Alas nuwebe na ng umaga ngunit hindi pa rin nakikita ni Steven si Lorabelle sa opisina. He couldn't afford to feel at ease, for he was utterly worried about her.
What happened to her? Bakit hindi man lang ito nag-abalang tawagan o i-text man lang siya? Was there something bad happening to her? May kakaibang kaba na gumapang sa kanyang dibdib. And that was when he realized that he still cared for her. He shoved his hand inside his pocket to grab his iPhone 6 and dialled the woman's phone number.
"Damn!" hindi niya napigilang mura nang pumailanlang ang busy tone mula sa kabilang linya. It was like Lorabelle turned her phone off.
The same thing happened during his second attempt so he irksomely tossed the expensive gadget on his table. Pasalampak siyang umupo sa kanyang swivel chair at marahang hinilot ang kanyang sentido.
It was already the second day that the woman did not show up. Nami-miss niya na ang pagtitimpla nito ng kape para sa kanya lalo na ang inosenting bukas ng maganda nitong mukha. Gusto niya sana iyong i-deny pero hindi naman siya maaaring magkaila sa sarili.
He stood up from his seat and walked to the door. He saw Rosel nearby when he opened it.
"Rosel,"
Mabilis na tumingin sa kanyang kinaroroonan ang babae nang marinig nito ang sariling pangalan.
"Yes po, Sir?" Then she hastily walked towards him.
"Ah, did you see Lorabelle?" he asked in a casual manner. Ayaw niyang mahalata nito na nag-aalala siya sa dalaga.
"Naku hindi po, Sir. Hindi nga po siya tumawag o nag-text man lang sa akin."
Ngunit hindi nakaligtas sa kanya ang pag-ilap ng mga mata ng babae. He thought she was hiding something and he couldn't help but wonder.
"Are you sure? Sa ka-close-san niyo, wala man lang siyang sinabing kahit ano sa'yo?" aninigurong tanong niya habang sinasalubong ang mga mata nito.
"A-Ah, w-wala po talaga, Sir Steven." she answered, her words were chopping. Her actions could tell that she was tensed.
Rosel couldn't look in his eyes straightly, kaya alam niya na hindi ito nagsasabi ng totoo. But he didn't want to prolong their conversation so he put a period on it.
"All right! I'll just give her a beep again later. Excuse me."
"S-Sige po Sir."
Marahan niyang tinapik ang kaliwang balikat ng babae saka iniwan na ito. He approached the sliding door and made his way to the exit. He went to the basement parking and drove his car along the road for an unknown direction. His conscious state of mind seemed to be groggy at ayaw niyang makaapekto iyon sa kanyang trabaho.
"Lorabelle, anak, hindi ka ba ulit papasok?" narinig niyang tanong ng kanyang ina mula sa likuran.
She was still on her bed and was facing away from her door. Hindi niya ugaling mag-lock ng pintuan kaya malayang nakakapasok ang kanyang inang si Maridon sa kanilang kwarto ni Jackie. Minsan kasi ay ito ang nag-aasikaso sa pagpasok ng kanyang anak sa eskwelahan.
"Hindi na lang muna, 'Ma. Masama pa rin kasi ang pakiramdam ko," she answered, facing the elderly woman, not even bothering to get up from lying down.
She tried to mix her voice with a bit of hoarseness to sound more convincing. Ang totoo kasi ay nagdadahilan lang siya na may sakit simula pa kahapon. Ayaw niya munang pumasok sa trabaho dahil wala siyang mukhang maihaharap kay Steven pagkatapos ng nangyari noong isang araw.
BINABASA MO ANG
PLEASE BE MINE...AGAIN (Completed/Editing)
Romance[WARNING: RATED SPG. THERE ARE SCENES THAT ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS AND READERS WHO HAVE SENSITIVE MINDS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.] Lorabelle loves Steven so much, but she had to sell at a loss and leave him just to follow her dreams. Ngunit kasaba...
