WINNING HIS HEART AGAIN

Chapter 10: Do I really like him?

Avery POV.

Time flew by, and before I knew it, we were sophomores. It felt like just yesterday I was a nervous freshman, stepping onto the sprawling campus of SU. Now, the second year was upon us, and everything felt busier, more demanding.

"Hey, I have a question," Sofia said, her voice breaking through the quiet of our dorm room. We were watching a romance movie, enjoying a girls' night out with Freya, our new friend from freshman year. The three of us were now inseparable.

"Spill," I said nonchalantly, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl Sofia held. We were sprawled across my king-sized bed, watching the movie on the TV.

"Are you and Darren a thing now?" she asked, her eyes curious. My gaze shot to her, and I raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Ay hala beh, hindi ba?" Freya chimed in, her voice laced with surprise. These two!

"But you look so perfect together. Why not give it a shot, girl? He's been pursuing you for almost a year now, right?" Sofia asked, her tone laced with confusion.

I rolled my eyes again. "Since day one, I've told him straight up that relationships aren't a priority for me. Period," I said, nonchalantly returning my attention to the movie.

"Ayy why?" Freya asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Duh, if I know, you just don't like Darren," Sofia said teasingly, and I just rolled my eyes.

"Btw, did you hear the flash news? It’s hot off the press," Freya said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. Sofia and I turned to her, our curiosity piqued.

"Ashkent and Sandara broke up," she said bluntly. My eyes widened in shock.

"What? Seriously?" I asked, disbelief coloring my voice.

She rolled her eyes and stuffed some popcorn into her mouth. "Gurl, it’s all over the news! Don’t you guys look at the hottest issues on the SU web page?" Freya highlighted, her voice laced with exasperation.

"No way! Why? Why did they break up?" Sofia asked, her curiosity bubbling over.

"I don’t know the truth, but mostly, Sandara cheated, daw. Caught red-handed by Ashkent himself. That’s what’s mostly on the news," Freya said nonchalantly, leaving me speechless.

No way! I thought they were a good match. I had pushed those weird feelings I had for Ashkent to the back of my mind, and now this? She cheated? Ashkent didn't deserve that. I knew him since day one, and while he had changed, one thing was certain: he was a faithful man, a man of his word. He never broke a promise, not even once. So how?

Based on my observations, Sandara seemed like a genuine person too. So what happened? Maybe it was just rumors? But what if it was true? How was Ashkent doing? Was he okay?

"World to Avery! Hoyyy!" they shouted in unison, snapping their fingers in front of my face, pulling me back to reality.

"You know what I realized, Ave?" Sofia said, her voice laced with a mischievous glint.

I rolled my eyes. "What again?" I asked nonchalantly.

"I realized you're into him," she said bluntly, and my eyes widened for the nth time.

"What the hell?! Of course not!" I immediately backfired, my voice laced with denial.

I heard them chuckle in unison, their grins widening as they high fived.

"You're being defensive, Cameron! Oh my god, so totoo nga? You like Ashkent?" Freya exclaimed, her voice laced with disbelief. She was still grinning at me, and so was Sofia.

"Hindi nga! Why are you making assumptions?" I said, my voice laced with annoyance. They just laughed out loud instead. What a pair of bitches they were.

"Come on, Avery! Believe me, the more you defend yourself, the more obvious it becomes," Sofia said, her laughter echoing through the room. If looks could kill, I would have chopped them both alive!

"Shut up!" I snapped, rising to my feet, ready to storm out of the room. They immediately grabbed me, preventing me from leaving. I glared at them.

"Why don’t you just admit it, Avery? Ashkent is a catch. A lot of girls are dying to have him now. He’s not a nobody anymore, like you said before. So why don’t you give it a shot?" Freya said, her voice laced with a teasing tone. I was furious. Why were they pushing me?

"You guys don’t understand, okay!" I said, my voice was laced with frustration. They just laughed again. Now I was totally furious!

"So you finally admit it, girl! You like him!" Sofia exclaimed, her voice laced with a mischievous glee.

Damn it! Why were they so nosy?

I sighed heavily. "I don't like him!" I said, trying to convince both them and myself. Honestly, I didn't know what I truly felt for him. I was so confused.

"Quit denying it, Avery. We've been observing you over the past months. You always get so flustered whenever Ashkent and Sandara are flirting in front of you," Freya said bluntly, and I gave her my most annoyed face.

I finally sighed in defeat. "Do I really like him? Is it that obvious?" I asked, my voice laced with disbelief. They both nodded immediately, their grins widening.

"Super!" Sofia agreed enthusiastically.

"Obviously. Tanga nalang ang hindi nakakahalata," Freya added, her voice laced with a playful arrogance.

I sighed heavily.

This was a mess.
I needed to figure this out.