TNRS I: To The Bone (Ongoing)

Chapter 3: The Ferrels

"Yes?" Kumunot ang noo niya at nagpalipat lipat ang tingin saaming tatlo. He is on his jogging pants and he's wearing a white sando showing off his slim biceps and arms.

He doesn't look like he works out. There's not much muscles in those areas. Payatot.

"Axel, si Art nandyan ba?" Tita could stand still but it's so obvious that she still haven't sobbered up yet.

"Ahm..." ang mata niya ay tumingin muna saakin bago siya sumilip sa loob ng gate. "Dad! Miss lily is looking for you." Aniya habang ang ulo ay bahagyang nakapasok sa gate.

"Tita, let's go na!" I glared at her. Ang kulit!

Seconds later a man looking like an older version of axel in his plain grey shirt walked outside and faced us.

Bahagya akong natigilan when I realized what I should've realized before. Art... Ferrel. Arthelious Ferrel. Of course! How did I missed that? That was why axel was somehow reminded me of someone. It was his father!

"Lily...?" he said. He looked at tita, so surprised to see her.

"Hmm-hmm." Tita chuckles. "I'm drunk."

Well, obviously. All of us are looking at her but she was only looking at the man in front of her and his eyes were all fixated on only her.

There was this kind of tension between them that goes back in time. How they look at each other was like they've known one another for far too long.

"I've never drunk heavy like this for some time now, but tonight was just," She pauses when axel's dad tries to hold her after swaying a little. "No, don't touch." Tita motioned her hand up to stop him.

I saw how Arthelious Ferrel gulp hard, never taking his eyes off the tipsy drunk woman with the flushed red face in front of him.

"Lily." Naisal niya.

Tita closed her eyes for a bit when she heard him say her name and gave him a faint smile.

"You never changed, Ferrel. Forgive me but oh, how I resent those lips that utters my name in such a delicate way." She said before he ended up pressing his lips together.

Axel's father sighed and smiled at her. "Look at you. You're a mess." He says.

Tumawa si tita. "You. You made a mess of me."

Looking at them and not kidding aside, they look really good together. Both was graced with the beauty of maturity, like fine wine.

Nevertheless, that Ferrel is married and has kids now and it just feels so wrong for them to look at each other like a spark being ignited to create a burning fire once more.

I was about to come close to tita when she just suddenly faints and was close to trip over when axel's father caught her in his arms just in time. Dali dali na akong lumapit.

"Oh god. Tita? Tita?!" Shit. She passed out.

"She's passed out." Nakangiting sabi ni Mr. Ferrel after carrying her into his big arms.

"I'm so sorry, sir. Uhh... She's just drunk—she doesn't know what she's saying." Sabi ko kay Mr. Ferrel.

My eyes went to axel who was beside him. He looked at me like he was amused by something. I almost forgot that he was here!

"Lyndel get the keys." Kinuha niya naman ang susi ng kotse sa bulsa ng suot na jeans ni tita.

"Here, let me help you put her in the car." Mr. Ferrel carefully carried tita inside the car's backseat.

"Hmm... Remind me again why we didn't work out." I heard tita whispered when she suddenly opened her eyes, stopping Mr. Ferrel.

"You left me, lily... Now, rest." He whispered back before completely closing the door.