A Chance to be Loved

Chapter 10 - Broken Friendship

"Hello Sam!" Vince said as he leaned on the wall outside the bookshop. "No class?" I asked. I went inside and he followed me like a dog waiting to be played by its master. "How I wish I didn't. I'll have it around 1:00 PM. Are you free? I was wondering if we could eat lunch together."

"I'm sorry but I'm still full. Maybe I can come some other time. Anyway, have you met Anne?"

"Alright. Yeah, I met her last time when I was looking for you. Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking if you would like to have lunch with her instead? She will be out in a while. Oh, there she is! Anne!" I was waving my hand when Vince covered my mouth. I slapped his hand and he let me go. "What's wrong with you Sam? I wanted to have lunch with you, not with her." He whispered. "Don't you want to have a new friend? I assure you, she's really cool and I think you'll like her."

"Are you trying to set me up with her? You know who I like and it won't change. I can be friendly with her but you can't ask me to like her. Impossible."

"It's not like that. What I'm trying to tell you is that you have to look for someone else. I already said that I only see you as a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. You have to give it a try instead of wasting your time on me. Don't ever waste your time on something that will only hurt you in the end. I'm telling you this as early as possible because I don't want you to hate me. I love you Vince but only as a friend. I'm really sorry."

Just like that, I know I've hurt his feelings. Vince was standing in front of me while tears flowed down on his face. He wiped it and tried to say something but he chose not to say anything. He slammed the door as he went outside and I heard him cry. He was screaming and then after a while, there was silence. I asked Anne to check on him as I was about to start my shift. I told her to give me updates about what might happen to Vince. She was fine with it and not long before she was gone, she messaged me. She went outside and saw Vince standing in the middle of the road while his hand was dripping with blood. He might have punched the wall while screaming a while ago. I knew he might do such a thing but I would rather tell him the truth than give him false hopes. I tried to be calm while replying to Anne's message. I asked her not to leave Vince alone and if possible, she must be with him until he calmed down. She informed me that she knows first aid and she put a bandage on Vince's hand to stop it from bleeding. Vince kept on crying and didn't even bother to say anything to Anne.

I felt so guilty about breaking his heart, at 17, how would he be able to cope up with it? I wanted to help him but if I showed up, I might just putting salt on his open wound. I know Anne would do the things which I'm supposed to do and I know that only time could heal the pain that he's feeling right now. I never noticed that I was also crying so I took out my hanky from my pocket and a card fell on the floor. I picked it up and remembered that it was from Sebastian. I needed someone to talk to about what happened and I think he has something to say about it since he was also a guy. I needed his help.

I took a deep breath and dialed his number on my mobile. My call was redirected to a voicemail; I tried a few times but it was still the same. I decided to leave a message on his voice mail instead. I told him I needed to talk to him and maybe we could meet after his meeting if he's still available. Anne messaged me again, informing me that Vince decided to go home and she insisted on tagging along with him. At least, he has someone to look after him. I continued my work as if nothing happened.

I was preparing to log out of work when Mrs. Andrews came to the counter to check the daily sale. I hope she was doing fine, knowing about her past I think she hasn't moved on from it. She looked great as always. I was tidying the documents when she saw the calling card on the counter. The mood suddenly changed when she started to ask questions.

"Where did you get this card?" she asked while reading it.

"That's from my friend, he gave it to me." I asked confused, she sounded like she wanted to know something.

"Sebastian Douglas, such a lovely name. Do you mind if I want to meet him?"

"Oh, I'll try. He's a busy person so I can't really tell when I can introduce him to you. I don't mind. But I was wondering why you wanted to meet him."

"No reason. I just wanted to add him to my circle. The name reminded me of someone. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. I don't want to keep you for so long."

"See you tomorrow Mrs. Andrews! Enjoy the rest of your day!"

"Thank you Sam! Enjoy yours too!"

That was weird. Mrs. Andrews never got interested in meeting any of my friends. I saw the longing and sadness in her eyes when she mentioned Sebastian's full name. I felt uneasy about it. I felt my mobile vibrate so I took it out from my pocket, it was Sebastian. I felt a knot inside my stomach like there were butterflies flying around. I was a little hesitant to answer his call at first but I decided to answer it anyway. Before I could speak a word, he started to ask me a lot of questions. He must be worried about my message.

"Calm down Seb. Let me speak first."

"Fine, go ahead and speak. I was really worried when I heard your message on my voicemail. I'm sorry, I'm still at the meeting when you phoned."

"No worries, I understand."

"But I'm free now. What about dinner? Do you want to talk about it over dinner?"

"Sure, I'm also free now. Just tell me where and I'll meet you there."

"No, I won't. Just wait for me at the coffee shop. I'll pick you up."

"You don't have to Seb. I can manage to go by myself."

"I insist Sam! Please, just wait for me at the coffee shop. It won't take me long, I'm actually on my way over there."

"Fine then. If you're really on your way. Drive safely please. See you soon!"

"Thank you!" Then he hung up.

I don't understand why I felt so comfortable and relaxed when talking to Sebastian. Hearing his voice made me want to be with him. I felt the urge to see him. His voice was soothing; it was like music in my ears. Am I starting to like him? I don't think so, I don't want to like someone who only sees me as a friend. Also, I would never assume that he likes me unless otherwise stated.