Whisper of the Heart (COMPLETED)

CHAPTER XVI

So let's dig in more to Edward's internal debate. The more he knows Maymay, the more he thinks she's special. Not to mention there isn't any girl he knew that is like her.

At first, he was just fond of her. With her he is free to himself, he doesn't have to pretend to be a tough guy. With her, he learned how to just laugh things off especially when they aren't within his control anymore. There was one time when he had to attend a meeting and the heavy traffic kept him stranded on the road, he felt so furious because he could not do anything, while his phone kept annoyingly ringing, he just wanna make everything explode. Then he gave Maymay a call, the traffic remains the same, he never did make it to the meeting at all, but he was still laughing, thanks to her. And he was reminded that becoming mad would not help him a bit to make it to the meeting anyway. 

And so, unconsciously, he constantly thinks of Maymay. He started missing her. But when he does send her a text, she would only reply thriftily with a few words. He wanted badly to ask her, how her day had been, but.. He thought that is something a friend would certainly not ask a friend. So he dismissed all those thoughts readily, and presently he is succeeding.

Edward is a very resolute guy. One day. Two days. Five days. A week had passed and he had succeeded not initiating a message.

A week and a day and he couldn't keep his eyes off his phone. A week and two days, he jerks everytime his phone rings. And another two days he's not already thinking of his phone.

He wants to see Maymay herself. But with what reason would he tell her if he drops by the studio? None. And Edward being the resolute guy that he is, just shrugged the idea off. They are nothing but friends anyway. And friends do sometimes not text each other. That is his way and before he knew it, three weeks had already passed.

Then one day, he receives a message.

"Edwarddd! Ang ganda pala sa Londoooonn! "

You see, even in a text message Maymay has a way of conveying how she feels at the moment.

"Wait. You are  in London? "

That isn't impossible. But not possible either. 

"Nagvideo call kami ni Marcooooo! "

And that's enough to make Edward pissed off. So she isn't texting him but is video-calling Marco? The world is unfair.

So you weren't messaging me because you were busy videocalling Marco. We can go to London if you want.

That, he didn't say. If he had been his seventeen year old self, he would have texted that message. But he's older. When we're older, we basically think of the same thing, feel the same thing, the only difference is that we filter now what needs to kept inside, and what needs to be voiced out. And more and more things he choose to keep to himself than saying it to the respective person. I guess that's more adult-like.

But his annoyance is real, that he chose not to send a reply. When Maymay didn't text him again, he was more annoyed than ever that he regretted he ignored her message in the first place.

But then he thought, Maymay is this excited to tell him that she's seen London virtually and he ignored her? What a savage beast he is. He replied anyway.

He would just tell to himself that it's alright to be jealous. Friends do get jealous sometimes.

Such were his thoughts. And that only means he is in the process of sorting out his feelings. Figuring out what draws the line between being just friends and a little more than that. 

And men are basically like that. But sometimes, just sometimes, feelings do command. And so one Friday afternoon, which marks a month of not seeing each other, he sends her a message. 

"What time will you be out of the studio?"

But there was no reply. After his office hours, he spends his time off in a cafe in front of the building where Maymay is working. The same cafe where he saw her hit by a car. So he's been there for like two hours, and he hasn't receive a reply yet. He finished his third cup, and his phone remained silent. It was already past 8 when he gets her text message.

"sorry, late reply, nakasilent ang phone ko. mga 10 pa siguro. may tinatapos lang."

"you're bound to Cavite later?"

There was a long pause.

"Oo, need ko. May meeting si Jeff bukas sa school ng 9."

"Ok. i'll wait for you. I'll drive you home."

"Naku Edward, Wag na. Mauna na ka. Mamaya pa kasi ako eh, alas 8 pa lang ngayon. Sanay naman akong bumiyahe ng gabi."

Edward did not reply. Instead he get out of the cafe and parked his car in the buildings parking lot. Just near the main entrance. Opened his window car, turned the music on. And waited. 

Thankfully, he saw Maymay coming out of the building even before 10pm. Edwards gets out of the car. Maymay is with his co-workmates, Edward concluded because of the identical id laces. They were laughing, and Maymay froze at the sight of him. Edward is leaning on his car, with both hands inside his pockets.

She nodded at her companions, which he assumed are silent goodbyes, and walked towards him. The companions, consisted of three guys and a girl, watched the both of them. One of the guy looked surprised, and a little disconcerted, and Edward judges from the look of him that guy is into Maymay. This particular guy was the one walking shoulder to shoulder with Maymay when the group came out of the building, the other three lagging behind. Probably courting her. 

Well Edward, instinctively crossed his arms, implying that "well sorry bro, but i'm driving her home tonight."

"Andito ka pa pala. Akala ko, hindi mo na ako hinintay. Sigurado ka ba? Ang layo ng Cavite."

Edward did not answer, instead he opened the door for Maymay, giving the group one last look, he even waved his hand goodbye and occupied the driver's seat.

"Bye! mga tsong!" Maymay shouted at the group before the car get it to the main road.

"Saan ka nagtigil?" 

"There, at the cafe."

Long pause.

"Sorry Edward, ang tagal mo tuloy naghintay. sabi ko naman sayo, wag mo na ako hintayin eh." 

"It's okay, it's fine if i waited for hours." He didn't mean to make her feel guilty, but he sounded like it. So he added a joke, "I have drank all the coffee flavors you know. Now i can tell the difference between every single flavor." 

Maymay burst to laughing. Edward must be mad, even her laugh becomes music to his ears.

Then she buried herself on her seat, smiling guiltily to Edward. 

He would have asked Maymay about that guy that caught his attention, but he thought it's not a friend's business anyway.

But wait, as he gives Maymay a glance, why is it that she looks prettily, so cozy, the light coming from the street giving her face a reddish glow? And why does she suddenly looks so innocent, almost dreamy, her eyes twinkling with her guilty smile? And maybe, when there were too many things and feelings we kept to ourselves for too long, we deem can not hold it any longer. So while everything fades into the background, and even before reasons check up on his feelings, he heard himself saying, giving his most honest smile;

"Besides, I wanted to see you, too."