To Love Again

Could It Be?

This turn of events just came to me when @SachaOh left 'could it be?' as a comment on my other story. I was starting to lose some steam with my imagination and then an idea came to me. Again, please bear in mind, this is a work of fiction.

Strong and suggestive language used herein.

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"She's my daughter."

Well put a straight jacket on me and call me crazy. What the fuck did he just say. His daughter?

"I'm sorry. Say that again?" Maine squeaked out.

"Miss Mendoza. You asked me who the child is to me. I answered. She's my daughter" he patiently explained with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yeah ok, so I did hear that right" Maine mumbled to herself.

"Are there anymore questions Miss Mendoza?" Richard asked with a sigh while looking at his watch.

"Oh just one more. Where would I be taking care of her? You're daughter, I mean" Maine asked.

"At my place. Like I mentioned in the ad, my place is close to St. Luke's Medical Centre. My daughter is admitted there right now but she's all ready for discharge once I find a private nurse to care for her. There's nothing else to be done for her so I opted to take her home instead of leaving her in the hospital for God knows how long" he explained.

"I see. If I accept the job, could I ask for a few days to find an apartment nearby. I don't want to be commuting to Bulacan every single day" Maine stated.

"Yes of course. You could also stay in one of the spare rooms, only until you can find a place of your own" he offered. "To be honest, Miss Mendoza, I would like to get my daughter out of the hospital as soon as possible. I fear that the longer she stays there, the more infections she will have and it will be harder to get her discharged."

"Of course. That actually slipped my mind. Mr. Faulkerson, can I have at least till tonight to give you my answer? I have to talk to my parents first."

"Yes, till tonight then" Richard stated, straightening himself and looking at his watch once more.

"Oh last question" she blurted. She waited till Richard nodded before asking. "What about your wife?"

"Miss Mendoza, I don't have a wife. My daughter's mother left as soon as she was diagnosed with the disease" he answered coldly (almost bordering on rudeness), his asshole personality coming to the forefront. He deliberately glanced at his watch one more time as if making sure Maine saw it.

Well I would leave you too if you're always an asshole like this. Geesh!

Maine had the feeling that this man had somewhere else to be from the way he kept looking at his watch. So, she stood up, straightened her skirt and extended her hand for a handshake. Richard looked at the extended hand first before he engulfed her hand into his and shook it. Once their skin touched, Maine felt a jolt of electricity. She was taken aback that she lifted her head and looked at the asshole in front of her but he just let her hand go as if nothing happened. She brushed the thought off and headed for the door.

"Oh Miss Mendoza. From where in Bulacan exactly are you?"

"Sta. Maria" Maine answered a little unsure. What if he puts two and two together. Shit!

"Oh I know..knew, never mind" Richard stated as if shaking off the memory. Yes, that's it. That's all my sister is to you. A fleeting memory.

Maine proceeded to the door and to her surprise before she could open it, Richard had already grasp the handle and was opening the door for her. Holy fuck! How did he move that fast! Wow! This guy has some serious ninja moves. And then Richard spoke so close to her ear.

"I honestly hope to hear from you soon Miss Mendoza. And if not, then thank you for all it's worth. It was nice meeting you anyway" Richard said yet sounding hopeful anyway.

"You'll hear from me Mr. Faulkerson. Tonight or perhaps earlier even" Maine responded and she turned to walk out of his office.

Richard watched Maine , with a puzzled look on his face, as she walked to the elevators. When he first saw her standing outside his office door, he thought he had died and gone to heaven because she looked like an angel with the body of a seductress. Her eyes too wide for her face, her cute button nose perfectly placed and her lips! God, her lips that were so tempting. I could nibble on those lips for hours. FUCK! But the clincher was when they touched to shake hands. The jolt of electricity that flowed from the point of contact was unbelievable if he didn't feel it himself. Seriously what the fuck was that? He shook the feeling from his hand as he turned around and went about his day.

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Teodoro was already waiting by the entrance of the building when Maine stepped out. She didn't even need to call him. Maine opened the passenger side door and stepped inside the car. Once her seatbelt was buckled, Teodoro eased the car onto the main road. Once they were in the middle of the busy traffic, he turned to his daughter who have been quiet since she sat down.

"Anak? How was the interview"."

"It went well Tatay. I got the job and he wants me to start as soon as possible.'

"Wow, that's great! But why aren't you excited" Teodoro asked noticing Maine's quietness.

"Huh? I'm sorry Tay, what did you say?"

"Anak, are you okay? You know you can tell me what's bothering you. Or maybe your Nanay if you don't want to tell me" Teodoro encouraged. It's hard for him to see his daughter like this; bothered and out of sorts. He still harbours some guilt because he feels like he didn't do enough to help his firstborn. That if he tried harder, then she might still be alive today. Such is the guilt of a father and that guilt he will carry with him till he leaves this lifetime.

"I'm okay Tay" Maine stated with a sigh. Father and daughter became quiet for a few minutes after that just letting the turned down music from the car stereo fill the silence. Teodoro tried again.

"Menggay anak, will you tell me what's bothering you? Is it the job? The interview?"

Maine didn't say anything, but after a few minutes she asked a question that Teodoro didn't expect.

"Tatay? Did Ate have a boyfriend you knew about?"

"The only one I know of is or was Benjie. After they broke up 3 years ago, I don't think she had another one" Teodoro began. "Although she disappeared for almost a year right after so who knows" he added.

"What? Disappeared for almost a year? Like you didn't know where she was?" Maine asked surprised. This was news to her. She didn't know that her sister did this. And then the wheels in her head started turning.

"Yes. She just packed her bags and left without telling us where she was going, or why."

"And you didn't ask? Or try to find her" Maine asked disbelieving.

"Maine, we tried. Nanay even wanted to hire a private investigator but what it all boiled down to was that she was an adult and she was free to make her own decisions" Teodoro answered sadly.

"So when did she come back?"

"About less than 2 years now, 18 months to be exact."

As soon as she heard that response from her father, Maine started calculating in her head. She didn't want to think of the possibility but could it be? And if what she's thinking is right then she definitely needed to take the job.

Oh my god Ate! What have you done?