Chapter Eleven

"What the heck, K-Sha? Can you stop screaming already? You look like you're crazy over there." She was talking to her friend from the other line and she had enough about her friend's screams. She had told her that she and Mars was in Leanbox and were staying at the same hotel.

"How can I stop when I really just can't help it! How can I even fight back the amusing feelings? You know, I can REALLY feel that there's something between you and Mars. He's a good guy now. Why don't you like him back? And he's not wearing those eyeglasses anymore. So now there is a possibility that you could actually make friends with him."

"Wait a minute. FYI... Mars Ultor was already engaged and I don't care a single penny about him."

"Wow, Uni! I just said that you could make friends with Mars. I didn't say anything about forcing yourself over him, it isn't a big deal to be a friend even if he's engaged or not. And if a pair of arrow hearts pierced your's and Mars' hearts, no doubt that his fiancée can be toppled over! I'm sure of that."

"Another info for you, K-Sha. That guy doesn't like me and there's no slight chance that he'll like me. He even said those to me face-to-face."

"People change... and feelings can also change. Maybe this time, you two can form a love team?"

Uni couldn't help but grimace when she remembered the past. "You're right. People change and feelings change... And I don't like that thought," She said seriously.

"Oops... sorry! Fine, I'll shut up. Just go enjoy your trip. And I hope after you returned home, you're finally over with that frog prince. Okay?"

"Yeah, whatever. Bye and I have to patch things up before my trip."

"Just be safe. Say 'Hello!' for us when you meet your T-Bone Prince, okay?" Uni heard a laugh before she finished the call.

"That girl..." She said to herself as she threw her cellphone on the bed and collapsed on it. She's waiting for the van that'll pick her up towards place where the floating restaurant was located. She then thought of something what she will do after eating lunch. Her mind couldn't help but wonder about Mars.

"Where the heck is that guy even went to?" She asked to herself. "Hays, whatever, I'll just enjoy."

A few minutes later, a van arrived and was ready to pick her up. She was alone in the van since she requested it privately. For the others it will be boring, it's entirely opposite to her: it was fun. She's having a quality time with herself. She happily observed the green and nice ecosystem around her. Just a moments later, she had finally arrived in the place where the famous floating restaurant is.

[Search "Floating Restaurant in Loboc, Bohol"]

Uni had to bit her lower lip as she stared at the food in front of her. She was trying so hard to control herself just not to pick up all the food, because most of it was her favorites! She guessed that only fifty people can fit in the cottage. Most of the people already got their share so it was just her getting her own food.

"Damn! I just wanna eat all of this!" She said to herself as she picked up a buttered shrimps, crabs and sizzling squid. She even beat a poor man who hasn't eat anything for the longest time because of the amount of food she placed on the poor plate. When she was satisfied on the food she already got, she started to find an available chair. She noticed an empty seat and table near the railings. She chose to face on the sides so that people won't notice her. After she sat, she prayed her thanksgiving and stated to eat.

"Oh, why so delicious?" Looks like she was getting used in talking to herself in her trip. "Okay, I'll just use my hand instead."

Aaaand she started to eat like a pig.

"Hahahaha!" A green haired young man said as he laughed his ass out. He was holding a notebook and a pen as he stared on a telescope.

He was somewhere in a forest as he stalked a floating restaurant that was moving. From the telescope, there he watched a black dressed girl eat the food with no tomorrow.

"This is fun! I'll thanks Shana later," He grinned in amusement as he looked back his notebook and wrote something. A few moments later, he looked back at the telescope and watched the same girl.

"Okay, hopefully Shana will like this, even if it's a cliché. Let's see..."

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Today, we're celebrating our 3rd anniversary and we're giving some exciting prizes to a very lucky couple. It's easy to win, we just needed to see the feeling of love between the two of you. The judges could be sitting beside you, so don't miss this chance, lucky couples! Be sweet and be in love!"

She rolled her eyes. It's so unfair. When it said that it's a couple she had lost her chance to win already. After the emcee said his words the cottage was filled with sweet music. Some pairs was in the middle and was already dancing. They were in the middle of the river cruise. If she can only step down she would do so. The atmosphere makes her angry, it was filled with sweet ambiance. It seems like fate was making fun of her.

She was wondering about why she's fidgeting in her seat. She got that feeling like someone was staring at her. She looked around the cottage but there seemed to be no one familiar to her. So she tried to ignore it.

A few minutes had passed, the emcee announced that the cruise was about to reach the end. And there awaits the prizes for the lucky couple. He also said that the judges had finally picked the winners. He then said many things but she didn't focus into it and instead looked around. A few moments later, the people started to cheer and clapped their hands. She glanced at them with curiosity.

On one side of the river, there was a very cute cottage fully decorated with colorful flowers. There was an altar on its center and a man standing wearing a priest's attire. The cottage looked like a... marriage booth.

"And our winners are Miss lady in black dress in table number five and the man-who-stares-like-there's-tomorrow on table number eight."

She almost coughed out as to what the lady emcee said. She suddenly got nervous. And when she checked her table, there the number that made her eyes widened in shock. She checked the color of what she's wearing. Is she the one mentioning by the female emcee? Next thing she heard was the same cheers and claps of the people.

"Hi Ma'am, can you join us at the center stage so that we can announced what will be your prize?" The female emcee said to her with a smile.

"Er, maybe you've made a mistake. It's impossible for me to win since I'm alone," She answered. "I don't have love life and I don't have a love team," She let out a nervous laugh.

"Heh, Ma'am, it's just your guess! Don't worry, you will meet the person who'll form your love team," The female emcee jokingly said. 'Com'on, ma'am. It'll be a waste for you not to enjoy your prize."

She, still not convinced, stood up from her seat and followed the female emcee. She stood from the stage which followed by another set of cheers and claps.

"Of course, Ma'am wouldn't be the only one to form a couple, right? Let us call her prince charming, Affimojax!" The female emcee said.

"Almost there... What is your name, Sir?" She heard the male emcee. She didn't know why but she can feel her legs shaking.

"Mars."

"Mars?"

"Mars Ultor."

Uni felt her entire existence was covered in cold water when she heard his name. The cheer only doubled as they felt the thrill. When she tried to look around the cottage, she finally spotted Mars walking towards her with the male emcee.

Everything around her seemed to stop. All the cheers and claps turned into silence as she focused her attention on the guy that was walking towards her. And her heart once again made that strange beating. Why's that? The next thing she knew, Mars was already standing in front of her.

"You're looking at me but you didn't know that I'm already in front of you. Did you feel that fairytale feeling that feels like your world stopped while you stared at me, Uni?"

She didn't answer. She was not crazy enough to admit that she really felt that way for reasons she doesn't even know.

"I wasn't lookout at you, nerd!"

"Wow! It seems like that both of our winners knew each other. You might wonder why they won, so, let us all call the judges why they felt the thrill to these couple. Com'on here, Mr. and Mrs. Valencia."

She raised her eyes when she saw the couple coming towards their way. She can't help herself from admiring the couple. Because even when you just simply look at them, you can see that they love each other. The two are even playfully arguing who's going to say the prize for them. Even she was curious about why she and Mars are the winner since they're not even in the same table. No one will ever think that they're suit for each other. And even if they're in the same table, as if the young man would talk to her like a gentleman.

"Since my husband was a gentleman, so I will just explain why they are the winners. At first I was taking a look at all the couples on board. Some were dancing, while others were talking and spending some sweet moments together. But this young man right here, caught my attention. He was so busy... busy staring at someone. Do you know that 'look of love'? It is like that from what I saw to him even in this age of mine. Maybe because I remembered how my husband used to stare at me back then and of course until now. So since I'm curious, I followed his gaze."

She smiled sweetly at the two. "And there I saw this pretty lady staring at nowhere. I cannot explain properly but I picked them as the winners. I'm sure no one will object to our decision, right?"

The people shook their heads and altogether said 'No', and then Uni raised her hand.

"Yes, my dear?"

"We're really not a couple. We're not even friends," She insists.

"All lovers started from being strangers before they even became friends to lovers, my dear. Just like how books started from just a blank page."

"But-"

"Let's just hear the prize, Uni. You never know, maybe it'll be nice. So don't complain anymore." Mars put his arm around her sides and pulled her closer to him like they were close to each other.

She pushes his arm away. Looks like she doesn't have a choice but to accept her fate. "Fine. Let's hear it."

"There, looks like our lucky couple are finally nice to each other. Congratulations!"

The couple of Valencia had left the stage and she was left with Mars along with the two emcees on the stage.

"So, what are we waiting for, Chika? Let's say their prize already!"

The female emcee, Chika, had yet to say something, suddenly another female emcee approached Uni. She let her wear a veil and made her held a bouquet of flowers. Uni felt the sudden 'horror' as she realized what these meant and what will happen.

"They're just going to wed in our very cute marriage booth," Chika announced.

"Wed? As in, a real wedding?"

"Of course not. It's just a drama for a thrill. And also, because they're going to be wed, they will also have their own honeymoon."

Uni's skin turned pale along with her jaw nearly dropping on the floor. Mars laughed at her reaction.

"Just kidding. Anyway, they will enjoy a package tour with all expenses paid by Mr. and Mrs. Valencia!"

Everyone clapped their hands. Uni returned back to normal and saw Mars' smile while she still have no idea what to do. That's why she was in Leanbox is to avoid the marriage booth in the Foundation Day from the SHA, but it looks like it'll still happen to her nonetheless.

Everything happened so fast and there she was dancing with Mars as if they were really newly weds. She still can't lift up a smile because of her anger. Mars was already talking to her since the moment they stepped down from the floating restaurant but she wouldn't listen to him.

"Why don't we just enjoy this moment, Uni? I can already tell about why you're here, just like me. We needed this escape to think of what's really going on with our lives," He said seriously, that's what made her wonder.

In that instance, she suddenly got curious. What is he avoiding? What was going on with his life? Why was he there? And why in every islands in Gamindustri, both them thought of having a vacation in Leanbox. Was it a coincidence or her cousin was right? Maybe that angel holding heart arrows was playing with them. She quickly shook away that thought. Why was she even thinking about it?

"Com'on, Uni. Are you really not going to talk to me?" He asked, his voice sounds hopeless.

She looked at Mars' face with serious expression. She had to admit, he wasn't a bad person after all. Before, she hated him because he's wearing those eyeglasses which is she knows that was a lowly excuse. But looking at him that moment, it was different. He just seemed to be the man she pictured her future prince to be... 'Wait, what?'

So she made a decision to try to be a good person and talk to him properly now. She needed to stop acting childishly. There's nothing wrong even if they became friends, like what happened between her and Ares.

"Fine. It'll be a waste if I couldn't enjoy this free tour because I couldn't even feel you," She finally answered her back. She also started to notice the edges of his mouth curling up into a smile.

"Finally. I thought we wouldn't be able to continue this tour without even talking to me," He said while smiling. For some reason, his smile made her face turned red.

"Looks like our newly wed couple was finally friends!" Chika said with a cheeky smile which followed by cheers and claps of the people. After they dance, different pairs started to dance on the same stage.