Ours

Chapter 39

"Mom?" called Cattleya as she opened the door to her parent's hotel room.

"Darling, I'm here," answered Dr. Catherine who was on the bed.

"Tita Leila said you were not feeling okay?"

"No, I am fine. The sun was too hot. But I am fine now."

"Where's dad?"

"Oh, he's outside the terrace. He's making a call. Work."

Cattleya sat on the bed beside her mother.

"It's almost lunchtime. Do you want to eat here in the room? I can call room service..."

"No, it's okay. I'm fine now." her mother cut in.

Then Dr. Paul entered the room from the terrace.

"Is everything okay at work dad?" Cattleya asked as she saw his father's forehead in a crease.

"Yes, everything's a fine sweetheart."

~*~

The three of them went to the elevator. They met Liv Shawn, Tom, Dylan, and Maxon, who were waiting for the lift.

"Are you okay, Auntie?" asked Dylan.

"Yes, I'm fine Dylan. Thank you for asking."

"I hope you can still join us this afternoon," said Maxon.

"What are we doing this afternoon again?"

"Banana boat ride and water skiing."

"Goodness! I think I'll pass but I'll come with you to the beach."

"She's just afraid of water. She doesn't know how to swim," whispered Dr. Paul to the boys. His wife caught him doing it and pinched his arms.

"You don't need to tell them that. What about you? I thought you said that you'll pass..." Dr. Paul covered his wife's mouth with his hand. The boys, Liv and Cattleya laughed at them.

"Your parents are so cute," whispered Liv to her.

"Yeah, I know." she laughed.

"Oh, right. Where's Tita Leila and Antonio?" asked Cattleya.

"They said they'll catch up. They have to do something first. Tita Leila was on the phone when we went to their room." said Tom.

The elevator door opened and they went inside.

~*~

Tita Leila and Antonio went down and joined the others at their table.

"It was from work. I have to go back tomorrow."

"That's a shame," said Dr. Catherine.

"I know. Rian's going to drive me home early tomorrow."

"So, you're going home tomorrow with your mother?" asked Dr. Catherine.

"Yes, but I'll be back. It's only a 2-hour drive anyway, Auntie," replied Antonio as he took a sip of his mango smoothie.

During the afternoon, the youngin's prepared themselves for a wild ride on the banana boat and water ski. Dr. Catherine found out from the staff that they can rent floating cottages, which were near the area of the banana boats and water skis. She asked Mrs. Esquivel to go with her since she also decided not to try the wild rides.

Dr. Paul, however, was very excited and was the first one to try the water skiing activity. Cattleya saw her dad having fun and at the same time worried about him, after all, he's not that young and strong. He might experience aches on his back and feet because of the activity. The boys cheered for Dr. Paul as they watched him do the rounds. But when Dr. Paul waved back at them he lost balance and went down in the water.

"Dad!" Cattleya shouted in worry but it soon subsided when she saw her dad giving her a thumbs up and swam towards them.

Then Liv, Cattleya, Dylan, Shawn, Tom, Maxon, and Antonio did the banana boat ride. When they made a turn, Dylan fell out of the boat which made the rest after he fell into the water, leaving the girls as the survivors of the first round. On the second ride, the boat overturned and all of them fell out of the water. Each of them swam to the surface except for one.

"Where's Lea?" asked Dylan as he noticed that she was nowhere to be seen. The moment Dylan spoke, Antonio dove into the water to search for her, then Dylan followed.

As they went under, there was no sign of Cattleya. As they look around, Dylan saw the trail of the jet ski and the banana boat, and someone's body. He tapped Antonio's shoulder and pointed towards the direction of the trail. They quickly swam towards it, Antonio being faster than a split second than Dylan went straight to the jet ski to inform the driver to stop.

Dylan helped Cattleya, who was struggling with her life jacket which got tangled on the banana boat's harness strings. Antonio successfully managed to stop the driver from going any further and went underwater to help Cattleya. Just as Antonio arrived, Dylan managed to free Cattleya from the boat and take her to the surface.

Cattleya was coughing and gasping for air and then she broke into laughter. The two guys looked at her worriedly but it soon subsided when they saw that she was totally fine.

As they reached the shore, the Rodriguez couple ran towards Cattleya with a worried look. Although she kept reassuring them that she's fine, the couple wanted to take her to the hospital. For their peace of mind, she agreed to go. The doctors said that their daughter's fine and there's nothing to worry about. They returned in the evening to join the rest for dinner.

After dinner, they enjoyed a walk along the beach, where there are fire dancers and other performers. The show made them forget what happened in the afternoon.

As the night grew deeper, Tita Leila went ahead to sleep as well as the Rodriguez couple. Cattleya and the rest went to the beach and to enjoy the bonfire. Dylan asked if Cattleya wanted to stroll around. She agreed and the two of them were alone.

"Are you okay?" Dylan asked as he stopped walking.

"Huh?" Cattleya answered as she stopped and looked back since she was walking ahead of Dylan.

"Are you okay?" Dylan's eyes were staring into hers and she stared back into his.

Suddenly, Dylan walked briskly toward her. He grabbed and hugged her tight.

"I was afraid that I almost lost you."

Cattleya was taken aback when she heard Dylan's soft voice,cracking. She then slowly hugged Dylan and tapped his back.

"I...I am not okay," she said revealing her true state. Her legs lost their strength. She fell on her knees together with Dylan, hugging each other.

"I was really scared," Cattleya said while crying.

"I am scared to die...."

Dylan loosened his hug and put his hands on Cattleya's cheeks. He wiped the tears that are on her face. He slowly leaned in and put his lips on hers.