Compromise in Love

Chapter 5

Joshua's POV

The funeral and burial of my foster father lasted for two weeks. He has a lot of friends across the globe so we had to wait for their arrival before burying him. We all know that he is a good father and a good friend and that his death had a great impact in all of our lives. After grieving for him for another week, I decided to come back to the Philippines.

I will not be able to move on and live my life again if I stay in the house full of his memories.

I was driving on the highway along EDSA enroute to my penthouse the night I arrived back in the Philippines when I realized that Justine's condo is in the area. I turned to the street where his condo is located and without a thought parked in the space in front of the building.

After a few more minutes of contemplation of what I should do, I decided to go to his condo unit to see him again. I guess my desire to see his innocent yet knowing face is the biggest part of my intention.

Thirty minutes had passed with me just standing in front of his door. I had knocked several times but it seems like there was no hint of life in the condo.

Then, I heard heavy footsteps near me and when I turned around to see who it was, my heart skipped a beat.

His brows are furrowed but his lips are curling with a smile indicating that he is welcoming me.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, looking surprised at my sudden visit.

"I passed by your condo and remembered that we have plans of playing games once a month. I decided to drop by to see if you are available for a round or two?" I asked, hoping that he would agree.

He paused for a moment, like he was contemplating whether he would agree or not.

Thankfully, he nodded in agreement and I sighed in relief. I grinned at him and stepped sideways to let him enter his door's passcode.

We entered the unit and he turned the lights on revealing the small but welcoming living room. I went straight to the sofa and sat on it and I almost felt at home. I saw him enter his bedroom to maybe change into comfortable clothing. I looked around the place to see what I could do to pass the time while waiting for him when I saw the Xbox under the table near the Television set.

I decided to set it up while waiting for him.

After a few minutes, I heard his footsteps so I turned to see him. My heart felt warm when I saw how he was comfortable around me now. Like he and I had been friends for a long time.

"Can you spare me a pair of shorts?" I asked and smiled.

He nodded and went back to his room to probably get what I asked for. Then he came back with a pair of shorts and what looked like a tee.

I accepted the clothes and went inside the washroom to get changed. I was about to leave the room after changing when my phone rang. I saw the caller ID as Margaret and my heart hurts like it had been pinched by someone.

I answered the call and waited for her to speak.

"Joshua. I missed you, babe." She murmured and I could hear her sniffles from the other line.

She is crying. I thought and I felt myself wanting to cry too.

"Marge, if you are just missing my presence then you are mistaking comfort to love." I replied.

"No, I still love you Joshua. Just give me time to overcome my problems and I will get you back. I hope you will still love me when I go back." She said, making me confused with her words.