Appetite for Love | ✅

Chapter 4: Contentment

HOW CAN one finally define complete and utter happiness? Yun ang palaging tanong ni EJ sa sarili niya. Everything that has happened in her life for the past three and a half years were among the greatest things she has ever experienced. Life is one hell of a rollercoaster, yun ang sure siya pero never did she imagine that after all those terrible downs will be some of the best ups of her life.

Three and a half years ago, EJ met Phoenix in Rizal while she was cleaning one of his restaurants and out of the blue he plucked her from that job and took her in as his executive assitant. Hanggang ngayon naloloka pa din siyang isipin na doon nagsimula ang kwento nila. He gave her everything, taught her most of what she knows, showed her almost everything she could ever use in her lifetime. Phoenix gave her a well-lived life, he helped her siblings and continually made her smile. Noong una, akala niya he was just looking out for her in place of his dead sister kaya naman iwas siya na magkagusto dito pero with all his charm and utter good looks, sino ba ang hindi mahuhulog dito?

Yun nga lang, every single dream has limits. Kasama na siguro dun yung pangarap niyang mahalin din siya ni Phoenix. Hindi pwede kasi hindi sila bagay, lagi namang yun ang dilemma eh. When he kissed her akala niya okay na ang lahat na baka yung gap sa kanila ay kaya naman palang punan pero may mga bagay talaga na minsan kailangan pang hayaang umusbong pa para naman mas matibay at mas malakas pa ang foundation, pati ang relasyon nila ni Phoenix ay kailangan pa ng panahon din.

For a moment, her perfect world crumbled noong marinig niyang sabihin ni Celest na si Phoenix ang ama ng dinadala nito. Her heart broke into a million tiny pieces. Celest was the girl Phoenix spent most of his freetime with mula ng makilala nito ang babae. Kaso laro lang pala ng tadhana yun para magkaroon siya ng lakas ng loob para umamin na sa lalaki. That night noong bigla na lang siyang pumasok sa bahay nito at subukang pigilang umalis, nilunok niya lahat ng hiya sa katawan niya at sinabi na sa lalaki ang laman ng puso niya and all those things led her to here.

Except that today, it's somehow different. Kung iisipin mo, ito yung kakaunting 'bumps on the road' nila or minsan pasimpleng paglalambing lang ni EJ.

"Sweet pea!" Masayang tawag sa kanya ni Phoenix habang papasok ito sa opisina niya.

"Anong sweet pea ka diyan! Batukan kaya kita!" Ngayon kasi naiinis siya sa lalaki. Palagi kasi itong late kaya siya tuloy nag gumagawa ng mga trabaho nito. It's not that his work is too difficult for her, yun nga lang ay tumatambak ang trabaho nilang dalawa. She can handle it pero natatakot siyang baka di na work related ang pagiging late nito ng mga nakaraang linggo. She knows that he visits some of his restaurants on the way pero this has been happening for the past three weeks. He's now taking way too long.

"Masungit nanaman ang girlfriend ko!" Aba ang damuho, niloko pa siya!

Pero wait, that's correct. She's his girlfriend now. Wala nang ligawan pa uli na nangyari kasi they both know that they love each other. Mula noong walang hiya-hiyang pumunta siya sa bahay nito hanggang ngayon ay sila pa din. It's been a year and two months since ang everything's been going great. Higit pa noon ang pag-pamper ng lalaki sa kanya at sa mga kapatid niya.

"Eh kasi naman! Late ka uli! Ang dami tuloy trabaho!" She crossed her arms and pouted. Higit pa talaga sa pagiging assistant ang trabaho niya. She's now the girlfriend, the assistant and the acting CEO at times.

"Sorry na sweet pea, I'll make it up to you!" He hugged her.

"Baka naman hindi na restaurant ang dinadaan mo Phoenix ah! Sawa ka na ba sa akin kasi may two years mo na akong girlfriend?" She looked at him with sad eyes.

Dati siguro may fear siya na baka may magustuhang iba ang nobyo niya pero ngayon EJ somehow felt secure with him sticking to her like glue. Mahal siya nito pero minsan lang talaga may mumunti siyang doubts lalo na at madaming babae ang nakapalagid dito. She trusts him, yun lang ang kailangan, pero she doesn't trust all those girls around him.