A Case of Love (COMPLETED)

Chapter XLV

They stroll around the street after dinner where he brings Carla to a place with a nice view at night. Her fingers interlaced with his as she babbles on about happenings in life while they're miles away but his mind wandered. His thought got absorbed by her image with George  though it's beyond the line. It is no more part of his concern but mind denies what the heart knows. He keeps sailing on a vast of thoughts in mind, searching for answer that his heart already knows.

"Mas lalo siyang gumanda, noh? That hairstyle suits to her" she gaze up on him.

"Who? Lea? Yeah. I guess" he casually replied.

"You, two, had closure?"

"Nope. We ... are not yet in good terms. Everytime we bumped into each other it's like a war. I guess it's no longer necessary. As if naman may magbabago pa. I'm getting married now and she ..... she looks happy in life. So, that's it. It is what it is, hon"

"Well, I must say she looks indeed happy with that man. Mas bagay sila kaysa ni Raven ..." she chuckled, "... pero she keeps up that intimidating side of her, ha"

"I agree. Lea really is intimidating to look at but she's more than that. I could still recall those times na tinatarayan niya ako ..." he laughs, " ... sabi ko nga no'ng una ang hirap niyang pakisamahan, eh. Remember the day I purchased a book about tips on being an outstanding law student? Siya author non. I was a law student pa that time. That was of great help to me while in law school. Kaya nga naging consistent DL ako, eh. During bar exam, siya yung top notcher sa batch namin. Well, she's witty kaya hindi naman kataka-taka. I wasn't expecting na makakatrabaho ko siya no'n sa firm kaso nga lang nayayabangan ako sa kanya. Unang araw pa nga lang nagbangayan na kami sa elevator, eh" he chuckled, "Pero kalaunan I learned her story. She's not a big brag. She has trust issues caused by her past kaya may pagka-unapproachable siya pero pagnakilala mo na siya you'll see how incredible she is"

Carla nods, "you really know her that much, noh? She's incredible kaya mo ba siya minahal?". She paused to wait for his response.

He's caught off guard, "I ... uh ... hin ... hindi naman sa ganun, hon. That's ... all in the past. I was just sharing it to you. Sorry. I didn't mean anything"

"I was just asking, Morning ..." she crossed arms, "kanina ka pa kase tahimik diyan but when I talked about her bigla kang umimik. Is there something I should know?" Her stern look thunderstruck him.

"Hon, naman. We're getting married. You know I hate her for putting me through torment" he tries to reach for her hand but she dodged.

"Dati, oo. I'm sure you hate her but now? ..." she drawn herself near him, "sana lang mali ang iniisip ko, Aga" she left him at awe. He halted, assessing himself. This is way beyond the boundary he set. Their past is over and gone but his actions are out of tune with what is right. And it's making him confused.

That night set a gap between him and Carla for the following days. She talks to him less frequently and he's bothered. He knows Carla a lot and she never got jealous so easily but Lea has been an exception. And he's at fault. The past years had been tough but Carla never left his side. She stays when Lea, the woman he loved so dearly, left him in pain. He can't lose her, the woman who saved him from drowning at that miserable state. Carla is his everything since Lea left him with nothing. His one hand is occupied with a bouquet of flowers as he takes steps near the woman at the balcony.

"The last five years were tough, hon. I lose the courage I used to have in me. I was at the bottom point of my life, drowning. I didn't know if I should keep living this life kaya nga ginusto ko na lang mawala. But you came. You lift me up, hon. You stay with me when I lose everything I had. I can't imagine my life for the past five years without you"