“I heard you have a girl in your place.”

As soon as Elian arrived at the bar, his friend Todd asked that question. He raised an eyebrow. Are they keeping track of what goes on in his house now?

“I came by this morning.” His other friend, Kyle, explained to him.

He sighed. Nothing’s secret with these guys.

“Just someone I’m helping out. She’s off-limits.” He gave them a side-eye for good measure. These guys string women along and leave them for whatever reason.

“She looked very young. Cousin?” Kyle asked, as he nodded on his warning.

“Something like that.” He figured it’s much harder to explain if he says she’s a complete stranger. These guys are nosy.

“I thought you finally have a girlfriend. How long has it been?” Todd asked as he received a fresh glass of beer, passing another onto him.

He only grunted as a reply. He didn’t need to be reminded of that history. All along he wasn’t looking for a relationship, much less one based on “love”, as they put it. Three years ago, he did meet someone. She stuck to him and made her intentions clear. He ignored her most of the time, until one day, he could no longer ignore her.

He thought it was a wonderful experience. He was happy and feeling blissful. He thought it would last. It didn’t. She found someone else and left him. She even threw it in his face, the things that he lacked and couldn’t give her. It's not as if he wasn't trying.

Who was it who pursued who? He wouldn’t have given her any attention if she wasn’t persistent in chasing him. It was one of the worst decisions he’d ever made in his life. She wasn’t contented in finding a new guy, she even ran with his savings. He actually thought they’ll be spending the rest of their lives together. He gave her everything that he has, access to everything that he owns, who knew…?

He chugged down the beer given to him. His friends knew exactly what has gone through his mind. Those bad memories.

“Well, at least she’s not your girlfriend. But why can’t she be my girlfriend? Kyle said she’s pretty.” Todd continued.

He glared at him. “No.”

In his mind, Cindy’s too good for Todd. The kid’s just starting over and optimistic about it. He doesn’t want her to get sidetracked or heartbroken. Most importantly, not by his friends. Todd’s a reliable friend, but he’s not confident in his ability to commit to a woman. And she's too young. Regardless of his own horrible experience, he’s not discouraging his friends from trying to find their own happiness. If a woman could actually give that to a man, that is. Personally, he thinks happiness should be found within one’s self. There’s no need for another person to do it for you.

Kyle has his own experiences, nothing as bad as his, but… he’s only interested in casual flings these days. Between these two people, Kyle is more mature than Todd.

“So, what jobs do you have for me?” He finally asked, the reason why they’re meeting.

“You’re always about business. Chill out for a few more minutes, man.” Todd commented, reaching into some finger food.

“Well, there’s a new night club three streets down. Old one closed down, new owner. You might want to check it. Soon.” Kyle replied, knowing he’s not usually patient about these things. He could be patient in a lot of things, but not waiting for information.

He nodded as he tried to remember the old one. There’s another night gig he’s looking at, but the new one might work and pay better.

Back home, Cindy ate dinner alone. She should really get a basic phone as soon as possible. She’s worried about Elian, but she also knows he sometimes work at night. He didn’t mention anything earlier, though. She tried not to worry, but she can’t help it.

She tossed and turned in the couch. It’s almost midnight. She’s exhausted. She worked two jobs today. She cleaned an apartment unit, and it’s gonna be a weekly job. The parents are office workers who are usually busy while the kids are all grade school students. They don’t have the time to clean up. And they wanted to rest during weekends. It was a huge house, with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, but they were generous with the pay. She was almost late to her afternoon job. And she was already exhausted at that point. She tried hard not to be sloppy, though. She should be more strategic about it next week. Maybe she can show up much earlier in the morning.

The next day, she stayed at home in the morning. She slept in as she’s too tired from the previous day. She didn’t even notice if Elian came home or what. Maybe he did. He ate the food she set aside for his dinner. She exhaled in relief. Well, at least he’s alright.

At the restaurant, she made a few friends. The other staff. There’s Melissa on the counter, and Amanda, another waitress. They were teenagers like her. Unlike her, though, they’re still attending school. She almost envied them. She wasn’t able to finish her senior year. Well, at least she’s earning. She did share some things about herself to them, but not everything.

As most girls do, who are single, they check out some of their attractive customers and talk about them when the guys are gone, or when they’re on their break. Cindy sometimes rolls her eyes at them. They tease her about it, knowing she already has someone she likes. Obviously. Otherwise, she would be squealing with them.

“Okay, quick. Tell us about this guy that has you ruffled. Is he more attractive than all the guys we checked out?”

Cindy frowned. Well, she wasn’t checking anyone out, so she’s not sure if Elian is indeed more attractive than the other men. She remained silent as the two pestered her.

“You gotta introduce him to us. Is he your boyfriend?” Amanda persisted.

She felt uncomfortable at that point. He’s not her boyfriend.

“Well, no. He’s just someone I like. I admire him. It’s not like there’s a mutual feeling or anything. It’s completely one-sided.” She decided to be honest about it, and there’s actually something good about talking it out. She feels unrestricted. Before, she has no one to talk to. Though she does talk to Elian, as her usual, she doesn’t talk about everything to him. She can’t.

This is one topic she can’t be talking about with him. But she has to talk about it with someone else, or she’ll go crazy with her thoughts.

“Oh, does he have a girlfriend?” Amanda continued to probe. She’s a bit of a gossip, but not the toxic kind.

Cindy chuckled at her expression, “No. I don’t think so. I didn’t see anyone with him.”

Unlike Amanda, Melissa’s more tamed. She mostly listens. Cindy exchanged a look with her.

“Have you confessed? Maybe he’ll like you. Most guys start liking someone that way. They just need assurance that the girl likes them.”

It’s at this point that Melissa made a noise of complaint. Cindy and Amanda turned to look at her.

“That’s just bullshit. That guy is not worth it. You should find a guy who likes you before you tell him you like him.”

They both stared and mulled it over. She’s not wrong, but…

“Are there guys like that these days? Most guys no longer confess first. There are more girls than boys in this planet. They know they’re in demand. They can have their pick of choices.” Amanda’s explanation has a ring of truth in it, but it still sounded absurd, so Cindy laughed lightly.

“I’m content with my unrequited crush. I’m still young, anyway. I’m not looking for a relationship.” Cindy said, then thought that she’d have a hard time trusting a man, given her experiences.

Well, there’s one man.