Stephanie & Xander

Chapter 24

The police came and we were taken for testimony and after a few bothersome activities, we went back to the Manga café. They've gladly arrested the gang members and they let us off the hook after we and the gangsters testified the same thing. We weren't at fault.

In the café, we treated each others like two stray puppies licking each other's wounds. This isn't anything new.

While we're in this journey, I can never expect a full recovery. There isn't much gap between every fight. The bullet wound is still open and it hinders my dominant arm's movement. But we won. Only because I'm invincible with him.

At 9 pm, he's asleep. And, I can imagine him as a kid. He was sleeping on the couch, with the TV still on and is waiting for his parent's attention which never came. And on the next day it's all the same again.

So, I pat his head because he didn't get it before. I wasn't sure but I just had this feeling that I want to touch him. That, I, at least should do something like this. I just want a little reward. I just want to be a little selfish.

Gawd, why did I get myself into this mess? Why did I fall? I want to kill myself.

I fell in love with the person who is also a child of a CA governor, who also escapes the wedding through the window like I did, whose mom is also not home, who's also good in fighting, who also loves sweet stuffs, whose thought process is the same with me and whose birthday is also May 7.

And he chases after Emily who is running away from him. I don't acknowledge that as love. Love is supposed to be selfless. Love is giving. Love is how Coco loves. This guy doesn't love Emily. He only wants her. Apparently, Stephan and I love the same person. I love him. He loves himself.

As selfish as he is, I might as well be selfish and steal a kiss from him. He's defenceless it's tempting. After this, I'll swallow everything and act as if I've never fell in love.

I kiss him... on the cheeks because I wasn't brave enough to kiss him on his lips.

I feel awful. I feel regretful but this is all I can muster even though I've put all my strength and bravery in it.

I turn around to go back to my couch but Coco was standing on the door. My vision darkens and the pang in my chest was worst. If it's by myself, I could've swallowed the pain and never let anyone get a taste of it. But Coco just saw me pathetically stole a kiss from someone who will never love me back.

He runs towards me and hugs me so tight as if keeping my pieces together so I wouldn't break down. And if he does that, there's no way I can hold back my tears. The pain in my chest is eating away my sanity and I feel like sinking to the black hole and forget I ever existed. It's so painful that I never knew until now that heartbreak means exactly what it means. It's so physical that I wouldn't want this feeling even for my worst enemy.

I can't breathe but I'm respiring like a hyperventilating orca. I want to scream but I don't want to wake Stephan up and let him saw me in this state. Among all my ugliest moments, today was my worse. I probably don't even look like human right now with all the hodgepodge of sweat, snot and saliva all over my face.

When I wake up, Stephan is reading Biorg Trinity and Coco is already away. I pick my phone up and look at my reflection. It's worse than I thought. My eyes are so puffy, I obviously cried.

"Is it so tear-jerking that even you cried?" he asks pointing at the corner with his lips.

I follow the direction and saw a DVD of the animated movie 'Wolf Children'. Coco leaves it there to give me an excuse. Gawd, I love him. No, not in that way but seriously... Coco is so cool. He saved me. He's like a superhero. He's like Super Mario.

"Yeah..."

"It's been long since the last time I've watched that." He says lackadaisically, "Was it Ame and Yuta?"

On the DVD is a picture of a mother carrying to wolf children. I can tell the children are girl and boy. They can't be 'Ame and Yuta'. Those are two male Japanese names. I flip the DVD and the synopsis is on Japanese but I read 'Yuki', "It's Ame and Yuki." I correct.

"Was it?" he says, continuing to read the manga, "You know, I can't read Kanji and Hirigana but Biorg Trinity has very good graphics. Plus, I don't read Japanese dub animes. It's hard to read and watch at the same time so I'm watching English dub."

That's blasphemy. If there are otakus out there, I'll get this profane numbskull beaten way worse than yesterday. Although, peace for all otakus, I think otakus are shut-ins. I don't mean to generalize but I don't think they'll be strong enough to beat Stephan up. He might look lame but he was the only one to have dealt a fatal damage to immortal Alexandra Woodward.

Alexandra Woodward can win every physical fight. But there's a glitch to her immortality, because she's got a human heart. That was her weakness.