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It came to the point where I looked forward to seeing this masked man. It made me smile to see him waiting for me. We got pretty close in less than a month, but he only communicated using his little notepad. I did all the talking yet it wasn’t tiring at all. I enjoyed our short conversations each day and I can say for sure that I’ve developed a little crush on him. I only felt admiration for him at first, but now, it was more than just a simple like. What’s next, I asked myself while giggling at the thought that crossed my mind. He constantly delivered letters before so I expected to receive another letter a few days from now. I never looked forward to Valentine’s Day before, but this year was an exception. I even put on a little make up just to change my look somehow. My friends were so supportive that they did my make-up. They made it look more natural so it wasn’t too obvious that I wanted to impress someone in particular. After finishing up with preparations, we made our way to the park. John was always on time, but today, he was really running late, like for about 15 minutes already. While waiting with my friends, someone caught our attention, someone carrying flowers in one hand and a letter on the other.

“These are for you.”, the guy said to me. To my disappointment and surprise, it was John, but not “THE John” I was expecting and wanting to see. The John standing in front of me was John Marcus, my old schoolmate. He took John’s place as the delivery boy. “He’s too shy to give them to you personally.”, he said before leaving. Although it was nice receiving a bouquet of flowers, I didn't feel quite happy. For a whole month, I never saw the original John again. From then on, it was always John Marcus and never the John I was hoping for. Unexpectedly, my disappointment diminished and was replaced with joy. I didn't expect to finally became close with him after years. But like the original John, he stopped showing after a month. We did keep in touch, but we never got the chance to see each other as often. The original John came back and resumed his “duties” though. He was once again the delivery boy but instead of delivering only letters, he also gave me chocolates. Surprisingly, the feeling was not the same but I didn’t know why. Even up to this point, he still hasn’t shown his face. He was still wearing a mask so I finally asked him why he was always wearing one. “I’m still too shy to show my face. I’m sorry.”, he wrote. He said he was shy but he had courage to admit such a thing and to ask me for my number so I was surprised. But I was happy just the same. Maybe this is my chance to confirm my feelings for him. I don't even understand why I'm falling for the delivery boy when he's not even my secret admirer. I kind of feel sorry for my admirer since I'm paying more attention to John than him...

This whole thing went on until May. In a few weeks, we’ll all part ways since it would finally be time for our long awaited vacation. I was both excited and anxious at the same time. John told me he wanted to meet up at the park as usual. Maybe he had another letter to deliver, I said to myself. Although I've met with him numerous times already, I still feel excited and nervous. My class before our meet up lasted longer than expected. While rushing to arrange my things, I received a text message from John saying he's still wait since he had some free time before his next class. I immediately sent a reply, apologizing for my tardiness and that I'll be there as soon as possible. Being rushed like this is making me more nervous and I hate it. I already made him wait for a while so I decided to run for it. I had very short legs and I tend to walk real slow. I didn't even wait for the elevator anymore and just went for the stairs. I guess I didn't run fast enough since he ended up calling me. I finally get to hear his voice. I was nervous to even answer his call since it would be the first time we’d get to really talk.

And as I held my phone up to my ear, I looked for the familiar figure wearing a mask. But not a single guy at the park was wearing one. “I didn’t wear a mask today.”, John said at the other end of the line. “Turn 90 degrees to the right and you’ll see me.”, he added. I followed his instruction and immediately saw Marcus seated. He stood up after making eye contact with me. I couldn’t believe it. I felt terrible instead of feeling happy. He was just toying with me, I said to myself. He wasn’t John, I was sure of it. Did he actually take me for an idiot? Yes, they have a similar build and a hairstyle that's very common but the eyes are definitely different as well as the feeling. The only words that came out of my mouth were, “You’re not John.”. I knew he wasn’t John since I was always looking at him. The first time John gave me a letter, Marcus was there at the park, hanging out with his friends. Yes, I noticed him since I remember faces very well plus, I knew him. He couldn’t possibly be my John. “I asked John to deliver the messages. I was the one behind every letter you received.”, he explained. For the first time, I was a hundred percent sure that I didn’t like Marcus that way anymore. He was just Marcus, my old schoolmate, my good friend. I was disappointed at first but then I just felt guilty. I wanted to immediately turn him down since I did not see a romantic future with him. Spending time with him for a while made me realize that. He didn't pressure me into accepting his invite to go out on a date during vacation but I still didn't have the courage to tell him I couldn't. He gave me time to think about it and he gave me more than enough time which I was grateful for. In all honesty, I wanted to give it a try because I knew in myself that I was always pessimistic so I always jumped to conclusions and never bother to try things. We eventually went out on a date but he could sense that my feelings didn't change. I was very happy during our date but the romantic feelings just didn't blossom and I did tell him that at the end of the date. Fortunately, he didn't sever ties with me and kept in touch constantly. I don't know if he gave up on pursuing me or not but I'm happy he stayed in my life.

Once our vacation was over, I was met with a lovely surprise. The corners of my lips started to rise, showing a smile I simply couldn’t hide for I was happy with what I saw just ahead of me. “Hi Marie Katherine Castle, my name’s John Andre Vasquez.”, says the placard a guy is holding. This was a grand way to introduce himself I said to myself but nevertheless, I was really happy. I knew who he was because of a doodle on the placard, the very same doodle John put in the very first note he gave me. I finally get to see you, John, the guy I’ve been waiting for, the guy who loved me only as a best friend, my masked man. 

 The End!

Who knows, I might make a short story of John V's side of the story during the months he and Marie spent apart (◠‿◕)

THANKS SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS!

♥♥♥And to anyone who has read this far, I hope you're having a lovely day. If not, I pray that things will only get better for you from now on. Remember that things won't stay bad forever~♥♥♥

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