FAWN 🍂 13
   (Day 14, Wednesday)
 
   In the end, Zev convinces Mum to let us stay at the house he mentioned available last night.
 
   "Dhai, why do you look like a zombie today?" Felly greets me as I enter the room. "Are you staying up late again?"
 
   "Morning, Liebsti." I am surprised as he suddenly hugs me; I don't think I'll ever get used to Zev's hugs.
 
   "Hey!" Felly pulls Zev away from me. "Stop stealing my friend! Find your own friend." Felly scolds him, giving Zev a disapproving look.
 
   "Fawn's friend is also my friend, besides I already have Tita Tina's permission to court Fa--" I suddenly panic and cover Zev's mouth. The heck is he doing? 
 
   "Shut your mouth." I give him a stern look, but he grabs my waist, pulling me closer to him, while his other hand is on the back of my neck.
 
   "Oh my god!"
 
   "Shit! I'm melting!"
 
   "Kyah!! My heart is melting, guys!"
 
   I remove my hand that covered his mouth and try to push him away. "Let me go," but his grip tightens.
 
   "What if I don't want to?" a sly smirk appears on his lips. I feel like I'm turning red.
 
   "What the heck, Zev? We're inside the room. Let me go." I'm relieved when he does, but I didn't expect what he does next. He kisses my forehead. Stop!
 
   "Hey! You guys are going too far!" Our class president scolds us. Maeve. 
 
   "I think I might faint from the two of you!"
 
   "Who is willing to be my boyfriend? Anyone? Guys? Come on!"
 
   "Hey, girl, no one will fall for you!"
 
   "Dhai, are you really together?" Felly asks with a wide smile.
 
   "You used to be Team Lufa, right?" I remembered what she said yesterday.
 
   "I prefer Zev for you," she says and pokes my arm, hard.
 
   I instinctively touch my bruised arm, "So are you guys official now?" she continues her questioning.
 
   "Nope," I reply.
 
   "But Tita Tina gave him permission, right?" I bit my lip and nod subtly. Not just my mum but also Arlo gave the go signal.
 
   She hits me again, so I pinch her side. "Dhai, my arm hurts so much. Come on. Stop."
 
   She just laughs, about to hit me again when Mr. Dumlao enters, prompting us to quickly return to our seating arrangement.
 
   "Zevadiah Braun Rizal, what are the five pillars of Islam?" he directly asks Zev. It feels like he is really testing Zev's knowledge.
   He stands up calmly, "The five pillars of Islam are Shahada (faith), Salah (prayer), Zakat (charity), Sawm (Fasting), and Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)."
 
   "And their definitions?" Mr. Dumlao crosses his arms over his chest as he fixes his serious gaze on Zev.
 
   I keep silent while listening to Zev beside me. He probably knows the definitions because part of him is a Muslim, which Mr. Dumlao may not be aware of yet, and he is also from the future, which is really absurd. Time travel? I don't really believe it.
 
   "Good. Sit down," Zev sits before he looks around the whole room. "Our discussion for today is about the Islam religion."
 
   During the lunch break, Felly approaches me, but...
 
   "Didn't I tell you last night to go to bed early, yet you insisted on doing it?" Zev scowls at me.
 
   "Stop yapping at me, okay?" I'm tired from packing last night; there are still things I haven't tidied up.
 
   "What do you mean she insisted, Zev?" Felly steps in, always having strong radar for any gossip.
 
   "Why would I tell you?"
 
   "You should tell me because I'm Fawn's best of friend."
 
   "It's our secret."
 
   Felly pulls me out of the room, and luckily, Zev lets me go. When I sit down at the cafeteria, Felly immediately asks me about everything that happened last night.
 
   "Is this really happening?" she looks puzzled.
 
   I furrow my brow at her question, "Huh? What do you mean?"
 
   "Dhai, nowadays it's rare for men to ask permission from a girl's parents whom they want to court. It's 2072, not the 1990s."
 
   Even I was surprised by Zev's actions last night, needing to get permission from Mr. Kusnetzov, my dad, and Asher. I mean, he doesn't really have to do that.
 
   "I should ask Zev later if he has a brother," Felly says, and my eyes widen at her words.
 
   "Oi, are you crazy?" she laughs at my reaction, and I just shake my head. "By the way, how's Lucas?" I change the subject. Felly has agreed to go out with Shaun, but honestly, I don't like Shaun for Felly. Kai suits Felly. They're like an enemies to lovers kind of trope.
 
   She sighs, "Lucas is heartbroken and didn't want to talk to us after the breakup last night. You know, Dhai, I don't know what my zoo keeper brother sees in Anya; he's head over heels in love."
 
   I chuckle because from the start, I knew Felly didn't like Anya for her brother. "That's how it goes when you're in love." Suddenly, my stomach growls. "Let's eat; I'm getting hungry."
🍂 
   "Theo and Fawn for Tango."
 
   "Felizitas and Elio for Waltz."
 
   "Zevadiah and Sera for Rumba."
 
   "Kai and Maeve for Salsa.”
   "Dhame and Craig for Foxtrot."
 
   I listen silently as Mrs. Creus lists our names. She's our teacher in Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions.
 
   "Our next meeting, you have to perform the dance with your partner, and I expect a better performance this Friday," Mrs. Creus adds. Is she serious? This friday?
 
   "Mrs. Creus, there's not enough time to practice, and we have a debate tomorrow," one of my classmates said. I don't agree with performing on Friday. It's okay for me as I'm a dancer, and Tango seems easy to dance, but what about others who can't dance, right? They need enough time to practice.
 
   "Then start practicing after class with your partner. Let's start with our discussion for today."
 
   She wants us to practice after class? The class usually ends in the evening. My classmates complain about Mrs. Creus's decision, but in the end, we have no choice but to follow her. After all, she's our teacher, and she's pregnant, so we shouldn't upset her.
 
   Our last class ends at exactly 7:30 in the evening, so I approach Theo, but someone suddenly stops me.
 
   "I want you to be my partner," Zev steps in front of me, blocking my way to Theo.
 
   "Theo is my partner," I insist and try to leave, but he grabs my wrist.
 
   "Then I'll talk to Mrs. Creus," I glare at him.
 
   "No, Theo is my partner, and that's final." I pass by him and approach Theo.
 
   "Hey," Theo smiles at me when I get near him.
 
   "Hi," I smile back.
 
   "Do you want to practice now, or maybe tomorrow? It's getting late, and we should plan it out tomorrow," Theo suggests wisely, knowing I need to finish packing my things at home.
 
   I sigh, "That's a great idea. See you tomorrow, and I already have a music in mind that we should use for Tango."
 
   He nods, "See you tomorrow." After he leaves the room, I search for Zev, but he's no longer inside the room.
 
   I head to the ground floor and see Zev talking to Mrs. Creus. Is he really serious right now? I approach them, but Mrs. Creus leaves at that moment.
 
   "Hey!" I punch him as I get closer.
 
   He winces, "Ow! What was that for?" then he looks at me. "Liebsti, you've got a powerful smack. It hurts," he rubs the spot on his arm where I punched him.
 
   I roll my eyes, "Why were you talking to Mrs. Creus?"
 
   He averts his eyes from me, "Um, I talked to Mrs. Creus about switching partners."
 
   "Zev," I say sternly.
 
   Then he meets my gaze, "She agreed that we should switch partners, but with one condition – we have to dance Tango and Rumba.” Can I just smack him hard in the head for once, please?
   "Are you nuts?"
 
   "We are the only pair to dance Tango and Rumba since I insisted on changing my partner," he calmly states, looking directly at me.
 
   I take a deep breath, "It's totally fine, Fawn. You're a dancer, and you know how to dance Rumba. It's a piece of cake," I tell myself.
 
   "Liebsti,"
 
   "Don't talk to me." I know I can handle dancing two styles at the same time. But truth be told, I didn't like what Zev did.
 
   "Wassup, you two!" Thankfully, Felly walks towards us. "Let's head home."
 
   "Aren't you practicing with Elio?" I ask her as she links arms with me.
 
   She shakes her head, "Nope, he said we'll practice tomorrow because he got tired from figuring out which song to use for the Waltz." Elio has a talent in singing, such an amazing voice. He is our room's representative in singing contests in school, and he's great at playing the guitar.
 
   After dropping off Felly at their house, Zev and I head to our house to pick up the remaining things we left last night. I didn't talk to Zev the whole way, not that I'm angry but I just didn't like what he did.
 
   "You should have rested already. Look at the time," Mama greets us when we enter the house where Zev and I are staying. Zev mentioned that this house belonged to his grandparents who migrated to Switzerland a year ago, so no one lives here now.
 
   I set down the box I'm carrying on the floor. "Evening, Ma," and I hug Mama.
 
   She gently pats my back before I pull away, "Change your clothes in your room, have dinner and rest. I'll arrange our things."
 
   "Evening, Tita," Zev says behind me.
 
   I leave them and head to my room, change my outfit before coming out again. I catch Zev arranging things in the living room, while Mama is in the kitchen, and Arlo is asleep in the other room.
 
   "Aren't you going home?" I asks him, pausing from his task and looking at me.
 
   "Can I stay?" instead he asked a question back at me.
 
   "This is your grandparents' house, Zev. Of course, you can stay," I feel a bit ashamed that he let us stay in his grandparents' house.
 
   "This house is about to be destroyed, but I'm glad my parents renovated it instead of demolishing it," he shares, so I approach him.
 
   "Thank you," I say wholeheartedly to him. If we were still living in the old house until now, maybe I would have stopped studying.
 
   He smiles and holds my hand closer to him, slowly massaging it. "Liebsti, I want you to take care of yourself for me and I'll take care of myself for you." he close the distance between us.
 
   I am frozen as he stands so close, cupping my face with one hand while his thumb caresses my cheek. "Zev..." I say as I look into emerald eyes.
 
   "Yes, Liebsti?" I love the way he looks at me. Wait? What? Hold on! Did I just thought of it? What's gotten into me?
   "Do you know how to dance?"
 
   He raises an eyebrow at my question, "Ah, yes, why?"
 
   "Then you better start practicing how to dance Tango and Rumba."
 
   He smiles, but I have a plan, "With you?" he asks.
 
   I shake my head and step back, letting go of his hand on my cheek. "Practice on your own. After I eat, I'm going to sleep," I tell him and leave. Heading to the kitchen.
 
   "Hey, that's not how it works," he follows me into the kitchen…like the usual.
 
   "Practice on your own," I tell him behind me, I approach mama who is cooking.
 
   "Liebsti, come on. I can't practice without you."
 
   "Both of you should rest," Mama puts down the spatula and looks at both of us.
 
   "Tita Tina, Fawn is being mean to me," he has the audacity to complain to my own mother? How dare he?!
 
   "Hey! It's your fault that we have to perform two dances because of what you did. So, practice on your own," I retort.
 
   "Liebsti, it's not fair. Come on, practice with me.”
 
   Mama chuckles, "I wonder what it would be like if you two get married someday."
 
  "Ma!" I look at Mama in shock. Married? I'm only twenty! 
 
   "How many grandchildren do you want, Tita Tina?" I am surprised by Zev's question. What the heck is going on right now?
 
   "Three grandchildren are enough for me," Mama replies.
 
   Zev looks at me with a smile, "Well, it depends on my future wife. What can you say, liebsti?” 
 
   I think my jaw drops to the floor.