Chapter 1

“You’re cursed.”

I felt chills ran through my spine. This old crone… a random stranger suddenly told me that I’m cursed, especially on my birthday.

“Why do you say so?”

Instead of brushing off this old crone’s nonsense, my curiosity got the better of me. I was just out, trying to buy groceries when I stumbled across a street vendor. This old crone is selling different stuff. Some are unique, some are ancient, and some are just plain weird.

“Because this old crone knows what she’s saying.”

She replied with a straight face. I was taken aback because it felt like she read my mind.

She suddenly grabbed my hand and placed a paper with weird letters written on it.

“Stick this to your forehead until your birthday passed. You were born under a star that’s against the spirit of the year. You shouldn’t have existed in the first place.”

What’s this old crone even babbling about?
“Phoebe!”
I looked for the person who called out my name. It’ Lenard, my bestfriend.

“Remember, stick it to your forehead. It’s your protective charm.”
I looked back to the old crone, but she vanished into thin air. Her whole stall disappeared as well.

“Phoebe, what are you doing out here? We were supposed to meet at the supermarket, weren’t we?”

Lenard, who’s panting so hard, is catching his breath. He must be looking all over for me everywhere.

“Sorry, I-”
“Watch out!”

A motorcycle almost ran over me if Lenard hadn’t pull me over to his side. The paper suddenly glowed and floated to my forehead.

What the?
“Phoebe? What’s with the talisman?”
Talisman?
Lenard let go of me as the paper fell off my forehead.

Strange…
I hid the paper to my pocket.
“Someone gave it to me. This strange paper is giving me the creeps.”

We’re walking on our way to the supermarket when all of a sudden, Lenard grabbed my arm.
“Watch your step, Phoebe!”
A big construction sinkhole was just beside me. I almost fell through it.
The paper glowed again and came out from my pocket and stuck to my forehead yet again.

When Lenard let go of my arm, the paper fell off my forehead once again.

Wait a second…

“Phoebe, please tell me what’s going on.”

Lenard looked at me with serious eyes and I can tell he’s not budging on this.
And so… I told him everything.
About the old crone
About the curse
About the paper or ‘talisman’

After telling him all the mumbo-jumbo nonsense, after all the series of unfortunate incidents along the way, it turns out it’s not just nonsense after all.
That’s why we decided to go back home to my place. Lenard says it’s safer there than outside.

“Let me get this straight.”
Lenard was pacing off from left to right and vice versa while I’m sitting down on my sofa. Watching him, all worried for me kinda made me feel good. Then, he stopped on his tracks and held my hand. The paper or rather talisman glowed and floated straight to my forehead again.

“When we touch, the talisman that keeps falling off your forehead remains stuck to your forehead.”

Lenard tightened his grasp on my hand and I feel like I’m going to melt from the inside.
“When we touch, you’ll be safe, right?”
I nodded in response.
“Oh, Thank God…” he sighed with relief.
And just like that, we held hands while the talisman remains stuck on my forehead.
“When you think of it, it’s like you’re the glue, Lenard.”
We’re sitting next to each other in a sofa, still holding hands.
“The glue that’s keeping you safe, actually.”
Lenard smirked at me with all that smug.

Lenard Torres
My bestfriend. I’ve known him since forever. Our mothers met in a fertility clinic and introduced us as family friends. We’ve been classmates since daycare until we graduated in college and got our diplomas. We were inseparable. I’ve known him my whole life and he knows me just the same. My taste, preference, dislikes and quirks remained imprinted on his mind and I, too, am the same with him.
But, to be honest…
I like him
I wonder when did things change so differently?
I don’t want to lose my friendship with him over some one-sided feelings that’s maybe fleeting or temporary.
That’s why I buried my feelings as if they were never there in the first place.
But…
Feelings doesn’t exactly have a turn on and off switch.
As time passes by, my feelings grew and grew enough that my tiny body couldn’t contain it anymore. I get greedier ad greedier.
With his touch,

With his hand holding mine,

With his eyes focused on me,
I can’t help but feel
That there’s hope…
And so…
Let’s just confess
And get rejected anyway.
“Lenard…”
“Hm? What is it, Phoebe?”
“I have something to tell you.”
I noticed through the window that it gotten dark outside. Time sure flies so fast. The stars were all twinkling but his shine is even more glimmering than the countless stars on the sky.
In my eyes, he’s the star.
I noticed the wall clock and read the time.
11:59 pm
One minute to go before all of this will end.
I gathered up my courage to confess but then-
“Happy birthday, Phoebe! I want to be the last person to ever greet you a happy birthday. I can’t believe the girl I like finally held hands with me.”
What?
12:00 am
The talisman glowed ever so brightly and after a few seconds, it lost its glow and it came off my forehead even though I’m still holding hands with Lenard.
He intertwined his fingers with mine.
“Phoebe Tolentino, I like yo-”
“I like you too, Lenard.”
I don’t know, maybe I’ve always known or I’ve been oblivious from the start.
Of your feelings,
Of your attention,
Of your affection,
All of it, were zeroed at me.
Since my eyes
My mind,
My heart,
Kept finding you as well
“All my life, it’s always been you. Only you.”
I finally confess and I didn’t get rejected. Instead, I reciprocated.
What do you know? My curse turned out to be a blessing after all.