Conrad’s POV
Hours have passed and our celebratory dinner has been great. Our tummies were filled with delicious food, probably got tipsy from all the champagne I drank, and had fun with our time together as best friends. This night has been special for the three of us but sadly, we won’t be seeing each other for a long time since all of us will be moving out from Philadelphia.
By the time our celebratory dinner ended, we group-hugged for the last time and went on with our lives. But when Connor left first, Jaiden held my hand unexpectedly and told me that we should go to a nearby park. I told my mom and she agreed immediately. She also told me that she will be waiting back in the open bar. We left and walked to a nearby park.
Minutes later, we arrived at Rittenhouse Square and walked around there. The park looks beautiful as it was lighted by the post lights and the light from the city itself. While we’re walking there, I noti
Chapter 15: Conrad’s Feelings Toward His Dad Three days have passed since Conrad’s incident. He was hospitalized during that time and was about to be discharged today. He sits miserably on the hospital bed, even if his mother and Mike visited him every day to keep him company. Elizabeth approaches him and sits with him.“Hey, you okay?” Elizabeth asks Conrad.“Yeah…” Conrad answered.“Are you sure?” She asked. “It doesn’t seem like you’re okay.” She said.“It’s just that, I don’t know…” Conrad said as he was having a hard time.“Go on, you can tell me.” She said trying to get Conrad to open up.“I’m sorry for making you guys worry.” He said sadly. “I know I shouldn’t do it, but I did it anyway. He added. &ld
Moments later, they arrived back at Conrad’s apartment. As they went inside, Conrad was welcomed with a warm hug by Alfred.“Well, this is new…” Conrad said surprisingly.“Too much… Sorry…” Alfred said embarrassingly. “I’m just relieved you’re okay.” He said.“It’s fine, I guess I’m just not used to being hugged by my friends anymore.” Conrad said. “Hey, I’m sorry if I made you worry.” He added. “I guess I didn’t listen to your advice…”“No worries,” Alfred replied. “By the way, I took the liberty in cleaning your room, since you know…” He said trying to be sensitive about what happened.“Thanks…” Conrad thanked. “Also, it’s great to be back at my apartment and I missed my bed, so I’ll go there and rest.” He said.“Do you g
Elizabeth takes a deep breath and opens the door. Scott was surprised to see Elizabeth in Conrad’s apartment. He never expected for her to be in New York.“Elizabeth surprised to see you here,” Scott said surprisingly. “Can I talk to Conrad?” He asked.“Before that, what are you doing here?” Elizabeth questioned.“I just want to talk Conrad, that’s all,” Scott answered."I heard what happened. Just tell me why you're here," Elizabeth replied.“I already told you!” Scott shouted. “I just want to talk to Conrad.” He said.“Conrad can’t talk to you,” Elizabeth said.“How come?” Scot asked. “Is it because you told him to.” He assumed.“No…” Elizabeth declined.“Then why?” Scott interrupted.“Because he’s scared,” Elizabeth answered. “He&rsq
As the sun rises in New York, it was another typical day for every person living there. But for Conrad, this is the start of something exciting. He wakes up by the sound of his alarm clock and the sun shining through his window. He sits down on the side of his bed, checks his phone, and realized that today is the start of something new. He starts to feel excited and goes out of his room to have breakfast before taking a shower. He directly goes to the kitchen and makes a cup of coffee for him. But, as soon he was about to put some water in the coffee maker, he notices that there’s still water in there. Then he thinks that Alfred already woke up and probably went somewhere. By the time he made his morning cup of coffee, he sits down by the dining table, takes a sip of his coffee, and opens his mental health journal. He starts to list out everything he’s grateful for and his plans for today and writes his entry for the day. While he writes his entry, Alfred com
Conrad finished preparing for his first day of culinary school. He went out of his room, wearing his uniform, and using his brand new leather book bag that his Aunt Christy gave him. As Alfred saw him, he was amazed by Conrad’s readiness and matured look.“Tell me, are you really going to culinary school or are you starting working?” Alfred asked. “Because you look ready as ever.” He continued.“Thanks, I guess it’s in my genes to look ready as ever…” Conrad said. “By the way, how come your uniform looks… you know…”“A bit big…” Alfred replied. “Yeah, I noticed,” He said. “They didn’t have my size, and the next smallest size was too small for me, and this was my only choice.” He continued. “But the pants are a perfect fit though.” He continued.“Have you thought of altering it?” Conrad asked.&ldq
After the short break Chef Austin gave to his students, he goes back to the room and continues the judging starting with Alfred. He was fascinated by Alfred’s dish.“Tell me your name and explain your dish to me.” Chef Austin said.“I’m Alfred Santiago, and my dish right here is based on one of the famous Filipino delicacies which is the caramel tart,” Alfred said. “Just like Conrad did earlier, I also took a risk and modified it.” He continued.“And what modifications you did?” Chef Austin asked.“Well, instead of the usual caramel filling, I replaced that with a Dulce de Leche filling, topped with meringue with a salted caramel drizzle,” Alfred replied.“I see you also changed the shape of the tart.” Chef Austin noticed.“Well, since most caramel tarts in the Philippines were shaped like a boat, there was less space for me to put the Dulce de Leche fi
Thirty minutes have passed, and Conrad was still waiting for his father to arrive. He decided to call him, but it straightly went into voicemail. He starts to lose hope and decides to leave instead of waiting up for him. He walks up to his car, and suddenly his father is calling his name from behind. He turns around to see his father. To his surprise, he was catching his breath as if he ran. “Sorry to make you wait…” Scott said while he’s still catching his breath. “It’s fine, it’s only like thirty minutes of waiting,” Conrad said sarcastically. “Wait, did you come from inside the school?” He asked upon realization. “Yeah, I did…” Scott answered. “What did you do there exactly?” Conrad asked curiously. “I’ve just met up with one of my clients,” Scott answered. “That explains the reason why dad wants to meet me here,” Conrad said to himself. “Uhm, last question…” He said. “You never told me this yet, but what’s your job?” He ask
The next day, Conrad was laying down on his bed, thinking about his time with his father yesterday. It was great for him and his father to spend time together again. But after yesterday, he also thinks about forgiving him already. But, he thinks again and knew that it’s not yet time to forgive him.He takes his phone from his nightstand and looks at the pictures of him and Jaiden from their celebratory dinner. He thinks about when she’ll come back from Paris. Looking at the time, he realizes that he’s going to be late for culinary school.He rushes in changing his clothes and in fixing his hair. He puts his things in his bag and goes out of his room. He fills his flask with hot coffee while he waits for his two slices of loaves in the toaster. Once, it was done toasting, he immediately goes out of his apartment. As he rushes down the hall, he realizes that he forgot to lock the doors in the apartment. He goes back to the apartment, locks the door, and
For the two of them, touring Madison Square Garden was enjoyable. They get to see more than what is shown to the public; they get to experience the greatest moments that occurred there, even if it is just in virtual reality. They get to snap a lot of photos there, some of which are perfect for publishing on social media. Some were also ideal for changing their profile images. Despite this, Conrad is able to make Jaiden happy and enjoy her day, despite the fact that something is bothering her mind. He's simply hoping she'll open up before the day is done. After their tour of Madison Square Garden, they headed to Brooklyn, where Conrad had one more surprise in store for Jaiden. Since it was a little early for his surprise, he recalls how much she enjoyed Frozen Yogurt. So he decided to take her to a frozen yogurt shop he knew. Fortunately, the business was nearby, so there was no need for him to second-guess himself or rush their rendezvous. They h
Conrad has finished prepping for their New York tour. He was dressed in a white shirt and jeans with a Philadelphia-themed blazer.He was astonished to see Jaiden waiting by the doorway when he opened it.“Jaiden, everything okay?” He asked worriedly.“Yeah, I just kind of wanted to see what your room looks like.” She chuckled softly. “Hey, it’s the jacket I gave you.” She said as soon as she noticed the jacket. “It looks better on you in person than in the picture you sent me.”She holds onto Conrad’s shoulder and feels the fabric through as her hands caress his arms. She holds onto his hands and intertwines them.After a while, their foreheads stick to each other and they can feel each other’s warm breath. Jaiden gives out a smile as she reminisces the last time she felt comfortable and safe in Conrad’s arms. But now, she doesn’t feel it. It’s like the feeling she felt once, was long gone.“So… You’re going to let me in your room?” She asked as she let go.“Yeah, if you really want
Conrad felt upbeat as soon as he woke up on Saturday morning. He took out his phone and checked to see if he had any texts, which he did. Jaiden texted to inquire about tonight's movie night.He jumped out of bed, realizing he had forgotten it was movie night with Jaiden. He should have been panicked by this point, yet he was actually cool. It's not the calm before the storm, but rather the serenity of being ready for anything.After yesterday night, he thought he'd finally regained his confidence. But, he still has second thoughts about telling her the truth.He responds to her text and asks when they can video talk. He walks into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face while he waits for her response. Jaiden had not responded by the time he was through. He knows she doesn't typically take this long to respond, so this was unusual for him. He exits the room and keeps his phone nearby in case Jaiden responds.Moments later, as Conrad was about to eat breakfast, Alfred emerge
The stars and moon shone brightly in the night sky, creating a lovely atmosphere. The couple was walking through the park, hands clasped and a smile on their cheeks.This hasn't transpired in New York since the couple met. The universe seemed to want them to meet and be together. Nothing went wrong on their date, and they intuitively felt like they could face the universe's challenges together.Walking along the park, they came across a huge fountain that seemed like where all the couples hang out. Some are throwing coins into the fountain wishing their love would last, some are sharing an ice cream cone by the side, and some just happened to make their relationship official.Looking around for a place to hang out, an outdoor cafe caught Conrad’s eye.“Want to hang out here for a while?” Conrad asked.“You go on ahead. I think I’m just going over the fountain.” She walked on over there immediately with a bothered look, leaving Conrad behind.Conrad noticed her troubled expression and
Friday night, the night where Conrad and Olivia had been waiting for. Both planned an extravagant night for their first date. And by means of making it extravagant, they both wanted it to be perfect. But little did they know, destiny has other plans for them.Conrad arrives at Olivia's apartment at exactly 7 pm as planned. As he was about to knock on the door, his hand stopped before his fingers could even touch it. He asked himself again if this was the right decision as anxiety is creeping up on him.He overthinks that maybe wearing a royal blue long sleeve polo, jeans, and white sneakers was a bad idea. He also thought that maybe he was making a bad decision.He takes a step back, shakes his hands, and takes a deep breath. He tells himself that he looks great tonight, his decision was right and nothing wrong was done as he reminds himself that he’s doing this for love. He regained his confidence and felt ready for their date again.He knocks on the door and patiently waits for Oliv
Back at the apartment, Conrad was lying down on his bed. After today’s events, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. It got stuck to his mind like sticky notes on a book. However, even though Olivia was acting a bit weird today, he didn’t realize during those moments that she was turning head over heels over him. He asked himself full of hope, “Is she the right person that will fit my future life?” But then, Jaiden suddenly pops into his head out of nowhere. He knew that Jaiden is also the right person, but he was having second thoughts wherein maybe having a long-distance relationship won’t work between them. They might be great for each other, but there will come a time when you will find someone else, and sooner or later, you’ll love that person more than the one you loved first. Alfred knocks on the door as he enters Conrad’s room and stands by the doorway. “Hey, you’ve been quiet for the past couple of hours… You okay?” Alfred said in a worried tone. “Yeah, it’s just that… I’ve
It’s finally Friday! However, it’s not the usual Friday where the day isn’t tiring nor relaxing.Today’s the day when Conrad and the others returned to school after a short break. Yet, they still have no clue about Chef Austin’s plan for today’s class. They clearly haven’t prepared for it and everyone is scared of what’s in store for today.As soon as Chef Austin enters the room, the room became silent and everyone was preparing themselves for whatever was coming their way. Chef Austin puts down his stuff on his desk and was confused why his students are quiet and being so serious.“Is everything okay class?” Chef Austin asked confusingly. “You haven’t looked this serious since our first day of classes.”Conrad stands up from his seat and answers Chef Austin. “With all due respect Chef Austin, everyone is actually preparing themselves for your plans today.”“What plans?” He became more confused by Conrad’s answer. “Am I forgetting something for today?”“Well, from your announcement th
Conrad was relieved when they arrived at a nearby café that wasn't overcrowded. Going to crowded places makes him nervous. He believes he is being judged by strangers, despite the lack of clear proof that they are. Let's just say that when he's depressed, he tends to avoid going to crowded places.Conrad smelled something aromatic as soon as they stepped inside. It wasn’t the freshly made pastries that the employees are putting inside the case nor the freshly brewed coffee. He takes a look around to see where the fragrant scent is coming from. Then he noticed one of the employees making fresh crepes in front of the customer on the same counter as the coffee machines. However, just in front of the pan, the counter has a glass divider. Perhaps the cafe's manager or owner decided to install a divider to protect customers from injury.Alfred then told him that this is his favorite place in New York. The reason is that the crepes they made give him a warm feeli
The next morning, Conrad decided to open up his dad's journal once more, while drinking his coffee. He hasn't gotten to read its contents after reading the first page. He didn't expect his dad to leave so suddenly. It was heartbreaking for him, knowing he bid his final farewell. He won't be able to see his dad again, and he won't be able to do the things he wanted to do with him. But he told himself if they were able to cross each other's paths sometime, he would just put a smile on his face and act as if they were once strangers. But even if he left so suddenly, he still wants to find answers in the journal he left, the answers to his sudden disappearance, the key tied to the journal, and the envelopes. Opening up the journal, he gathers the courage to prepare himself for any painful statements inside the journal. The second page read; Dear Conrad, If I were given a wish to be granted immediately, I wish that I could take