Never shall we sink, too.

X

"Maybe because, I didn't love you like you love me." I can see regret from her eyes after she said. She was also shocked by the fact that she said that out loud.

"Bei.." Ponggay and Ced grabbed me as I kept on stepping back and away from her. I let it all sink in first before formulating words on my mind. I saw that Ate Ly stepping between us, but still not saying a word.

"You know what.." I smiled at her. "You're right. You didn't said that you love me. "Like", you did. But not love." I nodded my head yes. "Congratulations again on the wedding."

"Beh..." Jho said, regret still evident on her face.

"It's okay Jho." I turned my head towards my silent friends. "Thank you guys for the surprise and thanks for the delicious dinner Ponggs. I'll get going." I smacked Ponggay's cheeks and got my keys at the side table.

I didn't heard anybody talked, just footsteps. It was Ponggay walking me to the door. I turned to her before proceeding to my car.

"Thanks for this Ponggs. Appreciate it. We can have dinner sometime on my place."

"Are you sure okay ka lang mag drive?"

"Yea. I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Okay." She hugged me. "Text me when you get home okay?"

"Sure." I smacked her cheeks again and walked to my car. I settled on my car and took a deep breath to avoid tears formed my eyes from falling before starting my car.

I don't actually know how to feel. It's like I knew that she would said that. That she would say something hurtful. I kinda expected that when we meet after all these years, there will be something like this.

'But why in hell am I still crying? Shit!'

I stopped on a red signal. I wiped my cheeks and sniffled. After 10 minutes of driving, at around 12am, I arrived at my condo, safe. I went up and texted Ponggay that I was home.

I went to get a bottle of beer, but then I realized that I needed something stronger. I reached in to the grocery bags that I bought earlier and pull out a bottle of bourbon.

Halfway thru the bottle, I was sitting on my couch, admiring the lights of BGC, when I received a phone call. I didn't looked at the name and pressed end.

After 2 minutes, I received another call, and again I pressed end. That went on for like 5 more calls when I looked at the name who called me.

Julia Morado

I immediately called her back and to my surprise, she did the same to me. I set down my phone and poured my glass half full again. After 5 sips, my phone was ringing again but this time it was Ced.

"Hey."

"What?"

"Uh... I was just checking in. I just got home." I looked at the time, it was almost 2am. Apparently Tots got drunk and Ced had to drive her home. "How are you holding up? And why are you still awake?"

"I'm fine Ced. Don't need to worry. I was going to sleep na den." I lied cause she will scold me again if I said that I was drinking.

"You sure you're not drinking?"

I almost spit my drink. I mean this girl really has a good sense of intuition. "No." I almost choked.

"Okay then, good night. We'll talk soon."

"Sure. Good night."

She hung up the call. I didn't know the reason, but after talking to Ced, I can't drink the whole bottle as I was planning to do after I opened it. I returned the cap of the bottle and throw the remaining of the liquor on the sink. I wash up and crawled up in bed.

I was used to sleeping alone in bed, but not alone in the whole house, I really felt being alone. All I can hear is the air-conditioning and the deafening sound of silence. I didn't realized that I was slowly curling up my knees towards my chest so that I was lying there, fetus style.

I let out a small sob. Then after sometime, it turned into uncontrollable shouts of cry. The phrase that Jho said to me was on repeat in my mind. I shouted. Trying to bury the repeated scene on my mind. I shouted til my face was blue.

I don't usually get tired mentally and emotionally, but this time I was drained. So I slept around 4am. When I opened my eyes again, the sun was already at it's peak. My eyes are burning from crying to sleep earlier.

I reached to check my phone. 5 missed calls from Ced, Ponggay and Jia.

"Jia." I said out loud still confused why Jia is calling me since last night. I threw my phone on bed and got up to get coffee. I poured some on my cup for a strong black coffee. Then I got a text from Tots.

'Hey Bea, remember what I asked you? Ready to talk to Coach O again?'

I hit reply. 'Can I get back to you again? I need to read some reports.'

'Sure. Just let me know ha?'

I set down my phone then proceeded to my room to start the conference call and the reports that needs to be checked.

C E L I N E

@the party.

"Ced." Ponggay called me at the side. "Nice to meet you!" She hugged me and I hugged her back.

"Yay!" I squealed. We did some catch up before she asked me how was Bea when she received the invitation for the wedding.

"To be honest, I was angry at you for sending that invitation. But Bea said na hindi ikaw yun, and most probably Jho's idea."

"It's half-true. Maybe ginusto ko den na ibigay sakanya yung invitation kasi gusto ko syang umuwi. And I was blinded by that idea. Hindi ko naisip kung anong magiging reaction nya." We paused for a while, and looked at Bea before she spoke. "I bet she did a stupid thing after she read the invitation."

"Yes she did. She broke a glass using her hand only. When I get the first aid kit she.. uh.. she left and went to this overlooking cliff alone." She snapped her head towards me. "She drank way too much alcohol at that time that she started to hallucinate and called me Jho when I picked her up to go home. She was rushed to the hospital after sometime cause of unbearable pain in her stomach."

"Why?"

"She drink herself to sleep, doesn't eating anything and having too much caffeine in her system."

"She really is an impulsive drinker." I looked at her.

'She really know Bea well.'

When she was about to speak again, we heard some shouting at the dining table. It was Jho and Bea.