42

Boarding the bus as we barely caught our breaths, the moment I informed Edward we were on our way, his text of acknowledgement arrived at the speed of light. Well, it perturbed neither of us that he was already waiting at the designated stop—it was such an Edward thing to do.

"Did you have fun with Edward yesterday?" That was Aly's next topic of discussion as we plopped down in our seats. While our sharp breaths eventually died down, she still failed to stifle her giggles from slipping out. "He was practically dragging you out as soon as you guys finished classes! Must have been something important."

Without second thoughts, I nodded, not bothering to resist the smile shooting across my countenance. What was the point of concealing it from her, anyway? "We went out to the park and chilled at the secret base," I said, finding myself chuckling at that nickname Edward had given to the gazebo. "We get to catch up with our lives and all."

Aly's piercing eyes mellowed before they gravitated towards the moving scenery outside. Her smile was still apparent as she rested her chin on her hand. "The fact he trusted you and confided in you... makes me so happy. He wants others to paint him as this majestic and strong man, but no matter how desperate he is in bottling up every single complication he faces, he seriously sucks at hiding his vulnerability."

She paused with a faint sigh before she peered straight at me. "As much as the accident changed him, that guy craves for someone to be near him, to support him; being left to tend to himself is his kryptonite. I'm sure he's gonna straight up deny all of this, but I can see through his mask."

And that was why he showed so much appreciation of Seb and Lynn yesterday. Regardless of their busy lives as well as having their own social group, they defended his dignity. Even as Edward tried ditching them back then, they did not disappear.

"And you're probably the reliable person he's looking for," Aly declared so potently that the entirety of my body froze.

Me, reliable? Sure, in my dreams. I straightened my lips and stared at the salt bread rolls I had packed inside the paper bag. Our bodies swayed in some rhythm as the wheels of the bus collided through potholes, and people gripped tight into the handrails to steady themselves.

"You've been friends with him longer than I do. I feel like you know him so much better than I do..." I murmured.

"I may know him inside out, but you understand him better," Aly corrected. "Two different factors, y'know."

I muttered no remark, my boring gaze casted upon the floor. If that was the case, then... I would have been more careful not to break his promise of not spreading a word regarding his eye. I would have been able to answer his supposedly stumping question—why I befriended him—effortlessly. Why am I always like this... disregarding all of my friends' encouragement?

When the bus slowly halted, this was when I realized this was the stop we should disembark. I immediately leaped out of my seat, which recoiled Aly but she also stood up as she quickly hastened after me to the opened doors.

"Wait, wait, this is the stop?" She asked behind me. "We're here already? Aw man, I want to get some naps!"

Her questions merely lingered in the air as we hopped out, but that air was unfortunately blasted up with smoke particles exhumed by the retreating bus. As a result, two simultaneous sneezes reverberated throughout the vicinity when the dust tickled our nose hairs. Ah yes, nothing beats a morning getting blown by vehicle fumes.

"Good lord, this effin' smoke!" Aly groaned.

Well at the very least, while we cleaned ourselves up, Edward popped out from behind the shelter, as though he had heard us. While his hood was over his head, his iconic golden hair hung loosely. His shoulder was strapped with his bag, probably his laptop and all of his notebooks as well. He slightly bobbed his head on me before Aly, who reciprocated with a small smile.

"You're on time, the next bus is almost here," he announced, removing his hood.

Observing him, he seemed to be wearing the similar set of clothes as our last outing; a gray hoodie and sweatpants, the only differences were that they were of pastel shades and there was a distinct "E" logo patched in his chest. Nevertheless, it did not stop me from ogling... too long for my liking as the blueness of his eye was all I could register. He doesn't like being stared at, and yet here I am, staring to no end.

"Checking him out?"

And out of all the timing she could choose, she decided that this was the perfect one to nudge me and inquire me of such a stupendous question. I instantly hushed her down, slightly slapping her hips when Edward suddenly glanced at us—I was so sure he must have heard Aly, although he paid no further heed.

As someone who would always silence Naomi and Samantha whenever their jokes stepped over the boundary, now it was her turn to poke all over me in an obnoxious manner. Thankfully, she did stop, but maintained her sly grin, as we hopped on the next bus. Talk about being so subtle.

Edward ushered both of us first before he boarded, and after we paid the fare, I had to be sandwiched in between my lovely friends, because why the heck not. How great, especially how I could feel his muscles strained—mine as well—when our shoulders inevitably grazed against each other.

"How many stops?" Aly asked.

"10. I'll tell you," Edward responded, his gaze affixed to the front for some reason.

"Yay, wake me up when we're here!"

And less than five minutes later, she had crossed her arms and leaned against the window, her head bobbed up and down. Despite the frequent tremors of the bus as it passed through speed bumps, my best friend had dozed off as though the outside world never mattered. Well, I can see why she frequently ends up in some unknown place and being directionally challenged.

"Rena."

I jolted and abruptly spun at Edward, now his face slightly turned towards me. "Y-Yes?"

He straightened his lips, his Adam's apple bulging as he beckoned towards my bag. "Are those the salt bread?"

"Oh um... yes!" I instinctively lifted it up and laughed sheepishly. "I-I'll give them to you once we reach Lynn's house."

"I haven't eaten breakfast so that I can have your pastries," said Edward, as he rubbed his stomach and gulped once more. "I can't wait to taste them."

I can already see him drooling...

"I made a lot, both for you and the others too. You'll get your share." Knowing his massive appetite for anything related to bread, I thanked Dad for bringing home bags of flours—conveniently he found passion in bulk baking, something I would probably have to also come to terms with, considering my potential customer over here.

He nodded firmly before he suddenly turned away, his tufts of hair obscuring any details of his expression.

"Rena, do you..." he paused, hesitant. "...find me attractive? Is that... why you have been checking me out?"

I nearly stumbled off my seat; all the composure I have desperately been trying to hold together shattered apart in a flick of a finger. Was my heart even beating anymore? I would have died on the spot, but here I was. The air conditioning inside the bus worked just fine, but sweat formed on the sides of my head, but they were unusually cold. If only the ground could crack open right now, I wished to be swallowed by it completely.

You are indeed very helpful, Aly. I glared at my friend as she deliciously savored her nap, but waking her up would make everything even worse. I swallowed all of my breath, my hands were tingling like crazy so I had to clench and unclench them.

However, leaving Edward to cope with his unresolved questions was no longer the option. Moreover, I have been doing just that, then I have the audacity to wonder why regret kept stalking me, crushing me inside. So much progress had been made with him, so there were bound to be moments like these—moments where escape routes were impossible to find.

I have to suck it up and face it, no more running away.

If Edward could freely vent his feelings, then why should I hide mine?

"Y-Yes... yes, I do."

Gathering bits of my dissipating bravery, I finally blurted out, consequently flaunting my stuttering skills worthy of the gold medal.

As fast as the speed of light, Edward's eye morphed into a complete circle as he zoomed upon me, his jaw hanging open. There were neither verbal responses nor some movement indicating gestures—he was simply gawking at me... so I gawked back.

The mumbles of the other passengers and the hums of the moving bus filled in my hot ears, while Aly shifted in her slumber and plopped her head in my shoulder.

***

When we touched down at Lynn's house, Edward and I were literally drowned in our own thoughts, having not spoken a single word. No conversations were initiated; he had his hood pushed back into his face, while I fiddled with every single thing; my bag, my hair, my dress, whatever I touched.

"What's with you guys? You're awfully quiet," said Aly as she blinked repeatedly, tilting her head so innocently as though she was not the mastermind behind all of this. "Heh, did something happen?"

None of us bothered acknowledging her as we walked towards Lynn's door. When Edward pressed on the doorbell, loud and piercing yelps abruptly rang from inside the house, sending shivers down my best friend.

"Oh God, she got a dog..." She shrank cautiously behind my back.

"Don't worry, it's just a small dog. It won't bite," Edward reassured. Well, the barks sounded definitely squeaky for a larger dog.

"As a cat person, I'm wary of those beasts," Aly murmured. "Always barking and thinking everyone around them are threats."

"Wasn't it all because you bothered someone's dog and it ended up chasing you?" Edward sneered as my best friend's shrieks from back then haunted me. I remembered how she was on the verge of breaking down as the huge dog pursued after her with its propelling legs, ignoring the frantic calls of the owner and our friends.

Not a very... happy flashback...

Aly's cheeks flushed pink. "Hey, it's not my fault the owner didn't put it on the leash! I was just trying to pet it!"

"Not all dogs like to be petted by strangers, you know that and you still go anyway." He sighed. "You can be so reckless."

"You're one to talk when you plan the most reckless things," Aly grumbled.

Before Edward could retort back, the door eventually swung open and revealed a grinning Adelynn. She dressed herself in a blue T-shirt reaching up to her thighs and a pair of basketball shorts, her hair having tied in a messy ponytail.

"Yo, yo come on in!" She greeted me.

"H-hey!" Aly was completely distracted by the small figure shifting beside Adelynn, continuing to let out barks. There stood a white fluffy creature wagging its tail furiously, its tongue lolled out of its mouth and its black eyes glinted with nothing but pure energy. A small magenta bow was clipped neatly on its furs on top of its head.

It then skedaddled straight towards Edward and circled around him with its energetic squeals. It then pawed at him as it tried standing up on hind legs until he decided to hunker down and patted its head.

"That dog surely loves Ed," Aly said, warily walking beside me as we entered her home.

"Yeah well, Ed was the one who rescued her. He found her during a huge storm a month ago," Adelynn explained, "He took care of her before I adopted her!"

"What's her name?"

"Myla. A very cute Pomeranian." The dog, Myla, glanced its head up at us, but it returned its focus on licking Edward in the cheeks. He tensed a little as though he was about to pull it away, but resisted and allowed the furry ball like that of snow, to be all over him. Aww, they're so cute! Ed has always wanted a dog, so I'm glad he got one.

When Edward gently put it down, Myla started scampering towards Adelynn.

"Come here, Myla!" She clapped her hands and extended her arms, trying to attract its attention. However, the dog simply bolted past her as if she was not there—like she did not exist. As a result, the grin etched on her face was obliterated into smithereens.

"Dog doesn't seem like it acknowledges you," Aly said between her laughs.

"She's just going to the living room. Let's go and do our assignment!" Adelynn denied as she guided us the way.

While the girls trailed behind Myla, I noticed Edward slowing his pace to match with mine, but I could not even look at him without turning into a ripened tomato. The events on the bus were crystal clear in my sight—the way we stared at each other before we doused ourselves in complete, utter silence.

"Rena," he called out as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I... I know I asked such a strange question, I'm sorry."

"D-Don't worry about it...!" I murmured under my hitched breaths. Even though he stopped with our brief interaction, my gaze nearly melted me into a puddle even as we reached the living room. Myla barked again as it scampered around the couch, before its beady eyes wandered towards Edward and then to Adelynn.

"With you being the new owner, I hope Myla doesn't choose Ed over you!" Aly snorted.

"Myla ignores me because once she's focused on something else, it's hard to pull her attention away. What she did with Ed, she also did the same with me! Right, Myla?" Adelynn hunkered down, surrendering her arms to the dog. However, it ran towards Edward, cuddling against his chest and the remains of her hope went down the drain.

"Well?"

"Well, she's always excited about Ed so this happens all the time!" Adelynn laughed sheepishly, coming up with another excuse that duped no one. Myla's actions have been the polar opposite it seems...

Meanwhile, Edward continued carrying Myla as we were preparing our laptops and research papers. As much as he wanted to help us out, Myla let out a series of whines when he was about to release it from his embrace, and he had to calm it down.

"She's always so attached to Edward like some clingy child... Sheesh, I really never existed, huh?" Adelynn complained as she almost slammed her own laptop on the desk, but she controlled herself.

"Hey Lynn," Aly called.

"What?"

"I think I know why Myla ignores you." She then placed her hands on her hips. "You seriously need to be more patient with her. She just moved in right? Maybe she's not used to living here and still misses her old owner," Aly suggested and the wrinkles on Lynn's forehead vanished. "It takes time to adjust, y'know. You just need to be there and stay close to her, alright?"

"I guess so... yeah, you're right..." Lynn huffed silently but the smile fortunately returned back to her expression. She slumped down on her seat and clicked on the power button of her laptop. "Well, let's do this before procrastination hits me again."

As we were making ourselves comfortable, I could not help but to observe Edward beside me, holding the Pomeranian close to his chest and caressing its fur. He eventually set the small dog down without further interruptions, but as soon as he peered up at me, both of us promptly looked away.

Was my courage worth the shot? Did it make the situation even more awkward? Way to make it worse than I intended.