Chapter 5

Gabriel's

"That's all for today, Everyone. Class dismissed." Our professor said and we all uttered thanks in unison before he left. I heaved a deep sigh before stretching my arms same with Mike. Our block mates started to get out of the classroom one by one but I prefer to let them go ahead of us.

It's our lunch break already. I looked at Maze on the other side and saw that he's looking at his phone intently with a frown. I can also see that it's ringing but it seems like he doesn't want to answer it. 

"Maze! Gab!" The three of us looked at the guy who called us and saw Top with the other three members of Thoughts at Midnight. I can't pretty much remember their names as I wasn't really focusing on them last night. 

I don't know but I felt something weird when Top called our names. It sounded cute. Suitable. My eyes widened when I realized what I was actually thinking.

'Suitable? What the fuck?'

I looked at Maze and he's giving Top his usual reaction. What else could it be aside from the straight face that he'd been showing to everyone around him. 

"Mike! What are you waiting for? We're having lunch together!" Top shouted. 

"Yeah, yeah! I thought you only cared about Maze and Gab that's why I'm not moving. Tsk." Mike retorted and I heard Top's laugh. I looked at Maze again just in time that he had put his things inside his bag while still looking at his ringing phone.

'Is he really planning not to answer it?'

It was then he looked at me causing me to freeze as I stare at his cold dark orbs. It's as if I'm caught in a trance and everything around us started to blur as I feel my heart beating fast. If he didn't raised the one side of his lips to mock me, I am quite sure that I won't be able to snap out of it soon. He stood up while I avoided his gaze and cleared my throat. I looked at Mike and was quite surprised when I saw that he's looking at me.

"You look like you're about to palpitate, Gabriel. Are you okay?" He asked me and I frowned at him just to pretend that I have no clue about what he's talking about. Cause to be honest, I really don't know the answer. 

I don't know why my heart starts to beat abnormally the moment I caught a glimpse of Maze's cold dark orbs. It's as if, I've seen something from his depths but I can't really fathom what it is.

"Gab! Mike! It's not the time to chitchat! I'm hungry!" We looked at Top once again and saw that Maze is already outside and is talking to their band's drummer. 

"Coming!" I shouted nonchalantly as Mike and I put our things inside our bag before walking towards the exit where Top, Maze and his band mates were waiting for us. Or maybe not. 

The moment, we reached the group, Maze started waving his goodbye to his friends and Tong.

"Aow, you're not joining us?" Before I could even think, my sinful mouth had already uttered my curiosity. Maze gave me a blank stare while his friends, Mike and Top are looking at me quizzically cause this is so not me. 

'Stupid, Solzeek.'

I silently cursed myself as I avoided our friends' gaze. 

"Tsk." I looked at Maze and he's now smirking at me as if showing me how stupid I am to ask him. I can feel my face heating up as I realized how I sounded so eager to eat with him. 

"H-he just needs to talk to someone. But he'll probably join us once he's done." Top was the one to save me from the awkward situation and I looked at him with thankful eyes. He then grinned at me as if he's telling me that it's not for free causing me to wrinkle my nose as I scratch my nape.

"Have you seen the three idiots?" Mike asked Top pertaining to Kevin, Marvin and Barry who are studying at the faculty of Sports Science. 

"They're actually waiting for us at the cafeteria." The band's guitarist was the one who answered Mike. Mike looked at him and smiled. It was then we all remembered that we haven't greeted each other properly and we all offered a wai and laughed. 

"I've never seen you before. I thought you're studying in a different university." Says Mike while looking at the band's drummer. And by the looks of it, I can clearly see that my best pal here has a thing about the cool guy. But the drummer remained looking at Maze's direction causing me to do the same only to see that Maze had already gone unbeknownst to the other guys.

"Well, Mark, Cole and I are studying at the faculty of Music. And we're not the same as Gab, Top, Adan or Maze who's good looking enough to gain their reputations." The bassist jokingly said and they all laughed. But I find it not funny upon hearing Adan's name. It feels like he's saying that Adan is on the same level as us but I refused to accept that. 

Adan is obviously a low class playboy hitting on the girls that had gone either my hands, or Top's. And I'm somehow thankful that Maze had rejected his low key flirting last night.

And as for Maze, he's obviously the type of guy who doesn't know how to flirt with girls. I bet he had no girlfriend since birth. But there's no doubt that he's good looking and oozing with sex appeal. I hope, by the end of the year, maybe I or Top could influence him and he'll finally learn how to use his charms. He should get laid before graduating college.

'And why the hell am I so concerned about his sex life?! He obviously sees me as his enemy for I don't the reason why.'

"You can really talk about that while eating, Guys. I'm already starving." Top whined as he walked ahead of us and we all laughed at him as we followed his steps on the way to the cafeteria. Upon arriving, we saw a massive crowd of students lurking around the cafeteria and it's pretty obvious that there's no space left for us. We all looked around and searched for Mawin, Boat and Kenji but there's no trace of them at all.

It was then Mike's phone rang.

"Aow, it's Kevin." He said before taking the call. "Where are you guys? At the noodle house outside the University? Oh c'mon, we had noodles last week. Can't you choose another place? Tsk. Okay, fine. I'll order some extra meat since you're going to pay. Yeah, we'll be there in a while. Wait for us." We all looked at him as he talked to Kevin over the phone. "They said that they moved out since the cafeteria is too crowded. They're waiting for us at Jeed's Noodle House outside the university." We all nodded with what he said. 

"Then, let's go--"

"You guys can go ahead." We looked at the drummer when he said that.

"Why?" Top asked. 

"I'll wait for Maze here. I'm sure he'll be done talking in any minute." He answered and Top nodded. 

"Let's go." The bassist said before looking at Mark and he nodded at us.

"We'll wait for the both of you there." The guitarist said and even if I felt kind of hesitant to leave him alone just to wait for Maze, I had no choice since we're not that close and it would be ridiculous for me to say that I can stay with him while he wait for Maze. 

Cause no matter what I say, they'd still accuse me for wanting to wait for Maze and that's not gonna happen. I'm not planning to embarrass myself for the second time just because of Maze. I haven't figured out what type of revenge I should pull to get even with him and yet, it seems like he's about to win again today without doing anything.

And as we walked towards the University's gate, Mike was able to get along with the guitarist and the bassist and they are now casually talking and laughing with each other while Top went beside me. He then, poked my side so I looked at him while frowning. 

"What?" I asked him and he grinned at me while raising both of his redundantly. "What's with that ridiculous face, Top?" I asked him and he chuckled before wrapping his arms around my shoulders and patting it. 

"I noticed that you can't seem to hold yourself when it comes to Maze, eh." He teasingly said so I glared at him before moving away and he chuckled again. 

"What the heck are you talking about, Top?" I snapped at him and he shook his head before smiling at me knowingly. 

"C'mon, Gabriel. We both know that you're the type of guy who can be patient and understanding for it is required in the program that we're taking. But it's really obvious that you're easily annoyed and pissed when it comes to Maze." I avoided his gaze cause he's right. I'm usually patient when it comes to dealing with other people, well of course, my friends are the exceptions cause I can easily express what I feel when it comes to them, be it annoyance or some sort, I can easily vent it out on them. But never to the ones that I've just met. Maze was actually the first one to have pissed me off and made me snap at him amidst of the fact that we just met. It's as if he had a big effect on me. He easily affects me and I don't know the reason why.

"See? I was right." He said and I remain silent. He then sighed so I looked at him and he's smiling at me. "And I would like to apologize on his behalf, Dude. He's really kind of elusive when it comes to our type. He's also like that when we first met but I later found out the reason why so I decided to keep him as a friend." I frowned at what he said. 

Just what the fuck did he mean with words 'our type' and Maze's reason for being like that? I seriously don't get his point and it makes me so damn curious about the guy we're talking about. Which is Maze. And even if I tried to disregard the things that Top said, I involuntarily formed a question in my mind.

'Who are you really, Maze?'

"I also have one favor to ask, Gab." I looked at Top and he looks so serious so I waited for what he's about to say. 

"What is it?"

"Will you please be patient with Maze and promise me not to do anything that could hurt him?" I was totally caught off guard with what he said. I looked at him intently and he really looked like he mean it. He looked like a concerned brother and this was actually the first time that I saw him like this.

And this was all because of Maze.

I mindlessly nodded at him and he smiled before messing my hair.

"You're the best, Gab!" He said while smiling and I can't help but to groan in annoyance because my hair is completely messed up. I was still fixing my hair when we arrived at the noodle house and saw the three idiots waiting for us inside. 

"Aow, there they are." Mike said. We're about to come in when the guitarist said something that made us look from what we came from. 

"Mark and Maze is also here but..."

I can't help but to frown when I saw an uninvited acquaintance talking to Maze while they are walking towards us. 

'Why the fuck is he with Adan?'