Together but Separate

Chapter 32: Hearts Kindled

Kate R. Ferragni

Nagising ako mula sa masarap na tulog. It was a really good sleep. Napainat pa ako ng mga kamay habang nakapikit. I remembered na hindi ako sa kwarto ko natulog kaya pagdilat ko ng mga mata ko, hinanap ko agad ang asawa ko sa tabi ko.

I frowned when I didn't see him beside me. Did I oversleep or did he just wake up early?

I sat down and pushed myself up to stand. I walked to the bathroom to take a shower. This was my routine every morning when I woke up. I was always a morning person and always on the go, so I would take a shower first thing in the morning.

Nicko's room and bathroom were kind of similar size to mine. His bathroom just looked and smelled manly. I was about to brush my teeth when I remembered I had no toothbrush in his bathroom. I searched for new toothbrush in the drawers and cabinets, good thing I was able to find one. I started brushing my teeth. After, I grabbed a towel and went to the shower. I adjusted the water temperature before I removed my clothes. When I was ready to get soaked, I completely stepped under the shower head. I used Nicko's body wash, shampoo and conditioner. The smell made me smile because I could smell him. This was his signature scent.

I dried and covered myself with a towel before stepping out of the shower. I planned to put clothes next, but I just realized I didn't bring one.

Bakit ko kasi nakalimutan na wala pala akong damit dito? I should've taken a shower in my room.

Dahan-dahan kong binuksan ang pinto para lumabas ng banyo. Good thing no one else was in the room. Dumiretso ako sa walk in closet ni Nicko. Humanga na naman ako sa sobrang organize at linis ng closet niya kagaya nung sa bahay ng parents niya. I looked for a shirt and found one. It was black and long enough, so I put it on.

Tiningnan ko muna ang sarili ko sa salamin na nandito sa closet niya. The shirt was down to my mid thigh. I was not used to wearing clothes this short, but I did not want to borrow more clothes from Nicko. Magpapalit din naman ako agad. Kailangan ko lang ng damit to cover myself, so I could go to my bedroom.

Napangiti ako nung inikot ko ang mga mata ko sa walk in closet ni Nicko. All his clothes were hanged by color. His neck ties were organized like that too. His suits dominated his closet. Ang dami niyang ganun. Maybe because he spent most of his days sa work. Madami rin siyang sapatos, but they're just in three colors: black, white and brown. Nicko's shirts were in neutral colors too. Now I could conclude that Nicko liked neutral colors. I never saw him wear any other colors aside from white, black, grey and navy blue. He was not into colored outfits - that's for sure.

Lumabas na ako ng closet niya at dumiretso sa pinto ng kwarto para lumabas papunta sa kwarto ko. After I shut the door of his room, I turned around and took only few steps when Nicko suddenly appeared that made me jump in surprise.

"Oh jeez! You scared me," sabi ko at napahawak sa dibdib ko dahil sa kaba.

I noticed he was frowning. "Where are you going wearing like that?"

"I will go to my room to cha—" I did not finish my sentence when he turned me around and opened the door. He gently pushed me to go inside.

He shut the door and faced me. "You cannot leave the room with only wearing that, Kate. Aren't you aware we have maids, bodyguards and other male staff here in the house?" he said and walked to his closet.

I followed him. "I forgot that I didn't have any clothes here, so I borrowed your shirt. I'm planning to put on my own clothes when I get to my bedroom."

Instead of answering, he pulled the shorts from his drawer and handed it to me. "Wear that to cover your thighs before you can cross to your bedroom."

I was the type of person who would wear decent clothing, especially when in front of any people. I'm a businesswoman, and I make sure I come out of my bedroom business ready. This was the first time I left my room with this outfit and yet Nicko seemed disappointed already.