bapa: from here to eternity

chapter 58: trash

Mika POV:

Tomorrow, we were off to Hawaii. The past few days had been a whirlwind of getting things in order for the trip, but it was finally happening.

Andrew, despite being completely swamped, had somehow pulled everything together to come with me. He'd been putting in long hours, working non-stop for days, just to make sure he could leave work behind when we're in Hawaii. He still needed to finish some projects he couldn't put off, but luckily, Bose had already stepped in and offered to take over his work—both for Andrew and for me, sparing us any last-minute fires we couldn't put out ourselves.

As grateful as I was, I still had a mountain of things to get done before we left, so today, Andrew and I were out in Rivalton, racing through a list of last-minute errands and grabbing all the things we'd need for the trip. Even though he'd been so focused on his own work, he'd dropped everything to help me wrap up mine too, and just having him there made the whole list feel a little less overwhelming.

We made our way through the mall, weaving between other shoppers, catching glimpses of travel items, snacks, and clothes we might need for the beach.

As we strolled through the main corridor, I noticed two girls walking past us. They gave us a strange, lingering look, their expressions unreadable, but I didn't think much of it.

Then I noticed Andrew's gaze flicker to them, his face tensing for a split second before he looked away and grabbed my hand.

I felt his grip tighten around my hand, which was unusual for him.

Come to think of it, we've never even have held hands like this before.

A small flare of curiosity grew inside me. I nudged him gently. "Do you know them?" I asked, keeping my voice casual.

"Don't look," he murmured, guiding me forward a little faster. "Just keep walking."

Now I was really curious. "Why?" I pushed, not willing to drop it.

After a pause, he leaned close and whispered, "That was my ex... and her friend." My eyes widened slightly. This was the ex he'd mentioned once before—the one who had given his little sister Lily a hard time. I'd never expected to actually run into her.

"That ex?" I kept my voice low. "The one who was mean to Lily?"

He nodded, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. She's, uh... let's just say she's not exactly stable." His face hardened as he spoke, like he was bracing himself. "She's the kind of person who'll do anything to get back at me, just to make herself feel better. Manipulative, you know?"

I couldn't help but frown, wanting to understand more. "What exactly happened with her?"

Andrew sighed, as if he'd been hoping I wouldn't ask for details. "I don't want to sound pathetic or anything, but... she cheated on me with my old friend and she made me feel like I was the problem. Whenever she'd come home late, all drunk at three in the morning, I'd ask her to slow down, you know, for her own good. But she'd twist it around and accuse me of being controlling." He shook his head, a rueful smile on his lips.

I looked at him, trying to piece it all together. "Why'd you stay so long?"

His shoulders slumped slightly. "I didn't know any better. She had me wrapped around her finger, convinced that she was right, and I was... I don't know, just not good enough. But, hey..." His expression softened as he looked at me. "Don't worry about her, okay? I know you won't let her get to you."

I smirked, determined not to let anyone ruin our day. "No chance."

We wandered the mall for a bit longer before deciding to split up. Andrew had promised Lily he'd get her a specific Barbie set for her birthday next month, and the toy store was right next to the bookstore where I wanted to browse. "I'll meet you in there," he said with a grin before heading off toward the toy aisle.