German Boy

Chapter 15: A Never-Been-Read Book

A lot happened last night.

The only thing I remember was watching Ven on our way home in his car through the mirror.

The way his smile shined, how he focused on driving, and his care to pick me up. He knew me so well to expect that I would end up that way, thinking it wasn't the real me.

I looked up at the ceiling as the sun touched my face but didn't burn it though. It's morning already. A day has passed. And this is the start of summer.

Even if I didn't want to, I stood from my bed and went immediately to the bathroom. I found myself still wearing the dress I wore last night.

Darn.

Dad should not see me like this or he will scold me again.

I hurried to my closet and picked a pair of ripped jeans together with a crop top. After taking a bath, I wore them and put on a fair amount of makeup.

Which I never did before.

I smiled at the mirror thinking how I probably have changed.

Ven never saw me wearing makeup or a crop top.

I took a deep breath and left my room as I turned off the lights and the air conditioner. On my way down the stairs, I heard people murmuring.

And one of the deep, cold voices was something that I recognized.

I peeked and was happy to see who it was.

I was right.

I hurried and almost tripped on my way down but just right in time to see uncle Jerry sitting on our sofa while browsing through his phone.

"Uncle Jerry!" I greeted.

It has been months since I last saw him.

He went to Finland to get some inspiration on the book he told me he was working on. Because based on him, the protagonist lived there so he had to know what it looked like in that country.

I begged him to take me with him but he complained that he didn't want me to miss all my classes.

"Are you done with the book?" That was the first thing I asked.

He told me he won't return unless he was done with it.

But it just has been a month since he left.

"Yeah," he said, looking at me with slight confusion as he scanned me from head to toe.

"Really? It just has been a month," I walked towards him and sat beside him.

"I guess one month is enough to finish a novella." Oh, that's the answer. It was just a novella. Of course, it would only take a short time.

"I thought it's a novel."

"Supposed to be a novel."

"What happened?"

"The girl died earlier than I expected." We both laughed and I thought about it.

Yeah, another character he killed.

Writers will be writers.

"How many words?"

"Thirty-five thousand, I guess?" He answered but seemed unsure with the tone of his voice.

"That's a lot. You could have added five thousand more to make it a novel."

"I don't want to end up putting tons of fillers there just to make it a novel. It's enough as a novella."

"Yeah, right." I agreed.

"So, how was the first year of college?"

"Slayed." He laughed at my expression.

"How is it slayed?"

"Got a grade of 99.7%!"

"Holy Moly, is that true?"

"Yes! Wanna see my report card?"

"You just beat my record when I was in tenth grade!"

I chuckled.

"What do you want to do this summer?"

"Probably stay here at home,"

"Umm, are you sure about that?" Even he looked like I was crazy for what I said.

"Yeah, I've done enough from the past few summers so I'll take a rest for now,"

"Okay then," he agreed as our mom began approaching us with two cups of coffee and two plates of waffles.

"Oh, is that Ven?" He narrowed at the window when he saw Ven walking around with his arms crossed and eyes on the sky.

"Uh-huh." I looked the same way and found him wandering.

"He grew taller and cuter." I guess it was a tease.

I never told anyone that I liked him. But uncle Jerry always saw the sense in me. He says the way I look at Ven is different.

"Stop," I complained. But instead, it made him smirk.

"Why don't you come out there and play with him?"

"Uncle! We are not kids anymore, okay?" My voice probably surprised him.

"Then hang out. Sorry I used a different word. I was supposed to say hang out. Why don't you hang out with him?"

"Nah, I'm good,"

"He looks lonely there."

"I know but, let him be."

"He's waiting for you."

"He's not!" I defended.

"Whatever." And there he goes... giving up!

After a moment of silence that we just ate our waffles and drank our coffees while watching TV, he spoke. "By the way, I forgot to tell you."

He leaned on his left side and grabbed something from his bag.

Then he faced me. "Here," he handed a blue book with a boy on its cover. It looked like a Vector animation because it had no face.

"What's this?" I asked.

"It's a book I wrote but never released."

"What? I don't understand."

"I wrote this book when I was seventeen years old, this is the only copy I printed. No one has ever read that. Because they don't have to."

I looked at him with lines drawn on my forehead. "Why don't they have to?"

"Because it's the story of a girl named Jaraiah back in the days before she began wearing crop tops, ripped jeans, make-ups, and bagging a grade of 99.7%" he winked.

I chuckled. "Seriously?" I began looking through the pages.

It looked old.

Like... a decade ago.

But it looked like it was never used.

"Yes, seriously."

"What's in here?" I asked.

"That's for you to find out."

I opened it and found pictures of a little girl.

And under them was a small note.

I realized he was telling the truth.

It was a book about my life when I was younger.

"Wow! Thanks!" I smiled and leaned forward to give him a tight hug.

But I guess I was too happy that I crushed him when he said. "Ouch... I can't breathe."