In The Midst Of The Universe

IV.

Principles of Dating by Eli Torres

Take one step closer in finding your true love.

STEP FOUR: Be true to yourself.

Quit fooling around, folks! If you know he/she ain't the one, then don't force it. After going on several dates, you probably know if the relationship is going to work. You will feel it inside you. If not, then read and follow the first step again until you reach the last one. Remember, fooling and playing around may hurt the both of you. Believe me, you don't want that to happen.

           My phone lit up because of a notification. 31 messages from Ludus The Great. I ignored it and focused on my laptop instead. Finally, I am done posting a new update on my blog. It took me forever to post a new one because my mind kept going back to what happened a week ago. And yes, the first and only thing that I did was to ignore Ludus.

           I was about to close the browser when I received a video call from Alexa.

           "Hey, want to hang out?" She asked.

           "No, it's already 8 p.m., Alexa. I want to sleep." I replied, trying to look sleepy even though I am fully awake.

          Alexa and Alexis are both clueless about what happened between Ludus and I. That's why I feel so guilty to the point that I don't want to go out with them. I used to tell my friends everything that's going on in my life but this one is different. I don't know why, but I guess it's best not to tell them at all.

          "Can you please stop being a tita and just get dressed?" Alexa rolled her eyes. Ugh, this girl. But I don't want to go out! Aside from feeling guilty, Ludus' house is just right beside mine and the last thing I want right now is to see him.

           "Alexa, I am not going. I don't –" Alexa cut me off and said, "I'll be there in 10 minutes."

           True enough, Alexa arrived 10 minutes after that call. I told my mom not to let her in but here she is, glaring her eyes at me.

           "Fine, fine. Alright. But we'll just have milk tea at Peachy's and head home." I told her.

          "Whatever."

          During the car ride, Alexa and I are both quiet. She may not know the exact details but I am sure that she knows that something is wrong. And maybe that's the reason why she asked me to go out tonight.

          "You okay?" Alexa broke the silence.

          "Yeah, of course."

          "Are you sure? You know that I am always here for you, right?" I looked at Alexa for a moment and replied, "I know."

          I glanced at the window and saw the night sky. I unconsciously picked up my phone and typed, "Hey, look up! The sky is beautiful." I was about to hit the send button when I realized that I almost sent it to Ludus. Ugh. I cleared the message and closed my phone. That was close.

          Only a few customers are eating when we arrived at Peachy's. Alexa walked towards our usual seat – on the corner beside the window. It felt a little weird that Alexis and Ludus are not here but I guess it's going to be this way from now on. After ordering Matcha Slush for Alexa and Earl Grey milk tea for me, I went straight to our table.