Chapter 3

"She said what?" gasped my cousin Raine when I informed her about my conversation with Rhea yesterday.

Today is Saturday, and there is no class, so I went to see my closest cousin, Raine, to chat with her and express my honest feelings.

Raine was aware of my feelings for Caesar, which allowed me to tell her everything. So here we are, in her room, discussing the surprising events between me, Caesar, and Rhea yesterday.

"So you're saying Caesar likes Rhea, and Rhea likes Caesar, and she wanted your help getting close to him?" Raine remarked, echoing what I said to her, to which I merely nodded. "Wow. What a surprising turn of events. Who would have guessed Ms. Perfect has a thing for your stoic best friend? I mean, I get why you fell for Caesar since you and he have been inseparable since you were kids, so you've probably seen something in him that I don't. But what about Rhea? That Rhea, whom you characterized as a saint and adored by many students and teachers at your school, has a crush on Caesar, who doesn't even smile at anyone but you? How in the world did that happen?"

"I'm not sure; all I know is that she likes Caesar and is determined to confess her feelings before the school year ends."

"And so? What did you say to her? Don't tell me you told her you'd help her."

"I won't tell you that then."

Raine's jaw dropped open, and her face was filled with disbelief. "Are you serious?" she asked.

As an answer, I nodded once again.

"Why?" Raine demanded, her voice trembling with rage. "Why did you say that? Are you insane? Why would you help your rival? Being closest to Caesar is advantageous, so why would you share that privilege with your rival? Are you insane?"

"Were you not listening to me, Raine? I told you long ago that I have no intention of confessing my feelings to Caesar because there is no way I would jeopardize our years of friendship for these feelings of mine that have no certainty of being accepted. I'd rather see him happy with someone else than not see him or be close to him again. "Seeing him in love with someone else may be the only way for this stupid and pathetic heart of mine to realize and accept its defeat," I stated bitterly.

"Why do you think you have no chance with Caesar when you haven't confessed? You've already stated that there's no guarantee Caesar will reciprocate your feelings. If that is the case, then there's also no guarantee that Caesar won't be able to reciprocate your feelings. What if...?"

"I don't want to settle for what-ifs, Raine," I said hastily, "because those what-ifs could be the source of my friendship with Caesar's fallout."

"You're overthinking, Brae."

"I'm just being cautious and certain."

"Don't you think your caution is why your relationship with Caesar isn't evolving?"

"Because of my caution and certainty, I can still be with Caesar without a hint of awkwardness between us."

Raine rolled her eyes and said, "And it's also why you're hurting. Besides, do you think helping Caesar get into a relationship would make you forget your feelings for him? You've loved the guy for three years and done everything to unlove him, but what happened? Nothing happened! You still love him until now! And I bet you will still love him for years to come."

"You know what? Instead of helping me to be confident in my plan to move on, you're only sinking me deeper into my unrequited love for Caesar."

"I'm just telling the truth, okay? Isn't it true that you tried to forget your feelings many times, but nothing happened? You even went as far as using another boy to forget your feelings. Still, nothing happens because everything he does reminds you of Caesar, and you always compare him to your best friend. So enough with moving on, Braelyn. We both know how it will end, and it won't be how you wanted."

I was about to respond to Raine again when my phone rang. I gave Raine a harsh look, but she merely made a face, and then I took out my cellphone to see who was calling, and my heart raced quicker as I saw Caesar's registered name.

"Who is it?" Raine asked.

"Caesar."

"I bet your heart is racing right now," Raine remarked, and I didn't respond because she was right. "You're not refuting, so I'm right," Raine added. "Tsk! You're head over heels with your best friend, and you still dare to talk about that moving on crap."

"Quiet, Raine," I told her instead, before eventually answering Caesar's call.

"Where are you?" Caesar questioned immediately. "I went to your house, but you weren't there."

"I'm currently at Raine's."

"When are you going to get home?"

"I'm not sure; I'll probably arrive home late. Why?"

"I need to talk to you."

"About what? Is it something urgent? Why can't you just say it over the phone?"

From the other end of the line, I heard Caesar groan in frustration before asking, "Why did you give my number to Rhea?"

"You gave Caesar's number to that girl?" Raine questioned, astonished, after hearing what Caesar stated over the phone.

I quickly covered Raine's mouth with my palm and gave her another stern gaze, quietly warning her to close her mouth.

I just took my hand away from Raine's mouth when she nodded. She then apologized in a small voice, which I no longer paid attention to.

Caesar inquired, "Was that Raine?"

"Yeah." 

"What gossip are you telling Raine this time?"

"Nothing," I lied.

"Yeah, right, as if I'd believe that."

"What do you think of me? I'm not a chatter."

"You are not a chatter, but you enjoy sharing things and information that are not always necessary to share."

"Information like how I caught you reading a sexy magazine? Or how you peed your pants when we were chased by a dog?"

Raine snorted after hearing what I said, unable to stop laughing. When I looked at her, she closed her mouth again and bit her lower lip to stop laughing.

Caesar let out a restrained, angry sigh, and I envisioned his face with his nose flaring in rage, almost making me giggle. If I hadn't been able to hold back my laughter, he'd be even more enraged than he currently is.

He's probably still humiliated by those situations, whereas I find them hilarious and amusing.

"I'm not in the mood to play jokes with you, Brae," Caesar stated solemnly.

"What are you mad about?" I chuckled. "When should you thank me for giving you a chance with your crush?"

"I've already told you to stop that nonsense!"

"Nonsense? How could you call it that when..."

"Call me when you get home." Caesar ended the call, leaving me speechless.

"He sounded really mad," Raine observed, to which I did not answer.

What exactly is he upset about? Shouldn't he instead be grateful? Why is he so opposed to me lending him a helping hand? Instead of being enraged, he should seize this opportunity to be close to Rhea! Rhea has already made the first move, so he should use the chance to get to know her, ask her out on a date, and confess!

"Even Caesar was against your plan. Is that enough confirmation for you to stop what you're doing? Instead of helping Rhea, why don't you work things out with Caesar to make him fall in love with you?"

"I'm going home," I declared abruptly, and I stood.

Raine's face was filled with surprise. "What? I thought you'd stay for dinner."

"Thank you for listening, Raine," I replied as I stormed out of her room and house.

—

"Brae!" Auntie Luna, Caesar's mother, who had just come out of their house holding a garbage bag, said with delight when she noticed me outside their gate.

"Hi, Auntie!" I said, waving my hand.

"Hold on," Auntie Luna responds, dropping the garbage bag she was holding and swiftly unlocking the gate to let me in.

I was about to kiss her on the cheek when she stepped back and said, "I was cleaning, so I am dirty and kind of smelly, so you don't have to kiss me on the cheek for now."

"Nah, it's fine, Auntie," I said before kissing her on the cheek, which made Auntie Luna smile.

"This is why you are one of my favorite people in the world," Auntie Luna remarked.

"And you are my favorite auntie," I answered, my cheeks beaming.

"Oh, have you had your lunch yet? I made some chicken adobo; do you want to eat?"

"As much as I want to, Auntie, I can't because I just came from Raine's house and had lunch there, so I am still full," I pouted, "but I am in for some takeout."

Auntie Luna laughed. "Of course, don't worry, I'll pack some for you to take home; in the meantime, are you here for Caesar?"

"Ah, yes, auntie. Is he home?"

"Yes, he's in his room, as usual; just go in and bother him."

I grinned. "That I will, Auntie."

Auntie Luna laughed one more time before patting my shoulder. "All right, just go in," she said, grabbing the garbage bag again and placing it outside the gate for the trash truck to take away.

"Thanks, Auntie!" I said before entering their home and going to Caesar's room.

I knocked a few times on the door before shouting out to Caesar, alerting him to my presence.

I heard him say, "Come in."

When I opened the door, he was sitting on his bed, holding a book.

This is not the first time I've seen this scene of him, but I can't help but be impressed.

Caesar, dressed in his regular plain black T-shirt and white shorts, putting on his eyeglasses, and sitting in the center of his bed, resting against the headboard and holding a book, will always be a sight to behold for me.

Even when I wasn't aware of my affection for him, this scenery has always taken my breath away. Much more now that I'm aware of how much in love I am with him.

"You finally learned how to knock," Caesar observed, snapping me out of my daydreaming and awe. "It took a while, but I'm glad you now understand the importance of knocking," he continues.

Well, knocking on Caesar's door was never precisely my thing. I used to show up unannounced and piss the crap out of Caesar. I've lost count of how many times he chastised me and reminded me to always knock before entering his room, and I've always ignored him. Not until I saw him pulling off his underpants as I was about to enter his room.

I vividly recall how that incident turned my face into an overripe tomato. I was too shocked and humiliated to visit Caesar for nearly two weeks. It wasn't until Caesar took the initiative to come to our house and visit me and talk to me as if I hadn't seen him practically naked that I began talking to him again.

Since then, I've made it a point to knock before entering his room.

"Where's your father? I didn't see him in the living room?" I questioned as I shut the door to his room, entirely disregarding what Caesar had just said.

"He went out with his friends."

I just hummed in response before sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at Caesar, whose gaze never left the book. "It's Saturday, and we have no class, but you still ended up holding and reading a book; don't you get tired of doing the same thing every day?"

"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Caesar responded, dismissing everything I said as I had done with him.

I inhaled deeply. "Okay, I'm sorry. I apologize for giving Rhea your phone number without informing you. Is that okay?"

Caesar put down the book he was reading and peered at me, his eyes serious, making me gulp again as my heart raced.

Caesar was furious, but I didn't feel the least scared; instead, it made my heart race like it was doing a somersault.

"No, it's not okay; I don't hear any sincerity in your apology, so I'm not accepting it."

"Oh, come on! Stop being petty! Besides, I'm not sure why I have to apologize when all I did was do you a favor."

"I don't recall asking you for any favors; all I did was tell you to stop doing stupid things."

I pouted and sat at Caesar's feet on his bed. I lay sideways, one hand supporting my head and the other fiddling with the mattress. "Why are you so opposed to me helping you get close to Rhea? You like her! And since you like her, it's only natural that you want to get close to her and get to know her, and that's exactly why I'm doing this! I'm supporting you in getting close to her!"

"What's your obsession with bringing me and Rhea together?"

"I just want you to finally learn what it's like to be in a relationship; I want you to do things like go on dates, hang out, and do things like other teens our age do, rather than just read books all day, every day! I want you to be happy!"

"Do I look sad to you?"

"You know that's not what I mean!"

"Then, what do you mean, and are you sure those are the only reasons you want me to be near Rhea?"

My heart skipped a beat in response to Caesar's question, making me momentarily speechless. Fortunately, I was able to quickly return to my senses.

I laughed, trying not to appear apprehensive. "Of course! What other reasons should I have other than those?"

Caesar kept staring at me as if he were trying to determine whether I was lying by looking at my expressions. And it made my heart race again, not only because his stares give me butterflies in my stomach but also because I'm afraid he'll see through my actual feelings.

I'm not sure how long he was staring at me or how long I was holding my breath. All I know is how his intense and burning gaze affects me, as though he wants me to drown in it.

But that heated stare didn't last long because Caesar eventually withdrew his gaze from me and returned to his book, saying sternly, "If you say so, then be it. Just promise me that this won't happen again. I don't want to be put in an awkward situation again, Brae, not knowing what to do because I was unaware of what was happening."

"What did she do to put you in such an awkward situation?" I inquired instead, not commenting on what Caesar had just said.

"She just texted me," Caesar said nonchalantly.

'What exactly did she say? What did she do after she texted you? Have you responded to her? How did the conversation go?' Those are only a few unanswered questions I had for Caesar.

I wanted to know what happened and go into further detail, but I restrained myself. Because I know that learning what happened between Caesar and Rhea will only give me sorrow and heartbreak.