Chapter 15- Your Heart
Melissa stared at Elio for a few seconds as if she was taken aback by his question. The boy seemed like his mind was eating him away, so she understood that it was something serious.
"A choice, huh? Is it a problem you're facing, sweety?" She asked as she sat down facing him. "Do you want to tell me?"
"No… It's… I just want to know how I can make a choice in situations like that. Where I don't really know what would be the right thing to do."
"The right thing?"
"Yes. I just don't want to make a mistake. I'm afraid of failing… So much…" Elio said as he sighed. "I feel like I'm not really capable enough to trust myself."
"..."
"I have always been a failure. I'm not good at anything. I try my best every day, but all I've got going on is my tenacity. I have never felt like I was truly exceptional at anything. I am just me…"
Elio felt his eyes turn slightly blurry as he remembered the kind of life he lived. He had been miserable for so long. The long nights he slept without food, the days when he had to work for 15 and 16 hours between school and his part-time job. He didn't feel happy; he didn't feel satisfied with anything.
"I am a failure. It's like no matter what I try, everything will always go against me."
He didn't even have the opportunity to live like everyone else. He sees people with friends, people who can go out to have fun after school, live their youth, while he was stuck carrying a burden he cannot bear. He was sick and tired of it… He was so sick and tired of being the person he is.
He was so sick and tired of the life he was forced to live.
*Drip* *Drip*
"I'm just… *sniff* tired… Really tired…" He said. "And I don't know what I could do to feel better…"
Melissa listened to Elio silently; her expression was calm and collected. She didn't interrupt him or try to speak as she watched him cry silently. Elio's silent tears dripped down on the table.
At that moment, while the boy was still completely breaking down, Melissa spoke. "What is your heart telling you right now, Elio?"
"My heart?"
"You said that you wanted to do the right thing. But, isn't that the problem itself? You have always tried your best to do the right thing and never tried to do what your heart tells you, Elio."
"..." Her words were simple, and yet for a second, Elio felt like he was struck by lightning. Many memories flashed across his mind.
"I'm sure you already noticed it. You have always prioritized doing what is safe and what you think would be beneficial. But, isn't Elio someone who wants better? Who wants more?"
"I…"
Even though he was about to reply 'No, I don't'. For some reason, he hesitated and then stopped. 'Why am I hesitating? I have accepted that I will never be more and never amount to anything significant…'
Yet, for some reason, when he dug deep into his own heart, Elio felt something. Something he never thought even existed in him. A desire, a deep, underlying desire to just do something. Something that will fulfill him as a person.
Something that will make his life worth living.
"Forget about what's right and what's wrong, Elio. That isn't what you should be thinking about. Sometimes, we need to rely on our hearts to figure out what we would do. Our hearts would almost always lead us to our desired destination. Even if we fail along the way, we wouldn't feel any regrets because we had taken that risk and done what many others didn't dare to do." Leaning forward, Melissa touched Elio's chest where his heart was. "Speak to yourself, ask yourself what you want. There, you will find your answer."
Elio blinked and then stared at Melissa. Her soft, gentle gaze and bright, hopeful smile. It worked like magic, easing his tension and giving him immense reassurance.
He then remembered what Fiona said earlier. 'Follow what your heart says.'
In a sense, both of them gave him the same advice, and only now did he realize what they meant.
"I see…"
"You're a brilliant and sweet boy, Elio. You aren't a failure. If anything, you're the most special boy I have ever seen. You are also my dear friend, and I enjoy your presence unlike most other people." Slowly, Melissa moved her hand from his chest to his hair, ruffling it gently before she pulled him in for a hug. "I know you will do great things in the future and find the life you want to live."
The boy felt the warmth and smelled Melissa's sweet scent before he relaxed again. Her hugs were always the nicest thing he gets. They were simply so nice and relaxing, giving him the feeling of safety he never got from anything else.
"Mhm, I understand." He nodded. "I will do what makes me feel happy. Thank you so much..."
'If I even knew what happiness is…' He added in his head. But, on the bright side, Elio was now far less conflicted. He could choose without worrying about anything. He can, for the very first time in his life, choose not based on what he needs to do, but rather on what he wants to do.
The difference between those two things was like night and day for him.
***
After that, Elio had dinner with Melissa. It was amazingly delicious. Melissa was a great cook, and Elio was almost addicted to her food. She luckily sends him food very often, which he is very grateful for.
After that, he chatted with her for a bit before he finally left the apartment and headed back home. He was so tired that he was barely able to keep his eyes open. Reaching his door, he started rummaging through his pockets to find the key.
That was when…
"Hm?"
He noticed that he received a notification on his phone. He had kept it on mute during their dinner, so he only noticed it now.
"What is this notifica-" Before he could even finish the sentence, he froze. "Huh?" He blinked as he pulled the phone closer to him. The notification was from his bank app, and it said.
'You have received a transaction.'
"A transaction? Could this be… Fiona? I told her not to do that."
Still, he opened the app to check the sum. That was when he was struck with the second shock.
"What the hell?!!!"
On the screen, he saw… 10000 dollars. He had been sent 10000 dollars, and with it was a message.
"This is for your time. Thank you again. (Fiona Vaylor)."
The boy read the message with a comically dumbfounded look. "How did she even find my…"
Then he shook his head. "No, no, forget about that! Why did she send me so much money?! This is far too much! I don't think I have ever seen this sum of money in my life before! I need to send it back."
As he was about to quit the message, he suddenly received another one.
"P.S.: Do not resend the money."