GIRL FRIDAY (Completed)

Chapter 24 - Mea Culpa

Good morning my dears. nalula ako sa dami ng comments sa first LQ ng couple natin. Thank you for being so engaged. 

At siyempre, anticipated ang momol and make-up, because I know for you readers, a kiss will not cut it. So expect a little action, not too much yet kasi kakasimula pa lang naman nila as a couple. Huwag mainip sa SPG ok? Dadating din tayo diyan, mga six months pa, hahahaha.

So here's the real score why Richard acted the way he did. Will his explanation be good enough for Maine? Will you accept his apology if you were in her place? Please read on and let me know:)   

Maine arrived in her building two hours after leaving the office. She was tired from standing almost the whole trip home, too tired to have dinner. All she wanted was to take a hot shower and go to sleep, forget about their disastrous first day in the office.

"Maine."

Richard was already waiting for her in the lobby when she arrived. She was startled to see him ahead of her, and while she missed him badly, she still felt bad about what happened earlier. She turned away from him and continued walking towards the elevator.

"Maine.......wait lang."

He caught up with her and held her by the waist, pulling her close to his side. She felt stupid for wanting to cry, and already felt her tears falling down. Quickly, Richard pressed the up button of the elevator, refusing to let go of her.

"Baby......"

"Please don't call me that."

She tried to push away his hand but he held on. The elevator door opened and they went in, just the two of them inside.

"Why didn't you wait for me? I got out ten minutes after you left."

"I texted you, pero hindi ka sumagot."

The elevator door opened again. She quickly stepped out, and walked ahead of him. He walked faster though and caught up with her.

"Maine, let me explain....."

They entered her unit, Maine dropped her things on the table and took off her shoes. Richard merely looked at her, at a loss on how to redeem himself. He knew he did her wrong, he wanted so much to make it up to her.

"Ito......ito yung fear ko eh. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid kaya ayaw ko ng relationship with you. Anong gagawin natin everytime you have a female friend that comes over? How will you introduce me? How CAN you introduce me? Naiintindihan ko naman why you didn't introduce me kanina. It would seem weird to Sofia, why would you introduce your secretary to her? Alam ko ang labo non. Pero alam mo, it doesn't make it less painful."

He covered the space between them and hugged her tightly. He was panicking, afraid that he would lose her even before they started. He kissed her forehead and pulled her to the couch, seating down and taking her with him to sit on his lap.

"Will you please listen lang muna? Pakiusap, Maine. Listen muna."

She just looked at him.

"Sofia is not an ordinary girl. She has Asperger's Syndrome, it's a form of autism, and she is classified as a high-functioning autistic. People with Asperger's lack social skills, they are prone to extreme emotions, sobrang galit, sobrang saya. Kanina, she was just happy to see me, kaya niya ko nilundagan."

She didn't know what to say. His explanation did not explain why he did not introduce her, merely why Sofia acted that way.

"I'm sorry hindi kita napakilala, I just had to get her to the room kasi pag hyper siyang ganon, mas lalong evident yung condition niya, and I don't want her to be judged. Pero hindi man kita napakilala, I told her about you. Hinanap ka namin after matapos kami para ipakilala kita pero wala ka na."

"Why didn't you just answer my text?"

"Sa pagmamadali ko na salubungin si Sofia, naiwan ko phone ko sa main conference room. Medyo nagworry ako when she texted me na she came here alone, hindi kasama mom niya. When I saw how hyper she was, hindi ko na dinala sa area natin, sa mini conference room na lang kami nag-usap."

"Bakit umabot ng three hours interview niyo?"

"Alam mo bang hindi naman pala para sa blog niya yung pinunta niya?"

"Eh ano?"

He laughed tiredly.

"MLM, ampota. Binebentahan ako ng health products para maging downline niya. Ang kulit, grabe. Ang tagal namin nag-usap, gusto ko na nga lumabas pero hindi ako makasingit sa kanya."

"MLM as in open-minded ka ba?"

"Yes. Shit, I sat through three hours of product orientation. Nung nakuha ko na phone ko, dead bat na."

"Eh bakit niya sinabing interview for her blog?"

"Alam mo naman yang sa MLM diba? They never tell you upfront na bebentahan ka nila."

What a mess the situation was. What happened this afternoon showed how much this relationship could hurt her, making her doubt the wisdom of agreeing to a relationship.

"Sir.......tama ba ginagawa natin? What happened kanina is just an example of how hard this will be for both of us. Kaya ba natin talaga?"

He looked hurt. "We just started, Maine. Am I really not worth the effort?"

She looked at him for the first time that night. He looked tired and harassed, she didn't know if he already had dinner. She raised a hand to touch his face, ran her fingers through his hair.

"Pagod ka, sir?"

"Hindi naman. Miss lang kita."

He sank his head on the crook of her shoulder and kissed the warm spot.

"Bati na tayo please? Hinabol ka namin ni Manong Rod, tapos pagdating ko dito wala ka pa. Na-guilty ako, alam kong ang hirap magcommute pauwi. I got so worried."

"Kumain ka na ba?"

"Wala akong gana. I just want us to be ok. Are we?"

She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and kissed his temple.

"Ok na tayo, sir. Ok na."

"I love you. Wag ka na magalit sakin."

His hand ran up her bare arm, stopping at her nape to caress the sensitive spot under her ear. She traced the outline of his mouth with her thumb, trembling when he suddenly opened his mouth to lick the soft pad. The sensation made her toes curl.

He cradled her in his arms and pulled her to him to kiss her hungrily, slowly lowering her on the couch till he was lying on top of her. She was kissing back just as hungrily, her hand pulling his head closer. Her legs opened to accommodate his body between hers. She gasped when his hand caressed her thigh, raising one of her legs up his hip.

Her hands untucked his shirt and started unbuttoning it, running her hands over his bare chest. It was her first time to touch someone so intimately, and it excited and scared her at the same time. His hard- on was pressed against her apex, involuntarily she rubbed her lower body against his.

Her phone suddenly beeped, startling both of them. He got off her and stood up, turning away to hide the bulge in his pants.

"Tignan mo muna phone mo baka importante yun."

She got up and took her phone to check. She shook her head at what she saw.

"Bakit? Sino yan?"

"Promo lang ng Globe."

Takteng yan, hindi ko talaga araw ngayon.

-----

Guys, if you want to read more about Asperger's Syndrome, here's the link http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/mental-health-aspergers-syndrome#1. It's not a hopeless condition, but you have to know it for what it is to understand better the people who have it. :)