'Til I Found You (COMPLETED)

15

She wakes up next to him, the morning light filtering through the curtains and landing on her face. She huffs, a long breath escaping her as she realizes she is back here again—defeated by her own feelings. She had worked so hard to carve a distance between them, to build a wall of cold indifference, but she fell straight back into his arms. It feels like a trap where the only way out is the truth, a path that feels more like a precipice.

When she first set foot in this place, she wanted a restart, a life far from the heartaches, disappointments, and bone-deep pain of her past. She guarded her heart like a fortress, yet he came and tested every ounce of her self-constraint. He quenched a thirst for love she hadn't realized was so desperate. He showered her with the attention she had missed her entire life. For so long, her dignity had been stripped away by men she fell for in her youth, leaving her hollow. She longed for respect, and then he arrived—flowing with a love so genuine it was everything she ever needed. But a voice in her head whispers that it would be selfish to keep him in the dark. It is unfair for him to love the mask she has worn for years while the real her remains hidden. She can't keep running; he simply won't let her go.

She moves in stealth, trying not to wake him, but a strong arm slithers around her waist, anchoring her to the bed. "You're not going anywhere," he rumbles, his voice thick with sleep.

"Aga, baka hinahanap na tayo," she says, using the group as an excuse to escape the heavy, intimate silence of the room.

"What did you just call me?" He pulls her closer, shifting until he is straddling her, his weight a warm, familiar pressure.

She rolls her eyes, though she can't stop the heat from rushing to her cheeks. "I said babe."

"No. That's not it. That's not what I heard. You called me what?" He grins, his hand sliding down her thigh, parting her legs with slow, deliberate intent.

"Fine. I..." Her words catch in her throat as he leans down to lick and kiss the sensitive skin of her neck. "L-let me rephrase it. Babes, baka hinahanap na tayo." A low moan escapes her when his fingers find her, moving with a rhythm that makes her senses whirl. The air in the room thickens with the sounds of their shared heat.

He speeds his movements, looking back into her eyes. "Let them enjoy themselves out there while we're having our moment here, babe."

"Sh-t," she bites her lower lip as he slides a finger inside her. He nibbles her lip and glides his tongue into her mouth the moment she gives him access. The way she pulls his nape closer sends a jolt through his entire system. To him, she is everything. Life is a dull, blue void without her. He spent so many sleepless nights trying to figure out where they went wrong. He admits now that he went too far, but the jealousy had been a poison. Lea had gone cold so fast, and Stephen was always there, a constant shadow.

He remembers the hollow ache of their breakup. No texts, no calls—just a sudden, freezing silence. He had convinced himself Stephen was the cause because he couldn't accept that he was the problem. He clung to the memory of her eyes, knowing they didn't lie even when her words were sharp. He had seen them together at the mall once, surrounded by their colleagues but looking as if they were in a world of their own.

"Good evening, Sir," the teachers greeted him.

He had offered a half-smile, his eyes darting to the two behind them. "Good evening."

"S-sir, good evening," Stephen said, while Lea gave him a smile that felt like a bitter pill.

"Mmmm. How about... dinner? Tamang-tama papunta ako sa isa kong branch," he had suggested, desperate for a way back in.

"Wow. Talaga, Sir?" Cielo asked, excited.

But Lea’s reaction was a sharp dissent.

"Uhm. Kayo na lang siguro. I have somewhere else to go pa," she had said, her words piercing his heart. She was so close, yet he couldn't reach her.

The memory fades as he recalls the day Stephen finally knocked on his office door. He had expected a confrontation, a fight for her hand. Instead, Stephen had dropped the formalities. "Lalaki sa lalaki," he said.

Aga had scoffed, his insecurities flaring. "Coming from someone like you who enjoyed my girlfriend's attention. Why are you here? To tell me that I should keep my distance? Tarantado ka kung iniisip mong ganun-ganun mo na lang siya makukuha sa akin."

"You're wrong. She is telling you the truth. Walang namamagitan sa amin," Stephen countered calmly.

"And you want me to believe you?"

"Why not? Wala sa akin yung problema. Ikaw ang problema dito, Aga. Masyado kang nagdududa sa kanya. I like her... No. I love her. I knew her before you came. Magkaibigan kami bago ka umiksena. But what can I do? Ikaw yung panalo. Ako nga nauna, ikaw naman ang pinili. I am not here to fight. Take care of her. She loves you... but I love her more than you do. Hurt her once and I'll be here to save her. And I swear... hinding-hindi mo na siya mababawi pa sa akin."

That conversation had been the turning point. It eased the gnawing rot of his doubts. He realized his possessiveness had been the wedge between them. After Stephen left, Aga began planning, enlisting the help of the entire staff to create this getaway. He swore to get back what belonged to him.

Back in the present, at the bar countertop, Emma and Jason are teasing Lea. They know exactly why she and Aga have been missing all afternoon. Her heart feels as if it might burst from the sheer happiness of their reconciliation, but the shadow of her secret remains.

"Hindi mo pa inamin?! Lea, naman. Say it," Emma urges.

"I know. Sasabihin ko naman eh. This week. I just need to find the courage. Hindi madali, Em. Alam mo naman ang pinagdaanan ko kaya nga natatakot ako. I thought it would be easy to set him free. Ang hirap pala. Sobra. Hindi ko ata kakayanin kung mawawala siya sa'kin," she whispers, her voice thick with emotion.

"Kaya nga, madam, sabihin mo na habang maaga pa. Mahal ka naman non eh," Jason says, trying to be the voice of reason.

"Minahal din naman ako ng mga lalaking pinili ko noon but when they knew the real me... wala namang tumanggap sa akin. That love you're saying faded away in a splash. Yan yung kinatatakutan ko. Natatakot na akong maiwan ulit. Nasanay na akong nandiyan siya parati and I can't imagine my days without him," she says, tears finally spilling over. "Pano kung hindi niya rin ako matanggap? What if that respect and love he is giving me right now would disappear?"

Emma reaches out and holds her hand. "Lea, alam namin matapang ka. You faced the challenges all by yourself. Kung sakali mang hindi ka niya matanggap... we both know that you will survive. Nandito naman kami eh."

"Atsaka madam, those men you loved before didn't love you that much. Sir Aga is different. We can feel it. He loves you so much," Jason adds with a supportive smile.

Lea looks at her friends, feeling the immense weight of a gift she never thought she’d have: true friendship. With them by her side, the world feels a little less lonely, and the truth feels a little less like an end.