Someone I'm Not

16| A Glitch of Time

Two hours of waiting, and now, she's ready to go home. She's been dealing with irritation for the past hours now, after having to deal with Karen's desperate acts just to get a man's attention, including Phoenix.

Soroya waited for them by the cafeteria since she didn't even dare to move away to where she stayed. She doesn't want to have an encounter with anyone anymore, which makes it more complicated for her to do anything.

From: Nixs

To: RayRay

I'll notify them. We will be there in a minute.

As soon as she received the message, her mind quickly drifts into the thought of her wanting to smack nor dislocate Karen's face. She was too coped up with that thought that she didn't even notice the four men arriving. They start looking for her until Philip points in her direction. Just then, he saw something.

"Is Soroya okay? She seems to be in a bad mood." Philip asks as he was the first to notice her expression. Dark eyes eyeing on one direction, eyebrows now almost clashing, hands have turned white from clenching too tight, and veins starting to show up on her forehead and neck. The three of them then noticed, also making them wonder what just happened.

"Come on, let's go and ask her rather than standing here and wild guessing about her facial expression," Phoenix suggests that made his friends instantly nod. The four of them made their way into her table, stopping themselves as soon as they're already standing right beside it.

"Hey Soroya, we hope you didn't get bored while— ow!" Philip complains after receiving a punch with just the right amount of force, colliding with his abdomen. "What was that for!?" He shots a glare at Bret, but instead of replying, he turns his attention to his friend Phoenix.

"Hey, Soroya? You okay?" Phoenix asks, trying to sound calm, even if wanted to come a bit tough. But then, Soroya didn't even flinch that made Phoenix ask her one more time, receiving the same response.

"Raya?" He asks once more as he stretches his hand on her shoulder, enough for her to flinch back to reality.

"Ph-Phoenix!" She quickly stands up, too surpassed to see him and the rest of the team standing in front of her already.

"You alright? You seem to be bothered by something." Soroya chuckles as she waves her hands as a sign of denying.

"Of course I'm alright!" She chuckles nervously but trying her best not to show it to them. Phoenix couldn't keep hiding the worried side of his, making him exhale in disappointment that she would still deny it even if it's already apparent.

"Well, you've been doing the angry squint for the past few minutes since we arrive here. Did something happen with Professor Lucas?" He asks as direct as possible because he couldn't hide his concern anymore. Their eyes locked at the moment as Soroya breathes in, now realizing how close she is with him.

"Erm, I'm just. . ." she pauses as she looks at his back, seeing his three friends waiting for her to reply. She then  "Actually. . . Can we talk? Like, just the two of us?" Soroya asks that made him feel that something is definitely wrong.

"Well, sure! I'll just. . ." This time, it was Phoenix who turns to face his friends.

"Let's go? My brain is already starving for that cold shake that got over the newly opened place a few steps away from school." Philip announces as he shows signs of hunger and impatience, but not in a wrong way.

"Oh, you've noticed that foo? Man, let's go try that place out!" Nico says as he is just as excited as Philip. . . At least no more sarcasm when they talk to each other.

"I'm so down with that! You all know how much I've wanted to eat cold stuff since last Wednesday." Bret agrees with them as he dives in with the discussion. Phoenix as well agrees with it, but the uneasiness Soroya shows is his top priority to find about what happened.

"We definitely should." He expresses Hints of excitement as the rest looks at him.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go—" Before Philip could even finish his sentence, Phoenix decided to interfere.

"But, after Soroya and I have a conversation." He declares openly that made the three of them raise a brow at Soroya and Phoenix's direction.

"Is there something wrong?" Bret asks as they stop themselves from taking a step forward. "Can't you just postpone this conversation?"

"Or at least,  hold the thought of talking privately until we order their shake? Besides, where will you tap be talking? It's not like there will be an adequate space for you to speak here. The school can be perfectly quiet now that students start to disperse from classes and mind their 'outside school' businesses, but a school will always have Its hidden eyes." Philip warned them, making Soroya and Phoneix convinced. Phoenix then turns to his shoulder as Soroya walks forward, and now she's beside him, both facing the three.

"Will that be—" Phoenix wanted to ask her if she's okay with it, but he was cut off shortly when Soroya replies.

"Of course, that'll be great, Philip! That is actually. . . A good idea." She replies with a calm smile on her lip before shifting her gaze in Phoenix's direction. Philip then chuckles at her reply.

"See? I'm just so happy how my brain functions sometimes." He let the words out like he was being used to saying these words to himself. There's silence for five seconds before they all start laughing at his statement, not quite sure if he's sarcastic or is he just trying to lighten the mood even if his idea sounded like he should take it personally.

"So, then let's go before those icy beverages melt!" Nico cheers them all up as they all walk together. Soroya, on the other hand, felt like even though she just met them in just a day, she felt like she has known them for a very long time. But then, that thought made her realize one thing.

'Of course, it's just normal for you to feel like you belonged to the group because your mind and soul is the ownership of Phoenix and that only this body tells you that you are Soroya.'  She sighs, now remembering again that she is a he, by the mind and the heart.

As her thoughts pull her a bit away from reality, she then feels Phoenix's hand snake over at her wrist. Even though her soul is Phoenix from the Present's possession, she can still not deny that sometimes, at some point in a few instances, Phoenix from the present could still feel Soroya's presence, spiritually. Sometimes, he had this feeling that he wasn't the one manipulating her body but her; he, Phoenix from the Present, is always happy to realize that his best friend Soroya's pure soul is still somewhere in there, even if he doesn't know where she is right now. The thought of that day that he died still haunts him, and it made him more motivated to find who is his killer.

Soroya's heart starts beating at an unprecedented rate as she feels the electricity from Phoenix's hand. It may sound word especially that Phoenix from the Past has no idea about any of it; he's still happy to have been able to see himself before and the benefits and consequences of his actions as a younger kid from yesterday.

"You seem to be thinking a lot today." He says as he tightens his grip onto her wrist, but not too tight to make her feel uncomfortable. The tightness of his grasp is enough for her to feel secured and essential at the same time. Soroya didn't hesitate as she nods her head in agreement with his words.

"Was I too obvious about it?" She asks even though the answer was already too obvious. And she wasn't surprised when Phoenix nodded. "Thank you for being so understanding towards me." She says as she leans herself closer to him. Phoenix didn't reply as he enjoys her body close to his, as their body heat collides on a sunny yet cold day.

When they arrive at the newly opened shake house, it wasn't easy for them to just go straight into the front the reception area to give them their orders.

"Why is this place got so popular already?" Philip complains, a bit sad that they have to wait for the ten more people in front of them.

"Well, they're giving discounts. And a couple gets a buy one take one with free muffins for the price of one order? Who wouldn't grab the opportunity?" Bret asks as he points out the banner hanging right beside the entrance door.

"What? JUST COUPLES? Man, that is so unfair! Why would couples get that much treatment? It's not like their relationship is going to last any—"

"Philip!" Philip got distracted quickly when a person calls his name out. The five out the turn to the person who called him, only to find out a woman with a dashing smile and sparkling eyes.

"Baby!" Philip calls back when he realizes that it was his girlfriend. Before Philip could run to her, he throws a glance at his friends with a cheeky grin matching with the rapid rise and fall of his eyebrows.

"Oh, great! I almost forgot he has a girlfriend." Nico sigh as they watch the couple's PDA.

"I was looking for you earlier, though we could try this new place out?" She romantically asks as her left-hand snakes around his neck; her right palm rests into his chest. Philip's hands are also around her waist, as he bends a little to level with her height.

"I was just thinking the same! But luckily, my friends and I got here too. Maybe it was fate." He says as they both giggle.

The way they become sweet doesn't bother them at all. It was genuine and certainly NOT pretentious.

"I'm about to order next after my friend Abby. Would you want to come with me so that we can avail of the discounts?"

"Sure! Wait, I'll just ask my friends over there." He says before giving his girlfriend a kiss on the cheeks. When he's finally standing in front of them, Bret starts to tease him.

"Said the man who has a girlfriend. . . What? JUST COUPLES? Man, that is so unfair! Why would couples get that much treatment? It's not like their relationship is going to last anyway. . . Damn you! I almost forgot you had a ladylove!" He says after mocking his exact words. Suddenly, Philip's cheeks turn bright pink that made them tease him even more. But, Soroya was just there, laughing at them and not saying anything.

"Stop it, will you? I'm just here to tell you guys that I'm going with Zoe since she's going next. . . Saying that we should GRAB the opportunity towards that couple bundle discount." He winks at them, and before they could even reply, he's already walking towards his girlfriend. Hand in hand, they step inside the building without looking back.

Minutes of waiting, Philip comes back outside as he calls for their attention. "Do you seriously think that I'll leave you guys here alone?" He asks that made their eyes wide open.

"Did you just—"

"Well, I told them I have friends from the table already and got you guys your orders.  But, I also told them that Phoenix and Soroya was A couple so that I'll have to pay less. Got me? because I'm running out of cash pretty quickly." He announces that made them smack him right into his shoulders.

"Aahhh, thanks, man! You're a lifesaver! So, let's go!" Nico says as Bret follows. Philip then turns his direction at Soroya as they stare at each other for a couple of seconds before deciding to turn his attention on Phoenix.

"Come on! I ordered your favorite! Oreo shake, right?"

"Yes. . . Thanks, man." Phoenix wears his usual smile to cover up his suspiciousness.

"I told you, I got you." He says, as if his words meant something, then JUST the oreo shake.

•••

When they're done after an hour, they all decided to go home since they have to deal with their requirements already. But then, Phoenix and Soroya chose to stay for a while as promised that they need to talk about something. When Phoenix and Soroya were already left alone and made sure that they have taken a cab home, Phoenix stands up and picks his bag from the empty chair, and pulls the strap over his shoulder. Soroya looks at her. A fraction of confusion shows in her reaction.

"I thought we are going to talk." She asks as she just stares at him.

"We are." He says as he offers his hand for her to hold. "Now, how about we get out of here because I'm going to show you something?" He asks as Soroya stares at his hand for a second. By doing that, she feels her heart thumping fast that she couldn't identify the reason why. Out of nervousness? Excitement? She doesn't know.

"Come on. This man needs an answer. Don't keep him waiting." Phoenix exhales that made her nod in agreement. Without saying anything, she reaches out her hand for her as a smile forms on Phoenix's lips. Soroya returns that smile and answers. "Yeah, let's get out of here."

She then picks her bag up as they exit the establishment. They run their way into the door, only to find out that the sun is about to set.

"I guess it'll be a good spot for us to talk now since the sun is setting." P Hu x mumbles to himself as they continue running. The anticipation of where they're going is making her patience growing thin. She didn't even dare ask Phoenix where they're going because she's sure that he'll still leave her curious about it.

Suddenly, they stop right at the University. Phoenix then lets go of her hand as she faces him.

"Are we going to talk inside your school? But I don't have an ID with me." She asks, feeling confused and a bit disappointed. But then, Phoenix turns to him and chuckles.

"Who said we needed a spare of ID?"

"But what about the CCTV inside your University? I noticed some are connected around the buildings." She says, but Phoenix just stares at her before talking.

"Do you trust me?" He raises the question that made her feel her genuine emotions.

"I do trust you." Four words slip into her mouth comfortably. And by this moment, Phoenix smiles. He takes her hand into his as he gives it a light squeeze before pulling her lightly.

"Then follow my lead."

Without her reply, they went inside the University like they're not doing anything wrong. She ducks when he says her she does it; Soroya walks with toes if he says it. She is obeying his every command.

"Are we there yet? It's like this is taking forever—" she complains but then stops to see the view in front of her after Phoenix opens the door.

'The place I discovered!' Phoenix from the present reacts as he realizes that he's leaving her there. And it saddens him more to realize that he didn't even invite Soroya there before the tragic incident happened to him.

Suddenly, before he could even talk using Soroya's body,  he feels a forceful push that made him hold his breath from the impact. He doesn't know why he suddenly felt that, but he was too surprised to see his detachment to Soroya.

"This place is. . . breathtaking," Soroya replies in a weak tone that made him even more curious about how he did that.

'How did I separate myself from— gaahhhh!' He once again gasps for air as that spit second of separation between his soul and her body makes him feel exhausted. When he can feel her body already, she bends as she feels a sudden pinching pain in his stomach that makes her want to puke.

"Soroya?"