eleven

Chapter 1

I went to school, leaving Trid reviewing and refreshing her mind with the lessons for her upcoming tests. Just so you know, Trid is actually 18 and in college.

As usual, the day was very boring and serious even in breaks because I don't really talk to anyone there. We had pop quizzes which ironic as it may seem, something that I expected us to have. Our teachers like surprises and they like to surprise us. But the students, they hate surprises, especially like those.

As I walked back home, I thought about what happened last night. I hope he remembers me. And I hope that we could bump to each other again one day. My train of thoughts were stopped when it started drizzling.

I wore the hood of my GMM hoodie and ran towards the apartment. I immediately got there and quickly unlocked the door. Trid wasn't home yet because she goes to group studies with her other friends and I like being home alone. She was more of the extrovert, socializing with people and I'm more of the introvert, enjoying solitude.

I prepared myself some tea as the surroundings became cooler. I started reading my newly bought book and sipping tea at the same time.

Just as I was starting to get into it, someone knocked on the door. I quickly got up from the sofa and opened the door. At first, I thought it was Trid but then, I saw a very tall figure standing in front of me.

"Hi, Em.",the giant greeted me with a smile. "Hello, Rhett. Come in." I cannot believe that the man who became my world remembered where I lived and better, remembered me.

"Do you want some tea? Or coffee? Or any other beverages?" "I think I'd go with tea." "Okay." I prepared and served him tea in seconds and sat along with him on the sofa. "Em, I came here to apologize for what happened last night and also to thank you." "It's fine, Rhett. I'd do anything for you." He responded with a smile. "So, why were you drinking last night?" His smile disappeared and he was now getting more serious. "Well... Jessie and I divorced."

I was shocked. How could the luckiest woman on Earth let go of this perfect man? "Oh, I'm sorry if I asked. I'm really really sorry.",I said, apologetically. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault." His voice cracked at the end of his sentence and he started tearing up. I caressed his back to comfort him. "Can...I...hug...you?",he asked shakily. I didn't hesitate to wrap my arms around this lonely man. He hugged me tight and he cried much more. I feel like I'm about to cry along too. The feeling of losing someone that you love and so important to you is just so painful and depressing. I started caressing his back again. It feels so nice being so close with this gentle giant. "It'll be okay Rhett. You know what they say, when you love someone, you must learn to let them go." "I know. But it's hard." "Who said it's gonna be easy? Don't worry Rhett. You'll get through this and you'll be happy again. This happened for a reason, Rhett. Bad or good, everything happens for a reason." He became quieter now and stopped crying. "You're right." He pulled away from the hug and wiped his tears. "Thank you so much, Em. I feel a lot better now." He gleamed and I did the same. "I told you Rhett. I'd do anything for you."

"You know, I didn't even think that you would remember this apartment or me." "Of course I'll remember you. I try to remember things worth remembering." Then, someone knocked on the door. "Must be Trid." I stood up and opened the door. "Hey, Em. Brought you some doughnuts." "Thanks, Trid." Her eyes widened as she saw Rhett. "Rhett is here?",she asked as if she couldn't believe it. "Yeah." She briskly walked towards him and introduced herself. "Nice to meet you, Trid." "Oh yeah. Here have some.",she moved the box of the treat closer to Rhett. "Thank you." "Oh yeah Trid. Do you want coffee or tea?" "Coffee." I prepared my best friend some coffee and listened to their conversation at the same time. "You know Rhett. Em is a really good artist. She's very talented." I served the coffee to Trid and sat beside her. "Can I see some of her works?" "Sure.",I replied. We guided Rhett towards the artsy part of the house. There were photos and paintings posted on the walls. "Wow. You're amazing. That painting of me is done really well!",Rhett said, obviously impressed. "Thank you." "And also, she sells her paintings either online or in exhibits. Her paintings sell like hotcakes!",Trid bragged. "I don't see the reason why her paintings won't sell that fast. How old are you?" "14." "14? 14?!? I can't even draw a tree well when I was that age." The three of us laughed. "You're really awesome, Em." "You are too, Rhett." We went back to our seats and snacked. "So where are your parents?" "They're working in France. My mom is a fashion designer and my dad also calls himself an artist." "So that's where you got the talent from." "Yeah." "Have you gone to France?" "Yes and it was amazing!",I responded happily. "France was such a good inspiration for paintings. I actually made a lotta paintings and took a lotta pictures." "I'm guessing you painted the Eiffel tower." "I did. I actually made a big and a small one. I kept the small one while I sold the big one." "I know that you already know this but when we went to France, it was really cool." I nodded my head in agreement. "I'm actually curious but how does it feel to be that tall and be an acrophobe at the same time?" "Well, I'm guessing acrophobe is someone who fears heights." "You're right." "Well, it's pretty dang ironic." We all laughed. "When I first watched your videos, I never thought you would be that tall.",Trid said. "A lot of people normalize the height with me and think Link is small. Then, people meet us and tell us that we're taller than they thought." "Yeah. Just like what Josh Sundquist said." "Yeah." "Are the GMM studio and your houses far from here?",Trid asked. "No. It's not so far." "Really? Could we go there someday?" "Yeah, sure." Trid and I grinned like idiots. "That'll be awesome!" "Link and the crew should really meet you. You're both great." "Really? Thank you."

We chatted and chatted like there was no tomorrow. Then, of course Rhett had to leave. We took pictures first and gave him a warm goodbye.

"It was so fun talking to Rhett!",Trid said. "I know right!" "I'm so excited! We'll be meeting Link and the crew someday!" "Me too!" We both glanced at the clock and it was already late so we decided to go to sleep as the rain weakly poured.