SECRETLY INTO YOU ( WAITING SERIES #1 )

VENICE'S POV

"Please, beshy! Come with me, pretty please. "this girl said while making puppy eyes.

A long sigh comes out of my mouth. I cannot remember how many times I sighed because of this girl trying to convince me. I looked at her again, and she was still making puppy eyes, thinking it would work for me. I think this girl will not stop bothering me until I agree with her invitation.

Hi, everyone! My name is Venice Marquez, a 20-year-old young lady. I am tall and fair in complexion. Beautiful ( they said ) and intelligent. On the other hand, the girl who is so noisy here is my best friend. Her name is Monica Cruz, a modern version of Ruth in the Bible and a niece of a pastor. She is beautiful inside and out. And an hour passed when she convinced me to come with her to their church because they would be conducting a youth event this coming Sunday.

"Yikes, she will say yes already. "Monica told me while poking my side, so my attention came back to her. Haist, this girl is so stubborn. She must be thankful that she is my best friend or else. I do wanna say it.

"Okay, fine. "I said in surrender.

"Yaaaaay! "she exclaimed happily.

"But this is the last time you will try to convince me about this one, or we will be ending our friendship already. "I told to, Monica pretending to be pissed off, so she frowned.

"Can you? "she asked with teary eyes. See what I am talking about. She is childish.

"Of course not. I love you. "I answered, smiling.

Monica's emotions changed immediately. She smiled and hugged me tightly. Sometimes I am thinking if this girl has mood swings. I flicked her forehead, so she looked at me, confused.

"Seriously speaking, beshy. This will be the last time, okay? I am not suitable there; I might be burned alive. "I jokingly told her.

"Yeah, yeah! But I am sure you will enjoy it, so there will be next time. "she said, smiling then winking at me.

"Let us see. "I said because I am sure we would not end this conversation if I told another complaint. Monica never wants to lose to anyone, even to me.

I sighed once again. What have I put myself into? Do not get me wrong, I am not scared of going to church because I am a kind person. But I think I am not suitable for their church. I wonder what will happen at that youth event.

*** SUNDAY ***

I woke up at almost past ten in the morning because it was the weekend. I also want to go to the mall and walk around because I am too stressed this whole week because of schoolwork. By the way, Monica and I are third-year Accountancy students in the school near our house. I stopped daydreaming when my cell phone suddenly rang. I got it from my side table and checked who messaged me.

"See you later, beshy. I will fetch you later at two in the afternoon. See you! "

I sighed after reading the text message. Monica is the sender of the text message, and she is reminding me about the youth event later. Haist, I scratched the back of my head. I guess my initial plan of going to the mall later is cancelled. It is too hard to coax Monica when she gets angry, so I do not have a choice but to come with her. I just go downstairs to start cleaning the house. My family is not here because they went to the church near our home early in the morning today. I did not bother to join them because I was already attending church, where Monica served later. I do not want to be sounded so holy because of going to church twice. After cleaning the house, I started cooking food for our lunch. I cooked chicken adobo as a dish because it is my favorite dish.

After some time, my family arrived precisely after I finished preparing the dining table.

"It is a miracle, sis. You are too hardworking today. "my younger sister said while teasing me.

"Che! You have just arrived from the church and are already making fun of me. "I told her, pretending to be annoyed.

"She has a point. You are too hardworking. Are you going somewhere? "my father asked me.

"Ah, it is because Monica invited me to their church later at two in the afternoon. They are conducting an event there. "I admitted to my father.

"Got you! "my younger sister said, so I glared at her. She pushed my patience to the limits, so I looked at her sharper to threaten her to shut up before I looked back to my father.

"May I? "I asked my father while praying that he would not approve it, so I could make an excuse to Monica for not attending it.

"Alright. "my father quickly answered, which made my jaw drop. Is he agreed?

"W-what? "I asked once again, hoping that I misheard what he said.

"Do not be confused because of what your father said. Monica did not stop bothering him until he agreed for you to come to their event. "my mother explained.

I sat down in unbelief at what my mother said. Monica is really making sure of things. We just ate our lunch, and then I washed the dishes before returning to my room and taking a bath. After taking a bath, I started finding something to wear on my cabinet. I scratch the back of my head because I just have shorts and ripped jeans in my wardrobe. I am not holy, but I know these clothes are unsuitable in the church because I never saw Monica wear something like this.

After a few minutes, I had already found something decent to wear. It is a denim dress that is below the knee in length. I think this is already approved and better. After I wore it, I started putting powder on my face and fixing my hair. I was standing when I heard someone knocking on my door.

"Come in, "I said while checking my look in the mirror.

"You are really slow. "Monica said while frowning.

I looked back to see her. Then I started to be confused when her expression changed immediately. She seems to see something that surprises her.

"What? "I asked uncomfortably.

"Wow, beshy! That dress looks good on you. "Monica complimented me in amusement.

"Che! Let us go already. "I said, then got my shoulder bag in my bed.

We went outside my room together. When we go downstairs, my parents happily watch a show on the television. I come closer to them and bid goodbye to them.

"We will get going, Mom and Dad. "I said politely.

"Take care and do not go home too dark. "my father instructed.

"We will get going, Tito and Tita. Do not worry, Beshy is in good hand. "Monica said energetically.

"We knew that for fact, and we are hoping that you will influence your friend. "my mother said.

My jaw dropped because of what my mother said. Seriously, who really is their daughter between, Monica and me? I was ready to protest my mother's words when Monica grabbed me towards my house's exit. Then, we hopped into the tricycle, which stopped in front of our house. Wow, that is fast.

After ten minutes, we arrived at the church where Monica was serving. We are not yet near the door, but I can still hear the loud sound coming from there. I gulped in silence because of nervousness when I looked at the door.

"Let us go? "Monica asked me.

I nodded in response and let her grab me towards the church entrance. When we are already inside, many youths greet Monica, and when they look at me, they will just smile at me, so I smile back at them.

"Monica, let us practice. "the guy said to Monica when he came closer to us. Monica is the so-called worship leader of this event.

"Ahh, okay. I will follow you in a bit. "Monica said.

The stutter of her words is not remaining unnoticed by me. Hmm, I smell something fishy here.

"Beshy, I will just go on stage. You can go in the second row to sit beside my seat. You know my bag, right? You sit beside it. "Monica instructed me.

"All right. "I answered back.

Monica left me and went to the stage. Then, they started practicing.

"Hello, what is your name? "the girl in the registration area asked me.

"Venice. "I answered her politely.

"Hi Venice, I am Grace. Are you new here? "Grace asked me once again.

"Yes, it is my first time here. "I answered.

"Really? Who invited you, then? "she asked again.

"It is Monica. She is my bestfriend. "I replied.

Grace and I continued to talk about random things until we noticed that the seats inside the chair started to be occupied.

"Hello, everyone. Welcome to the youth jam. We will start in a bit, so I am inviting everyone to take a sit. "the emcee announces.

I bid goodbye to Grace and started finding where Monica said I would be seated. When I had already found it, I turned to the stage where I saw a busy guy strumming his guitar. I do not know how many minutes have passed that I am still looking at him. I only stopped looking at him when the emcee announced that the event would start.

Monica started singing, and the people she was on the stage began playing their instruments. I cannot keep up with them because I have no idea what they are singing, so I just look to my best friend. Aside from being beautiful, she also has a voice like an angel. That girl is really blessed. I also looked at the guy who called Monica a while back. He is currently energetically hitting the drum set. Lastly, I looked at the guy who was strumming his guitar. I look away when he looks in my direction. I just closed my eyes and went with the song's flow. After Monica sang and prayed, they went down the stage, and Monica went straight beside me.

"Do you want some water? "I asked her.

Monica just shakes her head while smiling in her response. She sat down and looked at the stage where their youth leader started sharing God's word. After a while,

"You know, brethren, if you feel incomplete or unloved right now, I want to say that you make the right decision to come here, "the youth leader said, penetrating me.

The youth leader directed the worship team to went straight to the stage. Some of the youths seated started to stand, so I did the same. Monica started to sing once again. After a while, I heard someone crying, so I looked around to find her, but I failed. My attention shifted to the stage when the youth leader suddenly spoke.

"Do not focus on what is happening in your surroundings, brethren. Now, focus on God. He wants you back. Come back now, "the youth leader said, making me close my eyes. His words are like a command but instructed sweetly.

"Now, if you are decided to surrender your life to God, go near the stage, so we can pray for you. "the youth leader said once again.

I did not notice that I started walking toward the stage. A girl held me in my head and started praying for me. I kneel down while crying. I realized that the youth leader's unloved and incomplete person in his exhortation was me. Then that day, I ENCOUNTERED GOD FOR THE FIRST TIME and surrendered my life to Him, which was the best decision I ever made.

TO BE CONTINUED!

VENICE'S POV

I am currently lying down in my bed because of tiredness. I just got home from the church where Monica served. I did not imagine I would feel so much joy at that church. I cannot wait to go back there again next time. After a while, I get up from my bed to take a bath. I feel sweaty already and cannot sleep with a sticky feeling. Technically, I will not be sleeping yet since I have some activities for my two major subjects and other subjects that feel major for a rushed deadline.

After forty-five minutes, I finished taking a bath. Yes, it takes a long time for me in the bathroom today because I want to relax before I do my really stressful activities and exhaust my brain cells. Accounting and auditing are the focus topic of these activities, so I am sure it will be bloody, and I may not have time to sleep.

Before I started my activities, I went online to check my messenger. When I opened it, I saw Monica had added me to their group chat. The group chat is composed of all youth girls in the church. I am not shocked knowing this because Monica already told me before we separated our ways earlier. I just back reading their topics because I am shy to interact with them. Of course, I am new and do not know anyone except Monica and Grace.

" Hi, Venice. " I have read what Grace chatted.

I am having a second guess if I will reply to her message. But in the end, I decided to respond to her chat to avoid the thought that I was a snob or grumpy.

" Hello, Grace. Hi, everyone! " I messaged in the group chat with a happy face emoji so they would not think I was scary.

" Hey! Now I know that your name is Venice. Hello to you, nice meeting you. I did not go near you earlier. " I have read the cute girl named Joy messaged.

" It is alright. Maybe there is a lot of lines in my forehead earlier, so you did not go near me. " I replied with a peace sign emoji.

" Yes, you look so grumpy earlier. " Joy replied to me. I laughed because of what she said, so I clicked the HAHA reaction. People used to be called me grumpy, so it does not bother me anymore.

I checked the time on my wall clock at the top of my study table. It is already eight in the evening; time flies so fast, really. I need to face my activities already. I cannot go to school tomorrow without a night of sleep since my professors are terrors.

" Even I do wanna bid my goodbye to everyone, I need to go already since I have few challenging activities that I need to finished. Sending my advance goodnight to everyone. " I replied to them.

Many youths just send a heart to react to my message, while others reply to me that they will include me in their prayers and hope for a good night ahead. I also felt so welcome in their group even though I am still new, which makes me comfortable around them. I was putting aside my phone when it beeped. It means that someone chatted with me, so I checked it.

" Hi, Love. Let us see each other tomorrow. Good night! " I read the message sent to me by Jeremy.

" Oh no, love. I forgot to message you the whole day. Sorry, I got too busy. See you tomorrow. Goodnight! " I replied to him.

" No worries. Do not forget to tell me about what happened when we see each other tomorrow. I love you. " I read once again.

" Love you too. " I replied.

After I replied to Jeremy, I immediately turned off my cell phone. Maybe we would spend hours talking until midnight if I did not do it. Jeremy is not my boyfriend yet, but we have a mutual understanding. He understands well that I want to finish my studies and then take the board exam. Finally, I want to be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) before we enter a serious relationship.

I started answering my activities and overlooked the passing time until it reached twelve midnight. I fixed my answer sheets and put my finished activities in my folder named "FINISHED", while the other unfinished activities I put in the "UNFINISHED." After preparing the clothes I wear tomorrow, I lie down on my bed and close my eyes.

However, I immediately opened my eyes again when the image of the guy playing the guitar suddenly appeared in my mind. Weird? Why did I see him? I just shrugged off my thoughts and just slept anyway.

***

When I woke up the next day, I immediately stood up because I was running late already. I had a good sleep, so I am doing my morning routine as fast as possible because I want to hear Monica scolding me again. After finishing my morning routine, I just grabbed a piece of bread from the dining table and ran toward the door. When I was already outside, I saw Monica patiently waiting for me. We are always going to school together since we are classmates.

" Sorry, sorry! I woke up late. " I said to Monica while gasping for air.

" Tss, maybe you spent too much quality time with Jeremy last night. " Monica said while we were walking towards the jeepney terminal. I frowned because of what she said.

" Whenever I woke up late, is it always because I spent quality time with Jeremy? " I sarcastically replied to her. She just laughed at what I said.

" Oh, it is not Jeremy, then what is the reason? " Monica asked me again.

" I just did our activities; I have a bundle of them. You? Are you done doing it? " I explained my reason to her and then asked her.

" Yes, I finished it last Saturday. " she replied.

" Hope all. " I commented that making Monica burst into laughter.

I am really amazed about Monica. She never neglected her studies even though she was dedicated to serving the Lord. I wish that I could be like her. We already hop into the jeepney. When we arrived at the school, we still had thirty minutes before our first class, so we decided to go first to the library.

When we entered the library, I saw Jeremy with a girl. My eyebrow raised because of what I saw. Who is that girl? I intentionally walked through them, and when Jeremy saw me, he seemed shocked. Monica and I sit at the following table. I simply count one to three, and Jeremy appears before me.

" Good morning, love. " He greeted me with an apparent nervousness on his body.

" Morning. " I greeted him back and rolled my eyes.

" Love, please. We just see each other, and then you are behaving like that already. " he sadly said while making a cute pose.

" Get lost. " I told Jeremy coldly.

" But---" he stopped after I raised my right hand. I do not want this day to be ruined because I want to start this week in a happy tone.

" Fine, I will see you around. " Jeremy said, then he looked at Monica and left.

I rolled my eyes in nowhere. That guy does not really know how to coax a girl. He is also the type of man who easily attracts women and loves that.

" Smile! You will be ugly. " Monica said.

" Tsk! You are acting like that because you did not know what I felt; too bad. " I said sadly to her. Instead of comforting me, she really teased me.

" Even though I cannot relate to what you feel, at least I am happy. What about you? It is already countless times that you are the one trying to fix the misunderstanding. You are the one pursuing for your so called relationship. " Monica said while emphasizing the word " pursuing. "

" You know that I love him. " I told Monica.

" Did he? " she asked me straight in my face. This girl really does not know when to stop.

" Of course! What kind of question is that, Monica? " I asked her in irritation.

" You know that if a man really loves you, he will never let you feel that you are the one chasing him. " Monica said.

" We are like this for a long time, Monica. Can you just support me about Jeremy because I felt like he is already my the one? " I plea to her while silently giggling about that thoughts.

Actually, Monica does not really like Jeremy for me. She argued that Jeremey was a womanizer. But after Jeremy and I had a mutual understanding, he never found another woman.

" I will only support you if I am seeing that he is a good influence to you. If not, I will never tolerate it. " Monica said in full of seriousness.

" Trust me on this one, okay? " I said to her while making a cute face.

" Psh, if ever that you will be in pain, do not bother to cry on my shoulder. " Monica said, so I continuously nodded in agreement.

I am confident that Jeremy will be the one for me, so I am sure I will not cry in pain because of him. After a few minutes, we decided to go to our classroom. Then, our class started.

TO BE CONTINUED!

VENICE'S POV

Our class this morning is already ended. It is already lunchtime, so I am putting my things in my bag because Monica and I will eat in our favorite eatery. I was stopped in fixing my things when I heard people screaming.

" What is happening? " I asked Monica because I am too clueless.

Monica rolled her eyes before she pointed something out using her lips. I followed where she was pointing and saw an angel, err, I mean a handsome guy currently holding a bouquet of red roses while smiling at me. Jeremy comes closer to me, and the surroundings are moving slowly.

" Hey, love. I am sorry. Please do not be angry with me. " Jeremy said in his most sincere voice while attempting to give me the bouquet he was holding.

" Fine, just do not do it again next time. " I said and then accepted the bouquet. I giggle silently.

" Easy to get. " Monica whispers that I could not understand.

" What did you say, Monica? " I asked her.

She just shook her head and replied, "Nothing. I said that finish what you are doing immediately because I am hungry. " Monica answered me.

" Fine, fine. Let's go. " I said while grabbing the things that I planned to carry.

" Give it to me. Let me carry that. " Jeremy said, and then he got everything away from me. I cannot help but smile.

" Thanks, love. " I told him.

" Anything for you. " Jeremy said and then winked at me; that made me blush.

I heard a long and heavy sigh behind me, and I remembered that we were still with Monica. Psh, she does not want to find a man for her. I went near Monica and put my arms around her arms. I just want to avoid misunderstanding this girl. In our unwritten girl code, I mean that best friend first before boyfriend. Monica and I walked first while Jeremy stayed at a distance behind us. When we arrived at our favorite eatery, Jeremy volunteered to order our lunch which we did not decline. He also knew what he needed to call, so we just let him do it.

" You are really an easy to get. " Monica exclaimed with unbelief.

" Can it not be that I am just in love with him? " I asked Monica while looking at the bouquet Jeremy gave me with confusion.

" Yeah, roses are not your most favorite flowers, so I also wonder why he gave them to you? " I heard Monica comment, so I looked at her. How did she know what am I thinking? Is she somehow a fortune teller or a telepathy girl?

" It is still one of my favorites, Monica, so it is okay. " I respond to her to assure her that I am fine. I am aware of why she is acting like that. I experienced lots of heartbreak before Jeremy came into my life. Jeremy is the only man who really expresses his love for me. Other men just left me hanging.

" What are you talking about, two? " Jeremy asked when he suddenly appeared. He also put the food he ordered on our table.

" Just random things. " Monica answered him with a smile.

" Ahh, let's eat. " Jeremy asked.

We were ready to eat our lunch when I stopped. Monica and I switch glances. Jeremy also stopped eating when he noticed that Monica and I were not yet starting to eat.

" Is there any problem? " Jeremy asked.

" Ahh, nothing, love. Let's eat. " I answered in hesitation.

Jeremy continued eating while Monica and I started eating already. No one dares to speak among us until we have finished eating. After some time, Jeremy's phone suddenly rang. He checked his phone to see who was calling, which shocked him.

" Who is that? " I asked Jeremy.

" Ah, it is Ryan. Wait here, I will just answer this call. " Jeremy said, and then he stood up and answered the call.

I sighed because of my unbelief. After almost 1 year of a mutual understanding relationship between Jeremy and me, it is the first time he went far when answering a call, especially if it is just Ryan. Is he cheating on me? I shook my head because of the thoughts coming through it. Maybe Monica noticed my quietness, so she held my hand. I smiled at her because I did not want to make a scene in a public place like this.

" Love, I will not be able to send you home because Ryan and the others are inviting me to play basketball with them. " Jeremy said while putting his cell phone inside his pocket.

I coughed before I answered him, " Ahh, okay, love. You take care and enjoy. " I fake my smile towards him.

" Venice will stay in our house, anyway. It will be alright. " Monica cut in our conversation.

I looked at Monica, confused because we did not talk about going to their house today. She widened her eyes, telling me to just agree with what she was saying.

" You did not tell me that you are going somewhere today " Jeremy commented while looking at me.

" You did not even tell me that you will be playing basketball today. " I replied in my mind. Even though I want to say those words to Jeremy, I cannot. I am too scared to think that my gut feeling is right.

" Ahh, we talked about it earlier in the class. We will be having a quiz tomorrow, so Monica and I need to review about the topic discussed. " I told him with a slight lie.

Jeremy just nodded as a response and then carried his bag.

" Alright, I will go first because Ryan is inviting me to practice with him, so we will prepare for the game later. " Jeremy said.

" Okay. " I replied to him shortly and faked a smile.

" I will call you after the match; text me if you are already home. " Jeremy reminded me.

I just nodded as a response to him because I was feeling weak.

" Bye Love, bye Monica," Jeremy said, and then he left us. I sighed because of what happened.

" What was that? He did not even remember your favorite food. " Monica commented with unbelief.

I just smiled bitterly because of what she said. She is right. First, the flowers, then the food. Lastly, when Jeremy answered the call, he stood up and went a distance with me. He never did it before. I closed my eyes to make myself calm down a bit.

" Maybe he is not in his usual self; he is an engineering student, remember. " I tried to convince Monica even though it seems I am doing it for myself.

" Why are we going to your house? " I asked Monica to change our topic when I realized she did not believe what I said.

" Ahh, there will be a cellgroup for girls later, so I want to invite you. " Monica explained.

" Cell group? " I repeat what she said with a mix of questioning.

" It is a gathering of girls from the church. It is somehow a closed cell. " she explained again, so I nodded to show her that I understood what she said.

" But I did not ask permission to my parents. " I said to her. My father is kind of strict.

" Do not worry, I already texted your mother. She replied that she will handle your father. " Monica responded to my worries.

" Wow, you already planned my whole day already. " I said with a sarcastic voice.

" Of course, I am Monica, right. Oh, let's go. Our class will start in a bit. " Monica told me while laughing, and then she stood up.

Monica and I went straight to our class. After some time, our afternoon session started. I did not actually focus on my class since my mind deeply thought about what was happening to Jeremy.

*Kring Kring *

I stopped staring into Nothing when I heard the last school bell for this day. It means that our afternoon session has already ended. Monica started stretching her arms while a sigh came out of my mouth. Earlier, I said that I did not want to feel negative emotions today but look at me now.

" Stop thinking about it. Let's go already before the rush hour start. " Monica said it and grabbed me towards the classroom exit door. This girl really hates to be late for any call time.

When we exited the school, we immediately rode a jeepney, but traffic still hindered us. On second thought, traffic is always present here in the Philippines. After forty-five minutes which felt like an eternity, we arrived at Monica's home. Monica will open the door when it is already opened, and an angel errs, I mean a man, suddenly appears. He is the guy who played the guitar yesterday.

" Oh, you are here already. I thought I need to fetch you already. " he said.

" It is because of traffic, kuya Bryan. " Monica replied to him.

" As always, Nothing changed. " he said again, looking in my direction.

I gulped because of the way he looked at me. Why is he so handsome? Maybe Monica noticed that the guy he was calling Bryan was looking at me, so she talked.

" Ahh Kuya Bryan, this is Venice, my bestfriend. Venice, this is Kuya Bryan, my cousin. " Monica introduced us to each other.

" Bryan. " he said while laying his hand on me with a smile.

" Venice. " I replied politely and accepted his handshake.

" Drop the formality. I think you are in the same age with Kuya. " Monica told me.

I am one year older than Monica. She just studied at an early age, so we are batchmates. I had already let go of the hands of Bryan. His hand is so smooth.

" Anyway, Monica, Grace and the others are in there already. " Bryan said; then he looked at Monica.

" Is that so? Alright brother, we will just go there. " Monica said to Bryan.

" Alright, you enjoy. See you around. " Brian said while looking at me, so I smiled as a response.

We pass through Bryan and go straight to Monica's room. According to Monica, suppose you are confused about why I did not know Bryan personally. In that case, he is the cousin that Monica was talking about. She said that Bryan came from another branch and returned to the church where Monica is serving. That is my first time seeing him since he was not living here until now. Well, it is nice meeting him again.

TO BE CONTINUED!