FORGOTTEN

Chapter 5

Faye is giving her self a pep talk while standing in front of the academy's bathroom mirror.She still cannot believe the fact that she is having lunch with somebody, something that she hardly ever does.

She remembers a conversation that she has recently had with another female colleague in the academy. They were talking about going out with people and she clearly stated that she just wanted to be alone in between her classes. Being surrounded by people has  been, more often than not, exhausting for her; thus, she makes it a point to find an excuse to dine alone at lunch. The same thing happens when having dinner with her mom. The mere idea of listening to her mother's stories drains her energy.

"I'm doing this." she says repeatedly, uncertain as to who she is trying to convince.

Putting on her coat, she is finally ready to meet Errol at the station. She is sure that it is going to be awkward, but she has already promised to see him and she tries to keep her word as much as possible.

She reaches the front of the station and there is no Errol in sight. She doubts him for a second, thinking that he had been bamming her until she took the bait. Then again, she tells herself that no matter what happens she will see through this til the end.

Faye literally jumps when someone grabs onto her shoulder. She turns quickly and is met by the stunning blue eyes that attracted her from the beginning.

"Hiya!" Errol says, his mouth smiling widely.

"H-hello," her voice trembles which makes her want to slam her own head against anything that is hard and firm.

"Where do you want to eat? My treat," he offers good-naturedly.

That irks Faye a little because she has it in mind to pay for her own meal. It makes her feel quite uncomfortable when someone pays for the food that goes down to her stomach. A part of her think that she will be indebted to them for the rest of her life. That is an unpleasant idea when she is already indebted to quite a number of people in her life.

"No, please. Let me pay for mine."

Errol watches her closely and chortles at what appears to be a serious look on her face. He stops for a moment then bursts into another bout of laughter.

Faye gazes at him with apparent displeasure while an undefinable sensation surges throughout her body. It may sound cliche, but she is definitely feeling things she used to read in books. She has never felt like this before, not even when she was with her ex-boyfriend.

His boyishness becomes more discernible when he laughs in such a hearty way. His cheeks reddens a little, making her hands each to touch them and discover how they feel against her palms.

"Okay, don't you think that's enough?" Faye says, irritation noticeable in her voice.

"I think so." Errol gives her a playful salute.

They decide to go to a small and affordable restaurant in Argüelles. Faye honestly tells Errol that she does not want to spend much money to which he agrees.

"How old are you?" Errol starts after their food has been served.

"Don't you know that you should never ask about a woman's age?"

"Since when?"

Frustrating as it may seem, she thinks that there is nothing to lose from telling him her age. After all, she has decided that going out with him, just like this, is nothing serious. She may have conditioned her mind that nothing good will come out of this interactions she is having with him. However, she knows that there will be some feeling of disappointment and resentment later on when this thing comes to an end.