HAPI has no appetite for lunch, so he decided to nap in his favorite hangout place. But when he got there, someone was already sleeping on the hammock he brought a few days ago. He could not help but smile as he walked towards the sleeping beauty that was Sapphire. Hapi was glad that she found comfort in a place just like he did.
He crouched beside the hammock and watched Sapphire sleep.
Now that he got to stare at her face that close, he finally knew the difference between the words pretty and beautiful. But those words were such an understatement to describe her. Her soul, her heart, her character, everything about Sapphire made her perfect in his eyes. And what made him like her even more, was the fact that she looks so innocent, yet she has a brave heart.
Hapi could no longer contain his feelings for Sapphire, his hand reached her cheek and gently caressed her.
Panic rushed through his system when she suddenly groaned, and to his shock, Sapphire grabbed his hand. Thankfully, he did not wake her up.
Sapphire… my clumsy sleeping beauty…
He planted a kiss on her lips.
“HAROLD Pierce Legarda!” Piewie yelled at him and groaned. “Did you know what day is today?”
“Sunday,” he said.
“Yeah, it’s a Sunday. The only day that is left for me and myself.” Piewie lay down on the bleacher. “And you disturbed my me time just to see you here. What’s our agenda, anyway?”
Hapi asked his friends to meet him at the village’s covered court. Except for Rinbie, of course.
The turn of events made him crazier. He could not keep it to himself anymore. He did not know what to do, especially to Rinbie. After what happened at school yesterday, Hapi called Rinbie and told him to back off, but he just hung up on him.
“Stop dating every single girl at school and you’ll have more time for yourself,” said Mobi, who just arrived with a ball in his hand that he threw in his twin’s direction.
Piewie was not able to dodge.
“You’re just feeling envious, dummy!” Piewie snarled at his twin.
“So, what is this all about?”
Hapi stiffed upon hearing Rinbie’s voice. He turned his gaze on the entrance and saw him walking in his direction.
“What are you doing here?” Hapi asked bluntly.
Everyone looked at him with furrowed brows.
“Are you telling me that I’m not invited?” Rinbie scoffed.
“Yes.”
“Whoa!” their friends said in chorus.
“Sharing is caring,” Piewie said as he sat up.
“We’re on the brink of ending our friendship.” All eyes were stuck at him. “Because Rinbie’s courting Sapphire!”
“I don’t see anything wrong with Rinbie courting Sapphire since they’re both single,” Tomi chimed in.
Koby, who was beside Tomi, nudged him. “That’s wrong. We all know that Sapphire is Hapi’s girl.”
“Sapphire and Hapi are not in an official relationship,” Tomi said matter-of-factly.
Ah, that one hurts.
“Point taken. But you’re missing something, Tomi,” said Kirei. “We have our bros code. We must not quarrel over the same girl. The second one should back off.”
“But at some point, our bros' code is a bit… ridiculous. Why don’t we ask Sapphire to choose between Hapi and Rinbie?” Piattos suggested. “She’s the only one who can end this dispute.”
“Sapphire will choose me, I’m sure of that. I came to her life first and we’ve been together since that day she transferred,” Hapi said confidently.
“But it doesn’t always work that way,” Richie butt in.
“I second the motion,” said Oishi.
“We kissed yesterday, isn’t that enough to prove it to you all?” he told them. At the corner of his eye, he saw Rinbie’s lips pressed into a grim line.
“That’s my boy!” Piewie gave him a tap on the shoulder like a proud dad to his kid.
“Let’s stop making assumptions and ask Sapphire because it is the right thing to do,” Chippy told everyone. “Piattos, go get Sapphire and bring her here.”
“Me?” Piattos pointed to himself. “Why me?”
“Because it was your idea!” they said in unison.”
“We’re not close. What if she doesn’t come with me?”
“You know what to do,” said Mobi.
“S-should I kidnap her?”
SAPPHIRE was planning to end her agreement with Hapi. She had been thinking about it for days. Now, she finally came up with a decision.
Things started to feel different. She could no longer let him treat her the way it used to be. They already kissed, for heaven’s sake!
She left the sofa and headed outside to go to Hapi’s house.
“Where are you going?” her mother asked when she saw her leaving. “It’s almost lunchtime.”
“I’ll just need to settle something important, `Ma. Don’t worry, I’ll be back for lunch.” Sapphire got on her bike and pedaled away.
The gate to Hapi’s house was wide open when she arrived. It was very unusual for someone like him to leave the gate like that.
“Hapi?” She went inside.
Her eyes widened when she saw the main door wide open as well. She ran inside, and a mess greeted her.
“What happened here?”
She searched around the house, but she could not see him.
Sapphire fished her phone from her pocket.
She must report the incident to the police. But it did not happen. Someone from behind gagged her mouth and covered her eyes. She tried to fight, but the culprit was way stronger than she was. The culprit carried her easily on the shoulder and took her away. Sapphire had a panic attack, she passed out.
She was on a blindfold, and her hands were tied behind her when she regained consciousness. Fear was rushing through her system, but she tried her best to remain calm.
Then she heard male voices chattering from a distance.
“Why did you do that?”
“Have you been dreaming of becoming a criminal?”
“I asked you guys if I’m going to kidnap her, and no one answered. I thought it means yes!”
“Idiot!”
“Moron!”
“Aww!”
“E-excuse me,” Sapphire butt in nervously.
Everyone fell silent.
Then, she heard footsteps approaching.
Soon, her hands were free, and she was able to remove her blindfold.
Her mouth dropped open when she was greeted by the culprits who kidnapped her—the Warlords.
“W-what’s the meaning of this?” Sapphire kept on shifting her gaze to each one of them.
Piewie crouched in front of her.
“Don’t worry, Sapphire. We have no bad intentions towards you. We just want to ask you something.”
Her forehead creased. “You should have asked me directly. Why bother doing this?”
They all heaved a sigh.
“We’re sorry, Sapphire. I didn’t mean to scare you. It was a misunderstanding,” Piattos said with his head down.
“So, what is it that you want to ask me?” She was dying in curiosity.
“Is it Hapi or Rinbie?” they asked in chorus.
“Wait. What?”
What’s with them? Why are they suddenly asking me to choose?
“Who do you love, Sapphire?” asked Clover.
“Oh… that…” She let out a sigh. “Do I really have to tell you?”
Her eyes looked for Hapi and Rinbie, but they weren’t present. She wondered if those two were aware of what their friends were doing right now.
“Sapphire.” She turned to Clover. “We need your answer now.”
Sapphire did not have to think twice. She would always choose the one who makes her heart flutter.
“Hapi…” she told them.