A D A M
 
“Justin just texted me he’s on his way to Naya’s place.” Chloe says, sipping harshly on her Milktea.
I immediately look at her with a startled reaction on my face.
“He’s what?” I assert.
 “I think he’s helping her on something with school.” Chloe tells me, before putting her tea on the table. I can’t be that surprised Justin’s putting higher effort now with Naya, but she can’t trust him completely.
“I should go.” I say, standing up.
“What? Where are you going?”
“I forgot to… turn off my heater at my apartment.” I rush to walk away from her before she can ask another question.
“Thanks for coming with me today!” She yells from our table.
I need to know what’s Justin’s real intention is with Naya. I need to know he’s not doing anything stupid.
The sun is setting to my left. It reminds me of the first time I was on the rooftop with Naya. When she barged in furiously. It still makes me laugh when she claimed so hard on that place as her own, as if she’s about to cut my head off.
I reach to the convenient store the same time Justin steps out with a paper bag he’s holding.
“Hey, Adam. What are you doing here?” He asks as soon as he spots me.
Darn. I didn’t prepare an excuse. He might get me suspicious.
“I have to return something to Naya.,” I tell him when we meet at the street side.
“Oh really? Perfect time. I’m just going back in. I can just hand it to her so you don’t have to—”
I wave my hand. “No, I have to give it to her personally. I have to tell her something important.” I say.
“Sure. If that’s the case. Come follow me, she’s inside.” He says before walking ahead, leading the way.
I don’t know, but the way he’s talking to me about her sounds like they have been talking a lot these days. Or maybe he’s pretending to be, to make me feel jealous of the way Naya treating him as a friend.
When we arrive, Justin opens the door for us. I can’t believe I’m back at her house ever since that night. I wonder if she still thinks about it. Of that first kiss, too? Or perhaps she’s crossing out the memory now after she found out about what happened between me and Tanya.
I laugh as Justin mentions something about his quiz session with Naya. When she told him that human have 600 overall bones. I admit I don’t know the answer either, but when Justin says it’s only 206, that’s the time I burst out laughing.
 I lift my feet and step onto the shiny wooden print tiled floor. The sound of my laughter is fading out when our eyes locked in each other. She finally breaks the tension after a long two seconds.
“I run to Adam on the way out. He said he wants to return something to you. And I buy some snacks.” Justin lifts the bag and walks over to where she’s standing. “These are my favorite snacks. Bro, join us.”
I just nod my head down to answer him.
Naya gives out a smile of appreciation. “You need some soda? I have some in the refrigerator.” She asks him, ignoring me obviously. “Wait here.” She disappears from the living room and moves to the other room.
“How she’s doing?” I walk over to where Justin is sitting.
He lifts his eyebrows, getting startled by the sudden question. “She’s fine.”
“Did she tell you where her parents are?” I ask. He might think I’m planning something, but I’m only asking because I can find any sign of Naya’s mom.
“Why are you asking this kind of question?”
I move away from him and lean my back to the couch. Good thing Naya comes back in, so I don’t have to answer him. “We should order pizza for dinner. What you think, Jus?”
 Naya places three orange sodas on the table facing Adam.
Her eyes have been ignoring me the whole time since we locked gazes earlier.
“Adam should do it.” Justin points at me. He opens up a pack of chips and stuff his mouth with it.
 Naya glances at me before sitting down between us. She grabs a chip from Justin and starts eating with him. They give each a smile which I don’t have any idea what it is about. I grab my phone and proceed to order pizza instead of watching them.
“I’m ordering two boxes with pineapple and cheese on it. What do you guys prefer?” I ask them so they can break away from each other.
Naya says while chewing, “Those are my favorite. Do you have cash?” She asks. My mood change hearing her finally giving me words.
“I… I have a cash.”
“Then do it.” She looks away immediately from me and continues eating.
Suddenly, I feel like she’s back to being cold to me. Is she only pretending that she’s finally okay with me being here or she’s only making me bad and stupid being here? I don’t mind it. I deserve this, after all.
I grab my phone and place an order to my usual pizza store. The sight says it will be here in ten minutes. “I ordered three beers along with it, by the way.” I tell them.
Naya just turned the TV on and sit on the floor this time. She studies me in silence. I raise my eyebrow, but she looks away.
“I don’t drink anymore.” She says. She fixes her attention back on the TV. “I think Justin is up for it.”
Justin lifts his eyes from his phone. He switches his gaze between me and Naya. “Yeah, I can do one beer.” He claims before transferring next to her on the floor.
I have to look away as soon as Naya rests her head on his shoulder. Is she doing this on purpose?
“Chloe told me you were out together? What did you guys do? Or should I say, what do couples do when they’re in the mall?” Justin reveals.
I should have known this would happen. Of course, Chloe would always tell him things. I glimpse briefly Naya ceasing from breathing when her shoulder stops moving.
“I just accompanied her there. That’s all. And mind you, we’re not a couple.” I say. Then her shoulders relax, but she’s still resting her head on Justin’s shoulder.
“Okay, okay. I won’t say anything more. You should know that she’s really into you. Haven’t you noticed these days? Her sweet gesture to you? There’s no time she can't mention your name in every conversation that we have. You should make a move on her as soon as possible. I heard someone is eyeing her at history class, but she said she doesn’t care about anyone but you.” Justin states. I try to analyze what he just said. There is nothing I can say. Even if I tried, I couldn't feel a spark with her.
All I know is that I like Naya and I want her to rest her head on my shoulders instead of Justin.
“You should make a move on her, Adam. Didn’t you tell me that you like her too?” He adds. Naya lifts her head up, so it’s no longer on his shoulders. She says nothing at all.
“I didn’t tell you that.” I say, not taking my eyes off of her back. She’s listening and perhaps she wants to hear me say the words.
“I swear you told me that on the same night we got drunk and we came here and you stayed with Naya. Remember?”
 Naya peeks at me over her shoulders with a shock and pain plaster on her face. Why is Justin saying all of this right now in front of Naya? Is he trying to make me look bad? I can no longer remember what were the events happened that night when we appeared outside her house. If it’s true… but still, I’m more honest right now that I felt nothing for Chloe and if I said it back then, I guess my feelings have changed.
I am about to say something when I hear a knock on the door.
“I got it.” Naya stands up from her spot and walks towards the door.
Thankfully, I still have some money left in my wallet. I have a part-time job tomorrow, so I don’t think I’ll run out by next week. I follow Naya to the door and hand it to her. She keeps her eyes away from mine as she takes it from me. When our hand brushes against each other, I can hear her hold her breath, before she rushes a step away from me. I take the bag with three beers in it.
Naya walks back to the living room and sits the box, then proceeds to the kitchen. When I look back, Justin is pullin’ out a piece of pizza already and take a huge bite on it.
“I’ll just use the restroom.” I hand Justin the beers and follow Naya to the kitchen.
When I step in, she’s leaning her head on the wall next to the refrigerator.
“Hey,” I whisper.
She looks up, startled by my presence. She pretends to open the ref and take a pitcher of water.
“Are you okay?” I ask, careful enough to not cause an argument.
“Of course. Why do you ask?” She grabs a glass from the cabinet above her.
“I just wanna know.” I tell her.
“You want to know if I’m okay?” She gives a smug look at her. “You’re playing too extra careful here, Adam, when we both know how much of a liar you really are.” She pours in a water and drinks it.
“Please, forgive me.” I whisper.
She puts the glass down on the counter and faces me. Her eyes lands behind me as if she wants to make sure Justin is not coming in anytime.
“I can’t. If you really want me to forgive you, I want you gone…forever,” She looks at me firmly in the eyes before sliding pass me.
“Can’t you see that I’m trying here? I want you so bad right now, but I can’t, Naya.”
“Shhh!” She looks at the door. “Justin might hear you.”
“So?” I tell her.
“See? This is how selfish you are, Adam. That’s the kind of person you are. You never think about what other people will feel when you do things. It’s just for your own sake of pleasure. That’s how you made me feel and make me feel now.” She runs her hands to her hair in frustration. “So cut the act, Adam. And tell me the truth.”
“What truth?”
Her words are stabbing me right now in the chest.
“That all this time you like Chloe and that kiss meant nothing to you.” She moves her face closer to me. “You owe me the truth, after all.”
I feel my heart beating so fast, not because she’s this close but because I don’t know what could happen if I tell her the truth abut how I truly feel. If she will hate me less or hate me more. I don’t know. It’s hard to read her mind. She hasn’t even forgiven me, let alone hate me less. But I gotta tell her something she needs to know or else this won’t end good. I want this to end well.
I take a shallow breath before looking into her eyes. “I think I like you, Naya. And that kiss meant everything to me.” I confide in her in seriousness she never heard from me.
Her lips parted hearing my confession. She blinks and closes her lips with a realization on her face. She looks to side before she places her gaze back on me. It’s like she’s doubting, but wanted to be sure at the same time. There seems a battle inside her or maybe it’s just how I think at this moment.
 “I’m sorry, but I don’t feel the same way.”
She turns around. She stops for a while, but then she exits the kitchen.
And just like that, I feel my world crumble into the ground. Those words go straight to my chest and kill it. Maybe this is the truth that I need to hear. That I don't have the to change how she feels. Naya saying those words is like a knife stabbing deep inside and instead of helping me in taking it out, she lets it stay that way. Because I deserve this. I do. I see the pain that I caused her. This is my fault. The only thing she did was trust me with that kiss. And that trust is no longer coming back. And she was right, I owe her the truth, and  this is what she just have to owe. Just as I thought, if life was a movie, watching her walk away is the end.
When I glance at the counter, I see a paper folded on top of it. I grab and read what is inside.