Desmond saw Rie almost everyday on the bus now. She would be on
it, sitting near the exit, even before he boarded, and she always
gave a friendly smile when she saw him. He did smile back on
occasions, but he just couldn't gather enough courage to plop
himself down next to her. Instead, he would walk all the way to the
back of the bus and sit himself there.
He never fell asleep on the bus again. The entire journey was kept
interesting by just her presence. He would stare at her jet black
hair, flowing without encumbrance past her shoulders, as the dim
fluorescent lighting of the bus and the evanescent darkness on the
other side of the windows played with it. Sometimes he caught a
glimpse of the side of her face, and he decided even half her face
was alluring. This half-hour bus ride to school was something that
he looked forward to every time he was jolted awake by the
incessant ringing of his alarm. Desmond felt truly happy and
contented every morning.
When they reached school, they would alight and walk in together,
but rarely did he attempt to strike up a conversation. It wasn't
that he didn't want to. It's just that his mind was a blank when he
came within 5 metres of his dream girl.
Everyday he would tell himself, "Today is the day". He imagined the
scenario when the moment he got on the bus, he would say hi and sit
next to her, and they would talk all the way to school.
Everyday he mentally slapped himself for squandering the
opportunity, "I must do it tomorrow!"
It didn't help matters much that Kevin was visibly getting closer
to Rie everyday. They always stopped to chat when they ran into
each other in the corridors, most of the time right in front of
Desmond, who still couldn't comprehend how his friend had so coolly
obtained the school belle's number under 10 seconds flat.
He finally couldn't take it anymore, "Would you stop it."
"Stop what?" Kevin was too busy checking out a couple of TK girls
to understand what Desmond was trying to say.
"Flirting with Rie of course! Com'on you know you're only talking
to her because she's pretty."
"Er well
so what if I am? It's just some harmless fun."
"It's not harmless. She could think she's falling in love with you,
and her happiness would be ruined for the rest of her life!"
"Please lah why can't I give her happiness? I have hands. I have
legs. I can work to support a family."
"But you're not serious about it! You would get sick of her and
then go find some other girl to fuck
or
or something
"
"Oh yeah that's true. Then too bad lah."
"What the fuck how dare you even think about doing something like
that to my Rie?" Oops.
"Oh YOUR Rie? I see what's going on. You don't want me to do all
those things to her cos you wanna do them to her yourself!"
"Oh cut it out that's not what I meant. It's just that
It's just
that
"
"It's just that
It's just that
It's just that you're too chicken
to make friends with her yourself."
"That's not true. I mean - "
"Ah save it. If you really like her, I'll give you her number. I
don't flirt with girls whom my friends are interested in. There is
so much fish in the ocean. What's the point of ruining a friendship
just for one girl." Kevin threw his handphone over to
Desmond.
"Her number? I don't think that's really a good idea."
"Look either you take her number, or I'll continue flirting with
her, okay? Your choice. Just quit whining please. Jeez you're worse
than my sister."
