Fading Love

Fading Love 9

It was already 8:30 in the morning when I woke up in Myla's room. Elysse is no longer sleeping beside me. Maybe they've already gone out for breakfast.
"Kuyaaaa, let's eat."
She's always so excited to see me.
I made a mess of her hair again. It has already become a habit of mine.
"Feeling better now?"
Myla said this as she was placing some rice on my plate. I didn't answer; rather, I just nodded and smiled at her.
Elysse finished her food while I hadn't even touched mine. I just sat there, looking at my daughter eating. I can't help but admire her. She's really just as cute as her mom.
Myla pinched me when she noticed.
"Act normal."
She mouthed as she turned her sharp gaze on me.
I took a sip of my orange juice when I received a text from an unknown number.
"De Guzman restaurant. 11:00 a.m."
I went back to my room and laid there for a few minutes, contemplating everything—whether I should go or not.
After staring at the ceiling for I don't know how long, I luckily found the will to get up.
I took a shower, put on my black polo shirt, faded blue jeans, and white shoes, and made my way to De Guzman restaurant.
There, I saw Jessica on the same spot we had our first date. Everything slowly replayed in my mind. The rainy day I asked her out, our first true conversation, and the way her eyes sparkled when she told me yellow was her favorite color.
I just smiled at the thought of still being in love with the girl I fell in love with seven years ago.
I slowly walked towards her, making sure I wasn't delusional. Maybe I stared at her for so long that she even needed to snap a finger on my face.
"Hello? Are you just going to stand there?"
Her voice brought me back to reality, so I immediately sat across from her, and I noticed a peek of sadness glinting from her ever-lovely eyes.
"Uhm? Can we order something first? Coffee? Food?"
I was in a complete panic while reading the menu upside down. Upside fucking down.
Fuck, how dare I become so nervous after all this time?
"I didn't come here to catch up, De Jesus."
She firmly said this as she leaned on the chair and crossed her arms. I just looked at her, confused. All my excitement immediately evaporated into the air.
"Well, then, is Elysse my child? Our child?"
I knew she was about to deny it, but then I placed the pendant on top of the table.
She reached for the pendant, but then I immediately grabbed it and placed it inside my pocket.
"And that boy yesterday?"
"Okay, there's no point denying it, is there?"
She darted her eyes in a different direction, avoiding eye contact with me.
"Why?"
The only word I managed to speak, but she just bitterly smiled at me.
"You really want to know why, Elijah?"
She looked at me dead straight in the eyes and started to speak.
"For one, I overheard you and your friends talking at the party saying that it was all just a dare. Two, you might not know how to handle the fact that you're going to be a father while you're just starting with your basketball career, not to mention you're still on bad terms with your dad. And three, I just don't think I'll ever want to see you again. Were those reasons enough?"
I froze upon hearing what she said, and by the way she said it.
Fuck, she clearly misunderstood everything.
"That's not fair."
I suddenly felt my tears building up.
"And that's not even for you to decide."
I can really feel anger building up inside me now.
"Then why did you leave Elysse if you really think that?"
I am now full of pain or anger. I can't even tell the difference.
"Seven years, Jessica. I never got the chance to know one of my kids, and the other one always knew me as just her older brother."
I said this while pointing a finger at her, and I saw guilt in her eyes.
"Fuck you, Jessica! Fuck you for ruining my life! I just wish it was all just a dare, but no, it wasn't. I genuinely loved you and cared for you, and now all I get is a bunch of bullshit reasons without you even trying to hear my side of the story."
I was literally so livid that I could barely resist my urge to smash everything within my reach.
"Why did I even bother showing up here? I just wish I just let the dead stay dead."
I stood up, wiped my tears, and immediately walked out before she could even stop me.
I hopped in my car, and I saw Jessica standing from a distance, looking at my car leaving in my rear-view mirror.
I was so full of anger, disbelief, and frustration. Did she ever love me? Why would she leave me just like that if she ever did?
My mind went completely blank as my body felt so numb that I didn't notice I'd been driving the car too fast.
An unknown number appeared on my phone that made me wake up, but the last thing I know is that my car went flying as I hit into something before everything went pitch black.