Alice's POV
Whenever I come home to our house in Bamban, I make sure to wake up early. My father is quite strict about us all having breakfast together. Since I only visit once a week and we're rarely complete, he makes the most of moments like these. I got out of bed and drew the curtains open, letting the sunlight spill onto the balcony. The warm glow of the morning sun felt refreshing and peaceful—a perfect way to start the day.
After spending a few minutes lounging on the balcony, I went back inside my room and sat at the edge of the bed. I grabbed my phone from the bedside table. A smile immediately spread across my face when I saw her text message.
—Theresia, love of my life—
"Good morning, love! I know you're probably still sleeping, but I wanted to message you before my day gets busy. I have a preliminary hearing later, and it's going to take a few hours, so I might not be able to update you much today. You know how it is, your lawyer girlfriend needs to stay focused! But don’t worry, I’ll drop by the hospital later. You’re on the night shift, right? So our sched will match. By the way, please don't forget to eat breakfast—huwag puro coffee, doc. I miss you so much already. I can't wait to finally hug you and kiss your cute cheeks. I love youuu, mwah mwah."
I rolled around on the bed in excitement. I couldn't contain my happiness, even biting my pink stuffed toy. I hopped up and down a few times, completely lost in the moment. That is, until I heard a knock on my door.
"Ate, Papa says breakfast is ready," Wesley, my little brother, called out.
"Okay, bunso, I'll be there in a minute," I answered, trying to sound serious, even though I was still smiling from ear to ear.
I brushed my hair, fixed my bed, and headed downstairs. When I got to the dining table, Wesley and Papa were already waiting.
"You’re making the food wait," my father said while sipping his coffee.
"Good morning. Umagang umaga, bad mood ka na naman," I said, kissing him on the cheek to lighten his mood before pulling out a chair and sitting down.
Breakfast was a bit noisy since Wesley was being his usual talkative self, sharing all kinds of stories about his school. We had no choice but to join in on his gossip. After eating, I went back to my room and slept again, knowing I had a night shift later and wanted to avoid feeling sleepy at work.
Time skip...
I woke up around 5 PM, and the sun was already setting—it was getting a bit dark. My night shift starts at 8 PM and ends at 5 AM, so waking up at this time was just right. It gave me enough time to prepare, and I always consider some extra time in case of traffic. I took a quick shower and had dinner before heading out. Luckily, traffic wasn’t too bad, so I arrived at the hospital earlier than expected.
As soon as I stepped onto the ground floor, I spotted Angelo and Cleo flirting with each other in the receiving area.
"Hii, sis Dr. Alice. Iniwan mo kami sa Batanes, andaya mo," Cleo said as he approached me, and we shared a quick beso.
"Now it makes sense why you’re always contradicting my plans on pursuing Atty. Theresia. Ikaw ha, I wasn't expecting that!" Angelo pointed his index finger at my shoulder.
"Now you know, so stop flirting with her. She's mine... officially mine," I said, lightly pushing him aside since he was blocking the elevator.
Cleo coughed, trying not to laugh, while Angelo staggered a bit.
"Relax, ba't ka galit? I don't have plans on doing that tho, baka sampalin mo naman ako," Angelo talked back.
"Mabuti naman. Hindi lang talaga sampal aabutin mo sa akin pag nilandi mo siya," I said with diction and stepped into the elevator. I could hear Cleo lowkey clapping.
