32

As soon as Edward opened the lunch box, his eye slightly widened at the sight of the small pastry. With what was left of his power, he grunted while he positioned himself so that he could lean comfortably against the headboard. And as if in response, low rumbles reverberated off his abdomen.

"It looks so good," he mumbled-I didn't know why I could feel his hot breaths brushing against my stiffening face-before he passed me a quirked brow. "Are you sure you're giving it to me?"

"Y-Yup! Made it myself..." I almost immediately replied; I have the need to point that out. "There's c-cheese, but I made sure to not put too much so that it won't upset your stomach." I mentally patted my shoulders for not stuttering so excessively that I could prattle on nonsensical things.

He blinked twice, before for some reason I could not comprehend, he chose to stare straight at me.

Did I say something... not appropriate? I bit the insides of my cheeks and stared down at my lap. No, it can't be.

Edward's eye might no longer sparkle the way it used to, the fact that it subsided from its usual icy, distant stare... was sufficient enough to weaken my knees. The way his furrowed brow loosened and how his uneven bangs perfectly fell upon his contented face had my insides somersaulting so madly, I could literally feel them.

God, he's really killing me here.

"I'm grateful... but you don't have to do this, you know," he murmured, rubbing his cheek. "I don't wanna burden you."

"N-Not at all! I just... want to." That response slipped out of my mouth so easily. "Besides, I've always helped my parents cook and bake for their restaurant, anyway. I came to like it, i-it's becoming my hobby."

He remained silent-but I wished he did say something... at least mitigate the tension-only nodding in response. He then set the box away and tumbled back to the bed, rolling to the side to face me. "How do you like the strawberry plush?"

"Oh yeah, o-of course! It's really soft and fluffy," I blurted, remembering how much I cuddled it last night. "T-Thanks..."

"They're limited edition." he breathed, his voice lower than usual. "I ventured to the arcade before work on Monday, and they recently filled the cranes up with new ones. I can't resist not getting them, especially..." he paused. "...when those strawberries reminded me of you."

I really did not know what to comment; like, my mind could not even form proper words, much less construct sentences. I rapidly pressed down my lips in a straight line and instantly looked down at my fingers as they laced themselves together. My face felt like they were drowsed with fire.

"...I-I guess, that's good..." I murmured, instinctively nodding and laughing sheepishly. Was that supposed to be a compliment? Should I express my gratitude at least? I mean, I did cherish my strawberries, but what the hell was with my response? If I could see myself right now, I would not hesitate to smack her repeatedly, berating her for all the secondhand embarrassment I have to endure because of her.

He rested his arm above his head before he began, "You see, my company's currently developing a machine for a hotel construction site, so I stayed up late to test it and report some flaws. Most said it's good to go, but I doubt it. I wanted to test it again, but as you can see right now..."

"H-Have you discussed it with your manager?" I asked, my fingers fidgeted even more. "Um, perhaps you can let the others do it for you..."

"I pointed out everything, but my colleagues didn't even bother listening to me," he growled as he clenched his fists. "Maybe I was younger than them... so they thought I was some clueless, paranoid boy. But I do know what I am talking about; machines are not something to downplay with."

I blinked and perked up. Edward... was unusually talkative today; the same man who would rather have silence took charge of our interactions merely a week ago. He's that passionate with his job.

"Ah, so t-that's why you've been wanting to go back..." I faintly whispered under my breath, but somehow he seemed to catch it as he nodded furiously. "But Seb and L-Lynn have been so worried sick for you like... when you tried forcing yourself to work."

And I am too. That could have slipped easily out of my lips, but instead it was lodged in my throat. Perhaps it was better not to say that out loud.

Edward sighed through his nose and stared at the ceiling. "Lynn is such a worrywart. She nags all the time and acts as though I'm her child. Kinda annoys me," he rasped. "Well, she always has been... even back then."

I could not help but to smile at the image of an unamused little Adelynn, with her hands on her hips. "S-She's the one that always stops you and Aly from doing risky stuff."

He snorted at that. "When Seb and I first met Lynn on the basketball team back in fourth grade, she was already chewing me out for being the reckless brat I was. But in some way or another... we just found myself getting along with her."

"She's s-such a good friend, keeping us in check and all," I found myself chuckling freely as my muscles loosened. Now we were really conversing more than usual!

"I guess, yeah. When I couldn't control myself, she's the one who would calm me down." He gripped his jaw, while his raspy voice did not stop him from stooping his tone. "Like from punching those whiny idiots right in their snobby faces."

I did not have to question what he meant; I already knew what he was talking about. And he did not seem to fully come to terms with them just yet.

"But your team beat W-Woodlands last match, right?" I tilted my head and shifted closer towards him. "So that's good news..."

"We almost lost," Edward answered instantly, as though he was correcting my statement. "If not for me managing to score a slam dunk in the last few seconds."

"T-That means you saved the team!" I proclaimed, trying to make him feel at ease at least, but... his frown deepened and his forehead wrinkled even more. Why would they still target Edward?

"Before the match, I was dealing with that machine at work until late at night, so I was... not up to their standards," he explained. "After you left after PE last Friday, my teammates came up and told me someone will take my place for the next round. I'm fine with it... until the seniors started their tirades. They called me names. Garbage, weak, spineless..."

Oh my God. I recoiled, as though those insults transformed into knives and stabbed through my heart. Yikes was an understatement.

"That's horrible... as though they weren't even g-grateful to you." I found myself clenching my hands and shook my head. What kind of teammates belittle their own? What the hell was with his team? It was even worse than I had expected.

"I felt like I was on fire, I've reached my boiling point." Edward said between his chattering teeth. "I can't think straight. If it weren't for Seb and the freshmen, I would have flattened their fucking skulls right there. I don't care if I get expelled. I just... need something to blow off my steam."

So that was why he was ostracized from the group last Friday; the reason why he had to sit alone during lunch. Honestly, I couldn't blame him for losing his cool; even listening from his point of view was already plucking my nerves. Don't worry Edward, I don't get them at all either.

"And well... as I told you what happened on Sunday..." he whispered, before his eye darted towards me. "...sorry for the rant. I just need to get it off my system."

"I-It's fine!" I exclaimed, waving my hands. "I'm glad you're telling me all of this."

In fact, I was all ears. This was what I have been striving for. I wanted to let him know that if he needed someone to open up to... I would be there for him. As my heart fluttered at the thought, butterflies multiplied as they swarmed my insides.

"A-Are they really going to replace you in the semifinals though?"

"Not a clue. Heard Seb, Lynn and some of them disagreed," he said, and I mentally sighed with relief. At least he still had other people supporting him. Let's not discuss that further though, it'll upset him more.

I silently nodded, before I grabbed my bag and rummaged through its contents.

"B-By the way, I got the assignments and papers for the classes you missed," I announced, changing the topic as I pulled out the papers and books. As soon as Edward noticed them, he blinked before he slowly leaned against his bed frame, taking hold off my notebook. He gently flipped over the pages, reading through all the-hopefully readable-formulas and theories.

"P-Physics and math have the most homeworks, of course. They never stopped..." I complained, throwing out a sigh. "But when you were absent, Mrs. Summers was looking for you to solve the problems on the whiteboard..."

My voice dwindled off when I noticed something odd; Edward's attention was affixed at one specific page of the notebook-like practically gawking at one particular spot with his jaw slightly hanging. He gently ran his hand over the paper.

"E-Edward?" I called out, cocking my head. "What's wrong?"

He allowed my question to hang in the air without an answer, before he shut his dangling mouth and remarked as he showed me... a rather familiar drawing.

"Is that me?"

And that was when I froze in my spot, all of my muscles paralyzed. I could not even jerk the smile on my face, so I sat there, turning into some sort of a mannequin.

It was the drawing of little Edward I did during class, and that I never got the chance to erase it off my existence. I remembered it so clearly; the not-so-proportionate grin, the dotted eyes, the beanie, the tousled hair...

While my stomach plummeted down to the ends of the earth, I could feel my heart desperately trying to leap out of my chest. Blood rushed upon my face, building up so much heat that my cheeks probably became ripened tomatoes.

Right now, all I wanted to do was to get the hell out of here, crawl to a nearest hole and stay there for the rest of my life, hoping no one would ever find me. Like ever. Hell, if one could die from sheer embarrassment, I would have been dead by now.

And of course, Edward's always present when something like this happens!

The fact that he even recognized himself in my godawful drawing... why the hell did I completely forget about it?! This was so stupid beyond belief. I should have wiped it off existence before giving it to him. I should have double-checked. He's definitely going to think I'm some freak obsessed with him-

"It's cute. I really like it," Edward announced, interrupting my train of thoughts as he looked at the drawing again, as his lips uplifted, albeit faintly. "Although I probably didn't look this cute as a child."

I did not know what to answer him. I just sat there, staring at the floor, hoping it would just collapse on me and make me disappear. My brain had malfunctioned from the amount of heat building up inside of me. My hands refused to stop fiddling with each other, cleaning some non-existent dirt. Well, I should be grateful that instead of downright insulting my sketch, he actually showed fondness for it, but...

"Serena?" The mattress creaked as Edward moved in his bed. "Are you okay?"

Daring myself to glance up, the first thing I saw was his bright tufts of hair and a concerned gaze. As he searched my face for some sort of answers, his usually tensed facial features softened. The fact that I could see how the wrinkles in his forehead gradually vanished... meant that we were merely a few inches away from each other.

Edward was close. So close. Way too close, that I was surprised I was still completely intact and not reduced to a puddle of hot mess. What's happening?! What's going on? Why is he looking at me like this?! Move, move away, Rena!!

But my heart was dancing its way to fulfilling its deepest wishes, while ignoring the screams of my mind.

"Serena? You look pale," he called out once again. However, this time, his hand slowly reached out, trying to get to the locks of my hair that had dropped to the sides of my cheeks. I did not move, because I could not even move-

And just as his fingers brushed against my strands, knocks pounded against the door, and that was when my senses frantically returned to me at once. Without hesitation, I pulled back and scrambled to the other side, while Edward flipped the book close, abruptly setting it aside and slumped back when the door burst open, revealing the girls.

"Thanks for waiting! We got the porridge ready..." Aly paused as soon as she eyed us. My instincts had driven me to the far side of the bed, my back facing Edward and with one of my legs on top of the other. I quickly pulled the brim of my hat in a very blatant attempt to hide my flushed self.

What the heck were we doing, really?

"Are we interrupting something?" Aly asked with a hint of mischief, while Adelynn smiled impishly.

"No," Edward instantly answered before I barely processed a believable answer. "Serena and I just finished talking. I was about to take a nap."

Nice save, Edward.

She hummed, before she lifted a brow at me, to which I furiously nodded as I stood up. I mean, we did finish our conversation, so not that he was wrong.

I was forever thankful for the dim lights in the room, so my stupid red cheeks would not be so visible. The fact that my best friend had to wiggle her brows and flash a smirk...

Meanwhile Adelynn gently set the steaming porridge in the nightstand. "Make sure to eat up, yeah? Your mother also made you some tea. It's good for relief and all."

"Thank you..." he croaked.

Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Aly nudged her elbow against my hips while he and Adelynn discussed some team-related stuff. "So, did it go well? Bet it did!" she grinned.

"Y-Yeah!" My voice nearly squeaked. "We were able to t-talk as much as I expected."

"Happy to hear." Aly cast a smile as she looked upon him. "Looks like he's opening up more and more. I hope your friendship blooms... a little bit more."

A little bit more... I said nothing as my pounding heart still had a long way to go from recuperating. Heck, Aly made it hit the accelerator once more. Her chuckles then filled my unusually hot ears as I turned away, covering my mouth with my lips.

The closeup of Edward's face as he neared me was the sole image stuck in my head.

***

I peeked at my phone's clock as we finished talking and that it was the time to leave; it was late in the afternoon. Mom's probably worried back home.

Not only was he supposed to rest more, Edward was on the verge of closing his eyes as he gradually succumbed to his drowsiness. I left the bread with him; he would probably eat it for his breakfast the next morning.

In the end, he also told me to take pictures of my notes and send them to him. Maybe, I could finally erase my drawing... Not that it matters, he has seen it anyway.

Meanwhile, Edward's mother gave me my tea as Aly and Adelynn had gulped theirs while they were helping her. The warmth soothed my dry throat, before it radiated and refreshed my entire body, especially after being in the rain. After all, I had been talking for what seemed to be hours with no breaks in between.

Just as we were about to leave, the minute hand of the grandfather's clock in the living room-it had been there since years back- struck 12. Its loud but harmonious bells chimed across the vicinity as we all snapped our attention towards it.

Although it sent goosebumps throughout my skin, a peculiar feeling of delight flowed through my veins as I listened to it.