Fight or Flight

Chapter 9: Oh, Adie

"Hey." I softly called her. "You okay?" 

She turned to look at me and smiled softly. "Yeah." She exhaled deeply. "Did I over react?" Adie asked me shyly. "I did, didn't I?" She says disappointedly and looked at her hands on her lap.

I laughed a little, making her look up at me. 

"No, you didn't" I told her. "Thank you, Adie. That was really thoughtful of you to step up." I added.

We're having coffee near a park that Adie and I decided to walk to. Iniwan na muna namin yung kotse niya sa mall and babalik nalang kami later bago mag dinner at my family's house.

We're sitting on a bench, side by side, under a huge tree. It's nearly 3pm and it's nice and cool out here.

"You're welcome." She smiled and took a sip of her iced vanilla almond latte. She scooted closer to me- close enough until our arms were comfortably touching. 

I figured Adie's love language is physical touch. She tends to express a lot of things by being physically connected. 

"Look, I know this is too random and too sudden, but I don't have any other plans of keeping this for too long. I know you know why I approached you." Adie spoke calmly. Her voice was slow and deep, kind of hypnotizing.

"We were never friends so I hope this does not make things any complicated." She said sadly. I sat quietly, waiting and listening to her. "I just don't want to waste time. But if you think its too rushed, then I will wait." She started to explain. "I like you, Joey." She confessed. "I have no reasons but I just do. You don't have to say anything. I'm not expecting anything, I just wanted to let you know otherwise this will haunt me for a long time." She flexed both her hands and crossed her arms afterwards.

I smiled at her. Looked at her eyes the whole time.

"Adie, I like you too." 

"What?" Adie blinked and gulped- too many times to keep track with.

"I don't know where this will bring us, but whatever this is, this is nice." I told her. "You're nice."

"I don't understand." She told me. "Why?" She asked.

I decided to talk to her in the best way possible for her to understand me. I reached for her hand, looked her straight in the eyes, and kept quiet.

She was breathing steadily but deep. Her chest going up and down heavily.

For a few seconds, Adie has started to smile gradually- until the curve of her lips reached her eyes. Her cheeks blushing and her skin shining. Her dark long hair, blown by the subtle wind and her eyes sparkling.

"I.." She started but closed her mouth. "I think, I.." She stood up and paced in front of me. "Oh, I need to breathe." She chuckled. "What are you doing, Joey?" She asked teasingly. "You're making me kilig, oh my god!" 

I laughed at her reaction. "Baka mapagod ka kakalakad, sit beside me." I called her.

"Okay." She answered quietly and followed.

"What do you want to do now?" She asked me.

"I don't know. Do you just want to stay here for awhile? Or do you want to go back to the mall??" I questioned. 

"I think we can jus-" Adie was cut off when a man abruptly walked towards her. He looked like he was in a rush and needed to get to her quickly. She sighed and looked at me first then back to the man. "Hindi po ako puwede ngayon, i have plans na po." Adie told him.

"Hello po." The guy greeted me first before answering the girl beside me. "Adie, please. Hindi ako puwde bumalik na hindi kita kasama." He spoke in a soft but scolding way. "Mapapagalitan ako nila sir." 

"It's okay manong. I'll call them. Huwag ka po mag alala, hindi ka naman po mapapagalitan, tinatakot ka lang po nila papa." She answered. Tumayo si Adie and held my hand. "Mauna na po kami."

"Let's go, love." She said as we walked away. 

"Are your parents looking for you?" I asked her. 

"Oo." She laughed shyly. "Na-miss ako masyado." She joked.

I took it a sign that it was not a topic she wanted to talk to me with. So i changed the topic.

"How about we go watch a movie? What do you say?" I asked her. "Since we're having dinner sa bahay, we could kill time if we watch a movie now, saktong it might finish around 7pm then we go straight to our house, hmm?" I pitched in.

"Sounds good." She smiled sweetly.