Chapter 7 Lunch Date

• TJ's POV
• So a week passed, and it is now Tuesday. We have morning classes but in the afternoon there were none. So, I texted Zack to pick me up after my classes.
• "Are you tired? Want to go to my apartment?" he asked me who just got here in the parking lot.
• "Yeah, sure."
• We didn't bother to wait and just went to his apartment. We both sat down on the couch after.
• "Have you eaten?" he asked.
• "Not yet. Actually, I'm really hungry right now…. oh, wait!" As I stood up and went to his kitchen. "You want some Ala Papaya with Sauce?"
• I found papaya and saw vinegar here, causing me to question him.
• "Huh? Uhm, sure." The astonishment was evident in his reaction.
• I picked up the papaya and started to peel it, and after that, tried to slice it into small pieces. I grabbed the vinegar, salt and pepper, and put it all on the sliced papayas. After doing that, I grabbed the bowl where I put it and went back to him.
• "Are you joking? Ala papaya with sauce, really? It's just papaya with vinegar and salt!" he complained, laughing because he couldn't believe what he saw.
• His reaction was priceless.
• "It's delicious though! It's my sister's and Sam's favorite dish that I always made."
• "Fine." And I watched him give it a try and here I am, waiting for his reaction. "Mm, it's good."
• And I still can hear the sound of bitten papaya.
• "I told you. I got even hungrier," I said, touching my tummy.
• Suddenly, I remembered the food vendor near the school and this apartment. Making me want some kikiam and buko juice.
• "Want to eat? I'll cook and prepare for you?" he suggested as if between the two of us, he's the one courting me.
• I shook my head, "No need, just come with me."
• I stand up. Grabbed my shoes, and put them on. And was about to go outside but stopped when he said something.
• He frowned, "I thought you're tired? Isn't that the reason why we're here?"
• "Just come with me and leave them in the corner. There's a lot of food somewhere near that I always went to."
• "For what?" he asked, doesn't want to go. "I can cook for you. Just stay here, and rest."
• "We don't have anything to do later, so let's go downstairs." I went back close to him, close to his face. "I want to make you happy, so I want a unique lunch date that is worth remembering."
• I was shocked because he put his face closer to mine that if one of us moved, a kiss would surely happen.
• I moved away from him, but he kept moving forward until I reached the wall to stop me walking backwards.
• We both stopped in a position that I'm leaning against the wall, while his body is just one inch away from me.
• "I don't mind the date whether it's unique or not, but if you're the one I'm with, I'll be very happy and I'll remember it, for sure."
• He started going down to my body after saying those words, until my expo!
• "Your shoelace," he said. I looked down and saw my shoelaces that were untied so he's fixing them now.
• I just relaxed when he said that. After he fixed my lace, I looked away, "Thank you."
• I walked away from him, walked towards the door, "Let's go."
• As we walked to our destination, we felt the pressure of awkwardness between us.
• "It's too far. Aren't we there yet for what you're saying?" he himself spoke first.
• I didn't answer him, instead I started looking to see if we are near to where we are going. When we reached it, I spoke.
• "It's there."
• I saw the man selling tusok-tusok, kwek-kwek, fishball, isaw and others. The Philippines exotic foods.
• "What's this?" he asked, curiously.
• "That's what you called stitch."
• "Stitch?"
• I nodded, and looked at Kuya after, "Kuya, as usual, but make it two." And I showed my two fingers to him.
• While waiting, I asked him to sit on the bench near here. We sat under a big three and where the shady part.
• "Haven't you seen it yet? Or even eaten it?" I asked, and started a topic while waiting.
• He shook his head, "I'm always in my room. I didn't wish to go out."
• I feel sorry for him.
• "Maybe your childhood wasn't that happy."
• He looked at me with those eyes, saying that I'm right. So, I just sighed.
• After cooking our orders, I invited him to go for a walk.
• "Actually, it was my first time eating this kind of food, but it's delicious!"
• "Here." I gave him the buko juice.
• "What's this one?"
• What a kid! Nothing knows about street foods!
• "Buko juice, try it. It's delicious, too."
• "Mmm." It was obvious in his reaction that he was really enjoying it.
• "Just like what I said."
• After we ate the kikiam, kwek-kwek is the next one.
• "Let's play a game. Two truths and a lie," I suggested.
• "Okay. You first, I'll guess," he replied.
• I nodded, "My name is Tayshaun Justin, nickname is Tj and I'm 20."
• "The 20 is a lie. You're 21, then 22 in September. Easy!" He was so proud of answering me that I was startled to hear.
• I frowned, "I never told you my birthday, who told you?"
• "Huh? It was…"
• "Jaybi?" I asked once again.
• "Yehuh, it's him!" he agreed immediately.
• Tsk, that man's full of babbling!
• "It's your turn now," I said.
• He nodded, "I'm Zack, I'm 22 and I like you for a very long time."
• Because of what he said, I was speechless now. It took me minutes before I responded, "Wait, what? You liked me for a very long time?"
• "No.... It's a lie."
• I frowned, I was confused!
• "Nevermind." I took a deep breath.
• We waited here until late at night, there's a lot of grass so we could lay down. It was nice to lay down here while watching the sky. But now, we can't do stargazing because there's no star.
• Clouds means rain, so no visible star = higher probability of rain.
• "I have something to tell you, it's about the stars!" I ended the silence and talked about stars, though there's no star, while we're both lying down on the ground.
• "Sure, what is it?"
• "Did you know that most of the stars in the universe are red dwarfs? Why is it red? Because red represents love. That means love always dominates," I explained.
• "Really?"
• He believed what I just said, so I laughed.
• "I don't know. I just thought of that." After my sentence, something dropped on me. I touched it and I felt water.
• I looked up. Sh•t, why is it suddenly raining? Just like what I said!
• "Let's go, we might get sick." He pulled me after he stood up but I did not let him. "It's starting to rain cats and dogs, Tj!"
• "Wait.... Let's take a shower in the rain!"
• "What are you, a three old kid?" he asked, frowning.
• I glared at him.
• The downpour intensified. So, I pulled him and he was thrown and sat on the grass with me again, he's even more wet than me now.
• "So, you want to play now?"
• He pushed me and that caused me to plunge into the grass. I heard a loud laugh coming from him. And that's where we played, we're like kids playing at the playground.
• It is obvious in Zack's eyes how happy he is. I mean if we're together, we're always happy. Sometimes, I wonder if all introverts have this kind of side. Like they are cold when you see them but when you look inside, there is so much more than that.
• Oh wait. . . . why did he become an introvert? I know there's a reason behind it, and I want to know that.
• I stopped and faced him, "Zack?"
• "Yes?"
• "Can I ask, why did you become an introvert?"