SELEN went out of Sage’s house without looking back at him, and to her surprise, the one standing outside his door was none other than her friend—Reinald. She grasped his arm and pulled him away from the house.
“What are you doing here? How did you know that I am here?”
Reinald flicked her forehead.
“You informed me of your plans through the text message that you sent me, idiot.” His nose crinkled.
“Yeah, I know. But how come you know this place?”
Selen followed her friend’s finger as it turned to the house across Sage’s.
“See that house? That’s my house.”
She cupped her forehead. Of course, Sage’s neighborhood seemed familiar because it was the same phase where Reinald lives, and she had gone there thrice!
“Wait!” She raised her head and looked at Reinald. “If you are the one who rang the bell…” Then she turned to Sage’s house. “It only means Sage lied to me when he told me that his manager and lawyer are on their way!”
Reinald put his hands inside his pockets and scoffed. “That jerk. He is just bluffing.”
She puffed and shook her head. “I thought it’s the end of the world for me.”
Reinald wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his body.
“As long as I am here, that will never happen,” he said and pinched her cheek. “Let’s go to my place. I’ll make your favorite hot chocolate.”
“I have to go home before my grandmas learn that I am still—” She stopped midway when she realized something. “Oh, no! Oh, no, no, no, no, no!” Selen gasped.
“Why? What’s the matter?” her friend asked as he shook her body.
“I left the rope inside his house. How can I get up to my room now?”
“Why sneak inside of your own house? You can use the door, you know.”
“Then Nana Cora will know that I went out. Nah, not on my option.” She pouted her lips.
“You’re crazy,” Reinald remarked.
Selen nudged his side.
“Go get me a ladder and bring me home.”
“Who are you, Rapunzel?” His forehead creased.
“Damn it, Rei, just get me a ladder.” She stomped her feet.
“Yes, your highness.” His tone was a bit sarcastic, but Selen knew that he would do her a favor no matter what.

SELEN dozed off with a hand propped on her chin and immediately opened her eyes when it slipped. Her face would have landed on the counter if not for the hand that caught her head.
“Rei, you’re here again?” She yawned.
Good thing she was the duty to the flower shop the next day. She has the chance to doze like that.
He sat on the counter and brushed off something from the side of her eye.
“It’s just a PE class, and I got dismissed early,” he said nonchalantly.
“Oh.” Selen scratched her legs.
The ant bites from last night were still itchy.
“What’s that?” Reinald took a peek below the counter.
“Ant bites.”
He jumped off the counter and crouched in front of her. “May I?”
Selen smiled and nodded. He was such a gentleman to ask for her permission to roll up her dress to see her legs.
“The ants must have a deep grudge on you.” He looked at her. “Where did you get these?”
“I stepped into a colony of ants last night when I hid behind the bushes in Sage’s backyard.”
She wanted to laugh when she saw his nose crinkled. Reinald looks charming whenever he did that.
“And you’re not doing anything about it? Get my bag.”
She pulled his backpack from the counter and handed it to him.
“You should at least put an ointment on it to relieve the soreness and itchiness,” he said as he brought out a small tube from his bag’s pocket.
Reinald started putting the ointment on every red spot on her leg.
“Selen!”
They both turned to the door’s direction, where Nana Violy’s voice came from. When her grandma rushed to the counter, Selen knew that there was trouble.
“Is there a problem, Nana?” she asked anxiously.
“You need to come with me to the restaurant,” her grandma said breathily as if she was out of breath.
Selen let her grandma tugged her inside their restaurant, Reinald followed them.
She saw Nana Cora on a table in the corner sitting with a woman who looks quite familiar to her.
Selen’s eyes grew wider when she sat across the woman. It was Sage’s manager.
“Selen, right?” She smiled at her and stretched an arm. “I’m Marceline, Sage’s manager.”
She took the hand for a handshake and pulled hers away quickly.
“H-hi… W-what can I do for you?” she asked nervously and looked at her grandmas, who were both eyeing them.
Sage’s manager turned to them.
“I’d like to talk with Selen in private. Could you please leave us for a moment?” Marceline said politely.
Nana Cora and Nana Violy looked at each other before leaving them to talk in private, just as Marceline requested.
Now that it was just the two of them, Selen could not help but feel nervous. What if Reinald’s assumption last night that Sage was just bluffing was wrong? What if he was really determined to file a case against her? Oh, goodness! She did not know what to do.
Selen hid her shaky hands under the table and clenched them against the hem of her dress.
Marceline clasped her hands above the table.
“Sage told me what happened last night,” she said.
She shut her eyes tightly. “I know what I did is wrong. But please, I beg you to convince him not to sue me.”
Marceline laughed shortly. She opened her eyes and looked at her.
“Sage will not file a case, but he wants—”
“He wants what? Does he want to get a temporary restraining order?”
“No. That’s not what he wants.” Marceline wagged her hand.
“Then… what is it?” she asked curiously.
Marceline brought out a paper from her bag.
“Sage wants you to sign a confidentiality contract.” She pushed the paper towards her.
Selen’s eyes scanned the contract. It says that she must not tell anyone about what happened and where he lives.
“Don’t worry. It won’t harm you as long as you keep your end of the contract,” Marceline added as she pushed a pen towards her.
She was about to pick it up when a hand shoved it off the table together with the contract. Selen turned to her side abruptly and saw her friend Reinald. He was staring at Sage’s manager with his fist clenched.