Chapter 3

When Lucas and Mari finished buying their items in the grocery store, the two return to Lucas's car and then left the place after placing all the items inside the car. Since Mari's place is just near the area that it was just a very short ride. Lucas parked his car first so that he could help Mari take her grocery bags to her apartment which is on the fourth floor of the apartment building.

"Thank you for helping me" Mari thank Lucas when they reach the door of her apartment.

"It is my pleasure to help you and sorry for teasing you a while ago"

"teasing me? oh! Do you mean about going out?"

"yes, it's just that…" Lucas just doesn't know how he would explain to Mari. Yes, he is attracted to Mari but he is not sure yet about how he truly feels for Mari. He doesn't want to take his feelings lightly and later on hurt Mari. He wanted to make sure first that he likes her so much that he would love her and not hurt her.

"don't worry about it *giggle* I am the one who should be saying sorry. I'm sorry for reacting that way but I just want you to know that I don't take relationships that lightly and to answer your question of whether or not I have a boyfriend. I don't have one and I don't plan on having one anytime soon. Maybe once I've met the man who will make me happy and who will love me a lot then I will let him have my heart but for now, I am still adjusting my life here so I am more focused on work than looking for a boyfriend. I hope Lucas understands it and will not tell anybody about it, please?"

"I understand, don't worry I won't tell anyone about it."

"Thank you, I'll see you again tomorrow Lucas"

"yes, see you tomorrow then" Lucas went on his way to leave Mari when he notices another woman behind him. He got shocked when he saw her but ignore it and made his way towards the elevator. Mari on the other hand was opening her apartment door when she saw her roommate and friend Jessa who just got back from work.

"Hey, welcome home," said Mari to her friend. The two greeted each other first before they decided to go inside their home. Mari looked at the elevator wherein Lucas was still standing there. She told her friend that she will be back and not lock the door, she left and just went to where Lucas is. She accompanied Lucas until the elevator arrived, they talk about a few more things while waiting. Unknown to them, Jessa was looking at them suspiciously.

When Mari got back home, Jessa was standing at the entrance of their apartment which shock Mari. Seeing her friend looking like a mad mother who caught her daughter sneaking out at night made her wonder what is happening.

"What is going on?" asked Mari as she looks at her friend.

"care to tell me who is that man? Is he your boyfriend? And since when did the two of you started going out?" Jessa began her interrogation towards her friend.

"What? No! He is my colleague. Rather he is the sous-chef of the restaurant that I am working at." Mari got the feeling that Jessa would press more on this matter if she won't answer her straight.

"Really? He looks at you like he is your boyfriend you know and why is he here anyway?"

"He helped me buy the grocery items and gave me a ride home as well. Anyway, why are we having this conversation here at the entrance? You seem like a mom who caught her daughter doing something illegal or something like that"

"well, my dear friend, I am not your mom but! I am just curious you know. That man was so handsome and the two of you look like a couple a while ago. I even thought that 'finally my friend got herself a boyfriend!' But to my disappointment, he isn't."

"Yes that is right, he is not so sorry to disappoint you" Mari had enough and went inside their house.

'Why not go out with him then? You two look good together and it seems like he cares about you too."  Jessa continued with her curiosity.

"You know that I will not date anybody just because we look good together. I want my future boyfriend to love me and not cheat on me you know" Mari just answers her friend while she arranges the grocery items that she just bought. Jessa helps her as well while continuing to ask her questions to satisfy her curiosity.

"Well, it's not like you've dated before that you are afraid of being cheated by your future boyfriend. Girl! Remember you got zero boyfriends since what? Since forever? NBSB, remember? You got to experience life! Give those man who likes you a chance to express their love to you. If and only if one of them cheated on you then I can understand why you are so afraid of dating." Jessa is aware that Mari is one of those women who are so beautiful but got no boyfriend since birth. She is not that choosy but she is afraid of experiencing a man cheating on her with another girl. She had a few times of mutual understanding with some of her guy friends but it did not reach the point of them being an official couple. Mari then became labeled as an 'untouched Maiden' during her high school years. She didn't really like that title but she can't do anything about it.

"I know, I understand where you are coming from so just this time let me be alone until we got used to living here in Country A. We just arrive here like two weeks ago so adjustment is what I need and not a boyfriend yet"

"Alright, alright! But once we've adjusted you won't reject my invitation on going to some bars and such ok?" Jessa might be a little pushy but she only wanted what is best for her friend.

"ok, but won't that boyfriend of yours get angry when he got to know that you are going to bars? Or to be much precise, man-hunting?"

"hey! He is not my boyfriend! Plus he can't bring to break up with his girlfriend so he has no right to stop me from flirting with other guys" Mari is aware that Jessa was having a little secret affair with her sous-chef from her last workplace in their home country. That guy was the one who flirted first with Jessa even though he got his long-time girlfriend. The two started their secret affair or relationship after a few months since Jessa started working in that place. At first, Jessa denied it but when she, later on, feels like she is falling in love with him that she asked him to break up with his girlfriend. Being told that he will break up with his long-time girlfriend made Jessa happy but it has been a few months and yet he still hasn't broken up. Jessa left the country without telling him or rather she left a small message telling him that she cannot wait anymore and gave up.

"if you say so, but did you ever meet the girlfriend?"

"yeah, he introduced her to me two days before I resigned. He called me numerous times after that, he thought that I resigned because he introduced his girlfriend to me but that is not even the real reason though" Jessa started to ready the ingredients that she will be making for their dinner. Today was her schedule to prepare dinner, just like how they scheduled the weekly grocery shopping they also made a schedule on who is going to prepare dinner each day as well as who will clean up the dishes. As for who will clean the whole apartment they've decided to just do a monthly general cleaning wherein they should both have the same day off.

"Wow, the nerve of that guy. Did he even think that his girlfriend might hurt you if she ever discovers your relationship with him? How could he do that! It's the good thing that you didn't tell him you left the country." Mari decided to help out Jessa as the two of the talks and the more she hears about the guy with whom Jessa had a secret relationship, the more she gets irritated.

"yeah, but he knew that I have a plan in going here in country A. He even asked which agency did I use to get here and I think he also plans to go here just to be with me. But as long as he and his girlfriend haven't broken up yet, he can't go here. That is how clingy his girlfriend is."

"wait, What?! You told him the name of the agency?! What if he went here, what will you do?"

"if he followed me here then that only means that he had finally broken up with his girlfriend. If he did then, I might go out with him again and we would be an official couple." Jessa smiled as she had thought of that happening in the future. She knew that the guy would follow her in country A since the two of them kept on communicating behind the back of Mari.

"Are you for real? You're getting back with him?"

"That's right, I like him, Mari. If the two of us became an official couple and stayed here in this country then I hope we could also get married in the future. That is how much I like him or rather I love him. Will you support me with this" Jessa faced Mari as she was so sincere in what she is telling her. She knew that her relationship with that guy started as a mistake but all she wanted was to be with the man she loves.

"*sigh* do I have a choice? Of course, I will support you but if he ever tried to cheat on you then leave him. He cheated on his girlfriend with you remember? It's not that I am bad-mouthing him but I just want you to ready your heart if he ever did it again. Ok?"

"Ok! Thank you, Mari! You're the best!" Jessa hugged Mari so tight as she thanked her for supporting her relationship. She can see in her friend's eye that she is only concern about her. She felt so lucky to have Mari by her side, they might have just been a friend for two years but they became best of friends.

Both Mari and Jessa are done eating their dinner as well as cleaning the dishes. Mari was the first to take a bath since Jessa told her that she still needs to do something. After her bath, Mari saw her phone blinking which indicates that someone left her a message. When she check it out, It was a message from the group chat with her co-worker in 'LOIS'

She saw one of Lucas's messages with a photo of her inside the grocery store. She didn't know that Lucas took a picture of her while she was choosing what to buy at that time. Everyone replied to that picture, asking if they were on a date or something in which Lucas answered with a no and told them the truth. Mari then tags Lucas with the message that Lucas was her stalker. Everyone reacted with a laughing emoji or a word with a lot of Haha. She likes everyone in her workplace, they are all nice people. They treat her like a little sister aside from those who like her as a woman.