"You're wasting your time, man. She clearly doesn't care about any of this."
Winter leaned against the locker beside me, shaking his head in disbelief. Kinuha ko isa-isa ang letters na tinapon ni Aria sa basurahan. Naipon dahil ngayon niya lang siguro nakita sa locker ang mga ito.
Winter picked one of my letters and smelled it. He grimaced and threw it.
"Ang baho!"
I shrugged off his comment, though it stung. It hurt to see my efforts disregarded. Alam ko naman na corny talaga ang sinusulat ko dahil hindi ko naman alam kung paano mag sulat. I even searched for tutorials, but it's not really my passion. Kahit hindi ko alam kung paano gumawa, inaaralan ko pa rin para sa kanya.
"Hindi talaga ako magpapatanga sa babae. Look at you, still chasing after her even though she's not interested."
I shot him a glare. "Tatawanan talaga kita kapag nakita kitang naulol sa babae."
"Never!"
I tsked. Aria was out of my league, not just in terms of popularity and beauty, but in a way that made me feel inadequate every time I tried to approach her. But it didn't stop me from liking her, though.
"Wear these," I said coldly, masking my true emotions as I handed her my oversized slipper.
She rolled her eyes at me. "No thanks. I can do it."
Aalis na sana siya kahit paika-ika nang maglakad dahil nasugatan siya sa paa, nang bigla ko siyang kinarga.
"Ibaba mo ako!"
Ignoring her protests, I carried her over to a nearby bench and gently placed her down. Kneeling in front of her, I slipped the slipper onto her foot. As I looked up at her annoyed expression, I almost let a small grin slip.
I love it.
"You're impossible," she muttered.
"Stubborn, too," I replied, unable to resist teasing her.
She huffed but didn't argue further.
"Don't wear heels next time," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Pakialam mo?" Maldita.
"I didn't care about you. I cared for the sandals you were wearing, " sarkastikong ani ko. "Thank you, Kaizer Farrell, for your kindness. You're welcome. Tsk."
"Shut up!"
"Kahit maldita ka, gusto pa rin kita. Bulag ka nga lang," I whispered, enough for her not to hear. She rolled her eyes at me again.
Nang mag-college kami, parati ko siyang kasama dahil gusto rin ng mga magulang ko na samahan siya palagi. Hindi naman ako umangal dahil gusto ko rin naman. But she is still rude to me, though.
"Carry it," mataray na saad niya. Hindi ko agad nakuha kaya inihagis niya ito na agad ko rin namang nasalo.
I just sighed. I didn't know why she was like this to me. Was it because our parents wanted us to be together? Our parents were close friends, and it was natural for us to spend time together, but her icy attitude never thawed. Despite her rudeness, my feelings for her persisted, stubbornly refusing to fade away.
After college, I delved into the corporate world, driven by ambition and the desire to build a stable future while Aria... well, she could pass as my wife.
I haven't been seeing Aria much lately because I've been busy these past few days.
Miss ko na siya.
"How long have you known Aria?" Aria's father asked me one night when I made an appointment with him.
