Arctic Heart [#Wattys2018 Winner]

Chapter 26

Chapter 26
Spring

"I will pick you up tomorrow at four in the morning, okay?" Jace told me when we arrived at our house already.

After eating our lunch, I asked them if they wanted to stroll in the mall but they were all tired and begging me to go home already so they can finally rest. Hindi naman na ako nakipagtalo sa kanila dahil mahaba-habang biyahe ang nilakbay nila. Maaga rin kaming aalis bukas kaya kailangan talaga nilang magpahinga ng mabuti.

I nodded at Jace and smiled at him.

He smiled back. "I'm going back at the office to finish something. Itetext kita mamaya kapag pauwi na ako."

"Okay po..." sabi ko na lang.

I was hoping that he could stay at our house for the rest of the day but he still has something to finish before our trip to Ilocos. He's a very busy person. I should be thankful that he did his best to fit me and this trip on his schedule.

He ruffled my hair and leaned forward to give me a kiss on my forehead.

"See you tomorrow, girlfriend," he whispered.

Napangiti naman ako. "Maghihintay ako, boyfriend."

He chuckled before moving a step away from me and closer to the SUV. "I need to go now before I decided to just stay here and do nothing at work."

I laughed and quickly pushed him away from me. I didn't want to be a hindrance. Ayaw ko man siyang pakawalan ngayon at gusto kong nasa tabi ko lang pero kailangan. Besides, I'll have him tomorrow and for the rest of our trip in Ilocos.

Kita ko sa kanyang mga mata na ayaw niya pang umalis at ilang segundo pa akong tinitigan.

"Go now, Mr. Sy!" I encouraged him to leave.

Halos mapaatras naman ako nang bigla siyang nagnakaw ng halik sa aking labi bago humalakhak at patakbong tinungo ang kanyang sasakyan. Dali-dali siyang sumakay roon at agad na pinaandar upang makaalis.

I bit my lower lip and stared at his accelerating car before it vanished from my sight.

I checked the two guest rooms where they were staying. All of my friends were knocked out from the long trip already. Hinayaan ko na silang magpahinga habang ako'y tumungo naman sa aking kwarto. I wasn't sleepy yet but being alone in the middle of silence made me fall asleep.

The sound of my phone ringing woke me up after falling asleep. I reached out for my phone on the lamp desk, and my eyes widened when there were already five missed calls from Jace. Without any hesitation, I answered his call.

"Hello?"

I heard him exhaled a deep sigh as soon as I answered his call.

"Thank, God. You finally answered..." he said, and I can feel his relief.

"I'm sorry... Nakatulog kasi ako," dahilan ko.

"You got me worried so bad, Za..." he told me.

"I'm sorry..." muli kong paghingi ng tawad.

Umayos ako nang pagkakaupo sa aking kama at kinagat ang aking ibabang labi habang hinihintay ang kanyang susunod na sasabihin.

"I'm a minute away from your house. Can you please go out and see me for a moment?" he asked me.

Napabalikwas naman ako ng bangon at tumungo sa aking tukador upang tingnan ang aking sarili. I combed my hair and slightly pinched both of my cheeks not to look too pale. Hindi na ako nagtagal sa pag-aayos ng sarili dahil ayoko siyang paghintayin nang matagal.