LETTER

Chapter 5

Meanwhile

Elaine waits for the bus but Zach approaches her. "Do you take a bus going home? I bought my  car." Zach casually spoke, making Elaine turn. "Hi. Wait, you have a car? Why did you take the  bus last week? She asked curiously. "Oh, I just got it back for repairs last night." The gentleman answered. "Okay okay, drive me –"Elaine answered right away, she hated  dealing with the public transportation since she was still new here. This made Zach laugh  softly as she didn't even hesitate even a bit. "I thought you were going mildang." He said and  smiled. "What is mildang." "Oh right ... No it's just a term," Zach explained with a chuckle.  "Term of what?" She asked and the guy let out a small smile while rubbing the back of his  neck. "It's not even suitable for our situation since we aren't like that but it means when a  boy and a girl. You know what I mean?" He asked and felt a little flustered - regretting that  he even used that term in the first place. "You mean that hard-to-get tactics? I hate  those kinds of girls. Do they think they look cute? I need a ride because I don't want to take  the bus again." Elaine answered innocently which earned another chuckle from Zach. "Why  do you keep on chuckling?" She asked while watching him. "No... it's it just that my first  time being with someone who grew up somewhere else and has this comfortable aura." He  explained. "Ah, yes but only to one person at a time. I can't be comfortable with them all at  once." Elaine answered with a pout. "By the way, do you have a girlfriend?" She opened a  new topic and this time, Zach got silent for a while.

"You have? You got quiet." 

"Huh? No, I don't."

"Wah seriously? Maybe you're the type who gets friend-zone in the end by the girl you like  and just leaves you?"

"Ah really....I won't ask anymore." Elaine muffled with a pout and leaned on her chair. She's  not easy to believe about guys like that, she still thinks Zach was lying. That leaves her to the  thought of the love letter again. She can only think of its owner – she couldn't even sleep  well last night, not because of jetlag but because of the letter. Then she turned to him again  with her curious eyes. "Zach, are love letters popular here in Isla Verde?" She asked casually  and Zach blinked for a matter of seconds before shaking his head. "I don't think so? I mean,  maybe it still happens but I don't think you can say it is popular." Zach explained with a light  smile as he looked down. "Right... You're right... it's only that guy..." She muttered which  made him look. "Guy? What guy?" He asked and left Elaine flustered. "Uhm, Nothing?" She  asked, not wanting to be caught that she actually was affected by a love letter. "Why? Do you  plan to write a love letter for someone?" He asked teasingly. "No!- Of course not." She  defended right away while folding her arms. "Why are you embarrassed anyway? Love letters  can last even longer than the love itself." Zach muttered as he stared in space with a small  smile. "It won't make sense if the love isn't there anymore, right?" Elaine asked and Zach  turned to her with his gentle brotherly eyes. "Love letters keep the memory of the love. So if  ever it ends, people can still remember how magical it actually was before it was gone. So  instead of being sad, they can just recall why they don't need to be sad about such love.  That's nothing to be regretting about, it's still love. Fail or not. Right?" "Where did you  read that?" See how bitter Elaine is with love? Zach looks even much happier and hopeful  when he experiences worse than she might have. People nowadays think they're  experiencing the worst kind of love when there's someone more who had it real bad and can still  smile and love again. Right? It just really depends on how we handle every struggle that  comes to us.

After being driven home by her new friend, Zach, she only greeted Auntie Isabel and went  straight to her room. She got stressed from work. By thinking of the other papers. She  would have to work, she was even more worried. She's not the smartest kid on earth, like duh.  She walked straight to her still messy desk. She hasn't fixed everything yet, even her clothes. She sat down in her chair and opened the drawer of her desk, taking out that mysterious love  letter again. "Are girls who bake really cute?" She muttered to herself. She was reading it  who knows how many times now. "Luna... Did you read this? Did you get him back now? Or  you're married, no?" She asked as if Luna was right in front of her. "I hope you were able to  read this or you're the one who left this on the bus?" Elaine started talking to herself with a  smile. She badly wanted to know what happened with this letter sender and the girl named Luna. "Luna, if ever I come to meet you. I want to see this guy who loves you so much. I just  want living proof that there's still a guy who can love me like how this guy loves you. I hope  I meet you two." She mumbled and smiled dreamily while staring at the letter. After reading  it over and over again, she folded it neatly again and even kissed the paper. "You're my only  hope Mr. Love letter. I need to hear a lot of advice from you because I'm really broken. I  want to see you and your Luna and prove to me that there is love like you two have." She  muttered while heaving a sigh. She was becoming a fan of these couple even before she could know them. "Oh right." She hid the letter in the drawer again before taking her phone  out. Zach has given his number to her but she hasn't done so. "Zachary" She was scrolling through her contacts list until she found it. "There it's alright to call right?" She muttered as she  wasn't really a fan of texting, she's a lazy one. So she pressed on the call button and waited  again, she's used to this, there's no malice or whatsoever to call a guy. "Hello, who's this?"  Once she heard the familiar deep voice, her lips curved out into a chuckle, "Your voice is  even deeper in the phone" She exclaimed while laughing. "uhm may I know who this is?" Zach  asked at the other end. "Oh right. This is Elaine, hello." She always forgot to introduce. "Ah  Elaine, I'll save your number later. Do you need something?" The man finally let out a  handsome chuckle. "Nothing serious. I just wanted to give you my number, but I'm too lazy  to text." Elaine explained earning yet another chuckle from Zach.

"You chuckle even on the phone. You are such a happy kiddo, huh?" 

"Of course. So you want to talk more? Are you bored? I'll make myself free." "Oops, are you busy?" 

"Not really, I was just continuing to review this new project for a proposal." "Oh you're busy, maybe I can call next time?"

"No no I'm almost done."