Chapter 50
Chapter Fifty
Alonzo
Luna
Take care, Lonz!! Send us pics ok? The beaches here don’t even come close
Tala
Don’t forget, we’re going with you next time. Jason already found a place.
Luna
Let’s book a trip all together next time we’re there!!
Gabe
Next time is the wedding.
Luna
Then Lonz should invite her too!! If Ate and Jason are game, I mean :))
Alonzo
Can you guys chill? I’m not even near Juana yet
Luna
You’re probably not going to reply to us once you’re with her. Am I right???
I spent the first few hours of the bus ride studying on my tablet and trying not to think about the girl I was heading to.
Sometime after we passed the long, dark stretch of the expressway, I gave my eyes a quick rest. The next thing I knew, someone was poking my arm.
My eyes snapped open, and an elderly man standing in the aisle was telling me we were in Juana.
I scrambled up, putting my backpack on and grabbing the cooler I’d kept in the overhead storage. As I made my way off the bus, I wiped the bleariness from my eyes and willed myself to wake up. Only a couple of minutes separated me from Maya, and then?—
“Manila.”
My gaze landed on the girl who had taken up residence in the forefront of my mind. I blinked, and I was suddenly in front of her, staring into warm brown eyes that seemed to laugh at my disorientation.
“Took you long enough,” she said.
I still couldn’t believe she was here. “Why aren’t you asleep?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I had to make sure this city boy I know wouldn’t get lost.”
“I’m good with directions, but I’ll never say no to you picking me up.” I grinned at her.
I wanted to step closer to her and pull her to my chest, but she kept a clear distance between us. Wanting to respect her space, I stayed put, contenting myself with taking her in.
She averted her eyes, muttering, “Stop looking at me like that.”
“I can’t help it.” It had only been a week since I last saw her in person, and being with her now felt like a dream.
“C’mon,” she said as she strode over to the single tricycle idling by the road.
We squeezed next to each other in the cramped sidecar, just as we had on our first jeepney ride in Manila.
Like then, I was painfully aware of every curve of her body as it pressed against my side.
The anticipation was there too, only dialed up in magnitude because I wasn’t just hoping for a couple of nights.
I was shooting for a future.
Soon, we pulled up in front of her house. Maya paid the driver, and I stepped out of the tricycle. As I turned to help her out, my cooler hit her knee.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” I said, holding the cooler away from her.
She rubbed her knee. “S’okay. At least it’s not a surfboard. You know we have ice here, right?”
“You said you missed the mais con yelo, so I brought you some.”
She stared at it. “You brought me mais con yelo.”
“I got one for you and your friends. I asked them to separate the ingredients into different containers, but they said they aren’t allowed to because of company secrets . Like it’s not just corn, sugar, milk, and shaved ice.” Aware that I was rambling, I took a breath. “Do you want yours now?”
Her lips pursed as she continued staring, then she blinked, raising her eyes to meet mine. “It’s not breakfast food,” she murmured.
I smiled, because that was exactly what she’d said the first time. “It’s good to branch out sometimes.”
“Thanks. I’ll have it later.”
There was just enough light to make out the slight sheen in her eyes, and I frowned, wondering if I’d said the wrong thing. “What’s the matter?”
She walked toward the house without answering me.
Over the past week, she had grown more open with me, making me believe that this could work. Somehow, it felt like she’d redrawn the walls that initially stood between us.
“Did I do something wrong?” I continued, my rough voice at odds with our peaceful surroundings.
“No.”
“It feels like I did. If so, tell me and I’ll fix it.”
She whirled around to face me. “ This is what you did.”
“What?”
“I promised myself I would never let another guy in, and now look at me. You’ve got me losing my head more than anyone else ever has.”
My confusion was swept away by the tide of disbelief and hope that crashed into me at her admission.
“You know what I was doing yesterday?” Before I could hazard a guess, she exclaimed, “Cleaning! I hate cleaning. I didn’t sleep at all because I was counting the hours until I saw you again.
Then you go and bring me mais con yelo because I missed it—and you brought some for my friends too. Who does that?”
I raised my hand, my heartbeat thundering in my ears.
“You! The city boy with the amazing family and an incredible career ahead of you. Literally one of the most eligible bachelors in Manila. Our lives are so different that we shouldn’t even exist in the same orbit as each other. And you come here to bring me dessert!”
“That’s not exactly why I’m here,” I murmured.
“I’m not done,” she snapped. And then she threw up her hands. “See? This is how I am. I’m cranky, and I hate talking to most people, and I have no idea what kind of future I’ll have. We couldn’t be more opposite.”
Putting my stuff down, I stepped forward and slowly took her hands, giving her the opportunity to shake me off.
She didn’t.
“You good?” At her begrudging nod, I said, “First off, I can be an asshole at times—I just choose when and who to show that side to. I don’t hate talking to people, but I’m not a fan of small talk and I often get impatient when the conversation is going nowhere.
I know where I’ll be a year from now, but I don’t know whether I will be as successful as people assume I’ll be. ”
“You will,” she said.
“We’re different in many ways, sure. But we’re similar too.
We both love the ocean and we long for the freedom to live our lives on our own terms. We’re protective and loyal to the people we love, whether it’s our friends or family.
We’re stubborn. We love to eat. We enjoy sex, especially with each other.
” I drew in a breath. “Do you want me to keep going?”
She rolled her eyes. “You just love the sound of your own voice.”
“True, but I love hearing yours more,” I murmured as I brought her hands to my lips and pressed a kiss on the backs of them.
“This is crazy.” Choked laughter escaped her throat. “You know that, right?”
I shrugged. “So what if it is? Normal is overrated.”
“Alonzo.”
Exasperation filled her voice and a frown creased her forehead, and all of a sudden, my emotions burst to the surface.
“I love you, Maya.”