On Love & Friendship

Chapter 27 - Closer

These two hearts had endured the pain and longing brought by distance and time but eventually the Love they have for each other has found their way back again, to the Heart that speaks its equal.

Althea was smiling now with Jade as she speaks...

" Do you want to take a walk?"

" Ofcourse...anywhere with you is fine with me...

They were both quiet and just stare at each other.

" Are you just gonna stare at me? "
It was Jade who broke the silence.

" Jade...I have too many things to tell
you...I don't know where to begin..."

" Althea...I am happy to see you again..I waited for so long...I thought you're not coming back."

Jade was smiling but there were pool of tears in her eyes.

" Maybe let's just talk here first...Do you want to order anything?"

They ordered for coffee and clubhouse sandwich. Jade was first to speak again.

" There's lot of question in my mind too...What took you so long to come back Althea?

" Jade...I'm sorry...I know and I am thankful that you have waited for me...God..It's been so long..and there was never a day that I did not think about you..."

" I want to know Althea why?"

" Jade listen...I wanted to comeback when Miguel was 10 but When I saw the pain in Miguel's eyes when he heard that I wanted out, I couldn't bear it...It's too painful for me...then Ben...He was diagnosed of Lung Cancer..."

Althea took a deep breath but there's tears in her eyes...

" Did you learned to Love Ben Althea? T-that's why you didn't came back?"

" Jade...What we have is Friendship...A deeper meaning of Friendship,  that it pained me so much that I saw his goodness when he was already suffering...It pained me to realized that I did not gave him a chance to make me happy...I have dwelt too much on his mistakes...I hold on to that hate in my heart...and it consumed me. I never saw that he was a good person that made a mistake but trying to correct it but I never gave him a chance. He was lonely..."

Althea let her tears fall. Jade saw her pain.

" I am so sorry to hear that Althea..."

" Ben suffered for 2 years , battling with Cancer and for those 2 years Jade we became friends...We support each other...Jade I told him about you...We talked about you and when he was very sick he thanked me and He was happy though he knows that he never had my heart. But he understand...I don't know Jade if he was crying the pain of Cancer or what I told him...On the night before he passed away he asked me to look for you and be happy with you...Ben was so kind. I cried too much when he left us. He broke my heart and soul Jade....So it took me a while to recover...I have to rebuild myself. I need to forgive myself. "

" We were also financially down, So I have to worked double time. Save as much...We couldn't  just comeback...I am sorry Jade it took me so long....But I'm here...I am here now.."