"When are you leaving?" JB asked Lyan trying hard to erase any traces of emotion in his voice...
"Right after graduation... a month from now... why?" Lyan asked
JB wanted to shake her out of her cool inane detachment... but couldn't, because this girl meant the world to him... this fragile looking girl with the perpetual innocent smile on her lips... the girl who snatched his heart and along with it his sanity... and she doesn't even know... she has no idea how she holds his happiness in her hands... and with the way things are going right now, telling him that she's leaving to study in another place she might never know, never find out about his secret love for her...
JB missed a step... it was the night of their senior prom and they were dancing the first dance of the night, Lyan made him promised the first and the last dance with him....
"Hey, JB are you alright?"
"Y..yeah... I'm fine... so you're leaving in a month?"
"Yes... you're the first person to know... don't tell Lisa yet she'll nag me to death if she finds out soon, you know how emotonal she is... so, aren't you going to congratulate me?"
"Uh, yeah right, congrats for passing the entrance exam but do you really have to study in Manila?"
"Ugggh do you even have to ask? you know how my Dad desperately wanted me to go to the same university he attended... aww JB you just stepped on my toe... tsk! "
"I...I'm sorry Lyan..."
"What's wrong JB? you don't seem to be yourself tonight..."
"I'm sorry Lyan..."
"Stop apologizing and start dancing JB... this is just the first dance for heaven's sake... I want to have some good memories you know... of this night... with... with you... with our classmates... for the last time before we graduate..."
For a split second JB saw a flicker of something in Lyan's eyes... there was a hint of sadness but there's something more he couldn't recognize and before he could make sense of what it is... it's gone...
"Am I being too sappy JB? hahaha I'm sorry... let's just dance..." as if on cue the music shifted to a slow one... it's as if everything around them is conspiring to taunt him, his feelings, his secret love... the song is special to JB since it is his secret song for Lyan, "Out of my League" and Lyan as if it's the most natural thing in the world, put her arms around his shoulders and...
"Dance JB? remember? this is the Prom, we're supposed to dance?"
"D..don't you want to dance with somebody else?"
"Oh, you mean... uhhhh is there someone you'd want to dance with? I just assume that I... that we..."
for a while there seeing the blush and the agitated look in Lyan's face JB almost forgot his troubles and nearly burst out laughing..."
"No Lyan there's no particular person I'd rather dance with, I just asked since I'm quite messy on the dancefloor... you know how much I hate dancing"
"I know but you promised me..." Lyan reminded him...
"I know and I'm keeping my promise..."
JB despite his resolve to remain calm and collected couldn't help but to feel... the beating of his heart, the sweat dripping down the back of his neck and slight but noticeable shiver as he held her closer in his arms...
"It's her hair and her eyes today
That just simply take me away
And the feeling that I'm falling further in love
