Goodbye To Love

xiii

Third Person

"Gregorio!"

"Ma..." Irene and Greggy instantly broke apart and stood up from the chair. Irene's head hang down in shame as Greggy looked at his mother.

A scoff was heard from the older woman as her heels clacked at the floor each time she stepped forward. "Naglalandian sa opisina, hindi ba kayo nahihiya?" She spatted.

Greggy frowned at this, "We're already done with work. And isa pa? Hindi ka ba marunong kumatok?"

Greggy and his mother never had the best relationship. His parents were separated and he grew up at his grandparents house, that's why he's much closer to them than to his parents.

"How dare you talk back to your mother?" Emma squinted her eyes as she gasped. "At sino ba yang babaeng yan? Is she an employee here? Brave of her to flirt with the boss, huh." She smirked as her eyes landed at Irene.

"Don't talk as if you know her." He defended Irene. She tugged the hem of his coat, signaling him to not do it.

"Oh... I don't need to know her..." His mother paused, "Just a glimpse of her and you'll see how she's such a flirt."

Greggy blocked Irene from his mother's view by stepping forward and making sure he was at her back. "Wala kang karapatang pagsabihan siya ng ganiyan, Ma. You're always like that. You judge people by their looks not knowing how good or how much powerful they are compared to you." He countered his mouther.

Emma looked at his son and chuckled, "I see... You've already fallen deep to that woman." She nodded slowly, "Okay." She simply said.

"So if you don't have anything good to say, just leave. Why are you even here? As far as I know you don't have any business with Araneta Properties." His hand travelled to his back and signaled Irene to hold on to it.

"Oh... Don't mind me..." Emma smiled, "I'm just looking around and wanted to surprise see you..." She sweetly smiled.

Greggy only raised an eyebrow, "But it seems that I'm not welcome here..." She added.

"You left. Of course you wouldn't be welcomed back." Greggy looked at her in the eye.

Emma's eyes widened at this and decided to turn away, "Goodbye, Gregorio." She said.

"Sure." He watched her walked away, closing the door, and continue to go away from his life once more.

After making sure that she had gone, he turned back to Irene and hugged her. "I'm sorry..." He said as he stroked her hair.

"I'm really sorry..." He whispered as he rested his chin on her head. "It's okay..." Irene mumbled weakly.

"No... Hindi okay yun... I don't like it when people talk down on you." He pulled back and looked at her. Cupping her chin with his palms, he raised her head sightly for him to look at her eyes.

"It's never okay to degrade you. I won't let that happen." He gritted his teeth as he said. Irene then stroked his arm for him to calm down, "It's over now... Thank you..." She smiled.

He only nodded and embraced her back again in hus arms. They stayed in that position for a while until someone, again, went inside the room.

"Gregg- ay sorry... Ba 'yan! Mahiya naman kayo sa mga single!" Bella rolled her eyes as she went back out of the office.

Greggy and Irene looked at the door and then back to each other's eyes and chuckled. Irene only shook her head from what happened and sighed.

Emma, huh... This is not the last time we'll meet... She thoughts.

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"Hmm..." Greggy hummed, his eyes still focused on the paper as his hand fidgets on his pen, clicking it continuously.

This made Irene irritated, "Please stop clicking your pen." She looked at him.

"What?" He looked at her confusingly. "Stop clicking your pen, it's irritating." She frowned.

He chuckled at her and nodded, "Okay, Boss." He teased. She just rolled her eyes and continued to type in her work. "What do you want for lunch?" She asked.

"Hmm... I don't know..." He pursed his lips, "Ikaw?" He asked, not really knowing how it sounded wrong. Irene widened her eyes, "Ano?" She half-shouted.

"Ikaw?" He looked at her, eyebrows furrowed, confused on why she was so worked up. And then he realized how he sounded... "Sorry, sorry, ikaw ba? May craving ka ba ngayon?" He said in between laughs.

Irene rolled her eyes and leaned back on her chair, "I want ice cream..." She scrunched her nose. "Ice cream for lunch?" Greggy questioned. "Sounds like a plan." He chuckled as he was shot by a glare by Irene.

"It's fine if you'll get another one... Basta saken ice cream." She concluded. Greggy only nodded, "then ice cream it is!" He smiled.

Their ice cream came, they gathered themselves together in front of the glass wall, looking out to the city. It was silent, the clinking of the spoon to the glass was the only sound they hear.

"Don't you think it's funny how people make life complicated?" Irene started.

"Huh?" Greggy looked at her, "Bakit?" He asked.

She looked at him and smiled, "Kasi diba, love is simple. It's just the people making it difficult... You love a person, you shower them with your love, with your time, with you all, and you receive them back too. But here comes people who want this and that, demands this, asks for that. They're never really contented with anything..." She chuckled.

"Yeah. You're right... But, what you said still exists you know? The showering of love and be contented on what you receive..." He ate a spoonful of ice cream.

She looked at him, "Really?"

He nodded, "I love you... And I'm contented with everything you give." He smiled.

She felt her cheeks reddened, "You...you said the...you said the L word..." She widened her eyes as she stuttered.

"Oh... What about it?" He smiled sweetly at her. "I ne...never heard that being said to me outside my family..." She chuckled shyly. "It's new..." She added.

"Sure ka bang wala kang boyfriend noon?" He asked as he laughed. She shook her head, "Wala talaga..."

"Really? Sa gandang mo yan?" He teased, she then slapped his arm lightly, "Alam mo? Mambobola ka talaga noh? I'm not going to be surprised if ang dami mo nang naging girlfriend." She smirked.

He shook his head and looked out on the glass wall, "Nope. We're the same. Hindi pa rin ako nagka-girlfriend. Siguro yung mga fling-fling meron, pero yung seryosohan na pinakilala ko? Wala." He expained.

Irene had just nodded and pursed her lips, "So what's your plan? When are you going to settle down?" She asked.

He shrugged his shoulders and returned his gaze back to her, "When you're ready to settle down."

"Stop joking nga!" She looked away from him as she felt herself blush on his statement. "Well... I'm not joking... I'll wait for you even if it takes a lot of years..." He smiled.

"Sus! Whatever..." She chuckled nervously. She had never felt like this before. And it's scaring her that she is falling in love. She doesn't have ang knowledge on relationships as she haven't experienced one before.

"Don't worry on it, Iya... I'm not going to force you. Take things slow, don't rush things." He comforted her.

She nodded and looked at him, "Thank you, Iyo." She smiled.

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