He is already up, just finished shower and preparing his stuffs for work. His eyes sadden at the moment he remembered the things that his wife do to him.
Flashback
“babe” he called from the shower room.
“yes babe?” she asked back
“I’m feeling lonely here, would you, by any chance can accompany me here?” he asked her sweetly.
“no babe. You know that you have to go to work, and with me accompanying you there will just make you impossible to do so.” He heard her told him matter-of-factly.
“is that so, huh?” he asked back, coming out of the shower room with just a towel wrapped just below his waist.
“yes, it is.” She said not cutting her gaze on what she is doing.
He slowly walk towards her and hug her from the back while she is preparing his things.
“are you underestimating my stamina huh?” he asked her softly, then lean his head just to kiss softly on her neck.
He smile when she tilts her head a little to give him more access on his little ministration. He heard her moan softly when he trace her jaw line with his lips.
After some teasing, he jerk when she aggressively turn around to face him. Her eyes, full of passion stares at him, he gulps.
She then lifts her arms and wraps it around his neck, her one hand caressing the back of his head.
“mmm…” he whispers.
She then lean in and caress his lips with her sexy, soft lips. She tilts her head a little to deepen it but then when he snapped out of the trance and had the courage to deepen the kiss back, she pulled away.
He looks up to her and there she is, staring back at him again, but the passion is no longer present. After a while, her lips smirk.
He raised an eyebrow.
Then she taps his cheek softly and huskily whispers “you have to go to work, babe”
then she grins.
This woman really drives him very crazy, he thought.
His reminiscing just got interrupted when he heard his phone rings.
He sighs, and then reach for his phone on his pocket.
He frowns a little seeing the caller to be his dad.
“hello dad” he greets.
“Gerald, son, how are you?”
“I’m doing fine. And you? How’s mom?”
“We’re fine. How’s Grace?”
“She is fine.”
After some talk…
“no dad” he refuse
“why? It won’t be long. Just a month or something.”
“I’m busy with my own shop and besides, where’s ate? Let her handle her business” he said frustratingly.
“She’s busy here in Egypt, with our business. You know that she can’t handle that all alone, that’s why she, we needs your help.”
“then close some”
Silence then took between them. When he is about to take back his words knowing he just said the impossible, his dad spoke
“you know that’s not possible.”
“Right.”
“Seriously Gerald, it won’t be long. I promise.”
He breathes out heavily.
“Fine.”
“Then we’ll be the one who’ll take care of Grace for the mean time. Send her here.”
“No!” he protested immediately.
“son..”
“No dad, never ever think that I’ll let her take away from me.”
“you’ll bring her there?”
“Dad, it’s not that far. And besides I’ll buy a house there so Grace would be comfortable and I’ll bring her yaya with us.”
“fine do what you want. By the way, that branch will hold a company outing next week, join them. I’ll ask Mr. Garcia to do the honor of introducing you to the team. That outing would be great opportunity to acquaint the people you’re working with for some weeks.”
“Sure” he just said
“I’ll phone Mr. Garcia about what we had talked. He’ll assist you there, don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried!”
“Sure. Goodbye son, kiss Grace for me.”
“Goodbye dad.”
He sighs as he ended the call.
The door of his room suddenly jerked open and his daughter, her maid towing behind, entered his room.
He looks down at his cute daughter while the kid is walking towards him, still in her pjs while holding her teddy bear.
His heart winces a bit when he remembers how his beautiful wife loves that teddy bear.
Yes, the teddy bear that his daughter loves is once owned by his wife. He smile remembering her smile when he got that teddy bear for her.
…and his heart melts when she told him that thatteddy bear will be their baby for the meantime.
“Good morning daddy” he then heard the sleepy voice of his daughter.
He kneeled down to face the little kid.
He kissed her head “good morning sleephead.”
“Are you going to work na?” she asked
“Yes princess, why? Do you like something?” he asked and smile when he see his daughter thinking.
“hm. I think I miss lolo and lola, and tita shine, and tito gab too.” His daughter utters cutely.
“ohh, is that so? Hmm. then, after work, we’ll go meet them, okay?”
“Really?” Grace beamed at him.
“of course, for the meantime, behave and listen to your yaya, ok?”
His daughter just nods vigorously.
And he smile seeing his little Grace’s cute antics.
She’s really like her mom.
…
“you’re ridiculous, Yeng.” She exclaimed.
“what? It’s worth a try.”
“It’s not!”
“why not?”
She glared at her best friend.
They are now currently at the company’s canteen, eating lunch.
“what?” her friend ask her somewhat defensively.
“Aren’t you hearing what you’re suggesting? You just told me to create a fight with Matt.”
“Yes, I said that. because I know, he’ll give up and he will let you go to this team building. Please Sarah, just this time. Okay? It’s freaking 5 days, and I wanted you to come.”
“Oh my goodness, Yeng. You’re just telling me to fight him for him to let me go for this team building. Seriously Yeng, I would rather stay at home than to have a fight with him.”
“Haay. I just want to spend time with my best friend, seriously we never had one. You know. I just felt that maybe I can spend some time with you.”
She narrow-eyed her best friend, she knows well that kind of tone Yeng just used. And she knows that she’s just making up the ‘sad’ face.
But then she can see in her eyes the sincerity, she sighs. Yeng continues..
“Besides, I think you just need rest, you need to relax. I know that you’re stressing out for about a month now because of your nightmares. Maybe it’s the right time to have time for yourself and let go of that nightmare” her friend seriously told her.
She didn’t say a word because she knew her friend is right. She looks up at her friend, and she’s already focused on the food.
She sigh.
It’s been a month that she’s having the same nightmare she had before, nothing has changed though. She, holding hands with someone while walking by the beach then suddenly she being under sea water drowning but then when she is about to give up, someone hold her wrist, then she’ll wake up.
She wanted to forget that nightmare and at the same time, she always pray to never have that nightmare again. Because it pains her that she doesn’t know why, beside she knows that it worries her husband. At first two weeks, he continuously asks her about it and she continuously declines to tell him the details.
How can she?
Can she tell him that she has been dreaming walking hand in hand with someone else by the shore? Can she tell him that she has been dreaming of her closing her eyes while waiting for that someone else’s kiss?
Even though she can’t remember the guy’s face whenever she woke up, she is still sure that the man in her dream is not Matt, and that is one of the reasons why she just can’t tell him. Imagine the awkwardness that she’s going to create between them once she told him that.
But then, keeping this to Matt for so long pained her heart. It pains her whenever she looks at him looking back at her worriedly whenever she jerked up awake because of the nightmare. It pains her whenever she feels guilty whenever he soothes her whenever that nightmare occurred.
She’ll do everything for this nightmare to leave her alone.
So is she willing to do what her friend suggests?
…
Once they got home, she walks directly to their kitchen and get a glass of water.
She handed it to Matt who is now seated on a sofa on their sala. Their house is not that big since they just have an average living, but they make sure that their house will always be home.
She seated beside him, scooted after some time. She can see him watching her at the corner of his eyes.
Then she told him to turn so that his back faces her. He look at her skeptic but still he obliged.
She smile but then hesitantly put her hands on his shoulder. She started to massage his shoulder then his back.
She chuckled hearing him hummed in delight.
“baby…” she whispers sweetly.
When she is about to continue,
“No.” she heard Matt’s stern voice.
“what?” she asked surprised, her hands stops.
Did I already said anything about it?
She continuously asks herself if she had unconsciously slipped about the team building.
“I know that voice, and no is my answer.” He is now facing her.
She pouts.
“Hahah. You are so cute.” He ruffles her hair then got up to go to their room to change.
She is still pouting and frowning while staring at him walking.
“pft.”
…
“lola!”
Grace exclaims while running towards a table where some people are located. They’re in his wife’s family restaurant.
“Grace! Baby, we missed you so much.” Divine, his wife’s mom leveled her granddaughter’s enthusiastic greets.
Then Grace leaps to her grandmother’s arms and hug her tightly while Gerald greets the rest of the family before taking the seat reserved for him.
“How are you, Gerald?” Delfin, his wife’s dad inquires him.
“I’m doing good.” He smilingly answered.
“How about you, princess?” Delfin then diverts his attention to Grace who is now sitting on Divine’s lap while beaming at them all.
The little child’s wide grin is so contagious that all of them are smiling back at the little one. But then, it strikes his heart remembering how his wife can affects them like Grace.
His wife’s smiles and laughs are really contagious that even though he feels like shit, just one look at her and he’ll forget everything and all he can do is smile and laugh with her.
A little warmth on his arm interrupts his thought. He looks up and saw Shine, his wife’s sister holding his arm and looking at him sadly.
“You’re thinking of her again, right?” the woman in his right whispers at him.
“I always do” he simply answered while looking at his daughter.
That’s the truth. He always thinks about her, how can’t he? She is his life.
“I won’t tell you to forget her, but maybe you just have to accept that she’s already gone. You’re just hurting yourself.”
He sighs hearing that advice again, well, he always hears that same advice from almost everyone around him. At first, it irritates him but when finally it came from his wife’s family, it somewhat sink in to him that she is indeed gone and everyone has moved on but him.
But how can he just forget his life?
“I’ll try.” He just said.
“You have to, for Grace.”
He nods.
“How’s business, Ge?” Delfin asked him.
“It’s doing great.” He smile then realized that he has to tell them something. “Ah!” he exclaimed surprising everyone around the table.
“what is it?” Divine curiously asked first.
“I just want to inform you that I have been assigned to.. um.. well, managed? Um..no.. baby sit.. I guessed, one of the branches of my sister’s company somewhere in Laguna.”
“hm? Sister’s company?” Gab, his wife’s brother asked him.
“Yeah, uhm, Unica Hija.” He just said.
“your sister’s? I thought it’s family business?”
“Yeah. But technically, it’s for her. Being named as unica hija somewhat makes me intruder. Haha” he chuckles at his jokes.
“Right. So do you want us to look for Grace for the meantime?” Delfin asked him hopefully.
He looks up to his daughter who is now eating with the help of Divine and at the same time playing with Gab.
“Uhm. Actually, I’m planning to take her with me.”
With that, Divine immediately looks up at him as well as Gab, he also can feel the stare of Shine like she’s waiting for him to continue.
“I mean, it’s just a month or so,”
“But we’ll miss her!” Divine exclaims. He almost chuckles because of the whining that’s evident in woman’s voice.
“Um. You could visit her there. I’ll tell you the address where we’re gonna stay as soon as I bought a house.”
“See! You’re going to buy a house! That means you’re going to stay there, well, maybe forever!” Divine accusingly told him.
He look at Shine for help but then the woman just shrug.
“No, um. Look, I’m going to buy a house because I want Grace to feel at home. I don’t actually prefer her staying at hotel for a month.”
“Is that true?” Divine inquires him more.
“Of course. You know that I wouldn’t lie to you po.” He answered.
“Well, if that’s the case then,.. fine, just let us know your exact location immediately.”
“of course” he nods.
“So when will you go there?” Delfin asked.
“Next week.”
“ahh. Baby, I’m gonna miss you again.” he heard Divine whines at her daughter while kissing the back of his baby’s head.
Grace just ignores the woman’s whines because she is busy with her uncle Gab.
He smile.
…
“Baby, don’t do this to me.” He whines at her.
It’s been a week since she told him about the company’s team building that she is so eager to attend. And it’s also been a week since she started attacking him with this cold treatment.
Sarah is currently doing the dishes when he finally snapped at it. He just can’t take it anymore. How can he? The love of his life is ignoring him for almost 7 days!
“baby…” he sweetly whispers. He is now standing behind her and softly touching her arms. “baby..” he softly whispers in her ears.
He heard her sighs, then he hold her shoulder firmly and turns her to face him.
She is not looking at him, so he has to hold her chin for her to face him eye to eye.
And he can see sadness in her eyes that it hurts his heart.
“You do know why I can’t let you, right?” he asked her sweetly.
The woman in front of her shook her head no. He frowns and she pouts.
He wanted to laugh on how cute she is, but he managed to stop himself on doing so. It’ll just upset her more, and that’s the least that he wants.
“Haay. I’m not letting you go because I’m worried.”
She frowns once that words left his mouth.
What? That’s the truth.
“you’re always worried. by the way, what worries you? My safety? you know that I can take care of myself, right? I’m not a child!” she whines
“Yeah, I know that. but..” he paused. What is he worried anyway?
Then it hits him, he just remembered the very reason why he doesn’t want her out of his reach, out of his sight.
“But what?” Sarah insists.
“Look, it’s just… Um… will you please just forget about the team building?”
“See! You can’t even tell me a good reason why you’re worried!” he heard her exclaimed.
“It’s not like that. I know you can take care of yourself but I don’t trust the people around you.”
“Baby. The people around me are harmless. And Yeng will be there.”
“I know, but.”
“And I know it will help me” she interrupts him. He frowns.
“help you where?”
“I just think that maybe I need time to relax or for myself, so that the nightmare will leave me alone” she bluntly said.
And that pained him because it seems she doesn’t trust him about it. She can’t even tell him the details of her nightmare. She’s just telling him that she doesn’t remember but he knows that it is otherwise.
He sighs.
“Baby..” she whispers while cupping his cheek with her soft hand
He looks up to her eyes, there he saw again the sadness that he’s so eager to take away.
“fine” he said.
“what?” he heard her somewhat uplift tone.
“I said fine.” He just said, lowering his gaze.
“Fine, as in, you’re letting me go?”
“what?!” he asked surprise. He looks up to see if she meant what he thinks she means.
“That you’re letting me to join the team building” she clarifies, the happiness is clear in her voice that it warms his heart.
The sadness in her eyes is no longer present and happiness can be clearly seen on it. It flatters his heart to the fact that he indeed took away the sadness in her eyes.
But is it really fine? To let her go this time?
“It’s just 5 days baby” he heard her sweetly informs him.
Right, just five days. It’s just five days and after that she’ll be back in my arms again.
But what if?..
No! no! It won’t happen.
She interrupts his ‘wild’ thoughts when she hugs him while saying “you’re the best!”
He wiggled out from her embrace then cups her face with his two hands. He stares down at her lovingly.
“You’re mine.” He possessively state
“of course I’am” she chuckled a bit while raising her ring finger. There, she’s wearing the wedding ring he gave her.
He holds her hand down and stares at her seriously.
“I mean, your heart.”
She blinks at him confused.
Then it crushed his heart when she just smile at him then enveloped him again in an embrace.
She’s not saying anything
Like she always do when he told her that.
So he then closed his eyes hoping that someday she’ll going to give him her heart to him like before.
…
She is still awake while her husband is snoring lightly beside her. She’s just staring at the ceiling remembering their conversation a while ago.
She is happy that somewhat, Yeng’s plan did well and she’s allowed to go to that team building, although it also guilt her since she got what her wants by doing that way.
Also theier conversation pained her heart when he suddenly asked about her heart.
Yes, it would be ridiculous knowing that they’re already married.
But she knows that he understands her.
Like he said before, he is going to wait until she feels complete.
Yes, right now, she feels like there’s a massive void in her life. Because she can’t just remember everything happened before she opens her eyes one day and she is staring at the only man in the room who is apparently Matt.
He explains her everything happened. That they got in an accident, and she lost her memories, and he is her husband.
At first, she freaks out but after Matt shows her some proofs that what he is saying is true, she finally gave in and started to live a life with him.
Then two years past rapidly and still she can feels the void.
Now that she wanted to be fair for Matt, she just hopes that after these 5 days for herself that he had finally given her, she can finally return his feelings.
It’s not that she doesn’t love him because she does, and she cares for him so much. It’s just whenever he tries to reach her intimately, she’ll suddenly feels she is being unfair to him since she doesn’t feel complete.
Like I’m being fair with this set up. She sarcastically told herself.
She then turn to her side, facing him. she softly shove the hair strays on his face, then rested her hand on his cheek lightly.
She whispers “I wanted to give my complete self to you. So please, wait for me.”
She sighs.
“I wonder what makes you worried this much. Sometimes I’m a little skeptic that your reason is my safety. If you’re worrying I’ll forget you for someone else, then you’re wrong.”
She then lightly runs her thumb on his lips.
“You’re wrong because you are my life.”
She leaned forward to give him a light peck on his lips.
The very first kiss that she had given him; from what she can remember.