"Hey, how was both of your holidays?"
Maria replied first, "It was so awesome!" I love this, about Maria. She is so adorable, especially when she speaks enthusiastically.
I giggle at her words, "It was just spectacular! Oh, and I met a guy, there." I and Lucas both looked at each other, raising a brow simultaneously. We then both broke down into peals of gleeful laughter together.
"And—?" Lucas asks her as we continue chuckling. "He was a tanned, tall, well-built guy," Maria says, with nostalgically dreamy eyes, as if she is sculpturing his portrait with the transient blinks of her eyes. "He said I was the most gorgeous girl, he had ever seen."
"Did he—?" Lucas asks, as I slap his arm I say to Maria, "Of course, he would go nuts over her beauty!"
"So, he was with you all of your time in Spain?" Lucas asks.
"Yes—and."
"And—?" I ask her.
"Guys, do you know what 'Te Quiero means?" Maria asked, looking at us both.
"Huh? What was that?"I ask Maria.
Glancing at the guy beside me, scrolling something on his phone, I asked, "Luc? Do you"
"Hmm?" He said absently.
I took the phone out of his hands and asked, "Luc, you know the meaning?"
"What?" He stared at me. I wanted to believe he heard it, but looking at his eyes made it hard to judge. "That—that phrase, Maria just said." He squinted his eyes, even more as I spoke. 'Bruh what's up with this kid.'
Glimpsing at Maria, I found her softly chuckling at us. She repeated, "Te qui-e-ro." She excited exclaimed, "It means I love you, in spanish. And he said that on our third date."
Lucas and I smiled at her, and before we could say anything, we were interrupted.
"Lisa!" A few kids from our class ran up to us.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Maria asked.
"There is a call for Lisa."
"Me—?" I asked, pointing at myself.
"Yes."
"Whos' calling me in the school telephone?!"
***
Walking into, an expansive room, filled with sofas and people talking, I went to the furthermost corner. "I had a call, Mrs Pepcer?" I asked our manager.
She looked at me, "Oh—yes Lisa," gesturing to the telephone she says, "It's your uncle," she added, "he's on the line."
'uncle?'
"Thank you, Mrs Pepcer." Taking the black receiver into my hands, I said, "Hello?"
"Hey!" Someone beamed from the other end.
And my brain was no stranger to the voice from the other end of the line. "You—" I stop as I realise Mrs Pepcer, was peeking at me in an act of rustling through papers.
"Yes Uncle—" what do I call him? "Josh!" I repeated, "Yes Uncle Josh."
"Dude—" And the darned guy dared chuckle.
"How are you?" I asked, eyeing her again. "How is Aunt Daisy?"
"Oh—I am fine, just missing you guys, and dude seriously daisy? You still love daises so much?!" he mocked, as he broke down laughing again.
'This guy—'
"OH MY GOD!" I cried out. "How did that happen?!" I glanced back at Mrs Pepcer, and she was still staring at me, just a little sharper than before.
I said to her, "My pregnant aunt got into an accident!" Glancing at her, and seeing how she believed in that, I added, gesturing to the phone in my hand, "Can I please just have a moment in private with my uncle?"
"Sure sure" She readily agreed.
"Thank you,"
"Woh" I panted. 'It is a relief.'
"Was it too hard?" I knew he must have been smirking now. "Shut up! And don't smirk!"
"You know me so well!" he chuckled.
"That I do," I say, in a larghetto manner. "Right," I asked, "Why did you call me now when you know I'd be in school?"
"That's why I called here. In the school telephone," he replied, "Because I knew, you'd be in school."
"Alas." I paused. "You don't call nor text, nor do you reply to ours or call back." I said, "What—what do you think of yourself huh? You know, Lucas and Maria miss you so much, they always talk about you."
"You don't miss me?" he blurted.
Hearing him say that, I suddenly felt an urge in me that wants to shout out, 'Don't you know?!'
But instead I replied to him, "Nah—excluding me, all of our gang members miss you."
"Gang members? What are we?—part of a murder clan?" He chuckled again.
"Hey, stop now," I said, peeved at his remarks.
"Fine." He said, before murmuring, "I missed you too,"
"Why me? I didn't miss you. Tell that line to the others." I said to him.
'Am I being unresonable?'
"I want you to know that," He said with a soft tone. And something in me just melted. 'Maybe I can forgive him?'
"Rosie."
I could feel my cheeks heating up for some reason.
"Hey—Alas!" I could faintly hear a coquettish female voice call him.
When I didn't hear his reply, "You got a girlfriend?!"
"You've gotten even sneakier Lisa." He said, trying to brush off what I want to say.
I sneered, "Yes yes ocourse, avoid your friends to the best you can."
"I could never avoid you guys," He said, "Also, you sound. . . envious?"
"Me? Yes perhaps sad that you don't bother to talk to us now that you've built a whole new life there"
"Come on Al, what are you doing?!" The same female voice nudged him again.
"I guess you should really go now," I giggled.
"Yes, I guess." He says with a sigh. I could feel his blush. ' I giggle to myself as I think of his blush which I have not seen in the last two years.
"Tell us all the details about her, later. Okay?" I remind him.
"Ah, it's nothing like that!" He says to me, "Duh, as if I'll believe that!" I rolled my eyes.
"Fine," he says, in a sulky tone.
"Alright, go now then,"
"Hmm," he hummed.
"Bye," But then I called him, in haste. "Wait!"
"Why?" he asked. "I want to say something," I said to him.
"What's it?" He asked in a cool manner.
"I miss you too" I slowly mumble.
Pause.
"Hah—I miss you too, Rosie." He chuckled with a last, "Bye, I'll call you later."
"Okay call us, bye," I ended the call with a smile.