Chapter 3: Smile

Chapter 3

"WHEN is your surgery, Ma?" Allie asked her mommy. He is not working today so he is here all day in the hospital and is being watched. The tumor had to be removed from her mommy's brain. Chemotherapy alone is not enough.

"It's Wednesday, son."

"I'm not going in, mom. To be with you."

Smiling it grabbed his palm. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Allie."

"You really are, Ma, for others, eh," he joked to hide the tears forming in his eyes.

Although smiling, he saw tears streaming down his mommy's cheek. He knows how difficult it is for him now. Sometimes, he thinks it's just because of him that it resists.

It may not know but he sees despair in its eyes when he thinks he is not looking at it.

"How are you and Enzo?"

She was overwhelmed when she remembered the man. "It's still the same, mom. I don't know. He never used to be such a robot when acting."

An understanding smile was on her mother's lips as she gently squeezed her hand. "Just be patient with Enzo. Maybe that person is just going through something."

She puffed her cheeks. "One day, mom. One day, I'll make him smile again. I'll do everything to bring back the old Enzo."

"Yes, do that. Make him happy. I suddenly remember your promise before."

His forehead furrowed. "What promise?"

"That you'll marry Enzo," he said with a teasing smile. "When will that happen?"

Allie felt the warmth of her cheeks. Almost smoke came out of his ears.

"Mom! I was young then!"

The door of the room opened just in time. It threw Tita Lily and Tito Miguel followed by Enzo.

"Allie! We just met again. How are you? Why, you seem to have lost weight?" Aunt Lily greeted him. He approached her and hugged her.

"I'm fine, aunt."

Aunt Lily is already focusing on her mommy. He in turn turned to the quiet Enzo. Kunot-noong it looked at him.

"Why?"

"Have you eaten?"

He was about to nod when his mommy answered first. "That hasn't eaten yet, Enzo. Why don't you eat with Allie. I told you before to eat, don't listen to me."

"But—" Allie's resistance would have been broken when she felt Enzo's warm palm on her arm.

He pushed her upright and then led her out of the room. The two of them walked silently. Enzo remained holding her arm.

Allie secretly smiled as she looked at his hand.

He thought Enzo would take them straight to the hospital canteen. He wonders why instead of going to the canteen they left the hospital.

"Where will we go?"

"There's fast food near here."

Arriving at the fast food restaurant, Enzo went straight to the counter as he searched for a seat. He found a second one near the window. Because the queue was long, it also took a few minutes before Enzo returned. It carries their food.

When he smelled the fried chicken, Allie felt hungry. By the way, his last meal was breakfast at two o'clock.

"You won't eat?" he asked the man.

It ate fries. He frowned. Really. What does it takes to make him talk? Or maybe make him smile? When they were small, it wasn't this hard. What happened to him to be this ... cold?

He has already started eating. In between meals he tells Enzo about SLU events. The man did not move but his eyes were focused on her.

"But Killian is scary. When he's around, I feel like I want to run away."

"Tell me if he does something to you," Enzo said coldly.

His smile widened. "Hey, concern."

It looked at him badly.

Since the food was low, he left the fries. None of his own developed an ‘angry face’ using fries.

"It looks like you, Renz," he said. Next to 'angry face fries' he developed 'happy face fries.' "Next time, I want you to be like this, huh?"

Enzo suddenly grabbed the smiling fries and ate them. It raised an eyebrow at him as he chewed. This consumed the two 'faces' he made.

Allie sipped a softdrink while attention was on the outside. His mind was not there. Actually, he thinks nothing. He was just an idiot staring outside.

He felt something bite on his forehead so he frowned as he turned to Enzo.

"Why?"

It pointed to the table. Using the remaining fries it will form words.

"Little," he read softly.

He slowly smiled. Enzo used to call him "Little" because of his height. He is really small compared to the man or his other age. But somehow, when he stopped spending time with her, he also stopped calling her "Little."

Allie beamed at Enzo as he tried to focus at everything aside from her.

"I miss you, Renz," he said softly.

He heard no response from Enzo. Allie was just blown away by the wind and was about to regain her sight outside the window with a warm touch on her palm.

He glared at Enzo. It was not looking at him. But based on squeezing it in his hand, he already knew what it wanted to convey.

He was still a man of few words.

"Oh, I know you miss me, too," he said with a smile.

"Shut up, Alianna Mari," she whispered.

"Shy type is really a cyborg, oh. My name was formed, eh."

He just laughed when Enzo yelled at him.

"CLOSE you and Guttierez?"

Allie stopped writing scores when she heard Martin's question. They are here in the open court. He lists the scores of the seven core members of their tennis club. The seven core members are the ones who always compete in tournaments. They are the best in the whole SLU tennis club. He remembered. At SVU, Tennis Knights are the nine core members of the team. What if he also thought of the name of their core group?

"Guttierez was just mentioned, you're stunned."

Allie blinked and then remembered her question. "I don't know about you, ah. And then yes. We are close. Why did you ask?"

It folds. "I just can't believe it. You're a nice girl and Guttierez is ... you know. Like that."

"Enzo is kind. He just misunderstood."

Martin's eyes widened when he suddenly laughed. "Guttierez? Good?" His laughter grew louder.

He left and then looked badly at Martin. Of all the members of the tennis club, here he is most close. That's why he's joking about it.

"When I was little, my resistance was weak. No one wanted to play or make friends with me. But Enzo, he let me be his friend. Despite what you see, he is a really good guy," he said weakly.

Martin stopped laughing. He was unable to look at it so he turned his attention back to the paper. Eventually he felt its palm rest on his head and its slight tingling in his hair.

"Sorry," he said. "I did not know that you were a member of Guttierez's Protection Squad," he added with a smile.

"Martin!"

Laughing, he wrapped his arm around her neck and pretended to choke her. She was glad she met him. Martin, that is. It was as if he had a brother figure in its person.

Maybe some will say Enzo is there. But it's different when Enzo, eh. He does not see his older brother here. It felt like Enzo was ... something more. She could not even explain it. It was just how it is.

Allie and Martin turned around at the same time when suddenly someone sneezed. Allie smiled when she saw Enzo. As always, he was as serious as ever. No emotion could be read on its face as it stared at them.

"San Victores. Your. Fucking. Arm," he said in a cold tone.

"Oops." Martin removed the joking 'choking' on Allie and then we got along. "Did you visit? Did you miss me right away?"

If the look was just deadly, maybe Martin would have been lying on the floor earlier because of Enzo.

"Let's do the match next week. We're free," Enzo said.

The two have already started talking. Martin sometimes asks him for his opinion. As the two talk, even though Martin is speaking, Allie sees herself staring at Enzo. There seemed to be something pulling her eyes toward the man.

"Guttierez is melting under your gaze Allie," Martin's voice stirred as he stared at Enzo.

Red cheeks blushed as Allie averted her eyes from Enzo and then turned to Martin. "I was just thinking. I didn't realize I was staring. Sorry. What is that?"

"Next week, help us prepare something for all the players. Water, food, towels. The likes."

He listed it. "Okay. I'll take care of it."

"Don't push yourself too much," Enzo said.

Martin was humiliated. "Concern."

"Shut the fuck up, San Victores!"

Laughing Martin just tapped it on the shoulder. He was also impressed with Martin. Because other people, avoid Enzo when he grumbles like this. But Martin, Enzo is still able to make fun of him.

"Are you going to do anything after that?"

"Uh, I'll just go through the library to borrow a reference book and then I'll go straight to the hospital. Why?"

Enzo adjusted the glasses. "I'll wait for you."

He jokingly kicked it to the side. "Concern?"

It just looked at him badly. That look means yes in Enzo's body language.

It slightly moved the monobloc chair closer to Allie's seat. Martin was about to imitate it when Enzo suddenly stepped on Martin's chair.

He laughed as Martin almost fell.

"Hey!"

"Go train your members. They're too soft."

"Don't tell me what to do, Guttierez."

Enzo just folded his arms.

"Martin and you are close, what?" he said to the man. It did not answer but in its body language, he knew it was listening. His body is at an angle to him, a sign that he has his attention. "I'm glad you have a friend, Renz. You have Tennis Knights. You have Martin." Then he added in a low voice, "You have me."

He met two of the Tennis Knights members Chase and Les the other day. Enzo took it with him when he talked to Martin again. Based on their actions, despite Enzo's coldness and aloofness, they treated him as a friend.

Enzo tapped him lightly on the forehead. "Yeah."

In Enzo's language, it means 'thank you.'

"Maybe I should make a book, 'no? Lawrenzionary . It's like a How-to book. How to understand Lawrenzo in many ways. Maybe I'll make money because of your fan girls at SVU."

He did not know if he was just mimicking but the corner of his lip seemed to rise slightly.

Imagination or not, he looked so damn good with that small smile of his.

Stop walking Enzo with his arm prevented. When he looked at his companion, he was just shaken. He was not carrying a car because of coding so he and Allie were just walking to the bus.

But here it is and something grabbed the girl's attention.

"What?"

"Lawrenzo! Can't you see this? Eat-all-you-can dessert buffet for only one hundred ninety-nine pesos! Let's go. Now!"

Nothing could come between Allie and her sweets.

Even him.

"Wipe your drool," he said.

The cheek blushed as it rubbed against the edge of the lip. Realizing that it was not saliva, he looked at her badly.

Shaking he removed its palm from his arm. He placed his palm behind it and led it into the dessert store.

"Thanks, cyborg."

"Shut up," he whispered.

It just smiled. They had just entered the dessert store when Allie stopped. The frown when he turned it on. Allie bit her lower lip as she looked around the area. He imitated it.

It was too girly for his taste. The scent of sweets were all over the place and it was making his head hurt but she wanted to eat here so what the heck.

"I remember you didn't really like sweets." Allie grabbed his palm and pulled him out just in time. "'Never mind."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. This brat, really.

Instead of going out, he pulled Allie to the cashier. "For two," he said to the cashier. It handed him the paper. Silently he looked for a second table.

He pulled back a chair and then pointed it at Allie. Even without saying something, he knew she understood what he wanted to convey to her.

He slowly smiled and then hugged her before sitting down. "Thanks, Renz! You're the best."

He grunted. After a while Allie got up and went to the row of sweets. He silently watched her. He saw how her face lighten up while looking at the sweets.

He would protect it.

He would protect her.

"HERE," Allie said then dropped a plate of strawberry cake in front of Enzo. Enzo does not like sweets but when he has a strawberry, he will eat it and he will eat it.

It greeted him in gratitude. Allie started to eat the food she took. There are brownies, cakes, and then macaroons. When he runs out of it, he will get a new one.

He looked at Enzo who was starting to eat his strawberry cake. He seemed ... contented while eating his favorite food.

"Hey, Renz."

"What?"

"I-I'm glad to be with you again," he said softly while bowing. He did not want to see Enzo's reaction. "I was lonely when you started to drift away from me but I tried to understand you. And I'm glad that you are now here." So there.

A few minutes later he heard no response from Enzo. Allie slowly raised her eyes. Enzo stared at his saucer and seemed to be thinking deeply. Eventually the wind blew it away. Suddenly his eyesight rose and when their eyes met Allie's heartbeat suddenly quickened.

"I'm sorry."

As simple as that, the hurt feelings she had for him disappeared. His sincere apology was all that matters to her.

"Just a smile is enough," he said.

It did not give him a smile. It looked at him badly. He laughed because of that. He just stopped when he felt something in his mouth. He put the fork in his mouth.

He chewed on the strawberry it had eaten.

"You are so annoying, Alianna," he said in a soft voice.

She smiled. Even if little by little, he will wait for the former Enzo to return.