CHAPTER FOURTEEN: LOVE OR ANNOYANCE?
Why him?
I walked slowly towards Francis, debating whether to turn back or keep moving forward.
"Floral, you came just in time," Francis said the moment he spotted me. That was when I realised I was already too close to escape.
Shit! This is my first time actually cursing, and it's all because my brother has chosen to keep company with the very boy I'm trying so hard not to like.
"Daniel, do you remember her? The two of you were always together before you left for your hometown," my brother said, as if he were making some grand introduction.
If only my brother knew that Daniel had ended up treating me as nothing more than a classmate—after everything.
"We met again during break time," Daniel said, looking at me with a blank expression, "and from the first sight, I remembered her immediately."
As if I even wanted to see emotion on his face.
"That's nice," Francis added cheerfully, "you've even found yourself a girlfriend in this school."
At that moment, I wanted to strangle him. Did he have to bring up that topic?
"I don't know what else to say but that I love everything about her—her personality and her beauty," Daniel said, irritating me as though I were invisible. So pathetic.
I looked at him with a mix of disgust and burning jealousy.
"Francis, is this why you called me here?" I asked, pointing to the nonsense unfolding in front of me.
"Don't be rude. Sit down," my brother said, as though he were passing me some hidden warning.
"I am not rude," I retorted, "and I thought I came here for something far better." Still, I sat down, refusing to give Daniel so much as a glance.
"Are you annoyed with me?" Daniel asked, staring even though I wouldn't return his gaze.
"No, of course not. I can't be annoyed at you for complimenting your girlfriend," I said coolly.
"Is that so?" he pressed, still watching me.
What kind of question is that? I felt my irritation growing.
I finally turned to face him, meeting his eyes for a brief, charged moment before looking away, unwilling to let him see the ache inside me.
"I am annoyed only that you take me for the jealous type," I said, interpreting his tone, sitting upright with defiance.
"I never said that," he defended himself quickly.
"Am I daft? Isn't that exactly what any sensible person would think?" I shot back, glaring at him.
"Floral, calm down… You're taking this way too far," Francis interjected.
"Can you please tell me the real reason you called me here—rather than wasting my time with this?" I demanded, standing with disgust still thick inside me.
First he humiliated me in front of Joan, then he betrayed my feelings, and when he returned he didn't bother to call or even chat me. And after all that, he thinks I'll still love him? What a joke!
Though… some fragile piece of love still lingered inside me, faint and fading.
"Sit down, will you?" Francis said firmly, eyeing me with a silent warning.
"I will—if you tell me why you called me here."
"Floral," my brother finally said, "I know you still love Daniel, even though you think he's with someone else."
"Pardon me, brother. I feel insulted by your words. You make me want to spit at you, though I won't, out of respect," I snapped. "If Daniel has found someone else, why would you think I'd still pursue him? He never even called or messaged me about his return. Why should I waste my heart on someone who couldn't be bothered?"
"Calm down and don't cause a commotion," Francis tried to hush me.
"I will," I said, sitting again—satisfied at least that I'd spat out the truth, though I carefully buried the jealousy part.
"You haven't changed at all," Daniel said suddenly.
I turned and glared at him. Instead of apologising, he chose to criticise me. Pathetic.
"Fine, I'm sorry for the things I said earlier," I allowed, "but let's get this straight—was I called here to listen to Daniel talk about his girlfriend? If so, fine, I'll listen since I'm a 'good friend.' But to accuse me of jealousy? That is infuriating."
Annoying beyond words.
"Okay," was all Francis could manage, which proved to me this was indeed their plan—to drag me here just to play the 'good friend.' Don't they have any other friend to bother?
I looked at Daniel and wondered why he couldn't share this with his own circle. Perhaps he truly only saw me as 'just a classmate' and nothing more.
Daniel looked at me again and, to my surprise, smiled. "How old are you now?" he asked, making me wonder if he meant to mock me or if it was just a random question.
I decided to take it as the latter.
"Nine. Why ask about my age?" I asked, giving him a measured look, expecting some decent answer.
"I just happened to forget, so I asked to remember," he said.
There he goes again—forgetting even my age. How annoying! I bet he never forgets his girlfriend's.
What is wrong with me? Why do I keep acting like this whenever Daniel is near?
I felt unsettled, caught in between frustration and the old admiration I used to feel.
"Okay," I said simply, ending the conversation.
"Whatever you've heard about Joan and me—it's just a rumour. I'm not dating her," Daniel suddenly confessed, shocking me.
Francis laughed after seeing the look on my face.