Dying Embers

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven: Beneath The Stars

ᯓ★ play this while reading: until i found you — stephen sanchez 𝄞 ⋆ˎˊ-

It was almost nine in the morning. The sun had climbed high enough to kiss the tops of the cars in the parking lot, painting everything in a gentle, gold warmth. As Chance and I stepped out of the grocery store, the automatic doors slid shut behind us with a soft hiss, leaving only the sound of distant traffic and the faint rustle of paper bags in my arms.

He reached into his back pocket, pulling out his car keys with that easy, familiar motion — parang muscle memory na lang sa kanya. With a click, he unlocked the trunk and started placing the grocery bags inside, one after another.

Yes, his car. Which only meant one thing — he actually went home early to get it. The same car his Lala's driver had returned last night. I could already imagine him earlier this morning, taking a tricycle at dawn just to fetch it, because there were no taxis yet around that time.

When he was done, he circled to the passenger side and, of course, opened the door for me. That simple gesture made something in my chest stir. His smile was disarmingly soft, the kind that disarms before you even realize it's happening.

I clicked my tongue lightly, trying to play it cool. "You didn't have to," I muttered, but still slid into the seat. His laugh followed, warm and effortless, brushing against my ears like sunlight slipping through curtains.

He closed the door gently, as if sealing a moment between us, then walked around to the driver's side. A second later, the engine purred to life.

Pero hindi pa kami nakakalayo ay nagtaka na ako.

"Uh, this isn't the way to my apartment," I said, brows furrowing. "Saan tayo pupunta, Chance?"

He glanced at me, a glint of mischief dancing in his eyes. "What?"

"I said, where exactly are we going?" I pressed, my voice laced with half-annoyance, half-curiosity.

He laughed softly. "Relax, Nieve. Just a little detour. We're going to take a stroll and then grab something to eat afterward." He glanced at me before returning his focus to the road. "You don't mind, do you?"

I sighed but couldn't hide the slight pout forming on my lips. "Fine. Pero what about our Math portfolio?"

Natapos na namin kagabi 'yong report, and supposedly today's for the portfolio — para tapos na agad bago mag-acquaintance at Intrams.

"That can wait," he said easily. "We'll just head to Lala's café. I work there sometimes."

I blinked. "Wait, nagtatrabaho ka?"

He nodded casually. "On weekends."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Sa yaman mo, nagtatrabaho ka pa rin?"

His lips curved into something softer this time — not quite a smile, not quite a sigh. "It's not about the money, Nieve. Hindi lahat ng mayaman masaya. I like doing things that make me feel alive. I value simplicity... passion. I'm where I'm happy, and that's enough for me."

His words hung in the air like a quiet truth. There was something about the way he said them — calm, sincere, no trace of pretension.

"I wish I could find that kind of happiness," I said after a moment, voice barely above a whisper. "The kind that doesn't feel forced. Where no one's pushing you to be something you're not."

Chance turned to me briefly, eyes flickering with curiosity before going back to the road.

"My Dad wants me to be a nurse," I continued, my tone softening. "Which is why I was pushed into learning science. That's why I'm kind of good at it... pero hindi iyon ang gusto ko. Nakakasakal. It's like I'm living someone else's dream. I want to see the world — to know it, to understand it — not spend ten years chasing something I never even chose. He's not me, and I'm not him."