Hi there, thank you all those who shared their views in the last chapter. Ang saya ko pag maraming comments, it helps me validate my story's future chapters. Although I still stick to my original plot, your comments help me tighten the plot more. I'm happy that some of you see Kat's good side, kasi nga hindi naman siya talaga bad.
I got feedback also na some of you are anxious because this story is classified as angst. It's not going to be as painful as The Surrogate Wife, promise. There will also be happy times ahead, after 2-3 chapters more. This is not a typical love triangle, you should know me by now, I don't do things the usual way, so don't worry about the angst part :)
But first things first. We need to go through difficult chapters and this is one of them. On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being highest, pain level is around 6 lang, ok? Walang iiyak......char :)
I hope you like this chapter and as usual, I live for your insights, feel free to share :)
A week after their argument, Richard and Dei were still not talking. They've had petty arguments before but never did it escalate to raising voices at each other, and she knew she was to blame. She started it by charging to his place and accusing him of influencing her sister to pursue what she thought was a foolish decision.
He was right about giving her sister a little leeway with her decisions, and treating her sister a little more like an adult. She did take for granted that her sister was already maturing and Kat's grades did improve. Reluctantly, she had to credit Richard's friendship with Kat as a factor for her sister's better behavior. She and Kat were still at odds most of the time, and she had to admit that she may be to blame for being heavy on her sister.
She reflected on what he said. He was right about Kat being brave to pursue what she wanted. But he was wrong about Kat being more of a risk-taker than she was. Wasn't she also taking a risk when she went here to the US alone to pursue her dream, at the risk of failing and being mocked by her mom?
Her face heated up upon remembering what he said, and how it juxtaposed to their situation. Going to class was awkward. Classmates noticed they were seated apart, but thankfully no one was curious enough to ask questions. He sometimes looked at her as though waiting for her to say something, but he never approached, and she thought it best to let things pass for now.
She entered the library to do some research for her thesis proposal. Heading towards the terminal for searching the books she needed, she took a seat and started searching for the titles of books she would be using.
The noise of a book dropping made her turn to the direction of the noise. She froze upon seeing Richard picking up a book for an unfamiliar girl who was with him. The girl took the book from him and punched his arm. He too the girl's backpack and slung it over his shoulder. They walked out of the library together, the girl whispering something against Richard's ear.
She suddenly felt cold, her hands shook. It was like seeing Ron kiss Diane all over again, only worse. She had a right to raise hell with Ron. Richard had the right to pursue anyone he liked because at the end of the day, they were just friends.
-----
Richard and Lei walked out of the library, looking behind them to check if Dei followed them. But Dei remained inside the library.
"You think she saw us?"
"Richard, I slammed the book down so hard. I saw her look at us."
"You think this will work?"
"I don't know, does she fall for pranks like this?"
"It's not a prank, ok?"
"Why don't you just talk to her?"
"This was what her sister advised."
"Richard," Lei shook her head and pulled him to a bench to sit. "You took the advice of a 17-year-old. What wisdom can she offer you? This is a high school level tactic, come on."
"I've done everything, Lei. I've been patient with her, waiting for her to be ready. I dropped hints, I've been aggressive.........this is my last ditch effort. The ball is in her court, to be honest. But it looks like she doesn't want to budge."
"Maybe she doesn't really care that much, you have to see that as a possibility, Rich."
"I don't want to believe that. I know she has feelings for me."
"Look, whatever the result, I'm here for you, ok?"
Lei took his hand in hers and squeezed, not knowing that someone was watching them from behind.
Dei wiped her tears hurriedly and went back inside the library. It was her fault, she brought this upon herself and could not blame him for turning to someone else.
-----
She couldn't take their time apart anymore and decided to take matters into her hands. She drove one night to Richard's place to make amends. This was a risk she was taking, in her mind, he had already replaced her. But she just wanted to talk and clear the air, she wasn't hoping for anything romantic between them.
She rang the bell several times and waited for him to open the door but got no response. His car was in the driveway and there was no other car around, so she was sure he was alone. She tried the door and was surprised to find it open.
Dei entered, her heart thudding. What if there was a woman with him? She was afraid of what she might see. And then she saw him, his long, lithe form sprawled on the couch. He seemed to be sleeping, there was a half-filled bottle of vodka on the table and an empty glass.
"Jay?"
She sat beside him, looking at him longingly. She missed him badly, and couldn't resist touching him. Her hand caressed his cheek, his eyes slowly opened. He stilled the movement of her hand and kissed her palm. She noticed his temperature was warm, his hand clammy. He was nursing a fever.
"Were you drinking?"
"Just enough to fall asleep. Been having trouble getting enough sleep."
"Are you hungry? Have you eaten dinner?"
"No.......not hungry. Dei....I missed you.'
"I missed you too, Jay. I'm sorry for raising my voice last time."
He got up and groaned, raising a hand to his forehead.
"Can we just forget about what happened and start over? I know I promised to wait, Dei. I will keep that promise."
"Ssshhhh. Just focus on getting better now, ok? We'll talk once you feel better. I promise."
"I want to kiss you right now."
Their faces were close, she felt his hot breath on her cheek, and for a second, it crossed her mind that she could catch the bug that made him sick if they kiss. But she missed him badly too and closed her eyes as she moved closer to fasten her mouth on his.
His legs shifted and pulled her closer till she was on his lap straddling him. The taste of his mouth was heavenly, she'd never been kissed as thoroughly as this, or touched as achingly tender on her face. His hand cradled the back of her head, making her rest on the crook of his other arm, while his other hand slid inside the band of her joggers, caressing the smooth skin of her hip.
Her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer, till her body was straining against his. He groaned and roamed his hands over her back underneath her tank top, and moved his lips to plant kisses on her jaw and neck.
"Dei.......I love you."
"Jay, I----"
The sound of glass shattering made them break away from each other. Dei turned to see the same girl holding his hand that day she saw him in the library. She was looking at them as though shocked, until she suddenly bent awkwardly to get the broken pieces of glass on the floor.
"I......I'm sorry, Jay. I took a while in the drug store, the line was long and I didn't know you had company...." She babbled on, unable to look at them both.
Dei quickly stood from his lap and got her bag to run out of his house. She felt like crying but controlled herself, not wanting to show them her weakness.
"Get better, Jay. Goodbye."
"Dei....wait."
She rushed out and shook off his hand on her arm. She heard his steps following her and ran.
"Ouch!" Lei yelled as a shard of glass cut her thumb. Richard was momentarily immobilized, in a quandary between the two women, who should he attend to first? In the end, he ran after Dei, calling at her as she got into her car and drove away. Dei still caught his face as it twisted in pain at seeing her go, but she was eager to leave, unable to think straight.
She drove like a madwoman, adamant to wipe away the doubts in her mind. God, help me to stop overthinking and make these painful conclusions. But her mind already worked it out. This was probably what Diane felt when Ron was kissing her, that time Dei came upon them. This is how shameful it feels to be at the receiving end of someone's attention, when that someone is already dating another girl.
She was embarrassed to become what she hated back then.