They say first is a coincidence, second is a fate, third is a destiny.
I have been studying hard, I guess hehe, for the last year in college. We don't wear our uniforms as we are after all in the night shift.
I got to the university wearing a bright red t-shirt, jeans and of course a rubber shoes. One teased me a Happy Birthday though it's not my birthday that day. The class was done and we go off to go home. Luckily, we saw an empty jeepney waiting for the passengers right after we crossed the road and hop on that. I with my friend sat beside the entrance of the jeep. I looked up to the entrance and locked eyes with the man ascending the jeep, it was just a short moment. I saw that he was also wearing a red shirt and to make it more matter, he sat right beside me. My friend jokingly said, "You guys will explode, he is wearing the same color as your shirt haha." I just nodded to her because I am in agony and felt uncomfortable because a handsome man is beside me. I can't do what I usually do while on a road, I'm so conscious to him. Well, I'm marupok I admit. I hope he didn't notice that.
I remembered him actually from before. It was also the same time, night after our class waiting for a jeepney to bring us home. Worse, we were with several students also. We just stand and waited. I am the looker of the cardboard sign of the jeepneys while my friend just chillin'. I looked at my left to see again if there's another jeep to be looked at. I saw him and was stunned because he's so handsome, he looked in my direction, our eyes met but not too long. I ignored him but I saw him still looking at my direction. I just thought maybe he can't see what he needed to see because I'm in the way but who cares anyway, feel free to look at me.
Back to that present time, the jeep came to a stop in Bicutan for the passengers to descend. I secretly wish that he will not leave and shall have the same place with us to descend and it actually came true. It was a joyful day for me tho we are in the opposite direction after leaving the jeep.
The next time we saw each other was when I was walking in the corridor going outside our building. He stood there in the open center wearing a spiderman shirt, it's red of course while mine is not. I laughed ok haha because it was so fitted to him and made him looked gay, to be honest. I waited for my friend and help her walk because she's not feeling well at that time. I peeked at him at my peripheral vision and saw him looking at our direction.
There was also the time when I saw him together with his friends crossing the road. Did I just stare at him? And also, that was the time I figured out something. I figured that maybe he was really gay because of his circle of friends, 2 girls( I recognized one of the girls there), and a gay too. I just assume maybe he's courting one of the gal there or whatnot. After crossing the road, they walked to my left side a bit far from me. I lowered my gaze to avoid having eye contact with him, it's just me to assume but I kind of felt that he was staring at me while walking in front of me. I was casually leaning to the wall behind me and looked at his direction, I observed him and his outfit, it reminded me of my gay highschool classmate wearing the same. A shirt, a fitted jean folded outside in the end and partnered with flowery shoes. I smirked at my thought while looking away, maybe he is. Kinda funny of me I can't blame myself to not have a crush at him, you know he's really handsome. We rode the same jeepney again but because he's with his friends so he sat in front of me. That time too I realized that I saw him because I was wearing my red shirt. In addition to that, I secretly wish I can be friends with him. This happened two times but not in a row ok.
It was Saturday and given a lunch break. Together with the gang, we sat in a long table, I sit in the center of the table with a wall behind me. Guess what, I'm wearing my red shirt at that time. Moreover, I got an argument with my friend about the problem we may face in the future projects in school so I was a bit down that time, she's sitting far from me means we're still not good. All got their food and started eating, I looked up from my food and yes I saw him again. I ignored him at first and continued eating again but to my surprise, I saw him at my right eating beside our table, in the same position as mine, he's alone. He could've sat in the end part so he can be easily reached when one of his friends approached him to ask him something. Maybe he's just shy because he's eating alone so he sat there but you know people can easily see him from that angle, remember we're in the same position. Why though?
Another one was when I was already at the school sitting in the pathway watching other students play in the court. Again wearing the same color I saw my crush from high school, Aaron running to the business center. I left my sight out of him and there I saw him walking with a girl towards my direction. He didn't seem to have seen me so I lowered my head and fiddled with my phone. I saw their shoes walked past by me as I'm sure of that because seconds later I looked up at his back now facing me, shocked because he hit the metal pole near me so hard why did I know that? because there was no one following them even though there are many students at that time. "What the?" Did he recognize me? Maybe he's irritated because he saw me again?
For the last 2 weeks, I decided not to wear that red shirt and coincidentally I didn't see him too in those days. The reason was I thought that fate might be playing with us or maybe it is my mind that is playing with me, placebo effect? I should stop this so I did that. I'm not worth it for him. Until that day, for one last time, I challenged God to see if I will see him again if I wear the shirt again. While on the trip going to school, my mind drifted and forget about the challenge. I was walking along with my friend in the empty pathway going to the business center until I looked up and saw his figure our eyes met and I was wide-eyed for a moment. I smirked inside my mind. He's wearing a plain white t-shirt, sitting along with his guy friends and talking and laughing at whatever they talked about. Their table was just beside ours I did not directly go there but my friend was, I called for her for I thought we will go to the clinic to scheduled for our teeth. Still conscious at him that I suppress my voice, I felt his stare but I didn't look at him. Thank God because my friend went to me and continued walking alongside. After scheduling, I shared these weird happenings to her and also said, "But he is gay." She said, "Maybe you are fated haha. No, he's doesn't seem to be gay. He's with those boys." I just shrugged to her.
We came back to our classmate's table and they are still there. To make it seem that I'm not awkward or conscious to him, I tried to be natural and just stand close to him and lean to a metal pole as I usually am in the other days. I talked, teased and played with my classmates. I shifted my body to accompany my friend to buy something. After a while, We came back and saw him standing as if looking for something then our eyes met again. After that, they leave and we also did for the class will start.
As I said that that will be the last time, I have never worn that shirt as I still believed fate is just playing with us.
Later those days, it's so late at night and accompany my friend to meet his boyfriend on the campus. No one knew of their relationship in that school except me so I'm her comrade and help her. We are sitting in the business center with her boyfriend already. They are so quiet? Is it because I'm there? Ok I don't know what to do with that haha it's ok I'm not bitter or envy so they can be lovey-dovey. I just ignored them and looked in the other direction, I saw him with a girl. I think he didn't notice me because I'm facing my back in their direction when they walked past. I looked at my shirt, I was wearing blue and he's wearing brown.