The Billionaire's Daughter

Four months have passed since that day but the pain is still raw in my heart.

Reminiscing Franco and I's usual banter at school and at the cafeteria always made me smile.

"Saphira! What's with that face?!"

"Oh Hi Rob. Just thinking about some things."

"If you're thinking about Franco again..."

"Stop. I know this is wrong and I promised not to be sad again but I can't help it."

"Saphira, he's just gone for..."

"Shhhh. I don't want to hear it Rob."

"If you want to be melodramatic like that, sure, I'll let you. But I'm hungry come on let's eat. Franco will be mad at me if I don't take care of you."

"Are you sure you're okay with this Rob? I mean, you know how I feel about him and still you're here."

"Saphira, I already accepted the fact months before that I cannot replace Franco in your heart but I am still here to be your friend. Nothing will ever change that."

"Thank you Rob. You're such a good friend. I don't know how I could have survived these past months without your support."

"Silly, as if I was the only one here for you. You have..."

"Stop! I told you I don't want to hear that."

"So dramatic. Come on, I'll treat you to lunch."

Flashback

Every afternoon at 4 pm after school hours, we always go to the café he was working. He will work his daily four hour shift during the days when my parents were out of town, which is most of the time, I will wait for him in a corner table of the café studying or browsing the net.

"Hey besttie, are you ordering the usual or want to try something else?"

"Just the usual."

"Hey, you need to try our new best seller. Please? I will make it myself."

"Why do you even ask me if you will insist to choose for me anyways?"

"Well, because your choices are boring! Awww!"

"You're such a dummy do you know that?"

"That hurts! That book was thick! How can you hit me with that!"

"Just go and work! Don't mind me, Ill wait for you then you can have dinner at my house for a change. Please?"

"Saphira, you know my answer to that."

"How come you never want to even step inside our house? We have been friends for several months now."

"I have my reasons."

"Same reason as you always reject my offer to give you a ride home and to treat you to lunch or dinner or coffee? This is silly you know."

"Of course you are silly!"

"Not me you dumbass! Our friendship setup is silly!"

He looked behind him and signaled his supervisor to give him few minutes break,

I guess he felt the need to discuss this thoroughly.

"Tell me Saphira, what could be silly about our friendship?"

If serious looks could kill maybe I'll be dead now that he was looking at me that way.

"Ahhhm.... Look. We have been friends and I know we have this unbreakable solid bond now but you still haven't met my parents simply because you don't want to go to our house. You don't want to accept my offer to give you a ride to your house. Even if we eat to lunch out together you always pay for our meals. I can afford it and still you never let me pay when we are together. It's a good thing at the cafeteria, the food are already part of the school fees or else I might think that you will always want to pay for my food."

"Saphira..."

"Zip it! I'm not done yet. We do this daily. I wait for you since you said you want to see me even if you can't spend time with me. I accepted since I don't have anything to do at home but stay in my room. So it's better as you've said to spend the day outside the house than inside since I'll be doing the same thing anyways. Well, you have a point there that's why I always wait for your shift to end so we can go home together and spend some time outside school."

"Saphira ..."

I had to touch his mouth to keep him from talking and I felt this strange electricity on my fingertips when I did.

“I'm not complaining. I like waiting

l.ne

for you. Just seeing you do your thing is cool mean, even if I want to work like you, I'm not allowed to Your independence is cool. But sometimes, you are too independent. Friendship is a a two way street. I already met your mother. You invited me last month

to your house on your birthday. That was the only time you made me drive you to your place.

We get out of here together but I always just drop you at the bus stop. Why can't I

just take you home since your house is just near our village? Why can't you

accept my invitation to have dinner at our house? I also want you to meet my

parents or even the household staff? I also want to share with you a part of my life, like how you share with me yours."

He looked at me and I saw something flicker in his eyes. He took my hands and enclosed them in his.

"Saphira, having you, just you, without the glitter and glamour that accompanies your name and family stature is more than enough for me. Just spending time with you makes me happy. I'm sorry if you think that way, but for me, I am contented to have you. I don't need anything from you aside from your friendship. That's why I don't want to accept anything you are offering, the ride

home, dinner treats."

"Yeah, even my birthday gift for you, you almost did not accept. I nearly had to

blackmail you to take it."

"Shhh... For a poor guy like me, being friends with an elite girl like you is difficult.

I have to protect my pride and reputation since this is all I have.

If ever I will be at your house, meeting your family, I want it to be someday when I already have a name for myself. Where you can confidently introduce me as someone. Someone who is just not a poor student making ends meet."

"Franco..."

"Hey, you've had your turn. Now listen to me first okay?"

"Okay."

"I want to be seen as worthy to be your friend. I don't want to meet your parents

and they will just see me as an opportunist. Even if your parents will accept me, I don't think I can still be comfortable in a huge house. I have high regard for my pride and I don't want to change anything between us. I will always do anything you ask of me, just not that. Not yet at least."

"But why do you have so much pride? I care about you too you know and I want to show you that I am proud of you too just like you are with me."

He moved closer as if willing me to look deeper into his eyes. It was enchanting.

"Pride is all I have. I am thankful each day that I have you and I know that you care about me and you are proud of me. No need for any gifts or invitations. Just having you with me is more than enough. And besides, who wouldn't be proud of having me, I'm intelligent not to mention gorgeous as hell!"

Franco knew how to make situation lighter. I was getting nervous with the intense way he was looking at me. He may have sensed it.

"And very conceited! Alright, I get your point. Now, your supervisor is looking at

us. Go and do your job."

He held my gaze for a moment and I felt giddy. It was like seeing him for the first time. My heart felt elated by his words. He just wants me and not the fame and fancy things that accompanies me. When he was about to leave...

"Franco! Can I have that new best seller?"

"Coming right up!"

I just had to suppress my laughter when he winked at me. He looked adorable.

-0-0-0-0-0-

On our finals, Franco was worried.

"Bestie, I guess I won't be able to join you at your new University."

"Why? You passed the scholarship exam right? And I'm sure you have saved

enough to start your degree."

"Yes. But they can only grant full scholarship to the Valedictorian of the class. I will

just have 60% free tuition fee for my rating. You know I can afford to go to

University with that rate but not to the prestigious school you want. It's too expensive for me."

He looked crestfallen since we vowed to spend our University days together. "Don't worry, we will find someone to sponsor your studies."

"No. I don't want you to exhaust your resources just because of me. You know I

hate

it when you help me."

"Can we rephrase that? You hate it when I TRY to help you. TRY being the

relative word since you NEVER accepted ANY of my help."

I made him feel my irritation by rolling my eyes at him. I really hated his pride.

"Chill Besttie! You're nose is starting to flare in anger... awwww! What was that

for?"

"For being so caught up in your pride! I told you I will always be here to help but you never listen! You're so frustrating you know that!?"

"You know that I appreciate you more than anyone Saphira, just not that way. I will

never accept help from you because we are friends. I don't want others to think

that I am just using you or our friendship to have a better life."

"Dummy! How can you say that when nobody even cared about me

before we met? Why should we care what others would think when I endured their ridicule and awfulness for several years? Do you know how I managed in all those years? Because my only goal was to make my parents proud. They seemed to be proud during parties when they bragged me to their friends and colleagues. But after that, I was just one of the characters of their so called perfect life. I am nobody to

them. But when you came, I became somebody. Somebody to someone, because I have been your friend."

"Saphira. . ."

"No! Listen to me you dim wit! I will not let you sacrifice your future just for that

pride of yours! Mark my words Franco, you will get that 100% scholarship even if I have to beg for it."