Hades didn't say anything, not even a harsh remark. He just sat there and looked anywhere but me. But he didn't leave.
He could easily leave me here and get a ride back home, but he stayed. I found comfort in that.
The long silence shared between us eased my emotions until I fully calmed down. Hindi na ako nagsalita pa. What was there left to say? I already laid my heart out and all I could do was wait for him to accept it or break it.
He just sat there, and he didn't even touch his drink. Hindi niya ba gusto ang macchiato?
The comforting silence was interrupted when his phone rang from his pocket. Napatingin siya sa akin pero nag-iwas din ng tingin at sinagot ang tawag.
"Hello," he coldly greeted and listened to the caller.
I watched him react to whatever was being said to him. His forehead creased and he brushed his hair in slight distress.
"I don't think I'll be able to attend the meeting at 4PM. I'm not in Manila," he explained.
My eyes widened at that. He has a meeting that he needs to get to. Why didn't I think of that when I decided to hold him hostage? It was a workday. Of course, he was busy.
"Can you call my brother and ask him to attend it for me instead?"
I leaned forward, readying myself to interrupt. It immediately caught his attention. "It's okay. We can leave now para makaabot ka sa meeting mo."
Hades stared at me for a while. His lips parted. He looked like he was going to say something but he just nodded and looked away again. "Nevermind. I might make it just in time."
Tumayo na ako agad para makaalis na kami pagkatapos ng tawag niya. Hades remained seated even when he kept his phone. Sunod niyang nilabas ang wallet niya at naglabas ng five hundred peso bill.
"You don't have to pay. I can wire them the payment," pigil ko.
He just arched a brow and with a daggered look on me, he placed down the bill and stacked the centerpiece to keep it in place. Tsaka lang siya tumayo at pumorma na aalis.
I noticed the untouched frappe on the table. It looked like he wasn't planning on taking it with him. "Hindi mo dadalhin yung macchiato?"
He instantly stopped at the sound of my voice. He sighed and picked it up without a word.
Nangunguna si Hades sa paglalakad kaya nakasunod lang ako sa kanya. He didn't stop, kaya kumaway na lang ako kay Rose at Vivienne bilang pagpaalam.
Hades were taking long strides and he was ahead of me so he reached the car first. I had to hurry and get my key fob out of my bag so Hades can get in.
He surprised me when he raised his hand. "Give me the key. I'll drive."
I was flustered because I didn't expect him to offer that. "No. It's okay."
"I'll drive, Persephone." It wasn't a request. It was an order.
I puckered my lips and hesitantly gave the key to him. Siya naman ay binigay ang plastic cup sa akin. Hindi niya ako hinintay na umalma pa at pumasok na sa loob ng sasakyan.
I was still confused as I entered the car and put my seatbelt with one hand. May cup holder naman pero hindi ko 'yon magawang bitawan. Hades gave it to me so I should hold it.
He drove off without a word. Muli na naman kaming binalot ng nakakabinging katahimikan. Earlier, the silence brought me peace. But now that we were confined in a small space, it agitated me.
"Uhm... saan ang meeting mo?" I asked, a tiny foot dip on the water to test it.
It took him a while that I thought he wasn't gonna answer me but he surprised me again when he did, "Serrano Building."
"Oh. Okay..." I dryly replied and quickly thought of another question to keep our conversation going, "Meeting about? Your hotels?"
He sighed and kept his eyes fixed in front. "Final meeting for the re-opening."
Napangiti ako nang bahagya. His answer was getting longer. "And after work... do you have plans?"
"Gym," simpleng sagot niya at nabasag ang ngiti ko. Just when I thought I was making progress. He answered with a monosyllable again.
Napatingin ako sa hawak kong macchiato. "Ayaw mo ba 'tong Macchiato? Masarap siya. It's my favorite drink from them."
"Never tried it," he simply answered. He was still answering me.
I grinned and lifted the cup near his face. It made him glance at me for a second. "Masarap! Try it."
Sumusulyap-sulyap siya sa akin dahil ayaw niyang alisin ang tingin sa harapan at mukhang nag-iisip pa siya kung susundin ang sinasabi ko.
I slightly moved the cup closer so the straw will be just near his mouth. In the end, I won and he sipped on the drink.
I watched his reaction. His face didn't give anything away. I brought down my hand to my lap.
"Well?" I urged him to comment on the drink.
"It's too sweet."
"Ayaw mo ng sweet?" I playfully frowned. "Guess I won't be sweet then."
"No. It's fine," he interjected.
I grinned. I felt my heart flutter a bit. Was he flirting back? "Fine that I'm sweet?"
He rolled his eyes. "The drink. It's fine."
I grimaced and scoffed. Maybe not.
🍷🍷🍷
The first thing I did the next morning was check my phone and type in a message for Hades.
Kaia:
Good morning!
What are your plans today? :)
It was past eight which was already late for me, but I wasn't sure if Hades was already awake at this time, lalo na at weekend. I was always the morning person between us.
I didn't have work or any plans until in the afternoon, so I stayed in bed and backread my exchanges with Hadeon from yesterday.
Napangiti ako kahit na malamig naman ang mga reply niya sakin. After I dropped him off the office yesterday, I sent him a text and it became an endless exchange until evening came, kahit na matagal ang reply niya minsan.
It was a dire improvement compared to his replies with just a period on it.
He hasn't forgiven me, that was clear. But he wasn't completely mad at me anymore. Talking to him yesterday and giving him an explanation clearly helped a lot.
He wouldn't be replying to me if he wasn't considering on taking me back. Or maybe I was just being too greatly optimistic. Maybe he wasn't just sure what to do with me yet.
I didn't care though. I'd take this rather than get ignored by him again. I will wait for him to make a decision and hope that I will be ready when he decides that he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore.
My phone suddenly vibrated for a message. I nearly dropped it on my face. I was even more in shambles when I read Hadeon's name.
He replied! At eight in the morning! Bakit gising na siya?
Hades:
Going to batangas.
Kaia:
You're awake??
And where in Batangas? Sa resort?
Hades:
Yes.
I had to check the calendar on my phone to confirm that it was only Saturday.
Kaia:
Why? Bukas pa event diba?
Hades:
Going with family.
Oh. I pouted. Then I snickered when I thought of a witty reply.
Kaia:
Bakit hindi ako kasama? :(
Hades:
You're not family.
I rolled my eyes.
Kaia:
Yet.
Naghintay ako ng susunod na reply niya pero umabot ang limang minuto ay hindi siya sumagot. No surprise there. He only answers to questions.
I would like to think that he was playing hard to get. But maybe the whole truth of it was a part of him was still angry at me and he was holding himself back.
Kaia:
Are you going to be busy the whole day? Can I still text you?
Hades:
Don't know. Maybe.
My brows knitted at that. Were the answers only for the first question or were the answers for each question, and in order?
I was thinking so hard about it that I didn't get to reply immediately. I was only interrupted when a new text came from him.
Hades:
Aren't you busy?
A smile crept on my lips. I bit my lip to stop it. He just asked me a question to continue our conversation. There was a chance that he meant it as a snide remark but I'd like to think that he just wanted to know my plans for today.
Kaia:
I'm free the whole morning since I'm not accepting projects anymore. In the afternoon, I'll be meeting Gio. He found a place to build his restaurant.
I happily shared that information. Then when he didn't reply back and minutes passed, I realized that telling him about Gio wasn't the best idea to get back in his good graces. Crap.
Kaia:
Gio is just my friend. He knows that I'm in love with you.
He didn't reply anymore after that. Even when I sent him my usual texts when lunch came, he just put me on read. It was frustrating and I was naturally impatient, but I knew I had to be patient. I was trying to win him back so I couldn't demand for his attention.
🍷🍷🍷
I decided to bring my car instead of going together. I was beginning to love driving on my own again. The idea that I could go wherever I want to go was the main reason why. Gio was already waiting inside when I arrived.
His newly acquired property was an existing structure. From the outside, it had a signage with printed For Lease but was covered by a sticker that said SOLD instead. It was a relatively new commercial space, but it was obvious that Gio wasn't the first owner.
Gio explained his plans for renovation as he toured me around. It only had one level, but the inside was spacious, probably because it was completely bare. Aside from the already existing restrooms, there were two other doors that leads to an empty small room and another wide area which was the kitchen.
"What do you think?" he asked.
I turned away from the expanse and of what would be the kitchen area to look at him. "It's amazing. I'm proud of you, Gio."
"Thanks," he shyly answered. He paused for a moment before he asked, "How's Tita doing?"
"Getting better everyday." I smiled, thinking about my mother who was slowly socializing with other people over coffee and shopping. "The papers were already filed so now they're just waiting for the court date."
"That's good." Tumango si Gio.
"You should visit her. She always asks me about you," sabi ko.
"I've been meaning to, pero busy lang kaya hindi ako makadalaw. Maybe I'll ask her out on a date next week."
Tumawa ako. "She would love that."
"How about your uhm... Hadeon, are you two okay now?"
The remnants of my laughter faded into a small frown. I heavily sighed and shook my head. "No... He's still mad at me." I looked away. "We already talked, and I explained everything to him. He's not ignoring me anymore, so I guess that's a progress."
But then I wondered if that was still applicable now because he hadn't answered my texts since early this morning.
"I'm sure he'll come around. You just need to wait and give him time."
I somberly nodded. "I know."
🍷🍷🍷
I knew that I should wait and give him time. I promised to be patient.
"Patience," I whispered with my eyes closed.
I've been muttering that to myself for I wasn't sure how long. I was on my bed with my legs crossed, and hands anchored on my knees. The Sukhasana.
My attempt to be at ease was a failure. My muscles are all tensed, my jaw was clenched, and I couldn't stop my fingers from tapping.
I opened my eyes and glared at my phone that was sitting in front of me.
It had been a full day and there was still no word from Hades. I had been sending him updates. It reminded of the old times when it was the other way around... because I was always so busy that there were times that I couldn't reply to Hades and he'd be constantly sending me messages.
I finally gave in and picked up my phone. I hesitated between a regular phone call and a video call. I wanted to see him. That was enough reason for me to choose a video call.
After a few rings, Hades picked up. Ako yung tumawag sa kanya pero ako pa yung nagulat sa pagsagot niya.
Hindi ako nakapagsalita agad. I drank in the sight of his face. He's just so gorgeous. It's so unfair. Kahit na nakasimangot ang mukhang suplado, gwapo pa rin.
I next checked his background and noticed the tiled wall behind him. He was in... a bathroom? Was he taking a shower? But he was fully clothed. Someone else's bathroom?
Hades sighed, pulling me from my thoughts. "Why did you call?"
"You didn't reply to my texts the whole day," I complained.
He was slightly pixelated but I could see his jaw clenching. "I was busy."
"Hanggang ngayon? Where are you?"
"Resort."
I rolled my eyes. "Whose bathroom are you in? Who are you with?"
"I'm in the restaurant's bathroom, Persephone. I'm only with my family."
"Why did you have to hide in the bathroom to talk me?"
"Why is that a big deal? Didn't you do the same thing to me before?"
My scowl softened because of that. I looked away and the guilt followed. He said that our arrangement didn't bother him before, but clearly, it gnawed at him and it was crawling out of his body like insecurities he hid a long time ago.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled. May iba pa ba akong pwedeng sabihin bukod doon?
Nanghihima na tumango ako. "I'll let you go now."
"What?" he curtly asked.
"I'll end the call, so you can go back to your family," I exclaimed somberly, then forced myself to smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Fine," he said.
"I love you. Bye." I waved at the camera.
Hades just remained staring back at me with an unreadable face.
I playfully pouted. "Wala bang 'goodnight, baby' d'yan?"
His unreadable face wavered a bit. He scowled. "Matulog ka na."
That made me laugh. I said another goodbye before hanging up. I smilingly looked at the history of our call.