CHAPTER 4

Natasha was already in her third year in College with her Education course. Although that wasn't really her dream course, she had barely any choices because the courses offered in her school were only limited. Even if she wanted to continue her education in Manila, she knew that she couldn't afford the expenses that she'd be facing there.

She was lying on her bed, staring at the only picture of Clyde that was pinned against her wall. She cut that picture off a magazine that she saw in town. When she saw that, she couldn't even contain her feelings, and bought a copy immediately. Beside him was a picture of her more annoying twin and their grandmother.

Of course, it was only Clyde's picture that she posted on the wall of her room. Years had already passed since he last saw the twins. It wasn't like she cared for his other twin, but every time their grandmother would come back for a consultation, the twins would be nowhere in sight.

She'd often feel sad because she missed the guy so much. She knew that she really did fall hard for him that was why she never gave up even when she'd only see him in the only picture that she had of him. She stood up with a smile on her face before walking towards the picture of Clyde. He was undeniably handsome.

Natasha read from the magazine that the twins' family was really popular in Manila as they owned a big modeling agency. She also found out that their grandmother was the one who raised the twins because their parents unfortunately passed because of an accident when they were only four years of age. She couldn't even help but cry when she read the story of the del Espania family.

Their grandmother came from a less fortunate family, and when she married their grandfather who came from a well-off family, she strove hard to develop the business further, especially after her husband died. Natasha was very amazed when she found out about that because the old woman managed to do those amazing things—to not just make their business a big success, but to raise her grandchildren as well. She did that on her own.

The old woman was hoping that her grandsons would continue to manage the business once they finished their schooling. She also read about the achievements of Clyde in the interview that was part of the magazine issue.

There was a huge smile plastered right across her face.

"My love is so amazing," she said before pinching the air as she looked at his picture as if she was pinching the cheeks of the guy himself.

She also took a peck at his pictures, feeling butterflies in her stomach.

Her phone suddenly rang, cutting her moment off. When she got it to see what it was all about, she read a text from her only friend that lived all the way to the town. Her name was Shirley. The content of her message reminded her that they'd be going out later at night.

She said that there was a concert that they ought to attend in town, and since that kind of circumstance barely happened in their place, they'd never want to miss the opportunity.

Natasha had already told her grandmother about it, and luckily, she agreed. She said that she trusted her. She even barely left her house so she allowed her to go for the night.

She texted back a reply. They agreed to meet at five in the afternoon because the concert would start at seven in the evening. She didn't exactly know what to expect, but her friend told her that the concert was about a band from Manila. She couldn't remember the name of the band as she really wasn't interested in that kind of stuff.

She opened her drawer to get ready but was stuck staring at her clothes. Shirley told her not to wear the clothes that she usually wore as her long skirts and dresses were really not a fit for events like that. That became such a dilemma for Natasha. All her life, she had been so used to wearing long skirts and old blouses, that was why she was having such a hard time picking clothes. Luckily, she was able to find a pair of jeans that she had never worn ever since. It was a gift from her Tita. She also saw a blouse top that had butterfly sleeves.

The outfit was fine, she guessed. Natasha just shrugged before picking her clothes up and heading to the bathroom to take a shower as it was already four in the afternoon.

She was already fresh from the shower and was already wearing the clothes that she picked when she just stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. Her blouse was tucked under her high-waisted jeans. She paired those with a pair of white rubber shoes.

She also tied her hair in a bun so that it wouldn't look so messy and ruin her entire outfit.

Lastly, she fixed her big glasses before looking at herself with a satisfied sigh.

Maybe she already looked fine.

She immediately went down and saw her grandmother sitting on the sofa. The old woman was just staring at her with a creased forehead, probably because just like her, she wasn't used to seeing her wear something other than her long skirts and old blouses.

She was smiling when she stood in front of her grandmother before spinning slowly. She knew that the old woman didn't like her wearing jeans, but she couldn't see a hint of dislike in her countenance as she looked at her in that outfit.

"Is it pretty, Grandma?" she asked her with happiness that lingered in her tone.

She saw her smile.

"Whatever you wear, Dear, you remain beautiful. You are beautiful," she answered as she continued looking at her with such admiration in her eyes.

Natasha was used to the things that her grandmother would often say. She knew that she wasn't exactly beautiful and that she didn't have that kind of beauty that someone could easily boast about, but because of her grandmother's treatment, she would often feel like she was pretty even when people in school liked to bully her. Her grandmother was the reason why she never felt bad about the way she looked, and never did she self-pity about it as well.

Her smile was wide when she embraced her grandmother who remained sitting. She kissed her on the cheek. "I'll be heading now, Grandma. I'll be going back home late, but don't worry because I'll be with Shirley," she told her.

"Alright. Be careful always. Don't make me find out you're already counting men with your fingers, okay?" she said.

She couldn't help but laugh at what she said as she knew that she was only joking. How could she be counting men when everyone in her school, may it be girls or boys, was avoiding her?

She just smiled at her grandmother before going out of the house. She was still using her bicycle to go to town. She went straight towards Shirley's house. When she saw her, she immediately waved at her as her friend was already waiting for her outside their gate.

She stopped in front of Shirley. She was also wearing a pair of glasses like her, but she was wearing a pink blouse and knee-length shorts instead.

"Wow! My companion looks like a principal!" she commented the moment she saw her.

Natasha just laughed at her friend's remark. She accompanied her inside so that she could leave her bicycle in a secure and safe place.

Shirley's parents weren't around because they had matters to attend to so she didn't bother going inside.

They then walked the distance all the way to the park that was only close to the house as it was the location of the concert. There was already a crowd of people in the area, waiting for the concert to start, anticipating.

The two decided to grab something to eat as they wandered around the park. They saw a mini-bus that was parked near the house of the Mayor, saying that it was the vehicle that the band used. It seemed as if the mayor welcomed them into his home.

They were able to buy tickets early so they didn't have to worry about the long line of people as they directly positioned themselves in front of the crowd. There weren't any chairs around so it was expected for the audience to just stand until the concert ended.

Before it turned seven, the lights were already turned off. The one that served as their umbrella if it'd ever rain was only a massive tarpaulin. The park wasn't that small, it was large even, but there were so many people that the place was so packed, especially at the back.

The people cheered after the lights had been turned off. It was a cue that the concert was starting.

"Good Evening, Kalipayans. Let's welcome the Kronicklez Band!" They heard a voice from the middle of the dark say.

The stage was suddenly lit with an overwhelming set of lights at first. The moment people were able to adjust to the lights after a moment of darkness, their eyes quickly focused on the five guys that were probably the members of the band. Natasha closed her eyes because of the deafening screams from the audience.

"Hello, Kalipayanz!" shouted the guy in the middle. There was a guitar that was hanging against his back. They still couldn't see his face properly because of the lighting. However, his voice was already good even when he was still talking. The audience responded with screams filled with excitement. Natasha could also hear Shirley screaming as well that was why she decided to join the crowd with a grin.

The strumming from the guitar suddenly overwhelmed the venue, making everyone drop silent.

Ohhhh!

Girl, you are the fire in my eyes. Yeah! You always make me feel so good.

The guy started singing. She knew that the band composed that song itself because it was the first time that she heard it. The beat of the song was great, that was why she couldn't help herself but get carried away with it, clapping together with the crowd. They even raised their arms while swaying their bodies alongside the beat of the song.

She felt glad that she agreed to accompany Shirley because she was really enjoying the night.

The guy continued singing and how beautiful his voice was!

The lights were once again turned on when the song was about to end, and they were able to finally look at the faces of each member.

Girl, you are the one for me! Wooh!

That was the last line that the guy standing in the center of the stage sang. Natasha immediately felt her blood rushing towards her face the moment she saw who he was. Her hand remained up in the air because of the shock.

Clyde! She even opened her eyes even more to take a better look at the guy's face.

Clyde! She wanted to jump in glee.

"Whew! How are you, Kalipayanz? To start, we will choose someone to join us here on stage. I think I wouldn't have a hard time choosing," the guy suddenly said before pointing his finger at her.

Was Clyde pointing at me?

Natasha immediately felt her blood rushing towards her face. She saw from the corners of her eyes that people were already staring at her.

Did Clyde remember her? Hadn't her love forgotten about her? For the goodness of God!

She felt like passing out.

"Yes, Miss, please join us here," he suddenly said.

She just stood there feeling dumbfounded about what she just heard. The guy was just staring at her, walking towards the stairs of the stage to come to get her himself.

"Hey! Put your other hand down now. You have been noticed already! Woah, you're so lucky!" shouted Shirley who was pulling her hand down.

When she still hadn't moved a muscle, the people behind her decided to push her to get her going. She saw that Clyde had already gone down the stairs while he was reaching for her hand, waiting for her.

Oh no! My dear Clyde!

Her steps were swift as she walked towards the front, looking at the guy who was waiting for her.

"Uhh, why her?" She even heard a girl whose face was filled with make-up as she glared at her from head to toe.

Natasha didn't care about what she just heard as her attention was fixed on the guy who she had longed for at such a time. When she was finally able to grab hold of his hand, she felt a wave of electricity seeping into her system. His grip against her hand as tight as he guided her towards the center of the stage.

"Alright, we have this pretty lady here. She is the one who will receive a copy of our album with our signatures and pictures as well." He was staring at her as he said that, and he even winked at her.

Natasha grabbed hold of her chest because of that.

Pretty? I'm pretty? Clyde, I want to cry out of happiness.

Clyde, why are you suddenly doing this to me?

"Siang, move a little bit so that I could take pictures of you," said Shirley who even got up to the stage and stopped in front of them. The guy only smiled before placing his arm around her shoulder. Natasha couldn't even count the number of pictures Shirley took of both of them. She could barely breathe because of everything that was happening. It seemed like destiny didn't even give her a chance to process things. She also had pictures of other members of the band, and Shirley joined in at the last picture and even asked the drummer of the band to take it for her.

Shirley then went down the stage with a huge smile on her face.

"Lady, tonight is your lucky night because we'll be giving you a ticket to our concert that will be held in Manila. I hope you'll be there," he said, smiling. His hand was still resting on her shoulder.

The only thing that Natasha could do was to swallow the lump on her throat.

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Tas... Natasha," she replied, feeling dumbfounded.

"Nice name. How about mine? Do you know my name?" he asked in a playful way.

'Yes, of course! Clyde!' she wanted to shout.

'KYLE!'

Before she even got the chance to answer, the crowd was already cheering his name.

Kyle? Clyde's twin?

She stared at his face for quite some time, allowing her brain to register the features of the guy in front. She saw that he had a piercing in his ear, and she knew that Clyde didn't have piercings. Even the pair of ripped jeans that he was wearing wasn't the preference of her dear one.

How could she be so stupid? How did it take her so long to realize that he wasn't the one that she loved?

She heard him clear his throat as she still hadn't dropped her stare at him.

"I'm very flattered by the way you stare at me, Natasha, but... I'm already taken," he whispered in her ear, causing the crowd to go frantic. They must've thought that he said something else. She just stared at him, wide-eyed. Looked like nothing really changed that much about him. He was still cocky like he used to be!

The guy didn't seem to remember her, which she couldn't question because it had been years since he came to visit with his grandmother.

She was about to yell at him when the crowd started cheering.

Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!

The guy looked at her again.

"Well, I guess, this is really your lucky night," he said, his voice echoing because of the sound of the microphone. She didn't get the chance to even think when she felt his lips against her cheek—a peck.

She just stood there, dumbfounded, not knowing what to do nor did she know how to even get off from there. However, the guy gave her the things that she won before escorting her down the stage.

After that happened, the stage dimmed once again, and the band played a new song. The crowd started cheering with the band once again, jumping then and there, feeling the music that was being played. Natasha, however, was still feeling a little lost, as if the things that just happened hadn't fully registered in her mind.

Only when Shirley shook her shoulders did she go back to her senses.

"You're so lucky! Do you know that Kyle is my crush for a long time now?! Oh my God!" she was shouting at her in order for her to hear clearly.

She only grimaced because of it.