Exes' Baggage And More

Chapter One Hundred Seventy

Andrew, who had just put Marcus to sleep, saw Macy writing her journal – according to the assignment given by doctor Steven – in the living room. His girlfriend sat on the floor while leaning on the sofa with her journal on the coffee table. He smiled a little and walked over to her. He sat on the sofa and watched what the woman was writing.

However, the editor-in-chief turned her head and glared at him.

"Why?" he asked.

Macy then shifted slightly so that the man couldn't see what she was writing. It made Andrew's smile widen. He laughed a little seeing the woman's attitude covering the contents of her journal from the writer. "Why did you hide it from me?"

"This is personal," said Macy in an annoyed tone. "You can't read it."

Andrew laughed again. He then ruffled his lover's hair then went to the kitchen to get a drink. And while he was gone, Macy quickly finished writing the journal. When the man came back with two cans of beer, she finished writing and rushed to her room to keep the journal.

Again, Andrew laughed with his lover's attitude. He sat back on the sofa and put a can of beer for his girlfriend on the coffee table. Soon the woman came back and took a can of beer and sat next to him.

"Have you hidden your diary in a safe place?" he teased again.

Macy snorted in infuriated and took a sip of the beer. "Don't tease me, Andrew."

The writer chuckled. He moved slightly closer to her and kissed his lover's cheek. "I am not teasing you, love."

Macy glanced at him then sighed. She looked down at the beer can in her hand. Well, maybe she's just being too sensitive.

And the man realized that. He grabbed the beer can from the woman's hand and put the two beer cans back on the coffee table.

He slightly changed his sitting position to be more facing her. He took her hand and massaged her slender fingers slowly. "Is there something on your mind?"

Macy watched her boyfriend's every move. The man didn't look at her, just focused on giving her hand a massage. She took another deep breath.

"I'm sorry..."

Andrew glanced at her. "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I'm being sensitive."

"You are not. With your current condition, stress with work, related to promotions, then Marcus' custody issue which I don't know when finished, plus the Katy case. I think you have the right to be sensitive and selfish for yourself," said the man calmly.

"Have you experienced this too? With all that stress burden?" Macy asked quietly.

Andrew raised his head and looked at her intently. He smiled. "Once. While Nina was sick and undergoing treatment. I quit my original job so I could continue to accompany her to the hospital. Honestly, it's not an experience I want to have again."

"Even if I get sick? You won't-"

"It's not like that, love," said the man quickly; dismissing whatever negative thoughts that are starting to cloud her. "Even if you get sick – even though I don't want it to happen ever – I will still be by your side to take care of you. Go see a doctor, undergo treatment. I will do it for you. It's just, who really wants to be sick? Do you want it?"

Macy shook her head. Andrew smiled again.

"That's what I meant," he continued. "Although sometimes we never know what will happen in the future. But for now, I will be grateful for every moment we have together."

She smiled too. And Andrew returned to continue giving a massage on her hand.

"Is it difficult and heavy? Seeing Nina go through all the treatment for her illness?" she asked again. She doesn't know why she asked that. Maybe she was just curious. But she wanted to know how Andrew's life was fifteen years ago.

"Of course, it's difficult and heavy. Chemotherapy and other treatments. Seeing her in so much pain even two days after the chemotherapy process. But there was nothing we could do to help her lessen the pain other than to keep her company. Several times she was hysterical; crying and blabbering because she felt that all the treatments that she was undergoing did not show any improvement at all."

"But you were always by her side."

Andrew glanced at her and nodded. "I can't just walk away, can I?"

"Of course not," whispered Macy. She pulled her hand from the man's hand and then touched the writer's face, rubbing it gently. "You said that you two were getting married."

"The doctor said that Nina's life might not be long. And I might have been impulsive at that time. Wedding. Even her family was against the plan," said Andrew.

"They said that I would only feel worse if Nina died after our marriage. But I insist."

"And Nina?"

The man took her hand from his face and kissed her fingers. "She just wants to be happy. She wants me to be happy."

"By marriage?"

Andrew shook his head. "She asked me to break up. Saying that I shouldn't waste my life just for her. Maybe by then Nina had felt desperate. At that time, I was so angry with her. I said pretty bad things but that doesn't change my desire for marriage at all."

"So you prepared the wedding yourself."

"That's how it is. Addy even said that I was acting like a lunatic. But I don't care. I went to order a formal suit, got a ring ready and went to church to ask one of the priests to marry us off at the hospital."

"But then Nina died."

He took a deep breath. "When I went to get the rings that I ordered. Albert – her brother contacted me and said that Nina is dead. Surprisingly, I wasn't surprised at all. I still went to get the ring and came to the hospital and saw her lying lifeless with her skin slowly cooling down. I put the ring on her finger. The ring she carried to her funeral."

Andrew smiled slightly at her lover now. However, Macy could see the sadness in that smile.

"The rest you know how my life after that."

Macy didn't say anything. She just shifted and hugged her boyfriend tightly. Now she can feel the man's body that feels cold and trembling. There seems to be a mistake bringing up Andrew's past regarding Nina.

"I'm sorry, Drew," Macy whispered softly.

Andrew shook his head in his girlfriend's arms. "You're just asking and it's my choice to tell you. After all, you deserve to know about Nina. I won't hide anything from you, love."

Macy kissed the man's shoulder. She let go of his hand and gave her lover a small peck on the lips. "Thank you for telling me."

This time, Andrew smiled without any trace of sadness on his face.

"I love you, love."

"I love you too, my love."

*****