Begin Again

[ 5. what he is not ]

He had his thought occupied by what happened earlier. He saw a different side of the girl he was destined to break. He saw a fighter. He knew from then on, it would be hard to infiltrate Oceane and her walled, catchy and scarred heart.

His body was laid rest on the little hammock he set up for himself. It creaked and gnashed every time he moved his body as he searched for a comfortable spot, but nevertheless he loved the feel and sound of its creaking nature.

He took a deep breath and scrutinized his physical attributes, hoping to kill time as he waited for sleep to maul him to rest.

He had dark brown eyes fixed under his thick disheveled brows and his wide forehead; his nose was long, full and crooked, as if a house fell on top of his face and made his nose like that; his lips were naturally pursed and a thin scar ran from the right corner of his lip and an inch down towards his chin. The scar was visible only on near proximity.

His body was fit but he held no abs and toned biceps. He was the epitome of a flawed guy who cared less on the features that he does not posses and appreciated the dents and imperfections he had in congenital.

Knowing fully well his capabilities and flaws, he knew he had no right to reduce Oceane's worth into rubble by breaking and playing with her emotions.

Clenching his fists and tightening his jaw, he decided to go along with the plan. It was the reason he came after all. What he is about to do is plain idiocy but he is willing to become an idiot for the sake of the people he calls family.

He stood up from his daze and walked toward the window that faced Oceane's. His aunt Freya kept him close to his target to avoid any nuisance. His aunt was dedicated to avenge for his son but little did she know, she truncated time for people who had dreams for themselves, who had lives of their own to tend to.

Gavin peered at his neighbors' window with sorry eyes and a quivering soul. "I'm sorry." Drawing a deep breath, he shouted Oceane's name.

Her room lit up instantaneously and she went near the window to find the shouting culprit which was no other than Gavin.

"What the hell? Someone is trying to sleep here!" Oceane said and then yawned. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were drowsy.

He managed to grin due to her utter rawness and said in return: "What? So I can't call my neighbors' name now?"

She was frustrated and sleepy, she wanted to come out, go straight to Gavin's room and strangle him to death. "Heaven forbid, yes you can! But for the love of sleep, pick a decent time! Don't go on yelling at midnight! You sound like a little boy who can't open his zipper to pee! Goodness!" She said not even taking a moment to pause and collect her breath.

Instead of being annoyed, he was more than amused to hear her respond at his ruse.

"Wow you're so cranky I want to kiss you!" He shouted, stifling a smile. He wanted to test her patience.

Her eyes shot open and her drowsy aura dissipated in a blink. "What did he just say, he wanted to kiss me? The heck what is wrong with this guy?! First he stole my ice cream and then he proclaimed himself as our new neighbor and now he wanted to kiss me? Wow. What a lavish dork." She said in a hush tone.

"I kind of heard that madame." He shouted again, sticking out half of his body to the window.

She rolled her eyes and stifled in a scream. She wanted to castrate his balls and put his head through a guillotine and then throw him to the land of the lost.

Before closing her windows, she tuck out her tongue and flashed the bird to him. She closed her windows, knitting together the parallel curtains.

She flashed a victorious grin and threw herself to her warm, homey bed; sleep engulfing the second her body was in contact with it.

On his side of the wall, he chuckled like a walrus and crashed his body unto his battered hammock. It felt good to annoy her, as if he did it out of his own amusement and not for the betterment of the plan he was entitled in.

"Making her fall for me wouldn't be easy, but me falling for her might be." He then brushed of his thoughts of vulnerability and prayed for guidance.

Her innate dorkiness made its way straight to his heart and it dwelt. He knew he felt nothing for her, at least not yet, and he hoped he would never.

He hit his chest with his fist and vowed that he would never put his guard down and let her invade him. He would be tough and he would only do sweet things for show. All the sweet acts he'd do and offer to her should not be taken to heart by him. He should leave his intentions for her, noisy yet empty as a cola can.

But her eyes kept on flashing in his thoughts and the pure soul that held it; he heaved in a deep sigh and composed himself. He devised his plan for tomorrow and shot an evil, cunning smile.

Although he knew, someday his acts would all rile up against him and crush his being, he put these thoughts away and fixated his attention on the sole reason why he came to Atlanta in the first place.

He reached for his phone under the pillow he lay on and pushed the power button. He composed a text and sent it to her aunt.

"The game is on."

With Oceane as the last thing inside his thought, he went to sleep with a heavy heart.