His Girl Friday 2

Chapter 9: Morning Glory

Chapter 9: Morning Glory

Ara: OH MY FUCKING GOD

Everly: What????

Leila: What happened?

Ara: I think Apollo saw me naked

Ara: *crying emoji*

Leila: FACETIME NOW

***

After a long exhausting day, I wasn't able to eat dinner last night. I passed out as soon as my back hit my new, clean, and bedbugs-free bed. It was a fitful sleep, hindi man ako nanaginip but I really felt refreshed and light when I woke up at the crack of dawn.

Am I starting to be a morning person?

I never wake up before 8 AM before with my own volition. Mandalas pa nga ay naabuso ko ang snooze button ng alarm clock apps sa phone ko. But apparently, I just woke up at 5 AM now.

Huh. Well, considering that I just had a few life-changing moments in a week, I guess that's just to be expected. New life, new routine, and all that.

Getting up, I took my silk robe to wrap around my body and hide my silk nightgown. I don't usually sleep in these pero ito ang naisipang bilhin ni Everly na pantulog ko. After slipping my feet into my new slides and taking my phone with me, I decided to leave my room and roam around.

Wala naman siguro si Mary Ann dito para pagbawalan ako. Tsaka wala pa naman sigurong gising na tauhan na makakakita at magsusumbong sa akin sa kanya.

I look around the farmhouse and immediately felt sad. Mabuti pa si Apollo, meron na siyang sariling bahay na matatawag niyang sa kanya lang. I don't have one—kahit pang sabihin nila na conjugal property ang bahay namin ni Dash, I still don't feel like it's my home. At least not anymore.

Ano ba yan, ang aga-aga and I'm being sappy and sentimental. Makalabas nga.

***

As I stepped out of Apollo's farmhouse, I immediately heard the call of the water.

Following the calming, sloshing sounds of the water, brought me to the other side of the farmhouse. I gasped when I saw the river, the lush green trees nearby, the rich brown color of the fallen tree trunk by the riverbank, and the black starry sky.

I ran to the water and immediately removed my robe and placed it by the tree trunk, along with my phone and slippers. Without gauging how deep the water was, I jumped into it and welcomed the freezing cold it brought to my body. It wasn't deep and the current wasn't strong, it was the perfect place to plunge in and finally get refreshed from the summer heat.

Closing my eyes, I let my body float, my hands helping me stay in one place despite the current. I love it. I loved that I have easy access to a natural body of water, and it's clean! It tastes sweet and it feels wonderful being in it.

I couldn't feel the itchy sensation from the bites. I couldn't feel the sweltering heat of summer.

I'm just here. 

Happy. Floating. Content.

Ahhh, this is the life.

I let the world around me to just... be. While floating, I listened to the sound of the free-flowing water, the singing birds, and the crickets. I enjoyed the feel of the cool summer breeze and the cold push of the current. 

Opening my eyes, I saw that the sky is starting to lighten up and lose its stars. Gaano na ako katagal nandito? Gaano na ako katagal nagpalutang-lutang at hindi ko namalayang papasikat na ang araw?