Love Me Like You Hate Me

Chapter 33

"Here."

I looked at Chantel curiously after she handed me a small box.

"What is this?" I asked.

She smiled. "A gift from me. Open it."

I saved my question and did what she said. I untied the ribbon and opened the box, but I looked at her again after seeing what was inside.

"Why did you buy me a gift?"

"As far as I know, I don't always need a reason to buy someone a gift, especially if it's for you." She paused and offered her hand. "Do you want me to help you wear that?"

I didn't speak and just gave her the box with a gold Cartier bangle inside. I'm still processing everything because I'm not used to receiving gifts when they're not from my family.

She gets another box beside her, na hindi ko agad napansin. The box is the same as the one she gave me, so I'm guessing na parehas lang ang laman no'n.

"I also bought one for me. Do you have any idea about this bracelet, honey?"

Umiling ako.

"Well, this one is also called the Cartier love bracelet. I heard a story before about how this bracelet was created. Do you want to hear it?"

"Of course, go on." I answered right away.

"There's a young man from Rome named Aldo Cipullo who emigrated to New York. He started working for big American jewelry firms, including Tiffany & Co. and David Webb, but despite being a popular addition to the New York society scene, he was less lucky in love. The moment his relationship ended, he retreated to his studio at midnight and came up with a design idea for a bracelet that symbolizes the permanence of love. A jewel that couldn't just be slipped off. He fused jewelry and industry, installing screwheads on the bracelet to make it extremely difficult to take off." She paused and looked at me again.

"And then?" I raise one

"Alright. Patience, love." She chuckled before continuing her story. "At the time of designing this bracelet, he was working for Tiffany. Despite enthusiastic feedback from friends and colleagues, the firm didn't pick up the design, and a few months later, he made the move to Cartier and pitched it to them as his first design with the company, which was accepted. The launch of the Cartier Love Bracelet was a success. Originally, these bangles were made as a set for couples. One couldn't just walk into Cartier and buy a love bangle for oneself, it had to be bought as a gift to reinforce the message of commitment. Brilliant, innit?"

"The idea of Aldo Cipullo was so clever and a good marketing strategy for Cartier." I commented. It was a good backstory, too.

"Even though their policy of selling the bangles changed, the meaning and what the love bracelet symbolizes are eternal." She paused and got the bracelet from the box. "Since I was the one who insisted that we couldn't be in a relationship yet, I bought this to assure my love and commitment to you and only you until we are finally able to be together."

I was speechless, and my poor heart is now pounding like crazy.

What kind of good deed did I do during my twenty years of existence or even in my past life for God to give me this wonderful woman?

"Now that you know the meaning and history of this bracelet, do you still want me to-"

"You don't have to ask me that question because my answer is always yes." I cut her off and offered my left hand.

She smiled, a radiant one, before focusing on screwing the bracelet on my wrist.

"Done," she announced after a couple of minutes.