My Man 4

For a moment Cy couldn’t moved. She just stared at BJ. Did I hear it right? She can’t help but asked herself. His question seemed unrealistic, a guy like BJ wasn’t the type of guy who’ll asked a girl like her to be his girlfriend. ‘W-What did you just said?’

He looked straight to her eyes. ‘Can you be my girlfriend?’ he asked seriously. ‘I-I mean…’ He cleared his throat and paused for a moment, thinking for the right words to use. ‘Can you PRETEND,’ he emphasized his last word. ‘to be my girlfriend?’ He said.

Cybil’s jaw literally dropped and she was speechless.

‘I’m not asking you sleep with me, I’m just asking you to act as my girlfriend…’ he studied her face. ‘So what’s with that reaction?’

She closed her mouth, pushed her wire-rimmed glasses forward and glared at BJ. ‘What a stupid question!’ she first took a deep breath and continued. ‘Asking me to pretend as your girlfriend is like asking me to jump a bridge without any safety gears-’ She put her index finger inches from BJ’s mouth to stop him from protesting. ‘And, it is as worst as asking me to s-sleep with you!’ Cy looked away and simply shivered from the last words she’d said.

He snorted. ‘I’m having an impression you don’t like to pretend but you like to be my girlfriend… for real.’ he said. The real BJ has coming to the surface.

Cybil turned her head to BJ’s direction. ‘Of course not!’ she exclaimed. ‘That’s worst than pretending!’

‘Excuse me?!’ BJ asked in a shock. It was the first time a girl refused his offer and to the guy’s ego, it sure hurt. He was used to girls wearing all their hearts out for him, agrees to his every bidding without a word and would die to be his girlfriend.

She rolled her eyes and touched her glasses. ‘Look here Mr. Reynolds.’ She said his name sarcastically. ‘I’ve read this scenario a dozen of times in novels. A guy asks a girl he likes to pretend to be his girlfriend-’

‘There is this girl I liked so much,’ he interrupted her sentence. ‘But she didn’t bother to look at me. She’s my childhood friend and sees my as her older brother. I like her ages ago and she knew about it. She thinks I’m not worth the risk-’

‘The hell I care!’ she exclaimed.

BJ flinched. It was the first time he’d heard a girl cursed in front of him. Okay, for him, ‘hell’ was actually a byword a man can use in his awful mood. But to a girl, it was a turn off. ‘Look, I’m so desperate right now. I want her to think I’m all worth the risk, that I’m not only a guy who can shoot some hoops. So I think if I could present her my girlfriend, she might have second thoughts about me, she might open her heart and give me a chance.’

Cybil stared at BJ as if he was talking Latin. ‘You’re kidding me, right?!’ Cy frustratingly ran her fingers to her hair. ‘You think she’ll buy that?’

BJ just shrugged. ‘I can hold on to that.’ he said seriously looking at the sea. He then slowly faced Cybil. ‘I’ll do anything for her…’

Cybil was motionless and stared unbelievingly at BJ. Wow! For the past six years of her life, Cybil hadn’t found a guy who’d do anything for the girl he loves. She believed no guy is capable to do such thing, until now. She still didn’t believed in love, but she’ll be a hypocrite if she says she didn’t envy the girl. Of course Cybil envied her. No guys in their right state of mind would ever do that to her. ‘Whatever you’re reasons are it’s still a no.’ she said. ‘What will I get out of that? It’s useless.’

‘But-’

She pushed her glasses again. ‘Look, I don’t have time for your games. Just find another girl who’ll willingly agree with you terms, and that’s it.’ she said matter-or-fact. ‘Just leave me alone… like this instant.’

BJ raised his chin high in a stubborn defiance. ‘I haven’t told you… I mean,’ he cleared his throat. ‘Look at this positively-’

‘Is there positive side to that?!’ Cybil asked sarcastically.

BJ sighed. ‘Can you just let me finished before you react?’ he closed his eyes and prayed for patience. ‘Think about it as a new job offering from me. I can pay you double-’

‘Sorry, I’m not interested.’ Cybil said simply. She then tied her long jet black hair into a messy ponytail.

‘Okay, quadruple-’

Cybil shook her head slowly and she beamed him a smug smile. She sure was enjoying this.

BJ threw his arms frustratingly. ‘You know what, I don’t understand you! I just gave you another job and could earn more and yet you turned it down.’ He looked intently at Cybil. ‘You’re weird.’ He said tactlessly. He saw Cybil rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze to the quite sea. For a moment, BJ studied the girl seated beside him and he was shock. At a closer look at her, she’s beautiful! She got a wonderful skin color, brown. She got a face of an angel, that was perfectly molded in every curved. BJ had very good eyes in spotting beautiful women, but in this case, it took him a month to have noticed it! He sighed. ‘What’s wrong with my offer?’

‘I just don’t like it.’ Cybil said without looking at him.

‘What?! You don’t like it?!’ he was in total shock. He thought it was the best offer he could gave her. He sighed. ‘I’ve heard your family owe a lot of people-’

Cybil’s head snapped immediately to his direction. ‘We’re still in a good shape. Besides I can handle it by myself.’ Cybil said heads up.

‘In good shape?!’ he repeated with a trace of sarcasm on his voice. ‘You’re killing yourself with three part time jobs with a volunteer works at the RC and yet it isn’t enough for a month of grocery. Is that ‘in a good shape’? I could help you, Cy.’ He paused for a moment. ‘I know you were worried about your pride, but I guess in you’re situation, you’re pride can’t feed you.’ BJ said seriously.

Cybil was thunderstruck. She didn’t expect BJ to lecture her about pride. How on earth did he know that anyway? How come he knew all of that? Had he hired someone to do some digging on my family? Cybil asked herself.

‘Not only that I can help you with some financial stuff, but I can I also help you fulfill your ‘dream’… or something.’ He said and was grinning at Cybil.

I have a bad feeling about this. Cybil looked first suspiciously at BJ before she asked. ‘What dream?’

Suddenly a lopsided grin appeared on BJ’s lips. ‘You have a major crush on me, right? So it will be on your advantage-’

‘I DON’T HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU!’ she shouted with her lungs. ‘Ever!’ she said trying her might to hide her embarrassment. ‘How can I? You’re not my type of a guy. You’re a womanizer, a jerk…’ she pushed her glasses and thought for a moment, finding for his flaws. ‘And have I told you, you’re a jerk?!’

‘You’re not my type also. You’re a geek, a control freak Ms. Know it all, you’re fashion statement is a disaster, well in fact you are a disaster! Just looked at you, you’re still wearing those ugly glasses, you can’t even comb you’re hair, even fixed it properly and on top of that you’re acting like a guy! You even fought on the streets-’

‘I-If I’m that of a disaster, why me?’ Cybil tried so hard to hold her composure. She knew she looked that bad, she knew that the very first day she decided to change her looks but no one, no one ever insulted her that much.

‘If I’m going to introduce you as my girlfriend to her and show her I’m serious about you I’m sure she’ll panic.’ He said. ‘I have this feeling she likes me too but she just can’t take the risk. Some people realized the importance of the one they love when it’s too late, the person important to them were gone. Somehow Clarisse is like that. And if I’ll introduce you to her-’

‘You didn’t answer my question. Why me?’

‘Comparing you to her, she might felt betrayed or insulted or something.’ He said. ‘I mean you’re not my type of girl and you’re way too far from it. It’s a crime to compare you to Clarisse-’

Cybil stood up and give BJ a right straight hook. ‘You’re a jerk!’ she said. ‘No wonder she didn’t want to take the risk with you.’

‘Hey wait, I just-’

Another right straight hook but this time it didn’t hit BJ’s face, it was inches away though. ‘If you don’t want your nose to bleed, you better shut up!’ she said and then turned her back to him.

Cybil slammed the door so hard that it made Rae woke up. ‘Why do I’m surrounded with jerks?!’ she said then harshly removed her glasses and she lay on her bed, face flat.

‘What happened to you?’ Rae asked sleepily with one eyes opened.

‘I’m just wondering, why on earth I’m surrounded with jerks!’ Cybil murmured, still her face was on the bed. ‘First Johan, then Mike,’ she was referring to their close high school friends. ‘and then Dave.’ She sighed. Involuntarily BJ’s face flashed in front of her. She blinked her eyes then shook her head vigorously, hoping she could erase his image. ‘Jerk! Asshole!’

Rae sat on her bed while rubbing one of her eyes. ‘You still have something for Dave?’

Cybil snorted and immediately stood up. She took her back, looked for something inside it and then she moved towards Rae’s bed. ‘Here,’ she handed Rae a white envelop. ‘Happy birthday, best friend.’ She said grinning at her.

Frowning, Rae opened the white envelop. Her eyes went big. In it were two golden tickets from her favorite band who will having a concert. Rae was dying to have some of those tickets. ‘Oh my God Cy! How did you get this? This stuff was sold out- Cy?’ she asked worriedly. She saw her best friend struggling to catch her breath.

Cybil pushed the side of her fist to her chest to ease the weird sensation she felt. She moaned as the pain was escalating and was radiating to her left arm. She had another attack.

‘Where’s your meds?’ Rae asked. ‘Have you brought it with you?’

Cy nods. ‘My bag…’ she whispered.

The next morning, Cybil had an asthma attack. It was there last day at the resort but she can’t enjoy it. She spent the whole morning resting in her room. It was after lunch that they’ve decided to pack their things and bid their goodbyes to the wonderful resort. ‘Van,’ Cy whispered. ‘Can I ride with you?’ she said and then coughed horribly.

Rae and Van winced. ‘Su-’

‘Van, Cybil’s with me.’ BJ interrupted Van’s sentence. ‘I-I mean,’ he cleared his throat. ‘She’s sick and it won’t do her any good if she’ll ride with you. You’re car is a bit crowded with our outing stuff…’ he trailed off.

‘No I’m okay with that.’

Van and Rae looked at each other. ‘Cy, I guess BJ’s right.’ Rae said. ‘You need to-’

‘Okay fine…’ she said then turned her back to them and walked straight to BJ’s car.

The trip back home was a bit boring for BJ. Cybil didn’t say a word to him; in fact she was just sleeping the whole time. Finally they arrived at Cybil’s house. BJ pulled over just in front of it. ‘Ahm… we’re here.’ He said awkwardly.

Cybil slowly opened her eyes and without a word, she got off his car. She opened the backseat and took her bags.

BJ followed her and helped her with her bags. ‘About-’

‘Just shut the hell up!’ she said and snatched her bags from BJ’s hands. She then turned her back from him and moved towards her house.

‘Sis, I’m glad you arrived.’ Kyle said running towards Cybil. ‘Mom’s having an attack.’

‘What?!’ she rushed towards their house and immediately looked for her Mom. She sore her heart stopped upon seeing her Mom lying motionless on their living room’s floor.

Cybil was walking back and forth, anxious to know the prognosis of her Mom. They were at the hospital’s ER and her Mom was being taken cared off with some of her colleagues. It happened to be the hospital she’s been working. ‘Mark, please tell me her prognosis is good… please.’ She said desperately at ER’s doctor, which happens to be her friend.

Mark smiled. ‘Prognosis will be good if she’ll undergo a surgery.’ He paused. ‘Krizia, she needs to undergo a surgery. Another plaque is forming from her arteries and we need to removed the plaque and widen her artery.’ He said. ‘You know this, right. Don’t worry Dr. T is here.’ He left her for a moment to get consent for Cybil to sign.

Cybil stared at the ER’s door. Her Mom have a cardiovascular disease and she knew pretty well the procedure she needed. ‘I can’t afford a surgery…’ she whispered. She just withdraws her savings. Half of it she used to pay some of their debt and the other half she used to buy Rae’s present. She’s totally broke right now!

‘I’ll pay for you’re mother’s bills.’ BJ said out of the blue. He was tugging along with her after he’d drop her to the hospital ‘Just sign the consent.’

She does as he said. Instantly her mother was transported from the ER to Dr. Killian’s OR table. On the waiting area, a lot of things were playing on her mind, things that weren’t good. It made her more nervous.

‘You okay?’ BJ asked.

‘Thank you so much. I’ll pay you so soon.’ She paused. ‘Don’t worry, you’re my priority-’

‘I don’t need money for you’re payment.’ He said interrupting her sentence. ‘All I want is you.’

She frowned. ‘W-What do you mean.’

He moved closer to Cybil. ‘As a payment, you’ll be my personal assistant for a month and…’ he caressed her cheek. ‘My girlfriend.’

Cy step back and raised both her hand. ‘Hold it right there.’ She said. ‘No way!’

‘Okay then, pay me a hundred thousand bucks… tomorrow or I’ll sue you.’ He smiled seeing Cybil’s reaction. He touched her chin and tilts her head slightly. ‘So you chose, be my personal assistant, slash my girlfriend or see you at court…’

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I'm so sorry for the delay., hope you like this chapter and thank you so much for leaving your comments..