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A calm voice enters the quiet atmosphere of the boarding area saying, "Flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Ninoy Aquino International Airport is now boarding at gate 702."
"This is a flight from Los Angeles, California to Manila, Philippines," the announcer continues.
I noticed that all the Filipinos on the same flight began texting away and calling their relatives. I somewhat expected the flight to be like this.
Filled with Filipinos going home and tourists already tropically dressed for their adventures in the Philippines. Maybe a business man or two would be found but hardly anyone would be formally dressed for a flight like this.
It is a 15 hour flight. That's more than half a day.
I decided to pull out my phone and text Nathaniel.
Alex: Hey, I'll be boarding soon, take care while I'm away and message me if you want me to bring anything back.
60 seconds.
120 seconds.
180 seconds.
Ugh.... I can't believe he left me on read. As if I didn't already feel like garbage.
I gave up and decided to text Rosa and the others instead in our group chat.
Alex: Hey guys, I'm boarding the plane right now
Rosa: Oh! I still cannot believe you're leaving right now! Be safe though 😘
Kellan: Good thing Rosa informed me
Savannah: Yeah next time you have to tell us so we can come with you!
Lucas: I'm pretty sure it's a trip for personal reasons
Kellan: Yeah but seriously Alex, tell us next time before we start freaking out about how you're not at work
Kaelyn: Since when was I in this group chat
Rosa: Oh I added you! You're part of our friend group now whether you like it or not.
Kaelyn: 😳😳😳
Nathaniel: Ha, Alex obviously doesn't want us to leave her alone so leave her alone
Kellan: Oh boy
Savannah: Quit it Nathaniel, you're acting like a child
Nathaniel: I'm acting like a child, she's the one who goes around doing impulsive things
Kellan: Hey she wants to see her family, pipe down a bit
Rosa: And besides, shouldn't you be more understanding
Lucas: Yo Kaelyn, I think this is our cue to grab popcorn
Kaelyn: Oohhh yeah
Alex: Guys, it's ok, it's my fault, anyways
Alex: Do you guys want anything for me to bring as a souvenir?
Savannah: Ooo, can you bring delicacies? Like something that no other country has? Unique to the Philippines
Rosa: I searched up some souvenirs, so if you can, can you bring me a hand woven bag.
Rosa: it says here that it's the one made using tradition wooden weaving looms
Alex: Oh yeah, I think I know what you mean, how about the others?
Lucas: I'm with Savannah, candies would be great
Kellan: Me too, also bring back yourself! It'd be great to see you in one piece
Kaelyn: uhhh, I'll go with the sweets too
Nathaniel: You can try bringing your common sense back
Alex: Nathaniel please......
Rosa: Nathaniel you're acting like a jerk.... she's your girlfriend
Nathaniel: Ha! Girlfriend?! She acts like I'm just a room mate
Kellan: woahhh easy there, shouldn't you be talking to Alex about this.
Alex: I gotta go guys, my row is being called to board, I'll see you guys in three days
Rosa: Ok! Have a safe flight ✈️
Savannah: yup! Stay safe Alex!
I tucked my phone back in my pocket with heavy sigh and boarded the plane.
The heart pumps about 115,000 times each day.
It pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood daily.
It's supposedly the size of a fist in an adult but...
This time....
It feels like it's slowly shrinking, clenching on itself. Making me feel like I've made the worst decision when I know I did the right thing.
I finally sat down on my seat and thankfully I was seated beside a quiet old woman who just stared at the window.
I grabbed my phone from my pocket and I checked my messages only to be disappointed.
He's still leaving me on read.
I felt my heart clench again and then I decided to distract myself by figuring out how to operate the personal tv in front of me.
Gosh I hope the plane food here will be good.
15 hours later.....
Oh thank God we finally landed. I could barely even sleep. Good thing the tv had Big Bang Theory on it, made the flight even better.
I watched as the people finally got out of their seats and I followed grabbing my carry on luggage.
Once we finally left the plane, I felt the hot humid weather of the Philippines hit my body.
I can't believe it, I'm finally home.
Nathaniel's POV
Ha! Oh Nathaniel of course she shuts you out. She even avoids your argument.
Typical. Do I even really wanna be with her? But her smile, her laugh, her witty words..... and her stubborn mind.
Does she even know how to take a compliment? She even brushes off the names I give her!
I can't call her honey.
She loathes babe.
I can't even call her sweetheart!
She doesn't even like it when I call her Lexi! What a closed off woman! She's driving me nuts.
My rambling thoughts were cut off by Kellan patting me on the back and saying, "Nathaniel you are literally standing in the middle of the atrium and staring at the floor."
I immediately looked up to face him and said, "Oh sorry, I was just thinking about something."
"Hmmm, thinking about something or someone?," Kellan teased and I gritted my teeth and said, "If you're doing this to get me to admit I'm thinking about Alex, you're just making me mad."
"Oh boy, all you had to do was apologise to Alex for being an a*hole," Kellan said without a drip of sarcasm.
Oh this twat is really pushing it.
"Why don't you just mind your own business, she deserved it," I said as I shoved him away from me.
He then shoved me back as well and I couldn't help but feel a surge of energy. I wanted to hit something and I decided to hit him.
I threw a hard punch at his jaw which look like it hurt him but it also hurt my own knuckles.
He immediately tackled me to the ground and now we were rolling around the floor trying to hit each other.
"You think you're so slick because of your stupid British accent!," he shouted and I retorted by saying, "Keep your trap shut wazzock! I bet you're even faking that western accent!"
"Now you're just making stuff up, what the hell is a wazzock!," He yelled back.
I wasn't normally like this but I was mad. I was mad at Alex and now I'm mad at Kellan who is obviously trying to guilt trip me.
I was so ready to land a punch on him when I found myself being pulled back by Lucas and Rosa whole Savannah and Kaelyn held back Kellan.
There was already a crowd forming around us and a familiar figure comes up to us.
It was none other than Dr. Kahele.
Oh I'm so screwed.
She glared both of us down and I felt my anger dissolve into fear. She looked like she was going to give us hell.
She cleared her throat and said, "If I'd wanted this hospital to be a wrestling ring, I'd have hired professional wrestlers....."
"Not unprofessional doctors who don't know how to handle their anger in a civil manner!," she said harshly.
"Dr. Kahele I-," I tried to reason but she cut me off saying, "I don't want to hear any nonsense from the two of you, you are both suspended for the day so that you can blow off that steam."
Dr. Kahele walks away and the crowd dissipates leaving me, Kellan, Rosa, Lucas, Savannah and Kaelyn.
Lucas and Rosa let go of me. Rosa sighs and says, "What were you thinking Nathaniel....."
Before I could say anything, she walks away with Lucas. I looked at Kellan and the others and they all just looked at me with disappointment.
I felt a mixture of sadness and anger. Alex clearly made a mistake but I didn't have to punch Kellan for it.
I sighed and decided to gather my things and leave the hospital for the day before I can further embarrass myself.
Seriously Nathaniel! You've never burst out like that! What would Amelia think of you?! She's probably watching from up there, putting a palm on her face because of how rash you acted.
Alex drives me nuts and it's just utterly frustrating that she doesn't tell me about these kinds of things.
I'm always the one opening up and she's always like a human vault.
She always talks about surface level things! The only time she ever talks about anything about herself that actually matters, she turns it towards me and asks about my personal life!
AaaaaAAAAAAAHHHH!
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realise I bumped into someone making me lose my balance and fall on top of the person.
The person shoved me off and said, "Oh for the love of Neptune! Why don't you watch where you're going! Bloody Americans-."
Oh my god.
"Oh my god, no way," she said as she helped me stand up.
"You....I....," I said but I couldn't connect any of the words going through my head. I was genuinely speechless.
I'd know this face anywhere.
Fawn blonde hair with those perfectly thick bangs.
Dark blue eyes paired with thin eyebrows.
Lightly tanned skin and full lips. Astonishingly white teeth and that mole just above her upper lip.
I knew it was her.
My one and only past romance.
Avery Harrington.
"Nathaniel Cardinal, I'd never thought I'd see your pretty face again," she said with a smirk as she walked closer to me.
"Avery Harrington you-," I said but she stopped me by slapping me hard across my right cheek.
I winced in pain and chuckled then said, "You haven't changed a bit."
She chuckled and said, "That's for leaving me all those years ago without even a phone call, you literally broke up with me over text you twat!"
"I'm sorry, it's just that my parents-," I said apologetically but she finished for me saying, "I know Nathaniel, you don't have to explain, I knew how it was when your sister died."
I sighed and said, "I, how do you not want to shove me in a coffin? I left you."
"Oh please Nathaniel, we are adults, and besides you had your reasons, at first I was upset but I've moved on," she said without faltering confidence.
"Umm, I'm off work right now and it's almost lunch time, do you want to grab a bite with me?," I asked and she smiled and said, "Of course, I'm starving and it would be great to catch up with you."
I smiled feeling a warm feeling in my chest.
"So where do you want to go?," I asked and she said, "Hmmm, do you think we could get some fish and chips in here?"
"I know a place," I said, "Follow me."
Alexandria's POV
I was finally at the doorstep of a home I hadn't been to for nearly a decade.
I felt my heart beat so fast. I really was nervous.
No scientific reasoning could explain what emotions I was feeling.
I knocked on the door of my home, thinking I would be met with a helper but the door opened revealing my mom barking at someone on her phone.
When she finally lands her eyes on me, she stops talking. She says to the person on her phone, "I'll call you back, I have something important to attend to."
Her mouth falls as she stares at me.
Alexandria say something.
"Mom, I know you must be so mad but please I just wanted to see you and Dad-," I said but she cuts me off my pulling me into a tight hug.
I felt her tears dampen my shoulder as she continued to hug me. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I see my dad rushing to the front door saying, "Katherine, we have a meeting-."
He stops speaking when he sees me and I barely croak out, "Pa."
He rushed up to me and my mother who were still hugging and he joins the hug.
"How are you two not mad at me?," I asked and they both let me go. My dad chuckled amidst his tears and said, "Oh we were mad but now we're just glad to finally see you, it's been way too long."
Nathaniel's POV
"So what brings you here in the hot weather of LA? Did you get sick of the terrible weather in London?," I asked and she chuckled as she continued to eat her chips.
"Oh don't get me started on the weather but I didn't actually leave London for that," she said as she took a sip of her lemonade.
"So what did? Did you come looking for me?," I teased and she laughed and said, "Ha! Being a comedian doesn't suit you but no, I was offered a job here that paid a lot."
"Oh, what kind of job?," I asked and she smiled then said, "I was offered a job as a curator at the Getty Centre."
"So you still pursued arts? You really are committed," I said and she smiled and said, "I like to stick with what I like, no matter how old."
"I can see that, you still have your cute bangs," I said to compliment her and I noticed a blush creep on her face.
"Thanks bubs.....oh! Bloody Hell! I mean thank you Nathaniel!," she said as she awkwardly eats her chips.
I felt butterflies hearing her call me bubs.
Nathaniel, you're dating Alex! Keep it together!
Don't do anything you'll regret!
Don't do-
"Bubs? I missed hearing you call me that," I teased and she blushed and said, "Well, I would've still been calling you that if you hadn't left me."
"I had to," I said and she looked at me with sad eyes and said, "You know that I would have followed you right?"
"I wouldn't have let you give up on your dreams, I know how much art meant to you," I said and she smiled and said, "Well somehow we ended up meeting again."
I couldn't help but stare into her dark blue eyes. We didn't speak and our we just stared into each other's eyes.
Snap out of it Nathaniel! Think about Alex!
Oh bollocks! She left us! She's closed off! Avery, you know Avery!
She's no wild card unlike Alex.
I didn't realise that I was staring in another direction until Avery cupped my cheek and said, "Nathaniel? Are you alright?"
I snapped out of it and said, "Yes I'm fine."
Before I could say anything else I saw someone familiar pass by.
Was that Rosa?
Alexandria's POV
I was in the middle of catching up with my parents when suddenly I felt my phone violently vibrate in my pocket.
I opened my phone and saw a bunch of texts from Rosa.
Rosa: Alex! Wee woo WEE WOO WEE WOO
Rosa: Alex! I don't even know how to say this
Rosa: I don't know if My eyes are deceiving me but I saw Nathaniel having lunch with a girl
Rosa: I was just going out to buy lunch but I saw him with this girl
Rosa: I don't know whether it's friendly or not but it looked concerning
Rosa: TEXT ME BACK ASAP!