Love at the Nth Time

A Long Day

Chapter 45

"Hello, Captain Seth, this is the bodyguard, Lui. Do you copy?"

"Shut up. How's the target?" We snickered over the playact. Lui was one of my bodyguards when I came to the Philippines. He's a full Filipino and part of the special army operations in command, and he was hired again for security assistance.

"He left the location 10 minutes ago and had not yet come back. The captive is inside the house. All the CCTVs are working, and she entered the bathroom 7.2 minutes ago, so are we going to drink later?" Lui emphasized the last words.

"There's a suspect in a whole lot of crimes. Do your job first. Fred will start tomorrow, and we can then." He laughed.

"If he could just provide one single act, I wouldn't let your girl as bait longer."

Even though we already had proof of bruises from the wife, if she had to cover it, then it's invalid, and one single act of violence wouldn't be enough to kick the bastard to rot in jail.

My clenched fist on the table, the old man's insult towards Celine, I'd make sure to drag him into the fiery pit of Tartarus, a place of decay where a criminal monster like him could banish eternally.

*On Call… Celine

"Where are you?" A hand snatched the coat on the couch, and the doorknob clicked as it closed. I sauntered through the elevator.

"Room, I just finished bathing. There were CCTVs placed in the light posts around the street. It's too early for elections, but the man in charge said the barangay official ordered them. It's weird," Celine wondered. Logically, the government wasn't against putting in CCTVs, and it was impossible to set them up in secret.

"It's better so the criminals will be aware of their disadvantage. The road's also dark at night. I'll do something about that," I responded. The elevator opened, my foot left the area, and I nodded at the woman staffing the front desk who bowed to me.

"Huh, what position are you running for?" My brain went loading again till Celine chuckled. As expected of the naive lady — it was thrilling to amuse her too.

"Your top," I whispered sexily.

"What?" Eyebrows lifted, and the fluttery in my stomach could let out butterflies.

"You can be on top, though, riding me." She escaped a soft gasp.

"You're so perverted," she muttered. I laughed, hopping in the auto parked in front of the building. Drove to the pub where I met long-time friends, making my name known around.

Laughing with people who were part of the same community as if the world was for us. There was no discrimination in how we viewed our preferences—the unclear reasons for not being attracted to the norms of the opposite gender. There were no reservations, free to judgment, and open to people who wanted to be found.

"Toast for the two years of romance and a successful path to career!" announced Deo with a glass of champagne in his hand, and the circle of whom I called friends and friends of friends raised their glasses. Suppressing my laughter again, my hand raised the glass of mine.

"Or longer!" added Fritz. Laughters dominated the pub. Even our group circled in the corner of a table and couches. Thus, retro music in the background had no power over the hype.

Deo sat beside me, later putting down his champagne on the table. "Who are you on this journey? Bianca? Jenny?" He asked, and I had no plans of telling any of them.

"I'll go alone," lied my lips and touched the tip of the glass to savour the citrus flavour.

"Doubt, she must be a notorious queen who had to keep her identity hidden," he mumbled whilst watching the band playing on the stage. I nodded to Celine, receiving the title of a Queen from the notorious gay himself.

A look at the person coming my way caught my eyes. They widened as Dalla stood behind them. She waved at me. I did not expect her presence, although Deo and the others knew her because of the sent greetings. I stood up to get away from Deo's intrusion, treating Dalla at the bar counter.

"I already planned to drink here tonight. Tomorrow's a weekend," Dalla stated. She drank her beer with her eyes, scanning the loud guys of chitchats. She pointed to someone and eyed me. "Careful, it's great to have lots of acquaintances, but the more they are, the chances you'll get betrayed."

I rested my elbows on the counter to face it entirely. "Are you referring to a certain someone? It'd be best if you told me," I beseeched.

"She had no sense of dignity. Disgusting b***h, could spread her legs to anyone aiming for information to use for attack and defence." I scowled at her.

"What a real b***h, am I really acquainted with that person?" She laughed, and the last drop of my champagne I drank befitted the sign of acknowledging the answer of the humour.

Time passed with Dalla being added to the group. Her existence in the pub was my fault for the retches and streaming rainbows in the restroom cubicle. Aside from the fact, it's me that she knew this place. She was setting a fire. Whom to blame for her intoxication would be the guys outside shoving and cheering her to drink consecutively.

Dalla wiped her mouth, walking out of the cubicle with hair all over her face. Somewhat, she had no idea how to escape from getting bullied. Water gushed down the sink, she washed her face. My eyes checked the time on my wristwatch. My head diverted to the screams of Fritz and the others. A heavy sigh from Dalla echoed in the room.

"They're harassing me. I'm beat," Dalla whined, fixing her hair on the mirror wall. I chuckled.

"You have no idea," I reacted, and we exited the spot. The woman turned left on the way to the exit. "H-hey!" I called out. A hand raised, she glanced at me.

"Not coming back there, I'm going home!" I laughed, absorbing the noises and the smell of liquors. It's strange to seek serenity from someone who lived her years with crowds full of energy.

*New Message

Lui: Safe. The light in the room is still on, yet no sounds, and the target is close to a meter.

He forwarded the message half an hour ago, and it was already 1 in the morning, strolling outside in chilly hours urging me to contact the woman I preferred to be with than the lesbian who hadn't stopped grunting since we left the bar.

"Dalla, warn you once, shut your voice, or I'll push you into the road." She sighed instead. "The f**k, what's wrong with you??"

"Spare me. I'm on the verge of life and death," she mumbled.

Ugh. I liked not to hear any drama. My hand reached for the case of cigarettes in my coat and offered one to her. Taking a cigarette after releasing the drunkenness felt nice with a cold walk.

My step paused as Dalla squatted down with her arms. She covered her head. Eyes on the roadside of city lights, smoke aired out my mouth. "Dude, I'm pregnant." The last air of smoke went down the wrong pipe. I coughed and gazed at her in shock.

"What?"

"I, I don't know what to do. Should I just-"

"Since when? And you're drinking??" She turned her eyes on me.

"So? I don't want it."

"Is it from Jeremy?"

"I don't know." She lifted her hand to use the cigarette, aiding the anxiety; I snatched the cigarette, and stepping on it helped soothe the annoyance forming in me. "W, what, hey, I don't know, okay?? It's only been a week. Calm down."

"Stand up, dumbass. You're unsure of who the father is, here I thought Jeremy got your virginity." She glared at me.

"Shut up. You don't know a thing." Brows lifted, I let the cigarette in my hand drop on the ground, and the threat of wanting to raise a fist provoked her more from both hands I placed inside the pocket of my coat.

"Who should I ask? The father who's on your mind?" Step glided back over the 5'7 foot height of an average-built woman with her tight grip on the collar of my clothes. Staring indifferently at the tears clouding her eyes, I had no sympathy for anyone who lied to me, regardless of their reason.

I fixed my clothes and the last words I engraved for her to ponder.

"You've got the wrong person to share your unexplainable dramatic situation. Since you have no plans for keeping it, shame on you to call yourself a queer."

With its soft rumbling, the liftback was solely waiting for the owner to start the engine. I took a deep breath. My left hand supported the side of my head where the elbow leaned on the window, the drunk state vanished in an instant, and it turned hotter, working me up over the s**t someone got into. As I placed the coat on the seat next to me, my phone sneaked out of the pocket.

Dalla's a cool comrade. Still, I'd just ignore her afterwards. I wondered how a real lady handled this and if she was already asleep.

*Dialling... Celine

"Hello?"

It's already quarter to 2 and still awake.

"Why aren't you sleeping yet?" I asked and drove the car.

"I can't sleep, so I'm reading manhwa. What about you?" Hesitant to tell her, it took another deep breath out of me.

"I'm heading home." Avoiding the roadside not to spot a certain someone as I moved past the area. Accidentally, a glance caught sight of her lying on the ground. The car screeched loudly. "Oh, fu-" I uttered, and the voice of Celine ran alongside my feet to check up on Dalla.

She's unconscious. Heart pounding, Celine reacted worse than me.

"You said that?? Seth, she'd been trying to tell you. That, already a hint she's having a hard time."

I apologized to Dalla after I did to Celine. Felt more guilty when Celine pointed out her opinion of the matter than the drama shown by the actress. She fell unconscious because of stress, fatigue, and too much alcohol. Resting in the hospital for the night might be better off without me ever displaying my bastard side.

"Leave. I don't want someone watching over me with their frown lines," Dalla stated, although the view from the window outside occupied me.

"I'm not doing this for you," I retorted in a monotone. Dalla chuckled scornfully.

"You're close to Jeremy. Now, it sounds fair." I sighed inaudibly and, closing my eyes, couldn't help me to rest as the annoying lesbian-on-trial was having a verbal fight with me.

"I don't care about him and you. Shut your mouth, or I'll shut it. Either way, don't show your face to me again."

"Your someone, say my thanks," Dalla uttered and turned around, facing me with her back, and I looked at the Christmas lights on the house again. As if I would take my hat off to her.

The sun rose, with the patient nowhere to see.

*On Call... Celine

"She left first, the guts," I exclaimed, and the anger didn't pass through to the lady who was more concerned about the baby forming in the heartless womb.

"It's fine. You did the right thing."

Lack of sleep and pain in the neck due to the wrong sleeping position lightened, yawning. I wanted to go to the unit quickly to get a nice shower and complete my sleep. It's still the weekend.

"Is she gonna keep the baby? I'm meeting her," Celine demanded, and I, who was longing to undertake her every request, could only cover my eyes with my hand resting on the window. As the streetlight went green, it'd be another long day to endure again.