He Says She Says

Screw Work

Chapter Fifteen

Screw Work

(Bryce’s POV)

                 “Wait a sec, rewind, Ana. Ulitin mo nga. Anong sinabi mo?”

            Nag-smirk siya sa akin bago naupo sa silyang nasa harapan ng office desk ko. “You heard me right. Kumbaga sa libro isa ka nang standalone. A bachelor of your own. Three years, Bryce, nagawa mong maging bilyonaryo ng three years. I mean… that’s a freaking miracle. Wala pa atang nakakagawa no’n. So Emerald is offering you to be a part of their bachelors.”

            Umiling lang ako. Though nakaka-flatter yung reason kung bakit may offer na gano’n, I won’t subject myself to that kind of idiocy again. “No offense, munchkin, pero bakit sa tingin mo ako napadpad sa pagiging drug addict, lasinggero at sugarol? It’s because of that damn arranged marriage on Lex’s side. Hindi ako uulit sa gano’n, Ana. I would marry no one but Lexine.”

                 “Munchkin, bestfriend mo ako. Pamilya ko ang nagpapatakbo ng Emerald. Majority ng shares nun akin. May silbi naman ako sa lipunan kahit papaano kaya pwede kitang tulungan kung magpapa-ampon ka lang sa Emerald bilang bachelor.”

                 “Ang problema nga hindi ako bachelor. Taken ako, Ana. Hindi mo ba nakikita ang signage sa noo ko. Isang malaking TAKEN with a capital T ang nakalagay d’yan.”

                 “What a signage but whatever. We can change the rules. Kapag nasa Emerald ka, then you get Lex to be your fiancee edi mas madali ang solve ng problema n’yo about the Gonzales’s clan and Lex’s dad. Trust me, akong bahala.”

            I frowned while weighing the pros and cons of the offer. Ang sabi sa rule, kaya lang naman may arranged marriage eh dahil sa mga successor ng companies especially kapag malaking clan ang pinag-uusapan. Ang kailangang lang naman ng mga Gonzales eh yung capable na magpatakbo ng kompanya nila.

            I’m able. And having Emerald to back me up, it makes me more than able to do that.

                 “Munchkin.”

                 “Oh?”

                 “Di mo’ko ilalaglag?”

                 “Anong klaseng tanong ‘yan? Natural hindi. Bakit kita ilalaglag, gago ka ba? Kapag naipit ka na naman sa panibagong problema at nawala na naman si Lex sa’yo de nagkanda-loko-loko ka na naman. Maawa ka naman sa’min ni Mapie, hindi ko na keri kapag nagpaka-gago ka na naman.”

                 “Oo na, oo na. Kung makakabuti para sa’min ni Lex then fine. But for the meantime I’m out of here.” Sabay tayo ko at kuha ng bag sa couch.

            Tumayo rin si Ana na nagtataka. “Saan ka?”

                 “Lex’s room.”

                 “Eh? Kakagaling mo lang do’n kaninang umaga ah.”

            I sighed at hinarap siya. Okay, maybe I’m a bit of a hopeless case pagdating kay Lex pero hindi ko talaga kaya ng matagal na hindi siya nakikita. Mababaliw ako. “I don’t know, Ana, I really… I really can’t stand being away from Lex that much. There’s this sinking feeling in my gut na aalis siya ulit kapag hindi ko siya nakikita. Hindi ako makapag-trabaho ng maayos, I need a long time of getting used to of the idea that she’s really here.”

            Compassion. That’s what I saw in Ana’s eyes when she understood what I’m trying to tell her. “Gusto mo bang mag-bakasyon na muna habang inaayos ko ang tungkol sa problema mo sa mga Gonzales? I mean kahit hindi pa talaga kayo engaged pwede ko namang palabasin na gano’n ang sitwasyon.”

                 “You can do that?”

                 “Trust me. It’s just a plain thing, a small favor compared sa ginawa mo nung college para sa akin, Bryce. Isa pa you’re my munchkin. Pamilya ko ang puno’t dulo ng nangyari sa inyo ni Lexine. I’ll fix this don’t ya worry.”

            Para akong nabunutan ng pagkalaking tinik sa sinabi ni Ana. Matagal nang tinik sa dibdib ko ‘yang pamilya ni Lex lalo na yang Daddy niya. I’ll be more than happy to get rid of him. “Salamat, Ana. I don’t know what I’m gonna do without you.”

                 “Wala ‘yun. Osya, takbo na kay Lexine. You can take a long vacation, come back anytime you want, marami ka namang empleyado. Ikamusta mo’ko sa kanya.”

            Ngumiti ako at tumango then I hurried out of my office. I punched in Lex’s floor nang makapasok ako sa elevator. When it dinged, I practically ran to get to her room. Ilalabas ko sana ang duplicate ng keycard na binigay ni Lex sa akin when I figured the door was open.

            Kinabahan ako. But then I entered. Nadatnan kong may ilang mga tao sa sala na may hawak na baso ng champagne (it looks like champagne so I assumed it was) with Tryx, Dea, and Glam also there, pati na yung manager nila.

            Then Lex came out from the kitchen. I realesed a relieved sigh.

                 “Bryce? What are you…”

            Ngumiti ako. Napangiti rin siya and just simply shook her head before opening her arms for me. I hugged her tight and nuzzle her neck with a soft sigh. “Hi.”

            Her fingers brushed my hair instantly. God, this is my home. Here in her arms, buried in her neck breathing her scent like it’s my lifeline. “Don’t you have work? Ba’t andito ka?”

                 “I can’t work.”

                 “As usual. You’ve been like that since I came back. Are you really fine, Bryce? You freak out with little things.”

                 “I told you, I’m just… a bit scared. Nothing big, I’m fine. Can I stay here?”

            I felt her nod. “Yep. I’ll just excuse myself to them. Go to bed.”

            Reluctantly, kumalas ako mula sa kanya. She gave me a smile for reassurance then I went to the bedroom. Nilapag ko ang bag ko sa coffee table sa side at hinubad ang suit ko. I loosened my tie then sat on the bed, taking off my shoes.

            Kagabi, 3END’s final stop for their tour is over. It’s a huge success. It was the second time na napanood kong nag-perform si Lex sa harapan ko ng live. I couldn’t say anything but it was perfection. The way they started it, the way they ended it. It’s simply perfect.

            I heard a tender close of the door habang tinatanggal ko ang medyas ko. Araw-gabi akong nandito na kulang na lang dito na ako manirahan. Si Lex kasi eh. Ayaw man lang tignan yung bahay ko, mas comfortable daw siya dito dahil nandito ang crews at mga ka-grupo niya. Kainis naman, pwede ko naman silang hayaang mag-camping sa labas ng bahay basta maiuwi ko si Lex.

            But anyway, it wasn’t even the least of my problems. Dito ako natutulog, dito ako gumigising, dito ako kumakain, dito ako naliligo at dito rin ako nagbibihis. No problem at all.

            I looked up from setting my shoes aside when I heard the door opened then closed. Lex was already there looking at me while smiling. “They’re gone.”

                 “So what was that?”

                 “Nothing. The crews and the girls.” She said at lumapit na sa akin para tanggalin ang necktie ko. “Congratulatory party para sa tour. Tsaka ngayon ang alis nung tatlo kaya may pahabol despedida.”

            Kumunot ang noo ko. “Why? Sa’n sila pupunta?”

                 “Si Glam pupunta sa Carribean, si Tryx sa Hawaii, tapos si Dea sa New York, pabalik sa pad niya. We’re on vacation. Starting today.”

                 “Really? *___* You’re on vacation?”

            She chukled then nodded her head. “Yes, baby, I’m on vacation.”

                 “Ana gave me an indefinite leave too. Do you wanna go somewhere?”

            She bit her lip then tilt her head to think. My hands rested on either side of her hips pulling her closer to me. “Mm… I was rooting for Ariadne.”

                 “Ariadne? The island resort Ariadne?”

            Tumago siya then looked at me with her eyes hopeful. “It’s more private in an island, Bryce. And I looked up at the resort’s website. It’s beautiful there, I wanna go. Kung magba-bakasyon lang rin naman ako do’n na’ko.”

            Ariadne seems to be a good idea. “Well okay, when do you wanna leave?”

                 “Tomorrow.”

xxxOxxx

            We arrived at the island at exactly six in the evening. Nakakuha ako ng cottage na exclusive for VIPs. Okay I pulled strings. Major strings. But it’s damn worth it because they almost gave us a whole section of the island na halos kami lang ang ando’n. The cottage was like a house, it’s complete with sets, appliances, luscious bedroom and couches, dining area and kitchen.

            Plus yung fridge may laman. Tsaka may attendant na magse-serve sa amin lahat ng kakailanganin namin for the rest of our stay here. We can even call a service.

            But as for now, Lex needs to rest. Kanina pa siya tulog kahit nung nasa eroplano kami.

            I settled her on the bed. Saktong nag-vibrate ang cell phone ko sa bulsa ng jeans ko. I fished it and saw Ana’s name on the screen. I immediately answered it. “Hey, Ana?”

                 “Nasa Ariadne daw kayo?”

                 “Yeah, I took advantage of the leave. What’s up?”

                 “Ayokong bigyan ka ng sakit ng ulo, Bryce, pero saglit lang ‘to. Kailangan ko lang sabihin. Lexine’s Dad? He’s furious nung malaman niyang magpapakasal si Lex sa’yo. He said things about Lex—really not good. But the good news is, in-acknowledge ng Lola ni Lex which is the current CEO of Gonzales Inc ang engagement n’yo. Kung sana lang raw nasabi ni Lex sa kanya sa mas magandang terms, mas naayos sana ang official na engagement n’yo. I guess she likes it with a party.”

            Umalis ako sa kama at lumabas sa cottage. I went to the shore para malayo sa pandinig ni Lex. I really don’t want to shock her with anything pero nine-nerbyos ako sa ginagawa namin ni Ana. Magagalit kaya siya?

                 “Ana… do you think Lex will refuse me kapag niyaya ko siyang magpakasal?”

                 “Holy crap, Soriano! Nine-nerbyos ka ba?”

            Ugh. Walang kwentang pagtanungan. =____=

                 “What if she said no? What if I scare her away? What if everything went wrong and then… and then—”

                 “Bryce, seryoso. Tino-torture mo sarili mo. Mahal ka ni Lexine. Hindi niya magagawa ‘yan sa’yo. Hindi mo ba nage-gets? You’re destined to be with each other. Ilang beses na ba kayong naghiwalay? Oh asan kayo ngayon? Bryce, a simple marriage proposal is not going to seal your fate forever. If she said no then ask her again. Her yes will seal your fate, not her no, it’s that simple.”

            Huminga ako ng malalim. Kaya ko bang gawin ‘to? Hindi ba ako tatakbuhan ni Lex? H’wag naman gano’n. Pagod na pagod na akong mabuhay ng wala si Lex eh. Sana naman tama na ‘to. Ayoko ng lumayo siya.

                 “Baby B?”

            I was startled by her voice na hindi ko namalayang pinutol na pala ni Ana ang linya. I spun around just to see Lex staring at me in wonder habang papalapit siya walking barefooted in the sand. “Lex…”

                 “I woke up you’re not there. Bakit ka nasa labas?”

            Hinila ko siya papalapit sa akin when she’s reachable enough for me. “It’s cold out here. Let’s go back.”

                 “No, something’s bothering you, I can see it. Anong problema? Sabihin mo sa’kin.”

            Tinitigan ko siya. I pushed my hand in my pocket, fidgeting with the small box inside it. God… anong gagawin ko? “Would you promise not to run?”

                 “Bryce. Ito na namang usapang ‘to? Hindi kita iiwan kahit anong mangyari. Bakit ba ayaw mong ipasok ‘yan sa utak mo?”

                 “Just… just promise me.”

                 “Okay, I promise.” She sighed impatiently.

            I took a step back from her. “May… may ginawa ako. I made Ana tell your grandmother and you’re asshole of a father that you’re engaged to me. Your grandmother allowed it. Everything’s straightened now.”

            Her eyes brightened at parang gusto niyang lumundag sa tuwa nung sinabi ko ‘yon. “Really? God, I’m off the hook now? Oh my gosh, thank you, Bryce!”

            Then suddenly I dropped on one knee in front of her. Napatigil siya at nawala ang ngiti. God. Here we go. It’s now or never.

                 “I can’t… I can’t bear it anymore kung aalis ka ulit. God, Lex, I’m not a normal person anymore. A simple passport can scare the hell out of me everytime na hinahawakan mo ‘yon! I’m scared shitless of the idea of you leaving.”

                 “Bryce, hindi ako aalis. Dito lang ako, hindi ako aalis, pangako. Tumayo ka na d’yan.”

            I shook my head frantically before opening the small box, revealing a simple silver band with three stones in it—ruby, diamond and opal. “I love you, Lexine Gonzales. I want to spend my entire life loving you. Please give me the honor of being your husband. Marry me.”

            Muntik ko nang dagdagan ng sangkatutak na please ang katagang ‘yon. But I held myself back. Kapag tumanggi siya saka ako gagapang at magmamakaawang pakasalan niya ako. Ana’s right. I won’t accept her no. I can’t accept her no.

            Sa mga movies, kapag nagpo-propose ang mga lalaki sa babae, naiiyak yung babae. But to the irony of it, Lex laughed and pulled me up. “Hindi mo kailangang itanong ‘yan, Bryce. Of course, I’ll marry you. That’s your dream. Our dream.”

            Takte. Baliktad naman. Mukhang ako ang paiiyakin ni Lex eh. TT___TT

                 “I love you, Lex. I love you so much. I love you.” I keep on repeating while sliding the ring into her finger. God, I love her. Hindi ako kahit kailan mapapagod na sabihin ‘yon.

                 “I love you too, Bryce. Very very very much.”

            Our dream. This is our dream. Ito yung isang bagay na nakatadhana naming gawin ni Lex. Mula pagkabata. Bago pa man kami isilang, nakatadhana na kaming ikasal.

            And I’ll always thank the fate for bringing us both together. Dahil tutuparin ko ang tadhanang ‘yon. Ikakasal kami ni Lex. Habambuhay kaming magkakasama.