Mon Amour (My Love)

CHAPTER 13

KING

I stormed out of the room. It was too much for me to handle, and I felt like my chest would explode if I stayed another minute.

Clutching my chest, I sat on the stairs and closed my eyes, but the tears kept coming. My life isn't perfect, even though I grew up in a world where everything I needed and wanted was right in front of me. This, however, was one of the few real heartbreaks I had ever experienced.

"Sir, OK ka lang?"

I opened my eyes, and there he was in front of me—the pretty, narrow-eyed guy who welcomed us at the gate and in the foyer. He was still half-naked, gripping the handrail right above my head, which meant my face was just inches away from his chest. Oh mon Dieu.

I nodded, unable to speak from both the shock and the embarrassment of him seeing me cry. I quickly wiped my tears with the back of my hand.

"Tubig, Sir, gusto mo?"

Once again, I nodded. I figured I really needed a drink to calm down, and it would also give me a moment to compose myself while he was gone.

By the time he returned, I had already moved to the second-floor corridor. He handed me a bottled water, watching me closely as I twisted the cap off. What? Was he seriously planning to stare at me the whole time I drank? I hesitated, putting the cap back on.

"What's your name again?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

"Jason po." he replied. "Jason Yu."

"Oh. So you're Chinese?"

He nodded. "Si Papa po. Pero di ko na po siya nakilala. Iniwan na po niya si Mama noong baby pa ako eh."

He laughed, making his eyes even smaller. I guess, he's not so sad about it at all.

"So Jason, does my Papa Allie still have his own bedroom here?"

"Ah opo." he quickly replied. "Dito lang po iyon sa second floor. Ayun po o." he pointed to the door at the far end. "Gusto niyo po bang pumasok?"

I don't know. Maybe it's me being horny all the time that's why the presence of this man around me tormented me so much. His words, if I'd give colors, would drive me crazy.

"Yes. Can I?" I asked. "OK lang ba?"

"Oo naman po." he said. "Kaya lang, nakalock po iyan. Wait lang, kukunin ko sa baba yung susi."

Without another word, he ran downstairs. I walked on a long, carpeted corridor until I reached Papa Allie's bedroom.

There was a wooden frame hanging on the door with carved letters painted with different colors. It read: 𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙄𝙀'𝙎 𝙍𝙊𝙊𝙈.

I wasn't sure what's gotten into me but I took it and examined it more closely. I tried to feel the carved letters with my fingers. Maybe, by doing so, I could at least feel something that came with it when it was still being created – a memory, a song, - anything.

I looked on the back part and there it was – written neatly as if by a high school student:

𝓜𝓪𝓱𝓪𝓵 𝓴𝓸,

𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓪 𝓼𝓪'𝔂𝓸, 𝓷𝓰𝓪𝔂𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓥𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮'𝓼. 𝓦𝓪𝓵𝓪 𝓪𝓴𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓹𝓪𝓶𝓫𝓲𝓵𝓲 𝓷𝓰 𝓻𝓮𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓸 𝓴𝓪𝔂𝓪 𝓲𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓪𝔀𝓪 𝓷𝓪 𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓴𝓲𝓽𝓪 𝓷𝓰 𝓰𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓸.

𝓜𝓪𝓱𝓪𝓵 𝓴𝓲𝓽𝓪, 𝓐𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓮. 𝓜𝓪𝓱𝓪𝓵 𝓷𝓪 𝓶𝓪𝓱𝓪𝓵.

𝓐𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝔂𝓸𝓷𝓰 '𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓯',