TAMING THE LIONESS °[KathNiel] ✓COMPLETE

36. Remember

Five days before the wedding, Tres and I were already at the beautiful beach resort in the island where Harper's parents live as well for years. They told me that this was the same place where Tres escaped two years ago after being broken by me. I cannot recall what I did to break him that time. Honestly.

Meeting Harper's parents, tita Helena and tito Romar, was liberating because it I've known how kind they are. They're the reason why I still feel close to home even when I'm far far away from mom and dad. Dad hasn't called yet. I've been waiting for three days now for him to tell me news about mommy.

"Are you thinking of me?" Tres' sudden appearance beside me pulled me out from my thoughts. "If it's another guy, I'll kill whoever that jerk is."

"Yeah. It's another guy." I said which made him roll his eyes. "It's dad."

"Oh. Okay. I'm glad to know." He fixed his eyes forward while I bored mine at his perfect face. "I remember, this place was so different two years ago. I've been here before. There was only one villa here back then. I'm glad Ansel and Harper renovated the place into this nice paradise but I prefer how this was before. It's Eden, you know." Mahabang kwento niya.

"The place is perfect."

"I wish I had brought you here before."

"You remember?" I asked in creased forehead, fluttered stomach and excited heart.

"What?"

"You know that you didn't bring me here." I clarified.

"Nanay Helena met you for the first time so that explained it." Oh. Right. Stupid Maddy.

"But I remember something Maddy." I looked at him immediately after he said it. "It wasn't everything but it's a lot."

"I wanna know what it is." Kinakabahang saad ako. Natatakot akong maalala niya ang huling gabing magkasama kami bago siya maaksidente.  Lahat ng nangyari ng gabing 'yon, memoryadong-memoryado ko pa. Kaya kahit gusto kong maalala na niya ako, there's a part of me that wishes of him to not remember that night.

"We were at the view deck." He began telling me. "And we were both crying."

"Tres—"

"That's all I remember."

"Are you sure? Hindi ba tayo nag-usap? Bakit tayo nandon?" I asked, sounding desperate.

"There's not much to remember Maddy." He answered casually.

Well. I remember it all and I wish I could just forget it.

"You wait here." Paalam niya saka nagmamadaling tumakbo. Magkahalo ang nararamdaman ko—there's fear, sadness but majorly, just fear.

Bumalik kaagad si Tres na may dalang gitara. All the Palmers are known to have soulful singing voices but I've only heard Tres sing when he sang along with the loud music in his car stereo. I wanted him to sing for me before but he was shy. He would say he isn't like his brothers. He would even deem himself without any talent among his siblings and I know it isn't true. He is a great poet. He creates beautiful pieces of poetry and yes, he is the poetry himself. He was hard to decipher but he made me fall in love.

"Saan tayo pupunta?" Tanong ko nang hilahin niya ako. Sa kung saan ay iyan ang aking inaalam. Hindi siya sumagot. Nginitian niya lang ako. 

It was a few minutes walk before we both came to a stop in front of a small body of water which has a wooden jetty where Tres walked on at the moment. I watched him for a few moment before I followed suit. The jetty was in T-shape. Tempted by the clear water from the lake, I sat down on the wooden platform, hanging my feet and let them soak in the cold water.