Embers From Within (Casa Fuego Series #6)

Chapter 21

Flames of Passion

Malapad ang ngiti ko nang hinatid na kami nila Tito Nathan at Tita Devall sa bulwagan ng kanilang resthouse rito sa Casa Fuego. Halos may isang linggo na kami ni Art kaya talagang dinala na niya ako rito nang sabihin ko sa kanya na handa na ako.

I already know his parents but they know me as the daughter of a family friend, not their son's girlfriend. Kaya kahit papaano, kabado pa rin ako noong pumunta rito.

"Thank you, Tita, for blessing us..."

Saglit kaming tumigil sa bulwagan. Tita held my hand and squeezed it a little. Magkausap si Art at Tito Nathan habang si Diego ay titig na titig sa akin.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I? Ilang beses nga kaming gumawa ng paraan ni Celeste para magkalapit kayo. I'm very happy about this, hija," she assured me.

I smiled sweetly. Ang kaba ay napawi nang mainit nila akong tinanggap. Halos yakapin pa nga ako ni Tita Devall sa tuwa nang dumating kami rito kanina. The lunch went very smoothly and I couldn't ask for more. We're official.

"You know, my son never brought a girl to our home before. He's never open about his relationships but... he couldn't stop talking about you for the past months. And I could tell he was so in denial. Mas nauna pa yata naming in-acknowledge ni Nathan na gusto ka niya, bago pa man niya maamin sa sarili."

Umawang ang aking labi nang nakaramdam ng init sa puso dahil sa mga sinabi niya.

"Most of the time, he would talk about you over lunch or dinner without realizing that he's talking about you. It's like a memory muscle for him. He talks about you unconsciously and before he would know it. And whenever he realizes that he's talking about you, his mood would change. Tila naiinis sa sarili pero alam kong... dahil 'yon hindi niya lang maamin sa sarili niya."

Mas lalo akong napangiti. Sinulyapan ko si Art at nagulat ako nang nakatingin na agad siya sa akin habang nagsasalita si Tito Nathan. Magkausap silang dalawa pero nasa akin ang tingin niya. He looked at me calmly and smiled a little.

"Nathan and I were only waiting for him to outgrow his in denial phase. I'm happy he did. With the way he talked about you like you're always on his mind, we knew it was just a matter of time."

"I just hope he talked about me positively," I chuckled.

Tita Devall chuckled, too. "Of course, he did. He wouldn't stop talking about how great your improvements are during your internship. He said he didn't even had to pull some strings for the company to offer you a position. Your supervisor recommended you herself."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. To hear that after trying so hard to prove to myself and to other people that I'm more than just a trust fund baby, made all my hardwork worth it. More so, they were Art's words which made it all the more rewarding.

"Thank you for that, Tita. That meant a lot to me."

"And thanks to you, napadalas siya sa Cebu nitong nakaraang taon. I am sure you know that my son has a reputation for being extremely workaholic. He could juggle his company and his subsidiaries along with multiple projects because his work was his life. Given his childhood, his life was just all black and white. But because of you, he had a more colorful life."

Muli akong sumulyap kay Art at hindi na ako nagulat nang nakatingin na agad siya sa akin. Saglit siyang nag-iwas ng tingin para sumagot kay Tito Nathan pero sa kalagitnaan ng pananalita niya, muli siyang tumingin sa akin. I could see his eyes twinkling. I smiled at him a little.

"Therese, hija..."

Muling naagaw ni Tita Devall ang aking atensyon. Agad akong bumaling sa kanya. Pinisil niya ang aking kamay.