Seasons

Touchdown, Mexico

Michelle's POV:

"Have you landed?"

I was excited to answer Samantha's call because I have so much to tell her, but by the tone of her voice, I feel like something concerning is on the way.

"Uhm, yes. Is everything good?" I carefully responded, trying to take control of the whole conversation too.

"I just landed a few hours ago too. Deedee, I fear that I have to tell you something." Samantha exhaled loudly on the other line, making me quite anxious about what she's about to spill. "I'm sorry. You should be enjoying your stay there, but I really have to tell you this or else Janina would be so mad at me for hiding something from you and the parties involved."

"What do you mean?"

"Deedee, please. This is not easy for me," Samantha weakly said.

"Is Anntonia part of this?"

"Add... Add Rhian."

I was frozen to where I was standing when I heard her name. Why? Did something happen to her? Why does Sam sound so worried?

"What happened to her?"

"Max told her that you and Anntonia have a thing. At first, we were trying to see what we can do, and we convinced her not to believe Max easily, and that she must wait for you or Anntonia to confirm, but she was just silent. The last thing we knew is she's asking SV if she could come with him on his business trip to Mexico." Samantha explained quickly, as if a sense of panic came to her.

"Hold on. Let me process thingss" I said as I held onto the steel railings for support.

"Deedee, she's mad. That's the last thing we've ever wanted to happen." Samantha feared. I heard noises over the phone from what I believe is the opening of a door. "Janina is here."

"Hey..." I greeted to acknowledge her presence.

"I don't like concluding things, but I guess she was disappointed in us because we never told her, and she felt like we all knew, and she's the last to know." Janina brought up as soon as she spoke from the other line.

"However, Rhian wasn't that shallow. Maybe she just wanted to accompany her fiancé." Samantha tried to disagree with Janina.

"Sam, the business trip is supposed to be in Belize. SV had to change the place in one order just to fulfill Rhian's request." Janina dropped the information so detailedly.

"So you were saying that they're pulling strings and being completely unethical?" Samantha's voice started to sound pissed. I guess the two are about to start a heated argument.

"I'm not. I'm just saying that what Max said probably triggered Rhian to commit such things." Janina responded still sounding relaxed.

"Come on, this might be just a coincidence that she's flying out of the country."

"All of a sudden? And out of all places, they chose where Deedee and Anntonia are?" Janina said. I looked around to see if there are any other people who might hear our conversation before focusing my attention back on them.

"What are you even trying to point out?" Samantha questioned Janina. I can feel the tension from here just by listening to how they argue.

"I am saying that Rhian might want to hear your explanation from your own mouth, Deedee!"

I stayed silent for a second. I do agree that the last thing I've ever wanted to happen is to make Riri angry. She's silent, deadly, and venomous when she's mad, and I'd understand if her reason is the betrayal she could've felt because she probably thought that I can already hide something from her.

"As long as she's not stepped on anywhere that can be caught by my vision, all of this will stay as conclusions." I said, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere that fueled a while ago.

"I agree, but we're just telling you this just in case you bump into her at the most unexpected time." Janina said.

"I'm ready for that. I do not have any plans to let this be longer. Rhian is dear to me, and she deserves to know." I assured the two so that they wouldn't worry that much anymore.

"I worry more about Anntonia." Janina paused. "In some sense, I know Rhian loved you more than just a friend as you do, and she was your everything. Deedee, all I'm saying is I do not wish for you to suddenly realize that you're still not over your past. I want Anntonia to be happy with you."

"I am not going to betray—"

"You never know." Janina emphasized, bringing too much dead air on both lines.

"Deedee isn't that type of a person, Janina." Samantha said on my behalf.

"I am not labeling such things to her. I know her, and I know how pure Deedee's heart is. But you can really never know if it's a matter of the greatest love and the present." Janina explained. I felt a hint of pain after hearing Janina's words. Knowing that our circle, no matter how genuine it is, we still have so many holes and secrets that we agreed to bury.

But no matter how deep it was buried, it remains alive in the heart of the affected. Unfortunately, it has to be Janina.

"This isn't about you, Janina. Stop generalizing," Samantha butted in.

"Girls, I think we have to st—"

"I wasn't generalizing, Sam. I'm just being honest. You can escape this, but you can't deny that this was the reality. It happens, okay?"

"Let them be! Deedee and Ann surely had talked about that matter, and they surely have the proper life perspective and amount of love needed to make things work." Samantha preached. I wanted to agree, but I just remained silent, waiting for Janina's words to fill the line again.

Both of them speak so much sense, but I feel guilty for putting them in this kind of situation.

I know that loving a person can really bring chaos and misunderstanding, but not to this extent.

"And stop pushing Dee to be torn between two people. Both of them matter to her."

"Girls, okay. I get where you were coming from, but it's on me, alright? There's nothing to worry about. I'll deal with this." I immediately said to cut the tension that was in the air for a minute long.

"I do hope you really know what you're doing, Dee. I'm not trying to scare you, but something's making me feel like someone will end up getting her heart broken. I don't want any of you to feel it." Janina said, her concern echoes in her way of speaking.

"I'm pretty sure we don't have to reach that point." I confidently said despite the thoughts that were starting to tank my mind.

"We'll get going, Dee. You have to rest, kaka-land mo pa nga lang eh."

"Yes. I'll go back to the room na. Thank you for letting me know and for your advice. You don't have to worry, girls."

The call ended, and I started to feel worried. We only have three days left, and what I only planned is to enjoy and show Anntonia how much I am willing to wait despite the upcoming challenge of distance and hectic schedules that we might face when we come home to our country. Facing Rhian's anger or anything that triggered her wasn't really something I expected.

Now that I am thinking, I realized that I was really unfair and unreasonable.

Janina was right. No matter what happens, an immense wave of pain is just waiting to attack.

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