- Zara's POV
I wanted to forgive him, but I was worried that it might happen again. I'd be pitiful forever! Then, he didn't even bother to talk to me again. When I woke up, he was already gone for work. So, as a businesswoman, I did my routine as well. After taking Enrique to his school, I went to attend to my shop. Since the branch in Stonewick was new, I had to check it from time to time.
Around eleven, I was close to Stonewick when suddenly my car's tire burst. I didn't have a spare tire either. Ugh, I'm so stupid! I immediately took out my cellphone to call Antoinette for help, but I couldn't get in touch with her. I didn't have any other friends in Stonewick, so I reluctantly called someone I didn't want to.
"Zara," Nick said on the other line.
"I need your help," I informed him that my car broke down in the neighboring city, and I didn't have an extra tire with me.
"Just text me your location and I'll come right away," he assured me before hanging up.
I knew my location was safe since it was still early, but I got scared to get out of the car. I couldn't see any houses around. There were only trees, and only a few vehicles passed by.
After a few minutes of staying inside the car and getting bored, I decided to get out. My eyes were fixed on the road from Stonewick. Where could Nick be? My feet couldn't stay still as I leaned against the car. What if he didn't come and I was left waiting in vain? Oh no, he'll drive me bald!
I was lost in my thoughts when suddenly a man on a motorcycle wearing a helmet stopped in front of my car.
"What do you need?"
The man removed the helmet, and there was Nick, smiling at me.
"This is my favorite whenever I am in Stonewick," the man said.
"Is there a tire shop nearby?" I asked him.
"I don't know, there probably is. Let's just check, and if there really isn't any, I'll call my cousin to come here," he suggested.
"Hmmm, I'm getting hungry. Can we eat first?" It was still a few kilometers to Stonewick from my location, and my stomach was already waging war inside me.
"We can, but we'll need to find an eatery first," Nick suggested.
Eatery? I knew we were both thinking the same thing when he mentioned the word eatery. We both smiled as we journeyed into our memories from the past.
"By the way, Zara, I'm sorry for what I did in the past to cause trouble between you and Lucas," Nick said to me.
"If you really want to apologize to me, give me ten million!" I said, and he looked at me from head to toe. Maybe he was wondering if I had gone crazy or something, but it was just a joke, of course.
After I hopped on the motorcycle, we immediately left to look for a place to eat. I hadn't had breakfast because Lucas and I had a fight. I left the house on an empty stomach. Although I passed by a drive-thru, I wasn't in the mood to eat or even have a drink. I almost had an accident because I was thinking about him too much.
I got used to being with him every day. I got used to talking to him every day. I also got used to how sweet he was to me.
Before I entered a relationship with Lucas, I knew I could get hurt, but I didn't hold back my feelings. I love him too. I was fooled by the wrong assumption that I could compete with Giselle. I was fooled by the wrong assumption that Lucas wouldn't give in to temptation when his girlfriend was a famous model with a gorgeous face and body. How could I compete against that woman?
"We've gone so far, but we still haven't found a place to eat," I complained to Nick.
"We'll find one eventually," he said.
And just as he said, we found a place to eat. Actually, it wasn't a restaurant, just a food stall selling rice cakes, noodles, boiled eggs, and many other things.
Nick stopped in front of the small shop and helped me get off, and when we both sat on a wooden table, he immediately ordered.
"I'll have siomai and rice," I said when I noticed the steamer on the side.
"Ma'am, we also have ramen, the kind that's popular in Korean dramas, maybe you'd like to try it." The vendor tried to sell it to us, but Nick and I exchanged glances.
"Do you not want to have ramen, Zara?" Nick asked me teasingly.
I glared at him because I knew what he was thinking. Oh boy, Nick's playboy mode was activated again. "No, Nick, I don't want it," I snapped at him.
"It's just ramen," he insisted.
"For what? So that I can remember what happened before because of ramen?" I asked him, and he chuckled.
"So, you haven't forgotten what happened," he said.
"How could I forget? That's the beginning of why I got hurt so much," I replied.
"I'm sorry," Nick apologized again, but I didn't pay attention to him anymore because the vendor had placed the siomai I ordered in front of me.
"Why isn't Lucas with you?" Nick asked as we were heading home to Stonewick.
"He had something to take care of," I lied. Whatever happened between Lucas and me was my business alone, and no one else's.
"Are you going to sleep in the hotel tonight?" He inquired.
"Yes, why?" I retorted. Before coming to Stonewick, I already asked my Mom to take care of Enrique for me because I wouldn't be home tonight, or worse, for several days. Fortunately, there's a hotel in Stonewick where I could spend the night.
"I'll be staying there too," he said.
"Why? You have a residence here in Stonewick!" I exclaimed.
"Yes, but it's being renovated now. That's why I am here actually," he replied.
"A renovation? Mmmm, are you getting married anytime soon?" I asked.
"I think so, Zara. Sooner or later, I would be with the woman I love. For now, let's not talk about her," he said.
"Fine," I replied. "But what about my car? There's no towing company nearby," I was worried since the car was still new.
"I'll take care of it, just relax," Nick assured me.
"Hmmm, Nick? Can you speed up a bit? It's so hot outside," I said, wiping sweat from my forehead. I couldn't understand why Nick was driving so slowly, especially with the scorching sun.
"Your wish is my command," he said, and I screamed as I held onto his shoulder.
I wanted to let go of him, but I was afraid I might fall and hit my face on the pavement. But when we were approaching Stonewick, I asked him to adjust his driving speed.
The first few days in Stonewick were fine; I wasn't bored and enjoyed catching up with old acquaintances. They praised me for the positive changes and my success.
"Hey," Nick greeted as he entered the office.
It wasn't just his smile that surprised me, but also his outfit. He looked like a heartthrob in his form-fitting blue suit with a shirt underneath. The button-down design emphasized his well-formed chest, and I had to stop myself from drooling.
"Why are you dressed like that?" I asked him.
"This is how I dress when I'm on duty, isn't it suitable?" he replied.
"You are on duty? Where?" I asked because I had no idea about it.
"In this hotel. My family bought this hotel, Zara. So, from now on, I have to learn the ins and outs of this business because this is new," he told me.
"You will get by, after all, you got a few resorts in your portfolio," I reminded him.
"By the way, what time is your clumsy boyfriend arriving?"
I glared at Nick because he was belittling Lucas again. "He's not clumsy!"
"Then he's not," Nick retorted, not completing his sentence. "So, when is he coming to pick you up?"
"My gosh, Nick. Let's stop talking about my husband!"
"Are you okay?" Nick asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" I replied.
"You didn't mention that they got back together," Nick said, and I smiled.
Was I being too plastic? I tried to remind myself that I had experience in dealing with pain. Damn Nick for reminding me.
As I poured out my feelings, it suddenly started raining heavily. Instead of holding back my tears, I let myself cry. I couldn't let anyone hear me cry; they might think I'm weak or sensitive. That's how I am, sometimes too fake.
While crying about Lucas's actions, I still hoped that he would follow me. However, I believed it wouldn't happen anytime soon. After all, I was the one who suggested a cool-off. Later on, I asked Nick to accompany me to the nearest church. I was confused so I needed some enlightenment.
"You're fast," I said to him.
"Heartbroken people walk slowly," he said. "Wait, what are you going to do at the church? There's no mass today," Nick added.
"I'm just going to light a candle for his dead feelings," I replied jokingly, but it held a deeper meaning.
"Ah, alright, I'll help you, but let's hurry, it looks like it's going to rain again," Nick said, looking up at the dark clouds.
There were only a few people in the church when Nick and I arrived. The church in Stonewick was surrounded by many frangipani trees, making the area where we could light candles quite chilly. Nick followed my lead and also got a candle and prayed.
After lighting the candles, I didn't want to go back to the hotel yet because I was afraid of scared of being alone.
"Should we go back to the hotel?" Lucas asked, and I shook my head.
"Maybe later," I replied.
"Do you want to go for a stroll? Or just take a joyride? We have helmets, so no one will see your face," he suggested.
"I don't have to fear being seen since I'm not doing anything wrong," I said to Nick.
"So what are you waiting for? Let's go," Nick said and stood up.
"You said there are helmets, why is there only one?" I asked him as we stood in front of his motorcycle.
"Didn't you say it's okay if your face is seen because you didn't do anything wrong?" he reminded me.
"Hello! That's not the purpose of wearing a helmet. It's for protection, and it's not allowed to ride without one," I told him.
"I have an extra helmet in my house," he said.
"Really?" I doubted his intention of dropping by their house.
"Are you afraid I might do something to you in our house?" he asked.
"Not really. I know you wouldn't do something I don't like," I told him.
"Don't you like it?" I was surprised by his question and glared at him immediately.
"If you have any plans to harm me like you did before, stop it because you won't gain anything from me. I might even throw away our friendship for good," I warned him.
"I was just joking," he tried to brush it off.
"That's a bad joke," I said to him.
"Let's go," I ordered him and quickly got on his motorcycle.
We were just a few meters away from the church when a heavy rain suddenly poured down. There was nothing we could do but continue since we were already soaked. The rain was so heavy that we could hardly see anything.
"Be careful," I shouted close to Nick's ear because I didn't want us to have an accident, but he didn't respond to me.
When we arrived in front of his house, I finally breathed a sigh of relief because we made it safely. I was completely drenched while waiting for him to open the gate, and when it finally opened, Nick called me, and we entered together.
"You seem to be unlucky," he commented as we reached their house's balcony.
"Am I the unlucky one? It seems like you brought bad luck into my life," I retaliated. He opened the main door of their house, and I felt embarrassed to go inside because I was soaked.
"Come on," he said to me.
"I might make a mess inside. You go ahead and get me a towel," I told him.
"It's fine, Zara. Come on, get inside. It's cold outside, and you're all wet. You might catch a cold," he persuaded me to enter the house despite being soaked from the rain. When we both got inside, Nick briefly left to open a room, probably his mother's room. When he returned, he had a towel with him, but there was only one.
"I don't have any spare clothes," I told him.
"Oh, my bad, just a moment," he said and went back inside the room. "How about this?" He waved an oversized black polo shirt in front of me.
"Yup, that will do," I said and immediately accepted the borrowed clothing.
"Go inside and take a shower. The bathroom has hot water," Nick said.
"What about you? Where will you shower?" I asked him because just like what he said, the house was a mess due to the ongoing renovation.
"There's still a common bathroom here like before," he replied.
I didn't argue with Nick and went inside because I was already feeling cold. I wanted to change into dry clothes or hide under the comforter.
I quickly took a shower and dressed up. The polo shirt Nick lent me reached down to my knees. I didn't have an extra bra, but it was fine since I could cover myself with my long hair.
I opened my bag and was relieved to see that its contents were not wet, including the disposable underwear. I got used to having disposable underwear in my bag just in case my period comes.
When I stepped out of the room, my long hair covered my chest so that Nick wouldn't see it. However, I was not prepared to see him in the living room. He was just wrapped in a towel, cleaning the wet living room.
We waited for several hours, but the rain didn't stop. Instead, it grew stronger. I sat near the window, looking outside the house, and became scared as the surroundings suddenly darkened. I worried that there might be a storm and I wasn't at home with Enrique!
"Have you heard any news about a storm entering the country today?" I asked the man nearby.
"None, so I'm sure this rain will just pass. Are you hungry? I can cook for you," he offered.
"What kind of food?" I asked because I wasn't informed that he was good at cooking.
"Chocolate porridge," Nick said, and I chuckled.
"You're teasing me," there was a hint of annoyance in my voice because he was trying to remind me that he once fed me chocolate porridge as well.
"The chocolate porridge is delicious when the weather is like this," he said.
"I know," I grumbled because it was offensive when he mentioned the word chocolate porridge. I felt like he had a plan to bring back whatever we had before.
"Don't you want me to help in the kitchen? Your cooking is still better," the man said.
I shook my head a few times because I would never let him sweet-talk me again. "Oh no, your attempts to be cute won't work on me," I told him.
"I'm not trying to be cute. I really just don't know how to cook," he admitted.
"So, you offered me chocolate porridge, but you expect me to do the cooking?" I asked him.
"Kind of like that," he replied.
"You really haven't changed at all," I told him because if I indulged him, I knew my blood would boil.
"Is there something I need to change?" he asked me.
"Never mind," I said, then stood up and went to the kitchen.
It didn't take long for the porridge to get ready. Nick and I chose to eat beside the window where we could watch the rain outside. I expected that the rain would stop before we could finish eating but it wasn't the case. I started to worry because it was getting late.
"Who's with you here in the house?" I asked Nick.
"I'm alone. My cousin went home," Nick replied. "Are you afraid that it's just the two of us here?" he asked, and of course, I nodded.
"Of course," I replied honestly. There was no point in pretending.
"I won't do anything bad to you. I should be the one afraid because I know you're angry with me, and you might decide to stab me while I'm asleep," he said. "By the way, do you know how to play cards?"
"Of course!" I quickly answered, as playing tong-its was our source of happiness before.
"Let's play then, or if you want something to eat, I'll cook for you," Nick offered again.
"No, you might poison me," I teased him. "Where are the playing cards you boasted about?"
"Wait, let me get them," he stood up and went to a divider.
We played tong-its and lost track of time. Suddenly, my stomach grumbled, indicating that I was hungry.
"I'm hungry," I told Nick.
"Okay, wait, I'll boil some eggs," he replied before getting up.
Did I hear that right? I followed him to the kitchen to ask, "Just eggs?"
"Eggs and bananas, that's what we have for food here," Nick answered.
"You really bring bad luck to my life, Nick," I said, and when he frowned, I knew he was offended. Unexpectedly, my dinner consisted of just boiled eggs, bananas, and a bottle of vitamilk. After a few minutes, we finished the boiled eggs.
"Let's play three rounds," Nick suggested, putting the plate with boiled eggs in front of me.
I had only eaten three, and it seemed like I couldn't finish the two remaining eggs. "I can't finish this," I told him.
"Are you sure? I'll finish it for you then," he said.
I just stared at him as I handed him the remaining eggs. "Do I need to eat this banana too?" I asked.
"Yup," he replied.
Thirty minutes later, I felt drowsy. I don't know why my eyes were feeling heavy. I thought I would only feel that way when I was with Lucas, but it wasn't the case. As I lay down, I immediately closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep, fearing that Nick might wake up and discover my head resting on his chest.
What if he woke up and realized that my breast was in his mouth? I didn't want to commit a sin against Lucas, even though we were on a cool-off. I wanted his affair with Giselle to be fixed because I didn't want to look for someone else again. Good thing Nick didn't take advantage of me.
When I woke up again, it was already four in the morning. When I looked at where Nick was lying, he was already gone, so I sat up immediately. I worried that he might have left.
"Nick?" I called his name as I walked out of the room. He wasn't in the living room, so I went to the kitchen, and that's where I found him. "Good morning," I greeted him.
"Good morning to you too, Zara. How was your sleep?" he asked if my sleep was okay.
"It was okay," I said, but I couldn't look at him directly. He didn't know that I was awake when I accidentally fell on him on the floor.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"Making hot chocolate, then we'll head to the hotel," he said.
"How will I go there if I have nothing to wear?" I told him.
"I'll take you there. Just wait a moment," he said.
"How could I believe you? What if someone asks me where you are since they saw us leave together yesterday?" I said to Nick.
"I'm sure they'll still talk about us because some employees saw us leaving together. Remember? Maybe Lucas will be jealous and realize what he lost," Nick said.
I just laughed at his suggestion because it was unlikely to happen. After a few days of not hearing from him, I lost hope that he still loved me. I felt like he didn't think about me anymore. I didn't feel like I was still in his heart. Maybe I was replaced by jealousy.
"What if Lucas asks me where you are? They all know we were together yesterday," Nick said.