❤️THE SPACE IN BETWEEN❤️
?Age is just a number?
✍️ Written By Precious Pinky✍️
?Chapter Thirteen (13)?
#NOT EDITED.
Theme: A word of wisdom…?.
?Xander’s Pov?
I clenched my jaw and fist as I watched them dance happily in the rain.
It’s obvious that she likes Manuel and not me.
I was the only one with the love fantasy of me and her.
She was happy.
She was happy with him. Not me.
After all, I was just her best friend/big brother.
I was stupid to think that we both could be something more. I was stupid to have forgotten our age difference.
Like seriously, who will want to be with a guy that’s four years older?
⏱️Why did you do it?⏱️
I could hear the bitterness in her voice when she asked him that question.
She was worried.
She wasn’t even mad at him or anything. She was only afraid of losing him.
Yeah, I know Malby very, very well.
I could hear her giggling as she twirled around and fell in the arms of Manuel. They were both happy to be around each other.
I unclenched my fist and jaw and sighed as I ran my fingers throu-ghmy w-et hair.
She was better off with him. Besides he’s the same age as her.
He was compatible enough to be with her.
The least I could do as her best friend/big brother is to be happy for her.
I turned from them and walked away.
??????????
“Oh my God. Xander, why are you so w-et? Did you play in the rain or something?” Mom say as she approached me with a towel and handed it over to me.
I wish I was the one who danced in the rain with the girl I love but reverse was the case. I watched the girl that i love and the guy that she love dance in the rain.
Wait. Did i just admit my love for Malby?
So I wasn’t just falling for her, I have practically fell for her.
Damn.
I’m in love with my best friend.
“Neither.” I muttered as I used the towel to wipe my face dry.
“Go and have your bath while I prepare you a cup of hot chocolate.” Mom says, heading to the kitchen.
“Thanks.” I walked upstairs and went into my room.
??????????
?Malby’s Pov?
“This is amazing.” I giggled.
“Yeah.”
“I’m so w-et!”
Wait.
Recap.
“I’m so w-et!”
Shit!
That came out very wrong.
I gulped and look up at Manuel. His ear were turned pink and he was looking at the floor instead of my face. I guess he felt how wrong that word came out also.
fu-ck me.
“Scrap that word.” I say.
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
We suddenly started laughing.
I clenched my stomach as i laughed really ha-rd while Manuel bent down and continued laughing.
This was amazing.
He was amazing.
“Let’s go. It’s getting late already.” I say after I had calmed down.
He nods and got up to his feet. “I will give you a lift.”
“Not like I have a choice.”
We chuckled.
We both entered Manuel’s car but he didn’t start the ignition.
Wait, don’t tell me he was going to ask if I like Xander or something. Because this was exactly what happened earlier today that caused a fight between Xander and i.
“Thank you.” He says.
“What?”
“Thank you, Malby.” He was staring at me now.
“Why are you thanking me? What did i do?”
“You did everything. Everything that no one have ever done for me. I really appreciate.” He says calmly.
I grinned. “You’re welcome but the next time you thank me again I’m going to break your hand.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Good.”
??????????
?Xander’s Pov?
“Thanks.” I say as I collected the cup of hot chocolate from mom’s grasp.
“You’re welcome dear.” She ki-ssed my forehead and sat down beside me. “Did you drop Malby off at home as well?” She now asked after a long silence.
“Not really.” I replied, looking down at the almost empty cup of hot chocolate.
“Is that suppose to mean no?” I nodded my head yes. “Why? What happened? Did you guys have a fight or what?”
I said nothing.
“What happened, Xander?” She asked again.
“We are cool, mom. We just had a little misunderstanding and please don’t ask me the reason for the fight.”
“Fine.” She sighed. “But you know you have to settle things with Malby by tomorrow?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.” She stood up to her feet. “And stop fighting with her, she’s like a baby sis to you.” She says and went upstairs to her room.
Mom was right.
Malby was like a baby sis to me.
There was no chance of us being together.
God, I should have known.
I chu-gged down the whole hot chocolate and went outside.
I needed fresh air.
The rain have stopped already so there was no chance of me getting w-et or anything.
I walked towards a roadside bench and sat down.
I look up at the cloud and trust me, that was very foolish of me.
I mean, why exactly was I looking at the sky? It’s not like the sky was going to help me out of this love mess or better still, help me see Malby as nothing but a best friend and baby sis.
I was just staring at the sky that I didn’t even realize that someone have taken the spot beside me on the bench until the person spoke.
“They are beautiful.”
I snapped my head to the direction of the person to see who it was.
It was Grandma Sally.
An elderly woman who lived around the neighborhood.
She lost her husband six years ago and still isn’t able to forget about him and move on.
She has just one child.
Her daughter, Mary, is married and have two kids already for her husband.
According to Grandma Sally, she has lived her life already and hopes that death comes to her doorstep and takes her with it. One day.
“They are awful.” I say.
She smiles. “Are they?”
“Yeah.”
“What makes you think that?” She ask, watching me closely.
“Because it’s awful?” I wasn’t even sure of my reply.
“Are you sure?”
No!
I wanted to tell her that but chose not to.
I just stared at her.
She smiled again and looks up at the sky. “Look de-eply into the sky and tell me what you see.” She instructed.
I hesitate for a while but still ended up doing as i was told.
I looked up at the sky but found nothing aside from the moon which we are all used to.
“The moon?” I questioned.
She chuckled. “The moon? Just the moon?” She sighed. “You can see exactly what I’m seeing…you just choose to be ignorant.”
“How do you mean?” I look de-eply into the sky but still saw nothing.
It was quite obvious that the stars weren’t out tonight so how exactly am I being ignorant??.
“There.” She points at the sky.
I glance over at where she was pointing but saw absolutely nothing!
Was this woman for real?
I know she’s old and all that but that doesn’t still give her the right to fool me or anyone younger her age.
I was going to look away when I saw something.
I squirted my eyes to look at it very well and holy fu-cking Molly!
Grandma Sally was right.
There was a star there but I was so ignorant to see it.
“You are right.” I whispered.
“I know.” She chuckled. “The stars is a thousand years but yet still beautiful and no matter how old or how long the star stay on the sky… it’s light can never cease.”
I didn’t say anything.
I don’t even know the reply to give to that.
“The perfect someone might be very close to you. She’s like the star, her light is shinning at your way but you choose to be ignorant not to notice it.”
Okay, now this is getting too personal.
What the hell does she mean?
Like seriously, what is she even talking about?
Grandma Sally hardly talks to anyone in the neighborhood but her daughter and grandchildren.
So can someone please tell me what the Fuc-k is going on?
“What are you talking about?” I questioned.
“I’m talking about that young girl. Your best friend.”
“Wait. What?”
She started laughing and I know for a fact that she was laughing at my face reaction.
“I always see you hanging out with her. She’s beautiful, you know.”
It might look kinda weird talking to this woman about Malby but it felt so right to talk to someone about her and my feelings for her.
Who knows, maybe she’s going to tell me what to do to forget about Malby and see her as nothing but my best friend.
I let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
The sky did brou-ght someone to my aid.
“Yeah.” I breath out.
“You seem to like her.” She observed.
“Of course. She’s my best friend.”
Grandma Sally started laughing, surprising me.
Why was she laughing?
What funny thing have I said?
“Stop fooling yourself, Xander.”
Oh.
She knows my name.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Stop choosing to be ignorant.” She smiled. “I could tell that you like her as more than a friend. And I’m sure you know that yourself.”
Was it that obvious?
And how did Grandma get to observe like this.
Like damn, she’s good.
I scratched the nape of my neck and look over at my house.
If Grandma Sally could tell that I was in love with my best friend, who was, and i quote ‘Four years younger,’ Can mom also tell?
Was it that obvious?
“I do.” I say in a very low voice that I couldn’t even hear what I had just said.
“Then what’s stopping you?” She ask.
I shrugged. “Our age difference?” Wait, why do I sound so unsure of my answer. i mean, it’s practically because of our age difference that’s why I’m afraid of loving my best friend.
“Are you sure? Or you are only just afraid of getting rejected by her because you think she’s concern about the age difference between you both?”
I didn’t say anything.
“You can’t give up yet when you haven’t even tried at all.” She sighed. “My husband was ten years older than me when we got married. Yeah, lot of people spoke ill about our marriage because of our age difference. They said he was going to oppress me and treat me very bad but we didn’t listen to them. We love each other and that was enough for us. We got married and people were expecting the worst from our marriage. They expected us to fight. They expected my husband to beat me up. But none of those things happened.
Instead, our love for each other grew stronger.
He didn’t oppress but rather treated me as his only queen. I was so happy. He was like my world. But in this life we should never forget about our vows made in the alter… ‘until death do us part.’” She paused. “He died.”
“I’m so sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say than to apologize. I knew her husband died. Everyone does.
She smiled. “It’s not your fault.” There was a short silence until she spoke up again. “So you see, you shouldn’t be worried about what people out there are going to say. You are just four years older than her, and so? Age is just a number, my child. And time, time waits for no one. If you don’t brace yourself up and tell her your feelings, then things are going to get complicated for you. Not just you. But all of you.”
All of us?
When she said ‘all of you,’ Was she referring to Me, Malby and Manuel?
“But…what if Malby doesn’t like me that way?”
Grandma Sally yawned and stood up to her feet. “Your ignorant is the only problem here. Good night, my child.” She smiled at me then walked away to her house.
⏱️Your ignorant is the only problem here.⏱️
How?
I look up at the little star in the sky.
⏱️Are you that blind? Are you blind that you can’t see who my actual feelings are for or you just act to be dumb?⏱️
Those were Malby words.
She was very mad at me for thinking that she likes Manuel.
And that’s because…she doesn’t like Manuel.
⏱️Say it again.⏱️
She told me this afternoon at school when she gave me her earphone and Senorita was playing.
And yeah, I knew exactly what she was talking about?
Fuc-k!
Malby heard what I said that day when she gave me a ride home.
But when she told me to say the words again, she doesn’t sound mad or anything.
She was rather excited to hear the words again.
Does this mean that Malby like me too?
I don’t know but there was only one way for me to find out and that’s if I confess my feelings for her.
??????????
?Malby’s Pov?
Grrrrgh!
Grrrrrrgh!
I gro-aned and got out of my bed.
I was still feeling very sleepy.
And i shouldn’t blame anyone for not getting enough sleep but myself!
But I still don’t regret dancing in the rain with Manuel.
I stretched my body then reached out for the paper that contains the list from the bedside and read throu-ghthe things we are yet to do.
We’ve only done Hashtag four and five.
Damn, we still have a long way to go.
I read hashtag two and i couldn’t stop the smile that made its way to my face.
#2. I want to go camping.
We were going to cross that out soon.
Wanna know why?
…..TODAY WAS THE D-DAY. AND YEAH, I’M TALKING ABOUT THE CAMP OUT WE ARE HAVING IN SCHOOL….
I really can’t wait.
I put down the paper and hurriedly ran to the bathroom to have my bath and brush my teeth.
After I was done, I walked into my closet and got dressed then packed few of the things I will be needing for this camp out and arranged them into my backpack.
I dropped the list in my backpack as well then collected my headphones and earphone and my phone before leaving the room and skipping my way to the living room.
Mom was busy while dad…well, he has gone yo work already.
“Mom.” I ki-ssed her cheek.
“Hey baby. How was your night?”
“Great. What about the maids?” I ask, wondering why she was the one busy in the kitchen and not the maids.
“They have other things to take care of. Are you prepared?”
I smiled. “Yeah.”
“Alright. Be good. And please don’t wander around and get lost. Okay?”
“Okay mom.”
“And stick to Xander so nothing will happen.”
I think sticking with Xander will make something happen instead.
Like… confessing my feelings to him.
I didn’t say anything but nodded my head.
She ki-ssed my forehead then asked Mark to drop me off at school.
“Bye.” I walked out of the house and hopped into the car. Still smiling.
I hope this camp out is going to be the best.
And a memorable one.
I just hope things turns out right!
#To Be Continued…