'Til I Found You (COMPLETED)

7

The next day, a frigid wall of silence rises between her and Stephen. He remains elusive, drifting through the corridors like a ghost to avoid her gaze, and though the distance stings, she understands the bruised ego behind it. If only her man hadn't been so openly sulking the day before, she could have enjoyed a seamless evening with her colleagues. Yet, she harbors no regrets. Every stolen second with Aga feels like a rare gem, even if the weight of her untold history hangs over her like a guillotine. It perturbs her-the nagging fear that once the shadows of her past come to light, he will vanish just like everyone else. Life has always felt like an endless gauntlet of adversity, a cycle of heartbreak where she is constantly running in circles. But looking at him, she dares to hope he is the exception. Perhaps she finally deserves to be caught rather than cast aside. Her hope shimmers, fragile and bright, as she reopens her heart to the terrifying possibility that she has found the real one.

Stephen is halfway out the door when she finally breaks the tension. "Sorry about last night."

"It's nothing. I understand. Really," he says, but his voice is clipped, lacking its usual warmth.

"Dude, I really do mean it. There was an... urgent errand that I had to attend to. I'm really, really sorry. How about tonight? Dinner is on me," she offers, desperate to mend the fraying threads of their friendship.

"If you insist," he says, a small, forced smile finally breaking through. But the victory is short-lived as Lea remembers the possessive man waiting downstairs. She needs to navigate the minefield of his jealousy first.

"Ahm. Can you wait for me? I... I just need to... talk to our school director."

"Yeah. Sure. I'll just wait outside," Stephen mutters, grabbing his gear.

Lea strides ahead. It is past six, and the school is bathed in the amber glow of sunset, the hallways echoing with a lonely silence. She enters Aga's office and finds him entrenched in his usual fortress of paperwork. He is a man of dual worlds, balancing the academy's demands with his restaurant empire. His eyes glimmer with an predatory sort of hunger the moment she appears.

"Hi. I was about to message you. Dinner?" He pulls her onto his lap with a firm, practiced grace, reclaiming his territory.

"Mmmm. Babe, that's why I'm here. Kase... Stephen and I will go out for a dinner. Friendly dinner to be exact, babe." She wraps her arms around his neck, bracing herself as a heavy, frustrated sigh rattles his chest. This is the calm before the storm.

"Are you asking for my permission? Or are you here just to let me know that he has your time tonight?" He throws her a sharp, narrowing glare that dares her to challenge him.

"We talked about this. I don't want to start a fire."

"Apparently, you're adding fuel to the fire."

"What?" She scoffs, untangling herself from his embrace. "I thought we were over this last night. I cleared things up. We are just friends."

"Oh yeah. Friends. That's why you're going out on a dinner with him tonight."

"Babe, pwede ba? Napag-usapan na natin 'to. Akala ko ba naiintindihan mo?! Stephen and I are just good friends. Period. There's nothing more than that."

He heaves a sigh and stands, his presence suddenly looming. "That was before I came. Tell me, if you were in my shoes, would you allow me to go out with another woman for dinner?!"