"For you."

I caught the sweater Dante tossed at me just before it landed on my head. I took a glance at it and shot him a questioning look.

"It's the one I always wore back home. I want you to have it."

"But why?"

"I want to give you something and I can't think of a suitable gift. I thought you might like to have something that I own. I want you to wear it."

"Why do you want to give me a present? I mean, what's the occasion?"

"I thought friends often give one another things to remember by?"

I was alarmed. "Are you telling me you are leaving?"

Dante gave me an exasperated look.

"No I am not. Why do you ask so many questions? Do you always do that when someone gives you something?"

I smiled sheepishly. "But I don't have anything to give you."

"You already have. Your invaluable friendship."

I looked at him, surprised. "Well.." I stammered. "The same could be said for you too."

I examined the sweater more closely and turned to him.

"Thanks, Dante. I'll keep it with me always." Dante grinned and said nothing.

It was the last day of our exams. Dante and I planned to celebrate the last paper in our education career by staying out as late into the night as we could, talking. It seemed like a simple task, except that we had not slept a wink for 48 hours mugging for our final paper and the strain of keeping awake was taking its toll on us.

While many of our friends had more elaborate plans for themselves, Dante and I were content to just talk. We declined invitations to join some of my friends in their party, who were screaming with joy at the completion of what seemed like possibly the last exams in their lives.

That night, we met each other at the ground floors of our hostel as arranged and strolled towards the computer science department. We had always wanted to visit the roof of the tallest building in the campus. We decided that if we didn't get too tired and dozed off on the roof, we would stay there the whole night and watched sunrise from there.

I've always wanted to watch sunrise with an important person in my life. It didn't matter where we were. I decided that I was going to tell Dante my feelings for him. I was sure that Dante felt something for me too, although he never said anything, I knew there were times he stared at me when he thought I wasn't looking. I was smiling to myself when I walked with him, side by side.

Dante noticed my smile and teased, "Are you thinking of some jokes which you don't wish to share with me, or are you merely happy that the exams are over?"

I gave a mischievous grin and shook my head.

"What is it then?" Dante gave me a puzzled smile.

I shook my head at him again, still grinning.

Dante stopped in his tracks and regarded me intently. I turned back when I realized he was no longer beside me. Suddenly he started tickling me. I gave a startled screech and jumped away from him.

"Are you going to tell me or are you going to make me ask again?" Dante advanced on me, his eyes glittered dangerously with mischief.

I was astonished at this sudden change in Dante and realized not for the first time that he never failed to amaze me at the most unexpected moments.

Trying to remain dignified yet giggling at the same time, I decided to play along with him. I bit my lips and shook my head for the third time before I turned on my heels and raced for our destination. I turned to see if he followed me and almost tripped when I saw that he was gaining distance on me. I reached the roof before he pounced on me and we almost fell onto the ground. By then we were laughing hysterically.

I begged him to stop and tried to catch my breath at the same time. Dante was still smiling and caught me before I fell because I was laughing so hard.

"Come, let's sit here." He pulled me to a spot slightly higher and patted a seat next to him. I sat down before he caught my hand between his and looked at me intently.

"Brenda I want you to know that you are very special to me and I'm really thanking heaven that I met you."

I smiled slightly and clasped his hands between mine.

"I'm glad that I met you too. I haven't thank you for helping me through that difficult period with my father. By the way, I never got round to asking you this, how did you manage to get a room for me?"

"I bribed the hall-master."

I stared at him.

"I was kidding." Dante choked on his laughter at my incredulous look. "Actually I threatened him."

I was horrified and that earned another laughter from him. I poked him in the ribs and he groaned. I immediately apologized and realized he was jesting again. I folded my arms and frowned at him.

"I didn't do anything much really. It just happened that a girl had to move out of her room and they didn't know what to do with the hostel fees and all that. I came along and provided them with a solution."

I was rather skeptical about his explanation but he insisted that he had not resorted to any unorthodox methods to get a room for me.

"So how is your father and Cassandra now? When is their big day?"

"This coming September, near our convocation."

He nodded thoughtfully.

We were silent for a few minutes and I wondered whether Dante would return to the States after the convocation, or before. I asked him and he replied that he would make a trip back before the convocation and returned for the ceremony. When he didn't continue, I asked him about his future plans.

"I haven't decided whether I want to work here or back there, if that is what you are asking."

I was relieved and nodded happily. Dante looked at me with amusement and asked if I would miss him if he were gone. I stopped nodding my head and stared at him.

Now is the time, Brenda. I thought to myself. Tell him about your feelings.

"Dante, have you really liked someone very much?"

He looked rather surprised at the gravity of my voice. He pondered for awhile and nodded his head.

"You do know what I am talking about, don't you?"

He lifted an eyebrow and remained silent.

I had wondered why my girl friends were so exasperated with their boyfriends, or guys in general. They had often complained to me that guys never understood what they wanted to tell them. In fact, they never bothered. If they did, they were always reaching the wrong conclusions. I would laugh at them and dismissed their impatience as pettiness. Until now, I never really understood how my friends had felt then.

"Well, there was this guy that I am really fond of. But I don't know if he share my feelings."

To my surprise, Dante burst out laughing.

"What is so funny?"

"Who is the lucky guy, Brenda? Why haven't I heard you mention him before?"

"He is a very close friend of mine. We've shared some difficult times and I think we are both very special to each other."

"I'm jealous, Brenda. Who is this guy who is even closer to you than I am?" Dante's tone was serious yet teasing at the same time.

I was delighted at his reaction. Perhaps he liked me after all, I thought. I smiled shyly and started to tell him who it was when he interrupted me.

"Wait a minute, it can't be Joey, can it?" Dante looked appalled.

"What's wrong with Joey anyway? He's about the most handsome guy I've ever seen." I was defensive on Joey's behalf.

"No, I mean, he is ten years older than you are."

"That isn't a problem. But don't worry, it isn't him. Joey is only like a brother to me. Besides, he can't marry me. He's a priest, have you forgotten about that?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Dante was chastised.

"I've had the wildest crush on Joe since we met." I smiled dreamily and looked at Dante.

"I didn't want to marry anyone except him. Until he told me why he couldn't marry me. Then, I was so dejected that I didn't speak to anyone for days. Joe came to me and told me that sometimes having a brother is better than having a husband. He promised me that he would look after me forever if I didn't have a husband to look after me. Wasn't that sweet of him?" I laughed softly. Dante smiled.

"I hadn't wanted a boyfriend." I lifted my eyes and gazed into his. "Until now."

Dante stopped smiling and looked rather shocked.

He cleared his throat and tried to turn break the spell which seemed to have immobilized us. I held onto his arm and forced him to stay where he was.

"Dante." I started. I hesitated and tried to think of a less awkward way to handle this.

"Brenda, don't do this to us."

"Do what?"

"We had such a beautiful friendship, please don't ruin it."

Ruin it? I withdrew my hand from his arm as though it had suddenly become a piece of scalding stone.

"I am not ruining anything." I said. Dante was speaking in riddles and suddenly I had a foreboding feeling that I wasn't going to like what he was going to say.

"You will if you continue to push it."

"Push what? I'm not pushing you. I'm just saying that…" I stopped.

"I know what you are telling me. Just that..." Dante stopped too. He seemed incapable of explanation.

"You don't like me." I said dully.

"No, I like you a lot, that's why I don't our friendship to be destroyed."

"Is it because you had another girl in mind?" I wasn't listening to him anymore.

"No. I don't have a girlfriend."

"Then the problem must be me. What's wrong with me? Too fat? Too thin? Too ugly? My hair's too long? Too short?" I tried desperately to hold back the choking tears.

"No, there is nothing wrong with you. Please Brenda, can't we remain as friends?" Dante pleaded with me.

"Everybody thinks that we are a couple."

"But we know we are not. That's enough."

"No, it is not!" I shouted. "I really like you a lot, Dante, and I don't mean as a friend. I didn't want anyone because I haven't felt that special feeling with anyone. Until I met you. I felt that we were meant to be. I've noticed you long before we met." Dante looked startled at this piece of news.

"I think I fell in love with you at first sight." I continued softly. "Trust me, I've never felt so strongly with anyone before. I know you are the one for me and I'm sure you like me a lot more than a little."

I was close to wailing but I didn't care. I was so sure that Dante liked me too. I couldn't be so wrong, could I?

"Brenda, really. Let's just be friends, alright? What's wrong with the way we are now?"

He didn't seem to hear what I had just said. I decided to give it my last shot. I leaned into him and brought my face close to his. "I love you, Dante." I whispered and lifted my lips to his.

Dante jerked away and stood up. He ran his hand over his hair and was clearly agitated.

My head bent slightly and I closed my eyes and swallowed as tears of humiliation ran down my cheeks.

We were silent for awhile. When he spoke finally, I was barely listening.

"I didn't want to tell you this Brenda. I was hoping that you wouldn't have to know."

I didn't say anything. I couldn't. Dante sighed and turned to me.

"We had a beautiful friendship, Brenda. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. But we can never be anything more than friends."

"Why?" I whispered. "At least tell me why."

"Remember why I had been expelled and I had to come here?"

I finally looked at him. I nodded and wondered why his ex-girlfriend would be relevant to this discussion.

"There wasn't any pregnancy or abortion."

I looked at him blankly, not understanding what he was trying to say.

"In fact, there hadn't been any girl..." his voice drifted off.

"You never had any girlfriend? What is stopping you from having one now?"

Dante shook his head sadly. "You aren't listening, Brenda."

"Then why don't you just tell me straight? Why don't you like me?"

"I can't because it hadn't been a girl. It was a guy."