Chapter 3

“Oh, he’s the one who lent you a jacket?” Mary meaningfully elbowed Serene, who cannot help but blush from the implication that she and Mary had been talking about him. 

Serene rolled her eyes at Mary. She also secretly pinched her to quiet her. She loved Mary, but at that moment she wanted to strangle her. 

He was a complete gentleman and did not bite Mary’s cue to tease her. They ate their lunch smoothly, which was unexpected. Serene thought that she would embarrass herself by being ditzy, however the three of them had an enjoyable lunch sharing food and stories. She learned Bryan happened to Mary’s brother’s friend. His family moved abroad but has just recently returned. 

Bryan made people feel at ease. He made people feel he was genuinely interested in what they would like to say, and he sincerely wanted to learn more about the person he was talking to. 

There was no untouchable topic to the three of them. They talked just about anything — his life abroad, their university life, Serene’s pageant stint, sometimes even politics. He shared his ideas openly and showed his deep understanding of various subjects without making others feel intimidated. 

Although he would share things about himself, most of the time he would ask questions about her and Mary. It is as if their thoughts are of utmost importance. 

After the sumptuous lunch, he sent them back to the university. He also exchanged contact details with Serene. As expected, as soon as Bryan’s shadow left the two besties, Mary immediately teased Serene endlessly, to which she cannot do anything but blush and complain.

Before her day ended, as she was lying in her bed while randomly surfing the internet, a message notification from her instant messaging app came in which made her almost jump from her bed. It was from Bryan. 

“Are you still awake?”

“Yeah”

“Studying?”

“No, just surfing. You?”

“Thinking of you.”