Good morning my dears! After the tears shed over the past chapters, let's change the tempo naman. This is where they start to strengthen the foundation of their relationship, because how will it withstand the conflict of my plot if their foundation is weak?
Realistically, no matter how strong feelings are, if the foundation is weak, then it will be easy for one of them to stray away. I know you have preconceived ideas how this fic will go, and my challenge is to outsmart and surprise you, which is getting harder because you guys know me so well already, haha!
So heto na pambawi ko sa saksak pusong chapters. Happy times for our couple before the storm comes....char. I hope this will give you a sneak peek at what will happen to them in the next few chapters.
Have fun this weekend mga beshy and stay salty :)
Ortigas Business District, Summer - 2016
Richard made his way through the traffic on Emerald Avenue to cross the street. He checked his phone to make sure he was in the right building, gave his driver's license to the guard and queued for his turn in the elevator to go up the 20th floor.
It was his first time in the Philippines since he and his family left when he was thirteen , and he came home to see her. To remind her of an agreement they made to each other years ago when their friendship was just starting. He hoped she still remembered that agreement, and wondered if she was still up to fulfilling it. It sounded like child's play now looking back, but he was willing to do anything, just to see her again.
He smiled when he remembered how he implored God to give him a sign about his future with Dei in it. He remembered the devastation he felt when she decided to pursue screenwriting instead of fiction. Looking back, he figured it was for the best that they pursued their studies then. It was not their time then, but he surmised that he had the power of choice to pursue her again, now that they were both done with their studies.
The elevator door opened, he approached the receptionist and gave his card. The receptionist ushered him to a meeting room and went out to call Dei.
-----
"Dei, your two o'clock is here."
"Ok, please tell him I'll be out in five minutes."
She finished the email she was typing and sent it out to the network. Taking one quick look at her small mirror, she applied a fresh coat of lipstick and made sure her hair was neat and tidy. She looked fashionable in her ripped jeans and white tunic. She hoped to impress her new client, Alden Richards, who contacted her on Upwork for the editing of his book.
She wondered why he contacted her for beta services when her profile on Upwork clearly stated her writing services were more on screenplays and subtitling for local shows to be released abroad. What started as a solo practice now blossomed into a small business for her. She had two junior and two senior writers, a receptionist who doubled as a secretary and a production assistant. Business was growing because her clients gave her referrals, and most came back for more work to give her team.
She entertained his inquiry anyway. It might be a good idea to get into book editing as well, as an additional service they can offer for Pageturner, Inc. She had back-up freelance editors that can help with this project. If she played her cards right, this project could link her up with Fairfax-Harper, one of the biggest publishing houses in the US that agreed to publish Alden's books.
He was facing the window when she entered the small conference room, as though lost in thought. His height, the way he angled his head lightly to the left and his build reminded him so much of---
Stop it right there, Dei. Stop thinking about him for crying out loud. It's been a year without contact. Move on, girl.
"Good afternoon Mr. Richards. Nice to finally meet you."
It was like a scene from a cheesy soap, the way he slowly turned and smiled at her reaction. She felt her knees buckle and grabbed the nearest chair for support.
"Jay? What......I thought I was meeting with Alden Richards."
"Let me explain. But first things first."
He closed the space between them and engulfed her in his arms. Of their own volition, her arms wrapped around his middle, her nose buried in his chest. She drank in his scent, and felt ridiculously stupid for crying. They both couldn't speak with so much emotion bottled inside.
In the months after their last time together, Dei did not see him. She asked him to stay away from the airport, not wanting to make a fool of herself if he came to see her off. They never chatted or called each other, not by design but simply because there was so much to do. By the sixth month of no communication from him, she had already given up that he would ever come back to her.
They parted, and she suddenly remembered this was a business meeting. He was eyeing her at arms' length, admiring how she filled out in the right places. Her coloring was gloriously golden, as though she'd spent a weekend at the beach.
"You look great, Dei. I'm proud of you for setting up a business like this in such a short period of time after graduation."
"Thanks......But I still don't understand your connection to Alden Richards. Can we sit and discuss?"
She sat across him and reached for her laptop to take notes. He was watching her with a ghost of a smile on his face, marveling at how she had blossomed. The softness of her body and how well she fit in his arms made him ache for her, but he had to control himself. He didn't know what happened between graduation and this moment.
"So........tell me more about your connection to Mr. Richards."
"Alden Richards is my pen name. When I met with Fairfax-Harper, they said my last name might be confused with William Faulkner, a famous US writer. I didn't want to ride on the popularity of that name so I chose a pen name. Alden is actually my middle name. Alden Richards somehow sounded better than Richard Alden, so we decided to go with Alden Richards."
"I'm happy for you, Jay. I know how badly you wanted this. But why me? How did you even find me?"
"Through Kat. We still talk from time to time. How is she now?"
"She's out of the country shooting for a new movie. I guess you already know she got her big break last year?"
"Yes, she told me. And about to finish college too! I'm glad she finally got what she wanted and I'm proud of her for fighting for it. I just knew she'd succeed."
Why did it hurt to hear him say that? Why did her heart constrict when he said he was still communicating with Kat? Was it possible that there was something romantic blossoming between her sister and him?
Kat was already turning 21, and would be graduating with a degree in theatre arts in a month. Impressively, Kat was able to study and pursue her acting craft at the same time. She shot movies during her summer vacations, and limited appearance to a minimum during school months.
"Dei? Something wrong?"
"What? No.........just, can't believe you're here."
"I came all the way here because I wanted to see you."
"Why?"
"Why not, Dei? I promised that I'd find you."
"Jay, don't say things like that. It's making me hope."
"Do you still remember that deal we had on the very first day we met?"
"What deal? The one where we promised to be friends?"
"No. Mukhang nalimutan mo na."
Had she changed? Was this trip bound to be a disappointment? Then she smiled, as though it suddenly dawned on her.
"I remember now. We promised to beta each other's work, the one good enough to be published."
"Yes, and so I'm here to fulfill that deal. I want you to edit my books. There are three novels, all with release dates already. They were offering me their house editors but I asked that I work with my own."
"I'm so proud of you, Jay. This is your dream."
They discussed the business side of the project and how they would be proceeding from hereon. Richard was staying in Manila for only two weeks, he was staying with his brother's family in Greenhills. It was already late afternoon by the time they finished.
"Dei, I'll be here for only two weeks. But if it's not too much to ask, I'd like to spend time with you."
"You didn't contact me for more than a year, yet you and Kat kept in touch."
"I never contacted her, Dei. I was busy with working on my book. When I presented my manuscript, they liked it and asked to see my other works. You could have contacted me too, you know."
He was right. The trouble with her was she always waited for him to make the first move. She stood up and walked over to his side of the table and sat on the chair beside him. She cradled his face in her hands.
"I never know what to do with you, Jay. I'm so fully in control of my life, but when it comes to you......wala na. I'm so afraid of making mistakes because I already committed so many in the past. I lost you once already, I don't think I can go through losing you again."
Her thumb traced the outline of his soft lips, and slowly, she watched as his image blurred when he closed the gap between them to take her in his arms and kiss her. He tasted of mint candy, and she almost laughed because it crossed her mind that he had that candy because he fully intended to kiss her.
She wanted to sit on his lap and throw caution to the wind. She wanted to give herself to him, never mind if he was leaving again in two weeks. There was nothing anymore to stop them from having a relationship, unless he had a girlfriend waiting in Miami for him. This made her freeze and disengage from him.
"What's wrong?"
He was pulling her head back but she held him off to look into his eyes.
"Jay, are we picking up where we left off in Evanston? I just remembered you might have someone waiting for you back home."
"Don't you know me by now, Dei? Do you think I'd come here in the middle of my hectic schedule, look for you, only to break your heart?"
She stood up and for a moment, Richard thought she was leaving him. But she only got up to lock the door and went back to sit beside him again and smiled. He smiled back and pulled her to his lap, his mouth hungrily seeking hers.
Their 'meeting' went on for another hour.