Arctic Heart [#Wattys2018 Winner]

Chapter 22

Chapter 22
Impulsive

I slept and woke up with a smile on my face. Memories from last night prevented me to stop smiling. I hugged my blanket and drowned myself on it.

Everything just seems so perfect, especially when Jace is finally my boyfriend.

This is it, Zarina! Your dreams finally came true. It might not be a good start, and it might also be not a good end in the future, but hey, your dreams still became a reality.

My phone suddenly rang. I reached for my phone on the top of the lamp desk and saw Jace was calling me. As I was still in awe, looking at his name flashed on my screen as the incoming caller, the ring stopped. He sent me a message right away.

From: Jace
Answer the call, please.

Good thing I was able to read his message before he called again. Well, he didn't have to tell me because I was even planning to call him if he wouldn't call again.

Kinagat ko ang aking ibabang labi bago sinagot ang tawag ni Jace at itinapat sa aking tainga ang cell phone upang marinig ko ang kanyang boses.

"Hello..." Mahina ang aking tinig dahil pagpipigil ng kilig.

"Good morning, girlfriend..." he greeted me with a raspy voice, indicating that maybe he just woke up like me.

Napangiti naman ako at pumikit ng mariin habang pinipigilan ang sarili.

He chuckled at my silence. "Can't believe that I finally have a girlfriend..."

Inilayo ko naman ng bahagya ang cell phone sa akin bago huminga ng malalim para makasagot sa kanya. I can't just be silent throughout the whole call, but I needed to keep my composure first.

"Are you happy that you finally got yourself a girlfriend?" I asked him.

"As long as my girlfriend's happy then, I'm happy..." he said.

I thought I stopped breathing for a moment because of his answer. Pakiramdam ko'y hindi ako makahinga ng maayos. He was figuratively and, somehow, literally taking my breath away.

"Sa tingin mo ba, masaya ang girlfriend mo?" sunod kong tanong sa kanya.

"Well, she better be..." he said conceitedly, and I frowned.

Ang yabang! Palibahasa ay alam niyang gwapo siya at mahal ko siya.

"And she also should be done preparing for work within an hour and thirty because I'm coming to pick her up and drive her to work."

Napabangon naman ako sa kama nang wala sa oras. Palihim kong binilang sa aking isipan kung gaano ba akong katagal na maligo. Tamang-tama lang naman siguro ang binigay niyang oras sa akin.

"Give me thirty minutes more," I tried to bargain.

"Okay..." He laughed. "See you later. I love you," he bid before ending the call.

I idled and just wasted most of the thirty minutes spare that I asked him because of those three words he told me before ending the call. His voice was like trapped in a cage inside my mind that made his words echoed all over again. Hindi rin naman ako magrereklamo dahil kahit paulit-ulit ko itong marinig ay alam kong ganoon pa rin ang magiging epekto sa akin.

"It seems like my daughter's in a very good mood today." My dad chuckled when he saw me entered the dining room. "I guess it's because of something that happened last night. Hmm..."

I just chuckled and kissed him on his cheek. "Good morning, dad."

"A very good morning, indeed," he nodded.