28. DESTINED TO BE ALONE

ACT FIVE SCENE TWO

DESTINED TO BE ALONE

sahar glacé

PERSPECTIVE

IT TOOK ME A WHILE. A while to realise what type of human being Luca Valdez is. When I first met him, he seemed like a complete monster who had no valid reason to cause chaos. He was mean, he lacked manners, his presence was absurd. Everything about him radiated chaos, the way he belittled people and laughed at them with his friends. But it took me a while to realise, they didn't do it without a reason. The billionaire bad boys club was made purely to keep their secrets safe, a way for them to feel peace in their chaotic lives.

Any person they'd shame in public would be someone who was using them to get monumental fame. Each and every person that they spoke down to, they wanted to exploit their secrets and gain money. The billionaire bad boys club members didn't treat people with disrespect for no reason, they give disrespect when disrespect is given first. Other than that, they'd mind their own business — ignoring everyone else and living their lives in peace.

"So he announces that he'll be getting engaged and leaves without a word, not giving anyone a chance to show their interest, what a lousy billionaire." Normani sighs, placing her champagne glass down.

"This boy really thinks that nobody is worthy of him, nobody likes him, they just want his money and honestly I can't blame these girls; being the richest of all is something I'd love." Solar says, laughing to herself.

"I find him so ugly." Normani says, scanning her reflection on her compact mirror.

Ugly? Luca is far from that. His beauty goes beyond the universe. His heavenly looks, from his beguiling eyes and sharp jaw — the boy could be a supermodel and sell out fashion shows. I can't forget his perfect soul and Elysian mind, he has everything. From looks to intelligence, he wasn't less on any factor, everything about him was a 10. The idea of him being the leader of the billionaire bad boys club makes him more powerful, his intellect and perfect ideals makes him insanely attractive to many people.

"They should've chosen Asher as their leader." Solar mutters, reapplying her lipstick.

I frown. Asher. I saw him follow after Luca. I hate to admit it, I do miss him, I do miss our talks. I admired the fact he always listened to me and took my advice into consideration. Each time he showed traits of a selfless person, I felt my heart warm, it brought joy to me. But now he doesn't look at me longer than a second, he just walks off, it's as if we're strangers.

I sigh. Leaving the both of them to talk.

I had no place in this friendship anyways. I still wonder why they kept me around for so long, they should've never befriended me, leaving me with all this pain and anguish. I'm starting to doubt if I'm a good friend, I'm starting to wonder if I'm the problem. I've never felt so lost in my life, confusion runs wild in my mind and I can't stop it from running. It's overtaking me. I'm starting to wonder who I am.

I wonder why it had to be me.

"Every time I see you, you always have a frown on your face."

Jumin looks at me with a complex gaze. "I don't see why you should be sad every time, when you have a friend like me." his words causes a smile to form on my face.

"Do you think I'm a bad friend?"

My words cause Jumin to pause.

So he does. I turn away from him.

"I don't, what makes you think of such a thing? Although we haven't been friends for the longest, you seem nice, trusting and most importantly thoughtful of others. You're not a good friend Sahar, you're a great friend." and those words were enough to raise my confidence and clear my scary doubts.

"Look at me." Jumin demands.

I turn to face him.

He places both his hands on each side of my shoulders. His eyes meet with mine, his gaze burns deep into my soul as I gulp. Such intensity made me feel embarrassed.

"Are you going to let fake friends decide how you should live your life? Build your own path, walk your own path, don't you dare think bad about yourself ever again. If you do, I'll hit your head and tell you you're wrong." Jumin smiles at me, ruffling my hair. He's the older brother I've never had and I respect him.

Someone clears their throat.

"Oh Asher, it's nice to see you finally arrived." Jumin says his name and I freeze. I couldn't face him, not after failing to read the speech he told me to write. I failed him, I was supposed to leave and never come back. I was told to stay away from his club members and keep away from him.

I can't even follow easy instructions. He must think I'm a moron.

"Sahar." the sound of Luca's voice causes my body to instinctively turn around. I smile at him as he mirrors my facial expressions. "I didn't know you were attending my party, it's nice to see you."

"Happy birthday." I say, pulling out the gift I brought for him. Luca eyes the gift in my hand, a ghost of a smile appears on his face.

"You didn't have to, Sahar."

"Please take it, I don't want to carry it, it's heavy." I murmur, causing Luca to laugh.

"I will."

third person

perspective

ASHER WATCHES AS Luca opens his gift from Sahar with joy, he was just crying a moment ago and the presence of Sahar was enough to make him feel better. How didn't Asher notice this before? He was so blinded by his greed, he failed to notice what was happening right in front of him. He messed with something he never should've involved himself in. He got in between Sahar and Luca.

"How did you know?" Luca questions, his smile growing wider. Luca's smile was so contagious it made Asher want to smile but he couldn't. Not when someone like Sahar is in front of him, she betrayed him, she lied to him and Luca is unaware of everything. And that's what made Asher feel sick. Luca doesn't even know what Sahar was going to do and he's so innocent minded he doesn't realise what the girl wanted to do to him.

Asher's eyes fall on Jumin who was observing Sahar's and Luca's interaction. He had a small smile on his face, it's as if he was enjoying what was happening in front of him. Why is everyone okay with this? Jumin used to be so blank, he never used to care about anything, in his mind it was just him and the idea of being successful. And now, here he is, holding Sahar, being happy for Sahar and doing everything for her.

It made Asher mad.

His friends were being conned. And he hated it.

"I've always wanted a pair of gloves that worked with my phone, but I never seemed to find any. Thank you Sahar." Luca beams, causing Asher to get rid of his frown. His friend was happy and it mattered to him. But the source of happiness wasn't reliable and it pained Asher to think of Sahar as a source of happiness for Luca.

Because she was his source of happiness before.

"It took hours to find but I'm glad you liked it, that's all that matters to me." Asher felt his heart burn at the sound of Sahar's words. That's all that matters? Asher shakes his head, turning away from the group.

"You heard her." Jumin whispers, glancing at Asher. "That's all that matters, why don't you give her a second chance? Let her redeem herself, can't you see how happy she makes Luca feel? It would be wrong of you to kick her out of this school, it would be even worse for Luca. She's his childhood best friend and the thought of losing her again will destroy him."

"Are you going to choose to be the bad guy or become the friend Luca has always wanted?" Jumin's question causes Asher to stiffen. It was a question that has been on his mind lately. He's sure that he has found the answer to it. He came today to be Luca's friend not the bad guy. He was done being the bad guy, he wanted to be the good guy.

But being the good guy will destroy him.

But being a good friend to Luca meant a lot. If he leaves Luca at this stage of his life, he'll regret it forever. Asher didn't want to be bad, but he didn't want to be good either.

"I need a drink." he mutters, walking away from Jumin. His emotions were spiralling out of control. The reason why Asher tried so hard to be the best of the best wasn't just because of his sister but it was because of the fact everything Luca wanted he got. Every time Luca felt upset, Asher would always have to take care of him. Asher always was told to think of Luca's feelings and be considerate of Luca. Nobody ever asked Asher how he felt, it was all about Luca. Sure Luca brought Asher into the billionaire bad boys club, sure he gave business opportunities but their friendship never exceeded to the point that made Asher feel happy.

Luca would always need Asher. But when Asher needed Luca, he got no response. When Asher had problems, he would have to face it alone. Luca would never ask, Luca would never help unless it was business. It was everything business, nothing personal. It lead Asher to believe the both of them weren't friends but were acquaintances.

He doesn't care anymore. Nobody needs to know about his feelings, after all, it clearly shows nobody cares. If nobody cares there's no reason for Asher to show them. He'll just continue to spend his nights alone, wondering about his problems and how they'll never disappear. He assumes it's just life. And that's how his life is going to be.

He'll be the good guy, even if it's destroying him, he'll continue to pretend nothing is happening to him. He'll never have his time, it will always be Luca's. It's reasonable, Luca deserves everything. Being the second lead in everything is Asher's destiny, he has accepted it and now he's waiting for Sahar to accept it.

A main character could never love a second lead.

Luca and Sahar are together by fate.

Asher smiles as he drinks from his glass of champagne.

I'll break your heart if you continue to love me, please let me go. For Luca's sake, please love him. You're his cure, his medicine, his life. Asher could never say those words to Sahar, he didn't feel the same, he didn't want her to feel misled by his actions. He has never thought of liking her, he couldn't do that to Luca.

Hopefully it's a lie. Hopefully she doesn't like him.

That's all Asher wished for. To be alone. He's destined to be alone.

Forever.

so... what are your opinions? do you feel sympathy for asher or more sympathy for luca? what are your ships?

thank you for 82,000 reads! i'm so happy you guys are enjoying this book by the amount of votes we've been getting lately. i hope to write another chapter tomorrow. i want to be consistent!

vote, comment and share !