The Rose: A Withered Petal (Book 2 of THE ROSE Pentalogy) ON-GOING

CHAPTER 0151

CHAPTER 0151

Ruan's POV

12:34 pm

"Great, so we are going to film it in Jeju!" I exclaimed. "I am so excited. Are you exited too?" I asked, Andie.

"Yes, of course I am!" She smiled.

Ms. Yoon: "Alam mo itong si Andie, paboritong-paborito niyang puntahan ang Jeju island. Kaya sinisuguro ko sa iyo, exited din siya, hindi nga lang masyadong halata! Mabuti na lang talaga at nahulaan mo ang paborito niyang lugar sa buong Korea!"

"Ganoon po ba, mabuti naman!" I told her, but the truth is.. I knew Jeju is Andie's favorite place, that's why I recommended it.

"Yes, thank you for the recommendation, Ruan!" She smiled.

"Ang totoo niyan, kung hindi nga lang kami magiging busy sa mga susunod na araw, irerecomend ko sana na sa Greece na lang kami mag-shoot!"

Ms. Yoon: "Greece?" She asked. She looked at Andie, smiling.

"Bakit po?"

Ms. Yoon: "Natuwa lang ako, alam mo kasi, pangarap ni Andie na pumunta sa Greece."

"Pangarap?" The lines on my forehead started appearing. "You mean.. hindi ka pa nakakapunta sa Greece?"

She shook her head. "No, never."

"But why?" I asked.

"Why?" She laughed.

"Yes, why? I mean you are Andie Lee. Well mostly, the thing that would keep people from going to Greece is 'money', but you have too much of that, right? So why?" I asked her.

No, I was no longer asking. I am demanding for an answer. Because obviously, I didn't know it was her dream. Kung alam ko lang I would have done everything para mapayagan kaming doon mag-shoot.

"Well.." She said, hesitating. How did I know? It's because she is biting her lower lip. "It's a secret."

I took a deep breath. I nodded my head in surrender. Because obviously, I can't force her to say it.

"Maybe when I have gained your trust? Soon?" I lifted my glass for a toast. She chuckled.

She lifted her glass. "Soon."

Ms. Yoon: "Can I join too?"

Anonymous POV

1:23 pm

It's already past noon, Ms. Yoon, Andie, and Ruan are still having a fun conversation. All of them are physically present, but one of them is mentally absent. And you guessed it right, it's Andie Lee.

Ruan observed it, he knew she is mentally absent. Although he only met her thrice including this meeting, he can say she is not behaving herself today. Because in the first two meetings, ni minsan, hindi niya inulit nang apat na beses ang sarili niya sa pagtatanong. Alam niyang napapansin rin ito ni Ms. Yoon kaya iniiba na lang niya ang topic kapag hindi nakakasagot si Andie.

He wanted to ask if there's something wrong, pero hindi niya tinuloy. Because he was the one who talked to Ms. Yoon on wanting to meet Andie today. Ayaw niyang itanong dahil ayaw niyang maguilty. Ruan hated that thought. He likes Andie Lee so much he can't imagine being the cause of her silence.

But then, nagbago ang sitwasyon nang ang tahimik na si Andie ay bigla nagtanong.

"Can potatoes survive in cold weather?"

Ruan's POV

"Can potatoes survive in cold weather?" She asked out of the blue.

"What?" I said.

"Can potatoes survive in cold weather?"

"..Huh?"

"Can potatoes survive in cold weather?"

"Who?"

"Can potatoes survive in cold weather?"

"Potatoes?"

"Yes, potatoes." She confirmed. For the fourth time, her question was finally absorbed by my brain. The tables have turned now, and I didn't know where in the world would I find the answer to her question.

Tumingin ako sa paligid sa pagbabaka-sakaling makikita ko sa pader ang kasagutan, or sa mga photo's with trivia's na naka-frame sa dingding, pero wala. Honestly, ni hindi ko alam kung nandun talaga ang kasagutan because I am too occupied.

Ms. Yoon: "Andie?"

"Po?"

Ms. Yoon: "What's wrong?" For one second, Andie hesitated to answer. But then before she could answer back, Ms. Yoon asked her a follow up question.

Ms. Yoon: "Who is the person troubling you?" Andie was obviously taken aback.

"Ms. Yoon, I--"

Ms. Yoon: "Alam mo bang kanina ka pa tingin nang tingin sa wall clock na iyon?" She asked, concerned. "At alam mo bang nasa harap mo pa rin si Ruan ngayon at nakikita ang mga kinikilos mo?"

Her question hit me. Ms. Yoon just indicated Andie was thinking about a person. I tightened my grip on my glass when I realized what she meant. The thought that another man might be troubling Andie Lee's heart right now makes me want to explode. I gulped down the remaining wine from my glass.

"Are you dating someone?" I asked her.

Her eyes were doubtful. Those eyes.. are no longer the same eyes I used to stare at when back we first met in Manila.

Ms. Yoon: "Ruan, I know you dated before, pero gusto ko sanang ipaalala sa iyo na ang pagtatagpo nating tatlo ngayon ay walang kinalaman sa personal na buhay ni Andie." She said to me.

I smiled. "Alam ko po Ms. Yoon, as her friend, gusto ko lang naman pong malaman kung may dinadate siya kasi baka nahihiya lang po si Andie na mag-paalam sa atin, at kako, baka may lakad sila."

Tinignan ni Ms. Yoon si Andie. Andie smiled to her.

"No. No I am not dating someone. And no, I am not meeting anyone today, tomorrow, or the day after that." She pressed.

"Then why is the word 'troubled' written all over your forehead?"

Our eyes locked. I know she knows.. I am daring her to answer that question.

Wishing to proceed with her talk and watching her words closely, she said, "Because there is a potato sitting outside my gate, and that potato is my potato."