"Look who's glowing today!" Ivy exclaimed as I worked on my hair.

"Says the one who's been blushing profusely for the last twenty minutes," I fired back, my gaze wandering on her outfit, which turned out to be Senior Chase's hoodie.

"I mean, look at you gal... He got you a frigging new dress." She pointed to my dress, brought by Senior Aylwin. It was a maroon sweatshirt with white stripes on the outline, with a pair of matching chinos in a casual ensemble.

"Your point, Iv?"

"Nothing-nothing! Are you ready to face everyone in college?" That was the most dreaded question. I didn't know how to deal with them.

"I'm not sure, Iv! I'm simply... extremely nervous? Yeah, I guess." I blew the air out of my cheeks and took one final look at myself.

"No worries, bae! I've got your back." Ivy flashed her skinny biceps as she winked at me.

As we descended the stairwell, we noticed that Seniors were already gathered, and were watching the race on TV. I sat across from Senior Chase, while Ivy took a seat next to him. Senior Aylwin stood at the door, engrossed in a phone call.

Senior Chase greeted us, "Good morning, girls! I hope you had a wonderful night."

Wonderful night?

"Never leave a task half-done."

"You make me commit sins, I never fucking thought I'd ever come across."

I coughed gently as I felt warmth pour into my cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"I'm OK. Um... a glass of water, please." He got up and walked into the kitchen, which let me breathe out a sigh of relief. My gaze returned to Senior Poker Face, who stood with his back to me. He was dressed in a dark blue jacket with ankle-length dark trousers.

I couldn't believe my eyes about what had transpired that night, and I blamed him for everything that had happened. However, I felt relieved because we were both on the same boat. I remembered how I kept asking myself throughout the night if what had just happened was real or if I was fantasizing. Everything seemed surreal, and that goofy smile never left my face, prompting me to proclaim myself a New York clown.

I can only image how he must have felt that night! Seems like I screwed up his testosterone big time.

"Looks like someone had a really great night." The mocking in Ivy's voice jarred me up from my stupor. She broke out laughing as I scowled at her.

"We're here." The car came to a standstill in front of the college's entrance. That was the moment I was dreading. Ah, how I wanted King Kong or the monsters from Rampage would swallow me whole.

"Soph?" They gave me a puzzled look, which made me realize I was the only one inside. I stepped out of the car after taking a deep breath. We weren't oblivious to the glances from passers-by. Senior Aylwin, thankfully, was not with us because he had to go ahead of us owing to some essential work.

"Hazel Eyes, ignore them. We have lectures to go to, after all." As we proceeded into the campus, Senior Chase put his arm around my shoulder, inviting unwanted attention.

From when did I start to feel nervous? Soph, take it easy! You're capable of dealing with them. Yes, I've figured it out.

I gave myself a little pep talk and inhaled deeply, a slight smile on my face. We split up near our dorm since we needed to get our books before heading to our classes.

Classes went by slowly and steadily, with curious stares and a few queries thrown in here and there that I managed to dodge. I hadn't yet met up with my friends, and I knew they'd tease me to death.

"Sup, guys?" My table's chitchat swiftly came to a screeching halt. A sinister smirk grazed their lips as they all exchanged glances.

Saphy coughed loudly before quipping in a high-pitched voice, "Senior Poker Face!" She threw a signal to Felix, who chuckled and nodded.

Talk about embarrassment!

"Are you drunk, Fresher?" Felix cleared his throat, and mimicked in his voice.

"Yeah, some fuckass spiked my drink."

"Fuckass?" My cheeks were on fire when the entire table burst out laughing. I felt extremely humiliated, and instead of helping me, they teased me incessantly.

"O, my goodness! I was fucking enjoying the way she was swearing over and over."

"Do you need some holy water or coke from that night, my child?"

"I just had one can of coke. I swear to God, pinkie swear!"

"All right, folks! Stop it right now!" I grumbled, burying my face in my hands, which made them laugh harder.

"Oh, darl, this is only the start! Damn, those words literally ripped me to shreds, man! 'No sitting! Why don't you smile? I mean, all I've seen of you since the first time... I met you is this... this damn poker face, which makes me... want to covet the sins, one of which is... YOU, FUCKING YOU.'"

"I never imagined this girl here... bathed in holy water, would act like a fucking Aphrodite. She literally called him 'Sin', man!"

"Dude, he's the embodiment of sin!" Damien chuckled as he grunted.

"Guys, hold on a second! When did he tell to you, 'I have my reasons and situations?' Have you been seeing each other behind our backs?" Austin said something I didn't expect him to say, but he did.

Problems when you have a nerdy buddy. Today's lesson— Watch before you talk.

My eyes widened as I realized what had happened, and I felt compelled to hit myself. I unwittingly exposed my identify to him, but that wasn't the objective. He was well aware that it was me. He'd known for a long time, so why hadn't he told me? What was he looking forward to? Was he expecting me to confess? Or was he just waiting for the ideal moment to come along?

Everything made sense. We endured one other's grief without even realizing it, we amalgamated to fill up our emptiness, we brushed against each other as if we were scattered petals, and eventually, we crashed so gravely just to heal the scars.

"Oh, missy! Back to earth..." Ivy broke my train of contemplation with a snap of her fingers in front of my face.

"Yeah?"

"Don't yeah me! Where you are?"

"Um... nothing!" I paused, a slight smirk caressing my lips, "Just thinking, what occurred between you and Senior Chase because you look pretty distracted." Her hues faded, prompting her to swallow as her eyes narrowed in my way.

"Me? I? W...wh...what... no...nothing! We just... I?"

"Hy there, little birdie! Done with your... 'W...wh...what... no...nothing! We just... I?'" Felix taunted her with a chuckle, and she flipped him off.

"Sup, asses!" Mysie popped out of nowhere, plonking herself down in front of me. "Ah, if I'm not mistaken, isn't she the same who made my anniversary pretty eventful?" She remarked, her eyes twinkling with mischief as soon as they locked on me.

"Yeah-yeah... go on, you were the only one left." They laughed till Saphy's abrupt clapping drowned out our laughter.

"All right, let's get to the meat of the matter!" She enthusiastically declared.

"Are you two official now?" Damien inquired, his voice brimming with wonder, amusement, and eagerness.

"What piques your interest?" With a raised brow, I challenged him.

"Well, if you aren't, then I'll consider my chances with him." Smirking, he winked.

"They're official!" Despite the fact that I had never asked for it, Mysie replied on my behalf. I riveted my gaze on her, my bewilderment and fury escalating in reaction to her abrupt yelling. Everyone was gawking and wriggling at me.

"What the hell are you talking about, Mysie?" I attempted to be as cool as possible while seeking to figure out why she had lied.

"Aw, is girlfriend bae enraged?" She paused, gasping, "Oops! Was this supposed to be a secret relationship? But brother Aylwin didn't tell me." Uncertainty erected a giant wall of incredulity around my psyche, obscuring my perceptions.

Brother Aylwin? What the hell is going on? Soph, you're amazing... outstanding and simply fantastic! Congrats, you're official Mr. Trouble's wife, Mr. Confusion's sister-in-law, and Mr. Stupid's best friend.

Firstly, he plunged me into a maelstrom of emotions, then buried me in a grave of bewilderment. Why would he say such a thing? As far as I knew him, he was the sort of person who seldom spoke to others, and sharing information about his relationship was the furthest thing from his mind.

Something about Mysie made me suspicious. My gaze stayed put on her as her orbs flickered behind me, then back at me, then back behind me again. "They're official!" She grinned softly as she turned to face us. She nearly screamed again, as if she wanted to be heard. Each word was a dagger she hurled at someone. Her eyes darted behind me once again, and I whirled as swiftly as I could, only to be confronted by a brand-new she-devil of my life. She stomped out, like if nothing had transpired.

Then it hit me like a row of dominoes. I had every intention of murdering her. "MYSIE FREAKING MORRIS!" I yelled at her, who gave me a sickly smile. Everyone was startled by my abrupt outburst, and her eyes widened.

"That's cue for me to leave! I'll tell you later. Believe me on this." She gathered her belongings and rushed out. I sighed and sagged slightly. My mind kept drifting to her, to the way her eyes were fastened on me. They were infuriated by her disdain. The wrath that emanated from her. I'd suspected she had an issue with me all along, but Mysie's deception just made matters worse. I made a vow to myself that I would not offend anyone, and she was the last person I would bother. She was already smitten with Senior Aylwin, and Mysie was well aware that anything like this would bruise her ego. Why, on the other hand, did Mysie lie?

I'm just hoping Senior Aria doesn't get in my way. Let's see if I can make it out of Uni alive!

"Hello, how can I help you?" The shop owner inquired.

"Um... I'm looking for a necklace or a chain for a male friend." I responded, my gaze roving from shelf to shelf, each one adorned with lovely objects.

"For a normal friend or boyfriend?" My cheeks quickly changed its color as I nervously smiled.

"Boyfriend!" Damien chimed in. With a chuckle, he winked at me.

"Ah, follow me!" We entered a small hall that was drenched in light, and the gleaming items contributed to its fascination. It was brimming with antiques, ornaments, décor materials, soft toys, and a whole lot more. He set some boxes on the table and opened them to reveal beautiful necklaces and chains.

I wanted to convey my gratitude and appreciation to Senior Aylwin for everything he had done for me. So, as a token of gratitude, I figured a modest present may suffice. Damien was tagged along with me since he had a lot of knowledge about good giving. He recommended that I give him something he could carry about with him and that he could utilize.

My fingers sifted through the lovely designs, soaking in their beauty and envisioning them on him. Damy showed me a few, but none of them met his specifications.

"How about this?"

"No, that one is very tiny."

"Ok, this?"

"White? Certainly not! It's as though he's a saint. He's far from a saint by any stretch of the imagination."

"Oh-ho! Little birdie knows a lot of things."

"Fine. This golden one?"

"Please!!! This won't even blend with his body!"

"Body? My, my, my! Okay then, show something else... as you can see, this isn't going to blend with her boyfriend's body."

"What are you looking for, ma'am?"

I pondered for a long, remembering him. What exactly was it that I was looking for? What would be most appropriate for him? "Show me something dark, light, cleanly carved out, and chiseled finishing," I replied, smiling.

He nodded and pointed to several more sets. All of the chains were attractive, but I desired one that stood out above the others. My eyes eventually got sight of the finest one after wasting a lot of time looking for it. I grabbed it right away.

It was a black necklace with a sterling black chain and a dark blue gemstone embedded in a black vertical bar. The crystal reminded me of his eyes, a dark oceanic pool, and the underlying glitter and allure in it. It was as captivating as his eyes and as exquisite as his soul.

"This one!" Damy grinned as I showed it to him "Dang girl, best for the best. Couple goals!" I brushed off his remarks, punching him playfully, flustered.

"All right, we'll take it!"

"Ma'am, would you like to carve something on it?"

"Yeah of course!"

"All right, then!" He fumbled through the drawers, taking out a needle-like structure for customizing. "What do you want to customize?"

It must be profound, authentic, and memorable. I inhaled deeply as I considered what he had depicted. I rehashed our encounters in my head, trying to come up with the best possible conclusion. Two words pierced my soul, sparkling in my eyes and evoking an underlying longing. It was perfect for him.

"The words are..."