A D A M“Have you seen Naya?” Everyone I have been asking just shake their heads for the last two hours. I've been wandering around hoping to get answer. It's hard to concentrate and I try to hide my worry. I have to show a just-curious look at her whereabouts so Chloe won't suspect something isn't right. The last time I saw Naya was when she kissed me out of the blue last night. Then she never once again comes across my way. Is it my fault? Did she go back home already?I feel bad. I feel so bad. This is all my fault. Nobody but me. “What are you doing here young man?” Mrs. Lee approaches me. I've never had a conversation with each other ever before. But how I perceived her as my teacher is always been good. I honor her for such a wonderful job, regardless that I have always wondered about her life. “I'm just thinking,” I tell her.She nods slowly, taking that as an honest answer.I should probably ask her. “Have you seen Naya around?”She looks at me briefly then glances behin
N A Y AMy tears are streaming down on my cheeks. My heart aches for pain. If I could just tear it out of my chest, I would. Detaching it would probably help lessen the wounded emotions I have felt. I feel so weak in my own skin. My bones are dry. I could barely open my eyes. I cannot lift my arms. Adam came to my rescue. It's making me feel embarrassed after all the avoidance we've been spreading out to each other or at least of me to him. Most of all, I feel betrayed. It's an intense emotion I couldn't grasp at this moment. I knew Chloe did it. She was the last person I was with. It must be her. But I can't bring it to Adam to know. I just can't for now. Knowing they have been getting along well, I can't afford to be the reason for him hating her. Having him here beside me, comforting me, giving me solace after all the messed-up states I've been in, he's here. I'm grateful. “Do you want to eat or something?” He asks. I've been holding onto the sleeve of his left shoulder. Digging
A D A M“Where did you get this from?” Her voice is making stoned.I put down the bag on the ground. How will I explain myself now? I've been keeping this for weeks. And here I am caught by her. The silver bracelet is still hanging around her fingers. “Remember the night we first met? You thought I was a thief. But before that, I found that at the bottom of the staircase, Naya.” I knew it was hers. I remember clearly that it was only her that I saw that night. We were the only people on the campus so I am ninety-nine percent sure. The shock in her eyes is evident and she brings it down and looks at it. While I move to step forward toward her. “You kept it.” She whispers to herself, staring at it in disbelief. “But why now?”“I didn't want to give it back.” I let out a laugh. “But now I have a reason to do so. Let me put it on you.” I am close enough to her that I can almost feel her breaths. She stares at me blankly. Then she looks away. She's still in disbelief. “What is your re
N A Y A“Thank you for coming here,” I tell Adam. We're still sitting and staring at the expressionless distance ahead of us. My head is on his chest while he's running his hand on mine. I'm only holding onto his other hand. “I will always come to you. I will always look for you just for your information.” He says. I can hear the sincerity and seriousness blend together in his voice. I look up at him and smile. He smiles back. “How did you know I was missing. Do you always have that curiosity about my where I could be?” “Honestly, I had a feeling something is wrong. It's not that I am always curious but that my guts are telling me to look for you. ” He explains. “I wanted to find you, Naya.”I don't know what to say to that. I thought he has all his attention on Chloe. I had never expected him to be here. I'm still processing it. “What if...” I stop. “Okay. Let's say I ran away. And I never wanted to be found. Would you still look for me?”He shrugs his shoulders. When I look down
A D A MThe world doesn't have to know who you love or what things you do with someone you love spending your time with. That's what I think I should do until Naya suggests that if we find a way to get out from here, she wants to let Chloe know. Pretty much everyone, including Justin. And, yes, Cannon too.“We need to find a way out,” Naya says to me. We've been looking for possible ways we can get back up and the way out of this forest, but the grounds are slippery and there is barely something we can hold onto. “Should I try this time?” She gives me a nod not looking at me. “Please, be careful.” She helps my feet land on the last rock but I slip right back to the ground. She lets out a frustrated sigh. Her arms are on her hips while I try to think of another way. “Do you have your phone with you?” I ask.She shakes her head, “No, I don't. I don't know where it was.”Maybe that's why nobody could pick it up when I was trying to call her. But Naya stays calm amidst losing her thing
N A Y AIt's been almost twenty-four hours. And finally, this time after looking for so many ways to escape from the trap we were in, we finally escape away. Now we're walking the way back to the campsite. I still have the small memories of those moments right before I was taken away by Chloe. I still remember the feeling when I caught her and Adam kissing in the background. Those moments when I steal glances at him but I can't help but smile at the way he would the same. Maybe those glances mean something more than words could have been.“Have you ever felt guilty kissing Chloe in front of me?” I ask Adam as we continue to walk hand in hand. My head still hurts a little bit unlike the first, I wasn't too comfortable walking.He nods saying, “I do. Every single time. What about you? Do you think you shouldn't have kissed Justin at the back of the bus after that moment we had in the bookstore?”I almost gasped at the mention of that memory. That feels like forever ago. I couldn't eve
A D A MYou know it when it's time to cherish every moment when you know deep inside that later you'll be leaving. So I'm thankful that I found her. I'm thankful she allows me in. I'm thankful that she has forgiven me despite every pain I've put her in. I didn't mean to be hideous when it comes to treating her right. She deserves someone who's there to protect her from the pain and not cause her it. I only have a few days before I go back home. Before I finally disappear. And right now it's killing me knowing that she'll no longer be someone I will be next to after that. It's hard to say that I have grown to love her even if it seems that we only have a short time spent together that's why I want to spend it with memorable memories. Maybe one of the worst things a person can experience is counting the days before leaving. And also the one of the most painful is the leaving.If only we could go back, I would make sure it's a different place and time we could have met each other. “Wh
N A Y AIt's only been a day since we got home. Adam stayed with me last night but early this morning, he went back to his apartment to get something done. He didn't tell me what he was going to do. Right now, I'm just getting ready since he texted me a few hours ago that we'll be having dinner outside.I'm nervous again. I feel these butterflies whirling around my stomach every time I do something romantic with Adam. It's been a while since the last time a guy ask me for a dinner. Is it considered a date? I would say it is but I wanted to take it slow between us. I have never been in a relationship ever since me and Ryan. I don't know. It didn't take me much desire to be with someone. It's just until I bumped into Adam out of nowhere. I never noticed him. I never had a single thought of him. I just never saw him even with Chloe before. Perhaps that's because I could barely match a path with Chloe. After all, our friendship was starting to fall apart and getting forgotten.A knock on