Chapter 10
1646 Words
MARA'S POV
A smile spread across my face as I stared at the picture of myself in a wedding gown. The photos came from Rachel, who sent them via email.
Even without makeup and wearing thick glasses, I somehow looked like a model in that gown. It accentuated my figure perfectly, and maybe the good camera also made it look like a professional photoshoot. Rachel even called in a professional photographer just to make sure my sister, Ate Bella, wouldn’t hesitate to pick up the gown.
Yesterday, I caught Denver taking a picture of me on his cellphone, trying to be discreet but forgetting to turn off the flash. The thought of him saving my photo in his phone made me giddy, but that feeling quickly faded when I realized he might have just taken the picture to send it to his sister.
Right now, I was in the University Theater. Practice had just ended, but I stayed behind. I had no more classes, and it was still too early to go home.
I had my earpiece on, scrolling through my phone while a soft instrumental song played. It was the music Ronan and I were supposed to dance to. I downloaded it so I could memorize the steps. Ronan and I still couldn’t get it right. He was slowly improving, but I was still struggling.
A few days left until the stage play. I was terrified I might step on my costume or Ronan's foot and turn into a laughingstock in front of everyone. Why was I so hopeless at dancing? The steps were simple, but I just couldn’t get them right.
I stood up and went back onto the stage. I closed my eyes and imagined dancing with Ronan. I tried to concentrate, but even without a partner, I couldn’t get it right. Frustrated, I collapsed onto the stage floor.
“I can’t do this anymore!” I groaned, stuffing my earpiece into my jeans pocket.
“Giving up already?”
I looked up, my eyes widening as Denver emerged from nowhere. How long had he been watching?
“What are you doing here, Professor?”
“Have you still not memorized your dance?” he asked back instead.
I nodded as a response.
“Come on, I’ll help you,” he offered, extending his hand.
“You don’t have to!”
“I insist, Mara. I don’t want you to embarrass yourself during your performance,” he said, taking my hand without warning and pulling me up.
“I know you can do it, but you’re just letting your nerves and shyness get the better of you. First, you have to conquer that.”
“How?”
“Two things. Either pretend no one’s watching or embrace the crowd.”
“None of the above.”
“Mara, I’m serious!”
I sighed. “Okay, I’ll choose the first one.”
“Good. You were on the right track earlier. Now, close your eyes again.”
He took one of my hands and placed it on his shoulder while he held the other. His free hand settled on my waist.
He started to move, but I remained stiff, not knowing where to place my feet. Right foot or left foot?
“Just follow my lead. Relax, Mara.”
I nodded, keeping my eyes closed. I let myself go, feeling my body relax. Soon, we were naturally dancing together. And most importantly, I didn’t step on Denver’s foot.
“I did it!”
“Yeah, Mara,” he replied.
I opened my eyes and found Denver staring intensely at my face. I hadn’t realized how close we were.
“Mara…”
“Professor! I did it!” I exclaimed, trying to mask the awkwardness I felt.
“Yes, I saw it,” he replied in a husky voice.
“Prof…”
His lips began to lower toward mine, but before he could kiss me, I turned my head away and gently pushed him back.
“I need to go, Professor. I just remembered I had to go somewhere!”
“Mara!”
I hurried out of the theater.
____
MARA'S POV
I was about to bite into my sandwich when someone suddenly stood in front of me. It was the transfer student, Drake. He came from a rival university and was majoring in Psychology. I knew his name because he was already famous at his previous university—not only because he was good-looking, but also because he was an excellent basketball varsity player.
“Can I join you?” he asked, holding a tray.
There were plenty of empty tables in the canteen, so I didn’t understand why he needed to share mine.
“Sure,” I said, moving my bag off the table. I continued eating, ignoring the stares of the other students, particularly the girls.
I frowned when I noticed that Drake wasn’t touching his food. Instead, he seemed amused just watching me.
“What?”
“You’re so small, but you eat a lot. Aren’t you afraid of gaining weight?”
“I didn’t know you’d never seen a girl eat before.”
He laughed a little. “By the way, I’m Drake Rodriguez.”
“Hello.”
“And you are?”
“Mara.”
“Nice to meet you, Mara Bless Bernardo.”
My eyes widened. How did he know my full name?
“I’m your stalker,” he confessed.
“What?!”
“Don’t worry, I’m a good boy, so there’s no need for you be scared,” he said, scratching his head like a kid who suddenly got shy. “Honestly, besides the fact that this university recruited me for the basketball team, you’re the reason I transferred here.”
To make sure I heard him right, I pointed at myself.
Drake smiled, revealing his perfect white teeth. I bet most girls would have melted under that kind of smile and gaze. But I was different. I wasn’t easily attracted to a guy just because of his looks. Or maybe I just hadn’t given myself a chance to admire someone else because I’d closed my heart off to Denver.
“The truth is, I saw you once at the Robotics Event. It’s hard to explain, but yeah, it was love at first crush.”
I almost choked on my food because of how straightforward he was. This was the first time we’d met, and he was already declaring that he had a crush on me.
“I’m sorry if I surprised you. Should I have tried to befriend you first? It’s just that I’m not used to approaching girls. Usually, they come to me.”
As I looked at his face, I didn’t see or feel any arrogance in him. He seemed to be casually recounting a normal event in his life.
“No, it’s okay,” I said, standing up. I had finished eating. “Well, I have to go, Drake. I don’t want to be late for my class.”
“Can I walk you to your classroom?” he asked, quickly standing as well.
“No need. You haven’t even touched your food.”
“It’s fine. I’m not starving.”
He promptly walked beside me, not giving me an option to refuse. As we made our way through the hallway, I noticed many eyes were on us. It was probably because this was the first time they’d seen me with another guy besides Denver.
I felt a bit uncomfortable. If they weren’t staring at us with suspicion, they were looking at us wide-eyed, as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
People often saw me with Denver, but no one ever made anything of it. It was like a normal sight at university. But this time, with Drake, I felt like I’d become the talk of the school.
“They’re just seeing us together for the first time, but in their minds, I’ve already gotten you pregnant,” Drake whispered to me. “Crab mentality!”
I laughed. “Well, you’re famous, so that’s why they’re looking at us like that.”
“I’m a basketball player, not a celebrity.”
“Is it so bad that they admire you?”
He didn’t get to answer because we’d reached my classroom. Class hadn’t started yet, but Denver was already inside—it was his schedule to teach today.
“Thanks for walking me, Drake.”
“You’re welcome. Can I pick you up after class?”
“Oh, no, that’s not necessary!”
“But next time—” He didn’t get to finish his sentence because Denver had walked up to us. “Good afternoon, Professor," he greeted.
Denver only nodded in response, his gaze serious.
“Class is about to start,” he said.
“Okay,” I replied quickly, heading to my seat.
Drake left, and Denver returned to the front of the classroom. Everyone straightened up in their seats when they saw how serious his face was.
He immediately asked us to take out our books, which was unusual for him. Normally, he would greet us with a smile before starting the lesson. Something was off. Did it have anything to do with my sister, Ate Bella? Did they fight again?
“Mara!”
My eyes widened as I heard Drake shout. He came back and caught everyone’s attention.
“Next time, okay? Let me pick you up!”
There were cheers and teasing from my classmates. Only Ronan seemed unhappy with what was happening. He looked frustrated and motioned for Drake to leave. Drake waved before disappearing outside the door.
“Enough!” Denver’s voice thundered, making us all jump. The room instantly fell silent. “Miss Bernardo, let me remind you that you’re in class. Tell your suitor to stop causing disruptions!”
"O-okay, Professor."
- Writer
