Bitesized Fiction

He Says, She Says

2007-10-02T20:02:00.000+08:00

They were in their favorite place to hangout that afternoon. It wasn't the usual coffee shops or malls that they usually go to during the week, but the small park located in the middle of the bustling business district. It was almost sunset, and the sky was slowly changing its colors from pink to orange to red, then finally to purple gradually changing to blue. She told him it reminded her of how her favorite niece colors the flowers in the coloring book she brought her. To him, it just reminded him of a gradient he used for a graphic he made at work. But he didn't say that to her.

She sat across him on the cooling ground, tucking her legs neatly under her to be comfortable. He put the bag he carried on the space between them, pulling out bottled drinks and a bag of chips that they found out they both liked during one of their long conversations before this.

And they talked. About work, about family, about life. She drank his words and he absorbed hers, forgetting that the world existed around them. They stole glances at each other even if they were used to talking like that -- him wanting to catch the sparkle in her eyes as she talked animatedly and her looking forward to see his smile light up his face.

It wouldn't seem like a big deal if they were only friends, period. But they weren't. At least, they know to themselves that they don't see each other as simply friends. She secretly likes him, while he knows he is starting to fall for her. They know that to themselves, but to each other, no one has any idea.

So they remain as friends, for both of them fear that if one of them made the first step, their friendship would be gone, just as how the sky's colors change from one color to another at the end of each day.

Suddenly, they reached the part of the conversation where most people fear to talk about but end up talking about anyway: the state of their hearts. They beat around the bush for a while until finally, she found the guts to ask, So...are you in love right now?

He didn't answer at first, wondering how he would say what he wanted to say. But because he was afraid for their friendship, he decided to tell her about some girl who was really nonexistent but really, well, her. He told her that he was falling for this girl, who he really wanted to pursue, but doesn't have the heart to because he was afraid of getting hurt and to hurt the girl and their friendship. He told her about how he found her so attractive, how she seemed so together and sure of herself. He described her as someone who can light up the room when she enters, how her kind words can uplift any spirit, and how she made his days happier even with a single IM message. He told her how he wanted to be the one to take care of the girl into forever, to be the one who would smile at him the moment he wakes up in the morning to the moment he falls asleep at night. He told her all of this in hopes of making her react, of making her ask who that girl is and maybe then he could reveal it to her.

She smiled at this, but a tiny little ache started poking her heart once he described the girl he is in love with. The ache grew until she felt like she couldn't stand it any longer, and then he finished his monologue with a sigh. He looked at her, waiting for a reaction. She took a deep breath and smiled, and started on her own story.

She told him about this guy who she seemed to be really good friends with, and is slowly making his way towards her heart. She told him of the guy who could make her laugh and cry with happiness, the guy who she can carry long conversations with all night and feel like it still wasn't enough. She told him of the guy who she admired because of his maturity, of how he handled himself. She said he wasn't like the other guys who still cared about boy things, but a guy who seemed to be genuinely serious about what he wants to do in his life. She told him of the guy who knew how to treat women, and how much he cares for his family which she thinks is endearing. She told him of the guy who made her feel safe whenever they were together, like she never had to be afraid as long as she is with him.

As she was saying this, she wondered if he will figure out that she is talking about him and not some other guy. But how could he, when he's so smitten with the girl he just talked about?

He looked at her as he described the guy, his heart shattering into little pieces as she talked. Her eyes sparkled little as she talked, but he knew from the way she spoke that she had set apart her heart for this guy. How he wished he could be the one.

She finished and her eyes met his. She wondered if his eyes looked a bit watery, but maybe it was just the darkness that is starting to cover the sky. His lips moved into a small smile, and gently, he reached over and patted her hand like the friend he has always been to her. She smiled back, but her heart wanted to scream, It's you, it's you!

They fell silent, both of them thinking deep thoughts as the stars started to appear on the night sky. Without a word, he stood up, brushed his pants and offered his hand to her to help her up. She took it and pulled herself up, all the while thinking how comfortable his hand was to hold. She brushed her pants clean and the two of them start to walk back to their respective vehicles.

I had fun today. She said. He said likewise, and both of them fell silent again. A little while later they stopped, about to go their separate ways. She wondered if he will say anything else, and why was he being so silent all of a sudden.

He looked at her again, his heart aching and defeated. He knew she was someone else's, and all he could do was be happy for his friend, as she was probably happy for him. He reached over and squeezed her hand and said sincerely, I'm really glad you're my friend. She said nothing, and her eyes were unreadable, but she smiled.

Good night. She said.

Good bye. He replied.

And they left.

3WW: Farewell

2007-05-10T22:56:00.000+08:00

I found this writing exercise through Karen’s website. Hello, 3 Word Wednesday. :) The instructions for this activity is:

Three Word Wednesday: Each week, I will post three (or more) random words. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write something using all of those words. It can be a few lines, a story, a poem, anything. I’ll also attempt to write something using the same three words.

This week’s words are: packed, cozy, anticipation.

* * *

Farewell

The afternoon sun cast golden rays down the bustling streets of Ortigas. While some of the people got ready to leave their workplaces and others enjoyed a cozy afternoon coffee with some friends, Rain De Castro was in her condominium unit, busy packing her things for her upcoming move-slash-trip to Sydney, Australia. As she stood in the middle of her room, looking thoughtfully at the piles of clothing and other things in her room, the doorbell rang.

Ding dong!

“Come in, it’s open!” Rain yelled from her bedroom, not moving from her spot. She heard the door open and footsteps moving toward her bedroom and stopped at the doorway.

“Wow, and I always thought I was messy,” the newcomer commented. Rain looked up and saw her younger cousin and housemate for the past month, Lissa, clad in her usual black and silver rocker-chick ensemble. She leaned against the white doorframe, lips curved in an amused smile.

“Hush, I’m packing,” Rain said with a wink and started moving around, picking up some piles as she walked to the bed where a big red and blue suitcase lay open. “Why did you ring the doorbell? Did you forget your keys again?” Before Lissa could answer, another Rain heard another set of footsteps and then a familiar voice speaking.

“Lissa, you forgot to close the door again. Rain, you haven’t packed yet?” Rain’s best friend Meah appeared behind Lissa, who had just entered the unit. “Is that what a big bump on the head does to you, forget one important thing you should be doing since yesterday?”

Rain laughed. Just a few weeks ago, Rain had suffered a bad concussion and a sprained foot that she had to stay at the hospital for a while. Since her parents were all the way in Sydney — where she was about to go in a couple of days’ time — her friends and cousins acted as her immediate family aside from Rain’s older brother. “Hey, are you my mother? Maybe I should not leave anymore since you’re here.” She stopped to put the pile of clothes she collected neatly in her suitcase then added, “And it’s not that I didn’t want to pack; my officemates threw a party for me at Eastwood last night.”

Lissa winked at Meah. “And she’s a party girl now, at Eastwood too! I should’ve bumped her head earlier so we could have gone to gigs together.” Meah laughed as Rain picked up a pillow and threw it at her cousin. Lissa worked as a manager of various independent bands and accompanies them to their gigs every night to promote their music.

“Where is Faith, by the way?” Rain asked, putting in another pile of clothes in her suitcase. “She told me she’s coming here. And where are your sisters, Lissa? I thought we’ll be having dinner together?”

“Faith’s on her way with Martin,” Meah said, coming inside the room to help Rain put the things she was packing inside her almost-full suitcase. Lissa followed, picking up the pillow Rain threw and sitting on her bed which she had occupied for the past month since she moved in to stay with Rain.

“Lara and Lyka will ride with Andrew, and I have no idea where they are now,” Lissa said, removing her shoes to lie on her bed. “But don’t worry, they won’t be late.” Rain just laughed.

“Okay, that’s it,” Rain said, after she put the last of her clothes inside.

“That’s it? How about all these stuff?” Meah asked, gesturing to the remaining things inside the room. “These could all fit in your suitcase; why leave them?”

Rain reached over to close her suitcase. “I won’t be gone forever, Meah. I’ll stay there for six months, or a year, tops. Besides, these clothes are for the next two days. The rest I’ll put in that box.” She pointed to a plastic box with wheels that sat beside the bed. “And if Lissa doesn’t mind, I’ll ask her if it could be kept here.”

Lissa shook her head and flashed a thumbs-up sign. “Of course it is; this is your unit, I’m just renting.” Before anyone could say anything else, Lissa’s phone rang and she answered it with a lazy, “Hello?”

Rain smiled and went to her dresser to pack in some of the toiletries and her other accessories as Meah took the initiative to put Rain’s other clothes in the storage box. Lissa stood up from her bed and walked to the living room, speaking in low tones.

“Are you excited, Rain?” Meah asked as she took a shirt from the pile and held it in front of her to see how it looked.

“For my trip? Yeah,” Rain said, bringing her toiletries to her bed to put it in a bag. “I feel like my world’s finally opening up, you know? After a long time of being stuck here, of taking control. Now it feels like I could do anything!”

“Scared?”

Rain paused. “Well, yeah. I am. Weren’t you scared when you stayed in the US?”

“Of course,” Meah said. “Come to think of it, I know exactly how you feel.”

“That’s why you’re my best friend.” They laughed.

Lissa returned to the room. “Meah, it’s time.” Meah put the last of the clothes in her lap into the box and stood up.

“Time for what?” Rain asked, zipping the bag close.

“Come on,” Meah said, grabbing Rain’s hand. “Stop packing for a while, we have to show you something.” She took the bag from Rain’s hands and put in on top of her suitcase.

“Huh? Wait, I’m not yet done!” Rain exclaimed.

“Come on, you can do that later,” Meah said. “Let’s go. Close the door, Lissa!” She added as the three of them went out of the unit and headed to the elevators.

“What is this, a kidnap? What’s up? We still have to cook dinner; Lara and Lyka might arrive any minute!”

“Chill, Rain, just follow us,” Lissa said. She pushed the up button on the elevator and luckily, they caught it on the way and they got to ride it immediately. As the elevator ascended to the top floor, Meah pulled out a blindfold from her pocket.

“Close your eyes, Rain,” Meah said.

“What? What is this?” Rain said, but decided to play along so she closed her eyes as Meah tied the blindfold around her eyes. She felt the elevator stop and heard the tiny “Ding!” and the “Whoosh!” of the elevator doors opening. Meah and Lissa took an arm each and guided her out of the elevator. Slowly, they helped her up a set of stairs, until she felt a warm breeze blowing and she realized that they were at the rooftop.

“Seriously, Lissa, what is all this? Are you going to push me off the building now? I thought we’re okay with each other!” Rain joked, but her heart was beating in anticipation. Whatever this is, she knew they planned it well since she didn’t suspect a thing.

Rain felt one of them let go of her arm and walk away. “Okay, Rain, wait just a little bit more, okay?”

“Meaaaaah!” Rain whined. “Come on, we’re wasting time! I still have to –”

Suddenly her blindfold is taken away and she found herself at the rooftop of their condominium, the sun slowly sinking down over at the horizon. In front of her were her cousins and friends, holding up a banner that says, “Bon Voyage, Rain!” with big smiles on their faces. But what really caught her eye, was the guy who stood at the side of the crowd: tall, muscular, his smile lighting up his face and his hair falling just right above his eyes, which were fixed only on her.

“Surprise!”

One Too Many

2007-05-07T22:53:00.000+08:00

“Get. That. Away. From. Me!”

TJ looked up from his conversation with his girlfriend Jamie to his female best friend, Kristy, whose voice seemed sigher and speech a bit slurrier than usual. Her eyes were wide with panic, and she had jumped up on her chair so her feet would not be on the grass.

“What is it?” TJ asked, standing up slightly to see what was making Kristy freak out. They were at the backyard of his cousin’s house for his birthday party, and they were enjoying the night with good conversation and lots of drinks.

Lei, Kristy’s best friend, laughed. “Kristy, it’s just a frog.”

“But you know I am afraid of frogs!” Kristy whined. “Oh my gosh, it’s jumping towards meeeee!”

Richard, TJ’s best friend, stood up and shooed the frog away until it jumped all the way out of the gate. “There, it’s gone.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, don’t worry Kristy. Richard got rid of the big, bad frog,” Gabby, Richard’s girlfriend, said with a high pitched giggle followed by a hiccup.

“Is Gabby drunk?” Jamie asked.

“No, I’m not,” Gabby replied, blinking. Then she giggled again.

Lei looked at her closely. “You are drunk. How many glasses of margarita did you drink, anyway?”

“Uh…” Gabby said, blinking twice. “Three? Four?”

Before anyone else could say a word, Kristy jumped up from her seat. “I’m going to get more cake.”

“More cake? Kristy, you already ate three slices, including the half you shared with me,” Lei said. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I am,” Kristy said, grinning. She took a few zigzag steps towards the buffet table but before she even reached it, her knees gave and she started to fall.

TJ was beside her in a flash, ignoring Jamie’s surprised look. He caught Kristy before her knees hit the ground. “Kristy!”

Lei stood up and helped TJ with their friend, whose eyes were now closed and she was murmuring unintelligible words. Lei leaned closer to smell her breath and she got a whiff of the sweet scent of the drink. “She’s drunk too,” she informed TJ.

“Too much champagne for this one,” TJ said.

“See, I’m not drunk, Kwisty is,” Gabby said with another giggle. She then put her head on the table and fell asleep.

“She’s cute when she’s drunk,” Richard said. Lei threw him a sharp look. He raised his hands up and added, “Kidding, kidding. I’ll drive her home. I should go home too, it’s getting late and I still have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Can you bring Kristy too?” Lei asked. Richard hesitated, but before he could answer, TJ spoke up.

“I’ll drive her home,” he said. “Kristy’s out of the way for Richard and Gabby. I’ll drop you off too if you want to go home, or if you want to accompany Kristy for a while.”

Lei glanced at TJ and then back at the table, where Jamie sat, listening to their conversation. Richard took up Gabby in his arms and bid goodbye to them, oblivious to the growing tension between TJ and Jamie. Lei looked back at TJ with a question in her eyes, which took a while for TJ to figure out. Then realization dawned in his eyes.

“Jamie,” TJ said, looking at his girlfriend, who wore a weird expression on her face. “I have to bring Kristy home.”

“Okay,” Jamie said slowly. “I’ll wait for you here.”

TJ paused. “Are you sure you don’t want to go home yet? It’s getting pretty late…”

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you have to go home, it’s okay. I’ll just ride with Vera on the way home, she brought her car anyway.”

“It’s okay?”

Jamie nodded without a word. TJ leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and then took Kristy’s other arm and swung it over his shoulder, where Lei was having difficulty keeping her upright. Lei bid goodbye to Jamie and the two of them started walking out to the parking lot.

* * *

“Are you sure you’ll be okay with her? You don’t need me to help you anymore?” Lei asked as TJ stopped in front of her house.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” TJ said, rubbing the back of his neck. Kristy lay at the backseat, asleep, but murmuring some words occasionally. Lei’s mom had called her while they were on the way to Kristy’s house, demanding that she goes home at that moment since it was already late. As much as Lei hated to leave Kristy, she knew she had to obey her mom or else face a month of grounding from her. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll bring her home.”

“Thanks, Teej,” Lei said. “Take care.” She got out of the car and closed the door gently. TJ waited for Lei to get inside the house before driving off.

A few minutes later, he was at Kristy’s house. He stopped the car, got out and woke Kristy up from the backseat. She came to, albeit a bit groggily and TJ helped her get out of the car and walk towards their gate. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked, her eyes shut but with a small smile on her face as if she was dreaming of something good.

“Almost there,” TJ whispered as they neared their gate. “Kristy, I need your keys so I can open your gate.”

He felt her raise her head a little, and thankfully, she heard what TJ said. Kristy started rummaging inside her small bag and pulled out a set of keys, which TJ got from her hand. She leaned on his shoulder again and they continued walking.

“Thanks, TJ,” she said softly, as if talking in her sleep. “Have I ever told you?”

They reached the gate and he shifted a bit so he could reach over to open the padlock. “What? Have you ever told me what?”

“That…” Kristy’s voice trailed and moved her head a bit on TJ’s shoulder. “That I love you?”

Click. The key slid in the padlock and it opened. TJ stopped and looked at the top of his friend’s head. Her eyes were closed and she wore that smile again.

“What? Kristy, are you awake?”

“I love you TJ. I really do.” Kristy said again, her eyes still closed.

TJ looked at her, wondering how to react to what Kristy said. Is she drunk or is she already sober? Was she just talking in her sleep, or is she serious?

Before he could think anything else, Kristy’s eyes flew wide open and she took a couple of steps toward the shrub beside their gate. She fell on fours, her face hidden by the plant and threw up.

Brown Boxes

2007-05-06T22:15:00.000+08:00

Ann gazed at the rows of white and red shelves facing her, forcing herself not to look at each of the contents of it closely. She didn’t know why she agreed to go there, when seeing everything she sees around the place is just torture.

She forced herself to turn away, to hide the “offending” things from her vision but instead, her eyes landed on a stack of medium-sized brown boxes with a big green, white and red sign over it. Ann blinked, startled, for she hasn’t laid eyes on those brown boxes for a long time. But that doesn’t mean her feelings about it are gone.

You shouldn’t look at that anymore, Ann scolded herself. You know you’re not allowed to.

But she couldn’t tear her eyes away. She could imagine it calling her name, as if saying, “Come closer!” Even if Ann stood several feet away from the stack, she knew that if she didn’t look away, she’d probably start walking closer to it…closer and closer, until she ends up breaking her promise to herself. For the nth time.

Ann sighed, but at the same time she found herself walking closer to the stack of boxes. She stopped and got a box, feeling it with her hand, thinking, It’s not going to hurt, I’m just going to touch it. She smiled as familiar memories flood her brain as she looked at the box. She remembered her personal stack of the same boxes at ome, back when it didn’t give her guilty thoughts like the one running in her head right now. Ann turned it around and read the words written behind it, something she had never really looked at before. After all, all that mattered then was the contents of the box, not the ones outside.

Just this once? She said to herself. It wouldn’t hurt. She looked over her shoulder, checking to see if anyone was looking at her. When she saw the coast was clear, she took another box and started walking away, a big smile on her face.

“Ann?”

Ooops. Darn it. She turned around slowly and found herself face to face with her older sister, Arlene, who held a grocery cart filled with vegetables, fruits, and all things fibrous, low-fat and healthy, which is what they have been eating for the past few months. “Hi, Ate.”

Arlene raised at eyebrow at her sister, who was looking guiltier and guiltier by the minute. She looked at the boxes she held in her hands: two boxes of her favorite chocolate. The ones her ex-boyfriend used to give her. The one that she drowned her sorrows in when she found out that he was two-timing her. The one that made her gain all the weight that the two of them have struggled to lose for the past months.

She sighed and shook her head. “Ann.”

“I’m sorry, Ate.“

Arlene took the boxes from her and put it on the shelf next to her and didn’t say a word. She pushed the cart towards the cashier, and Ann followed her silently. As they were unloading the cart, Ann apologized again.

“I’m really sorry.”

Arlene smiled. “Seven pounds to go, Ann, and you’re back. Just a little bit more,” she said encouragingly. “But for now, I picked up some low fat cookies.”

Ann made a face and her sister laughed. She hated those stuff, but her sister was right. Just a little bit more. And when she lost that last seven pounds, she can buy herself a box of those chocolates and eat them to celebrate. Yes, that would be good. But for now, she’ll have to keep it away from her mind.

Writing Prompt: “Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.” - All At Once by The Fray

About Bitesized Fiction

2007-05-03T22:07:00.000+08:00

When I was a kid, I used to want to be a doctor, then a nun, a dancer, a singer, a housemaid and then a teacher. But all these changed when I started to get into reading. It’s no secret that my first ever “idol” writer is Elizabeth Wakefield in the Sweet Valley Kids series. I love the fact that she could create worlds and weave stories — and she’s a fictional character at that. I told myself that if she could do it at such a young age, I could do it too.*

So I wrote. And wrote and wrote and wrote. From fighting weathers to fights based on real life and Sailormoon characters to too-perfect characters in a story with vampires, stolen silver and break-ups, a story that started because of my fanaticism of a certain boyband to short stories that was born because of heartache — I just wrote. Seeing words form on paper — or on screen — is simply thrilling. I loved it, I lived for it, I know I wouldn’t last a day if I don’t write.

But then a time came where I started dabbling with other things — things of technical nature — that I slowly lost the drive to write. Until I finally stopped.

Then I felt it — the itchy feeling on your hands where you want to do something. Specifically, you want to write something, but you can’t find the words to.

But I need to. So I wrote. I don’t know if I got my groove back already, but I know this time, I want to write.

The only (serious) writing activities that I have done for the past year is the little bits and pieces of additions I have made to my NaNoWriMo 2006 story, which is still not finished until now. Oh, and some Didache reflections and blog entries, but that’s about it. I’m more of a fiction person, but sometimes I feel like my pieces are too constricted to what I knew, what I felt. But I know there is so much more than that.

Bite-sized Fiction is an attempt to go beyond my writing barriers and just write. Here you will see pieces written on a whim — while riding, while watching TV, while doing something — as well as pieces fueled by a writing prompt. Anything and everything under the sun, in short, chewable pieces that won’t be too hard to read. :) I know I am not the best writer around here, and more than half of these writings may not be any good at all, but I also know that there is so much room for my writing to grow.

So I will write. Take a bite. :)