Page 113 of The Fallacy of True Love
what??? are you ok?
Eric
Yes, all good. I’ll keep you posted.
* * *
On the final day of boot camp, there were no more lessons and practical activities. Instead, we were subjected to speeches, awards, and the absolute worst—group sharing. I tuned it all out with happy thoughts. Fortunately, I didn’t have to think hard to find some because the last few hours with Alonzo were fresh in my mind.
Plus, I had a new note from him burning through my pocket.
I’d found it folded on top of my bag earlier as I started packing. Again, it was a sheet torn from his notebook. The words he’d scribbled were already seared into my brain.
Maya—
Is it too stalkerish to say that I love watching you sleep? Because I do. It might be the most peaceful thing to watch, next to you surfing. I wanted to take a video of you but I know that’s crossing the line. Without your consent, at least.
If I asked, would you say yes?
Also, congrats—you killed it this week! See you this afternoon ;)
x Alonzo
I didn’t think I truly understood the meaning of kilig until Alonzo, but now I would forever equate the feeling of butterflies in your stomach, adrenaline rushing through your veins, and full-on giddy happiness with him.
It might have happened sometime between the mais con yelo and our date. Maybe it was him spending the night on a plastic chair or him fixing me an extra cheesy sandwich or him staying even when I’d given him plenty of reasons to go.
Or maybe it was just him, plain and simple.
“What about you, Cam?”
My head snapped up.
The guy onstage looked at me expectantly. As if he’d read the cluelessness in my face, he asked, “What was your favorite part about the week?”
Alonzo.
Luckily, my friends’ training kicked in. “I enjoyed learning from the facilitators and my teammates and improving my skills.”
He nodded but seemed unconvinced.
“And the food,” I blurted out, because the food had been more than decent. Better yet, it had been free.
People tittered around me, but I didn’t care because the guy finally gave me a real smile.
When the ceremonies were officially over, Caloy said from beside me, “We made it.”
“Yep.” Now it was just a matter of waiting for the results. They’d told us to expect feedback in one to two weeks, which simultaneously felt like too long and too short a wait.
“You want to celebrate with us?” he asked, the smirk on his face telling me he wasn’t expecting me to say yes.
“I’m peopled out,” I answered. But because he’d been the nicest in our team, I added, “Thanks for the invite.”
“If you change your mind, we’ll be at Gilly’s. If not, see you at the next in-person.”
His confidence reminded me of Alonzo telling me that first day, You’re going to kill it. I couldn’t believe that had just been four days ago. It felt like I’d lived four weeks in that span of time, and still that wasn’t enough.
Maybe monthly visits to the city wouldn’t be that bad.
