Tease A Friend

Instead of minding Howard's business, Zannie decided to keep herself busy, and when she turned around, Jacob was already behind her back.

“You almost startled me,” Zannie uttered and timidly smiled.

Jacob  nodded and went to the designated area where the fellow novice soldiers were. “I’m sorry. I just noticed that you’re observing Mr. Howard, as you see, he looks so dedicated today.”

"As he should. By the way,  I'm happy because you've fulfilled your dream."

If before, it seemed like she could not accept the realization of Jacob's dreams, now it seems okay to her. She may look very selfish if she stops him from pursuing his dream career and she has no right to do that. Time flies, over the length of time they’ve been together, his passion hasn’t even changed. But for Zannie, her feelings for her best friend have not changed.

‘I'll be okay too. Hopefully tomorrow, I don't want you anymore. Hopefully I have someone else to crush on.’

She stopped looking at him from her direction. When she turned around, she saw Howard busy talking to the nurse who had greeted them earlier. She couldn't hear them talking but based on the nurse's smile, it seemed like they had a good topic. She was a woman and she knew the radiance of her fellow woman's eyes, especially if there’s a  handsome one in front of her.

But, she was irritated by what he saw. Howard should be focusing on the task at hand, instead of talking to the nurse as if showing motive. She simply sighed. She first handed the medicine kits to a staff member and returned to where Howard and the nurse were. Didn’t she know, like she wanted to cut that scene. Admit it or not, she was already disgusted upon looking at them for an unexplainable reason.

"Excuse me, aren't you busy, Miss?" she calmly asked the female nurse.

"I’m busy, ma’am. But I'm just happy to talk to him. I'm having fun at the same time, then he insisted that he also help me with other tasks." The woman's smile was wide. It was as if her lips were about to be torn by the smile. She looks like she has hit the jackpot prize in a lottery..

"I'm sorry Miss, I'm going to order him something too. And maybe our superior can see him, because he's just talking to you." Her tone is obviously sarcastic.

"Sorry Madam. By the way, I'll save your number Howard. See you later." Before leaving, the woman left a meaningful smile.

"You know, how would you feel if you were like that when you talked to Jacob earlier?"

Zannie's heart seemed to tremble when she heard Howard speak like that. Does it mean that he has been looking at her before? How come?

"Jacob is a friend," she reasoned.

"So am I not allowed to find new friends here?" Howard's speech was more sarcastic.

"We came here for work. And from your point of view, it doesn't seem like you want to start a friendship."

"Are you jealous?"

Zannie's eyes widened spontaneously. In her words, she seemed to be jealous. "And why should I be jealous?" she asked, annoyed.

Howard grunted. "Because you're the type of person with a lot of insecurities. Come on, if you want Jacob to notice you, make a move. There's nothing stopping you."

She was receding and seemed to have lost her balance. No one else knows that secret, maybe Lucille just notices her but that's not enough to give Howard an idea about a conclusion on her true feelings.

"How did you know that?"

Howard smiled sparingly. "He told me."

"Jacob told me that you have a crush on him, a long time ago. And the only reason you came here is because you're following him."

Zannie couldn't hide the embarrassment she felt when Howard said that thing. She thought that Jacob had never noticed her actions before. Until she finally returned to the barracks, that still haunts her mind. She didn't even question Howard and simply left him without denying his allegations.

"Zannie, haven't you seen the unit that Jacob belongs to before? They were about to perform a dance number. My goodness, that's the essence of their dance. Imagine, even though they are busy ensuring the safety of their countrymen, they have prepared a number for everyone's entertainment! I think you should watch that!" Lucille's excited opening when she enters the room where she is now. What Zannie’s friend was referring to was the dance number of Jacob and his fellow members as a mini celebration of their victory in the fight against terrorism. Now that Trias is finally free from danger, the soldiers and volunteers will be able to move to different places. Mission is over, just like Zannie's mission to chase Jacob's heart. Now that he is a full-fledged soldier, she has no hope for him at all. She thought it's going to be painful like she will lose her mind but it's not what she felt as of now. It seems like nothing. Jacob is her crush and her only ideal type but he can turn another man to be a new crush so she will lose her admiration for him. And who else?

"Hey, Zannie, are you listening?" Lucille whispered, bringing her back to reality. At any rate, she seems to be moving to another dimension when the young man is obsessed with her mind.

She faked a smile. "Yes. That's good to watch, but I’m tired. I’m gonna miss it."

"Whew? You weren't at the camp before where it was held, you should go with me to see their second performance." Lucille let out a silly laugh.

"I'm there," Zannie lied while rolling her eyes.

"Howard told me that you went here first."

There seemed to be an unfamiliar tremor in her heart when she heard the young man's name. All he knew was, it was annoying. She hates him because he's around and breathing the same air in Trias. She hates him for a petty reason that she could not emphasize.

"So, he’s also watching my actions then?" she asked the friend which caused her to burst out laughing.

"Hey sister, why would he keep an eye on you? Are you already under threat of terrorism? Besides, Howard has other interests," Lucille replied sarcastically before rolling her eyes.

"When you call me sister, I immediately guess you're just teasing me," Zannie replied irritably. Her friend was right, why would Howie keep an eye on her? Why does she seem to assume that the man she hates likes her? But she was suddenly curious when Lucille said that Howard had other interests.

"Wait, what do you mean he has other interests?"

"Ayie. Now you’re getting curious about him."

"Isn't he the CEO? And his only interest is business. It's possible that he has an idea to add to that brain to grow the company." She concluded easily, even though she knew what her friend was really aiming for, it's not an interest about business—it's love interest.

"I think she's the type of sexy nurse who was with us to give the medical kit. The good thing is, I heard they're both single. She’s also nice to everyone."

"How did you say that she is Howard’s ideal woman?"

Inside her there was a part that made her insecure with the female nurse. Yes, she’s beautiful to be Howard’s girlfriend and they both look good together.