My Aloof Man

Chapter 45

Author's Note:

It had been a long journey, Brennon and Cindy. And now, I am finally saying goodbye. 

To YOU who's reading this, thank you for giving this story a chance. Thank you for taking time flipping through its pages. It meant a lot. 

This is the final chapter of My Aloof Man. The next one would be the Epilogue.

--

MARRY

We looked for a hotel in Tagaytay where we could check in and stay for the night. Habang papunta doon ay pinipilit ko pa siyang umuwi but he was already firm in his decision.

Hindi naman sa ayaw kong nandito siya. Nag-aalala lang ako sa mararamdaman ng mga magulang niya gayong sabay pa kaming dalawang nawala.

Pagod akong pumasok sa loob ng hotel room at dumiretso sa higaan. The lights were dimmed. I didn't bother doing my usual routine before I go to bed. Wala din naman akong pambihis. And even if I have, I just felt so drained, both physically and emotionally, that all I want to do was rest.

Hinubad ko lang yung coat niyang suot-suot ko pa mula kanina at ang sapatos bago diretsong humiga at ipinikit ang mata.

Narinig ko ang paglalapag niya ng gamit sa lamesa. Hindi ko siya nakikita dahil nakatalikod ako sa kanya. Naramdaman ko nalang ang pag-uga ng kama sa parte niya.

I kept my eyes shut. I felt him covering me up with the sheets. He kissed my shoulder before he hugged me from behind. Marahil ay dahil sa pagod, agad akong dinalaw ng antok at nakatulog.

I woke up with the rays of sun touching my skin. Dahan-dahan kong iminulat ang mga mata at bumangon. I roamed my eyes around. I was alone but I could hear the sound of the water flowing from the shower. The curtains that cover the sliding door towards the veranda are already opened.

Dumako ang mata ko sa isang lamesang nasa gilid malapit sa sliding door. May pagkain na doon. Narinig ko ang pagbukas ng shower at lumabas mula doon si Brennon na nakatapis lamang ng tuwalya. Nagtama ang tingin namin pero agad ko iyong iniwas.

"You're awake," he stated.

"Anong oras na?" tanong ko bago tumayo at lumapit sa lamesa.

"Past 9," he replied.

Mukhang tapos na siyang mag-agahan dahil pang-isahan nalang yung pagkain sa lamesa. Well, it's quite late already considering that he's a morning person. The plate contains pancakes with butter and scrambled eggs and there is a glass of orange juice. I began eating after checking the food.

Lumapit siya doon na tanging boxers lang ang suot at nakasabit ang putting tuwalya sa balikat. Naupo sa silyang kaharap sa akin. He carefully watched me eat before he spoke.

"You don't want to go home yet?"

"Uwi na tayo," sagot ko agad.

He nodded. So right after breakfast, we immediately checked out. Gusto ko na din umuwi. Kating-kati na akong kausapin ang mga magulang ko tungkol sa ginawa nila.

While we were on our way back to Manila, his phone rang. He answered it using his free hand, while the other remained on the steering wheel.

"Mom," he said, answering the call, which immediately caught my attention.

I looked at him. His eyes are on the road and his brows are furrowed.

Bago kami umalis kanina, napagtanto kong naubos na ang battery ng cellphone ko. It wasn't fully charged yesterday when we left for dinner. It probably ran out of battery after receiving a lot of calls that I didn't even bother checking.