Find Me
By: Angelus Erreare
A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own Serph, Argilla or Heat. The characters featured in this fanfiction belong to the game Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga and belong to ATLUS USA.
I dedicate this fanfic to my beta reader's sister Tasha for her continued support.
Warning: LIME, MILD LANGUAGE
Chapter 1: Use Me
Argilla fiddled with the hem of her coat. She had been waiting for Serph for the last half an hour. He had a last-minute autopsy that he had to finish. She sighed; he always did take all the extra homework that he could find. It was always about the grades. But then, Serph wasn't all work and no play. Hell no; he worked hard and played hard.
She supposed that was why they had been the best of friends ever since grade school. They went through the turmoil of high school together and even felt depressed when they thought that their leaving for college would tear them apart. They laughed to each other as they realized that fate had another trick up its sleeves as they met up again in college.
They had both decided to take medicine. He had been surprised though when Argilla had registered for the course.
Flashback
"Argilla?" he asked with total disbelief, "What are you doing here? I thought you went to law school?"
She chuckled, "I did. And I didn't like it; I dropped it."
"Then…why medicine?" he pressed on.
"Hey! Don't give me that! You know I've always bested you in this field even in high school. So, I decided to try my luck here. I didn't get to tell you where I was going to go since we lost contact." She frowned, "It's your fault you know."
"I know. I left abruptly. I'm sorry."
"If you're really sorry then you'd tell me why you left." she said.
He cast his head down, not meeting her eyes; not daring to meet those fiery pink eyes. There was no sound, no words that were uttered between them. The sound of the wind was all that they were to hear.
Argilla gritted her teeth and felt her eyes water, "Why did you leave? Was it…because of me…?"
He remained quiet. This was beginning to unnerve her, "Say something damn it!"
He was still quiet. This sent her over the edge, "Fine. Don't. Tch." She spat, "I knew it. I shouldn't have come here." She turned and started to walk away, prepared to leave him there, standing all alone. She was prepared to leave him there…to leave with him, all their memories together.
Serph blinked, seeing her walk away. He followed her, running up to her, "Wait!"
She didn't. She didn't stop. She kept walking away.
He ran and grabbed her hand. She turned sharply and glared at him, "Let me go asshole."
He didn't budge, "Wait…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that…"
"Save your bullshit for someone who'll care." she said, tears welling up in her eyes. He felt his heart ache at the sight of her; he hated to see her cry. She wanted to know the truth; that was all she wanted. She didn't want to be lied to. It wasn't too much to ask, and yet, he couldn't do even that for her. What kind of a friend was he then?
'The worst kind…' he thought pathetically.
"Wait…please I…I want to tell you why I really left…"
Yes he did; but he couldn't. He knew that it sounded faked but it was the truth as plain as day. The truth was something that he couldn't afford right now. He couldn't afford to lose her.
"I really want to tell you…but I can't."
She closed her eyes, laughing bitterly, "It's always something isn't it? It's always something that you have to do or something that you have to protect."
Not being able to take it anymore, he grasped her arms and looked intently into her taunting eyes, "I didn't leave because of you. I didn't leave because I was tired of our friendship. I didn't leave because I was tired of you. You know I love you. I left for other reasons. I know that you wouldn't believe me now. After all, I probably wouldn't believe me either…but if you want the truth, that's the only part of the truth that I could afford to tell you."
She stood there, not being able to say anything. She had known him for years and knew when he was hiding something or when he was lying. The boy, no, the man before her was not lying. He spoke the truth; albeit, the fragmented truth. Her eyes softened somewhat as she gazed at his mesmerizing pools of silver.
"I trust you." She smiled.
He smiled in return, "Thank you. I will tell you…in time."
"I'm counting on that."
End Flashback
She had trusted him again after that. They left that painful episode of their lives behind. She believed him. She believed in him; sure, he may not be able to tell her now, but someday, he would. She just knew it.
She pouted as she snapped out of her reverie. She was still waiting for him by the reception of the hospital. They were in their last year of their course. They were about to graduate and after six months, they would take their board exams. She shivered at the thought. So far, it had been easy and a lot of fun, but the board exam was something that was not to be taken lightly.
'What if I fail?' she thought suddenly. Her heart stopped; the color from her face draining.
"Are you thinking of the board exam again?"
Her body shook as she heard that voice, "Serph! Don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
He grinned, "That's okay. You have the best available doctor around to revive you."
She snorted, "Oh you mean Dr. Harris? Oh yeah…he's the best."
"Hey…" he pouted, feigning hurt, "And what am I?"
She grinned, "You're an intern; not a doctor."
"Yet." he corrected.
"Whatever."
"So. Ready to go home?" he asked cheerfully.
"Yeah. Let's; I'm tired waiting for you all day."
He just laughed.
xxxxx
She looked out the window dreamily as Serph drove them home. She felt so happy. She just had to tell him. Her happiness must have been very obvious as Serph spoke, "Hey, you're awfully cheerful. What's up?"
She turned to look at him, "Hey! I'm always cheerful. Besides, what makes this any different?"
He blinked and continued to look at the road before him, "You tell me."
She blushed; it was that obvious eh?
She just laughed but didn't answer. She looked out the window again. It was autumn and the trees were now shedding their leaves. She looked at the rhythmic movement of the leaves as they were blown into the air by the cool and chilly breeze. She sighed.
She gave a yelp as she felt Serph's hand on her lap, "Hey, are you alright? You zoned out there for a second."
She blushed, "Yeah. I'm fine."
They reached their off campus apartment two minutes later. Argilla got off the car and hung on Serph's arm. He raised an eyebrow, "Okay, what's going on? You're never this clingy."
She pouted at him, puckering her lips at an extreme that it made him laugh. She laughed too, "Oooohh…I want nothing…Seriously."
He snorted, "Yeah, and pigs fly."
She playfully slapped his arm and turned her back from him before snapping haughtily at him, "Snotty! Hmph!"
Before he could respond, she had already disappeared from the threshold of the door. He walked towards it, all the while wondering as to what it was that she wanted. He had also noticed her behavior in the car. She was happy…too happy. Had something happened that he didn't know about?
xxxxx
That night, rain poured. There were some lighting strikes; but nothing major. Serph lay there, awake, with his arms encircled around his best friend. He stroked her face lightly, tucking a stray lock of her pink hair from her face behind her ear. She looked so beautiful in his eyes. She had a delicate porcelain face, with a well defined nose and eyes that shone with full luscious lips that could stop a mad rhino at the sight of her pout.
He sighed.
He pulled her closer to him and breathed in her scent; she smelled liked cherry blossoms. She had always liked everything pink. After all, she was born having pink hair and pink eyes. He chuckled; she liked her walls light pink, her shirts pink, her bed sheets pink, her blankets pink, even her underwear. He chuckled at that; she was definitely an oddball. But of course, he was also aware of things that she didn't like. Like lightning for example. She didn't like the noise it made. It was a terrifying experience for her as she saw a man once struck by lightning. It killed him of course and ever since then, she didn't want to have anything to do with lightning.
That was why she was with him that night. She had come to him in the dead of the night, carrying with her, her pillow.
"C-can…I stay with you tonight?" he remembered her saying to him. He yawned and ushered her in his bed. She smiled gleefully and ran for his bed, burrowing herself within his blankets. She fell asleep almost instantly.
Serph had had a very tiring day. Needless to say, he was very exhausted and was in need of sleep. And he had been successful in getting that much needed sleep until she came to him. As she wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her face in his chest, he had been unable to sleep. He just thought of her…
He took a deep breath and he exhaled it just as deeply. He was in deep trouble; really. It was a universal rule. And he had just broken it. And now, temptation was just in front of him.
'Stupid…' he thought to himself.
Yes, it was stupid to all who would look at him. His head began to ache as he felt deprived of sleep. He closed his eyes and waited for it but it didn't come. His mind was alive…but his body was exhausted.
'Please let me sleep…'
He closed his eyes again, thinking…
He had broken the universal rule. He broke it and now he was paying the consequences.
You're not supposed to fall in love with your best friend.
xxxxx
Serph woke up bright and early the next day, although he hadn't had much sleep. He groggily got off the bed, careful not to wake the sleeping angel within and stepped into the lavatory, his legs slightly wobbly.
He turned the faucet and splashed the cold water to his face. He tensed at the sudden contact. The water was freezing cold. He turned the other faucet and adjusted the temperature of the water so that it was just warm. His eyes still refused to open; his eyelids felt so heavy that he could have sworn that an insect may have created a cocoon on them!
After brushing his teeth, he forced his eyes to open. It was slightly painful as it gave him a headache as he did so, but he managed all the same. He wasn't pleased with what he saw.
'Okay…I think I'm better off with my eyes closed.'
There were heavy dark rings around his eyes and there were small red veins on his eyeballs. All in all, he looked horrible. But, today was a new day and he had to struggle against its tides. He closed the door to the bathroom and got in the shower.
xxxxx
Argilla ate her toast with enthusiasm. She noticed that Serph was out of it today. She only looked at him with confusion, "Serph?" she said in between bites, "What's wrong?"
Serph looked at her, lowering the newspaper, "Huh?"
She laughed, "That's exactly what I mean! You look like you've been hit by a train!"
He grumbled and set his face on the table, "I did..ge…ny…lee…la…ght"
"Come again?" she asked. What was wrong with him? He wasn't making any sense.
He forced his face to rest on his arm to look at her with his bloodshot eyes, "I didn't get any sleep last night."
"Oh." she said. "I'm sorry. It's my fault." she said, her voice filed with remorse.
"Nah…it's fine." he said reassuring her.
She shook her head and took another bite of her toast, "No. You stay home and sleep. I'll go alone. There's nothing to do today anyway. Besides, with you polishing each and every professor's ass, they'd let you off for a day of absence."
He rolled his eyes, "It's not ass polishing. It's called dedication and perseverance."
She gulped down her orange juice, "Whatever man. All I know is that I get good grades, second only to you without having to resort to such 'methods' of yours."
He snorted, "You get those grades because I tutor you; you idiot!" he said playfully.
She chuckled, "Shut up!"
xxxxx
Serph had slept the entire morning away. It was what his spirit and body needed. He had a small smile pasted on his lips. He was dreaming.
'And you graduate with honors…congratulations…Dr. Serph Sheffield." a man in a suit said. Serph went up the stairs to receive his diploma. It was the best time of any student's life.
'You have graduated at the top of your class…Summa Cum Laude.' Another wave of applause.
Serph's smile widened, 'Thank you all for…I would just like to say thank you. Thank you for all of you who had supported me. If it weren't for you guys…I wouldn't be here. First, I would like to thank my parents for putting me through med school. You guys are the best! Second…I would like to thank my best friend, Argilla, for always putting up with me and my…eccentricities. I wouldn't have passed all of my subjects without her. I love you! And thirdly, I would like to thank God for giving me the strength to persevere!'
There was another wave of loud applause.
Then…the whole scenario changed. Serph blinked, he wasn't at the graduation ceremony anymore. He was…He looked around and raised a curious eyebrow. He was in a garden. The sun was setting and made the sky red with golden streaks. The trees around him were shedding its leaves; its golden leaves being carried by the soothing winds. He sighed and closed his eyes as the breeze passed through him.
'Whoah…' he shivered, 'Kinda cold…'
'Let me warm you up…' a voice from behind him spoke.
He turned around and saw Argilla; her hair was loose and dangled playfully with the wind. Her eyes were soft and she had an innocent smile on her face. That was not the only thing that Serph noticed. His eyes travel a few degrees south and he discovered, much to his embarrassment, that she was nude. She stood there, her arms limp on her sides, giving him full access to her exposed flesh. Her skin was pearly white and her breasts, perfect. They were round and in perfect proportion, her nipples as pink as her eyes.
He turned sharply around, 'Argilla…where are your clothes? What are you doing here?'
Before he could question her any further, he felt tiny hands encircle him from behind, a hot body pressed against his back. He looked and saw her fingers intertwined, her palms touching his bare chest.
Wait a minute! Bare?
She chuckled, 'I'm not the only one…who's missing their apparel…' she whispered innocently. He snorted; innocently? It was leaning more towards the seductive side.
He looked at himself and saw that she was right. No wonder the breeze felt a little chilly to him. He made for her hands and tried to pry them away, 'Argilla…we shouldn't…'
She tightened her hold on him, 'Why not? You want me…don't you?' She pressed herself harder against him, rubbing her heaving breasts at his back. Serph stifled a groan. This wasn't helping him at all. He was trying to resist his urges…but she wasn't helping.
'Serph please…' she begged.
The sound of her voice; so desperate, so tired…transmitted a wave of pleasure to his system that his manhood jolted awake; not that it wasn't awake already.
'A-argilla…' he croaked, 'Y-you don't k-know what y-you're saying…' he pleaded. He wanted nothing more than to run from her; but at the same time, he wanted nothing more than to grab her and ravish her on the soft grass.
'But I do…I want you Serph…' she said, burying her face on his back.
He groaned again. Her fingers, once intertwined, had disbanded only to travel south. He took a sharp intake of breath as she grazed her fingers on his twitching manhood.
'Oh God…d-don't…' he begged. He heard her laugh mischievously, 'Don't…what?' she asked, slowly taking a hold of his manhood. He stiffened again and held her hand, trying to pry it away from his shaft. No good; she tightened her hold on the sensitive flesh and slowly massaged it.
He groaned. She grinned, tiptoeing so that she reached his ear, giving it a naughty lick, 'You like that…?'
'Please…' he begged.
'Please what?' she asked again, in that tone…in that…sensuous voice.
'Leave me alone…'
Much to his surprise and disappointment, she disentangled her hands from his manhood, her body taking a step back from his. He turned around to face her but found no one.
'Argilla?' he called out.
'Right here…' a voice cooed from behind him.
He turned to see her batting her eyelashes at him shyly. He blushed and before he could utter another word, she stepped up to him and kissed him, her other hand grabbing his manhood. He almost choked in her kiss as her hands moved up and down his member.
He grabbed her face and pulled her from his lips; he met her eyes, 'This is a dream…it's gotta be…'
She grinned and right before his eyes, she disappeared into a heap of leaves. The leaves danced in the air and were gone.
Serph sat up from his bed; sweat grazing his face. He grabbed his head, "Man…that was…intense…"
It had been a dream. He frowned; he had dreamed about her; again. He sighed; he really must start dating soon.
'I can't…It's no use…' He couldn't; every woman in the world seemed faceless to him. She was the only one who had ever held his interest. She was funny, fun to be with, smart and street smart, mischievous and ill-tempered, which, in his opinion made her all the more sexy, and to top it all, she was beautiful.
He slapped his forehead with his palm, "I really need to get a life."
He looked at his watch; it was past midday. He sprang to his feet. He could still make some of his classes that day…and by the afternoon, he could stop by the hospital. He grabbed his towel and headed for the lavatory. He needed the shower. He cannot stress that enough. He needed a shower and needed it badly; a very cold one at that. He stripped off his pajamas and looked disapprovingly at "Serph Jr.", "Bad boy…! You know you're not supposed to think that way about her!"
He quickly got into the shower and turned the faucet, letting the cold water trickled down his skin. Yup, it was working. It was working…working…until he saw flashes of her face. He opened his eyes abruptly and took another look at Serph Jr.; he frowned, "You really are a bad boy."
xxxxx
Argilla bounced into their living room that evening; her cell phone in her ear. Serph had just gotten back form the hospital and was pretty tired when he heard her giggling. He blinked; why was she giggling?
He stepped lightly on the wooden floor, curious to know who it was she was speaking to. He took a peek from the wall that he was leaning on and saw her face, laughing away as the person on the other end of the line spoke. She was blushing. She was definitely talking to a guy. Serph felt a prick of jealousy, 'Is she dating someone? How come she didn't tell me?'
He frowned; but hey, it really wasn't any of his business anyway. He walked away from the wall and walked over to her, waving his hands in front of her face, trying to get her to notice him. She swatted his hands away and continued to chat away, waddling away from him and into the dining room, a pink tinge still present in her cheeks.
He sighed again; whoever the person she was speaking to, he or she must've been very important to her.
'More important than me no doubt.' he thought pathetically.
He sat himself on the sofa, leaning his head back on its edge, closing his eyes. He was dead tired; the sleep that he had had in the morning to compensate for its lack last night was all but useless as he had experienced a dream that was both pleasurable and yet disturbing to him.
He groaned; thinking about how this was not what he needed right now.
"Hey Serph! When did you get back?" asked a cheerful voice. Serph had his eyes remain shut but he heard her all the same; he just didn't feel like responding.
"Hn…" he replied.
Argilla was not amused. With her hands on her hips, her lips in a pout, she glared at him, "Hey! Don't ignore me!"
"Hn…" he said again.
She gritted her teeth in anger, but then, gave way for a grin, "You'll pay for that."
Suddenly, she ran towards him and sat on his lap, straddling him. Serph groaned and immediately opened his eyes to find his best friend on his lap and before he could question her, she had started to tickle him at his sides. His body moved uncontrollably, "Stop that! It's annoying!" She didn't and continued her assault.
Deciding that two can play it that way, he grabbed her tickling hands with one hand and pushed her on the sofa. He now straddled her and used his free hand to tickle her. She laughed, "Hahahha! Serph…! Hahahaha…Stop that! Hahahah"
Her stomach was beginning to hurt from all that laughing but Serph wasn't letting up; oh no. It was as if he was determined to bring her to tears, which wasn't exactly far off. Her eyes were beginning to water as she laughed harder, "Okay, okay! I give up! Hahahaha! You win! Hahaha!"
Serph got off her, grinning and offered her his hand, "That'll teach you to mess with me."
She took his hand and allowed him to pull her up, "Hahah…very funny."
They then experienced that uncomfortable silence; that moment of silence which was always preceded by laughter. After realizing that such uncomfortable silence had reigned over them both, Serph spoke.
He smiled, "So…who was that?"
She blushed, "Just a friend."
"A friend?" he quirked an eyebrow.
"Yeah."
"Don't tell me you're dating someone."
"Actually…yeah…"
Her honesty ran him over like a car. It had hurt, needless to say. So that was why she was happy. But…when did she meet him? How long had they been together? Why hadn't she introduced him to this guy? Did he know this guy?
"Off campus or on campus?" he asked.
She bit her lip, "On campus."
"Oh."
"Come on Serph. Let's get dinner."
Complying with her suggestion to relieve himself of this conundrum, he walked into the dining room.
xxxxx
"So, this guy you're dating, does he have a name?" he asked as cheerful as possible.
"Yeah. Of course he does. What kind of a person would a person be without a name?" she asked, unmoved by her best friend's silly question.
"An imaginary one." he answered.
She snorted, "Okay, okay. Whatever Mr. Smart Aleck. Besides, even imaginary friends have names! Didn't you ever have one?"
Argilla took a few more bites of her food when Serph spoke, "Oh no you don't! You're not changing the subject that easy."
"Damn! And just when I thought I was getting somewhere!" she feigned disappointment. She giggled, "You noticed huh?"
He made a face, "Of course I did. What do you take me for?"
She stared blankly at him and he scratched his head, "Umm…don't answer that."
She nodded and smiled, resuming her eating, "Then I won't."
"Argilla…" he began.
"Don't worry Serph, I won't lie to you." she said, picking up her empty dishes to put them in the dishwasher. Serph waited for her patiently, waiting for her to finish her sentence. Wait; did she pull a fast one of him again?
Damn.
He followed her into the living room.
"So, how long have you guys been dating…?" he asked, afraid of her answer. But, afraid or not, he just had to know.
"Not long. Three weeks." she stated nonchalantly.
He sat down on the sofa, "Three weeks? Where was I? How come I didn't notice?"
She rolled her eyes, "That's because you were too busy ass polishing."
"What?" he asked, not in the mood for reading in between the lines.
She took a deep breath, "You were so busy with your theses and your autopsies at the hospitals remember? You even had to attend that open heart surgery right?"
He blinked; yeah, he remembered all of those things alright. He remembered them perfectly. It had been three weeks? Three weeks already? He didn't even notice.
"So, you met the guy then?" he asked, trying to get a clearer picture.
"Yeah. You and Dr. Harris went to Capital City for a conference right? Well, a substitute teacher came and took his place and well…"
"He's the substitute teacher." he deadpanned, cutting her off.
She blushed, "Well…yeah."
He raised an eyebrow, "Argilla! You're dating a guy who's a substitute teacher? You barely even know him!"
Argilla pouted at him, "Hey! Don't say that! Besides, it's not like I'm married to him. We just figured that we like each other; that's all. We just decided to give this a try; that's all. No more and no less."
He sighed; there really wasn't much use of arguing with Argilla in these matters; once she had set her sights on something, she'll do anything to get it.
"I just don't want to see you hurt. That's all. No more no less." he said, imitating her last sentences.
"I just want to make sure you're ready for this guy. I don't want you to be dating some overly matured man! What if he turns out to be your granddad?"
She threw a pillow at him, which he easily dodged, "Don't go bizarre on me Serph!" she hugged herself as she felt a tingling feeling on her skin, "That's just gross!"
"Besides," she said, sticking her tongue out, "he's not old enough to be my grandpa."
"Yeah," he snorted, "only your dad right?"
She rolled her eyes, "For your information, he's only twenty-five."
The color from Serph's face drained; this guy was young? Twenty five? That was pretty young to be a professor. He was probably a very talented individual. He wanted to say something but found his throat blocked.
"Oh Serph! He's the sweetest!"
"Where is he now?"
"Well, since Dr. Harris came back, he left the campus for the time being and transferred to the hospital. He's the new chief of staff there!"
Now that all of the color from his faced had been drained, Serph's heart stopped, 'Chief of staff? At the hospital? That guy? She's dating…that guy?'
"Ah, Serph? Anything wrong?" she asked; worry filling her eyes as she looked at her friend who had suddenly become abnormally pale.
"Nothing. Nothing's wrong."
"I'm surprised you haven't met him yet. You were there at the hospital today right? Didn't you get to see him?" she asked hopefully.
"No. I'm afraid not. I've been so busy and well…he probably was too."
"Oh." she said; disappointment evident in her voice.
Serph rose from the sofa, wanting to lock himself up in his room for the next one hundred years.
"Well, I'm turning in. Goodnight."
"Goodnight Serph."
He nodded and proceeded to his room. He stopped halfway, "Argilla?"
"Hm?"
"Just be careful okay? I…meant what I said. I don't want to see you hurt."
"Thank you Serph."
xxxxx
A month had rolled in and Serph found himself seeing subtle changes in his best friend. Granted, they still spent a lot of time with each other, but there were times when he'd notice that she had that faraway look in her face. That was when he'd smile and tell her that it was okay to do whatever she was thinking of doing; even if it meant that he had to go home alone.
He had already met her so-called mystery boyfriend. He shrunk down as he remembered it. It was a month ago, shortly after she told him that she was dating someone. Told him?
Correction; it was shortly after she confessed having a boyfriend after he suspected that she had one.
Flashback
Serph gathered his books and sighed; they had a lot of work to do. He still had to head over the hospital. Argilla, who was beside him, still giggled like a schoolgirl. He raised an eyebrow; she had as much work as he did but didn't seem bothered by it.
"Okay. What's going on? You're too happy." he stated flatly.
"Oh Serph! I need a favor." she said, leaning her face near his. He suppressed a blush as he leaned back, putting space in between them.
"Well, that depends. You're not going to ask me to get you a copy of the final's paper are you?"
She snorted and hit him playfully on his arm, "No dummy! I need you to come with me."
He felt his mood lighten at that; she wanted him to come with her? That was sweet. Some quality time between them would uplift his spirits.
"I want you to meet him." she said excitedly.
All of the lighthearted feelings swimming in his stomach suddenly drowned. He stared at her; hard, pale, as if he were a corpse.
"What?"
"Yeah. I want you to meet him. I want you guys to know each other. I want my boyfriend and best friend to know each other. Come on, please."
"Argilla…" Didn't she know what she was doing to him? But still, it was for the best; he had wanted to get to know him anyway. He wanted to assess what type of man his friend was seeing. And now was his chance. But now that his opportunity stared him in the face, he found himself mentally shrinking. He was beginning to panic. What if he was some total hunk? Would he pale by comparison? Granted, Serph didn't think of himself as "handsome" but he dared think that he wasn't ugly either. What if this guy was smarter than he was? His brains were one of his most prized possessions and meeting someone who was far greater than he would serve as a major blow to him. He blanched at that thought.
"Really?" he replied finally, "When?"
"Now!"
"Now?" he asked, squeaking.
"Did you just squeak?" she asked, suspicious.
"No!" he said firmly, clearing his throat, "I just had something in my pipes." he finished lamely.
"Whatever! Well, let's go!"
"Go?" he repeated.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him through the campus hallways, "Yes go. We're going to meet him remember? I swear Serph, for someone who's supposed to be a genius, you can be pretty dense. Sheesh."
He looked down and fixed his eyes on where her hands intertwined with his. She was so sweet…but her touches were innocent and harmless. There was no passion in them, 'There is no passion in them for me…' he thought dejectedly.
They arrived at the café and sat down.
Argilla began to fiddle with the hem of her dress. Serph looked at her; she was indeed beautiful. She wore a light pink dress with thin straps. Her hair was in their buns; her face just holding natural beauty. He stared at her with awe but shook his head as she stared back at him, with bewilderment in her eyes, "Hey. What up? Something on my face?"
He shook his head, "…No…"
"Good!" she said cheerfully.
"So, where is this guy?"
Argilla grabbed her phone, "Hey honey. We're here. Where are you? Okay…okay…bye."
Serph blinked, 'Honey?'
He was roused from his contemplation as Argilla looked at him, "He'll be here in two minutes."
"Oh!" she exclaimed, "There he is!" She stood up and waved behind him. Serph followed her line of vision and turned back. There, he stood; the boyfriend.
He waved back and started to walk towards them. Serph felt his heart being caught in his throat.
"Hey honey!" Argilla said, coming up to the man, embracing him and pecking him on the lips.
"Hey there." he replied.
He turned his attention to Serph, "So this must be…"
Argilla walked over to Serph and put a hand on his shoulder, "This is Serph. My one and only best friend."
'Best friend…' Serph mentally repeated.
This man looked at him and smiled. Serph blinked; Argilla wasn't kidding. This guy was young. He was probably as young as they were or older by a few years. He was definitely not her dad; and most definitely not her granddad. Serph swallowed. He was wearing a red polo shirt and khaki pants that did his body justice. He wasn't lean like he was but slightly more built. This guy could probably beat up anyone who messes with Argilla. 'He could probably beat me to a bloody pulp…' Serph thought sweat-dropping.
Serph could now see why Argilla was so smitten by this guy. He was good looking. He had fiery red eyes that matched his hair. His hair was shaggy and a bit longer than the standard guy hair. It was a messy plop. Serph would never think of having hair like that as he always had his silver hair in its proper place. But this was the hair that was "in" these days, he supposed. What was it again? The "out of bed" look?
Serph could feel himself shrink in his clothes.
He snapped out of his daze as the guy held out his hand, "A pleasure to meet the one and only Serph. I'm Heat O'Brien."
Serph took his hand and noticed with a bit of pain, the firm grip of his hand.
They all sat down and Heat spoke, "I've been hankering Argilla to introduce me to you but she said that it wasn't the time yet. She said that you were a workaholic." He chuckled. Argilla just giggled and held his hand. Serph smiled weakly, "I wouldn't say that…I just…"
Argilla cut him off, grinning, "Yeah right. That's all you ever do. But still, you do have redeeming qualities."
"Ah yes! You told me about that." chuckled Heat.
Serph looked sharply at Argilla, "Hey! That's not fair! What have you told him?" He turned to Heat, "I'm assure you whatever she had told you about me is purely fictional and has no accurate basis or evidence."
Heat laughed, and turned to Argilla, "He's really how you say he is."
Serph looked at both of them dumbfounded. Okay. As of now, he was officially their jester. He frowned; he wanted to go home; right now.
"Anyway," Argilla interjected in between laughs, "all I said was that Serph may like work a lot, but when the time is right, he lets loose too. We go to pubs and discos and stuff like that."
Heat nodded, "That's good for you guys. Work hard and play hard."
"So," Serph interrupted politely, "how long have you been here? I've never seen you here before."
Heat looked at him, "I used to work at Capital City until I decided to transfer here. I'm tired of the hustling and bustling of a city and I needed quiet, so I came here."
Argilla smiled at him and leaned her face on his shoulder. Serph thought he was going to get sick but remained perfectly calm.
"I see." was all that he could say.
"Argilla has told me a great deal about you. Actually, she told me a lot about you that I was beginning to get jealous!" he said, laughing.
Serph laughed humorlessly. But still, she told Heat a lot about him? Well, at least she still cared. Right?
They ate and conversed and laughed. Serph looked at the two of them. They hardly paid any attention to him. 'Figures…I'm being the third wheel here.' It was the old saying "two is company and three is a crowd" in actual enactment. He just wanted to take his coat and leave. But…that would be impolite. And so, he sat there, replying whenever necessary and just keeping to himself when necessary…which was most of the time. He looked helplessly at them and noticed their facial expressions. They were so fixed on each other. They were longing for each other. He wanted to barf.
End Flashback
Yup. That was how he'd summarize his first meeting with her boyfriend. The word "barf" was enough to describe the entire experience.
Like he said, that was a month ago. Soon, Argilla didn't go with him anymore. Heat would pick her up from the campus and they'd go on their dates. Serph would always wait for her but at times, she wouldn't come home at all. He remembered how distraught he felt when he worried about her. He knew he shouldn't, after all, she was with Heat.
But still…he couldn't not worry.
Now, she was in her room and he was in his. He lay there on his bed, with his arms behind his head, thinking. She wanted to tell him something. That he knew. But as to what it was, he hadn't the foggiest.
Suddenly, he heard a soft knock. He sat up, "It's open."
His pink-haired friend peeked in, "Serph…?"
He ushered her in, "Come on in."
She smiled weakly and walked uneasily towards him. Worry began to rise within his system, "Argilla, what happened?" he asked as she sat beside him.
"Serph…I need a favor."
Uh oh. There was that sentence again. What did she want this time?
"Okay…what is it?"
She took a deep breath, not meeting his eyes. Now, this increased his worry tenfold. What happened? What did she want?
"Oh Serph…I know that this is…that…you probably won't do it…"
She stood up but he stopped her, holding her hand, "Hold it. I haven't said 'no' to you yet, have I?"
"I guess not." she said, sitting back down.
"Well, what is it? I'm sure it can't be that bad."
She sighed, "If you only knew."
He grasped her shoulders and made her face him, "Okay. I'm through waiting. What's going on? Do you need help in something?"
Argilla cast her head down, not replying.
"Argilla…please tell me. I'll help. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out."
Her head snapped up and she looked into his silver eyes. "Serph. I need your help."
He smiled, tucking a lock of her pink hair behind her ear, "Sure. I'll help you. What do you need help in anyway?"
She took a deep breath and held his hands. Electricity passed through his system. Her touch was as electrifying as ever. But worry also pricked his gut. He looked intently at her pink eyes; they were filled with desperation. He gulped; whatever she needed help with was something big; something serious.
"I want Heat." she blurted out.
Serph blinked; she wanted Heat? That was all? He felt a pang of pain in his system; he had thought that this would be between her and him…then, why did it include that…that guy?
"Well, you already have him." he said nonchalantly.
"Serph…" she whined.
"What?" he asked.
"I want him…in that way…"
He blushed as he pondered and understood her words. He didn't know what to say… and so he said what was appropriate, "I can't really help you in that Argilla…That's between you and him."
She groaned, "No! Please Serph…you've got to help me!"
He touched her shoulder, "I don't understand what you need help on."
She let out a cry, "You really are dense!"
He cast his head down, "Sorry."
"Serph…" she breathed out, "I…"
Serph nodded, egging her on. She took another deep breath, "I…want…I want you to be my first…"
"…"
She looked at him painfully and he blinked.
"I'm sorry. What?" he asked, wanting clarity on what he had just heard. Had she said what he thought she said? Had she meant what he thought she meant?
She whispered, "I want you to be my first…"
So he had been right. He felt another wave of pain. Why did she torture him like this?
"Argilla…what are you saying…?"
"Serph…I've never…you know…? You know that…and…well…Heat and I are ready to take it to the next level but…"
"Then…Argilla…let him be your first…" every word that passed through his lips hurt him. He wanted to be her first…so badly…but if she was just using him…then…he would rather not have her at all.
"I can't! I can't…let him down…I have no experience."
"But Argilla…"
"Please Serph…please…" She embraced him and buried her face on his chest. "Please…" she pleaded over and over.
"Why me?" he asked, holding her close.
"Because I trust you…I trust only you…you're the only one I can count on…no one else…"
He felt tears on his shirt but he didn't care and just held her. She sobbed and continued, "I know what this will do to us…but…there's no one else…I'd…I'd rather lose it to my best friend than some…some nobody whom I picked from some rave party!"
From there, he understood. At least, from that point of view, it made sense. He took a deep breath. He could never refuse her; never, if it meant her happiness.
"Will it make you happy if I do it?" he asked, his words hurting him more than she'll ever know.
"Yes…it would…" she answered, her words muffled by his shirt.
"Then…" he really had no choice, "I'll do it…" he finally replied.
"Thank you…" she answered, whispering.
'Argilla…if you only knew…"
xxxxx