8 The night lights

We were chatting while he relished his food. I slowly savored the chocolate milkshake that I have.

"How long have you been in the student council?" he asked as he put a spoonful of food in his mouth.

"Me? Almost a year. How about you? Since when did you become the manager of the volleyball team?"

"Just these few months."

I nodded at his answer and continued drinking my shake when he asked another question again.

"What are you on? And how old are you? Maybe I'm talking to you casually, and you might be my senior."

"I'm 19, and I'm turning 20 this month. I'm also in my third year." I answered him while slurping the last drops of the drink.

"Really? This month? What are the odds! I'm turning 19 this month too. I'm still in my second year too." I was grinning the whole time he said this. He looks so funny with his wide-eyed expression.

"Yes, haha. Really? When is your birthday then?

"My birthday is on the 18th this month. How about you?" while taking the last piece of the food.

"I was born on the 28th," I answered him while I took out my water tumbler to drink.

"Oh, wow! Should I call you, Ate?"

I almost choked on the water because I wasn't expecting he would even say it. If you're wondering what Ate means, it's an honorific in my country. You give this to address a girl who is older than you.

"Careful!" Dominic was laughing already. He was astonished by my reaction.

"Sorry, sorry. I was a bit surprised by what you said." I wiped the water from my mouth using the tissue he offered.

"You don't have to call me Ate. Imagine you calling me that, and I'm way smaller than you." I facetiously replied, which he replied with a huge smile and a nod.

The cafeteria was slowly getting empty as people went home, went to class, or went to the open field. Shops and stalls were also closing one by one.

"Oh, Andi, just tell me if you need help with buying things. I will help you."

"Andi? Who? Me?" Since when are we already on giving nickname terms?

"You can call me Nic, but I'll just call you Andi short for Andrea."

"Ooh, haha. Okay"

My phone suddenly buzzed. I took it out from the pocket of my bag and answered whoever was calling.

"IMOGEN! MOM TOLD ME TO TELL YOU TO DON'T FORGET TO CALL HER WHEN YOU'RE HOME." and right away turned the call off. I rolled my eyes. I can't even reply nor say something.

"I think someone seems to be angry. Is that your Kuya?" He asked as he fixed the collar of his polo. Kuya, in my culture, is what we call our older brother.

"Yeah! Sorry about that. That's just how he talks. He's currently in Singapore working, and he just called to remind me to call mom."

"Are you not living in your house?"

"I am, but mom is in Canada." I shyly told him.

"Who's Imogen, then?" He's now cupping his chin with his hand as he rested his arms on the table.

"You heard that?"

"Uhm, it was loud that you can't help it." Dominic is now chuckling as he waits for my response.

"I'm Imogen. My full name is Andrea Imogen. My mom and brothers call me that."

"Oh, brave maiden." My eyebrows raised when he said that. I was puzzled that he knew.

"Andrea is a name that means brave, and from Shakespeare, the name Imogen means maiden. So the meaning of your name is Brave Maiden." His side lips lifted for a smirk while explaining.

"Wow, you're the first one to know the meaning of my name. Most would just say it's cool or bizarre." I was about to ask something from him when someone came near us.

"Hello, Sir, Ma'am. It's already 7:30, and we are hoping to close the cafeteria already." The guard who was stationed at the cafeteria came and told us they had to close it now. We looked at our wristwatches, and he was right. The usual closing time was supposed to be at 7, but they had to extend it because we were there.

When we looked around, stalls are all closed, and only the janitors and guards were left.

"Sorry, Chief, and thank you." We were trying not to laugh and collected our things so that we can go out.

"Thank you, Chief." I smiled at him and bowed.

When we got out of the caf, we burst into laughter. We did not realize that we were talking too much that the guard has to come to tell us off.

It was already night, and the cold wafted through the air. The small lights that decorated the trees are blinking. Our school's foundation day is drawing near. That's why there are a lot of students who are on the field, decorating and fixing their booths.

I stood there, unconsciously smiling at the scene. It's a strangely familiar sight, and the wind just added to the feeling of nostalgia. I'll be spending one more year here before graduating. I will miss my days here.

"Are you going home?" I was startled, not noticing he was still there. Nic was still standing beside me.

"Sorry, I think I'll stay here for a while." I was not looking at him but just gazing at the blinking lights.

"I'll tag along. I'll just wait for my sister to be done with her class since she's a first-year here."

We walked together to a vacant spot on the school ground. We fixed our things before sitting down on the grass.

"You know, that's what I would exactly do with my sister." He might have noticed that my brows furrowed with confusion, so he continued.

"The way your Kuya called you. That's how I would call Erina, my younger sister. I can still remember when I found out she was calling someone called Alex."

I let out a chuckle. I could still remember my brother getting mad when I had my first boyfriend. He said the guy was fuck boy material, and he was right.

"I went banging on the door when I heard her cry. I was thinking Alex was doing something to her already. As an older brother, I was furious."

He's a funny storyteller. He kept having these hand gestures as if you are really on the scene.

"I said, Erina! If you are not opening the door, I will destroy it."

"You could have destroyed the door. That could have been epic." I commented while I was playing with the grass we were sitting on.

"I want to, but I can't. I might face the final boss of the house and get my ass whooped. But when Erina opened the door, I later found out that she was talking to her friend Alexandra, with Alex as her nickname. Can you believe it? I acted like someone in the movie, but it turns out my assumptions were wrong."

I did not notice it, but I was laughing freely. The way he told the story got me. It was full of emotion that you get absorbed.

"And? What happened next?"

"She got mad and told me I was overreacting. Overreacting my ass. I just wanted to protect her as a brother."

"You sounded like my Kuya. Overprotective."

"You like twirling your hair, don't you?" I immediately looked at him with his question.

"Huh?" I then found my hand holding a piece of hair and is twirling it around for some time now. I wasn't even aware that I was doing it.

"I saw you earlier in the elevator. You were twirling your hair. Even when we started the meeting, you kept playing with it." He said while pointing at my hand.

"I don't even realize I was doing it. It just felt relaxing doing it." getting shy with the observation, I took my hand down.

"Maybe if I had long hair, I might try doing that. It looks like it can be a good stress reliever.".

"Is it disturbing?"

"It's not. You actually look adorable. I'm just scared that maybe you might get bald soon." His remark got me snorting. Don't worry, Dominic, my hair is hella thick that sometimes I don't mind losing some.

I noticed he was already wiping sweat from his forehead. I checked the time to see that we were hearing for quite some time now. It's already 9 in the evening.

And because I am also sweating, my specs were a little foggy already. I took them to wipe it.

"You know? You look pretty without glasses."

I was taken aback by what he said. Me pretty? HAHAHAHAHAHA I don't know about that. He might be seeing someone else because, as far as I remember, I am not pretty.

"Maybe, you need some glasses."

"I was just saying. An observation," Dominic replied as he took out his phone from his pocket.

"Are you done?" He's talking to someone on the other line. It's probably her sister. After a minute of the call, he turned it off.

"Are you going home?" I asked him as he stood up and dusted some grass off his pants.

"Yeah. My sister just finished her class, and I need her to get home before her curfew. You can ride with us." He offered as he held out his hand to help me get up. I took it and then removed any dirt or dust on my pants as well.

"It's fine. I live near here, and it's just a 10 minutes walk. Plus, I still want to savor the night lights."

Before leaving, he smiled and whispered, "I love night lights as well."