dear heart

the unexpected

Since that day when Pete had walked in on Vegas, the playboy was rarely seen hanging out with females on campus. A rare sight that even Pol and Arm had noticed and it had become the topic of interest in their usual morning gossip, which Pete was (unfortunately) forced to listen.

"Think the sun had risen from the West today." Pol commented, and Arm nodded in agreement.

"It's been a week since I had last seen Vegas with someone else. The last time was when he had broken off with Achara." Arm added. "I wonder what had gotten into him."

"Is it that weird?" Pete asked as he stared at the two with a confounded look on his face.

"Hell yeah." Pol responded. "Vegas was never like this. Ever."

"Maybe he's had a change of heart." Pete reasoned, earning a puzzled frown from Pol and Arm.

"Since when were you on his side?" Arm questioned. As far as he could remember, Pete was always disapproving of Vegas so it seemed odd to him that his best friend was actually speaking up for him.

"I'm not." Pete denied, but Arm and Pol knew something was up because Pete, the exemplary student of K.P High would never, absolutely never, would have seen eye to eye with Vegas - the school's notorious playboy.

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Ping.

Pete's phone lit up, indicating a new message had come in. He opened his notifications, and was surprised to see Vegas' name appearing on his screen. It was the weekend and he didn't have classes with Vegas today.

Nevertheless, Pete opened the message, thinking it was probably a question that Vegas needed help with only to realize that Vegas indeed needed his help, but it wasn't anything related to study.

Hi. It's really last minute, but by any chance, if u're avail can i pick you up in 15 minutes? I need help picking out a gift for Ken.

Pete was perplexed. He was surely not expecting Vegas to text him this early and certainly not because the latter wanted to go gift shopping.

If it was any other day, Pete would have turned down the offer but today, he decided to agree for once. Perhaps, the butterflies in his stomach was the reason why.

Pete wasn't going to lie but the fact that Vegas had called him out on such a short notice did leave him kinda flustered. He was just spending the past 5 minutes deciding what to wear as he stared at the pile of clothes on his bed, not knowing where to start. He had worn flip flops and jeans for most occasions so it was an absolute struggle to pick the right outfit.

Pete sighed as he ran through the mess of clothes on his bed. It wasn't even a big of a deal, he tells himself. He was just going to go gift shopping. But a part of him wanted to look good for some reason, and while he was convinced that it was because he had rarely hung out over the weekends, it was likely because he was hanging out with a certain someone.

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"Thanks for helping out." Vegas said, as the two strolled through the mall trying to find the perfect gift for Ken, Vegas' best friend.

"No problem at all." Pete responded, as he shot the latter a shy smile. It was the first time the two had hung out outside of class, so it did feel weird for Pete. Not to mention, they were walking extraordinarily close today. The back of their hands would brush occasionally, and it was good enough to make Pete blush.

"Are you okay? You look really red." Vegas asked, as he stared at Pete, worried.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Pete answered hastily, as he attempted to hide the red blush creeping on his cheeks.

"What does Ken like?" Pete asked as they walked past another shop.

"Hmm..." Vegas puts a finger under his chin as he ponders hard. "He's a fan of anime."

Coincidentally, the two were approaching a store that designed customized sneakers and an idea had hit Pete.

"How does customized anime sneakers sound?"

"Do they do that here?" Vegas asked in disbelief. He has never heard of anime-inspired sneakers, so this was surely a novel idea.

"Well, we can try asking."

And they actually did. The sneaker shop was more than happy to help Vegas design a pair of cool anime sneakers though it did come at a hefty price, as with all personalized goods. Fortunately, money didn't matter to Vegas who was just elated he was finally able to find a gift for Ken and it's all thanks to his tutor.

Vegas insisted to treat Pete for lunch as a return for helping him. Pete declined, but was eventually persuaded (as always). Trust me, it beats Pete too why Vegas seemed to have this power over him, that would make him agree to almost anything.

Just before they headed to the cafe Vegas suggested, Pete's eyes were drawn to a star bracelet that was displayed on the shelf. Pete was never a fan of jewelry, but this one was an exception. It was simple, yet elegant and exquisitely carved. But just by the looks of it, Pete knew it was expensive and he would never be able to afford it.

He must have been staring at it for so long because Vegas' question caught him off guard.

"Anything you fancy?"

Pete shook his head hurriedly in response, and with quick steps, he had caught up to Vegas.

Maybe someday he'll have the money to buy it - if he works really hard and gets a good job. But today, the bracelet would have to wait.

The two had dinner at a nearby restaurant. The food was great, but it probably wasn't up Vegas' alley. Nevertheless, dinner went smoothly and Vegas offered to drop Pete off and for once, Pete didn't disagree because it was getting late.

"We're here." Vegas said, as he pulled up his car at the entrance of Pete's apartment.

Pete unhooked the seatbelt, before thanking the boy.

"I should be thanking you instead. But regardless, I hope the day was enjoyable for you as it was for me." Vegas responded, and Pete didn't know why but his heart thumped loudly knowing that Vegas enjoyed their time spent together because he did too.

Just before Pete unlocked the car door, he could hear Vegas whisper something faintly. It was so soft he probably would have missed it if it weren't for the fact that he was being extra alert today.

"Goodnight, Pete. Sweet dreams."