's bathroom to shower himself. He got the clothes in his drawer and changed. After a while, together with his teammates, they decided to go to the cafeteria to have some snacks. While walking on the pathway, lots of students were shouting and giggling after seeing them. Some grabbed the opportunity to have pictures with them.

Students were shouting and cheering. "Alex, can I have a picture with you? Brent, Cyrus, and Blake, crush!" They weren't the kind of varsity players who were so snobby with their fans. They stopped and took pictures with them. While so busy entertaining their fans on campus, someone passed by, bringing books with him. He was wearing eyeglasses, a white t-shirt, and brown pants. It was Joshua Santos. Among all the students at the university, he was one of those who didn't have time to cheer and shout for their idols just like any other. He was seriously passing by and didn't see that coming. He bumped into Alex Perez's front body. The books fell to the ground, and Alex immediately helped him. "Sorry. Let me help you." Alex Perez sighed and looked at him. "Oh, I thought I'd once met you. I think... in the cafeteria?"

Joshua Santos was wide-eyed after knowing that it was Alex Perez who recognized him. "Yes!" He shuddered. "Yes, we met at the cafeteria. Remember my classmate who took pictures with you?" I grabbed the books so tight and felt so edgy. "I remembered. Nice meeting you again. What's your name?" He offered his hand to do a shakehand. Joshua Santos grabbed his hand. "I'm Joshua Santos, by the way." The student interrupted them. Everyone inserted between them and took the opportunity to hug and take photos with Alex Perez. "Wait!" Alex called. Joshua dashed, for he had his first-period class in the morning. The pathway was blocked by students, surrounding Alex and his teammates.

After that moment, they went to the cafeteria to have their lull. Alex Perez was in his senior year, while Joshua Santos was still a freshman. While his teammates were talking about something, Alex wasn't in his world, thinking about something. "Hey! Are you listening to us?" He was interrupted by Blake. Cyrus grinned and laughed so hard because of his reaction. "What happened to you, bro? Are you imagining your girlfriend?" They taunted Alex Perez. "Did you fight last night in bed or just a literal fight?" Alex got his phone in his hand and glared at them. "We're okay, bro. She was still so upset that I didn't listen to her advice and suggestions. You already knew that Claire didn't want me to be a varsity player. She's always insisting that I need to stop it." Alex Perez was in a relationship with Claire for almost five years. Claire was Alex Perez's high school crush. She was so intelligent and was born into a family of doctors. When they both entered the relationship, Claire wanted Alex to take the pre-med course. Alex Perez chose to follow Claire, and they both enrolled in a nursing course. They were already in the second half of the semester. Alex sometimes felt so down when Claire didn't support him along his journey as a varsity player at their university. They were always fighting, for that matter.

Brent got his book inside the bag and seriously stared at Alex. "You know what, bro. In the first place, if she loves you, why is she not supporting you with your dreams? You have supported and followed her since the day you both entered your relationship. I don't want to make things complicated here; if you both love each other, you have to respect your partner's decision." Alex sighed. "But I love her, bro! We've been together for almost five years." Cyrus moved his chair beside Alex and tapped his left shoulder. "It's up to you to decide, bro. We are just here to listen."

After a long and heartfelt discourse with his teammates, the bell rang. It was time to get inside their classroom. At ten o'clock in the morning, lots of their classmates were arranging the chairs and tables inside the room. Claire entered the room with her friends. She sat beside Alex. "Hey, babe! It's so much traffic there. I'm almost late." Alex was holding his phone and smiling at Claire. He kissed her on the forehead and hugged each other. Meanwhile, their teacher entered the room. It was Doctor Mallard.

"Good morning, students!" He sat and put the books on the table. "How's your internship with the hospitals? Was it okay or not?" Everyone sighed. Sheila raised her hand and stood up. "It's tiring, sir, but still fighting." It was so evident on Alex Perez's face that something's bothering him lately. Doctor Mallard called Alex, asking about the research paper assigned to him. "Perez, are you done with the task I've given you?" His classmates were looking at him, and he didn't know. He was looking down at his feet; he didn't hear his teacher calling him. Claire, his girlfriend, poked him. "Hey, you were called!" He then sat up properly and faced everyone who was looking at him. He stood up. "Mhmm... what's the question again, sir? Sorry."

"I said, How's the task? Can you finish it this week?" Doctor Mallard repeated the question. Alex Perez answered, "Yes, sir. I only need to polish the citations." He sighed. "Thank you, Alex."

Claire stared at him and asked, "What happened to you? Was it about last night?" He stopped her. "It's not, babe." The bell rang, and it was time for them to go home for their lunch. Before they went home, Alex Perez was approached by his teammates, inviting him to go with them tomorrow, Sunday. "Will you go with us, Alex?" Brent asked. "What about you, Claire?" Claire didn't utter any words to give Alex permission to go with them. She just left them talking and went with her friends without any face-to-face confirmation. Alex agreed to go with them. "What time, bro?" Cyrus replied, "That's right, bro. Seven o'clock, morning." They packed up their things and went home.