Between North and South

CHAPTER 2 - THE CALL

Waking up in high spirit at seven, Azren immediately reached for her phone to check if Uriah had sent a message. Her shoulders sagged seeing that there was none. At ten o’clock, she attended the Sunday mass with her family and on the way home, she checked her phone twice and still got no message from him.

“Can you please stop checking your phone? It’s distracting.” Her older brother chastised while they were watching a random movie inside the entertainment area.

“It’s a miracle that you’re here on a Sunday, Kuya.”

“Why would he go out when he’s got a bad hang-over?” Logan, her younger brother, entered with a bowl of chips from the kitchen. “He came in at 4:00 in the morning.”

The eldest glared at them. “It’s as if the person you’re discussing is not here. Where are your manners?”

Azren huffed and took a fistful of chips. She rechecked her phone and held a smile upon finally seeing a message from him.

Uriah: Good afternoon, Izzy! :)

Azren: Hey. You’re up so early.

Uriah: Haha. Sorry. I woke up late and went to church with my family.

Azrene: How late is late?

Uriah: 10 am. xD

While still composing her reply, she received another message.

Uriah: Then we had lunch at High Ridge. It’s a new restaurant here in the city.

Hmm. It’s amusing that he’s giving me a glimpse of the place he’s living in even without me asking. Hm. Next time I’ll ask for pictures. But where would he send it? Messenger? Hm. I don’t want to give any of my social media accounts yet.

Azren: Is it nice? Anyway, I’ll just look it up so you won’t have to describe.

Uriah: It’s breathtaking. You can see the whole Cagayan de Oro City. :) They have fb page. Just put in High Ridge.

Azren: I’ll check it later.

Uriah: Okay. Are you Roman Catholic?

Azren: Yes. I went to church with my family at 10:00 AM. You?

Uriah: Catholic too. :) What u doing now?

Azren: Watching movie with my brothers.

Uriah: Are you the only girl?

She momentarily checked on the guys and they haven’t noticed that she’s texting a lot.

Azren: Yes, I’m the middle child.

Uriah: Ah. How old are they?

Azren: Kuya’s 23 and our youngest is 17. You have siblings?

Uriah: Yup. Three. Our eldest is 24 and married. Our third is a guy and he’s 18. Our youngest is 16. Also a guy.

Azren: Oh. How long has she been married?

Uriah: Five months. :)

Azren: Are they expecting?

Uriah: Nope. Maybe next year or when she’s 26.

Azren: Cool! That’s a good age to bear.

Uriah: Yes. Actually, it’s timely to bear now since they’re already stable but they agreed not to have one yet.

Azren: That’s fine. Let them enjoy each other first. :)

Uriah: Right. Hey, Iz, do you mind if I text u again later? I gotta play ball.

Oh? It hasn’t been long and now he’s excusing? Oh, well. At least he formally asked and wasn’t rude.

Azren: Sure! Laters. :D

He didn’t reply, so she decided to open her Google browser and check for High Ridge. There weren’t too many photos but they were enough to prove that it’s breathtakingly beautiful. She wondered how far it was from the city proper or the highway because it’s clearly located in an elevated area.

Too bad that I can’t visit there soon. It may even be impossible. But what do we know about the future, right? Maybe one day Dad will finally allow us to visit Mindanao.

For some reason, Azren’s father has always been forbidding when it comes to Mindanao—the third largest island of the country located in south. They’ve been to places in the Visayas but never in Mindanao because according to him and to most people outside, the place is chaotic and dangerous. Azren sees her father as prejudiced but being her parent, she chose to listen even if Ramona told her several times that it isn’t as dangerous as how people believe it to be. Ramona’s never visited the island but her cousins tell her facts about it.

A message came four hours later, when Azren was in her room, reviewing her lessons. The simple ‘Izzy?’ made her smile. Actually, none of her friends nor family call her that. They refer to her as Azren since her full name is Azren Louiza. But since Uriah was a stranger, she decided to use her other name.

“Is his name really Uriah, though?” She asked herself. “What if he’s also lying?”

Ugh. Wait a minute. I can find answers to my own queries! I could just look him up on Facebook. I’ll look for Carlos then check if he’s got a friend named Uriah on his Friend’s List. We aren’t friends on FB and we haven’t met in person, so I’m sure Uriah wouldn’t find my account so easily. But if he’s wise, he’d visit Ramona’s account and look for me there. That is if he finds me—because I do not use the name Louiza on any of my social networks. Am I being unfair? I don’t think so.

Azren: Hi! :) Game done?

Uriah: Ahuh. Have you eaten?

Azren: Later. Our dinner’s usually at seven. You?

Uriah: Later too. Mom’s still preparing. I just finished my bath, anyway.

Azren: Ah. Do you cook?

Uriah: Yeah. I often make our meals especially when Mom’s too busy.

Azren: How responsible of you. :)

Uriah: I need to learn so I could cook for you when we’re married. ;)

She laughed. “As if that will happen.”

Azren: Do that so I’d love you every single day of our marriage. xD

Uriah: And be eternally together. ♡

Azren: Just because of your cooking? Haha.

Uriah: Maybe. Don’t women appreciate guys who cook for them?

Azren: Hmm. Yes? I dunno. My dad doesn’t cook. But my brother does. You know, to impress his girlfriend.

Uriah: Haha. It’s nice when guys know house chores too.

Azren: I know. Plus points, right? :D
Uriah: Then I’ll do better to impress you more.

Azren: Eh? Too bad I wouldn’t be able to taste your dishes. We’re too far apart.

But really, Azren, if he’s from somewhere near, will you even meet him?

Uriah: I know. :( Well, I’ll cook for you when I get to visit your place or when you visit mine.

Azren: There’s an impossibility to that because my dad forbids us from coming to Mindanao.

Uriah: Why so?

Azren: He says it’s chaotic. No offense. :)

Uriah: None taken. It’s not a surprising perception, you know. We’re used to it. :)

Azren: Is it really that chaotic?

Uriah: Not the whole island. There are safe and peaceful places around here too.

Azren: That’s a relief. You know, the media often shows only the dangerous and chaotic situations in there.

Uriah: The media’s not always right. They’re oftentimes biased. When you come here, I assure you’ll be safe.
She’d like to believe him. She want to believe his guarantees but then again, he’s still a stranger.

Azren: I truly want to visit Mindanao especially Camiguin. Are you living close to that island?

Uriah: Nah. It’s two hours land travel and an hour of crossing from the port to the island.

Azren: Ah. Well, I wanna go. Maybe after I graduate.

Uriah: I’m looking forward! :D

Azren: I am too! :D

After sending that, she checked her phone’s clock and realized that it was already time for dinner. Hence, before he could reply, she sent another text.

Azren: Gotta have dinner. Also, I’ll text you tomorrow coz I need to study and charge my phone.

Uriah: Okay. Eat well! Shall I say good night in advance?

Azren: Yes. Good night, Uriah. :)

Uriah: Good night, Louiza. :)

***

She wasn’t mistaken. They had a pop quiz in a major subject.

“Lucky for Azren to get a high score. You advance-read, didn’t you?” Her friend named Brian muttered as they moved to the next class. He’s tall, handsome, with fair complexion, hooded brown eyes, thin lips, and black clean cut hair. And his body is well sculpted. And even if he’s gay, he doesn’t cross dress.

“Just a bit. I just want to avoid failing.”

“Could you please share some of your dedication to study?” Ramona whined. She’s as tall as Azren. A head turner with straight blonde hair, full lips, vibrant smile, naturally thick brows, pinkish-white complexion, almond-shaped eyes, and tall nose. And her body proportion is that of a model.

“I’ll give you seedlings of it later. Don’t forget to plant them, okay?”

“Ugh. You and Gavin are really good for each other. Both witty and smart.” Her other friend, Sophia, chimed in. She’s two inches shorter than the other two. Unlike Ramona, she’s slender but still sexy. She’s also very attractive. She may not be the prettiest in the group but she definitely has the strongest sex appeal because of the way she carries herself.

Standing by the door of the room they were approaching, their friend Gavin greeted everyone with a nod but Azren got a half-hug instead. Like Brian, he’s tall with a perfectly sculpted body. His skin color is darker but far from brown. His eyes are deep-seated, his brows are thick, his nose is tall and naturally perfect, his lips are red and full, and his light brown hair is clean-cut.

“Where’s my hug, Gav?”

Gavin smiled at Ramona’s pretend whining.

“Let’s go, Mon. His affections are only for Az!” Brian muttered and pulled Ramona inside.

The two sat side by side, as always. And as always, their friends teased them as if their closeness is something new to their eyes.

Gavin and Azren basically grew up together as the result of their parents being close friends. Half of the time he’s her guy best friend and the other half—he’s her crush. He was the person who stood by her when her relationship with her ex ended. Gavin wanted to hurt the guy. To knock him down because of his anger. Azren would’ve let him do it but her cheating ex was lucky that she felt a pinch of mercy and asked Gavin not to stain his hands with a cheater’s blood.

“How was first period?” He asked, leaning closer to her.

“We had a surprise quiz and I passed.”

He removed the strands of her hair that created the barrier between them and placed them behind her ear. “You studied?”

She smiled and nodded. “By the way, you didn’t text me last weekend.”

“You missed me?” He beamed. “My cousins and I played ball. Then went to drink at night. And on Sunday I slept the whole day.”

Gavin is a lazy texter so he prefers calling. But that happens rarely because they’re literally together every day and sometimes he asks her out on weekends. Not a date, though. Just a friendly hang out. Often just the two of them and sometimes with the squad.

Speaking of texting, she opened her phone and saw two texts from Uriah. First, he greeted her good morning and second, he asked if she was in school. She couldn’t reply to both messages as she was preoccupied the whole morning. But since their professor wasn’t here yet, she decided to send one.

Me: Hi! Sorry for the late reply. We had a quiz during first period. I’ll text you later coz I have another class now. Need to focus.

A quick reply came in.

Uriah: Oh. I’m free for the whole morning and pretty loaded on the afternoon.

Oh. Our schedules don’t match. Azren thought quietly.

Me: Text you tonight, then. :)

Uriah: Sure. Take care, Iz. :)

Me: You too. :)

As she hid her phone in her bag, she wondered about Uriah’s class schedule for tomorrow.

***

“Is something wrong?”

She flinched on Gavin’s sudden query. “Nothing.”

He nodded towards her phone. “Is that important? If not then focus on your meal.”

How bossy!

She’s aware that she’s behaving oddly because she doesn’t normally check her phone when having her meal. Hence, she put it away to hold Gavin’s curiosity because he’s worse than her brothers. He doesn’t quit until he gets answers.

Altogether, their squad left the cafeteria for the next period. Unfortunately, since some of her friends were possessed by the spirit of the Lazy Juan during enrollment, they will be heading to different classes. Seven of them—namely Gavin, Autumn, Henry, Rebecca, Ramona, and Brian are in the same class. They’re actually block-mates in most classes but every first period on Mondays, Gavin goes to a different class with Farrah, Thea, and Lewis.

An agonizing hour passed and if it weren’t for Gavin sitting beside Azren, she would’ve dozed off a long time ago. He’s quite attentive and even if he doesn’t review their discussions, he’d always pass. Unlike the rest of them who needs to make time to study. Well, he reviews but not as much as they do.

“Are you still talking to Carlos’ friend?” Mona queried as they entered an empty powder room after class.

“Yup. But the last time we contacted was Monday.” She replied, fixing her hair into a neat ponytail.

“Oh. I’m glad you gave him a chance. What’s his name again?” Ramona’s done with her lashes and now applying color on her lips.

“Uriah. I don’t know his full name.”

“Eh? You didn’t ask?”

“Nope. I’ll ask when he’ll contact me again. Besides, I don’t want him to ask for my real name, too.” She confessed. “Not this soon, anyway.”

“Why? Are you scared?” She teased. “He’s harmless, Az. I made sure of that. And like I said, I trust my cousin. Carlos is decent and he doesn’t lie to me.”

“I’m not scared. I’m just being cautious. And, Mon, your cousin and Uriah are two different people. Being closely connected doesn’t mean that they are the same. Duh? I mean, look at us. We are close but not the same.” She stifled a laugh. “But we’ll see. I’m not judging yet. Plus, it’s just texting.”

“Exactly,” she beamed. “And you’re living in the opposite ends of the country, so what’s to worry, right?”
She agreed on that.

Their last two subjects were done and they’re now headed to the ground floor. The group is once again completed since the ten of them went to the same last period. Gavin offered to drive Azren home as they reached the first floor of the building but she declined since it’s already seven and among their friends, she’s living the farthest. All of them lives in different condominiums near the university.

“Exactly why I should take you home. You’re late for dinner,” he insisted. “And I already called your driver. I told him I’ll drive you home.”

This isn’t new to her. Gavin does this often but whenever their class ends this late, she’d decline, not wanting to inconvenience him. The traffic’s bad and it’ll eat his time. He’s also living in a condo nearby and she wants him to have enough time to rest.

“Yes and you need to eat too.” She pointed.

“Are you gonna keep fighting?” Thea interjected and caused them all to halt in the middle of the hallway. She’s Gavin’s first cousin but they look like twins. She’s the tallest among the ladies too. “Let him do what he wants, Az. You know too well that he won’t stop.”

“The cousin is right.” Henry said. He’s moreno—very Filipino and handsome. He’s also tall with black, straight, shoulder-length hair tied into a ponytail. His eyes and brows look intense. His nose is crooked and his lips are thin but perfectly shaped.

“Alright, fine.” Azren gives up as they’re ganging up on her.

They talked about Game of Thrones as they traveled home but it was cut due to the call that blasted her phone. She checked the caller’s name and instantly caught her breath.

Wow. He didn’t text me for two days and now he decides to surprise me with a call? Terrific. Should I answer it? If I do then I will finally hear his voice for the first time. I admit that I’ve been looking forward for that to happen but his timing’s off! I’m with Gavin and for sure he’s gonna—

“Who’s that? Why not answer it?”

—wonder.

“Um… it’s not important.”

He gave her a quick glance before returning his eyes on the road. “Not important but it caught you off guard. Is that Tristan? I’ll talk to him, then.”

She chuckled. “No. He stopped bothering me a month ago.”

He nods. “Just answer it, Az. Because if it isn’t important, he should’ve hung up by now.”

“Okay.” I should do that before this caller changes his mind. She’s nervous and excited. To ease that, she inhaled before speaking. “Hello?”

“Hi, Louiza.”

His low baritone is melting me! I can imagine talking to a handsome man! I couldn’t speak. It’s like my excitement took my ability to speak. “Hey… what’s up? Are your classes done?”

“All done. It ended at six. You?”

She swallowed. “Um… mine ended at seven. I’m headed home.”

“Oh. Are you commuting? I’ll call you later, then. I wouldn’t want your phone to be snatched.”

She felt his genuine concern. “It’s fine. I’m not commuting. My friend’s driving me home.” She glanced at Gavin and they exchanged smiles.

“Good. How far is your house from your school?”

“Hmm… with light traffic, it takes thirty minutes. How about yours?”
“It takes a three-minute walk. The subdivision that I live in is literally just across my university.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled again. “I mean, I can take a tricycle home but at night I prefer walking because it gives me time to ponder upon things.”

“Oh… lucky for you. It’s convenient.”

She glanced at Gavin again but his eyes were stuck on the road. However, she knows that he’s attentively listening. She momentarily pressed her eyes together. She wants to keep her conversation with Uriah but she didn’t want Gavin to feel neglected nor disrespected, because she herself hates being ignored. Emergency and urgent calls are forgivable but catching up is not really fine. That’s their unspoken rule.

“You still there, Izzy?”

Oh, crap. I zoned off. “Sorry,” She laughed a little. “Can I just text you when I get home?”

“Oh, sure.” He sounded a little disappointed. “I’ll call you by then.”

“Okay. Bye.” She hung up.

“Who was that?” Gavin asked immediately.

They just got into the subdivision and will reach her house in less than a minute. She didn’t notice that they were driving fast. She even thought that they were still ten minutes away.

“A friend. Catching up.”

He bobbed his head indifferently. She looked out and saw their huge black gate. She unbuckled her seat-belt and waited for him to open the door, as what he always does.

"Thanks," she muttered as she went out. "Let's go in. Have dinner with us. It's almost eight."

He shook his head. "Thanks but I don't wanna disturb your family dinner."

"Oh? As if you've never had dinner with us."

He chuckled. "Do I have a monthly free meal here?"

"Sort of. And FYI, you haven't availed your free meals for this month yet."

He leaned against the car. "Meals? Plural."

"Hmm. Maximum of three."

"Reserve it," he moved away from the car and pecked her on the cheek. "I gotta go. Traffic's congested."

"Are you sure? I mean, that's why you should get something to eat."

He nods. "Next time. We had a heavy snack earlier, anyway."

"Okay. You take care. Thanks."

She went in once the red Chevy pick-up was out of sight. She headed to the kitchen and passed by her older brother who's having dinner at the dining area.

"Eat up, Az."

"You just arrived too, Kuya?" She asked while dropping her things on a vacant chair then went to the sink to wash her hands.

"Yup. Did Gavin drive you home?"

She nodded. Her family's used to her closeness with Gavin. They're also aware that it was him who stood by her when she and Tristan broke up. And though he does the boyfriend duties, they remained friends even if sometimes she can feel that he sees her more than that. And the feeling is mutual.

After dinner, she headed to her bedroom and did her nightly rituals before bed. But she first texted Gavin to check if he's home safe and if he'd eaten.

Gavin: Yup! I just ate. You?

Me: Did too. Gotta go, Gav. Good night! :*

Gavin: Good night, Az. Dream of us. ♡

If her friends seemed to be unused of her closeness with Gavin—or maybe they're just messing with them—she, on the other hand, is unused to this line of his. Every time they exchange good nights either through call or texts, he never forgets to say those tingling words.

She didn't reply and decided to text Uriah after her evening ritual. It's only 9:00 PM and she was certain that he's still awake. Seconds later, he's caller ID displayed and for the second time tonight, she felt the electrifying excitement again.

"Hey…" She greeted, smiling like a dog! Dammit! Why am I this excited for a stranger?

"Hello, Iz. Are you home now?"

"Yeah, I got here at 8:00. Then had my dinner and did some things before bedtime."

"Oh. Can you tell me more about your day?"

"Hmm… just normal. Attended classes, chatted with my friends so I won't get bored until my next class, then I directly went home."

"You didn't go out?"

"No," she chuckled. "I only go out on weekends. And that happens rarely. It's just… I'm not fond of malls or any crowded places. It bores me."

"Really? Sorry if I couldn't believe it."

Hmm. So if some people from the other islands of the country generalizes that Mindanao is chaotic and dangerous, then there are also those people who generalizes that Manileños are liberated, lovers of malls, parties and whatsoever, huh? “Is it because I'm a Manila girl?”

"Hey…" he hesitated. "I'm not generalizing. Sorry. Um… do you remember I said that I saw some photos of—"

Oh my God! Don't tell me that he already saw some photos of me! Is it possible that he already found my FB account? And speaking of that, I haven't searched him on Facebook yet. I always forget. And when I remember, I get lazy.

"Ramona?"

She sighed as he finished his statement. "Oh, yeah. Why? What's with them?"

"Hmm… I was thinking that you might probably be alike."

"What do you mean? How do you see her?"

"Um… typical city girl. No offense. It's just an observation."

"None taken. But I guess I should tell you that Ramona and I are different. Well, we dress similarly but there are things we differ at. Like makeup. I am not very fond of putting a lot of makeup on my face."

"So, you're saying that you're simple?"

Now she could sense the amusement in his voice. Am I simple? Well, it's true that I don't do much with my body. I only fix my eyebrows and wear lipstick and use pressed powder unlike most of my peers who wear lash extensions, mascaras, eyeliners, and contact lenses. I mean, Thea is an exception because of her eye condition and she prefers contact lenses over eyeglasses. But Rebecca and Autumn are only using contacts for fashion. And when it comes to outfits, Ramona and I get along pretty well. We sometimes do the KenGi twinning.

"Maybe. You know what, why don't you just judge me when you get to see me? I don't want to describe myself. I like it better when people tell me their impressions without being fed with prior information for basis."

"I'd really love to see you but I want the thrill. So even if I could just simply ask for your Facebook account, I'd want to wait a little longer."

She smiled to that. Perfect. Because I don't want him to ask for that particular detail this early. But I'm gonna look him up sooner. Maybe after this call I'll get myself busy with my Mission Stalk Uriah.

"I hope you won't get disappointed with how I look. Hmm. I suggest that you don't bother looking for me." She joked.

"It's not about the looks."

Really, huh? That's too hard to believe. "Oh? What if I'm plus size, or obese, or too skinny, or too dark? What if I'm too ugly for you?"

"What if I don't care? What if I'm the one who doesn't meet your standards?"

"Wait. Why are we discussing looks again?" She chuckled the embarrassment she felt. Why did I bring that up? I just sounded like someone who's only after the looks. Ugh.

"I don't know. You started it," he laughs.

"Um…"

"For the record, I don't judge by the looks, Izzy."

Okay, I’m guilty. I just judged him! But can you blame me when men these days are often only after the looks?

"I didn't ask Carlos for someone perfect. I asked him for someone decent." He went on.

"I'm sorry. I was just…" she sighed. "I'm sorry. Never mind. What're you doing now?"

I hope he'll just go along with changing our topic. I know I sounded rude but I was just really joking when I told him not to bother about finding how I look. But he responded a little too seriously.

He finally released a sigh and that assured her that he's gonna drop the prior topic. "Just lying on my bed."

Their conversation lasted for fifteen more minutes before she finally decided to sleep. She was so sleepy that after the call, she decided to postpone her stalking.

"Good night, Izzy. I enjoyed our call. Dream of me, okay?"

She chuckled. "How? I don't even know how you look like. But thank you for the call. Good night, Uriah."