Love at the Nth Time

A Woman's Intuition

Chapter 13

I could hear the tone of the heart machine in the hospital—that sound of keeping someone's life.

"She's awake." I slowly opened my eyes and saw Win and Dad.

"Why am I here..." My lips were dry. My body's heavy and numb.

"I brought you here. You're lying on the floor of your unit unconscious. We're thankful you hit the carpet," Win said, tapping me on the shoulder.

"Where's Celine..." The white colour of the ceiling was blurry. Perceived death was coming near me. I gazed at Win to stop my emotions.

"What?" He looked confused.

"She's talking about Rose's sister, right?" Dad questioned, standing right beside Win.

"Seth, you have to rest more. I'll call them to come here-"

"No. I'm just asking. I don't wanna bother her." I closed my eyes. The weakness of my body fell into a slumber.

I woke up after 4 hours of sleep, and the two sisters appeared at the bottom of the bed with their eyebrows almost meeting each other.

"Ah, so it is my fault. Is that what you're saying??" They talked about me whilst asleep. Not bad, but if it regards to this. I better not see them, especially Celine, who kept glaring at me.

"You said through the phone call Seth's not feeling well already!" exclaimed Rose. She brushed her hair to the side to compose herself. I looked away when Celine gazed at me again.

"Girls, keep it down," reminded Win, trying to calm down the situation. Who told them in the first place anyway?

"I'm still not feeling well, so could you please leave me alone for a while?" I asked with my head down.

"Okay," she said in a monotone and left.

"Hey, Ceng! Get well soon, Seth. Sorry, she has woman's day, so she's moody." I watched Rose exit the room.

"Why did you tell them about this, Win?"

"Eh, you're asking Celine, so I thought maybe you wanted to see her."

"She doesn't even like seeing me, so stop talking about her in front of me, okay?" She hated me now after knowing how daring I could be. It's not that she saw it with her bare eyes how I let other women touch and cling to me. My perception messed up on the first day I met her.

"Whoa, that's getting worse. Let's talk about it when you're on your mind. Rest a lot for now and! No alcohol and cigs!"

My head was aching, and I could feel the strong pulsation of my veins. I overdid my body.

"You abused yourself. Maybe you forgot you're just a human dude," preached Tristan, my partner for this project requested from Taiwan. I had a couple of professional fashion designers in my circle. He's one of them, but some referred me to other freelance designers.

I stayed two days in the hospital, and it tortured the hell out of me not to insist on getting discharged because my uneasiness of staying put in the same room only heightened. I headed to the company in Taguig which my dad owned. It was his first company in the Philippines.

I took the sketch of a woman wearing a ball gown and differentiated it from the woman wearing a long dress. What if I tried to let this woman in a long gown wear sneakers, then this woman wearing a ball gown wears heels. It's uncommon to use it in day-to-day life, still, rock. I snickered when I remembered unordinary sets of clothing worn together as one in my college days. It's funny and mesmerizing how others could complement them perfectly and others who had no future with it.

"The worst, your body won't accept beer for the time being. I hope it will last longer. It's your fault anyway-" I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah yeah, stop nagging me like Win. He got me on the nail already, so will you stop repeating what he says?"

"Haha, I wanna meet the girl who you're head over heels. She's so interesting."

So he knew.

"Don't spread false rumours. I'll burn you," I cursed while minding my hobby. He only laughed it off.

"Win told me since you're always absent from our meetings and stuff, since I'm your partner, I need to care even a bit, ya know."

My phone vibrated on the desk. I looked it up, not expecting Celine would message me or something. It's been like three months. After the incident of me collapsing, I still couldn't taste what beer tasted like. It's refusing my body or the other way around.

Message

Win: The sister's here. Wanna see them?

Contrary to the reality where Rose and Celine would visit the company to do their business, I'd find my feet walking towards them.

"Oh, I thought you were busy??" Win shot me with a teasing look as he opened the door. I sipped my apple juice while watching the typical presentation set-up inside the conference room, and here I was outside reflecting on myself in the mirror of the door. Win stood beside me and took a gander at the mirror as well.

"Just making a difference," I mumbled.

"What?" Win laughed. I was vague, I know. "They have their other business partners to assist others. It's a great sight."

I looked at the person who opened the door next. It's her.

"Want something?" inquired Win. Celine glanced at me for a second.

"Um, yeah, I'll buy drinks and food for them. Do you want anything?"

"Ah, I'm good. How about you, Seth?" added Win.

"Nah, I'm fine," I replied as I watched the numbers of people added to the room. Even if it's merely a presentation, people laughed and babbled with broad smiles on their faces. I'd already heard the same business proposal, even the training Rose showed to the people, and it was a false ideology about achieving one's dreams. It's arrogant to tell the delusion of success and the reality, to face only one opportunity everyone can hear at the end of their talk.

"They're quite a lot, need a hand?" Win elbowed me, which induced me to glance at them.

"What?" I asked, not knowing the situation.

"Uh, no, I'm fine." She walked away. I blinked, and Win glared at me.

"You're such a loser, dude."

"What the f**k? I didn't even hear what you two talked about."

"You're at a loss. Is it a change of heart?"

Change of heart, huh?

I heaved a sigh and played with the car key with my hand. Win messaged me to accompany him to the foreign client he'd soon meet. It's a geezer who's interested in varieties of expensive liquors. Sometimes, unsure of how that assistant of mine sees me. He could bring me to some clients for the sole purpose of expanding my dad's network and business deals, with my presence for catching their interest in running the conversation smoothly. He'd compliment me, yet there were things to incorporate with other situations, like being banned from drinking.

"Stop it. Didn't I tell you I'm not like that? Why do you keep asking me about it??"

I stopped opening my car when I heard a familiar voice. I scanned the place, and a white sedan shadowed someone's back from the other side.

"No. No way. I won't do it. If you don't like me not coming with your friends, I don't care. No, i-it's not like that. I told you I-I'm just scared!" My heartbeat fastened as I heard her wince. My foot moved towards the back of the car, and I saw her wipe her tears.

"I don't. No. No, I know. I'm sorry!" She clicked her tongue and lowered her phone.

"Hey." She looked up at me. She wiped her tears and stood up from the open door of Rose's car.

"Ah, sorry, you need s-something?" She tried to calm down. I gazed at my car parked beside theirs. She's not aware it's mine.

"Your boyfriend?" I casually questioned, like I hadn't talked to her for almost four months now, and the last time I met her eyes, they were glaring at me.

"Mhm, just a fight. Ryan kept insisting I go to Boracay alone with him and his guy friends. No way. Even though I have known him for a long time now, I couldn't stop feeling afraid of men." She continued glancing at her phone. She's afraid of men, yet she entered into a relationship with one. It's courageous, however stupid.

"It's like you're with someone you know when you're with him in a room." She looked up at me.

"What, no."

"You're scared of him even though you had your first time with him already?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

She's as slow as hell—no wonder she's still acting the same in front of me. Saying bad stuff regarding the relationship with her boyfriend, talking to me casually like we're still those typical friends who know each other enough, but we're not.

"I didn't understand that. I always got a fight with Ryan about coming over to a place with guys I don't know about-"

"You're having a relationship with someone you don't trust enough?"

"What, no, I trust him..." I scoffed.

She kept defending herself but actually, she was on the edge of realizing it.

Eyes on the ground, and I raised my brows. "Well, if you didn't even think of a group of guys doing some fun with you, that is."

"....what the f**k are you saying..." she cursed.

"You won't be afraid if you don't think of some dirty stuff in a bed scen-" My cheek stung, which almost moved my face to the other side. My jaws clenched, and eyes pierced at her. I'd experience getting slapped greater than hers.

"I-I don't wanna hear anything from you." She walked away with a teary-eyed face.

"You told me not to be nice to you, right?" My voice quivered.