SILENT CALLS

Chapter 15

ALLY'S P.O.V

"Hey, you did great at the treatment today!"

I pitched up my voice and played Ally the bear by Fujiwara's room door. She just finished the cancer treatment, ready to get some rest now. as the nurse was preparing her bed.

"Ally! Ally!" She chanted excitedly.

"A reward for being brave today." I gently put my hand on her skinny, weak shoulders.

"You keep your promise." She nodded.

"Because you also keep your promise, Oline." I pinched her cheek.

"How do you know my first name?"

"Ally told me." I winked at the bear. "Didn't you?"

"She's a smart girl, yeah."

I let Fujiwara and her mother to have a private space. Besides, I still had few more kids to take care of. It's been a long day. Ivana and I have been splitting up to different wings of the hospital. Volunteering is a fun job, but nobody says it won't be exhausting.

"Girl!" Ivana waved from afar. "I'm down for some McDonald's."

"I'm with you." I expressed the same tired face. "Anywhere near?"

"About few miles, but we can catch up." She managed all the files back into the folder.

"Now that I've learned how much things you've had to handle for the past weeks, I must say that I wish I came along on the first day."

Ivana was surprised by my reaction. She glanced, smirked, and just nodded. Yes, I still felt sorry for cancelling my trip and letting her survive Tokyo alone for two weeks.

"Forget that." She replied. "I'm still mad at you, unless..."

"What?"

"You tell me everything about it."

She made my stomach react uncontrollably. I haven't told anything about Connor and the break-up, yet denied it. Frankly, I considered telling her the truth. Ivana and I have been way closer than ever before, especially since we both got assigned for Japan program.

"You might want to pull over and grab some food first. I don't want to cause a heart attack."

"How worse could that be?"

"Oh, just watch." I chuckled.

Ivana would never believe me. We freaked out over the same band. She would definitely recall Connor.

"Okay. Double cheeseburgers, fries, and up-sized beverage. Done." Ivana took the seat in front of me.

"Settled?"

"Full attention." She nodded convincingly.

"So... Do you remember the last concert we attended together?"

"The BYE concert, yes."

"Uh," I cleared my throat. "But then we went home separatedly. You drove home yourself and I didn't have a car with me."

"Right..." She kept up with my explanation. "What? Wasn't it Jed driving you home? Oh hey, are you seeing Jed?!"

"Let me finish." I groaned.

"No, wait. I'm telling you that if this is about Jed, I'm gonna call him right away." She rolled her eyes.

"You want to call the guy who caused this?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Try the one named Connor."

Deafening silence tone hit us. It's like a paused scene. Ivana gave the shook expression. She must've thought I was messing around.

"As of-"

"Connor McDonough." I nodded.

"Holy shit." She slammed her back to the seat. "You're not-"

"I was."

"Oh mother..." Ivana grabbed my hand. "And you guys broke up?"

"Yeah, few hours ago, you could say so. We're on the same plane." I took a deep breath. "Van, I was leaving you for Connor."

"The show last weekend." She confirmed herself.

"Right. And it didn't get any easier from there. I wish I didn't leave you behind. I mean I'm so happy I got to work with Jed and Tara for that party with the kids, but... I just regret coming to the show."

"Is it that bad?" She asked unsure.

"You can't lie forever if two people are just not meant to be."

Ivana held my hand and took a deep breath. I followed her rhythm. It's never easy to talk about us. Because there were so many things I wish I could've done differently. I wish we could hug each other for the last time at the airport to end the fairytale. Or I wish we had each other's personal stuff to remember for the rest of our lives. Because I knew my chance to meet him again would be dangerously thin. I was relieved we've ended the game, but another part of me wished we could've said goodbye in a much proper way.

"It's not your fault, Al."

"I know. But I love him."

"That's a good thing about you, you know? Your heart is so pure and you love him with all your heart. But darling, when you give a lot, you'll expectedly lose as much."

"Oh I hate life." I sighed deeply. "Being in Tokyo is like trapped on a spinning board to me. I love doing this. I love the idea of freedom-"

"But your idea of freedom includes more time spent talking to him without interruption; unlike at home."

"Sad, isn't it?" I stared at the endless distance outside the store. "I came here for a privacy, to fall in love. But instead, love fell short."

Ivana took the seat next to me and hugged me dearly. I cried on her shoulders. Damn, I hated being cheesy. But a lot has happened and I barely could contain.

"I don't know what to say, Al. I'm not gonna lie to you. The chance of meeting him again is air-thin. But thin doesn't always mean impossible. Hold onto hopes a little longer, you should. Give Japan a chance to heal your heart."

"What if it can't do the justice?"

"Then you and I have one more reason to have triple cheeseburgers and talk about love." Her signature sassy tone made me smile.

"Thank you for this, Van."

"Yeah, besides I can't live you here alone since we're not in Manila, so..."

I threw a fry. And we both laughed again. The more often I faked it, the more natural it seemed. I promised I would stop complaining about life. That maybe God granted me one of the two wishes, the one I needed most; freedom.

Connor's folder; deleted.