"Pretty Little Promise's"

Chapter 20 Sick

Risa pov:

My sleep was restless, haunted by the echo of my hand against Alice's cheek. It was a first, a slap, and the guilt gnawed at me like a hungry rat.

The next morning, I woke up with the sun, fueled by the need to make things right. Alice and I had a meeting with an investor, a big one, and I needed to be on my A-game. But first, breakfast. I whipped up a classic: spam, sunny-side-up eggs, and hot dogs, just the way she likes it. And of course, a glass of milk, warm and comforting.

Alice was still asleep when I finished, so I knocked on her door, three gentle raps. "Alice? Wake up, we have a meeting." Silence. "Alice?" Finally, she opened the door, a sleepy smile on her face. "C'mon, let's eat na "

She nodded, her voice soft, "susunod Nalang Po ako"

I sat at the table, waiting for her, the steam from the hot dogs swirling in the air. When she joined me, I handed her the milk. "Here's your milk,oh I made it for you"

She didn't say a word, just took a sip and started eating. After breakfast, we showered and got ready for the meeting.

The investor's office was a whirlwind of suits and serious faces. Alice, surprisingly, was focused, her eyes glued to the investor. She was quiet, not her usual bubbly self, and she avoided my gaze.

"Ms. Risa," Alice spoke up, her voice calm but firm, "could you please tell Mr. Froid that our business can't accept those terms?" she slammed her hands to the table

I knew what she meant. Mr. Froid was pushing for a deal that would be detrimental to our company. "Of course, Mr. Froid," I said, stepping forward. "We're open to working together, but those conditions are unacceptable."

Mr. Froid, a man who seemed to thrive on power, grumbled, but eventually agreed to compromise. Alice, with a subtle nod, ended the meeting.

As we were leaving the building, there was a row of water fountains in front of the entrance. They looked beautiful, with water shooting high into the air. I didn't even notice that they were on a timer.

Alice and I were walking toward our car when suddenly, the fountains shut off. We both took a step forward, and then...BOOM! The water from the fountains exploded, soaking us completely! Alice's white blazer, her pants, even her bag were drenched. And I was soaked from head to toe, even though we ran as fast as we could!

"Oh, my god," I laughed, wiping water from my face. "This is just... perfect."

Alice, though, just sighed. "I hate getting wet."

"Shuxx pati t-shirt ko nabasa" I groaned, wiping at my damp clothes. "Alice, are you okay?" I asked, and she just nodded, a little dazed, before slipping into the car. I followed after her.

The drive back was quiet, the air thick with the lingering scent of rain and the tension of the day. Alice seemed to be shivering, so I reached over and turned off the air conditioner. "linalamig ka ?" I said, but she only looked at me with those big, pleading eyes that made my heart melt.

It was a long drive - two hours at least - but finally, we pulled up to the familiar facade of our condo. We both needed a change of clothes, so we went to our respective rooms and closed the door.

By the time 8 pm rolled around, my stomach was grumbling. "gutom na ako" I mumbled, grabbing my phone and placing a Grab food order. The delivery guy arrived in record time, just four minutes later, and handed me the steaming bag. "Thank you," I said, paying him before closing the door.