#eve dreams of justin arana

[evedreamsof]

we are // j. arana

entry #30

summary: what do you do when you put two clueless idiots together?

“why don’t you just tell him?” mary sighed. “come on, i’m sure he feels the same way.”

“you can’t be sure.”

“i know that i am sure. now go tell him.”

eve nodded and sat beside justin, who was busy fiddling with his phone.

“hey.”

he turned to her and smiled. “hey. what’s up?” he leaned forward, his face inches from hers. “anything on your mind?”

“i’m in love with you,” she said quickly. she shut her eyes and repeated, “i’m in love with you, justin.”

when she opened her eyes, he was looking at her quizzically. “i know that.”

she turned beet red. “WHAT!?”

he nodded.

“how’d you know!?”

“‘cause we’re dating?”

“WHAT!?”

“calm down, you’re acting strange.”

“we’re dating?”

justin nodded.

“since when!?”

“what?”

“we’re dating?”

“…yes?”

“i didn’t…know that….”

“we’re NOT dating!?”

they stared at each other. “mary,” they said in unison. at that exact moment, they heard her laugh loud and with glee.

“oh my god…this is so embarrassing,” eve said while shaking her head, “i am so sorry.”

justin laughed nervously. “i’m more embarrassed…i really thought we were dating, eve.”

“what made you think that?”

“i…our actions?”

eve gave it some thought. “i guess you’re right.”

justin licked his lips. “i…um…mary told me you were in love with me, and i told her i’m in love with you, too. i didn’t…well, i assumed we got together since…since you started kissing my cheek.”

“i….”

“no, there was a difference.”

“it’s why you’ve been flirty.”

“yeah….”

“i thought you were just too shy to say it out loud and you weren’t ready to tell the world about us…so, i wasn’t too loud about it, either.”

“i do love you, i really do.”

he kissed her. “so do we both know that we’re dating now?”

she laughed. “yes, we do.”

he kissed her again. “i love you, too.”

[evedreamsof]

property // j. arana

entry #28

summary: a household has its ups and downs

being married was something eve did not know could ever happen. and, she was married to justin arana.

the arana family had ups and downs but today, the patriarch and matriarch were definitely down. and it has been for a while.

“it’s not that hard!”

“i’m doing everything for you and the kids!”

“you know what, i am tired of this.”

justin sighed. “do not give into your overthinking, eve.”

“i’m not overthinking.”

justin groaned. “eve—”

“if you’re not going to get rid of her soon, i’m taking the kids and we’re going to my parents!”

“do you think i want her near me!?”

“it certainly seems so!”

“eve!”

“justin, justin, please. don’t say another word. if you don’t get rid of her soon,” she repeated, “then it’s bye bye.”

“don’t do that! i have been telling her that i’m not interested and i have you and the kids! and i don’t even say ‘sorry, i’m not interested’, i immediately say ‘i’ve got a wonderful family, stay away’, and you can ask anyone and they’ll vouch for me!”

“in public, justin. in public.”

“eve, you’re anxiety is causing us so much stress!”

“us?” eve glared. “us!?”

“yes! us! i am so frustrated that you don’t trust me!”

eve glared at him. “i’m not overthinking, justin.”

“yes, you are! and i honestly don’t know how to help you anymore!”

eve felt a pang in her heart but she masked it with anger. “that’s it! i’m taking the kids with me! they’re mine!”

“but their mother is mine.”

eve stared at him. “you know that doesn’t make sense, right?”

justin rolled his eyes. “you say you own the kids, but i own you.”

“so peter, eva, and i are property now?”

“you started it.”

eve sighed. “we have to cool off. you sleep on the couch.”

“that makes things worse,” he replied. “not sleeping on the same bed where we can talk to each other isn’t going to get us anywhere, it isn’t healthy.”

“so what do you propose we do?”

“we can bring the kids to mom and dad’s and we’ll…talk, upstairs.”

“you think that will help?”

“yeah, i think so.” justin shrugged.

“okay.” eve nodded. “let’s bring them. you’re right, i’m sure they don’t like it when we fight.”

“i don’t either,” just said.

“same.”

“and anyway…when they’re there, they don’t have to hear you scream.”

“i do not scream.” she glared.

“yes, you do.”

justin had a straight face on so eve had a hard time figuring out what he meant. “arana.”

“mrs. arana.”

“you’re not getting any.”

“we’ll see about that.” he winked. “now, come on. so we can get things resolved. i love hearing you scream.”

[evedreamsof]

my day // j. arana

entry #27

summary: having a crush who follows you must be so hard

with justin arana now following her, eve was more careful and conscious with what she would post and add to her story.

one day, she was set to hang out with her parents. as she fixed herself up, she was thinking of what to wear that day. she looked at her closet and shook her head at every shirt she saw.

she was heading to a new restaurant and she wanted to look nice. she went to her other closet and smiled—this was where the “extra” clothes were.

finally, she chose a denim hooded dress and began looking at her shoes. she texted mary, asking if she was free. immediately mary video called. once eve answered, she immediately said, “sneakers or boots?”

“you’re going to that new restaurant, right?”

eve nodded.

“boots, definitely. the black ones, the wedges.”

“got it.”

they talked as eve got ready. once done, eve’s parents called her.

“it must be so hard having a crush,” mary started. “you don’t know what to wear to your story.” she snickered. “i mean, i know you’re choosy with clothes but you are way too choosy now.”

eve groaned. “don’t remind me that i can’t wear clothes that look as if i van wear them at home.”

mary giggled. “he does like your stories and posts, you know that, right? and you do notice that it’s everything you post?”

“it’s not everything.”

“hon, i look at all your stories and you update me whenever he reacts…and i know it’s all of them.”

eve narrowed her eyes. then she tilted her head to the side. “you think he’ll like this?”

mary looked her as if saying “duh”.

eve grinned. then her dad called her again and she bid goodbye to mary.

when they reached their destination’s, there was a cute loveseat at the back, where it was el fresco.

“want me to take a picture of you?” eve’s mom asked.

eve grinned and nodded. she sat down and posed. her mom took a few pictures and once they were done, they chose the good ones. one to put in her story and a few to post on facebook/instagram.

she posted them then ate and chatted with her parents. during dessert, she scrolled through her phone and giggled.

“what?” her dad asked.

“justin liked my story and my post,” she replied. when she refreshed, she got another notification. her eyes widened. it was a comment on her post.

‘you’ve got to tell me what it’s like there! looks like a good place to meet up.’

she blushed. ‘don’t read into it, don’t read into it.’

then she got a message from mary. ‘he’s being too obvious!’

she bit her bottom lip then grinned. she replied to justin, ‘most definitely!’

a few seconds later. ‘it’s a date then!’

her heart thumped hard and loud. there was a red dot on the message icon. she tool a few deep breaths before checking the inbox.

‘justin arana’

‘typing…’

[evedreamsof]

the masseuse // j. arana

entry #26

summary: massages are supposedly the best, but eve won’t allow justin to do it to her

“i need a massage.” eve said.

“you don’t even like massages that much,” justin said. “you won’t even let me massage your feet.”

“i find it awkward,” she admitted.

“come on.” justin sat down on the couch and propped eve’s foot on his lap. “i’ll give you one.”

“no, no.” eve retracted and shook her head. “i love you but no, i can’t have you massaging my feet.”

“why not?”

“i told you, it’s awkward.”

justin sighed. “alright, alright. i’ll set us an appointment. i get to choose, alright?”

“oki.” eve grinned.

a few days later, the two were at a thai massage parlor. they got ready together and then entered the two-people room. as they lay down, their masseuses entered and asked what type of massage they wanted.

as they lay there, their respective masseuse quietly doing their job, eve fell asleep and justin simply watched her, a smile on his face.

when it was time to face up, justin chuckled and woke eve up. she blinked a few times before holding in a laugh.

once done, they put on their clothes, paid, and then headed out.

“i’m surprised you didn’t get all ticklish,” justin said.

eve giggled and grabbed his hand. “he had very firm hands. like, he knew how to handle people.”

justin frowned.

“it felt really good. i’m very relaxed right now. so much lighter. we should do that again one day.”

“no, you’re never getting a massage again.”

eve looked up and saw justin’s frown. she laughed. she hold onto his arm and squeezed. “fine. you can choose the masseuse for me.”

“i choose me.”

this made her laugh even more.

[evedreamsof]

let’s take a selfie // j. arana

entry #25

summary: what do people do with other people’s selfies?

“i don’t know what he does with my selfies, honestly,” she told mary over the phone.

“he keeps them? duh?”

eve leaned back on the couch and narrowed her eyes. “it’s creepy if he does.”

“says the girl who has a huge crush on him,” mary snickered.

“i’m serious, mary!” although she felt the heat rise up to her cheeks. “i doubt he does.”

“why don’t you ask him?”

“why don’t you ask him?”

“pfft. like he’ll tell me.”

“you know he will.”

“that’s true.”

“c’mon, please?”

“no.”

“mean.”

“aren’t you proud that he allows you to read your messages and gave you his password?”

“it was a one time thing.”

“i’m sure he knows about this pictures.”

“it’s impossible if he doesn’t.”

a few days later, eve, justin, mary, alec, and reyna, as well as jv, reyna’s friend, decided to hang out together. as usual, eve and justin sat beside each other.

“i have to go to the restroom,” justin said. “i’ll be right back.” he stood up and rounded the corner.

eve looked down and saw his phone just on the table. she turned to mary who simply smirked at her. “well, go on,” alec said.

eve bit her bottom lip before grabbing the phone and unlocking it with her fingerprint.

“i didn’t realize you two were dating,” jv said.

“oh we’re not,” eve responded without looking up. she found the phone app and began to take random photos. “is he coming back?” she asked as she took another photo.

“not y—wait! hurry, he’s coming back!” alec exclaimed.

eve immediately exited the app but accidentally pressed the google drive app. “shit,” she muttered. then she saw it. a folder. a folder that was labeled pink. a folder that was labeled pink with her name as the file name. she stared at it.

“eve!”

she could not help it. she pressed the folder and saw a lot of photos. all photos of her. all her random selfies. she cocked her head.

“eve!”

she looked up and saw alec’s eyebrows raise. she immediately closed the app and locked the phone then placed it back on the table just in time.

“aren’t you going to tell him what you just did?” reyna asked.

“are you still not used to that?” mary said with a roll of her eyes.

“i’ve always just wondered how eve knows justin’s password,” reyna continued.

“i trust her,” justin said with a shrug. “it’s not like she’ll look at my messages. without permission, i mean.”

eve, who had been staring at him, quickly looked away when she noticed justin about to look at her.

“you don’t look at stuff without permission, right?”

she immediately shook her head but knew she was turning bright red. “um…i have to use the bathroom. mary, come with me.”

mary immediately stood up and they walked away.

“what is it?” mary asked.

“he has a folder in his google drive, that’s pink, with my name being the file name.”

“oh. my. god.”

“and they’re all the selfies i took.”

mary covered her mouth with her hands to cover a squeal. “i told you!”

eve, once if sunk in, could not help but grin.

[evedreamsof]

will you marry me // j. arana

entry #24

summary: a sign can give a lot of emotions

with justin being traded to san miguel, eve need not cheer for two teams, especially when they were up against each other. she smiled as her team scored another two points. her best friend, mary, then nudged her.

“yeah?”

mary raised her chin up and laughed. “you’re not going to like it.”

eve turned around and saw a girl holding up a sign, then she gasped. “justin marry me?” she spat, “excuse me!”

although she knew the girl could not see her, eve glared and pursed her lips. “justin would never never marry her,” mary told her. she hugged eve. “he has you.”

eve smiled as mary retracted. “i am pretty awesome.” she laughed.

“i know you’re just joking but it’s true! you are awesome. that’s one reason justin fell for you. he’s never going to marry her. i’m sure she is nothing like you.”

eve nodded. “you’re right. she’s got nothing on me.”

the game had ended with san miguel winning. eve and mary met justin in the lobby. eve noticed the girl who was holding up the “justin marry me” sign grin and walk towards the basketball player.

without much thought, she sprinted towards him and gave him a tight hug. justin laughed and hugged her back. “someone’s in a mood.”

“i’m just happy for you and team, is all,” she said and let go. “and i missed you.”

justin tilted his head and narrowed his eyes but a smile was on his lips. “alright, what do you want?”

“a kiss,” she replied with hesitation.

justin chuckled and bent down to her level and gave her a soft but lingering kiss. “now,” he started when they separated, “what was that for?”

eve licked her lips. “someone was holing up a ‘justin marry me’ sign. I didn’t like it,” she admitted. “did you see that?”

“it was a fleeting moment but yeah, i saw it.” he laughed. “you really think i’ll leave you for her? for anyone?” but before eve could reply, he put his hand up. “wait, no. don’t answer that.”

“you wanna see the girl?” she giggled.

“no need. as long as i have my girl with me, nothing else matters.”

“i love you, my cheesy munchkin,” she said with a laugh.

“i love you, too, my penguin.” he kissed her temple.

[evedreamsof]

banoffee pie // j. arana

entry #23

summary: the smell of coffee leads to something more

eve had entered the café. she breathed in the familiar smell of starbucks. there were not many people and she was glad she found mary quickly. she already had gotten her drink and was busy typing away.

as she walked to the table, she bumped into someone. ‘there’s so much space and you still bumped into someone,’ she thought. “ah, sorry.”

she turned to her side only to become face to face with a chest. “oh.” she looked up and saw a very familiar face. “i’m sorry,” she repeated. she knew who it was. ‘don’t fangirl, eve. don’t faint.’

“no, i’m sorry,” justin said. “it’s my fault.”

she gave a quick nod before heading towards mary. “omg.”

mary, who had witness the interaction, also looked surprised. “omg indeed.”

“is he at the counter?”

“yeah,” mary replied. “go!”

“no!” eve shook her head. “i can’t.”

“yes you can. now go. there are two people in between you.”

“i can do that,” she murmured. she took a deep breath and stood up, heading towards the counter. she already knew what to order, her usual drink, and some banoffee pie. ‘last piece,’ she thought. ‘i hope no one gets it.’

from the corner of her eye, she saw justin talking to the barista. she was relieved it was a guy manning the register. ‘possessive,’ she thought and allowed a soft laugh to come out.

unfortunately, her joy disappeared when she saw that the barista reached for the last pie. she looked over and saw that justin had gotten it.

she bit her lip and closed her eyes. ‘i don’t like him anymore.’

although frustrated, she put up a front and smiled. when it was her turn to order, she smiled a little wider. maybe she could get a cookie. she reached for her wallet but as she was about to hand the cash, the barista stopped her. “your order has been paid for.”

“huh?”

“the gentleman said that the order’s on him.” the barista wrote her name on the cup. he placed it on the counter behind him then smiled. “he doesn’t want to be known.”

luckily, no one else was in line. “aw come on, it’ll be a secret, i promised i won’t tell.”

the barista chuckled. “no can do, eve.”

eve sighed and nodded. “thanks, mark.”

“enjoy your order,” he said.

she left the counter and saw mark heading over to the other barista, whispering something to her. on the way back, she passed by justin’s table. she did not measure to make eye contact with him but when she realized he was smiling at her, she smiled back.

as she sat down on the seat opposite mary, she said. “strange.”

“what is?” mary had just taken a sip of her drink and did not look up when eve returned. “what’s strange?”

“my order’s been paid for,” she said then explained what happened. “i didn’t notice the people in front of me.”

“hm.” mary paused her typing and looked up. “the guy behind the counter didn’t say?”

“he’s in connivance.”

mary laughed. “maybe it’s him.”

“you think?” eve tilted her head. “he’s pretty cute actually.”

mary nodded. “i hope it is. who else could it be?”

“you’re right.” eve nodded. “who else could it be.”

“for justin!”

eve could not help but look as he stood up and walked to the bar. he was with a few friends and they already all had drinks with them.

“i’ll go say thank you to mark,” eve said.

“but we’re not sure.”

“you’re right…i guess i can say un…please tell the gentleman i said thank you?”

“yeah, that’s good.”

eve stood up and walked back to counter. “hey, mark.” mark looked at her with a huge grin. “can you tell the person i said thank.”

“for eve!”

mark looked at the bar and chuckled. “thank him yourself.”

eve cocked her head before heading towards the bar. justin was still there but she avoided looking at him.

“um…,” she started when she reached the area, “thank you.”

the barista winked.

as she reached for the tray she saw her drink, her cookie, and a banoffee pie. ‘they must have made another one. …but wait, i didn’t order one.’ “um, killian,” she called. “i didn’t order the banoffee since i saw someone ordered the last one.”

“that is the last one,” killian said. “the secret admirer ordered it for you. i guess he was correct with the choice.”

eve looked down at the tray again. “do you know who it is?”

killian shrugged. “maybe? maybe not.”

eve groaned. “okay, okay. please tell them i said thank you. i owe them. whoever it is.”

“you don’t have to owe me anything, and you are most welcome.”

eve froze. ‘no way.’ she turned around and said, “you?”

“is that a bad thing?” he asked.

“well…no, but um…i didn’t expect to well…i wasn’t prepared.”

he chuckled. “can’t i treat a pretty girl?”

eve blushed and looked down. “thank you.” before she could turn around to pick up her tray, justin had placed drink on it and picked up the black plastic. “oh you don’t—”

“i already asked permission from your friend to whisk you away,” he said and walked ahead. eve followed him. “she’s a good actress, isn’t she?”

eve looked at the original table and saw mary smirking while typing.

justin set the tray down on an empty table and gestured for eve to sit. when she did, he followed. “so, eve.”

“justin.”

“it’s very nice to meet you.”

"it's very nice to meet you, too." he smiled. "before anything, i don't wan to step on anyone's toes."

"you're not, don't worry." she shook her head and waved her hand. "we're all good." then she narrowed her eyes. "what about you?"

"no toes to step on, i swear."

[evedreamsof]

profile pic // j. arana

entry #22

summary: justin changes his profile picture

eve was mindlessly scrolling through facebook when she saw the picture. she squinted then nodded her head. “okay.” she sat up from her bed and went through some apps to call justin.

when he answered, she said. “why did you change it?”

“you don’t like it?”

“of course i do, i’m just wondering, that’s all.”

justin sighed. “you’re overthinking again, aren’t you?”

“i am not,” eve said with a frown.

“my penguin,” he started. “i’m showing you off.”

“there’s nothing to—”

“my penguin,” he stopped her. “i’m showing you off because i know you’re a great person. you may not see it yourself but i know you are. and i want to tell people that i’ve got someone, and that you belong to me.”

“possessive much,” eve said softly, a smile on her face.

“but if you don’t like that picture, give me another one.”

“no, i like that one.” she giggled. “it must be a nice one since you chose it.”

“it’s a good one!” he chuckled. “just like every one of yours.”

[evedreamsof]

consolation prize // j. arana

entry #20

summary: justin thought she was being a little too bold...who was he to turn it down?

justin sighed as he sat down on the bench in the locker room. there were only a few of them left, most rushed out due to frustration and anger and sadness. he could not blame them, he was feeling really down to.

he took out his phone and messaged eve. justin: my penguin

he stared at the screen intensively, thinking that if he stared hard enough she would answer sooner.

eve: my munchkin :(

justin: we lost...big time :(

eve: it’s okay, munchkin. come over, i’ll give you a consolation prize :)

justin smiled. justin: be there soon

with newfound strength, justin stood up and quickly showered and changed. he bid goodbye to the rest of the teammates with a smile on his face. he heard someone wonder why he was all smiles and alec stockton answered something he could not hear anymore, but he knew that alec had said something about eve.

about an hour later, he reached eve’s house and rang the bell. someone let him in and expected to find his future in-laws somewhere in the house. the help, however, told him that they were still out and it was only eve who had returned.

‘so that’s why she’s being so bold,’ he thought. normally, they would only sneak kisses in the living room, or play footsy under the table during dinner. this time, he was going to be in her room, and they were going to be alone. he shuddered.

her door was open and so he knocked on the slightly ajar. “hey.”

she looked up from her book and grinned. “hey.” she paused, and then pouted. “i mean, hey.”

he chuckled and shook his head. “it’s okay.” he sat down and bent to give her a kiss. “you had a good day?”

“tiring,” she said. “sorry i couldn’t watch.” she brought her feet up and sat cross legged.

“no, no.” he shook his head. “medical errands are more important. and anyway, we lost...big time.”

she pursed her lips. “i hate that team with all i’ve got. at first it was the fans, now it’s them all in all. how dare they do that to converge.”

he smiled and kissed her again, this time, longer. when they separated, she smiled. “that was nice,” she said.

“plenty more where that came from.”

she giggled. “anyway, i got you a consolation prize.”

he grinned and readied himself.

she squirmed in her seat. “i got you something i think you’d really like.”

“i know i will,” he said with a low voice.

“great!” she grinned. 

he had begun to lower his body when she lowered hers to pick something up. “wha...”

she sat up straight and brought out a leather jacket. “look what i got you!”

justin took the piece of clothing and studied it. he smiled as he held it against the light. “where’d you get this?”

she shrugged. “i’ve got some connections.”

“this is custom made?”

“how else would it be more meaningful.” she tilted her head. “i thought...since i know someone, i want to give you something nice.”

he grinned and looked at her, placing the jacket down on the bed. “i love you.”

she grinned back. “you like?”

“definitely,” he replied.

“i’m glad you do, because i got something for me as well.” she bent down once more and then took out another leather jacket. “i got myself a matching one. i hope you don’t mind?”

“my penguin, even at this stage of our relationship you’re scared i don’t want to wear matching clothes with you?”

she nodded.

he took the jacket from her, laid it on the bed and kissed her once more. “you know, i don’t need a consolation prize when i’ve got you.”

“you’re being too cheesy, you know that?” she giggled.

“what? i thought you liked cheesy?” he chuckled.

“i don’t know how to be cheesy back, that’s all.”

“i don’t need you to be cheesy.” he nuzzled her nose. “okay?”

“okay.” she nodded. “but...what consolation prize were you actually expecting?” she asked, smirking. “and don’t lie.”

he groaned. “you know what i thought was going to happen.”

“too bad we’re at home.”

“i thought you were being too bold,” he admitted. “and when i found out that mom and dad aren’t home....”

“yeah,” she nodded. “yeah.” she laughed. “sorry for keeping your hopes up.”

he tilted his head from side to side. “we have all the time in the world soon.”

“we do, don’t we.” she grinned.

“i can’t wait, my penguin.”

“me neither, my munchkin.”

[evedreamsof]

he said, but she said // j. arana

entry #19

summary: justin brings eve to the comic con

“i want this!” eve exclaimed. “and this! wait, no, this! this!” she looked at her surroundings and breathed in, she exhaled slowly before turning to justin. “which do you think i should get?” she grinned.

justin sighed. “eve, we’re in the first stall.”

it was true. they had just entered the smx convention center and already eve found something, well, somethings, that caught her eye.

he grabbed her arm and dragged her way, apologizing to the one manning the store. “let’s have a look around first, we’ve got all the time in the world to go in circles if you want to.”

eve hugged him. “thank you.”

the international comic con was a surprise. eve had a hard time getting tickets and so she gave up after a day. she did not want to get from scalpers, that would cost her more. and besides, she would never cheat her way no matter how desperate she was.

but a day before the convention opened, justin had surprised her with an all access pass that would be valid until the end of the convention, which was being held for three days.

“where’d you get them?” eve gasped. they were only on video call and justin had just shown it to her through his side. “omg, justin!”

he shrugged. “i have connections.”

“you better have paid for that with honest money.” in other words, no bodily favors. she had heard of people doing that, whether they were in a relationship already or not. as people say, ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’.

“relax,” justin said with a smile. “my cousin is part of the organizing committee or something like that. she mentioned it to us in the family group chat, asking if anyone was interested.” he winked.

“you. are. the. best.”

“i better be.” he smirked.

as they walked along the stalls, eve could not help but tighten her hold on justin’s hand every time she was excited about something…which was in every five seconds.

but justin did not mind. he was happy she was happy. ‘thank you, Lord,’ he prayed.

it took them quite some time to finish going around. “that was a lot,” justin said. “you okay?”

eve looked at him, her eyes sparkling. “are you kidding? this is awesome!” then her eyes softened, but the glimpses of excitement was still there. “are you okay?”

he bent down and kissed the top of her head. “let’s have a snack before going for round two.”

she smirked. “oh, most definitely.”

justin chuckled. “i am so glad i got us these.”

“yeah, and it’s awesome that it’s for all three days. i know there are different programs and some new stalls coming in. isn’t this exciting!”

he smiled. she smiled back.

his grip tightened and led her through the crowd to the food stalls. he left her to reserve seats for them and he went to go and pay for the food.

as he waited in line, he smiled. he loved how happy she was.

once he was done, he went back to look for her. he spotted her a few feet away from him. as he walked towards her, he noticed she was talking to a man…and she was obviously uncomfortable.

he reached the table and cleared his throat. the man looked to his side but was surprised that he only made eye contact with a chest. he looked up. “hey, man. you’re tall, you a basketball player?”

“yes,” eve replied.

“i was just talking to her about the difference between the mcu and earth-616. to give her a background, you understand.”

“i’m sure she knows even more than you,” justin said, his tone deep and authoritative.

“yeah but she doesn’t know that kitty loses—”

“her virginity to pete wisdom. and that she had multiple relationships with guys named peter aside from him. her first was pitior rasputin, she was also with peter parker, and was even engaged to peter quill. she was star-lord for quite some time. the movies depicted her as being in a relationship with bobby, which was incorporated in the comics.”

the man narrowed his eyes. “the dog in hawkeye—”

“lucky. in the comics he was abused by his master and got hit by a car, which resulted in losing an eye. clint took him in.”

“samuel—”

“his nick fury is supposed to be the ‘original’, however it is is nick fury jr. who they patterned after him. there’s no indication whatsoever to who he really is.”

“thoughts on brie larson as carol?”

“love her. the only reason brie is hated is because she’s being compared to scarlet. and we all know how highly sexualized she is.”

“she clearly knows her way around the marvel world. ask her about digimon. or power rangers.” he sighed. “i’d list down a lot more but i’m really hungry, and you’re making my girlfriend uncomfortable. please leave.”

the man looked at justin then back at eve, mumbled something under his breath, and then walked away.

eve sighed in relief. “thank you.”

justin sat down across from her. “you okay?”

“yeah. he um...he started out innocent, asking if i was a fan and stuff, i said yes and then he continued to talk to me about the diff between mcu, which is earth-199999, and earth-616.”

“and you obviously knew the difference between the two.”

“of course i do.”

justin smiled. “i know.”

“he was just so weird...like he was trying to prove something that i wasn’t even asking for.” she shook her head. “some fanatics are really embarrassing, you know.”

“if you were one of those fanatics, you’d be the cutest one.”

she laughed. “if i was one of those fanatics, you would’ve been so turned off.”

he laughed as well. “but really, my penguin. are you happy...that we’re here?”

“are you kidding me? of course i’m happy! i didn’t realize you couldn’t tell ever since the day started.”

“i’m happy that i was able to make you happy.”

“you always make me happy,” she said with a smile. “always.” she sighed. “you know i love you, right, my munchkin?”

justin pursed his lips. “i don’t think i do.”

she scoffed.

“i didn’t hear what you said, too. i didn’t catch that.”

“justin...”

“who’s justin?”

eve laughed. “i love you, my munchkin.”

justin leaned over and kissed her. “and i love you, too, my penguin.” he leaned back and said, “now come on, we still have a few rounds to go. but don’t eat too quickly, you’ll get sick.”

she smirked. “oh do we have a few rounds to go.”

[evedreamsof]

number one // j. arana

entry # 18

summary: justin doesn’t think that the celebrity is all that

justin had not been in a good mood the whole day. he would not admit it but it was because he was jealous. so jealous that he could not even speak properly. during the middle of the day, when had met up with eve, he thought it could be an excuse for them not to go anywhere. he would not say he was jealous, but he would say he was not feeling all too well—and in this case, he really did not feel too well.

when he told eve about his wellbeing, he expected that she say they do not go anymore. however, she simply frowned and said, “okay, i’ll ask mary if she’s willing.”

but different scenarios popped into his head, the what ifs. before eve could take out her phone he stopped her and said, “i’m feeing much better now.”

eve looked at him with narrow eyes. “it’s okay, really. i’ll bring you home and ask mary to pick me up there.”

“don’t you want to go with me?”

“you said you weren’t feeling well.”

“well, i am now. let’s go. you have the tickets, right?”

“of course.” she nodded.

justin grabbed her hand and they walked out of the gate of her house. she got into the passenger seat while he in the driver’s. as they drove, justin’s thoughts wandered to the what ifs that were on his mind earlier.

he was silent and eve was worried. “are you okay?” she asked. “you’ve been really silent.”

the car halted at the stop sign. he turned to her. “i’m okay,” he said. “just thinking about…stuff. you know.”

“are you sure you’re okay?”

“i’m fine,” he insisted.

“hm.” eve licked her bottom lip as the car began to drive again. “wanna share?”

“nope,” he replied quickly. then he bit his tongue. “please don’t overthink,” he said. “i know you’ve been overthinking already but trust me, it’s not about you. sort of.” he did not like to lie, the more he knew she would overthink. “eve.”

“fine, don’t tell me,” she muttered. then she took a deep breath and exhaled. “nothing is going to ruin today. nothing.”

justin frowned. “right.”

when they reached the mall, the two found the crowd and they knew they were in right place. justin held tightly onto eve’s hand as they made their way to the front.

“tickets,” the man behind the desk asked.

eve took out the tickets from the pocket of her jeans and handed it over to him. when the man ripped a part of both tickets, he returned what was left and nodded. the security guards then checked eve’s bag before letting them inside.

they sat down on their respective seats while a server gave them a menu. once they have ordered, justin began fiddling with his phone while eve looked at their surroundings.

he was in a conversation with alec, telling him of the scenarios that entered his mind when he feigned sickness. he was waiting for alec’s response when eve called him. “justin.”

justin looked up. “yeah?”

“thank you for the tickets,” she said, smiling.

“thank kevin,” he responded then resumed to messaging alec.

both were quiet until the announcer brought in the singer-actor whom they came for. justin scoffed at the man calling himself a singer but he did admit he was a pretty good actor.

he looked over at eve and saw her grinning from ear to ear, her hands cupping her own cheeks.

this made his stomach drop. did she ever look at him that way? he knows she had had a crush on the celebrity years before she even knew he existed. this made him feel very insecure.

without saying a word to her while the man was on stage, he studied her. the way she smiled, they way her eyes sparkled, her laugh, the way she clapped her hands, the way she cheered.

not once did she look at him until there was a pause in this meet and greet.

she sighed then turned to him. “are you having fun?” she asked.

“the time of my life,” he grumbled.

she frowned. “you’re not ruining this day for me, arana.”

this time, he frowned. “you enjoy seeing your boyfriend unhappy as long as you get to see paulo avelino?”

she narrowed her eyes. “don’t start with me in public.”

“i don’t care!” he banged his fist on the table, making eve jump on her seat. “i shouldn’t have come here if that’s what you wanted.”

“i didn’t force you to!”

“you’re right, it’s my fault!” he scoffed. “i’m leaving, call me when you’re done drooling over that guy.” he took his phone and wallet from the table and was just about to stand when eve grabbed his hand.

“justin,” she called softly. “please don’t go.”

he snatched his hand away but did not stand.

“i was really excited to spend the day with you.”

“yeah? continue to convince yourself that.”

“i’m telling the truth,” she continued. “you think i didn’t want to see my boyfriend and my crush in the same place?”

he did not respond.

“especially when he made an effort to get the tickets?”

again, nothing.

“i’m telling the truth, justin.”

justin sighed and looked away. “you never…looked at me like that.”

“like what?”

“like he’s the only person you can see. it’s like you don’t even know i’m here.”

eve closed her eyes and sighed. “i’m sorry i made you feel this way, but i promise you that that isn’t true.”

the announcer had declared the return of paulo and justin expected eve to look away from him. but she did not, and she was looking at him with sadness in her eyes. he hated that, especially since he was the reason.

“i’m sorry,” he said. eve bowed her head. “i’m sorry that i lashed out on you,” he continued. “you didn’t deserve that. if i had a meet and greet with a crush i probably would have done the same.”

eve pursed her lips. “i understand. i’d feel the same way as you, too.” she had not let go of his hand. “do you want to leave?” she asked. “it’s okay. i don’t mind.”

justin looked up at the stage. paulo was singing, and although he was not terrible, he was not meant to be a singer. “no,” he replied as he looked back at her. “we can stay. don’t you want a picture with him? make it your temporary profile pic or something. email it. print copies. i’d definitely want one.”

she smiled, but justin knew she was holding a grin. “are you sure?”

he smiled and nodded. “i’m sure.”

with his hand still in her palm, she brought up his hand and kissed the back. then, she beckoned for him to come close to her. “i have something to tell you,” she said.

he leaned forward. she closed the distance and whispered, “you’ll always be my number one crush.” and then kissed him.

“damn, i love you.”

she laughed. “love you, too, my munchkin.”

[evedreamsof]

jesse mccartney // j. arana

entry #17

summary: eve and justin watch jesse mccartney live

“can you believe it,” eve started. “we’re watching jesse mccartney live.”

justin had admitted that he did not know jesse mccartney too well. eve joked that he was probably too young to remember. “i’m only three years younger than you!’ he exclaimed. “maybe you’re getting too old.”

eve frowned. “maybe i am.”

justin gave her a tight squeeze. “i’m kidding, i’m kidding.” he kissed the top of her head. “we’ll watch him live, don’t worry.”

“i hope there aren’t too many people, and we get good seats.”

unfortunately, when they arrived, the line to the restaurant was already long. eve was disheartened but justin shook his head and said, “we’re going to get in, okay? i promise you.”

“but you don’t know that,” she said with a pout.

he smiled. “we’ll get in, i promise.”

the restaurant finally opened an hour later and the crowd rushed inside. justin held onto eve tightly as the wave carried them inside. the good seats were taken but justin spotted a table that seemed good enough.

“i told you, didn’t i?”

eve smiled. she looked at the stage where the singer was singing “because you live”. “because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help,” she sang along. “because you live, girl, my world, has everything i need to survive...” her voice softened. “that’s true, you know. you’ve been helping me with this...these thoughts.”

justin reached out to touch her hand. “and you do the same for me.”

eve leaned forward but jerked back and gasped. “i love this song! it’s my favorite!”

justin looked up at the stage and tilted his head. “which one is this?”

but eve had already been singing along. “don’t ever need to get caught up in jealousy. she can be a supermodel every magazine a cover. she’ll never ever mean a thing to me.”

justin smiled.

“she's no you, oh no, you give me more than i could ever want, she's no you, oh no, i’m satisfied with the one i got, ‘cause you’re all the girl that i ever dreamed, she’s only a picture on a magazine, she’s no you, she’s no you!”

justin tried to squeeze in a few word but she continued to sing along. “no one’s ever gonna get to me, oh, the way you do now baby can’t you see, that you’re the only one, the only one, who’s ever made me feel this way, nothing’s ever coming even close, no, no one’s ever been comparable to you...”

“peng--”

“she’s no you, i’m satisfied with the one i got, ‘cause you’re all the girl that i ever dreamed, she’s only a picture on a magazine, she’s no you, she’s no you!” once the music died down, she clapped her hands with great gusto. “wooh!”

once she was done, she turned to justin with a huge grin on her face. “i love that song,” is all she said.

“i noticed,” he replied with a laugh.

she laughed as well. “it’s my favorite jesse song.”

fortunately it was intermission and justin and eve were able to talk properly.

“penguin,” he started. “that song, um...she’s no you? that song fits my thoughts perfectly, to the t.” he smiled. “so whenever you overthink, just sing your favorite jesse song and remember that that’s how i feel.”

“i told you i stopped overthinking,” she said, lying.

“i don’t believe you’ll ever stop overthinking, honestly.” he sighed. “even when we’re married, i know you’ll overthink.” he took eve’s hand and rubbed the ring on her finger. “but i promise you, she’s no you portrays my feelings exactly.”

“i do really love that song.” she scoffed.

justin leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “i love you.”

“i love you, too.”

the show began again and whenever eve would sing along, justin did not bother to interrupt. towards the end, people asked for an encore. jesse chuckled and asked which song. eve, of course, wanted ‘she’s no you’ but she knew that it would be ‘beautiful soul’. and it was.

“am i crazy for wanting you, maybe do you think you could want me too, i don’t wanna waste you time, do you see things the way i do, i just want to know if you feel it, there is nothing left to hide...”

now justin could not help but grin.

“i don’t want another pretty face, i don’t want just anyone to hold, i don’t want my love to go to waste, i want you and your beautiful soul...beautiful soul, yeah...oh yeah, your beautiful soul...yeah...”

she turned back to him. “do you know him well now?”

“still no,” he said. “but he’s pretty good. i can see why your generation loves him.”

“my generation?”

he winked.

[evedreamsof]

happiness // j. arana

entry #16

summary: eve asks justin if he’s gay

eve looked at justin with curiosity. he was quiet and very reserved. he never raised his voice. he was also always working out. “justin,” she called. he looked up from his phone and at her. “are you gay?”

justin did not say anything. he seemed to have been processing the question since he looked shocked after a few seconds. “what?”

“are you gay?” she repeated.

“why would you think that?”

she shrugged. “you’re very quiet and reserved.”

“i’m not really into telling my personal life to others.”

“you never raised your voice.”

“i don’t see the need to.”

“you’re always working out.”

“seriously?”

“seriously.”

“eve, if i was gay, i wouldn’t be in love with you.”

this time eve was processing the information. she was shocked. “what?”

“i said, ‘eve, if i was gay, i wouldn’t be in love with you’,” he repeated.

“seriously?”

justin leaned forward and gave her a peck on the lips. “seriously.”

“oh. okay.” she bit her bottom lip. “so you’re not gay?”

he laughed. “homosexual? no. happy? yes, very.”

she smiled. “guess that means i’m gay, too.”

[evedreamsof]

which one // j. arana

entry #15

summary: cheering for two teams makes people confused sometimes

“you do know people are looking at you, right?” mary said. “at least, those that can hear that very soft voice of yours.”

it was a one minute time out and eve had just sat down on her seat. “what do you mean?”

“go smb? converge stop scoring? go justin?” mary echoed her cheers. “sound familiar?”

eve grinned. “just being true with my feelings.”

mary scoffed. “right.”

the break had finished and the game resumed.

smb had the ball and eve shouted “go smb!”. unfortuntely, they were not able to score and converge got the rebound. jeron teng scored a three and eve groaned. again, smb tried to score but the ball did not go in. the import of the opposing team caught the ball and passed it to alec stockton.

“converge don’t--” but alec passed it to justin arana and he scored. “go justin!” eve clapped her hands. “whoah!”

she relaxed but jumped when the person beside her tapped her forearm. “yes?”

“miss...who are you really rooting for?” they asked.

“my team is san miguel but my boyfriend’s from converge.”

“who’s your boyfriend?”

“justin arana,” she replied with a huge smile on her face.

the seatmate nodded then returned to watching the game.

“see what i mean?” mary chuckled.

eve laughed. “justin understands.”

“he better.”

the game ended with converge winning. eve and mary waited in the lobby. when justin appeared with alec, eve waved at him. the two players walked over to them and greeted both girls.

“good game,” mary said.

“i don’t think eve agrees,” justin teased, making alec laugh. “you’re not happy, are you, my penguin?”

eve bit her lip to keep from grinning. “i’m devasted, my munchkin.”

justin chuckled before bringing himself to her eye level. “sorry, my penguin.”

“no you’re not.”

justin kissed her, which she returned. when they separated, justin stood up and said, “you’re right, i’m not.”

alec scoffed. “i swear, your nicknames are so weird.”

“you’re just jealous,” justin said with a laugh.

the shorter man shook his head. “i’ll let you two be. you going to celebrate?”

“yeah,” eve replied.

“i’m guessing i’m not invited,” mary said, a smirk on her lips.

“of course you are,” eve said.

mary shook her head. “it’s okay. converge won against san miguel, i’m pretty sure that’s an achievement.” alec frowned. “i’m kidding!”

alec sighed. “come on then, i’ll bring you home.”

“thanks,” mary said. she kissed eve’s cheek and gave her a tight hug. “call me later, okay?”

“i will,” eve promised. “bye, alec. thanks for the offer.”

alec nodded. “enjoy the night.” then he and mary turned away and headed for the exit.

“i swear, those two are just in so much denial,” eve said.

justin bent down to kiss her temple. “they’ll figure it out. for now, where do you want to eat?”

[evedreamsof]

slight interaction // j. arana

entry #14

summary: just a harmless exchange on instagram

“omg, he followed me back,” eve told her friend mary via ig dm. “justin arana accepted my follow request and he requested to follow me back. i accepted of course!”

“congrats!! this is so exciting!”

“i’ll definitely keep you updated!”

eve did not expect much, especially after what happened with coach aldin ayo. but justin continued to view her stories and even liked some of them, and surprisingly, even her posts. she was so shocked the first time that she thought it was a mistake.

then one day, she was lying down on her bed, messaging mary and scrolling through social media when she got a message. from justin arana.

“omg, justin arana sent me a message.”

“don’t open it right away! wait 15 minutes!”

it was the longest fifteen minutes of her life, especially since her tumblr dash was pretty much dead. once the clock signaled fifteen minutes, she opened ig once again then tapped on his message.

“hey! i know this is out of the blue but i just want to say that i find you such an interesting person. i know we don’t interact aside from viewing each other’s stories and our posts but i wad hoping maybe we can…get to know each other.”

then a continuation. “if it’s okay with you.”

eve’s heart raced. carefully, she typed. “hi! yeah! of course! i’ve always admired you and i think you’re really cool. i’d love to get to know you.”

“i’m eve.” she continued.

right away, he responded. “justin.”

[evedreamsof]

photo // j. arana

entry #13

summary: a little fun with while having dinner with the parents isn’t so bad

it was dinner time and eve and justin were invited by eve’s parents to have a night out with them at a restaurant. the wedding was nearing, eve’s parents wanted to spend as much time as they could with their daughter while they can—even if it means bringing justin along.

as they were eating, with her parents and justin deep in a conversation, eve decided to check on her phone. scrolling through her albums she cocked her head when she saw a picture. with a wicked grin, she sent it to justin.

she heard justin’s phone ding but he was still talking to her parents. eve wanted to wait, it was exciting for her, too. when eve’s parents began talking to each other, she smirked and said, “i think you have a message.”

“it can wait,” he replied.

narrowing her eyes, she continued, “might be important.”

“nothing’s too import right now,” he answered.

she grew impatient.. “just check your phone, arana.”

justin looked at her then sighed. “fine. but please, no more attitude. we’re with your parents.”

“your future in-laws,” she murmured and smiled sweetly at him before turning back to her food.

“oh fu—”

and eve burst out laughing. eve’s parents looked at them. justin looked around him then back at his phone before putting it away.

“sorry.”

“what’s wrong?” eve’s dad asked.

“nothing, nothing. just…alec playing a trick on me.”

“alec?”

“yeah, we’re still kinda close,” he said. “he’s a prankster.”

eve bit her bottom lip to stop herself from giggling. then her phone ding-ed and she suddenly felt the urge to hit her fiancé.

when her parents went back to their conversation, justin nudged eve and said, “i heard you got a message.”

“we’re eating.”

“check the message, edrielle.” that was his equal to her calling him “arana”. “my last name just…doesn’t seem to…be meant to be a standalone.”

eve glared at him but checked anyway. before opening the message, she covered her mouth. and oh did she was grateful.

“you like?”

immediately, she returned her phone in her bag. “oh you are so going to get it later.”

“looking  forward to it.” he smirked.