1 Chapter 1

"Mr. Benj?" I glanced towards the barista who is calling for the person who ordered. "Miss Benj?" the barista called again for that person.

I keep tapping my fingers on the table. I cannot study without my Espresso Cappuccino.

"Miss Ache, your Espresso Cappucino is here!"

Espresso Cappucino?

I went to the barista and asked for the Cappuccino. No one is taking this one so I will take it. I need to freaking study.

The barista called again and I asked him to take the order of Mr. Benj. He was about to guarantee my request when a man came.

"Sorry," the man apologised. He is so close to me and I can smell his manly fragrance. When I looked up, that is when I realized that it was Benjamin.

My Benjamin.

I heard a snap and when I looked who did that the barista just smiled at me. "Ma'am don't stare at him like that. He might melt," the barista joked at me.

I gave him a slight smile. His punchline is corny but to appreciate his effort a slight smile will do.

Does destiny really work? This coincidence is making me nervous. I cannot study well knowing that he is here.

I glance on what he is doing. Benjamin is seriously taking pictures of his coffee. His eyebrows are furrowed.

Oh, Come on. He looks so cute!

When he was done he looked around, I immediately act that I was studying. Benjamin should not know that I was staring him at the whole time. I will look so desperate.

I have this feeling that someone is staring at me so when I looked up I saw Benjamin staring at me. I stared back at him. It just feels like we are having a staring contest. No one dared to blink.

I really wish time would stop. It is very rare to have this kind of moment.

"Hiraya,"our staring contest was gone when someone called me.

"Wth!"

This broccoli boy again! He never failed to pissed me off. I swear someday… someday I will make him pay for wasting my opportunity.

I plugged my earphone since he will start to rant or tell a story. I have no time for him.

++++++++

"Arayat, let's go upstairs, I have a story!" I excitedly told my sister. I'm going to tell her that Benjamin is looking at me the whole time that I was in the coffee shop.

Benjamin has a rock long hair that he always bun. Most of the girls including me swoon in his smoldering brown eyes. I think he is somewhat in-lined with the family of actors. His features are kind of familiar.

Arayat keeps on giggling as I tell her about Benjamin. She has already a love life and now she is pursuing me to have one that is why she is very excited in me having an interaction with Benjamin.

"What happened next?" she happily asked. My smile faded when I remembered that Gerardo came in the coffee shop and sat beside me.

"Someone who is so annoying came!" I get irritated every time I see him. He looks like his only goal for the day is to annoy me.

"Who?"

"The broccoli boy," the best way to introduce him is his annoying curly hair that really matches his personality. Arayat laughed so hard to the point that she was crying.

"Oh my god! I can't… Fudge-" she can't even finish her sentence because she laughed so hard again. I rolled my eyes.

"Stop laughing! I'm really annoyed. He keeps on appearing whenever I'm around with Benjamin!" I complained.

She stopped laughing and went to her room to get her bottle. "Sorry," she said in poker face, then after 3 seconds she laughed again. I rolled my eyes. "Do you remember that time when Gerardo saved you from the bunch of cockroaches?" she asked.

"What?!"

"What?!" she mimicked me. I rolled my eyes. "You don't even remember that time? You keep on shrieking because someone trapped you in that room full of cockroaches. And then Gerardo came in the room even if he is also scared,"

I'm trying my best to remember that time. When did that happen? I know for sure that I was locked in a room full of cockroaches but I can't clearly remember that Gerardo came.

"Do you remember it now?"

"No."

She crossed her legs and continued in her story. "Okay… so Gerardo came into the room then he was jumping while he was going over there," she stopped and laughed. I stared at her. "Don't give me a bad look! I just can't stop laughing whenever I remember it!" she said in a defensive way.

"Okay, go on," I said to make her continue.

"So, when he came you immediately pushed him because you're so irritated that he came instead of Benjamin. It turns out that you did that kind of act because you wanted Benjamin but your plan did not work because Gerardo came," I laughed at her story.

Now, I can clearly remember that kind of stupid act of me. She is correct. I made that plan so that Benjamin and I will get closer but it turns out that stupid broccoli came. I'm so devastated that time that I immediately ran and left him in the room full of cockroaches.

"Oh. I think you can clearly remember now," I nodded and laughed.

I don't know how that broccoli got that kind of information. I know it was so rude of me to leave him but I was so devastated that he ruined my plan.

I heard a knock from the door. Arayat and I stared at each other. I stared at the wall blankly. I know for sure it is mom. I opened the door and just like what I expected it was mom.

She is smiling. Am I dreaming? Is my mother smiling at me?

She walked towards me. Finally, she noticed me. "Mom?" I asked but she left me and went to my sister. I am so astonished that I wasn't able to close my mouth.

"Arayat, do you want a pizza?" she asked. Arayat looked at me. She looks like she is pitying me. I cannot blame her. I'm not the favorite child.

I'm just the other one that they didn't expect. The only thing that they want in the first place is having an only child. Having twins is not on their plans. I'm the unplanned one.

Sometimes I really wonder why they let me live in the first place. Everyday I just feel that it is so wrong for me to live. They are not saying anything to me yet I am hurting because of their actions. I just feel worthless everyday.

"Hiraya," Arayat called me, making me back to my senses.

"What?"

"Don't look at me like that," she seriously said. I faked a laugh.

It is so easy for her to say those things. I can't stop myself but compare things. My parents always made me feel that she is better than me. I know that for sure since I'm always in second place when it comes to the class. Arayat is always the number one even if I try my best to study so hard. She always got that place. It seems that being the number one is exactly made for her.

I closed the room when she got out. Mom didn't bother to ask me if I wanted things. It is always Arayat who gives me things and she is the one who invites me to have dinner.

If mom is like that, my dad is the one that looks so friendly to other people but behind his friendly look is like the silent monster inside our family. He wants everything to be perfect. There is no room for failure.

I remembered that Arayat failed in a quiz because she got addicted to a mobile game on her phone. Dad broke her phone and told her to study. When I saw what he did, I immediately locked my room and studied. I don't want to mess with my dad. He looks so murderous.

No one should taint the reputation of the Soledad family.

That is my dad's motto. He always says that every time that we are having dinner. There was this time that I forgot to say that motto, he looked at me like he was going to kill me if I didn't.

I turned on my phone to see Benjamin's IG story. I smiled for a fact that he posted a story with his coffee. I was there when I saw him taking a picture.

I remember that he stood up just to take a nice and aesthetic picture. It is kind of funny because he doesn't look like that kind of person.

I touched my chin. So, this is how I react whenever Benjamin is around. He is really my happy pill after all.

This kind of life that I have is such a mess but I want to prove something. Proving things will make my parents look at me the way they look at Arayat. I've been longing for that kind of love. I'll do everything.

I heard a strange sound. Uh.

It was my stomach.

I'm hungry but mom did not invite me. I don't want her to look at me like I'm just a stupid daughter. One smile for today is so hard to make so I will not ruin this day.

"Hiraya," I heard a knock on my door.

"What?" I asked. Maybe something is going on.

"Hiraya, abuela is here. Go downstairs!"

What the hell is happening?!

I immediately took my slippers and went outside. Making abuela wait is definitely the worst thing. If my parents are scary, my grandparents are worse. They have this kind of aura that I always see whenever they are around.

"Ma, why are you here?"dad casually said. I looked at abuela.

She is smiling. Oh. That smile. I think I'm going to have goosebumps. Abuela's smile is a big threat. I heard that a couple of times from our nannies.

"Well, I'm here to tell you that our firm is not going well. We need someone who can be trusted,"she said while looking at me. I nervously smiled back at her.

"Oh my dear twins,"she said so cheerfully. "You should now what I mean," she continued.

"But, abuela-"

"And what Arayat?" abuela's face today seems like in a very bad mood.

"No-nothing, abuela,"she even stuttered. I took a deep breath and finished eating. This dinner is making me nervous every single time.

When they finished eating, I immediately went to our room. I need to study since abuela is staying here for a couple of days. There is no time for me to relax and contemplate life.

I looked for my notebook but I cannot find it. That notebook is my life. It is like a mini diary for me. It will not look suspicious if I put it in an ordinary notebook. My sister always wants to know what my life has been since most of the time she has this kind of freedom.

I opened all the possible areas where I left it and I didn't even find it.

I guess I have no choice but to check my sister's things.

What is this?

I looked at the medicine that is in my sister's cabinet. I looked for the details and there I saw that it is a vitamin for pregnant women.

"Hiraya," she called me and her eyes widened.

I don't know what is on me but I'm trying my best not to smirk. There is something inside me that wants to bring her down.

~~~