《Lie To Me》 Chapter 1: 01 Chapter 1: 01 In a year, everything could happen; changes will always ur. We couldn''t tell what is going to happen and we have no choice but go with the flow. Life is simply like that. Not everything you slept withst night have a guarantee to be with you the next morning you wake up. That''s the reality we have to ept; whether we like it or not, that''s the reality. "You''re so uptight, Jia. You should loosen up," Hansel said after handing me a cup of coffee. ck coffee, my favorite. "I have deadlines to attend to Hans." I simply answered, shaking my head. Hans is my best friend. He was the only person who picked me up when I was a total mess and broken into pieces. He helped me stand, while those people who call their selves my friends left me in the time where I needed them most. "You were always chasing on your deadlines, when we both know for a fact that there''s no deadlines to chase," he said on a matter of fact tone. I rolled my eyes. "You are always ahead of your deadlines; you can¡¯t fool me. You can''t reason that out to me anymore." He added. I sighed. "You know how demanding my work is, Hans. One mistake could lead me to aplicated situation, and you know how much I hated that," I reasoned still. I''m a marketing manager in a manufacturingpany and we manufacture different kinds of bags of different brands, it was a made to order from a foreign buyer. And from them, our products are going to market in different countries all over Asia, America and even Europe. So, I have to pay close attention to the production of each products, because one mistake, even small, could always lead us to dy of production. "Your work doesn''t demand anything more than as you already are, Jia. It was only you who always thinks that you need to prove anything to anyone when in fact, no one is questioning your validity¡­ reason why you always get hurt," he whispered hisst words but it clearly came to me. I stared at him; a bit disappointed to hear that from him. He was at again stepping out of his limits. He sighed upon seeing my expression. "What I am trying to say is, have a break, Jia. You should loosen up and go on a vacation," He said. "I don''t have time," I answered stubbornly. He shook his head. "Yes, you do have," he insists, taking out a vacation slip from my desk¡¯s drawer and filling it out with my name. ¡°Hans!¡± I called him, trying to snatch the slip. "I''m busy, Hans," I insist as well, still trying to stop him frompleting the form. "Stop being stubborn, Jianna. It was only you that thinks you are busy," he said. "Hansel, please¡­"I pleaded. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. But he took a deep breath. I know where this is going. "How long are you going to make your life miserable? You have been stuck at that phase, Jianna. It has been a year. Move on," He then blurted. I stood from my seat. "Enough, Hansel." I said,posing myself to stay calm; trying really hard not to explode. "You tell that to yourself," he breathed. "You don''t know anything," I said but he just smirked. "I''ll talk to Mikael. I''ll ask him for a vacation leave," he pulled off of his seat. He left my office and I saw him going straight to the office of our CEO from the ss door of my office. And with that, I was set on a vacation leave. And it was the middle of the week, just where the fuck I''ll go? Chapter 2: 02 Chapter 2: 02 "Where are you fucker?" I called Hans, trying really hard not to yell at him over the phone. It¡¯s already past nine in the morning and he has not showing up yet, which he never did before. "Office," he replied in a monotone. My brow automatically arched. "What?" I yelled. I can''t help but to. "Office, I said." He repeated. "I heard you fucker!" I shouted. "You set me up on this vacation while you, fucking asshole--," he cut me. "Wordings, Jia." He said. ¡°Watch what¡¯sing from your mouth, it doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± "The hell I care! If I only knew that I¡¯ll be alone in this vacation, I would have not let you filed it,¡± I fired back. This fucker set me to this vacation while, him? What a jerk? "You need that," he answered. "I know what I need. You didn''t have to decide for me!" "I wish you really do," he said. ¡°If you have nothing to go to, then might as well, go visit your family in the province.¡± He added. "I hate you!" All I could say. "Sure, you do," he answered. "Just call me if there''s a problem. Have fun," he said before hanging up. I was cursing him through my whole drive to Bataan. I have nothing to go to in the middle of the week so I just decided to juste home like he said. It was only a 3 hours'' drive to Bataan, and entering its boundary brought me of so many memories; bitter sweet memories. I had to travel another for three hours to my home town. Mariveles, our town, is thest town in eleven towns in Bataan. It was located at the tail of the province; it was abination of mountains and seashores. "Hello, Ma?" I picked up my phone. "Where are you, son?¡± Mama asked. Hans probably told her already. "I¡¯m still in Bnga Ma. Do you want me to buy you something?" "Pizza, Ate!" I heard my brother shouted at the background. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°Jericho!¡± I heard my mom called him, probably scolding him to asking that. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mama. It¡¯s along the way, it won¡¯t be hard for me to buy,¡± I insist. I also want to buy them something since I will go home unannounced. ¡°Oh, we are good with that, sweetie.¡± "Okay, how many boxes do you want?'''' "Buy two boxes, Ate!¡± my brother said. "Is that all?" I asked. I know my brother; he''ll grab every opportunity he gets. "That would be all, hija. Anyway, do you want me to cook your favorite?" Mama answered immediately, not giving my brother a chance to speak more. "You don¡¯t have to, Ma. I¡¯m good with anything, Ma." I said instead. "Okay, sweetie. Drive carefully, okay?" "Yes, Ma," with that I hung up the line. Fortunately, I have not yet left the Centro and I still have a Mall to pass so I do not have to make a U- turn back. I turned right at the entrance of the Mall and went straight to the parking lot. And by looking at this ce and remembering all the memories this ce brought, I know that I am in danger. My heart is in danger again. Chapter 3: 03 Chapter 3: 03 Going home is one of the most exciting things we could always feel. We always fascinate about being home after the longest time we had been away, but not for me. I don''t. And I don''t think I will ever be. I have been trying to even my breathing as I drove closer to my home town; my hands were cold and sweaty too. I¡¯m so tempted to turn my wheel back to Man and just stay on my apartment instead and I can¡¯t, not when my mom is expecting me to be home any minutes from now. "What the hell, Jianna! You''re just going home. Calm the shits," I told to myself. I inhaled and exhaled, but no avail. My heart beats faster the moment I entered the boundary to my town. "WELCOME TO MARIVELES" I said to myself; griping my cold hands tighter at the stirring wheel. "You are home," I murmured to myself again. But I couldn''t feel at home. I can¡¯t feel any excitement that now, I am finally home again. Instead, I somehow feel strange. "For you, what¡¯s more important; trust or love?" he asked all of a sudden. We were at our favorite street food eatery, waiting for our food to be served. "Trust," I answered simply, a small smile curves on my lips. "Why?" he asked again, looking intently at me, curious of my answer. "Simply because, how can you love someone if you don¡¯t have any trust on them. For me, for a rtionship to be stronger, you need to have a lot of trust in your rtionship and of course, to your partner." I exined. He just nod. ¡°How about you?¡± I then asked. ¡°I would choose love but then, you have a very good point about trust so, from now on, I would always choose trust,¡± he said. Iughed on his answer and pped his arm a bit. ¡°Have some originality, stop imitating my choices,¡± I N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. said. He caught my hand and intertwined his to it. ¡°Nah. I¡¯m not imitating you. I¡¯m just enlighten. You are right on choosing trust. And you are also right on saying that in order for a rtionship to stay longer and stronger, both must always truthful and trust must always be valued,¡± he exined. I can¡¯t help but smile widely on what he said. ¡°We must always value trust and we must always be truthful to each other,¡± I said and lean my head on his shoulder. ¡°I will trust you in everything and I will always be truthful,¡± I added as I watched our intertwined hands. I felt him kissing the top of my head. ¡°I will always be as well. I promise that I will be worthy of your trust, love and attention,¡± he said. ¡°I will value you above everything,¡± he added. That time, I feel nothing but happiness and love. I felt like I was in cloud nine and noplications will Everything was bullshit. His words were the biggest bullshit I have heard. I shook my head I yed my stereo loudly, enough to distract me from unsolicited thoughts as I continue my way driving home. There¡¯s no use on reminiscing old memories that doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Chapter 4: 04 Chapter 4: 04 After almost an hour of driving, I was already home. My younger brother immediately went to me and took the two boxes of pizza he asked me to buy and then, after that, he went inside with our pet dog Athena. I just shook my head at its gesture. "Come inside, sweetie. The food is already served," mama invited excitedly. I smiled and nodded, following her inside. I was weed with the familiar vibe inside, but it alienated me somehow. I can''t distinguish what was exactly I am feeling, but having the feeling of familiarity in my system sends chill on my back. "You''re beautiful here, baby." He said as he stares at my college¡¯s graduation picture. It was hanging on top of our TV, next to my brother¡¯s graduation picture and my parents¡¯ wedding picture as well. "Uh, you have this long hair before, how long was it?" he asked curiously, looking back and front to my picture and me. "Up to here," I answered, pointing my waist. "That¡¯s too long. Why did you had it cut, though?" "Because I am moving on; I''m moving on from those hurting me," I answered. "Hurting you?" He asked innocently. ¡°Am I one of those?¡± he added. I chuckled. "Silly,¡± I answered, pinching his right cheek. I can''t help but smirked on remembering that. Another bullshit to remember. I sighed as I touched the tip of my hair, its length was on my waist again. If I had to cut my hair every time that person hurt me, there would probably no hair left on my head. The list of all the pains he has caused to me were even longer than the strands of my hair right now. "Why did you go home, Ate? It''s not a holiday today,¡± my brother asked. ¡°Let me guess, you lost your job again?" he added while chewing on the pizza slice. "Jericho! Talk to your sister nicely," Mama intervene immediately. I just smiled. "I''m on leave," I answered. "You, why are you sleeping here at home? Don¡¯t you have a ss today?" I also asked then. I saw him exchanging gazes with my mom. I squinted my eyes. "I am hoping that you are studying really hard now, Jericho. Your tuition fee isn''t a joke, just so you know," I added. I am in-charge of his studies while our older brother, an Engineer and our overseas working father shared the payment for thend and house that we still pay every month. "It¡¯s our school festival, we can skip attending,¡± He defended. I nodded. "Oh. That''s why there were so many students scattered in the Mall earlier." He is studying at the State University, he wished to study in Man since I am also there but we all disagreed. His tuition here in the province is already a pain in the pocket, what if he still studies in Man. It would be nice if he passed as a schr, but his academic standing is still far from the truth. "By the way, sweetie. How are your work there? Are you not having a hard time with your work?" Mama butted in. "It''s fine, you have nothing to worry. I''m used to my job so my daily work is no longer a difficulty for me," I answered. I have been in the job for a year now and the tons of work load doesn''t stress me anymore. "How about your co-workers? Were they nice to you?" N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Yes, Ma. They treated me well even before I got promoted as their manager." "That''s good. I''m worried that you might just put up with it again; that you¡¯re keeping things again from me. I don¡¯t want to see having a hard time just because you think you have responsibility to our family," She dramatically said. "Ma, my station from before is way different now. I am treated well now and you don¡¯t have to worry because I will not allow anyone to step on me,¡± I answered. The Jianna before is already dead, she''s no longer me now. The old Jianna Astrid that people encounter now is the braver and fiercer version of me. The Jianna who won''t let anyone step on her. "It''s good then. I can''t help but wonder how you always are." "You don''t have to worry about me, Ma. I¡¯m a different person now. I''m going to fight them this time," I said. I will fight and I will not step on anyone. Chapter 5: 05 Chapter 5: 05 After finishing my meal, I went straight to my room. I just locked myself inside and didn¡¯t came out the whole afternoon. I just pretended to be tired and wanted to rest so they wouldn''t bother me anymore. Lying on my bed, I stared nkly at my ceiling. I don''t know why I''m in this ce again. Even though I don''t want to go home, there is a force pulling my leg to go home. I have sworn of noting back to this ce even though I was born and raised here. I feel like I¡¯m not safe in this ce, but seeing myself in this same ce again overwhelmed my insides. The next morning, I pushed myself to have a walk. I walked around our subdivision for almost an hour and when the sun got irritating on my skin, I decided to go back home. Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. It''s Thursday and I don''t have any ns of going out. If I hadn¡¯t just gotten used to running every morning I wouldn¡¯t havee out. As much as possible I don¡¯t want anyone to know I¡¯m home. I would be especially irritated if someone were to tease me, more than the irritation I get from my younger brother. "Don''t you have any ns to go out? I''m being examined by the way you look like you''ve been lying here on the sofa all day and your cellphone is full," I said to my brother. "I have nothing to do outside," he replied. "And then if you don''t want to see me, you''re in your room. I''m quiet here." it''s still howling. I just ignored it and went straight to the kitchen. I caught up with Mom there. "Aren''t you nning to take a walk outside?" Question it immediately. I shook. "I''m toozy to go out." "What a waste of your vacation if you don''t go out. Can you visit your friends?" Mama suggested. "They''re busy, Ma." "Edi on the week. How long will you leave?" "Two weeks please." "It''s also a long time, just text them so you can prepare when you''ll meet." "Later." My answer. I said goodbye here going up to my room. I''m wondering whose friend I¡¯m going to contact. My contacts only contain a few names and most of them are my co -workers in Man. And your friends say mama has long had no connection with me. "Reysa." the only friend I think I can go to or invite toe over. It''s just that I''m not sure if her number is still active. It''s been a year since thest time I contacted her on this number and after that it hasn''t happened again. I tried calling it but yourwork operator he was using was answering. I stared at my phone when a memory shed back. "Hello, Ja. Did you get a call?" She answered after my third try. "Sa ..." I called between my sobs. "Hey, what happened? Why are you crying?" "He did it again, he did it again." I confessed. "My God." She muttered. "Where are you, I''m going with you." "No. II am fine. ''I''m here at home, don''t go." "Fuck! What''s wrong with that Russell and he''s always treating you like that. It''s milk! My God, Jianna. Leave that alone, I hope you''lle to your senses. You don''t deserve everything anymore. of the foolishness he does to you. " She said. My crying got louder because I knew he was right and he didn¡¯t just once tell me about waking up to the truth but I didn¡¯t listen. I didn''t listen to him and I still chose what my heart wanted. "I should have listened to you." I uttered. I left my phone and turned on myptop. I will only message him on Facebook. I logged in on my ount that had been inactive for over a year now. When I decided to shut everyone in my life, all the means that could connect me to them were also included. All my social media ounts have been deleted except for my Facebook. Why, I also don¡¯t know. I immediately clicked the search bar and typed Reysa''s full name. I didn''t waste any more searching for his name in my inbox because it was definitely covered up. To see that I have a better message is boring to my eyes. "I''m home. Are you busy?" I typed after reaching her name. She''s online about two hours ago and it''s just past nine in the morning, she''s probably at work so maybe this afternoon or afternoon she can read my message. Chapter 6: 06 Chapter 6: 06 I got tempted on the numbers of my notification so I scrolled through it but decided to close it seeing it was all irrelevant and nonsense. I was about to log out when that name caught my attention. It was posted ''just now''. Russell Perez You''re back, finally. He posted. Then, my notification beeped. It was from him, a ''like'' notification from the photo tagged to me. It was posted by my brother, minutes ago. I opened it. "Holy shit!" I blurted. It was me sitting on our kitchen stool while talking to mama. Mama was also there but it was only her back that was caught in the picture. Jericho Romero She''s back! My brother captioned it with scared emojis. Then, not a minuteter, my inbox beeped. The chat box appeared with his name. "Jia ..." he messaged me. Heat ran through my whole system and before I could even think of anything, I closed myptop and stared at it. I sighed. Things started to run in my head as I tried to even my breathing. How far is the limit of love? Is there a measure of how much you can love someone? My hands were shaking and my breathing was not even. I constantly took deep breaths to line it up but I was frustrated. The strength of my heartbeat did not help either. I''m being teased. How dare he! He really is shameless to message me after what he did to me? He had the courage to call my name as if he were not the cause of the difficulties I was going through. I took a deep breath again. I went out of my room and headed down to our living room. My sister was lying on our sofa nicely when I reached there. I went straight to her. "What''s up?" He asked as soon as I approached, alert of what I might do. "Delete your post." I ordered, I even hit him with our throw pillow which he immediately supported but still hit him on his head. "Ouch! That hurts!" Heins, he even stood up to stop me. I got angry even more. "I said, delete your post on Facebook!" I''m screaming. He was taller than me but, in my state, right now, everything won''t matter. To say I¡¯m disgusted is I was stunned. My whole body was shaking, for which, I don¡¯t even know. I do not understand. I''m just angry and I want you out. "What are you talking about?¡± he asked, he even shouted when I hit him again, I made sure hit him in the head. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. "My picture!" I shouted. I pped him one after another, which he was constantly trying to catch. "Wait a minute!" He shouted again. I stopped and let him go. He stared at me before picking up his cellphone and dabbling in it. His forehead was still furrowed while doing something. "There it is, I deleted it." It growls. He even showed his cellphone. I breathed then just stared at it before turning away; go straight to the kitchen to get some water. Chapter 7: 07 Chapter 7: 07 "Tss." I heard my brother say but I ignored it. I drank a ss of water. I try to hold my breath. I was just shaken by my own reaction. Come on, Jianna Astrid! What''s your problem? It''s just chat, what art is that? I scolded myself. It was just like that; a chat and my heart were pounding again. My God, you''re still a fool Jianna Astrid! I was still calming my system until I returned to the room. Again, I stared at myptop. Memories are shing back but before it went deeper, I forced myself to stop reminiscing bad memories. I sighed. Deeper. This can''t be. I can''t break up again just because of a chat and he can''t just talk to me as if nothing happened. I picked up myptop again and opened it. I logged in again on my Facebook ount and searched for his name: Russell Perez. I immediately pressed his name as soon as it appeared and without two minds pressed the block button. I won''t let him reach me again, especially since this is still my reaction. He will ruin me, and I will never let that happen again. You are better now, Jia. He can''t hurt you again, not anymore. My next days were like a blur. I spent it like the first day, I didn''t go out and just locked myself in my room. And even though Mama told me to go out a few times, I didn''t listen, I just said that I would go out next week like Reysa and I talked about. After I blocked him, I immediately sent a message to Reysa to just contact me with my cellphone number. I don''t want to risk spending my time on Facebook especially since he can find a way to contact me again, I am friends with his family after all. And today is Sunday. We talked about meeting in the afternoon and we''ll just meet at the resto-grill we used to go to today. "I''m leaving, Ma!" Goodbye. I immediately got in my car and drove it away. It took me thirty minutes to get to town, so Reysa was already there when I arrived. He waved at me as soon as I got out of the car. "Yes!" she answered as he approached me. She even hugged me. Iughed. I''m happy to see her. Of all my friends back then, only Hanz and I stayed and I am really grateful for having them. "I miss you!" She said excitedly. "I miss you, too." I answered. "How are you?" I asked, excited to hear her stories. We settled down and started looking at the resto-grill menu. "I''m fine, everything¡¯s on my control,¡± she answered. "How about you, how are you?" She also asked. "I''m great. It''s okay at work, but I still have to work hard. I don''t want Hans to embarrass his friend because I failed at work." I answered. I waved for the waiter to get our order. And since Reysa is with me, I know it¡¯s not just a simple dinner out that¡¯s going to happen today. We ordered their best seller, then said to serve our order a bucket of light beer and some finger foods after eating. We were catching up while eating, mostly about work. I learned that she took over my position in the It''s not a big deal to me, maybe the management thought that Reysa was the closest to me in the wholepany and she saw how I did the job so she took my ce. "You and Hanz, is there still no progress?" She asked. Iughed. Ever since, he fantasized that Hanz and I would actually be, which will stay as a fantasy. "You know we''re tonic," I replied. Hanz already has his heart for someone else, who, I don¡¯t know. He doesn''t say. "Don''t you two really have a chance?" This question is still puzzling. She''s a bit tipsy even though she only has two bottles of light beer. I shook my head slowly. "Never." I answered. Wrecking her fantasy even more. "But you thing!" She protests. "If there''s someone I would want for you to end up with, it''s Hanz. I know he will never hurt you." Ani n''ya pa. I just nodded. "He will never hurt me because I am his friend, Sa. As long as we are really just friends, don''t insist." I said. Some more insistence he said I justughed. Reysa''s a hopeless romantic, sadly, she was fantasizing a wrong tandem. I was having fun with the drunk Reysa but a voice stunned me. He called my name, again. And this is my heart again, it''s disappearing again. I look at Reysa, she was stunned for a second too before her eyebrows met while looking badly behind me. "Are you doing it here?" She asked. It still stood. "I just want to talk to him." Answer it. It even held on to the back of my seat. I stiffened. I was gripped in my chest by the force of its pulse. My heart lost more and more when our skin came in contact. My hairs stood on end as well. I can''t breathe anymore. But before they could speak more, I forced myself to stand and walk away. I run down the second floor and into my car. I heard them calling my name but I never looked at them. I drove away and didn''t look back. I was cursing myself for reacting like that. Even my eyes are betraying me as well. I was crying really hard that I had to pull over, because otherwise I might have an ident if I tried to drive up the Zigzag. "Bullshit, Jia! Why are you still so stupid when ites to her." I cried more. Chapter 8: 08 Chapter 8: 08 "Here." Hans handed me a ss of water. I epted that but did not drink. I just put it on my thigh and slid down my fingers on the body of the ss. I was dumbfounded while doing that. I was shocked by what happenedst night. I was just on the side of the road for an hour and crying. Releasing all the frustration inside me. Reysa called me but I was not able to answer. I just cried and cried until I could drive again. I drove straight to Man. I didn''t even go through the house to say goodbye and pick up my belongings, I just texted Mama that I had returned to Man because there was an emergency at work. And now, I am here at Hans¡¯ pad, still shock from what happened earlier. I immediately went straight to cry andin. As well as ming him for forcing me to leave work. "Are you okay?" He asked. I shook. I also can''t lie that I''m okay with the state I look like now. I''m a mess. My eyes are fluffy and my voice is also crack from crying. With that, he knew right away that I wasn''t N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. okay. I sighed. "We met," I said instead. A tear rolled down on my cheeks. I can''t seem to get my eyes tired of crying. I thought I was done with this situation, not yet. Fuck! Just one Jia made my heart disappear immediately. Just one approach to me makes my brain stop working immediately; my whole system was immediately in turmoil even though it was his voice and I hadn''t seen his face yet. "What happened?" He asked. Concern is evident in his voice. "I was with Reysa at Resto Grillst night; we were catching up and then suddenly he came. He said he wanted to talk to me, Reysa didn''t agree so they lost. But before it got worse, I left. I ran away. " I said. Reminiscing my bad dispositionst night makes me cry even more. I can''t understand myself why I still react like this. That after more than a year that person still has the same effect on me. "And?" I shook my head. "I drove here after I cried on the side of the road." That was not the first encounter I imagined. I visualized myself to be strong when that timees, I want him to see that I am no longer the weak woman he yed with just a year ago. I want him to see how what he has done has affected me. I wanted him to see how I stood from that fall. Not yours likest night. I just want to bury myself underground, because until now I still have the gaga to make that person cry like this. "I''m sorry. I should have believed you when you said you are not ready to be home yet. Sorry, Ja, if I forced you to do what you don''t want." He said, embracing me. Chapter 9: 09 Chapter 9: 09 Hans has been a nice friend to me. Ever since, he has been a goodpanion, I can''t say anything bad about him taking care of me and loving me as a friend. I¡¯m still thankful because I have a Hansel Del Simo. "Because you''re stupid. You''re weird." I said which he justughed at. The idiot really. I didn''t even know what to do, I was still beingughed at. My whole day was spent at Hans¡¯ pad. And because he was so guilty of what happened to me, he just didn''t go to work to apany me. We didn''t do anything but watch some series on Netflix. He took care of me all day even when I didn''t have to. "What did you feel?" He suddenly asked. We were done eating our dinner and we started watching the new series again. "Huh?" I turned to face him; I was clueless. I was lying on his long couch while he was on the single sitter. "When you saw him. How did you feel?" He rifies. I was immediately stunned. "I felt ... hurt." I admitted. I can''t hide anything from him. "I was hurt before but I am hurting more now, knowing he still has this effect on me." I said honestly. "You know that, after all the pain, the nights I cried, all the anxiety, he still has this same effect on me. It''s just so painful that after all my suffering, he just called me "My name is, my heart will be beating fast. He''s just a little closer, even though I haven''t seen what he looks like yet, even if it''s just his presence, my whole system is in turmoil right away." I breathed then smirked. "It seems like it''s just silly of myself, I''m being betrayed. I''m being fooled too." I added, I barely even I looked at him as I sighed. He was staring at me nkly. I tilted my head, trying to figure him out. Hans, sometimes, has this moment. When you say something to him that is too serious then he will just look at you. I called it, alien mode. I rolled my eyes. If you don''t know him, you can misinterpret his behavior. Hans is not a good speaker, but he could always lend his ear to anyone who needed it. I just think sometimes. Why don''t we just do it? As Reysa said, why can''t I just love her and love me too. But that thought often leads to disgust. "Hans, why don''t we try each other?" I asked, voicing out my thoughts suddenly. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for the longest time and we are verypatible.¡± I added. Iughed. Sometimes I''ll think, if he''s gay. But then, I knew better. He''s straight, he''s just waiting for something. And we? We are tonic. And up to that point, it''s disgusting to go beyond that It was his turn to roll his eyes. ¡°Stop thinking nonsense, Jianna. Better think on how you¡¯ll make yourself stable if ever you meet him again,¡± he said. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°That would be really hard,¡± I said. "Do you still love him?" He asked after a while. I shrugged my shoulders. "I don''t know." I answered truthfully. After that, none of us speak furthermore. We were both quite watching but sometimes speak when we givements on why North Koreans can''t fall in love with South Koreans. That''s sad and ... tragic. Well, I wish I could have my own Captain Ri. Chapter 10: 10 Chapter 10: 10 My days passed like a blur. I also just locked myself in my apartment for a whole week and if Hans hadn''t bothered me, I wouldn''t have been able to go out. All week I reflected on what had happened in the past few days, and to this day I still cannot ept that my actions were just like that. And every time I do that, I only prove more and more stupid for that person. But is it my fault? I have been questioning myself about it and this is the worst part of it. That every time I punish myself for my actions I always end up with another question; that if it''s my fault, I''m still acting like that even yearster? Is it wrong for me to be like that because until now I am not ready? I''m not ready yet because I''m still hurting. I sighed. I never thought I would end up with this thinking, with this situation. If I only knew. "What do you and Russell have?" Reysa asked. Startled, I turned to her. This woman,e to me just for that question. It was still work time and many papers are waiting on my desk for today. "Friends." I answered. "Friends my ass. You''re always together then just friends? Who are you kidding?" She said. "We''re just friends." I repeated. I stopped looking at him and resumed the work. Maybeter someone will see us and we will both be sent disciplinary action because we chatted during work hours. "No friends will pick you up at your house and are willing to wait four hours for your shift to end every day." She said. "You two are more than friends, admit it when you''re bored!" She insisted more. I shook my head andughed at his conclusion "Girl, we are just friends, but he admitted that he likes me. But we''re really just friends right now." I admitted. Her palm immediately flew to my arm. It hurts. "You''re so flirty! Is he courting you already?" She asked. I shook my head. "No. I mean, he hasn¡¯t asked me about it yet so I guess, he¡¯s still not." I said That\s the truth. He didn''t flirt with me because he didn''t say so. He just admitted that he liked me and that was it. "What kind is that? Just admit it and then it''s gone? It''s just like that?" He asked more. "Yes, that''s right. So, go back to your ce before the D.A sends us here." I''m away from her. I still "I do not believe." She said. "I know you don''t assume but you''re not dense either, I know you already know what''s next, Ja. I just hope you''re flirting right." He struggled before getting up and returning to his seat. I justughed back at him while he was still staring from his seat. If I only knew that this was the oue, I would have avoided it from the beginning. Chapter 11: 11 Chapter 11: 11 I sighed. Reysa had given me chances to think about it thoroughly, but I didn¡¯t listen. Am I prioritizing what I feel and ignoring what my brain is saying ¡ª or is even my brain deaf and blind to all of this? I do not know. Maybe I was really a fool in love to ignore all the reminders of my friends, so now this is me, there is nothing to do but ept all their criticism. "You got Renz waiting for you until you are ready to give him a chance. Glen also has feelings for you, but he won''t pursue you now because he respects what you and Russell have. Ja, you have three options-well, I don''t want you to think that these guys that are head over heels to you are options but you see, you got them. It is your decision whom you will choose, just be sure about the decision you will make." She reminded me. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. But I chose the wrong one. I chose that person who repeatedly ignored me rather than that person I was willing to wait for just to give me a chance. I chose the person who just wasted all the opportunities I gave him over the person who valued and respected my every decision. And why whenever we are given the opportunity to think and choose for ourselves, you are always wrong about what we want to get. Why even with face-to-face evidence that we should not choose that thing, we are still tempted and that is still the choice. Even if it is wrong, even if we know it will be wrong but we are still feeding on temptation. I sighed. But no matter how many times I regret my decisions, nothing will happen, it''s over, this is the result. It¡¯s okay to maybe punish all the pain I feel from not listening and from being stubborn. I was wrong, but then, I learned. That''s enough. Yes, it was just right for me. Today, I decided to go out. I thought of hanging out today to rx before I go back to work the next day. I went straight to my favorite coffee shop and ordered my favorite coffee and a slice of chocte cake. I¡¯m not fond of sweets but with the stress I¡¯ve gotten over the past week, I now need even a small percentage of sugar in my body. But I don''t know what my sin is, if I havemitted a great sin in my past life to punish me like this. That when I think I''m okay, that I can face the person again without crying, that I can admit that I made a mistake before but will not do it again and then I will try. Why every time I can convince myself that it''s okay, okay and move on I always convince myself that I can''t. "mother... fucker." I uttered to myself Russell-fucking-Perez is in front of me. Just an empty table apart and there he is, sitting and looking at me with that passive expression. Fucking shit. I quickly gathered my things and ran inside the coffee shop. I''ll take care of the coffee I ordered; he''ll just take it if he wants. After all, that''s also his favorite coffee. Chapter 12: 12 Chapter 12: 12 The word run won¡¯t be enough to describe what I did earlier in the coffee shop, because I literally ran out of the shop. Shame almost engulfed me because I caught the attention of everyone inside the shop earlier, even those outside and in and out and looked on as well. The shop crew also chased me for my order but I ignored that. I just ran straight to the parking lot and got into my car. I was still panting but I didn''t take long and immediately started my car''s engine. I maneuvered it and drove away, fast as I could. "Fuck! What are you doing here?" I asked myself hysterically. I immediately snatched my cell phone from my bag and dialed Reysa''s number. Three rings before she answered. "You better make sure this call is important or else, Jiana. I''m in the middle of something!" She answered. "Reysa!" All I could say. And maybe she sensed the tension on my voice. I heard the crack of his every step and the closing of the door. It¡¯s Sunday and I don¡¯t know what important thing he¡¯s doing. "Why? Did something happen?" She asked. "God! He is here!" I said. I''m still letting go of some cheap ones. "Watch your mouth, Jianna! Who are you taking abou¡ªHoly God! He''s there?" She shouted now, realizing whom I meant. I couldn''t answer and it''s still very cheap. My hand was shaking so I parked my car on the side of the road first. "That stupid. That''s why he resigned from the Power nt." She said. My eyes widen. "Resigned?" I asked. Why? "Yes, Kyle said,¡± she confirms it. I was then stunned. That was his dream. You can work on one of the biggest power ns in Bataan, that''s his dream. He has long wanted to get in there. I see how he worked really hard for his position, I helped him. So why? "Why?" Before I could be stopped, I asked. "I don¡¯t know. Kyle didn''t say anything and I''m not interested either." She answered. I took a deep sigh. I don''t have to ask either. I don''t have to care about that decision anymore. But it''s just upsetting that he''ll just let go of that thing that we worked so hard for before just to get it. "Maybe to follow you?" She said suddenly. My eyes widen again. "Stop the bullshit," I blurted, sheughed. "Ja, seriously, whatever your shameless ex took away, you''re not there unless you''re the one who meant it. But as long as there''s no confirmation that you are, just calm down. Give yourself a break. Or better yet, get used to it. Train yourself to see him because the world is too small for you not to meet again. Train yourself to be able to move on,¡± she added. I sighed. "I''ll try," I said. I heard her sigh too. "Don''t just try, do it. It''s for yourself too. Have pity on your mental and emotional health, you''re stressing N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. yourself too much." she added. After that we hang up. Chapter 13: 13 Chapter 13: 13 I continued to drive after recovering, though my emotion isn¡¯t stable yet. I just really have to be away so this time going to Hans¡¯ pad. I will tell him what happened and what Reysa said, if he has the same suggestion, which is the same for sure, I''ll do it. How many times have I proven that they won¡¯t put me in a bad situation? And I think it''s time for me to listen to what they say, after all, this is all for myself. "She''s right." Hans agreed to what Reysa told me. I told her what we had talked about. "But how?" I asked. "You will know it yourself, Ja. Mind over matter." He said. I sucked. Mind over matter? That''s not applicable to me, because I just know that he''s there and my whole system is in turmoil right away. I could no longer think correctly. So how? "I can''t think straight when he''s there." Amin ko. "You don''t have to. You don''t have to think about what, you just control yourself not to run or leave when he''s there, that''s okay. First step. Learn to stand up first. somewhere he''s already there. At least that''s all. " He said. "Okay. I will do that." I agreed. Hans smiled. "You can still run if you can''t. Just try, if not, just stay away. The important thing is you tried." He added. I stared at him. Gosh! I''m so lucky to have him, they''re both Reysa. These people who are never tired and tired talk to me even though I am very stubborn. And I''m repeatedly reminded that I''m stupid, but I''m not at fault because I just love. "You want Samgyupsal?" I asked him. "I''ll treat you." I added more. His eyes immediately twinkled and he nodded. Iughed as I stood up and walked out of his pad. He followed me. Gosh. Hansel and his always hungry stomach. "You''re back?" Mikael said. I took it in the elevator up to the office. "You do not want?" I asked instead. I was smirking. It shrugged. "How was your vacation, anyway?" he asked instead too. Mikael and I weren''t as close as Hans and I. Maybe if we measure our friendship, it won''t exceed fifty percent. Hans and I are really the only friends and I''m just hanging out, but even so, it''s also kind to N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. me. It''s just rude sometimes. It was now my turn to shrug my shoulders. "Boring." I answered. I was able to stay in my apartment for more than two weeks and only Hansel¡¯s pad went. I only went out twice and the oue was not good. "I thought you went home to Bataan?" He asked more. I nodded. "I also came back after three days." I answered. He just nodded and didn''t ask any more questions. He distracted himself with his cellphone and called someone. Until we got to the right floor and got inside the office we didn¡¯t talk anymore. Chapter 14: 14 Chapter 14: 14 Making myself busy through tons of paper works really well. Three days since I returned to work, I have had no first concern but to spend my whole morning at work. It was tiring but helpful. I got my mind really upied that I almost forgot what bothers me the past few weeks. It''s really just when I go home, because no matter how much I exhaust myself at work, when the timees when I don''t do anything and I''m alone, that''s where my mind flies towards that person. It''s exhausting. You keep looking back only to feel sorry for yourself in the end. It''s been a year and up until now, I am still questioning myself what Icked, what went wrong, or is there something I failed to do. I know I did everything beyond what I had believed was my limitation. That person, I loved him in a way I never thought I could do. I took a risk thinking he would be worth all that trouble. I had surpassed my expectation for myself because I wanted to love him with all the things I had. But still, those are not enough. I was still not enough. That''s the question I kept on asking myself. What am I missing? Where am I missing? Why? I pity myself for still seeking justification for that. I shrugged that thought as I noticed what time it was already. It''s Eight o''clock in the evening and we''re barely in the office. I''m the only one in our department and the others are Hans¡¯ team. They are still finalizing their presentation for tomorrow so they will definitely do more in the evening. So, I decided to order boxes of pizza and gave it to them as I bid goodbye. They are also close to me and giving them a little more encouragement is a small thing. Hans often do the same when it was my team who will be having a presentation. "Take care. Call me as soon as you get home." He reminded me. It even opened my car door and even helped me sit up. I nodded in response. "Go home right away, okay? Don''t get too tired so you still have energy tomorrow for the presentation." I ordered. He just nodded and then bent down to kiss my forehead. "All right. Go ahead," He said. I smiled and said goodbye to him. I drove as fast as I could but safely. I really want to go home and rest. I feel like if I stay awake, especially tonight, that''s where my brain will take me again. It¡¯s like I have a time machine in my brain and I¡¯m always carried away by the past. It was already nine o''clock when I arrived home. My eyes were falling and I almost fell asleep in the elevator up to my unit. My eyes were almost closed when I reached the right floor of my unit. I only Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. realized that I was about to drown because of being a sibling. ¡°Oh, shit!¡± I blurted out. I rolled my eyes across the hallway. First, to see if anyone saw me almost on all fours and second, what stumbled on the asking. There were boxes outside the door next to mine. Maybe there¡¯s a new move there. I also had no neighbor in that unit for almost a few months. I slowly skipped that box that tripped me, trying not to make a noise. The owner mighte out and think I''m doing something wrong with their stuff.. "Why are they moving at this hour." I muttered when I entered my unit. Chapter 15: 15 Chapter 15: 15 I didn''t even bother to turn on the light in my living room and go straight to my room. I immediately dialed Hans¡¯ number for instructions to call him when I got home. "I''m home." I said. "You?" I also asked. "We''ll be off by ten, we will just finish yourst detail." He answered. I nodded to myself. "All right. Finish it right away so you don''t have to spend the night. Text me when you get home." I said. "Okay. Good night, Ja." He did. "Good night. Be carefuling home, okay?" "Okay." He answered then we hung up. I changed and cleaned my body and then went out again to make something to eat in the kitchen. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. I''m toozy to cook so I just ate oatmeal, then went back to my room to rest. My days were repeatedly like that. Wake up in the morning to go to work and go home at night to sleep. I don''t know when my routine started to be like this, or have I really been like this since I moved here to Man and I just don''t notice it because I''m busy forgetting? I do not know. I was about the dozed off when a loud bang startled me. I almost jumped on the bed as my chest heaved. My heart was beating fast and I felt like I was going to run out of breath "What''s that?'' I asked myself. My heart was still beating fast. "Is that from here?" I asked again. Simultaneously close the ear to the wall that separates my unit and the neighbor''s unit. The division is not as thick as the others. It used to be a big unit to me and on the other hand, it was just separated when your former owner left and separated. But I didn''t hear any noise, only small crackles until it waspletely silent. I just left the room and peeked out my door. It was clean and the scattered boxes were gone. Maybe with what you fell across earlier. I shrugged it off. I went back inside and ignored that. Luckily, I was able to sleep immediately. Maybe it''s been tired and awake for a few days. My next days were all the same, work-house, work and home only. I was like that for almost a week until my body couldn''t really handle it. It took a toll on my health. I got sick. I also had a fever for three days and the sermon I got from Hanz was too much. He wants me to take a sick leave but I refused to. I''ll just go back to work and then leave again? Maybe Mikael will kick me out of hispany. So even though my whole-body hurts, I still go in, I just stare at the house. Edi I''m just here in the office, I''ve been productive. But I feel like I''m going to copse now. You are tired and sleepy that I have been trying to cope with these past few days, I can''t stand it anymore. I''m going to faint! I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to re-react. As far as I know, in front of me now is Arianne, the HR coordinator of thepany and with someone even though she hasn''t introduced herself yet, I already know her very well. "Good morning, Ms. Astrid. I just brought the programmer you re-requested. He''s Russel Perez." He said as he handed me his resume. Holy shit! Is it okay to hurt a HR coordinator? Chapter 16: 16 Chapter 16: 16 "You can''t avoid her, can you?" I asked, my whole body is shaking. I don¡¯t know if it was because of anger or what. But all I know is, I am disappointed and hurt. Again. He has proven to me that he does not deserve all the chances and trust I keep on giving to him. That thing that I repeatedlypose and give to her that she also repeatedly destroys and ignores. How many more times has it been? Third? Or Fourth? No, five more. He proved to me five times that he could not change, that until now, that woman was still ahead of me. That it is more important to say and think then than to think and say. What he feels is still more important than how I feel. But why? Why after all I have given and done, I¡¯m stillcking? I¡¯m still not enough. What else I have to do? What else I¡¯m missing? "Love," All that he said. He came closer to me, he wanted to hold my hand but I avoided him. I don''t know if I can still get him toe to me. Every time I think about those pictures I saw, how he would hold that woman and he would hold me I hate it. I resent myself because I feel like I''m sharing with someone I can''t own. I wanted to hurt him but I couldn''t get close to him. I don''t want to touch her especially since I already know that someone else is already holding her. I was fooled once again. "What? Answer me!" I shouted; I can''t control my emotion anymore. "I''m sorry. Sorry, Love." He answered. Why is it always like this? They will hurt us, and then when they are asked what their reason is, they will always answer "sorry". Just sorry. It¡¯s exhausting. "You¡¯re always like this, I''m so tired,¡± I breathed. ¡°I can¡¯t do this anymore. We better off without each other, we better stop this." I dered. I exhaled. What else is all this for? Why do I even try to fight this situation when in the first ce I am the loser? Five times. But even one of them did not prove that he could change. That of those five times, at least once he would choose me. Yes, it''s up to me. You introduced me to his family and friends. I''m the one who knows all about his ''girlfriend''. But I''m not the one he''s ready to tax everyone just to be with. Not me. I fixed myself and gathered my things. I''m leaving. "Honey, please. I''m sorry. It won''t happen again, that''s thest one." He pleaded. I shook my head. How many times have I heard that? Over and over again but it still happens, his deception just keeps "I¡¯m tired loving you, Russel. I don''t know what your reason is for hurting me like this over and over again. I''ve given you a lot of chances to prove yourself, but here you are, repeatedly proving to me that I made a mistake again. " I said calmly and emotionlessly. "Sorry. I''m really sorry." He was crying but that won''t make any changes. I have decided and that was choosing ''me'' this time. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. "I am sorry too, but this ends here. We are over." I said, leaving him permanently. I have loved him the way I never thought I could. And that''s wrong; I made him my everything when he can''t even make me his priority even just for once. I know this will hurt me big time, but I also know that eventually, no matter how long it will take, I will be able to move on. No matter how long, no matter how hard, I know I will be fine. I will heal. I know I can. Chapter 17: 17 Chapter 17: 17 I was back on reverence when Arianne spoke. It smiled at me as it said goodbye. "You take care of him, Ms." Herst words before leaving me with him. Him. The one I keep running to is already here in front of me. Seriously looking at me. I roomed my sight around. I checked the aircon to see if it was on because I felt too hot all of a sudden. And even though there was no window in my office I still searched. I feel suffocated. And I was about to stand on my chair but Reysa''s words echoed on my head. "Ja, seriously, whatever your shameless ex took away, you''re not there unless you''re the one who meant it. But as long as there''s no confirmation that you are, just calm down. Give yourself a break. Or better yet, get used to it. Train yourself to see him because the world is too small for you not to meet again. Train yourself to be able to move on. " I sighed. Can I do it? Actual situation is way harder than imaginations. This is not the situation I have repeatedly memorized in my mind! "You don''t have to. You don''t have to think about what, you just control yourself not to run or leave when he''s there, that''s okay. First step, first learn to be able to stand somewhere he''s already there. At least that''s all. " Were hand words? I sighed again, contemting myself. Yes, Yes. You can do it! I said to myself. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. I could do it then, why can''t I do it now? It was just him. I can handle it. "So, you were a Safety Officer for 2 years? What made you leave your profession and be a programmer?" I asked, scanning his resume. It''s just for formality. He''s already hired and why I''m still asking him I also don''t know, maybe to calm myself down. He''s aputer programming graduate. And when he became an S-Safety Officer, it was only the influence of his older brother. He wanted to cross the same path his brother took. "Because I am chasing my dreams." He answered. My forehead furrowed. Isn''t being a Safety Officer his dream? I chose not to ask further and just shrugged it off. I am out of it. I''m no longer in the ce to be curious and I also have no ns to find out more about his life. He is no longer my business anymore. "Well, I wish you will be able to chase your dreams here, in ourpany." All I said before dismissing him. I just called Shawn, one of my men, to apany him to his future table. My office is separated from my team. I am in an enclosed room and theirs are just in front of mine. Only the ss wall serves as the wall of my office so I can see everything outside and they are the same. I sighed. I was only asking for guidance, but I was given a challenge. Oh, God. This is going to be hard but I believe that this will end my agony. They¡¯re right, it won¡¯t end if I keep running it. I''m going to face it this time, for myself. For once, after all the sufferings, I have to stand for myself now. I need to be brave so I could live normally after this. Chapter 18: 18 Chapter 18: 18 "He¡¯s really following you." Reysa''s response after I told her that Russel is now working under me in the I sighed. To this day I still can''t believe that fact. Who would? Even Hans suddenly rushed to my office when he found out that we could join thepany of that one. He almost kicked Mikael too because of that, I just stopped him and told him to let it go. After all, we have been anticipating an encounter, not just in this situation. "Why would he do that?" I asked. I am calm now, unlike the previous days when I almost had a heart attack and fainted with nervousness. I realized, why am I the one feeling nervous? Why it has to be me to run when I did nothing against him? I didn''t do anything wrong to him, so why do I still seem to be running away? That''s when I decided to practice what Reysa and Hans told me, get used to being there so I can move on. And by far, I am doing great. Hans told me that. "Maybe, he wants aeback? I mean, he wants you back.¡±" She replied. I know she''s mocking me. "What are we, teenagers? In the movies?" I said. "We are too old for things like that." I added. Sus! Come back,e back. It''s only for those who truly love. Then for what else, right? Reysaughed. ¡°Don¡¯t speak yet, Jianna. Who knows, he asks you to drop you and you give up immediately,¡± she said. "Nah. Shut up, Reysa," I replied. "I already have a car, that I will never happen.¡± I said. Well, that was the start of us. Him: offering me a ride home which I happily epted. Who would want a free ride home, especially when you''re so tired from work and don''t have a ride yet? Also, I didn''t know that we would end up in this situation just because I allowed myself to stand on his motorbike that night. He was someone I had been acquainted with since grade school, I had no idea that man was stupid. If I only knew, wouldn''t I? I could have avoided it. Sheughed. "Edi if you don''t have a car will you still ride with her?" she teased more. "He¡¯s richer now. He no longer drives a bike but a car, he has a 2019 Mitsubishi Expander. Just wow." She added. I just stared. Can I p her mouth? She enjoyed teasing me again. "Why do you seem to be gaining weight?" I asked instead. "Bitch. That¡¯s super below the belt?" She replied, rolling her eyes. Iughed on that. "Stop it or else I''llsh out at your mouth." She warned. I justughed even harder. ¡°You know what, I wish that Russell won¡¯t stoping after you,¡± she said, angrily. "Your mouth!" I replied. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Reysa might say weird and nasty things sometimes, but she¡¯s actually nice. She just loves teasing me. Chapter 19: 19 Chapter 19: 19 "Seriously speaking, I realized that you''re right, I shouldn''t have caged myself in that situation anymore. I''m following your sermons to me and Hans, and you''re right again that I can''t get out of this situation over and over again. I''ll run. " I paused then smiled at her. "I was able to leave then, why can''t I do it now? I am now ready and willing, just to calm my heart." I said. I''m going to face it now. She smiled too. "Good luck then, I hope this time you can really do it." "Why not?" I said, arching my brows. "I know you; I know how fragile you are." She said andughed afterwards. "Come on, who knows, when Russel started crying and begging you toe back, you¡¯ll give in. That, one ''I miss you, Love. I still love you'' and you''ll be crawling back." She added. I rolled my eyes. Sometimes, I just want to swear on her. "You''re stupid in that part too." I said. Laughed well. I shook my head. "I''ve learned. It''s not because we love that we will ept all their foolishness. Feelings are too precious to be ignored and wasted." I said. Enough is enough. I already learned my lesson, in a very hard way. Reysa did notment on that. She just shook her head then smiled at me more. I know she believes in me. Even though it has taken so long, I am often very annoyed because my decided. I know I will always get my back and I to her too. "But you still love me?" She asked again. I looked at him but he justughed even more. "I don''t know about you." I said and then I dropped the call. I have buried that along with the past. Stop. Maybe it''s hard for me to forget him, but not because I still feel for him. I have re-evaluated myself over and over, especially after we met again. And doing so, I realized that I was not stuck because I still love him the way I have loved him before. If there is anything left, you just have to respect what the two of us went through. And that was the funniest about this situation. Iughed at myself for that. It''s just funny that after everything, here I was, still respecting the person who never did the same deed for me. Ironic. But then, through that, I learned that the only reason that kept me to be like this is I was still seeking for answers. Your answer to the reasons he can''t answer. But not now, little by little, I get it when I can¡¯t really get it and I don¡¯t want to insist anymore. I will not be blessed e. Even if I surrender to him and the sea cries, he still has nothing to answer. He still can''t tell me why I''m still not enough after all I''ve done. He said I was more than enough, but still, he chose to cheat on me. Just really stupid. And no matter what his n is to approach me, I''ll make sure I don''t lose in the end.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Chapter 20: 20 Chapter 20: 20 "Here." Mikael handed me a cup of coffee. "It''s ck, don''t worry." He added. "Thanks." I said, a bitughing. Well, at least now he remembers what kind of coffee I like. How many times has he told me before that I don''t drink. He got upset because of that and I had to exin that I don''t like vored coffee. It weirded him at first but I understood that not all people have tolerance for sweets, and unfortunately, I was one of those. "How was it?" I asked him. I just finished presenting our team¡¯s n for thepany¡¯s next project. It will be under a well-known brand of bags and will be released for their summer collection. Expectations are high so the pressure is also high. But I trust my team and I know we did everything we could. "I like it. I like how you came up with that idea. That''s right, it''s for summer collection. Most people are traveling that time and it will be more convenient for them with that kind of hand carry bag. No hassle to carry but there are many uses. " He said. "Your team never failed me." He added. "Thanks. We really did our very best, d that it''s paying off well." I said. We also kept an eye on it for a few weeks. We made sure that we can give great justice for this project. He nodded. "It''s almost lunch time, let''s eat outside." He asked. I no longer refused, I called out for the team. They are very happy. We dined in an eat-all-you-can restaurant, upying a 15-seater long table. "You should eat a lot, just to gain weight." Mikael said while putting fish fillets on my te. "That''s my role, bad. Back off." Hans butted in. We invited him too. "Possessive." Mikaelmented. Iughed. Hans arched his brow. "I''m just keeping him from people like you." He said. I was Mikael''s turn to arch his brow. "People like me?" He asked. "Yes. People like you, don''t ask what because we both know what I''m saying." Hans answered. He put some beef stew on my te. My favorite. "Ouch. Seriously, that''s how you think of me. Seriously." Mikael acted as if he was pained. It was still holding onto his chest. But Hans ignored him. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. I was justughing at the side. It''s just so funny watching them bicker. I moved to the next table of foods and put some vegetable sd on a separate te. I''m good with what I have and returned to our table. Two followed. "That''s all you''re going to eat?" Mikaelmented. I only have three dishes on my te and then a sd. "She can¡¯t eat a lot. Stop bbering nonsense," It was Hans who answered. He pulled my chair closer to him. Mikael, once again, arched his brow. "Are you her Dad?" He teased. "I¡¯m just asking." It adds more. "You two aren''t close enough for you to act like that towards her. If you forget." Hans said. "I''m her employer and I think this should be normal." Mikael said. Hans would have answered but I stopped him. We were in front of my team and they might misinterpret them. Chapter 21: 21 Chapter 21: 21 Well, they are always like that. They are like children fighting. And how often do they quarrel? I lost count but nheless, they are still friends. Mikael love teasing Hans using me. He knew that thetter would not be silent when it came to me. And in Hans defense, he knows Mikael too well to let him speak to like how he did to other girls. Yes. He''s that over protective. And for Mikael, he only does that with Hans. And without it, he''s so professional. "I''lle back when I''m not full." I said to stop the conflict between the two. I was sitting in between them, then my other teammates were next to Hans and in front of us. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Ma''am ate really poorly, Sir. Like a baby." Ruth said, my assistant. "Oh yes, Sir. When there''s food in the team, if not two, they only eat one pear. It''s always liked a diet." Another one, Camille. "I''m full right away." I just said. Mikael raised his fist. "Maybe that''s how big your stomach is." He said. I blinked. "OA you." I said. I ignored him and just ate. They did the same even though from time to time there was an inserted story. "I don''t want to, I''m full." I refused Hans to have a container of pasta on my te. "You just ate a little." He said. I shook my head. "I put a lot of rice. My stomach is already heavy." I said. He nodded and let go. "Anyways, guys. I''d like to congratte you for a job well done. Our clients are so impressed by your ideas. And I thank you for giving your all for this project." Mikael spoke. Everyone fell silent and listened. "I also like to congratte your leader for a great presentation. Seriously, your team is very solid." He added. He was also patting my shoulder which Hans pped away. Mikael just smirked. Gosh these two. "And for that, I will give you all a time to rx. I will let your team have a vacation leave for 3 days, all expenses paid. Just tell me where you want. Just within the country, huh?" He said thetter jokingly. Everyone jumped at happiness and excitement. First time our team can receive a reward so it''s not surprising. "Thank you." I said. It just winked at me and then stared at my side. I mentally facepalmed myself. "Thank you, Sir. We''ve been dreaming of going out for a long time. It''s just not continuous." Daryll said, one of my graphic designers. "It''s no big deal. I know you''ve worked hard for everyone. Especially maybe you, for sure Jia here bugs you a lot." He said. What? Issue ''to! "Of course not, Sir. And I''m also a maid. This is Russel." He said. "Oh, that''s it?" Mikael acknowledged. "Yes, Sir. He''s good. He actually almost made designs." Daryll said. "Is that so? Well, it was nice meeting you Russel. And good job." Mikael said, he was smiling. "Thank you, Sir." He answered. For a moment, I forgot that he''s here with us; that for almost two weeks, he''s working with my team. It slipped my mind. I was so upied by the project and with the childish stunts of Hans and Mikael. I forgot that he was there, sitting at thest chair of this table and constantly ncing on us. Observing us silently. I sighed. Chapter 22: 22 Chapter 22: 22 ¡°Serves him right. He must see what kind of life you have now that he''s out of your life." Reysa said. "Let him see how well you turned out now that you''re no longer intoxicated." She added. I told her what happened when the team had lunch. I sighed. He looks pitiful sitting there though. I wanted to tell Reysa but I know she will scold me if I did. It might evene out just to chase me. "We will have an outing by the end of the month, we''re not even talking about where but he''s with me since he''s one of my team." I said. "What''s that. What did Hans say?" She asked. I shrugged. "Nothing. He''s just silent, like usual." "Is he joining?" "No. It''s for my team, it''s a reward for the sess of the project presentation. We impressed the client and were sure of the deal so the President gave us a gift." I said. "She should be with him." "I wanted to but he couldn''t. They also have a projecting up, Mikael already told him about it, so it''s hard to be with him." She sighed. "Can you do without him?" She asked. I know she''s worried I might have my anxiety attacks again and no one''s there to soothe me. "Maybe. You see, I was able to forget that he''s in the same room I was for hours. I improved, maybe I can afford it by that time, it''s still two weeks from now. I can still get used to it." I assured her. Reysa smiled over the screen. I did too. "I''m d to know that you''re healing. It might be slow but at least you''re getting there. Just keep going, Ja. Know that I always got your back." She said. I love her. "Thanks to you and Hans. And also know that I got your back too." I told her. We ended the conversation after an hour. It''s past 11pm now and it''s good and there''s no work the next day. It''s the weekend finally! "Come over, I will cook." I told Hans over the phone. It''s Saturday and I thought of cooking for lunch. We had lunch out all week and even ate thest meal we cooked. If that counts. "Let''s just get together." He said. He sounds like he just woken up and it''s past 9am already. "We just had thatst Thursday! Get up there. I''ll be cooking Kare-kare." I said. I heard the rustle of his standing. His tone was also different when he said he was going to dress up. You can always get him food. Gosh, Hansel. I started cooking by 9:30 am. I boiled the meat while preparing the vegetables. I was almost done chopping the vegetables when Hans came. He was wearing a in maroon V-neck shirt and khaki shorts. I also brought ice cream. "You cook mang, you taste better than me." I said. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. It''s 10:30 am when we finished cooking. Just waiting for the rice to be eaten. "Have you ever thought of a resort?" He asked. "Nothing yet. Maybe on Monday we''ll talk so we can canvas as well. It''s embarrassing for Mikael if the resort we''re going to take is expensive." My answer. I pushed the button of my blender. I''m making a banana shake. "Go to Pwan." He said. "That''s expensive, ah. Mikael might cry at the expense." I said a bitughing. "Edi is happier." He said. I just shook my head and finished the b-blender. I don''t know about these. There are times that are very serious and there are also times that are childish. They quarrel a lot. Chapter 23: 23 Chapter 23: 23 "Let''s eat." I said. He immediately stood up from the couch and went to the table and took a te. It also spooned our rice as I prepared the dish. "Is this enough or you want me to add more?" He asked. I nodded. "That¡¯s fine, I''ll just get again when I want more." I said. He put two cups of rice on my te. We ate while talking. Mostly and at work but sometimes it goes to Mikael. "Don''t believe what they say if it''s not connected to work." He said. We are enjoying the banana shake now. I shrugged. "He''s just teasing you. He knows you''re so shy when ites to me." Ani ko. He shook his head. "He''s an asshole." He said. "True. When you''re not there, I don''t pay attention to you, I''m just happy to harass you." He just tsk-ed. "You''re so cute. You''re my best friend?" I teased. It just raised an eyebrow at me. He stood and went to the sink, he started washing the dishes. "You''re my best friend." He said with his back turned. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. I went to him and hugged him from the back. "I know. I''ll strangle you if you say no." He just tsk-ed again and sshed some water on my face. "There you go, just find something for us to watch." He said. "Okay. Movie or series?" "It''s up to you." I nodded and headed to my living room. I searched on Netflix''s most viewed movies but found nothing interesting. I switched on Kdramas and settled on thetest trend series. "If you were Dr. Ji and that happened to you, what would you do?" I asked Hans after watching the first episode. "I''ll go mad." He said. "Then?" "And disgusted." He said again. "Why?" I asked. Our eyes were fixated on the screen as episode two airs. "I''ll be mad for being fooled by those people I thought were true and loved me." "And?" "And disgusted by them for fooling me after loving and trusting them genuinely." He added. Who wouldn''t? "What would you think she will do?" I asked, referring to the character of Dr. From Sun-woo. "I don''t know. But she seems brave and strong. I know she won''t let those people who hurt her have the satisfaction. She will have her revenge." "Is revenge an answer?" I asked. "Depends." He answered unclearly. "On?" I asked more, curious to what he meant. "What would you choose. If you are going to be a bad guy and hurt those people who hurt you the way they did to you, or, be the good person and move on." He said. "Being happy for yourself is also a revenge. It is showing them that you can stand without them, that you will live even just yourself." He added. "Do you think she will choose to be a good person?" I asked. "Maybe. Maybe not." He said, uncertain. I sighed. "I hope she chooses to be happy instead." Chapter 24: 24 Chapter 24: 24 "Shall we go to Batangas or Subic?" Allen suggested. We have been discussing where we would go for our outing and they already have suggested a lot of beaches to go to but they can¡¯t still choose. "We have been there a lot of times. We should go to a ce where we weren¡¯t been yet." Lucy said. "Zambales?" Suzanne suggested. "We were therest 2017." Lucy again. She''s the longest member of the team. "Ilocos?" Adrian. "Girl, that¡¯s too far. We''ll be tried from traveling before we could even get there." Lucy again I''m fine with their suggestions, I''ve never been to any resorts out of Bataan so I just quietly listen to them. "How about you, Ma''am?" Lucy asked me. I shrugged. "It''s okay with me anywhere, I haven''t been to any of your suggestions." I answered. They all nodded and continued. And while they were talking about the outing, I was checking emails. I opened my email from our project client. It was just congrattory and I replied with gratitude. "Why don¡¯t we try to Bataan? It''s only 3 hours away and Ma''am is from there. And I hear d there are good resorts there." Camille said. "Isn''t it, Ma''am?" I nodded. "Yes." "Russel too! You''re also from Bataan, aren''t you?" Daryll butted in. We all looked at her. He nodded and said. "But I''m not fond of that so I have nothing to suggest." I mentally rolled my eyes. Liar! "If you want there, we can. What do you prefer, beach or pool?" I asked instead. "Beach please." It was Ruth who answered. I nodded. There are many beach resorts in Bataan but I don''t know what to suggest. "Maybe in Morong, Bagac or Mariveles. I haven''t been to all the beach resorts there so it''s okay if you continue to research." I said. They followed. They were busy searching the whole break time and, in the end, they chose to go to Five Fingers. Your I signed. I''m going home again. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. "Let''s get these Five Fingers, huh? For more convenience." Lucy said. He will take care of the details of the outing. Everyone agreed, so it''s settled. The tour promo they choose is 2 days and 1 night. The promo includes morning snacks, lunch, afternoon snacks, dinner, breakfast, and snacks before going home. Tent is not included but they offered rental. Boat ride from and to is included. We will go cove to cove visit, and each cove, there is time set aside for activities that can be done. Activities stated are: snorkeling, cliff diving, swimming, and cove visit. Finished the evening with a bonfire and fire dance. They got excited especially when they found out the price of the tour. One thousand two hundred pesos per head. Not that bad for inclusions. "Let''s order a swimsuit!" Camille excitedly said. I just smiled and let them go. I went back to my office and started working with the reports. It¡¯s two weeks before the outing and I have to finish some papers before that. I don¡¯t want to leave with lots of pending on my table, it¡¯s embarrassing to Mikael. Chapter 25: 25 Chapter 25: 25 "Come in." I said when someone knocked on my doors. It was Russel, he is carrying an iPad, maybe it¡¯s about the design. "Yes?" I said. It was already close and standing in front of my desk. "I just wanted to have this check; this is final design before going down to production." He said. He never called me ''ma''am or ms''. I don''t care anyway. I took the iPad from hid hand to look at his work. We made some revisions, especially those in color. "This is better." I said. I scrolled on his iPad. His works are beautiful, I can''t deny that. He''s even better than Daryll, but I won¡¯t tell them that, of course. I want them to work thinking they are equal. "Please tell Lucy to finalize the material list so that I can approve and start the production." I said. I handed back his iPad and dismissed him. But it didn¡¯t move right away, it just stared at me. I arched my brow. "Need something else?" But he just sighed and shook his head. He turned his back and left my office. Later, Hans arrived. It just went straight in and sat in front of me. "Why is he here?" He asked. "Who?" I asked, I know what he was talking about, I just want to y with him. "That guy. What did he do here in your office and what did he say?" He borated. I creased my brows. "He just showed the revisions of the project. It needs to be approved to be brought to the production." I answered. He''s probably worried. After all, within a few weeks of that man working here, he only now entered my office alone. He was often with Daryll and this was the one who talked to him. And getting prouder of myself for slowly feeling okay knowing he''s just around. My heart was still beating when he was near but I was in control of myself. I don''t even know why I was running after him then. I''m really a fool. "We''ve already decided where to go out." I informed him. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "Where?" He asked. He''s on his phone now. Tss. "Five Fingers." I answered. Suddenly it turned on me again. "Why there?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulder. "That''s where they want. I don''t want to ruin their dream." I said. "You could have suggested other beach resorts than that. There are so many in our province: in Morong or Bagac." Ani n''ya. "They choose there because they think it''s convenient. Cheap and near." I answered. "If so, why didn¡¯t you suggested Camaya Coast or Sinagt instead?" "That''s where they want to be. They''re excited about the cove to cove activity." I answered. Hans sighed problematically. Iughed. "It''s fine, Hans. I''d be fine." "I will talk to Reysa to join you." He said, instead. "Are you crazy? Why would you ask her to join, it''s a team outing? Don¡¯t make it a big deal, Hansel!¡± "But-." "No buts. I can handle it." I cut him off. He signed again and stared at me. "Why are you still there?" "Why not?" I asked. "Everywhere I will remember and I will still remember that. That would always be a reminder of the past whenever I go to the beach." I added. Chapter 26: 26 Chapter 26: 26 The day of the outing came. Everyone was excited and their faces were full of expectation. My team members will ride a van that Mikael provides but as for Russel and I, we will bring our own car. We decided to do it that way and just convoy. Russel will be the lead, followed by the van then me, just to ensure that no one will be left behind. "Is everyone already here?" I asked. They were already inside the van and having some fun chitchatting. It''s 3:45 in the morning and our running time is 4am. We had to get to the meeting ce before 9am. "We¡¯replete, Ma''am." Ruth answered. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. I nodded and said we were going to leave. I went to my car and roared its engine. I blow my horn signaling them to move. The whole trip was smooth, there was only one stop at NLEX to get some gas and go through the drive thru. It was past 7am when we reached Mariveles, Bataan. We stopped over first to my parents¡¯ house to change our clothes and have our breakfast. Everyone is in my house aside from Russel, it also went home to his parents¡¯ house. Also, he can¡¯t step a foot in our house, my mom is still mad at him. "How many days you¡¯ll be there?" Mama asked. I just came down from the bedroom. "Until tomorrow at noon." I answered. She seems nervous and I understand why. "Can you bring your brother with you?" She asked. I just shook my head. "It¡¯s their finals next week, right? He needs to review." I answered. Mama sighed. "I just don¡¯t understand, why of all ces, you chose that ce,¡± she said, pain is her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sweetie. I¡¯m just scared it happen again,¡± she added. I shook my head. "That''s where they want it, Ma." I said. I know what she worries about. It''s just like Hans¡¯ problem, but like I said, I''ll be fine. Maybe I can handle that too. It¡¯s about time to face it so I would stop being scared of it. "I''ll be fine, Ma. There are many of us and they are used to this kind of walk. Don''t worry." I just said that too. ¡°Take care. Call me immediately when something happens,¡± she reminded me. ¡°Ma, the ind is isted. There¡¯s no signal in there,¡± I answered,ughing a bit. She just sighed and didn''t say a word. She led us to the gate and watch us leave. I was the lead now and we will pass Russel. I told Ruth to text him that we were going to push so we could wait on the highway. Their house isn¡¯t far from ours. I saw his car when we were approaching their street, I blew my horn. He did too. He is now thest. And without thirty minutes, we reached the meeting ce. A few vehicles had already been selected at the pier and the joiner who was with us was waiting outside. I parked near the CCTV post, because it''s safer to leave the car there and because that''s the only vacancy. I went out and approached the administrator of the tour. I know him, I''ve been on this tour. "Ricky." I called him. It turned on me. He looked shocked but that didn''tst, he after seconds recovered and smiled. "Hey, Jia-girl! What can I do for you?" He asked. He''s a gay. "We have reservations under Ruth Marie Fuentes." I answered casually. His eyes widened. "Huh? The one from Man? Are you part of that group?¡± he asked. "Yes. We''re fifteen in the group." I said. "Including Russel." I added. His eyes got bigger. "Russel? Perez?" I nodded. I saw how he mouthed ¡®o¡¯ before calling his assistant. "Sarah, please give them a life vest, fifteen. Then give Jia the yellow one." He ordered Sarah. "Yellow? the new one, boss?" Sarah asked. "Yes, that''s one. Move faster so we can arrange their seating." He said. I wanted to raise an eyebrow but I didn¡¯t. I let that pass. I just coordinated with him regarding our payment and signed the waiver. After we signed, we were told to put our things near the boat for their men to put it inside. Chapter 27: 27 Chapter 27: 27 "How many boats do you think they will be using for as all?" Daryll asked. "Three boats, maybe. They can only take twelve people per boat, except for the one who will operate." This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. Russel answered. "We''re at least fifty." Henry said. "Four boats then." Gab butted in. "Have you been there yet? The coordinator knows you and Ma''am Jia." Ruth asked. I turned to them. They were looking at us. I nodded. "Last 2018." I answered. "How about you, Russell?" Ruth. "2018 also." He answered. "Really? Same tour?" Kurt butted in as well, still curious. "I don''t know. I don''t remember those with us." I answered. I didn''t say anything after that. Everyone was also busy boarding the boat. Four boats were used. Only twelve could be taken on a boat so the three of us had to be separated. Even if I don''t like that, I can''t object. Nico, Pa, and Marvin moved on to the other side. There should have been three boys, but since Nico and Pa are couple, Nico pleaded to be with Pa in one boat. We started sailing and the guide also started teaching. "You think run, it''s a volcano, and that''s Mt. Mariveles. It''s a stratovolcano and they say thest eruption was in 2050 BCE. It has a height of 1,388 meters or 4, 554 feet ... " "I think you run." Point it to the right. "That''s Mt San Miguel, in Barangay Sisiman here in Mariveles. It''s a rock mountain with a height of 700 feet. The minimum time to reach its peak is only 20 minutes of trekking. You''ll see the only Lighthouse here in Mariveles. " The guide, Kuya Roy, continued. We sail more. Reaching the entrance of the coves. "Before we go in there." He pointed to the front. "I''ll exin first why it''s called Five Fingers. We called it Five Fingers because like the space between our fingers, that''s the location of each cove. And each one has a different beauty.¡± Its introduction. Tga Beach, Apatot Cove, Pulong Kawayan Cove, Tinakan Cove, and Nagbintana Arch. He named and exined each cove. We continued sailing andter stopped at each cove. We can get off the boat for a swim and a walk on the beach. We also went down two coves that can be cliff diving. I let my team enjoy while I was left on the boat. Just got off when I was able to take a picture on the sand and then went back to the boat. "How are you, Ma''am?" Kuya Ben asked, he¡¯s the one operating the boat; we were the only one left inside. "I was the one who saved youst time." He told me. "I remember you, Kuya. I¡¯m okay now,¡± I answered. Of course, I remember him. He was the only one there at that time, with the number of people with me, he was the only one who saw that I was in danger. "It''s good that you''ve recovered. Honestly, Ma''am. I feel sorry for you then. You''re crying even though you''re having a hard time breathing, maybe you''re too scared." He said. I nodded and smiled slightly. "Yes. I''m so scared then." I said. "Isn''t that man your boyfriend, Ma¡¯am? The one sitting at the end earlier." He asked. Russel is with the team, Daryll pulled him in. "He¡¯s not my boyfriend anymore." I said. The old man scratched his head, shaking it while grinning. "Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m being nosy." He said. Iughed a bit. "It''s okay, it''s been a long time." I said. Chapter 28: 28 Chapter 28: 28 Memories came crashing as we approached the ind. My heart beats wildly and my breathing bes hard; the breeze was cold but I was sweating. I closed my eyes harshly and tried hard to even my breathing. Breathe, Jia. Breathe. I mentally told myself. I know I can do this; I have to do this. I won¡¯t let an old wound scare me forever, I must ovee this fear. "You can say here for the meantime. You can go swimming first or whatever you want while we are preparing for the lunch. Just please be safe and if ever something happens, call us immediately." Kuya Roy briefed us when reached the shore of the camp site. We just listened more to their orientation and when they gave us the go signal, everyone cheered on excitement. "Give me your hand, Ma''am." Kuya Ben asked. It was waiting for me at the outside the boat, supporting everyone that going down the boat. I reached out my hand and nodded. He smiled at me. "Are you sure you''re okay, Ma''am?" He asked. "Your hands are cold." All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. "I¡¯m fine, Kuya. It¡¯s just the breeze and I touched the water earlier." I reasoned. He just nodded and didn''tment. "You can leave your belongings in the mess hall while we fix the tents." Kuya Roy. "We''ll just call you when it''s done and the food is ready." He added. Everyone followed. Some rested at the hall while others went to the beach after settling their things. I stayed at the hall to take care of our belongings. I took out my phone. There is no signal all over the ind so it is useless now, we can only use it for pictures, videos and music. I snapped a picture of the beach. The line of coconut trees and clean sand are beautiful to look at. The sparkling sea water is enticing to wade through. But to think that I would go down there sent chill on my spine. My knees tremble at the thought. The food was served after fifteen minutes. It''s a buffet of sea foods, meat and vegetables. Shrimps, crabs, fishes, seashells, chicken adobo, steamed eggnts, okra and sweet potato leaf were seductively served in front of us. "God, I¡¯m so hungry." Paul said. We dined in together. There were five rows of long tables throughout the hall that we all upied. "Gosh. These are all delicious!" Camillemented. It eats taste all the food served one after another. "Have some adobo. It¡¯s the best!" Ruth said as well. They still had a lot ofments about the food before finishing. It took us an hour to finish. They are very happy with the food served to us. "Not every day, we are given a chance to eat as much as these. So just eat!" Nico''s words. We were all full to the brim. I kept falling asleep. I approached the hammock andy down. Rxing myself. You can do it, Jia. You are brave. I told myself, smiling. Chapter 29: 29 Chapter 29: 29 I stayed at the hammock until I didn''t realize I was asleep. I just woke up to scream andughing from the shore. And when I looked, they were already ying volleyball. My team is ying against other joiners. They were filled withughter every time the ball is not caught and someone falls. I smiled seeing them enjoying this outing. I hopped out the hammock and headed at the mess hall to grab some water. I''m done with my water and was about to leave when I met Russel. He was looking at me. I got nervous. I looked around for someone else but I couldn''t find anyone. He stepped closer to me so I also stepped away from him. I turned to my side to searched for an exit and when I found, I immediately ran away. I even heard him calling me so I even ran away. My heart is beating really fast and I''m starting to see things. Those scenes I repeatedly run. "Jia!" He called me. But I ignored him. I just ran straight until I reached the end of the ind. There is no more sand and rocks. I climbed one of the rocks and hid behind it. My tears were falling non-stop and my heart was aching, like my heart was being squeezed. How could he do that? Why? Am I not enough? Am I still missing something? What?! He said it was just me but then I caught him with that woman. He made me look stupid again! How many times I have caught him? Two? Three? No. Five! I can''t understand why in all I did for him; he still manages to fool me. It hurts like this even though I love him so much. He said, I''m more than I should be. But why is this? Is he there again with that woman? I heard him calling me again. It was closer to where I was hiding so I was confused. I left behind the rock and moved to the bigger and higher one. He saw me. I was more confused and climbed easily. But my foot slipped and I fell on the water. I can''t swim and the water is too deep. I struggle to swim but I can''t. I can''t even float. My sight gets blurry and my breathing is failing. I''m going to die ... "Jianna!" Russel caught me. He hugged me from my hips and put me down from that rock. That rock again I was stunned as I cried. I was at the same spot where I almost died a year ago. Same ce, circumstance and reason. I just loved him but why do I have to experience this? "Why do you have to go back?" I asked him. My tears won''t stop from pouring. I was already catching my breath. "Jia." He said my name with so much weakness. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. He felt weak? Because of what? "I''m already okay. My life is fine but why do you have to go back and mess everything up again!" I shouted. "I''m sorry." He said. Tears started to fall from his eyes too. He¡¯s crying? What right does he have? "Sorry?" Iughed. "I''m about to die, Russel!" I continued. "Have you thought about the pain I''ve been through over and over again because of you? And how I''m hurting every day because I can''t understand what''s missing! What a mistake I made for you to hurt me over and over again." "Do you know the pain that I see Mama crying every night because there was nothing she can do to reduce the pain I feel? How can they see me dying every day that passes because of the extreme pain I''m feeling?" "You don''t know that! You don''t know because you never appreciated me!" "I love you. I did everything, I gave everything but what did you do? You just hit me over and over." "Jia." He called me. He tried to touch me but I moved backward. "I hope you don''te back. I hope you just let me go because I''m so tired of being hurt. I''m tired of questioning myself. I hope that''s all, Russel. I hope that''s just your thing, do it you for me. " "I''m sorry. I''m really sorry." He said, crying hard. "I don''t want to die again, Russel. Please, don''t kill me again." I said before turning my back. But as I do, I saw my team watching us. They were all silent. Ruth and the other girls were crying and the boys couldn''t even look at me. Chapter 30: 30 Chapter 30: 30 Is that pity I am seeing in their eyes? I walked out. I walk straight to the tents. I went inside where I was assigned and locked myself there. I just cried and cried and no one dared to enter. At eight o''clock I was forced to go outside because of hunger. I''m the only one in the mess hall, everyone is in the beach front for the bonfire and fire danceter. "Are you going to eat now, Ma''am?" Kuya Roy asked me. I nodded. "I slept in the tent." I reasoned out. He prepared food for me and apanied me. "I saw you on the rocks earlier, Ma''am, to where you drowned before." He said. "Are you nervous that I might jump again?" I said jokingly. He shook his head. "No, Ma''am. I saw Sir Russel following you. And when I saw you crying, I immediately left, I thought you two have something to talk in private." He said. I nodded and took a deep breath. "Please don''t mention it to Ricky." I asked. It nodded. "You know, Ma''am I can''t understand why you and Sir Russel broke up. It looks like you still love each other very much." He said. I looked up. I want tough. "That night you drowned; I saw how scared Sir Russel was. He also jumped into the sea to save you, but I got you first." He said. I don¡¯t want to hear but I can¡¯t leave. I didn''t stop him either, I just let him talk. "Then he started crying in the boat when we were taking you to the hospital. I really can''t understand Ma''am why he kept on saying sorry to you and he didn''t let go of your hand until an ambnce came to rush you to the hospital.¡± "Maybe he''s just guilty because he''s at fault." I said. "I caught her kissing her ex, I ran because I was hurt. He chased me so I hid in the rock. But he found me, that''s when I became desperate to climb the big rock and slipped. Luckily, you were there to save me, if you weren¡¯t there, I might have been dead for a year now,¡± I said. He shook his head. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. "Is that so, Ma''am? I didn''t think that''s what happened." He said. ¡°I can see that he loved you and until now, I can see that in his eyes,¡± he said again. I just smiled and stopped talking. After eating, he told me sit down by the bonfire. Everyone was there but I preferred to refuse. I was there again in the hammock position, just staring at them as memories shes back before my eyes. "Where''s Russel?" I asked Reysa. He was sitting on the sand and watching the f-fire dance. "I don''t know. Maybe on the washroom.?" She said. I just nodded at her and left. I went to the washroom to look for him, but he wasn¡¯t there. "Where is he?" I asked myself. I walked back to the beach front as I passed a group. I know them. But I didn''t notice that they were also here. We have a lot of joiners and it''s hard to identify who they are. I look at them, recognizing each. Suddenly my heart pounded without finding what I was looking for. I immediately looked around to see if it was there. But there is none. I can''t find her. Chapter 31: 31 Chapter 31: 31 "Where''s Jasmine?" One of them asked. Yes. Where is she? I mentally asked as well. "Oh, I just here sitting her a while ago,¡± one of her friends answered shrugging. ¡°I don¡¯t know where did she go now.¡± "I saw her running in the mess hall earlier, she¡¯s following someone; a guy.¡± Another one answered. "A guy? Who?" their friend asked again. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "I don''t know. But he''s pretty tall guy with a curly hair,¡± they answered. My heart beat faster. Russel was a tall and curly. Is that him? Are they together? Immediately, I ran to the mess hall but no one is inside there. I was about to leave when I heard a woman speak; it wasing from behind the mess hall "I thought you were going to end it with her? Then, why are you still together?" It says. The tone was harsh and seemed angry. "I''m still buying time; I can¡¯t just drop her like that. Please, baby, be patient a little more.¡± A man replied, he¡¯s was gentle when he was saying that. My heart hurt, it felt like it was squeezed hardly. My tears started falling. I heard nothing after that so I slowly walked closer. And my heart hurts more seeing what they were doing. They were kissing. I sobbed. That caught their attention. Russel''s eyes widen, but there just doesn''t seem to be anything there in the woman. It''s like I never caught her kissing someone else''s boyfriend. "Jia." Russel called my name. But I turned around and ran. "I didn''t know I''d be able toe back here." I told myself. "I¡¯m proud of you, Jia. Seriously, you have be this brave." I said tapping my chest. "This is where you died Jianna Astrid. And here you are, reminiscing the reason why. You''re awesome." My tears fell. The day I woke up at the hospital, I did nothing but cry. I just cried and cried until I got out and went home. They ask me Mama why but I can''t say. I cannot ept the reason. I was like that for a month, that if I hadn''t seen Mama cry in front of me because she couldn''t understand why I was getting pregnant, I wouldn''t have realized yet. Slowly, I stood up. I slowly lifted myself up, repeatedly trying to get back to where I was but I couldn¡¯t. I became someone else. I turned into someone far from who I used to be. But that''s fine. I became braver and wiser. I became strong and fearless. But in an instant, I was back to normal. You''re weak, scared, and crying Jianna Astrid. I went back to Jia with a broken personality, because of her again. When the fire dance was over, I entered the tent again. There should be three of us here, but I don''t know if Ruth and Lucy will sleep here too. They didn''t. I woke up the next day alone. It''s only 5am and the others are still asleep. I got up and went out. I saw Kuya Roy burning dry leaves again. "Good morning, Ma''am! Good morning." He greeted, I smiled. "What time did they sleep?" I asked. "Oh no, Ma''am, it''s about midnight too. They''re still drinking." It says. I just nodded and said goodbye to go for a walk first. I want the day to end and go home. I was feeling exhausted even though I slept more than I enjoyed. Maybe it''s more tiring to cry than to act. I just walked straight until I didn''t realize I had reached the rocky ground again. Maybe it''s because of thinking. And there, I saw Russel sitting at that big rock. He saw me too but did nothing. He just sat and ran and looked at me. Sadness is in his eyes. I don''t care. I turned my back and left. Chapter 32: 32 Chapter 32: 32 "Don''t run, please. I beg you." He pleads. But I ignored it. I just walked straight away. "Fuck, Jianna! Listen to me, I just want to apologize." He said, he¡¯s voice was closer, maybe it had gone down to the rock. I turned to look at him. He is already down. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "For what, huh? Will anything change? Will it erase everything you¡¯ve done, all the pain I''ve experienced?" I spat. He shook his head. "No. I know not bu-." "So, why do I have to listen to you?" I cut him off. "I want to be at ease, my guilt is eating me!" He shouted. Is that the reason for it? Then, I don¡¯t need it. "No. You don''t deserve that. It''s only right that you be miserable like you did me." I said. "I don¡¯t care even if you die out of guilt." I walked out. But it still chased me. He grabbed me by the waist and put me on his shoulder like a sack of rice. "Put me down, Russel!" I shouted, trying to punch him in the back. But it didn''t budge and just walked straight. He carried me behind the rocks. "Fuck you! You''re a fucking asshole!" I cursed. I prayed to leave but he blocked the way. I got even angrier. "Jianna, listen to me. I won''t ask you toe back to me or love me again. Just listen to me, please. I feel so sorry for you, listen to me." He pleaded. I got even angrier. "When I begged you, did you listen?" I asked. Tears roll down my cheeks. Here we are again. "I''m so tired of crying, Russel. I want to be bad, but why is that? You''re always taking that away from me?" I added. He said sorry, but I cried even more. Is that all he knows to say? Sorry? What for? I broke down and fell on the sands. I''m just sitting on the stress. I''m very tired. "Just hear me out, please. After that ... then I won''t bother you anymore." He said. I looked at him. "I''m so tired of you, Russel." I said. Pain showed in his eyes but didn''t speak about it. He sighed deeply. "I''m really sorry." He said. "I apologize for everything I¡¯ve done to you. I know I''ve hurt you so much. And I know that nothing I say won''t diminish that. But I still want to say, I still want you to know so I can move on and let you go." It hurts. "I was too confident. I became very confident because I know you love me so much. That even if I make a mistake, I know you can forgive me too. I¡¯m so pull of myself; I know." "But, Jia. It also hurts me to see you cry because I hurt you again. I love you so much ..." He said. Iughed. Love? Fuck, is that how he loves? "I know you won''t believe it. But I really love you. I love you so much." Chapter 33: 33 Chapter 33: 33 "I know you won''t believe it. But I really love you. I love you so much." "You love me but you managed to kiss that woman? Were you happy when you saw me crying because I caught you?" I said sarcastically. "No, Jia. I wasn''t happy to see you crying and hurting. But Jasmin, she approached me when she found out about us. She wanted me back." He said. Fuck you, motherfuckers! "I told you why we broke up, didn''t I? She cheated on me and then dropped me like of a garbage. I was hurt. I loved her, but how can she do that to me? Is there something wrong with me? Have I not done enough for her?" He said. "You know the feeling but you still did it to me." I said, getting more hurt hearing his confession. It happened to him, he knew how painful it was but still, he done it to me too. What a fucking bastard. "I was really wrong; I know that so well. I fucked up. But when she came over and said she woulde back to me if I left you, all the pain came back. My love for you was covered of pain and resentment that I became blind." He said. "I want revenge, I want to make her feel what she made me feel. So, I thought, I¡¯ll make her fall. And when she¡¯s too in love, that when I''ll leave. I''ll drop her like what he did to me.¡± She added. Fucking asshole¡­ "I did. She fell in love with me again and became desperate for us to separate. She followed us here, forcing me to end it with you and have our rtionship again. I thought I was winning, I thought I could get revenge. I am. But I was wrong. I was very wrong because in the end I am the loser again, I lost you. You disgust me. " "I loathed you." I said. He nodded and smiled a bit. A pained one. "And it hurts that you can''t even stand with me in one room. It pained me so much, it was very painful the first day we met after a year. You ran away even though it was only voice you heard." He said. "I waited for youreback. I thought when youe back, everything will be fine. I can talk to you. I tried every way to reach you, I tried to talk to you few times, but you always walk away. You run away from me when I approach you." He added. "My first n is to make up with you. I was so willing to wait until you give me a chance again, but seeing you hurting because I showed up, I realized that it''s impossible anymore. I have expected that. You have given me a lot of chances and maybe the fifth one was really thest chance you could give me. I''ve had too much so I can''t sneeze one more time." He continued. "I''m just stupid that I wasted all the opportunities you gave me. I wasted the person who loved me more than herself, I wasted you." He kneeled in front of me. "Jia, I love you so much and I want you to heal. I want you to be healed from all the pain I''ve caused to you. I want you to be happy, even if that means I won''t be able to reach you again. I''m really sorry." He said. "You lied to me, Russel. Over and over and for the same reason. You made me feel irrelevant, undeserving and worthless. But even so, I still repeatedly forgave you and loved you more. Maybe when you feel I love you more, you can realize you''re wrong. You can think that you love me back too. I waited. I waited for you to realize that, but it never happened. In the end, I was the only one who realized that it was impossible for me to dream. " He shook his head. "I loved you so much. Everything I said, did and made you feel. It''s all true. I was just blinded by revenge but I love you so much. I''m sorry if I failed to make you happy while you were with me. "I''m sorry I failed you. I ept that I won''t really be given another chance. And I deserved it. I''m a fool. I just hurt you." Ani n''ya. He cupped my face and wiped my tears. He kissed me on my forehead like he used to do before. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Be happy, Jia. Don''t be afraid because I won''t bother you anymore." He said with a painful smile. It pains me more. Chapter 34: 34 Chapter 34: 34 "Let''s eat." Hans called me from his living room. I''ve been staying in his pad for a week now. I don''t know but I can''t afford to be alone in my apartment. I constantly feel sad and end up crying. I feel like I''m going crazy. I followed Hans to his kitchen and settled myself on the chair in front of him. "He resigned." He said, I just nodded. I haven''t been to the office for a week and it''s only here on Hans¡¯ pad that I work. I didn¡¯t know if I could face mypanions especially since they saw what happened. It had been so awkward for all of us since then. Even back then no one moved us. We just bid goodbyes and said take care then separate. Fortunately, I brought my own car, otherwise it would have been more difficult for all of us. "Won¡¯t you even say anything?" He asked. "I don''t know what I should say." I said. He shrugged. "I heard he''ll fly to Cuba." He said. "Why are you telling me?" I asked. "Nothing. I just want to share." Answer it. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. I rolled my eyes. Russel and I had finally parted. That day from our outing ended what''s left for us. We had the closure we deserved. Even though it took a long time, it still happened. What I heard was painful but at least it was finally over. Now, I can say that I can move on without asking his reasons. It was a long and tough battle and I''m proud of myself for making it here. I survived all the struggles and am now free. I should be happy. "How can you say you don''t love someone anymore?" Hansel suddenly asked. We were already in the living room and had been watching the series on Netflix. I looked at him. "Do you like someone?" I asked him. "It was for you." He answered. "How can you say that you don''t love him anymore?" "Did I say that?" I asked back instead. It looks at me now. "You still love him?" He asked again. I shrugged. "I never said that I don¡¯t love him anymore. My feelings won¡¯t go away that easily, but it won''t be enough for me to go back to him. I was too hurt to give in anymore. We''ll only be ruined if we insist." I said. "We are better off without each other." "Do you believe in him? In his exnations?" Question it again. I shrugged again. "It doesn''t matter if I take his exnation or not. All I asked was to hear it, I have. His reason hurts me but I can''t do anything about it, that was his choice." "You''re fine with that?" I nodded. "I realized that I was really stupid, but he''s more stupid than I was. He knew everything I did for him but he prefers to ignore all that. He chooses to take his revenge rather than be happy with me. What he did was crazy. " "He was really sorry, though." Hans said. I nodded. "He was sorry because he got caught. If I didn''t find that out, it would definitelyst longer and I don''t know if he can stand the revenge he''s saying." I replied. "He can seed and get revenge, but he can also forget that and just continue his rtionship with that woman." I added. "Then, what are you so upset about the past days?" "I don''t know. I just feel sad." I replied. I evenughed to myself. I honestly don¡¯t really know why I felt so said and alone. I should be happy. But I feel the opposite. I just feel sad. "Do you need a psychiatrist?" Hans asked. I stared at him and threw a pillow. ¡°I¡¯m still far from being mentally ill!¡± I shouted at him. He put his arms up. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. What I meant by that is, you might want to consult to at least know why. I mean, you were traumatized. A professional help would be a huge help for you to be stable?¡± he said. I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I know I can do this,¡± I said. Hans shrugged. ¡°Just tell me when you need me. I¡¯m always here for you,¡± he said. Chapter 35: 35 Chapter 35: 35 Days pass too fast. Unbeknownst to me as the days passed, I became too busy with the happenings in my life. I was so upied by my work that I was shocked to know that it had been a year. If it wasn¡¯t for Facebook that notified the pictures during the outing, I won''t know. "Who''s that?" Reysa asked Hans. It even looked at me to answer. I shrugged. "I don''t know as well, don¡¯t look at me. What I know is, I can''t hang out at his house one day all of a sudden." I said. Reysa''s in the City too. Apparently, she had a rtionship with his officemate, but they didn''t work out. She said she couldn''t stand seeing the guy anymore so she decided to resign and leave. Seems familiar. "Come on, Hans. Spill it." She repeated. "Calm down, Reysa. I will introduce her to both of youter." Hans said. "You have been telling us that but it''s not happening." Reysamented. "You''re naughty." Hans just said and left. The two of us were left at the table. We were on a lunch date. "Are you dating a she or a he?" Reysa asked again. Iughed. She had given up with her fantasy about Hans and I. There was really no hope, she finally realized. And now, this is what she is busy with, finding out who''s Hans¡¯ lover. "You''re crazy. You''ll hear about itter." Hans said. She''s been so curious and Hans has been so secretive. He didn''t even want to tell us the name, I even asked Mikael, but he just shrugged on me. He said he didn''t know and he didn''t care. Sus! If I hadn''t known ... All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. "When is thatter, Hansel. You have been telling us that for days already." "Today, Reysa. She¡¯ll be here today so calm down. Just wait, okay?" He said. She gave up eventually. These two, they have been good friends to me. Through my ups and downs, they were there. No doubt. "Jia, look at that. It''s so hot, are you suicidal, girl?" She said, pointing at the woman passing in front of us. And I couldn''t disagree. Why do you wear a turtleneck and coat in the middle of summer? She doesn''t look like she''s in the office so ... I don''t know. "Stop it, someone might hear you." I told her. She snorted but stopped. "What time Hans wille back? Didn¡¯t he ditch us?" she said. Hans hasn''te back yet, he just told us that he¡¯ll go to the washroom. "Call him,¡± she ordered me. I did. I called him. But after three calls, I still don''t answer. "Not answering, let¡¯s just wait for him. He won¡¯t leave without telling us." I said. But it doesn''t listen to what I''m saying. It looked behind me and was in shock. I turned to see what she was looking at and I almost fell off my seat. Hans came back and was apanied by a little girl in a school uniform. Chapter 36: 36: Epilogue Chapter 36: 36: Epilogue Indeed, time passes too fast when you are happy. It''s been three years since then, I didn''t realize that so many days have passed. I have been too busy with my life. And I like how it turned out. I have a stable job, trusted friends and a happy life. I''ve never felt this genuine for the longest time. You are happy with what is happening in your life, content with what is there and without and most of all, sleeping and waking up with a smile on your lips. Thinking how blessed you are. I was so grateful. "Congrats!" Reysa teased Hans. Allie is now graduating from college and she hopes that she will finally graduate from college. It was as if his son had graduated. Well, apparently, Hans¡¯ girlfriend was 5 years younger than us. We are 27 and Allie is only 22. She was 17 when they met but Hans waited for her until she turned legal before he dated her. She was 19 when they became official. Oh, I remember the first day Reysa and I met her. We were both startled then. Who wouldn''t if your most sensible friend suddenly took a woman and that woman was five years younger than you? I thought Hans and I were just being pranked, but no. That boy is really his girlfriend and that''s why I can''t hang out at his house lightly anymore. I felt betrayed. But then, we moved on. We saw that Hans was happy so we stopped talking. "Where''s Allie?" I asked. We set this dinner for her, to celebrate her graduation. "She''ll be here in a few, just talked to someone on the phone." It says. I nodded.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. But Reysa being Reysa thought of another tease for him. "Maybe I''m talking to a man, he''s the same age." Its beginning. Hans arched his brow. "It was her mom. She didn''t go to the ceremony because she was on a business trip." He said. Reysa just said wow'' and didn''t speak anymore. Allie came after 10 minutes. It approached us with a smile. We were at the rooftop of my apartment; it has been our hang out ce for almost three years. "I just graduated!" She beamed. I looked at Hans who was looking at her with a wide smile. He''s happy. I ''m d. "Congrats! Here." I greeted and handed her my gift. "Oh, gosh. Why are you giving this?" She asked. "You do not want?" Reysa asked sarcastically, but she also handed over her gift and congratted her. "Wow! Thank you!" She almost jumped with happiness. She''s cute. But Reysa and he often exchanged words, even so, they did not end up in a fight. "I''m lucky because my boyfriend has friends like you." She said. Reysa arched her brows. "Of course, there is a fee for that." She said. "You should deliver us your first sry." "Of course! Anything you want." Alli said. We justughed. I''m so happy Hans found someone like her. He has changed a lot since she came. Hans became more vocal to us; he is no longer the stump that Reysa always teases. And per Reysa, I don''t know about that. She dates different guys every month. I''m the one who gets tired of having to pick up her different men every month. She said that she was no longer interested in the rtionship so she was just joking, as per her words. "He''s home." She said suddenly, it''s just the two of us and we''re cleaning up. "Yeah. I know." I answered. "You know already?" She asked. "We metst Wednesda at the Mall." I answered. It was Russel. He''se back after three years. We met and talked for a while. By the way, he even introduced me to his girlfriend. "How is he?" She asked more. "He''s fine, doing great actually. He''s a practitioner now. He also introduced me to his girlfriend. He¡¯s got a beautiful and kind girlfriend,¡± I answered. "He¡¯s got a girlfriend? Wow. I can¡¯t believe he can still have another one to fool." She teases. "You¡¯re so mean to him. Russell¡¯s kind and handsome. He was just blinded by his desire to revenge.¡± I said. It shrugged. "What do you feel when you see them?" She asked. It was my turn to shrug. "Nothing. I was shocked because I didn''t know he was home. But then, I''m happy he was home and he has found someone." I said. "No ill feelings?" "No. Why?" "Because he already has someone else and you haven''t?" She asked. Iughed. I shook my head. "It was my choice to be single, and I will never think of that." I said. That''s one of the things I have learned from our rtionship; to never feel betrayed just because my ''ex'' has found someone else. We were done and we ended up good. I ept until then really. And I promised myself. That when this dayes, I will never ruin my ex''s chance for new happiness. He didn''t find it in me, so why should I stop him from finding it in others? I am not the only person in the world. I also promised that I would not do what they did to me to anyone. I don''t want other people to suffer like how I did, I respect myself to even do that. Life could be really unfair to us, it will give us countless challenges, makes us suffer and struggle. We will stumble many times but that doesn''t give us any right to pass the pain we have been through to others. We suffer, they do too. There are different ways, but they also go through your hardship and pain like us. And I choose to be happy after those, I''m happy that I''ve been through those and survived. I''ll make those experiences as a reminder that once, I was loved and I loved. I was not hurt and died, I was happy and learned in the end. Chapter 37: 37: New Beginning, No More Lies Chapter 37: 37: New Beginning, No More Lies ¡°Congrattions!¡± I greeted the newly wed, I was smiling widely. ¡°Thank you, Jia. I¡¯m so happy that you came,¡± Maxine, Russell¡¯s wife said then hugged me afterwards. ¡°How can I not? I know you guys won¡¯t stop until I actually came,¡± I answered. Two weeks before their wedding, Russell contacted me. He wanted to meet together with, by then, his fianc¨¦, Maxine. I was wondering why they wanted to meet-up only to find out that they want me to attend their wedding. I was shocked then happy. Shocked that they thought of me as part of their guests and happy that finally, Russell has met that someone he will love faithfully the rest of his life. ¡°Of course! I would want my best friend to witness one of the important events in my life,¡± Russell answered. For that, I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms to my chest. ¡°Nah. You just want to receive a gift from me,¡± I said. Reconciling with Russell lifted a big rock from my chest and being friends with him makes my heart even lighter. We both know that we had a tragic history but like we choose and should think, it was all now in the past we both have moved on from those. We might hurt each other from the choices we made, at least in the end, we both learned from those. And having those experiences brought us both to where we are; happy and content. Russellughed. ¡°Your wrong. I just want to show you how fulfilling it is to have someone you could call home; that it was heartwarming to love someone,¡± he said. I scoffed. ¡°Tss. Don¡¯t start at me, Russell. I¡¯m perfectly fine with my life right now, I don¡¯t want a distraction.¡± Maxine smiled then linked her arms to mine. ¡°Come on, Jia. I have all my cousins here right now and I have one that I really wanted to introduce to you,¡± she said. I immediately shook my head. ¡°You know what, I think you two should go and entertain your other guests,¡± I told them instead, I even slightly pushed Maxine to Russell. ¡°And please, stop bothering me with that issue,¡± I added. The twoughed as they waved to me, telling me that they would go around to greet their guests. And as for me, I settled myself at the far corner; enjoying thepany of myself and the ss of champagne I¡¯ve been holding since the reception party started. ¡°I should have brought Reysa with me,¡± I murmured to myself. I was never really good at socializing and Russell kept on looking at me with that concerned eyes, afraid that I might feel outcast more than I already felt. I just crossed my arms to my chest and rolled my eyes, telling him that I¡¯m fine and he shouldn¡¯t worry about me. I remained seated on my spot even during the throwing of the bouquet, Maxine tried to convince me to join the other girls but I refused. I just watched them until a pretty chubby girl got the bouquet and a guy caught the garter. Everyone at the party was enthusiastically cheering for the two. I wouldn¡¯t wonder, the guy looks hot: he¡¯s tall, fair and handsome. While the girl, she looks pretty perfect with those curves, pinkish cheeks and attractive eyes. They would be a good match if ever. ¡°Ate Jia,¡± Sol, Russell¡¯s cousin approached me. My eyes widened but those were reced with a huge smile. ¡°Sol!¡± I called her and stooped to hug her. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°You look so pretty. I didn¡¯t see you at the church earlier,¡± I added. She hugged me back and kissed my right cheek. ¡°I waste, Ate.¡± She answered and hugged me tighter. ¡°I missed you so much,¡± she added. Amongst all Russell¡¯s cousins, Marie Sol is the only one I¡¯m closed to. It wasn¡¯t hard to be friends with her because Sol is a very sweet, caring, kind and understanding girl. Actually, for me, she¡¯s the perfect epitome of an ideal girl every guy could dream of. ¡°Yourte because you meet-up with your boyfriend, am I right?¡± I teased. ¡°What¡¯s his name again?¡± I asked. Smiling, she shook her head. ¡°I just school matters, Ate. And Kairo and I have broken-up for a year now,¡± she answered. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s nothing, Ate. I have moved on from him and very much in love with my studies,¡± she said. I smiled and held her hand. ¡°Always choose your peace of mind, through that, you¡¯ll be happy,¡± I said. The reception party went smooth, Sol stayed at my side to apany me. I¡¯m guessing that Russell asked her to do that. I just decided to let that pass, besides, I¡¯m happy to speak again with Sol. She¡¯s really someone full of positivity. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to meet the cousin I¡¯m telling you?¡± Maxine asked me. I immediately shook my head. ¡°Oh, please. Stop bothering yourselves with my love life. I¡¯m perfectly fine with just myself.¡± I said. ¡°Whose cousin, Ate?¡± Sol asked, curiously. ¡°Kuya Alejah,¡± Maxine answered, smiling mischievously. Sol mouthed ¡®o¡¯ then smiled at me. ¡°He¡¯s kind, Ate. You two will surly get along,¡± she said, clinging her arms to me. I shook my head again. ¡°Not even you, Sol. Please,¡± I said. The two justughed and I rolled my eyes on them. I think they will recruit Sol in their mission to get me a boyfriend. Chapter 38: 38 Chapter 38: 38 ¡°How¡¯s the wedding?¡± Reysa asked meter that night when I got home. She was sitting at our couch as she watched some movie on the television. ¡°Feet off the couch, Reysa.¡± I said instead. She rolled her eyes and removed her shoes before putting back her feet on the couch. ¡°So, how was it?¡± She repeated. So, curious, ain¡¯t yah? ¡°It was beautiful. I told you, you should havee with me,¡± I answered. She scoffed. ¡°As if. You know I don¡¯t support you being friends with your ex and his now wife,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that, Rey,¡± I said. I sat beside her and took out some chips from her hand. ¡°There is, especially when that girl, Maxine, kept on pushing you with some other guys.¡± ¡°She¡¯s just being friendly, stop bitching about it.¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re siding on her now? You¡¯re choosing her over me,¡± she said. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. Scandalized, I turned to her. ¡°What? I¡¯m not choosing anyone, Reysalyn!¡± I said, but then, I realized something so I squinted my eyes. ¡°Are you jealous of Maxine?¡± I asked. It was her turn to feel scandalized. Her eyes widened and she moved away a bit. ¡°Ha! Why would I be jealous of that girl?¡± she said. Iughed. ¡°Come on, Reysa. I know you; you were like this to Ruth before. Hmm¡­¡± I teased. ¡°Shut up, Jianna. I¡¯m not jealous,¡± she denied. ¡°Oh, really? Then, why are you blushing?¡± I teased more. ¡°Stop it, Jia.¡± She said, ring at me. Iughed and moved to hug her, I also leaned on her shoulder. ¡°You and Hans are my best friends and no one can ever rece you two in my heart,¡± I said. I felt her took a deep sighed. ¡°Just don¡¯t hang out with that two too much. I hate the idea that they are pushing you tomit something you¡¯re not even interested with,¡± she said. I nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, Sa. I will not have someone I¡¯m not interested to,¡± I said. She didn¡¯t say but shrugged. I know that she¡¯s concerned and I will not invalidate that. And as per, Russell and Maxine, I know they are also concern and I appreciate that. I also do know where Russell¡¯s concern ising; he thinks I lost interest in love because of what happened to us. He thinks that I¡¯m afraid to love because I¡¯m scared of getting hurt and he was wrong, they were wrong. I¡¯m not scared. I¡¯m talking my time with what¡¯s important right now and I believe that if love is for me, it wille to mw without me finding it. I want that kind of love, the one that I didn¡¯t expect toe but came. And I prayed that it was a love that will stay and never leave. I want someone who will love only me; someone who will always choose to be happy than deal with the past. I prayed to meet someone that I will be happy with. Chapter 39: 39 Chapter 39: 39 "Have you seen the new nt Manager?" I heard Ruth said, she was asking Lucy. Lucy nodded. "Yeah," she answered gloomily. Ruth sighed as it sat beside Lucy. "It''s still sad that Sir Mikael has left." "There''s nothing we can do about it. Besides, let''s just think, it''s for his pleasure that he left," Allen said. Unfortunately, Mikael resigned to follow his girlfriend who moved in the US. It was so sudden that all of us were shock to know that he''s leaving a day before he fly to California. That one, the tendency to really surprise. "Because Ma''am Jia, Sir was interviewed so I agreed, I found someone else ... Then, I''m leaving." Adrian said. I snorted. "Why is it my fault all of a sudden?" I said. "Well, Ma''am-don''t be offended-but you''re very light choosy. It''s Sir Mikael but you''ve been watching," Ruth said. I shook my head from what I heard. Until now, they still haven''t been able to move on about that matter. A year ago, Mikael confessed that he like me and if I will agree, he''d like to try us. But I said no. No not N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. because I don''t like him. I actually answered no because I don''t think I like him enough to risk our friendship. Mikael is a great friend and I would like to keep him that way, a friend that I know I will not lose no matter what happened. And I was not wrong for choosing that decision because months after, Mikael met Leora, the girl he fell in love. Some said, maybe Mikael didn''t really liked me because he was fast to find someone else. But I don''t believe those. Maybe, he really liked me, but his feelings for me is not as strong as the feelings he has for Leora. He just like me, but Leora, he love her. Through the years and experience, I have learned to distinguish what is genuine feelings to infatuation. And most of the time, I met infatuation that I''m not interested to process more than it should be. I''m cool with just myself. I''m not rushing anything yet. "Mikael and I are just friends. You all so stubborn. I''m going to punch you one by one," I told them. Theyughed. "It''s a pity, Ma''am. You and Sir look so good together," Lucy said. "Nah. I''m too good for him," I said, kidding. Theyughed again. Another thing that progress so well the past years is my rtionship with my team. I was hard at first, especially those days after we came back from our trip. It was so hard for me to talk to them without feeling awkward, I can''t even look them in the eyes. But they reached out, they help me ovee the situation I never wanted to be in. My luck in part is that I have met people like them. "You know, Ma''am. We won''t be surprised if be an old maid," Niko said. I scolded him. "God. Stop saying bad words. I will kill you if thate true, ha!" I said. We were like that the whole day, fifty percent working and fifty percent ''having fun''. It was fine to me though. As long as the work task has been done, things like this will never be a problem. Also, we''re more productive this way. Chapter 40: 40 Chapter 40: 40 "Where have you been?" Hans asked as I sat beside him in the conference room. "Washroom. Are you here yet?" I said, roaming my sight around to see if the new nt Manager is already inside, but I didn¡¯t see anyone who¡¯s unfamiliar so I guess, nothing yet. "There''s still fifteen minutes more," Hans answered. The meeting starts at three o''clock and there are still fifteen minutes left. "Busy?" I asked. When Mikael was still the nt Manager, even though it wasn''t the right time, as long as he saw that the members wereplete, he would start immediately. Well, that''s Mikael. Hans shrugged. "Maybe. We''re not close so I can find out," he replied. My brows creased. What''s the problem with that and it''s so ugly. "Did Eli step on you? Why do you seem to be conceiving?" I asked. News sh: Eli''s pregnant. Hans red at me and I didn''t do anything butugh at him. I became even more irritated. "I have something for Eli. You''lleter before you go home, huh?" I told him instead. "You just give," he said. I immediately shook my head. "No. It''s just you, you''re the wife. Just tell me it''s from me," I replied. Hans''s attitude rolled his eyes at me. "Baka kasal," ani n''ya. Another news sh: Eli''s pregnant but she doesn''t want to get married yet. Reason for Hans to sulk each time he got. "I''ll change my mind too, just wait," I said. Hans tsk-ed. "I''ve been waiting for her for years, Jia. I just want to get married, she doesn''t want to." N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Just understand, the person is pregnant. Of course, their decisions are not stable now, they are very emotional now," I just said. I would like to say that, when you were able to wait without certainty, can you still have children? But of course, I can''t say that. He might get even more frustrated. "She love you, so just chill there," I added when he didn''t answer. Honestly, I don''t know what''s wrong with these two. Just for fools. Sometimes so much in love, often like children. I continued talking to Hans about other things that we were surprised when everyone in the conference room stood. We also stood up even though we did not know what was happening. But a familiar guy stood in front of us. "Good afternoon, sir." One of the managers greeted him, he nodded and greeted us back. I greeted but I don''t think that''s loud enough for him to hear. But it doesn''t matter. He gestured us all to settle down, we did. The meeting started and he was introduced. "This is Mr. Elijah Matteo Bel Monte, our new nt Manager," Denise, the HR head said. "Nice meeting you all," he said. The introduction proceed, introducing as all to him. "This is Ms. Jianna Astrid Romero, our marketing director." Denise introduced me. I smiled and nodded a bit. "Nice meeting you, Sir." I said. But his eyes squinted and his brow furrowed. "Don''t get me wrong, Ms. Romero but you looks familiar," he said. Hans turned to me immediately. He even nudge me but I just ignored him. "Probably because of Russell''s wedding," I answered. I don''t know if I answered appropriately but I don''t think it matters. His eyes widened and he smiled. "Right. I remember, you''re my cousin''s husband''s best friend," he said. I smiled and nodded as my answered. And when I turned to Hansel, he''s brows are creased then he said, "I thought I''m your best friend." I just rolled my eyes. Chapter 41: 41 Chapter 41: 41 "What was that, Jia?" Hanz asked, he was following me to my office. "When did you be so friendly to random guys," he added. I rolled my eyes. "He''s not just a random guy, Hanzel. He is our boss," I said. "What''s your problem?" I had to ask. He''s acting so weird. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Hanzel squinted hid eyes. "Is the guy your ex and his wife setting up to you?" I shook my head. "He''s not, Hanzel. Calm your shit, alright?" I said. Duh. I won''t tell him that he was right. Not in that judgmental eyes of him. Hanzel tsk-sk and rolled his eyes. "Stop associating yourself to that guy. Remember, he hurt you once." Iughed to that. "Come on, Hanz. That''s been ages ago! Move on, okay? Besides, I''m perfectly fine." "He''s you ex-boyfriend, Jianna. You can''t be friends with your ex." He said. "Who says?" I asked. Russell and I are already have moved on. We''re good. Same with Maxine and I. I honestly don''t see anything wrong with our set up; it''s not as if I''m trying to steal Russell to Maxine. God. That''s gross. "Believe me, Hanz. There is more probably that I stayed single the rest of my life than Ie back to my ex-boyfriend who got married recently," I said. "Goodness, Hanzel. Give me some pride, alright?" I added when he continued staring at me judgmentally. He rolled his eyes. "Just don''t fall in love again with the wrong guy," he said. Iughed again. "How am I supposed to know if a guy is a wrong guy and a write guy? Does they have an x and check marked in their forehead?" I asked, teasing him a bit. Hanzel scoffed at me. "There were red gs that we called, Jianna Astrid. You must check if he is showing red gs as early as possible so you could step backwards immediately." He said. I rolled my eyes. "Of course, I know that!" "Why are asking me, then?" "Because you''re annoying," I said,ughing. Hanzel red at me and shook his head. "Seriously, Hanz. I can take care of myself. I think, I''m old enough to handle myself," I said. "You think? You''re not even sure, Jia. You''re stressing me," he said. Iughed agai. "Umuwi ka na nga. Huwag mo sa akin ibunton ang frustration mo kay Eli, ha!" I said. He shook his head again. Honestly, I appreciate his concern. Ever since. Hanzel didn''t only acts as a best friend, he''s also like a big brother and I love him for that. I cherish his existence in my life. I know I would be in where I am and I would be the person I am today without him. Hanzel is one of those person who helped me to be the version of myself today. He helped me learned and realized, he introduced me to the bravest side of me. Without Hanzel, I would have stil the weak Jiana Astrid who cries about his ex-boyfriend. What a pity. Chapter 42: 42 Chapter 42: 42 Days passes to fast. I always meet Elijah around the office. Apparently, he''s a hands-on boss. He visits each offices just to check his employees. A big check for all of us. Mikael was like that. He was friendly to all of his employees and we are d that Elijah''s like him. At least, it won''t be hard for us to work with him. I smiled at Elijah upon seeing him in the elevator. "Good morning, Sir." I greeted. He smiled and greeted me as well. "Good morning, Ma''am." He said. It was unusual to be called ma''am with your boss but I don''t want to make it a big deal so I just ignored it. Maybe, he is still not used with his current position. After all, it wasn''t easy to adjust. "Max is asking for you. She told me to say hi to you on her behalf," he said after. "Uhm... I''m good. Inab ka pa n''ya. She could text me naman," I said. Elijah smiled, showing his dimples. "Actually, she gave me your number long ago and I just learnedst night that it was yours. I didn''t know that it was you they were trying to set a blind date with me," he said shyly. That made me awkward. So, I just smiled and shook my head. "Just don''t mind them. They''re just paranoid about me being single the rest of my life," I said. He looked at me witn squinting eyes. "Parang hindi naman. Surely, you got a long line of suitors," he said. "What?" I said. "No. I don''t have. I''m not even interested," I said. He nodded. "I see. I guess, that''s the reason why you didn''t reply to me?" He said. "Huh?" I asked, confused. "I texted you after the wedding. Sol, told me that you were at the reception. She even pointed where you were sitting and I saw you there, doing something at your phone. So, I thought of texting you. I saw how your brows creased but you didn''t reply." He said. Why are we suddenly talking about this? Gosh. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. "Uh... Sorry for that. I just don''t reply to unknown numbers," I reasoned. I remembered that. I was ying mobile legends that time when I received a text from unknown number. And I was creasing my brows because I was on a sh when he texted and why screen was blocked by the notification, making my character died on war. I was so annoyed that time. "So, if I text you now, will you reply? I''m not unknown anymore." He said. Is he being serious? "Of course, I prioritize work matters," I said awkwardly. I look at the elevator''s door. When will this open? "But I''m not gong to text you about work matters," he said. "Then, why are you going to text me? I asked, getting more confused. "So, we could know each other?" He said. "And why do we need to know each other? I mean, we already know each other professionally," I said, emphasizing thest word. Elijah smiled, showing off his dimples again. "Because I''m interested in you. Ever since I was in my cousin''s wedding." He said. Chapter 43: 43 Chapter 43: 43 Hanz res at me as he I walked pass his office with a bouquet of flowers in my hand. Elijah gave it to me. Thankfully, not in front of our officemate. Because he did that inside the office, I will surely melt like a jelly in embarrassment. Things like that isn''t my thing. I would rather have special moments kept privately. Not that him, giving me a bouquet of flowers is something special, alright? I just really don''t like making a scene in front of other people. My inte rang and I knew it was Hanz. I can him on the telephone from my office. "What''s that?" He asked the moment I answered his call. "Bouquet of flowers, obviously." I answered, putting the flowers at my table. White tulips. Russell must have told me that these are my favorite flowers. "I''m stupid. I know that''s a bouquet of flowers," Hanz said. "Who gave you that?" He asked again. I rolled my eyes. "Someone you should know, dad." I answered. "Jianna-." I cut him off. "Astrid Pacual Romero," I continued. "There''s nothing you should worry, Hanzel. I can handle this. Give me some trust, please?" I said. I heard him taking a deep sigh. "Just don''t let him hurt you. I swear, I''m going to punch him. I don''t care if he''s the boss," he said. My eyes widened and when I looked at him, he just rolled his eyes on me. "Don''t give me that look, Jia. He''s too obvious. Tell him to slow down a bit, try to be discreet at least. I don''t want to hear any talk about you flirting with the boss." He said. "I''m not flirting with him, Hanzel." I said. "Do you think they will think of that? When thises out, you will be the bad guy. They will talk shit about you but never about the boss. Because, he''s the boss and you''re his employee," it said. I pouted. "But I''m not even interested in him," I said. I saw him rolled his eyes again. "Then tell him to fucking back off," he said. My eyes widened again. "Huy, Hanzel. Are you pouring your frustrations to Eli in me again?" I asked. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. He shook his head and sighed. "Just be careful, okay? If youy not interested, then tell him straight. Don''t wait until things gotplicated," it said. I nodded. "Yes, dad." I said and even saluted to him. He just shook his head before cutting the line. I put down the telephone and grabbed the bouquet. I caught Hanz looking at me from his office but I ignored him. I transferred the flowers to a vase and put it in my department''s meeting table; the one we always use every time we have a meeting within the department. "Wow. Is that yours, Ma''am?" Ruth asked. I smiled but shook my head. "Complementary from the client," I said, lying. I will never admit that someone gave me a bouquet of flowers and that someone is our new boss. Hanzel is right. I''ll be the talk in the office once they found out about Elijah giving me these flowers. I don''t want to be a bad guy when I''m not even doing anything! Chapter 44: 44 Chapter 44: 44 "Alright. Meeting adjourned," I annouced, closing myptop and gathering my things. It was already past six in the evening but my team and I had to work overtime to discuss about our new project. "We will go ahead now, Ma''am." One of them said, I nodded and let them go home. And for me, I still need to finish some documents that due the next day. So, I stayed. I busied myself reading and approving some documents when I heard a knocked from my office door. I thought it was Hanz but to my surprised, it was Elijah. He was smile as he lifted a paper bag of a well- known restaurant. "Hey," I said, still surprised that he''s in my office. "Hi. It''s past eight already and I noticed that you haven''t eaten anything so, I thought of buying you dinner," he said with a shrugged. He then handed me the paper bag. I smiled awkwardly as I took it. "You don''t have to," I said. "It''s fine. I really insist," he said. "I want to prove myself to you," he added. My heart skipped nervously. I know this is impolite but Hanz, again, is right. I need to tell him immediately that I am not interested so he should stop wasting his time with me. "Uhm... Elijah, can we talk?" I asked. He smiled again. "Basted na ba ako?" He asked. I wasn''t even saying anything! My eyes widened. "Ano kasi..." I started but I couldn''t find the correct words to say without offending him. "It''s alright. Your friend actually talked to me. He said you''re not interested in me so I should back off. I would like to believe that he''s just lying and he''s just being protective but Russell has warned me about him. He told me that you tell him everything, that you don''t keep secret to him because he''s your real best friend," he said. Oh, my god. "I''m sorry," I said, running out of wards to say. But he remained smiling, showing off those dimples of him. "No. It''s fine. Honestly, when I heard that talk with your friend, I got annoyed. But then, I was also thankful. Because I realized that I''m not interested in you," it said. Upon hearing that, I felt like a big rock has been lifted from my chest. I feel light. "That''s great. I was actually thinking if Max has pressured you that much," I said. But he shook his head. "No, Jia. I actually realized that I like you a lot. And I''m thankful for your friends All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. for helping me realized that," he said. Again, a big rock has dropped in my chest. I suddenly can''t breathe. "Huh?" I asked, getting more confused. "If you will let me, I will court you. I will prove myself to you. You don''t have to do anything, just let me do it for you. Until you''re ready to give my chance. No pressure, just be true yo yourself." He said. Like, what the hell? Chapter 45: 45 Chapter 45: 45 When Elijah said he will court me, I thought we will be all out courting me. But thankfully, he didn''t. He slowed down and lowkey courts me. Regardlessly, I still don''t approve to it. But no matter how many times I told him to stop, he won''t listen. He will just smile to me and continue. Goodness. [Hi.] A text message I received from him. It''s weekend and I was at home,zily attached to my bed. [Aww. Ignored.] He sent again. My brows creased. [I thought we are close now to receive a reply.] Another one. That made meugh. [Yes, Sir? Do you need anything?] I replied. [Sir again?] [Because you are my boss.] I said. [You are hurting my feelings, Jianna Astrid. When will you consider me as someone you can be with outside the office?] He texted back. I can imagine how dramatic his face is as he types this message. [Well, we can be friends outside the office.] [More than friends, please?] He replied. I shook my head. [Friends...] I texted back. [When will it be more than friends?] He insist. God. [You will not give it up, won''t you?] I asked. [Yap. I''m hundred percent in to it.] He replied. I rolled my eyes and smiled a bit. So stubborn. [I can introduce you to a friend who''s interested though.] I said. [You are being mean right now, you know?] He replied. I can''t help butugh to it. [What''s wrong with that? At least in my friend, you will be reciprocated.] I replied. [I would be grateful if it was you, though.] [Ang kulet mo.] I replied. [I know.] He said. I shook my head. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. [Why did you text be kasi?] I asked then. [Wow. Didn''t know you''re kinda conyo p.] He replied. I sent a rolling eyes emoji. [Kidding. Anyway, I texted to ask you of you are free this afternoon. I got a ticket for your favorite band''s mini concert.] My eyes widened upon reading that. [Are being real?] I replied, feeling excited. [Real na real. So, are you in?] He asked. I rolled my eyes. Realizing that he''s using bait to ask me out. Huh! Clever. [Did Russell sold me in again?] I asked. It was only Russell who knows about my addiction to that band! And surely, he told Elijah about it. [He''s just being nice to help me. So?] He replied. I shook my head again. [Okay.] I replied. It''s like I will get a chance to watch them everyday no! This is a one time chance that I couldn''t let to pass. [Okay? As in you are in?] He asked. [Yeah.] I confirmed. [Alright. Do you want me to pick you up from your ce or?] [Let''s just meet at the venue.] I replied. I can''t let Reysa see him. I know she will surely freak out like Hanzel. Those two causes me headaches sometime. They are better left unknown of somethings. [Alright. See youter, then?] [See youter.] I replied. Chapter 46: 46 Chapter 46: 46 Afternoon came. The mini concert will start at five in the afternoon, I arrived thirty minutes before five. I parked my car near the exit and looked for Elijah. I already texted him that I''m already at the venue''s premises and he replied that he''s standing near the All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. entrance. I walked to where he is. It wasn''t hard to search for him. Apparently, this guy is tall enough to easily find him even in the most crowded ce. Okay. I got exaggerated there. But still, he''s really tall. My 5''3 height suddenly felt shy. I was walking my way to his spot. He hadn''t seen me and he''s busy with his phone. I was guessing that he was texting until my phone vibrated. It was a text message from him. [Want me to go to you instead?] He texted. [Nope. I''m almost there.] I replied. I saw him lifted his head and look for me. At bng mapang-asar, I tried to head behind those who''s walking ahead of me. I was smiling like idiot as I was approaching to his spot. "Hey!" I said, jumping in front of him. His eyes widened in surprise. Iughed and shook my head. "Let''s go inside?" I asked. Still, he was moving. He was just looking at me like he had seen a goddess. "What now, Elijah? Are you going to stare at me the whole concert time?" I teased. That''s only he got recovered. "I''m sorry. I was just surprised to see you dressed like that," he said. I rolled my eyes. Apparently, everyone in the office sees me like some modest woman; those who only dressed below the knee and long sleeves. That me, wearing skirt that above my knee of half of my legs and sleeveless tops is so unusual for them. "I am not what you are think, alright?" I said, tapping his cheeks. I walked ahead of him after that. "I want to say someplements but I don''t want you to think that I''m pervert," he said, walking beside me. I shrugged. "Keep to yourself then. I''m not really up forplements," I said. Elijah smiled and nodded. He asked me to buy some snacks first before going inside. I even teased him if are going to do pic inside because he bought a lot of snacks! "It''s better to be prepared," he just said with a shrugged. We went inside the venue after buying snacks. The venue isn''t like the usual concert venue. It was an open space without chairs, we could either sit on the grass or stand. I just wish that everyone chose to sit on the ground, though. "Since when did you like this band?" Elijah asked me after handing me a bottle of water. He even opened it for me. "2015." I answered. "How about you? Were you only here just so you could have a reason to ask me out?" I asked, shamelessly. This is what I learned form the past years and experiences.. I should always rified every situation I am in. Elijahughed and shook his head. "Somehow," he sais. I arched brow. "Listen to me first, okay?" He added. "Let''s say, 20% is because I also listen to their song but not to the extent that I will go in their concerts." "So, you just really used the concert to ask me out?" He asked. Heughed again. "80% yes." He said. "I really wan to know you and I know that is impossible to happen inside the office," he added. I just rolled my eyes. Chapter 47: 47 Chapter 47: 47 The concert ended so well. I was so happy I got to see them performed live! "Did you enjoy it?" Elijah asked me as we walk towards the venue''s exit. I nodded and smiled. "I did. Thanks, Eli." I said. He smirked. "Are we in nickname basis now?" He asked I immediately rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Sir Elijah." I teased. Heughed and messed with my hair. "You''re cute," he said. I rolled my eyes again. "Shut up," I scoffed and walk ahead from him. He immediately followed, "Are you heading home already?" I asked then. We are already out the venue and making our way to the parking space. He shrugged. "I still have an hour to spare. Why?" "Want to grab some dinner before going home?" I asked, shrugging. Elijah smiled mischievously. "Are you asking me out, Ms. Romero?" He asked. I rolled my eyes again. "Don''t flutter yourself, Sir. I''m just giving back the favor," I said. "Well, a dinner won''t be enough to pay the tickets." He said. "Oh, sige. Magkano ba ''yun at babayaran ko nang," I said. Elijah reached for the top of my head and messed with my hair again. I moved it away immediately. "I''m just kidding, alright? You''re taking everything seriously," he then said. "Because, I''m a serious person," I said. "Then, when will you take me seriously?" He asked, there was a ghost of smile in his face. I rolled my eyes again. "Ewan ko sa''yo," I said and walked ahead of him again, he keep up immediately. "Sungit," I heard him say. I ignored it and continued walking until I reached my car. I stood beside it and faced him again. "Is your offer still up?" He asked, still smiling. God. Isn''t he tired smiling all the time? "Only of you will stop teasing me," I said. "Alright, alright." He said. "Where do you want to eat, then?" He then asked. "I was the one asking you that," I said. He shrugged. "Well, I''m not a pocky eater. I will be good with anything." He said. I squinted my eyes. "What if I want a convenience store''s food?" I asked. "7/11 or Ministop?" He asked. I stared at him, figuring out what''s wrong with this guy. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. "What?" He asked. "Stop giving me that scrutinizing stare, Ms. Romero. I ate convenience store''s food," he said. I arched my brow then shrugged seeing he is serious. "Alright. Let''s just convoy. Where did you park your car?" I asked. "At the east side. Wait for me here, I will just get it," he answered. "Nah. Hop in. I will bring you to your car," I said. Elijah smirked. "You''re fluttering me too much, Ms. Romero. Sige ka, baka maslo kitang i-pursue," he said. I rolled my eyes for I don''t know how many times already. "Oh, sige. Makad ka nang. Dami mong m masyado," I said. "Do you have any idea how cute you are when doing that? Rolling your eyes and scoffing at me?" He said, showing of his dimples yet again. Seriously, this guy is having a lot of fun tonight. Chapter 48: 48 Chapter 48: 48 I didn''tment to his remarks and instead, I turned my back and get in to my car. Laughingly, he followed me. I drove him to where his care was parked and after that, we convoyed to the nearest 7/11. Inside, we bought two cup noodles, donuts, two cans of beer and some other snacks that I don''t think we can eat. "These will kill our kidneys," he said. I shrugged. "I didn''t ask you to buy whatever I will be buying. Gaya-gaya kang," I said. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Because, I don''t have any idea which I will buy," he answered. I arched my brow. "I thought you ate here?" I asked, staring at him judgmentally. "I do! But not these. I like their ready-to-eat food," he answered defensively. "Though, their giniling is really annoying." He added. I couldn''t disagree though. Totoo naman kasi. Nakakainis naman tga ''yung giniling n. Parang ayaw mag pakain. In the end, Elijah still ate the food we bought and I can see that he enjoyed it. "You don''t like fancy things, no?" He asked out of the blue. I shrugged. "It''s morefortable in simplest things. I hateplications," I answered. He nodded. "I''m going to take note of this," he said. I snorted. "Epal mo," I said. He smiled. "You know, I really like you. You are always simple. You always makes me wonder what would it like to have met you earlier. It would definitely fun. I mean, you are so fun to be with. I can''t stopughing or smiling whenever you are around," he said. "What am I, a clown?" I asked, arching my brow. Heughed again, shaking his head. "That. That''s what I meant. I mean, you are so different from the women I met before. You are so feisty. You are the kind of woman that can fight for herself; the kind of girl who doesn''t really need a man to in her life." He said. "Why are you trying to get in my life if you knew that I don''t need any man in it?" I asked. "Because you are also the type of a woman who needs someone to take care of you. A woman bes strong and tough because they don''t have someone who can they lean on, someone who will take care of them when bad dayse. And I want to be that person to you; that someone whom you can lean on whenever you feel like you need one. Someone you can be dependent on," he said. I smirked. "Why do you think I need someone else to lean on when I have my friends with me?" I asked. "It doesn''t have to be someone else, Elijah. I always have Hanz and Reysa, my other best friend, who have been with me through my ups and downs," I said. Elijah shrugged. "Your friends will surely have their own life sooner. It''s different to have your own person in whatever circumstances," he said. I stared at him. "You will really going to push it, won''t you?" I asked. Elijah licked his lip and bit it, stopping himself to smile. "Because, I want to be that person for you," he said with a wink. Chapter 49: 48 Chapter 49: 48 The past few weeks were like usual; I was at the office from eight in the morning until eight the evening every weekdays. And when weekends came, it''s either I stay at home the whole day or I am out with Elijah. I can now admit that I judge him too easy before. Because apparently, Elijah is a very fun person to be with. And with all honestly, I am starting to appreciate him. Although, our connection is still hidden to our office mates. And I don''t think they have to know though. And for Hanz and Reysa, I don''t think I''m already ready to tell them what''s really happening between Elijah and I. Though, Hanz are knew about Elijah, telling Reysa would be different. So, it is better to keep it a secret until I am not certain about it. "Ma''am, urgent meeting daw po sa conference one," Ruth informed. I nodded at her and immediately grabbed my notes amd headed straight to the conference room. I saw Hanz walking out of his office too. "Para saan daw?" I asked him. He shrugged. "Not sure. W namang memo," he answered and opened the door of the conference room for me. We went in and sat side by side. Some of the department head were already there. Few minutes after, Elijah came. He was with a very sophisticated woman escorting behind him A visitor, I guess. "Good afternoon, everyone." He greeted. We greeted back. "I would like you all to meet Ms. Vera Tan. Our newest investor," Elijah introduced her. "Ms. Vera, these are the department heads of thepany," Elijah added. Ms. Vers greeted us all, we do the same. "You may take your seat now," Elijah said after the short introduction. "Sit hear, Ms. Vera," he said, pulling a chair for Ms. Vera. Hanz suddenly nudge me. "You''re staring to long. Are you jealous?" He asked. My eyes widened. "Why would I?" I asked. Hanzel shrugged. "It shows in your face," he said. I shook my head. "Don''t be ridiculous, Hanzel." This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. "Go on. Lie to yourself, Jianna." He said, rolling his eyes. That''s what happened half of the meeting; arguing about how I am not jealous. "You should cleanse your mind, Hanzel. You imagination are getting morbid," I told him. "Mama mo morbid. Sa akin ka pa mag sisinungaling? Tga ba, Jia?" He said. I rolled my eyes. "You''re saying nonsense, Hanzel." I said. "And please, stop saying mama mo. That''s so childish," I said. And this guy, being so matured, made face to me. I almost pped my notes to him. "Bah ka nga d''yan," I said and left him. I walked ahead of him and headed straight at the pantry. The meeting ended tote that most of the employees already went home. But like usual, I still have to work overtime for some works that needs to be approved today. I just made myself a coffee in the pantry and headed back to my office. Chapter 50: 49 Chapter 50: 49 It was already nearly seven in the evening and I really opt to go home before nine, leaving me an hour to finish my tasks for today. I just took a sip on my coffee before working again. I was so engrossed in working that I did not notice All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. that Elijah is already in front of me. If he didn''t knocked on my table, I wouldn''t know that he''s here. "Hey," I said. "You need anything?" I asked. His brows were creased. "You have you had your dinner?" He asked instead. I shook my head and turned my attention in myptop again. "I will eat at hometer," I said, not looking at him. "You should eat, Ms. Romero." He said. "Later, Sir. I need to finish these all tonight," I said, still not looking at him. I heard him took a deep sigh and put something on my desk. "Bought you a dinner. Please eat will you''re working," he said. I nodded, eyes still fixated on myptop. "Okay. Thank you," I said. He left after that. But I forgot about the food. I just remembered that it was sitting on my desk when I was about to leave. I just took it and brought home to eat. The next day came and Ms. Vera is in the office again. Elijah toured her inside and introduced to all of the employees. And when the lunch time came, I saw walking side by side until the elevator. They went inside and I have no idea what happened next. Elijah didn''te back after lunch time, it was the next day again when I saw him walking to his office. I checked my phone. There''s no recent text from him. Thest one was the day after yesterday. He''s really busy with Ms. Vera. Not wanting to overthink, I engrossed myself with work. I was so busy that the time has slipped my mind. It was only Ruth who reminded me that it was already past nine in the evening. "You can go home now. Sorry you had to stay thiste," I told my people. They all said "It''s okay, Ma''am." But I know it was not. I left the office past nine-thirty. I rode the elevator down to the basement to gate my car. But before reaching my destination, the elevator stopped at fifth floor and waiting there was Elijah and Ms. Vera. "Good evening, Ma''am, Sir." I greeted with a smile. They both greeted me back. Elijah was looking at me but I moved to the side and leaned my head on the wall, looking away from them. "Maybe we should try to go to The Booze. I heard it was fun there," Ms. Vera said, she even held Elijah''s arm. Elijah turned to me immediately. I arched my brow to him. "What do you think?" Ms. Vera asked again. I looked away again and never turned to their way until the elevator opened to the basement. They stepped out first and the moment I also stepped out the elevator, I elerated my way to my car and leave the parking as fast as I could. Chapter 51: 50 Chapter 51: 50 My phone kept on ringing that I had to put it on silent. I don''t know what the hell is my problem but I was so annoyed with Elijah that even answering his calls annoy me. Hold on there, Jianna Astid. What the hell is wrong with you? Come on, girl. I don''t really understand what is wrong with me but I really don''t have the energy to deal with it. Instead, I busied myself with work. If before I was already working hard, right now, I doubled it. I''m working even harder that even during weekends I still work. And in the office, I tried my best avoid him. I know I''m being unfair, but hell. I want a break to understand myself. I already have an idea but of course, I don''t want to act recklessly again. I want to figure this first before taking action of it. "Are you, somehow, trying to kill yourself, Jianna Astrid?" Hanz asked, we were at my office and it''s already nine-thirty in the evening. "Don''t start at me, Hanzel." I said, keeping my eyes fixated at myptop''s screen. Hanzel shrugged. "This was like a rewind of you years ago," he said. I ignored him. "If you think you like him already, then why are giving yourself a hard time?" He said. Again, I ignored him. "He approached, he''s asking me about you because apparently, you have been avoiding him for a N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. week already," he said again. "How can you possibly even do that?" I looked up to him and gave him a re, but didn''t even budge. He just arched his brow at me. "Don''t be a kid, Jianna. If you like him, tell him already. Don''t give yourself a hard time just because you''re jealous," he said. "I''m not jealous, alright?" I said. "Mama mo I''m not jealous," he said, teasing me. I rolled my eyes. "Stop it, Hanzel. You''re not funny," I said. "And you think you are funny? Come on, Jianna. It''s time to be responsible for your own feelings," he said. "I thought you are against him?" I asked. He shrugged. "What can I do when you are already in love with him?" He said. I almost choke of that. "In love? Stop being ridiculous, Hanzel!" I said. Hanzel snorted at me. "You stop being ridiculous, Jianna," he said before closing myptop. My eyes widened because of that. "Hanzel! Hindi pa ''yun naka-save," I told him. "Automatically saved," he said. "Get your ass up there and go chase him before it beste," he added. "Why would I have to chase after him?" Iined. Hanzel rolled his eyes. "He has done his part. You avoided him so now, do your part." I shook my head. "Do you really want to lose this to Ms. Vera? Because, I am telling you, that woman likes him; reason why she''s always here even though it was not necessary," he said, pulling me up and pushing me out of my office until the elevator. "He''s in the parking area, waiting for you." He said before pressing the elevator''s button. Chapter 52: 51 Chapter 52: 51 I rode the elevator down the basement and when it opened, my heart automatically beat so widely that I think it will jump out of my ribcage. He''s there, Elijah, leaning against his car as it patiently waits for me. He was looking at his shoes, unaware of meing closer to him. "Eli," I called him. His head automatically shot up and looks at me. He''s eyes were full of unfathomable emotions. "Hi," I said again. Elijah stood and smiled at me. "Hi," he said. "Are you going home?" I asked. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. He shook his head. "I''m waiting for you," he answered. I nodded. "Paano p kung hindi ako uuwi ngayon. Mag iintay ka rito mag damag?" I asked. He smiled and took a stepped forward closer to me. "You know I''m always willing to wait for you," he said. I bit me lips, suppressing a smile toe out. Hanzel is right. I shouldn''t have prolonged this. I know why I was so annoyed at him the past few days and it is because I''m jealous. I''m jealous of how Ms. Vera can touch him publicly and I can''t. It was my fault too, I made our situationplicated. "Are you done avoiding me?" He asked. "I won''t be here if I still am," I said and he sighed. "I miss you," he said, looking straight to my eyes. I arched my brow. "Hmm? Parang hindi naman," I said. "You were so busy with Ms. Vera." "She''s an investor," he said. I nodded. "But ording to Hanz, it wasn''t necessary that she''s here everyday," I said. He smirked. "Is that you way of saying your jealous of her?" He asked. I rolled my eyes. "Dream on," I said and walked passed him but before I could even take two steps, he stopped me by holding me on my elbow. "You know you don''t have to be jealous to anyone, right?" He said and I nodded. "I know," I said. "But still, I can''t help but to feel that because I also know that there are lot of girls that are better than me that you could like. I know how inconstant feelings are. It always change," I said. Elijah stared at me intensely. His hand glided down from my elbow to my hand, holding it. "Jia..." He called. "Hmm?" He licked his lips and bit it. "Gusto mo na rin ba ako?" He asked hopefully. But didn''t answer. Instead, I stepped closer to him and tiptoed until my lips reached his cheeks and whispered. "Gusto kita," I confessed. His hands automatically wrapped around my waist, hugging me. "God," he said, pulling me closer and tightened his hug. "You don''t know how much you''re making me happy," he added. "Hmm?" I murmured, looking up to him. My hands are also wrapped around his waist. Elijah bit and licked his lips again. "I''m so happy," he said. I nodded. " I can see that," I said, poking his dimples because he''s showing it off too much. Heughed. His chest vibrated because of that. "I love you," he whispered, kissing the top of my head. Chapter 53: 52 Chapter 53: 52 Being in a rtionship with Elijah feels so great. I mean, he''s so nice and sweet. I never thought I would be able to experience this kind of love that he is giving me. "Where do you want to eat?" He asked me. I shrugged. "I''m not sure, you decide." I said. "You sure?" He asked. I nodded. "Yeah," I answered and when I turned to him, he is looking at me suspiciously. I rolled my eyes. "Don''t worry. I''m not like other girls who will throw tantrums about food and such," I told him. Elijah bit his lips, showing off his dimples again. "I know, baby." He said,ughing a bit. I snorted. Until now, I can''t stil get used of him calling me that, baby. And the way he said it, damn. We ended up going to drive thru and ate the food on the back of his car while looking at the overview of the whole city. "It''s beautiful in here," I said as I enjoy my burger. "Hmm... Is it your first time here?" He asked then leaned to wipe something on the side of my mouth. I smiled at him and nodded. "No one will bring me in ces like this. You''re the first one," I said. Elijah smiled after hearing that. "I promise to always bring in ces where you can rx," he said. I moved closer to him and leaned my head on his shoulder, he on the other hand, wrapped his arm on mine too, supporting me. "I''m always rx every time you''re around," I said and I can feel how his arm tightened in my shoulder, he also kissed the top of my head. "You''re a smooth talker, are you aware of that?" He said. I looked up to him and winked. "Kilig ka naman," I teased. Elijah shook his head and nted another kissed on my head. "Sometimes, give me a chance to do that to you." He said. Iughed and moved away and arched my brow. "Alright. Make me kilig, Mr. Bel Monte," I said. I even crossed my arms to my chest. But what he did didn''t only give me kilig but made my whole world stop. Elijah kissed me. His lips on mine, moving so passionately slow. He moved away after away, smiling at me. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. "I love you," he said. And me, not wanting to thinking anything and just wanted what my heart is saying, pulled him to me and kissed him. It shocked her for a moment but after a while, I found him responding to my kisses. He held the back of my head to deepen our kissed as his other hand wrapped protectively on my back. While both of my arms are around his shoulder. Elijah. He is making me do things I have never done before. With him, I don''t know what inhibitions are. He make me lose my mind. He''s really different. "I love you too," I replied to him after the kiss. We are both still grasping for air. Chapter 54: 53 Chapter 54: 53 Elijah pulled me for a hugged, he was hugging me so tight that the I couldn''t feel the cold breeze anymore. In his arms, I always feels warm. It was always rxing. "I better bring you home now," he said. I looked up to him. "Huh? It''s still early. Do you have something to do?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his torso. He shook his head and kissed me on my forehead. "I should bring you home to your apartment before I lose control and bring you to my ce," he said. My eyes widened and I tried to moved away but he stopped me by hugging me tighter. "I''m sorry, baby. I just really want to be with you but honestly, that''s all. I just want to spend the night with you nothing more," he said. I stared at him. And I can see how embarrass he is. Huh! My boyfriend is so cute. So before I could reprimand myself, I nodded my head and said, "Let''s spend the night together then." It was his turn to be shocked. His eyes widened as he stared at me. "Are you being real, baby?" He asked. I nodded again. "Yep. So, let''s go?" I asked after. I could feel him taking a deep breath. "Alright. Get inside, I''ll just clean this up," he said. I shook my head. "I will so we can leave fast," I said. "God, baby." Elijah muttered before crashing his lips to mine again. We kissed for few minutes before we the decided to clean up and leave the ce. We even swing by the nearest grocery store in his building to by some snacks for our n to watch movies. "Come in," he said as he opened his unit''s door. "This is where I live," he added. I smiled at him and roamed my sight around his unit and I can see that he''s really a neat person. He''s unit is more clean that my and Reysa''s apartment. We just arranged everything we need for the movies before settling down. I was sitting at his couch while he is in the floor. For what reason, he vulgarly said that he''s distracted with me and he wanted to This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. make out than continue the movie marathon. We started ying some movies on Netflix and for the first thirty-minutes, we were still focused on watching until I just found myself straddling at him as we make out. His both one hand is on my hips while the other one was inside my shirt, touching my back. While, mine are in his nape and his hair as we kiss. "Baby..." He moaned when I started grinding on him. Hell! I don''t know what gotten to me to do that but I am pretty sure that''s because of the beer. Alcohol gives me so much confidence that will make me ashame of my own self the next day. "I feel hot," I murmured between our lips. Elijah slid his hand up and down in my back. "Do you want me to remove your shirt?" He asked. Shamelessly, I nodded. "Yes, please." I said. And in one move, I was already shirtless. Making my ck pushed-up bra say hello to him. Elijah stared tracing small circles just under my boobs. "Can I touch it?" He asked, licking his lips. I bit my lips and nodded. And him, being a good follower, did it. He kneaded my breasts and I can help but gasped for air. "Oh, god." I blurted when he discarded my bra and started sucking my breast alternately. He was doing that for a while before his lips glided up to my neck up to my jaw and cheeks until it reached my lips again. He was kissing me while his hands are still busy kneading my breasts. Chapter 55: 54 Chapter 55: 54 It shocked me how Elijah do things out of my knowledge that I just realized that we are already in his room, both naked. "You sure you want to do this? We can still stop, baby." He told me, caressing my cheek using his thumb. I nodded. "Let''s do this," I said with determination and finality. With Elijah, I am always sure of anything. I don''t know why, but by just looking at him, I know every decision I will be making won''t go to waste. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Alright. But if you feel ufortable, just tell me, ''kay?" He said, kissing my forehead. I nodded again. "Okay," I answered, smiling at him and clinging my arms around his neck, pulling him to me so I could reach his lips. I kissed him. Oh, I really love kissing him. "God, you''re really killing me, Jianna Astrid." He said and kissed me back, different from the previous kisses we have shared. He was kissing me passionately slow that it sends chills to my spine. He also kept on whispering I love you between kisses that I dly replied each. That night, Elijah worshipped me. He was so careful that I felt I was a porcin that would shutter if handled harshly. "Baby..." He whispered on my ear. We were lying on his bed and he is hugging me from the back. "Hmm?" I responded though my eyes are already falling. I was so tired and already sleepy! "I love you," he whispered again before nting a soft kiss on my cheek. I smiled and tightened my hold on his hand. "I love you too," I replied. That was thest memory I had for that night. I was asleep so tight that I felt refreshed the next morning I wake up. I was a bit shock when I opened my eyes and realized that I was in unfamiliar room. But after feeling Elijah''s presence beside me, I calmed down. He was still sleeping soundly and his face were snuggling on my neck while his arms are protectively wrapped around me. Carefully, I moved Elijah so I could stare at his face. This is the only chance I will have to admire him closely without him knowing. I traced his brows, I have always admire his brows. It was thick, making him more attractive. And his eyes, I envy how long hisshes but it was his eyes that I always got lost. He has an olive eyes that fascinates me. His pointed nose and his naturally red lips that always take my breath away. God, thank you for giving me an Elijah. He was an angel sent from you for me to feel love and love him. For him, I will always be grateful. "Are you done admiring your boyfriend, Ms. Romero?" He suddenly spoke, his voice was husky. I also moved away but his arm stopped me. Lazily, he opened his eyes. "Good morning, baby." He greeted me, smirking because he caught me. Embarrassed, I snuggled on his neck. That immediately earnedughter from him. "Oh, I would love to wake up in this kind of morning with you," he said, pulling me closer to him. Chapter 56: 55 Chapter 56: 55 Dating Elijah is so...amazing. He was so good that I always want him beside me, kissing me. We are already dating for five months already and so far, things are going smoothly. I love how attentive and understanding he is always with everything I say. He was like, taking a note inside his head. I had I formally introduced him to Hanzel as my boyfriend and that man, he just shrugged and said, ''good luck'' to my boyfriend as if I was not a good girlfriend. Ugh! And Reysa, that girl was so dramatic to the point he asked Elijah when he is nning to marry me! God. Why did you give me friends that are crazy. Thankfully, Elijah didn''t take that seriously. I would probably faint if ever he said something I was not prepared of! And as per Russell and Maxine, the two were so happy that they seeded ying cupids for us. Ang kukulitng. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Regardless, I am so thankful for having them as my friends and for introducing Elijah to me. "How about this?" Elijah said, showing me the design for our next project from my iPad. "That''s the second option..." I said and started exining the design and the materials that will be using for that. And all through my exnation, he was just staring at me with the side of his lips curved upwards. "Baby," he said and my eyes automatically widened. I immediately looked around us, thinking if there were other people who heard us. Heughed because of that. "Baby, we are in my office. No one will hear us here," he said before reaching for my hand and kissed the back of it. Ever since we have done ''that'', Elijah bes extra sweet and touchy. We would always call me ''baby'' and hold my hand or the back of my waist whenever he got a chance. Something I never expected him to be. I mean, he looks so serious and strict that you will thought he is someone who will never like this behind doors. Ugh. My boyfriend is such a flirt. I rolled my eyes. "But we are still in our work ce,Sir. Let''s be professional," I said. Elijah pouted. "But I missed you," he said giving my hand another kiss. I do, too. I missed him but of course, I won''t tell him. "We were only away for three days. Don''t be overly dramatic," I teased. Elijah was away for three days for a conference he needed to attend out of the town. "Those still three days without you," he said. I snorted. "You lived without me for thirty years, Mr." I said, rolling my eyes. "That''s before you came into my life, baby. Now is different," he said. "How so?" "Because I already know how life with you now, baby. How nice it is to have you beside me," he answered. I rolled my eyes. "Whatever," I just said. This guy, he really have his own my to tell me how much he''s in love with me. So, to cope with that we immediately headed straight to his unit after our work shift to do ''that''. Chapter 57: 56 Chapter 57: 56 "What do you think about this?" I asked Elijah. We are in the furniture shop because this guy wanted to rece his couch suddenly. We were justying on his couch while watching some series on Netflix when he suddenly stood and said he want to by a more fortable'' couch, one the will fit us both together perfectly. God. Guys and their fascination with cuddles. "Are we going to fit here?" He asked, crossing his arms to his chest as he checks on the couch. "I think so," I said, shrugging. He nodded and turned to me. "Let''s check if we will really fits," he said before pulling me until we "Alright. We fits. Can we stand now, Mr. Bel Monte? We are already catching attention here," I said, tapping his hands that are wrapped around my shoulder. He chuckled. "Alright, baby." He answered before releasing me. I immediately stood and ironed my clothes using my hands. This guy...ugh! Elijah spoke with the store agent about purchasing the couch. While, I roamed around the store. I stopped when I reached the spot where beds were ced. "Do we also need a new bed?" Elijah suddenly spoke behind me, sliding his arm around my waist and I almost jumped because of that. "You startled me," I said, holding on his arm. He chuckled. "I''m sorry, baby." He said before his eyes turned to the bed again. "So, do you think we should by a new bed too?" He then asked. I shook my head. "Your bid still fine. I was just looking around," I answered. But this guy... He took off his arm from my waist and sat on the bed. He made himself bounce on it and happy smiled at me. "This ones good. Let''s get this," he said. My eyes widened. "You don''t need a new bed, Elijah. Your bed is still fine," I reminded him. "I know, but I want this. Come, you try." He said and pulled me to sit beside him and make us bounce on it. "What do you think?" He asked. And for some reasons, a thought of us doing ''that'' in this bed came in to my mind. So, without thinking, I nodded and agreed on purchasing the bed. Making Elijah smiled from ear to ear until we get back to his unit. "I can''t wait until the bed arrives," he said. I rolled my eyes. "I know what you''re thinking," I said. And this guy, his smile grew wider. He even wiggle his brows to me. "I''m excited to try it with you," he said, reaching for me and caging me to his arms. I squinted my eyes. "Why? Do you have someone else to try the bed with?" I asked. Elijahughed and kissed me on my forehead. "Of course, none. Baby, you''re the only one I have." He answered. I remained squinting my eyes. "You better be sure, Mr. Bel Monte. I don''t tolerate lies, just so you know. So, if I found out that you''re cheating on me, swear, you will find yourself on the trash." I warned him. Elijah shook his head as he continuedughing. "Baby, you are everything I want and I don''t have any n of letting you go. You are mine like I am always yours," he said. I rolled my eyes. "You seem to be so good with your words, Mr. Bel Monte. How can I be sure that you are saying nothing but the truth?" I asked. Elijah kissed the top of my head and said. "Marry me and I will show you how true I am to my words."This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. Chapter 58: 57 Chapter 58: 57 I was stunned. "Huh?" I mumbled, shocked from what he said. But he just smiled and shook his head. "I''m not asking you yet, I know you are still not ready. But I want you to know where my head is heading, where I want us to end up. Baby, I''m so sure of you. I know that it is you already." He said, eyes full of sincerity. Can''t help myself, I stretched my arms to reached him. "I love you, baby." I said and I can feel him stiffening. I know I haven''t call him that and he''s just waiting until I call him that. And now, I did. And I can feel how shocked he is. Elijah wrapped me around his arms, one on my back and one on the back of head, hugging me tight. "I love you more," he said, nting soft kisses on the side of my head. "I think I should treat Russell and Maxine a dinner sometime. I owe them big time for introducing you to me," I said. Elijahughed. "I thought so too. Let''s treat them when they are free." He agreed. We spend our day like that, cuddling until it turned to something more. With Elijah, I always lost track of what''s happening. I was always surprised to find us in his bed whenever we start kissing. "Oh, god..." I moaned. My eyes widened when he suddenly thrust inside me. I pped him immediately in the shoulder.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. "That hurts!" I shouted. But this guy, he justughed at me while still thrusting in me, slowly. And I was more surprised when he put my leg on his shoulder. I was about toin when he thrusted in again. My eyes widened more. I wanted toin but the sensation was too good that all I could utter was a moan. "Baby..." He called out. "Hmm?" I responded, still high from the pleasure. "Will you get mad if I do this?" He asked. "Do what?" "This," he answered and flipped me, my back facing him. "I have been wanting to do this," he said before entering me again from behind. My mouth ajar and I gasped. "Jesus, Elijah!" I shouted at him but he justughed and thrusted faster and deeper. "God. This feels so good," he said and leaned to kiss me on the lips. "I love you, baby." He said. "I love you more," I replied. He continued thrusting behind me until we both copsed in bed. He was hugging me from behind and I could feel how fast his heartbeat is. Elijah pulled me closer to him and hugged me tight. "Tell me when you are ready to marry and I will be on my knees with the most beautiful ring," he whispered to my ear. I smiled and nodded. "I will," I said and turned to face him. "I want to marry only you," I said, smiling as I cupped his face. I kissed him on the lips. "I promise to love only you, to make you happy. I love you so much," he said against our lips. "I know I will be happy the rest of my life because it is you I am with," I said. Elijah, I am loving him more each day. Chapter 59: 58 Chapter 59: 58 Months turns into years. I still couldn''t believe that I have been in a rtionship with Elijah for three years already. Indeed, time flies so fast when you are happy. So, tonight. I arranged a candlelight dinner in his unit. It''s our anniversary and I want to surprise him. Elijah was out of the town for a conference he needed to attend. He stayed there for a week and today is his return. "Let see," I murmured to myself as I scanned through the arrangements I did. I''m excited. All through out our rtionship, it was always Elijah who gives more effort between us two. He was always the one who did surprises and give gifts. But tonight, it will be me who will do an effort and will give a gift that he will surely surprised with. [Where are you na?] I texted him. The conference was held in Tagaytay and he told me earlier that he was about to live the venue. That was two hours ago so, surely, he''s near already. [Basement, baby. I''m just waiting for the elevator.] He replied. My eyes widened and doubled check everything. From the lights, table and of course, the food. I prepared his favorites for this especial night. And when I heard someone knocking from the door--it''s him, I know--I looked at myself from the reflection in the mirror. I was wearing a simple spaghetti strap wine colored dress. It lengths just until my knee and my pambahay slippers. I also wear a light make and I just let my hair cascaded straightly from my back. I opened the door and there, the man of my life was standing there with a bouquet of tulips in his hands. I smiled and ushered him to get inside. He did. "Wow," he murmured, seeing the set up of his living room and of course, my look. "This is so beautiful, baby and you look extra beautiful tonight," he said, kissing the top of my head. "For you," he added as he hands me the bouquet. I epted it and smiled at him. "Happy third anniversary, baby." I said, kissing him in the lips. "Happy third anniversary, baby. I love you since day one," he replied, kissing me back. His hands automatically wrapped around my waist. "You prepared all these?" He asked. I nodded. "What to do some effort to surprise you," I answered. Elijah pinched my nose. "You know, being with you is more than enough for me, right?" I rolled my eyes. God. My boyfriend is so cute. "Just let me do this for once, okay? It''s not like, I will always have the opportunity," I said. Elijah shrugged. "Baby, kahit huwag mong ako sungitan ng isang linggo. Surprise na yun para sa akin yun," he teased. I scoffed and he immediatelyughed. "Kidding, baby. But really, thank you for the efforts." He said. "Anything for you," I said. "Put your things there so we could it na," I told and he followed immediately. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. "What did you prepare, hmm?" He asked as he sat on his seat. I served him the food and I see how his mouth ajar seeing the meals I prepared. "You cooked these?" He asked, bewildered. I nodded and smiled. "I watched a lot of tutorials on YouTube and practice, I made Reysa as the tester and for her own words, it''s edible naman." I answered. Elijah didn''tment on that but he stood and walked to me, he cupped my face and kissed me on the lips. "I love you much, baby." He said. I rolled my eyes. "Calm down, Mr. Bel Monte. I just cooked your favorites, nothing''s big deal." I said. "This is a big deal, baby. I know how hard to cook these and I love you more for giving time to learn all these," he said. I shrugged. "Alright. Just calm down and let''s it. I still have a surprise for you letter so don''t be excited to much," I said. So, we did. And during the whole dinner,Elijah was kept on asking me about the other surprise. I on the other hand gives him no answer but shrugs. "Will you tell me what''s you other surprise no?" He asked, we were on his units balcony, sitting at the couch we ced here. "Hmm?" I responded. I took out a small box and handed it to him. "What is this?" He asked. I shrugged. "See for yourself," I said. So, excitedly, Elijah opened it and I saw how his eyes widened and his mouth ajar again for the third time. He looked at me, his eyes were teary but there''s a ghost of smile in his lips. He licked and bit it. "Congrattions, daddy!" I said and hugged him. I could feel the shaking of his body. He was really shock, perhaps. "God, baby. You''re making me very happy." He said, caging me inside his arms. "I am so happy too," I said. I felt him moved but I his embrace to me was still tight, I couldn''t even move my head. "But baby, can you make me happier?" He asked. My brows creased, confused of what he said. So, I pushed him a bit but I was shock to see what he is holding on. "I was really nning to ask you tonight but obviously, you have stolen my chance," he said and slowly, he kneeled in front of me. My hands automatically flew to my mouth to covered it. "Baby, will you make me the happiest man tonight? Will you marry me, Mommy?" He asked while on his knees bended and a ring in front of me. My eyes started to moist until tears fall from it. I nodded and said, "Yes, baby." Elijah stook and slid the ring in my ring finger, kissing the back of my hand after. "Thank you, baby. Thank you foring in to my life; for giving me a chance to love you and now, for letting me stay by your side the rest of our lives and of course, for this prescious gift," he said, caressing my lower abdomen, where our baby is in. "I promise to love and take care of both of you. My babies, you two are my everything," he said. And I can''t do anything but cry. I was crying from an overwhelming happiness. I''m happy for having Elijah in my life and the baby inside mw is giving me more reason to be happier. I know from this day forward, my life would be at its happiest with the two most prescious gift I have received. My future husband, Elijah and our child. I love them both. Chapter 60: 59 Chapter 60: 59 Elijah was so hands on with the preparation of our wedding, although it won''t be big, still, he makes sure everything are ording to our n. We will have a small garden wedding, in my request. Elijah wanted a big church and so as my parents, but I refused. I wanted to have a solemn wedding where the people who will be in there are those closed to us only. My parents can''t understand my decision but when I told them that I only want those people who have been with me through good and bad days, they eventually agreed. And for Elijah, I just told him that I don''t want to invite people who doesn''t have much involvement in our life; that I don''t want to stress myself thinking what they might say after the wedding. And by the mention of stress, he immediately agreed. I can''t be stressed, my OB advised me to avoid things that will stress me. Another reason why he took all the responsibility for our wedding. "We will be married in a few days. You will being home with me," Elijah whispered on my ears. I nodded and snuggled more to his neck. "I can have more of you everyday," I said. Ever since I got pregnant, I became addicted to him. I always crave for his touch, the warm his body is giving me. Elijah''s chest vibrated fromughter, hugging me tighter. "Hmm... We will have more of each other," he head. "When will you back to work?" I asked. We were on leave for the preparation of our wedding. "A week after our wedding," he answered. Immediately, I frown. "Can you extend?" I asked. He arched his brow. "Why? Won''t youe back with me?" He asked. I shook my head. "I still want to stay here. Let''s just cuddle," I suggested. Heughed again. "Baby, we can''t do that. Thepany needs us," he said. I pouted. "But I still want to stay here at home," I said. "If you want, I will ask the utility to move all your stuffs in my office. So, you will be with me always," he said, caressing my cheeks. "Really?" I asked, smiling so widely. "Of course, baby." He answered,ughing. He kissed me on the forehead after. "Alright," I said, snuggling on him happily. For years, I made myself believe that happiness from having someone that will love you and you will love dearly isn''t for me. All along, I was so contented with everything I have that having to feel this kind of happiness won''t be important. I made myself believe that no one wille to love me, someone that will make me feel whole. Gratefully, Elijah came. He taught me how to love again, how to be patient and how to be happy with the simplest things surrounds us. He taught me to trust and believe again.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. He was nothing but patient, thought and kind to me regardless of the attitude I was giving him. He never surrendered when I was giving him reason to. For him, I was worth all the trouble. He never made me feel less especial. He always makes things that will make me appreciate myself. He love me regardless of my shortings and ws. He saw me when no one is. And surely, a life with him will never be boring. I''m so sure of that. Chapter 61: 60 Chapter 61: 60 Our wedding day came. It was simple like it was nned; a simple garden wedding but the feelings I am feeling right now is beyond I could exin. "I''m getting married," I said, looking at my own reflection from the vanity mirror were I was being styled. Reysa nodded and wiped her tears away. "I''m so happy for you, girl. I know how long you have waited for this," she said. I reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Thank you for always being at my side," I said, tears are aiming to fall from my eyes too. But then, we were cut off by a very dramatic clearing of throat from our back. There, Hanzel was standing. "You two are so emotional," he said. All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. I rolled my eyes and said, "It''s normal because we are pregnant!" "Ingit kang kasi ''di ka pa rin pinapakasn ni Eli," Reysa said. Hanz scoffed because of that and Reysa an I bothughed from that. "Aren''t you happy for me?" I asked. "Of course, I''m happy for you. I''m happy that you are very happy now. But please, stop crying." He said. I nodded. "Thank you for being a good friend to me too, Hanz. And don''t worry, you are still my best friend," I said. He rolled his eyes. "Tell that to your ex-boyfriend who will also be your cousin after your wedding," he answered. Until now, Hanz still couldn''t get over that thing; Russell iming me as his best friend. And until now, he still have some angst against Russell, for Hanz, Russell will always be that ex-boyfriend he is thankful I didn''t end with. I''m near to believing that Russell is right, that Hanz is a farmer; only that he nt grudges. "You are getting married now. I can''t still believe that my baby has turned into a very strong woman." My dad said. I smiled at him and wiped my tears away. We even stopped in the middle of walking in aisle. And I can see how rmed Elijah was, I just turned and smiled to him, assuring him that everything is fine. I looked at my parents, who are walking me in aisle to the man of my prayers. "I''m so happy, Ma, Pa. I never felt this happiness until Elijah came to my life. He made me the happiest," I told them. My mom held my hand and squeezed it. "This is what we prayed for you, honey. We prayed that you meet someone who will love you and make you the happiest always. And we are grateful that our prayers were heard. We couldn''t ask anything anymore, we just want happiness for you," mama said. I nodded and smiled at the both. "Thank you, Ma, Pa. For always having my back, for not giving up on me and understanding me in my most difficult form." I told them. They both shook their head. "Just live happily, hija. Always prioritize your happiness, okay?" I nodded. "He''s my happiness," I said. Elijah, he is everything to me and I know I am to him to. And for us both, our child will be the bestest gift we are receiving. I can''t wait to start our own family. Chapter 62: 61 Chapter 62: 61 "Can you scratch my back, please?" I asked my husband. He was sitting behind me as we watch a series on Netflix. Husband. Until now, I can''t still believe that he is now my husband. And so far, he has been nothing but a very thoughtful and caring husband. "Here?" He asked, scratching my back. "Lower," I said. "There." I added. After that, I leaned on him. His arms automatically wrapped around my waist, holding my protruding belly. "I can''t believe we are here now," he whispered, kissing my shoulder. "Hmm?" I responded. Like him, I can''t still believe that we are already at this point of our rtionship; married and about to have a child, a son to be precise. He kissed my shoulder again. "I just love how everything turns out. I love being married to you and being excited to be a father. Baby, you are making me the happiest," he said. And just like that, my eyes started to water, a sob escaped my mouth. Panicking, he released me and turned to face him. "Why are you crying?" He asked, wiping my tears away. I shook my head. "Hormones," I said, denying that it was because of what he said. Elijah, he was a very good boyfriend and I can see how hard he was trying to be a good husband and a soon-to-be father-although he doesn''t need to try because he seems like he was really cut to be a perfect person. My husband is so perfect for me. "Stop crying, mommy." He said, wiping more tears from my eyes. I nodded and smiled at him, I also cupped his face and give him a kiss on his lips. "Thank you foring to my life, baby. I love you so much," I said. I know I have said this a lot and I will never get tired of saying it over and over. Elijah, my husband, I N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. don''t think I will be this happy if it was not him. He had brought so much joy in me, made me feel loved and will be loved for the rest of my life. He never failed to remind me that I deserve everything that he is giving me. Indeed, I am so blessed for having him as a partner in life. I am so grateful for him. That day, we spent it inside our house, watching different shows until I fall asleep. I was already in our room when I woke up. I went out of our room and found him in our kitchen, cooking for our dinner. I stepped closer and tried to hugged him from his back but I failed, my stomach was already big to do that. I pouted. "I want to hug you but I can''t," I said. My husband smiled and kissed me on my forehead. "I will hug instead," he said and hugged me. "I love you," I murmured on his chest. He kissed the top of my head and said, "I love you more. I''m also done here, baby. Are you already hungry?" I shook my head. "Not yet. But can you make me an avocado shake? I saw one in the fridge," I asked. Smiling, he nodded. "Okay, baby. You can watch something on the TV while I''m finishing this," he said. I shook my head. "I will watch you," I said. "Alright. Have a seat here," he said and guided me to sit in our dining table. I watched him finish cooking; he is making a pasta foe our dinner. When I reached my fifth month, my OB advised me to go on diet so ever since that, Elijah limited my food intake. We only had rice during breakfast and lunch then pasta on dinner. And for snacks, he only gives me fruits. I barely have fastfood because apparently, my husband was so strict when ites to my diet. When he''s done with the pasta, he moved and started blending the avocado for my request. I was just watching him until he was done and our food is already served in front of us. "How was it?" He asked. I raised my hands to show him a two thumbs up. "I love this, baby. Can you cook this again the next day?" I asked because it was really good! I near to believing that when God rained good traits, Elijah was present in all of that. He''s handsome, smart, kind, thoughtful and damn, he''s so good in everything he does. He''s one of god''s favorite, for sure. "Okay. I will do that," he said. We ate while talking about random topics that it took us almost an hour eating. After that, he washed our dishes while I remained sitting as I watched him do all the cleaning. We went to bed after that. Chapter 63: 62 Chapter 63: 62 "Why?" My husband asked me. I was watching him as he prepares for work. I shook my head. "I was just watching you," I answered. I think I have created a new habit, and it is watching my husband''s every move. I don''t know, I just love watching him; seeing each expression he make. He smirked and walked to me-I was still in our bed-and kissed the top of my head. "Do you want me to stay instead?" He asked. I was tempted to say yes but I know he has to go to work. He had skipped a lot of working days just to apany me and asking him to skip again would caused him a bad record at thepany. I don''t want to stain his clean record. I shook my head again. "You need to go to work," I said. "But you need me here too," he said, brushing my hair. "I will be fine." "You sure?" He asked, caring my right cheek now using his thumb. I nodded. "Yup. Don''t worry about us," I answered, rubbing my stomach. Elijah smiled and kissed my forehead. "Don''t eat junk food please?" He said and I automatically frowned. He really knew what''s going on my head. I was nning to eat some potato chips! "Can I at least order some pizza?" I asked, pouting this time, trying to convince him using my puppy All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org. look. "Please?" I persuaded more. He sighed and nodded. "Alright. But I will be the one ordering it. I want to make sure that you won''t exceed on your diet," he said. I rolled my eyes. "You''re being mean to me, you know?" I said. Heughed and kissed me on the lips. "I love you, mommy." He said. Still I red on him. Elijah cupped my face and kissed me on the lips. "I just don''t want you to have a hard time giving birth, baby. Promise, after you deliver our son, I will let you eat everything you want," he said. "I will get fat if you let me," I said. "I don''t care. I will love you more each day still," he said and kissed me again. I smiled. "I love you," I said, kissing him back. We kissed for like, some minutes until I had to push him to go to work because he seems changing his mind on going. I stayed in bed for another two hours when he left and won''t get up if only I didn''t feel hungry. In the kitchen, I found a prepared breakfast for me. My husband never failed to cook before he leaves. There were some eggs and bacon on the table, a friend rice to. And there were a note telling me to drink my milk and vitamins. I did what Elijah asked me to do and after breakfast, I went to our living room and watch some series on Netflix. When lunch time came, a delivery food came. My husband ordered for my lunch and as expected, it was a ''healthy'' meal. There were meat and vegetables, a cup of rice and some fruits as desert. He also called just to make sure I will eat the food he ordered for me. "Where''s my pizza?" I asked after answering his call. I heard himughing from the other line. "I will make it deliveredter this afternoon, baby." He answered. I rolled my eyes. "I was expecting it toe before lunch. I was disappointed," I said. Heughed again. "I''m sorry, baby. I will ordered it now, but first, eat your lunch." He said. "I finished it already," I said. "Hmm? Did you eat it all?" He asked, suspiciously. I nodded. "I did. Though, I don''t like the taste of the vegetables." "That''s your favorite," he said. I pouted. "But you didn''t cook it. I only liked it because you were the cook," I said. "So, you wereying when you said that''s your favorite?" He asked. I shook my head. "No! It''s just that, I like your cooking than other''s." I said. "Hmm..." "Stop being mean to me. You''re making me cry," I said, starting to sob. Immediately, I heard him panicking from the other line. He was saying sorry and he didn''t mean to upset me, but it was alreadyte. My tears were already pouring and my sobs were loud, giving me a hard time on breathing. So, in the end, he had to go home early to attend to me. He was so worried that when he came home, he kneeled in front of me and kept on sayings sorry while raining kisses on my whole face. Chapter 64: End Chapter 64: End ¡°Calm down, Eli. She¡¯s going to be fine,¡± Maxine, my cousin said. I shook my head. ¡°She needs me there,¡± I replied, looking at her husband to gesture to him to drive faster. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. Fuck. I never thought I would feel as nervous as I am right now. Jianna Astrid. Someone I never thought woulde in my life and would make this big difference in me. She changed me¡­ She made me the person I am and I will never regret knowing her. I still remember how Maxine bothered me just to send a text to her friend¡ªI honestly don¡¯t understand why she has to be friends with her fianc¨¦e¡¯s ex-girlfriend. Right. That girl was Russell¡¯s ex-girlfriend, the girl he chased for so long before he met my cousin. I don¡¯t have a problem with her being nice to that girl but being friends, I don¡¯t think so. Sometimes, I don¡¯t understand girls¡¯ logic. It¡¯s always chaotic. But upon seeing her¡ªJianna Astrid¡ªI now understand why everyone is so fond of her. Why did Russell chase her until he realized that there¡¯s really no chance for them. And honestly, I was somehow thankful that they ended. Damn. No offense to my cousin, but Russell made a big mistake letting this girl go. Seeing her at my cousin¡¯s wedding, silently watching the happenings in the wedding¡¯s reception caught my attention. She was so damn beautiful. I was watching her the whole party. I wished she joined the part where my cousin threw her bouquet, because I swear, I will do all the damn ways to get the garter. And I did. I got the garter but she didn¡¯t join any of the games. She was just sitting there, watching everything. I thought that was thest time I would be seeing her, but luck was in part that I met her again in my new work. Mikael wasn¡¯t wrong when he said I would be enjoying working in thepany. Because the day I saw her inside the conference room, introduced to as one of the managers in thepany, I knew I would be staying as long as she was there. So, I did everything to be close to her. I became shameless asking her if I could court her a few days after our first meeting. I would also not deny making her jealous intentionally because it turned out so nice. She confessed her feelings to me. Damn. I was so happy that time. Finally, she¡¯s mine and I don¡¯t have any intention of letting her go. I already figured out my future with her. ¡°Elijha!¡± Reysa, her best friend, called me upon approaching the delivery room. ¡°Where is she?¡± I asked worriedly. Everyone is there, her friends and family. My family is also there. They were all worried about my wife. Hanzel tapped my back and pointed to the delivery room. ¡°She¡¯s beenboring for three hours now,¡± he said. ¡°Three hours?¡± I asked. Fuck. My wife must have been through a lot of pain right now. ¡°I will see her,¡± I said with conviction. They all nodded and let me. I asked for some assistance on how I can go inside to apany my wife. It only took a few minutes until I was already standing beside her, holding her hand as I whispered words of encouragement. But seeing her having this really having a hard time giving birth, I swear to myself that I will never have another child. ¡°I love you,¡± I whispered to her ear, kissing her on the forehead with teary eyes. She was gasping for air and tears were falling from her eyes as she held on to our child. Our son was born. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± All that she could say as she continued crying and giving feathery kisses to our son¡¯s head. Jia was immediately moved to her room after she was cleaned up, while our son had to stay in the nursery for the prenatal checkup. ¡°That¡¯s my son,¡± I told myself as I stood outside the nursery room, watching my son sleep in his crib. My wife was still asleep and I asked Reysa to look for her while I checked on our son. I still can¡¯t believe this little guy came into me and my wife. That my wife carried and gave birth to this wonderful gift. ¡°He looks exactly like you when you were a baby, son.¡± My dad said he was standing beside me, also watching his first grandson. ¡°And I felt the same the first I saw you. It felt surreal,¡± he added. I nodded because indeed, it feels surreal. When Jia told me about her pregnancy, I was beyond happiness. I was already nning to propose because I don¡¯t think I can¡¯t live without her beside me. Ever since she came, I started to love waking up early in the morning because I knew it was her I would wake up with. I would love to see her every morning the rest of my life. In three years of dating, I have witnessed how beautiful inside and out my wife is. She¡¯s so understanding, kind, and thoughtful. It feels like I don¡¯t have any right to be nothing but good to her as well. She¡¯s a diamond that no one would want to lose. Jia woke up five hourster. She was still high from anesthesia that she immediately cried realizing that our son is not inside her anymore; she thought it she lost in I could imagine what ways. ¡°Hash, baby. You have given birth to our son and he¡¯s in the nursery room right now,¡± I told her, trying to calm her down but she won¡¯t stop crying still. I kissed her forehead. ¡°Baby, our son is fine, okay? He just need to stay in the nursery for some tests,¡± I added. ¡°Tests?¡± She asked, still teary from shock. I nodded. ¡°They are running some test to make sure that our son is fine and healthy,¡± I answered. Another batch of tears fell from her eyes. ¡°Why? Is he not healthy?¡± Immediately, I shook my head. ¡°He is, baby. Those were some usual tests they do to check on the babies. And our son needs to go through that to assure that he is healthy and to see if he has some illness,¡± I said. ¡°Does he have illness?¡± she asked more, worriedly. I shook my head again and kissed her on the lips. ¡°No, baby. Our baby is very fine and healthy, okay?¡± ¡°I want to see him,¡± she said and nodded. ¡°I will ask the nurse to bring him here,¡± I said. Minutes after, the nurse arrived with our son still in his crib. My wife cried again when she finally carried our son. ¡°Hi, baby. I¡¯m your mommy,¡± she said, kissing our son¡¯s small face. ¡°I love you, baby.¡± It was heartwarming to watch the two of most important person in my life; my wife and our son. I couldn¡¯t ask for more. We had to stay in the hospital in two weeks and when we are finally discharged, my wife couldn¡¯t take her hand to our son. She was so attentive that even a mosquito would be scareding near to our son. ¡°Mommy,¡± I called. She just put our son to sleep. It was already past lunch time but she hadn¡¯t eaten any because our son cried. ¡°Hmm?¡± She responded, she was watching our son adorably. ¡°Let¡¯s eat while son is asleep,¡± I said. ¡°He might wake up and cry,¡± she said. ¡°We will left the door open so we will hear him if he cries,¡± I said but she seems conflicted. She really don¡¯t want to be apart to our son. ¡°Alright. I will just bring our food here,¡± I said. Instantly, she nodded and smiled at me. ¡°Just a second,¡± I said. I did what I said. I brought our food in our room and ced it right next to our son¡¯s crib. We ate and as we, my wife kept on ncing to our son. ¡°He won¡¯t wake up yet, baby. You need to eat while he¡¯s asleep,¡± I said, putting more rice to her te. My wife, how lucky I am to have the privilege to call her that. ¡°Thank you,¡± she answered, started eating. ¡°Anything for you,¡± I said, leaning on her and giving her a kiss on the lips. Three things I learned from being with her out of so many: one, I could be happy on the simplest things. She made me happy even when we are just at home,zilyying on our couch and watching some TV shows. Second, loving isn¡¯t always giving. Jianna made me feel the feeling of receiving something you didn¡¯t expect to receive. She had done a lot of things that makes me question myself if I deserved it. Lastly, the feeling of loving back genuinely. My wife done nothing to be perfect for me. She has showered me a lot of love hat I only felt from my parents and never from my past rtionships. Of all the rtionships I had, with her was the only one that made me tomit. She made me the man I am today. And I swear to spend the rest of my life being the husband and the father my wife and son deserved. I know they deserved best and everything and I will try my best to be that. Jia deserves that kind of husband and Luke, our son, deserves a father that he will look as a good example. ¡°Baby¡­¡± I called my wife. She was carrying our son as she was trying to put him to sleep. I stood behind her and wrapped my arms around her shoulder, helping her carry our son. ¡°Thank you so much for this gift, baby.¡± I whispered to her ear, kissing her shoulder. ¡°Gift?¡± She asked, clueless. I nodded. ¡°For giving me a wonderful family that I will cherish until the end of my life,¡± I said. ¡°I didn¡¯t give this to you, Elijah. We did this. We are both making this family and I am grateful that I am with you doing this,¡± she answered. My lips curved upward. Damn. My wife really has her ways to make my stomach turns. She¡¯s a smooth talker! I just shook my head. ¡°But it was you who brought up our son to this world. I wouldn¡¯t have him without you,¡± I said. ¡°We will still have more children, baby.¡± She said and automatically, moved away from her. I was shaking my hand while she was chuckling. ¡°What? Don¡¯t you want another child, baby?¡¯ She asked more and I know she¡¯s just teasing me. I have told her about me not wanting to have another child because I don¡¯t want to put her in that kind of situation again. I was damn scared seeing her give birth! ¡°No. We already have our son and he¡¯s already enough,¡± I said with conviction. But my wife being such a tease pouted and said, ¡°But I want a daughter, baby. We still need to make another baby until we get a daughter!¡± See. She speaks as if she didn¡¯t just gave birth. I sighed. Dammit! I shook my head. ¡°No more child for us, baby. I¡¯m so contented with our small family. I will have a heart attack seeing you in that situation again,¡± I said. She was about toin but I didn¡¯t give her a chance. I kissed her on the lips so she won¡¯t be able to speak. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!