Althea Santos is a 2nd year college student who flew all the way from the US to study abroad for a whole year in one of her dream destinations: Milan, Italy. Though she is fortunate to have the opportunity and hopes to explore the culture, she sti...
"Thanks, Ate, I miss you so much. I promise to study hard enough to graduate and get into the schools I've applied for. Bye-bye." Even during my lunch break at school right now, I always call my older sister to check in and share updates on each other, regardless of any time zone differences. We connect through audio or video chat, so we must ensure everything is okay.
"Was that Ate Thea?" I looked up to see my cousin Bianca Ocampo, or most of my family calls her "Bibi", and our mutual best friend Emilia "Emi" Delgado sitting down at the table with their school lunches.
I nodded as I took out today's lunch from my bag, "Yeah, it's kinda late over in Italy, but she just told me about a rough day she had with work."
Bianca also nodded, "Aww I see. I know it's been over six months since she's been studying and working her ass off in Milan. At least she got a few more months left until she comes home, right?"
"Right, right... I'm sure she'll be here in time for my senior prom and my graduation."
Then Emi said to me, "Girl, prom isn't until three months, plus Valentine's Day is approaching soon."
"I know, Emi. I'm not setting any high hopes to get one because I promise my Ate that my main focus at the moment is to maintain my grades while helping my mom out. I know everyone's expecting me to get valedictorian or salutatorian, but girl, that ain't my goal although that will be a great achievement to earn."
Unexpectedly, a random person approached our table and presented me with a teddy bear crafted from roses, accompanied by a note. "Oh, thanks. Do you know who sent you to give this to me?" I asked him before he shrugged his shoulders and responded, "I don't know. But I'm sure whoever gifted you this is a lucky one." He left without another word.
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"What does the note say, May?" Bianca asked.
I looked at the note and read it aloud, "To the most beautiful lady in JM High, will you accept this rose bear and be my valentine? All the love, your secret admirer."
I heard Bianca and Emi gasping and squealing out of excitement because a secret Valentine sent me these things. "Hey, won't you quiet down?"
"How can I? My bestie, Mayumi Lyra Santos, has a secret Valentine!" Emi smiled widely while still squealing with joy
"Who has a what?" I heard another one of my best friends walking by, my best guy friend Andrew Alvarado "Drew". Little do they know, I've developed romantic feelings for Drew ever since I transferred to this school sophomore year, and he was the first friend I made and helped me feel comfortable and well-adjusted.
I jumped a bit when I heard his voice loud and clear, looking over my shoulder. I was about to speak until Emi spoke up "May has a secret admirer this Valentine's Day. Somebody gave her this cute bear made with roses and a note along."
While giving Emi a side eye and shaking my head, my face turned red all of a sudden when Drew started teasing me by lightly pinching my cheeks, "Ooo, my little Mayumi has a secret admirer" He's also one of the only people who addressed me by my full first name when most called me either "May" or "Maymay" unless I get in trouble by my mom or the school teacher if addressing my full government name.
"Drew, stop... I mean, I don't know who gave me these, but I do wanna know just to say thanks and ask them why this person wanted me to be their Valentine." I glanced at the gift as I almost got lost in my thoughts about this mysterious admirer.
Drew chuckled, putting his arm around my shoulder, "I'm sure it's because you're probably one of the most stunning beings ever. Whoever it is, they're so lucky to have you as their Valentine." Hearing him say that made my face even redder, as well as hoping he would be my Valentine but I feel like it's impossible.
"Drew, I appreciate that, thank you. But you know your girlfriend wouldn't like to see you complimenting other girls, especially your close female friends like myself." I warned him about that since he's been dating one of the prettiest popular girls in the school, Mariah Macia, for only a few months now. As much as it hurts me emotionally, they look good together; however, he's been hanging out with me a lot more lately, which raises some concerns.
The school bell rang which meant lunch was over. I got up from the table, packed up my stuff, and said, "I gotta get to class. I'll see you after school at the cafe, right?" Both Bianca and Emi nodded before I felt Drew's hand grabbing onto my wrist.
"Let me walk with you to class. Besides, I feel like you might need help carrying your stuff." He offered while sincerely looking into my eyes. Although I did feel hesitant, I smiled and nodded as I accepted his offer to walk me to my Period 5 class.
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📍LAKE COMO, ITALY
Althea Santos' POV
The garden at Palazzo de Luca is truly my haven where I can just be alone with my thoughts, as well as go through my phone for any unread messages from close friends and family. My smile grew wider when my little sister sent me photos of the sweetest Valentine's Day gift she had ever received from a secret admirer. Though it worries me that Maymay has no clue who is her secret admirer, I think it is very sweet that somebody did something to show appreciation for her.
To tell you the truth, communicating with Maymay tonight lightened up my mood because I do miss her and my mom. Just as I was about to make a FaceTime call with my mom, I heard my name being called.
"Althea? Can we talk?" I looked over to see that Franco was there. All I did was nod my head and subtly gestured for him to sit next to me on the bench. Yes, I am okay now, but I still feel shaken up by the sudden trigger of my trauma.
Franco looked at me with sincerity and started speaking, "Althea, look, I do wanna apologize for the way I acted earlier. I- I didn't mean to pour all of my frustrations on you. It's because the business ran into many issues until we concluded that the rival company was the mastermind of this sketchy deal that seems critical. Thanks to them, we felt like we lost a lot of money and trust. Gio told me that you had a panic attack, which I didn't mean to cause it."
I slowly nodded while hearing what Franco had to say, and I could tell he was sorry for his actions. "I-it's okay, sir. I mean we all had our bad days." I paused for a moment before continuing to speak, "Actually I was traumatized by my father when I was young. He- he hurt me not only verbally, b- but he physically h- hurt me..." I started to tear up once more before I felt his arm wrapped around my shoulder.
"Shh, it's okay. Calmati, mia Bambi" Franco mumbled softly as he comforted me "You don't have to share everything. I understand what you're going through. I once dealt with an abusive parent, but they aren't a part of my life right now. If you ever need somebody to talk to, if it's not Martina or any of your maid friends, you can always come talk to me. I know I have a busy schedule with work, but I can always make room for a chat. I'll be there for support, okay?"
(Calm down, my Bambi)
My cheeks went a little pink at the closeness between us, but I suddenly felt emotional safety with the comforting words he told me. I gave him a small smile, "Thank you, sir..."
Now that I know he's forgiven, I still wonder if he's going to be like this after tonight...
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a/n: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Rate or comment for any feedback! If you have any ideas or suggestions for the future of this book, please do PM me.
