He Was My Cousin

Chapter 41

xx number of ch41 drafts + univ life + duties sa orgs + writing contest na semi-finals na tapos nakalimutan ko deadline ng entry lol + (ongoing) internship happened. Sorry sa late up! 😢

Chapter 41
Constant

'Pagising ko kinaumagahan ay wala na raw si Paolo. Bumalik pa ako sa taas upang silipin ang kwarto niya. Truth be told, he was not there. The bed sheet, the pillows... everything was so tidy you wouldn't even think someone slept there. Napaisip tuloy ako kung totoong nangyari lahat. If he really did spent the Christmas with me and my family.

Isasara ko na sana iyong pinto ng kwarto niya nang may mahagip ang aking tingin sa ibabaw ng lamesita sa gilid ng kama niya. Kumunot ang noo ko. Hindi ko naman nakitang dala iyan ni Paolo kagabi. When I dragged him inside the house, he had nothing but his car keys with him.

I hesitantly took a step towards his bed, closing my distance to the box on top of his bedside table. It was only then I noticed there was a note on top of it.

Merry Christmas, Aya.

Iyon lang ang nakalagay ngunit hindi ko na kailangang hulaan pa kung kanino ang sulat na iyon. Kumabog ang didbdib ko. I didn't know why. Parang may kung anong kaba lang ang namayani sa sistema ko. Napaupo ako sa kama.

With my hands almost trembling, I reached for the velvet box. I took a deep breath and opened it. It was a necklace, a white gold necklace. Halos matawa ako. The catch was... the pendant was actually a ring. A white gold ring with a diamond in it. I couldn't be wrong because I know my birth stone well.

The funniest thing? Paolo has never given me a ring before, not ever. And looking at his gift just makes me wonder what was going on his mind. I kinda wanna give you a ring but not really?

I laid on his bed, my two feet still rooted to the floor. I immediately recognized his scent against the sheets. Inilahad ko sa aking kamay iyong necklace. The ring was hanging below my palm.

Who gives diamonds on Christmas Day?! Anong nakain ni Paolo Romualde at bigla siyang naging galante? Looking at the stone and the intricate crystals around it... this sure costed him much!

I almost shrieked when I felt my phone vibrating against the pocket of my shorts. I returned the necklace to its box. When I fished it from my pocket and saw who was calling, I hesitated receiving the call... afraid that he might hear the loud pounding in my chest, afraid that my voice will give me away... But I did answer his call, anyway.

"H-Hello."

"Good morning," he said, almost endearingly. "Kagigising mo lang?"

I shifted my body to the left. Kinuha ko iyong isang unan niya at niyakap iyon. "Medyo," I retorted. "Ang aga mo umalis."

"Yeah, I had to," he said, disappointment etched in his voice. "It's Christmas. Lahat ng staff ng ABF, wala rito. I only have Lindsay and Yul... and the part-timer Charlie."

"Dapat pinagbakasyon mo na sila! It's Christmas!" I protested. "But how are you managing? Who's making coffee, who's serving? Sinong nasa cashier? Who's prepping the cakes?"

"Yul and Linds just have each other to spend the Christmas with. 'Yung part-timer, nag-insist na gusto niya magtrabaho today. Plus customers who'll drive to ABF would just get disappointed if they find out we're closed. Next time they crave for pastries, they'd remember that," he explained. "We're just selling pastries and cakes today. All to go. Chef Yul's in the kitchen. Charlie's packing the orders; Linds is in the counter... they're juggling it with dealing with customers' queries."

"And you? What do you do?" taas-kilay kong tanong. Everyone seemed so busy while he was just on the phone!

"Hmm," he said as if pondering. "Scouting people for help?"