Chapter 6: Warm

Bea knew.

She knew that nothing would change if she just kept on crying for the whole week while waiting for Margaret’s call. She was aware that she needed to do something. But what should she do?

Her eyes were heavy ad she was sure that it was swollen from the nights she spent crying. She also didn’t have the energy to move and her stomach was empty.

She sighed when she realized how pathetic she had been for the past few days. She sighed again when she realized that she knew what to do but never really did anything. She sighed once more when she realized that nothing would change if she continued doing what she had been doing.

She was just wasting her time. She was just wasting the moment as she drowned herself in misery. Great things were waiting ahead of her but she chose to be stuck—and she was well aware of that.

What could she do if her body and heart weren’t in the mood to listen to her rational mind? She was sad. She was left alone. She was cheated on.

She groaned out of frustration. What was wrong with her? Her rational mind had been in constant debate with her emotions. Everything was mixed up and confusing. Her mind was a total mess.

She stood up, went to the fridge, and pulled out some ice. Before anything else, she needed to tend to her swollen eyes. She wouldn’t be able to do anything if she ended up going to the shoot with puffy red eyes.

“This feels good…” she mumbled as she gently pressed the ice that was wrapped in a towel on her eyes. It was cold yet refreshing. It somehow relieved the heavy feeling from her eyes.

“What to do now?” Just a few minutes of calm, and she was bombarded with her own questions again.

She dropped her body to her bed and sighed. “This is frustrating…”

Suddenly, her phone started ringing so she had no choice but to answer the video call.

“What the heck was wrong with your eyes?” Mina asked with furrowed brows as soon as she saw her friend’s face on the screen. “Was there a lot of insects there?”

Bea didn’t know if it was meant to be a joke or Mina was just too ignorant. No matter what, she couldn’t get herself to laugh. She just looked at her with a blank face, waiting for her to state her reason for the sudden call.

“Bea, are you okay?” Mina asked when she noticed her friend’s current state. Aside from the swollen eyes, her hair was a mess and the dark circles under her eyes were too obvious. It was already noon but she looked like a total zombie!

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she said with a flat tone.

Unconvinced, Mina frowned. “Was it too hard for you to share what happened? You don’t look okay to me.”

“Let’s just talk after I got home, okay?” Bea sounded tired and not in the mood. She just wanted Mina to tell her why she called and get it over with.

“I just wanted to check on you since your brother and father were worried. You didn’t even call after you arrived there.”

Mina’s gentle voice reminded her of a worried mother. When they were younger, she couldn’t imagine her friend being a mother because she was too boyish. But despite that, she ended up getting married to her brother.

“Are you sure you don’t need to talk about anything? I could follow you there and keep you company for a while,” Mina added when she kept her silence for a minute.

“No. I’m good.” Bea forced a smile. “You have children now; you can’t always treat me like a baby.”

“But you know that you’ll always be a younger sibling to me, right?” Mina smiled.

Though she just saw it from the screen, she could feel the warmth from her friend’s smile. It was comforting and it made her tear up. She waved her hand then she ended the call before the tears trickle down her cheeks.

She sobbed. Mina gave her comfort but it just made her cry even more. She didn’t want to tell her what happened. Not yet. Since it was her issue, she didn’t want her friend and her brother to know until she was back.

Her thoughts were cut off by the wamble of her stomach. What great timing! She needed to eat to get her mind together and think rationally. She really needed to get herself together. The sooner, the better.

She stood up and walked towards the kitchen. She checked the fridge to see if there was something she could eat but she frowned when she realized that there was only water and beer inside. What was she doing that she didn’t even notice that she already consumed all the food she brought in the hotel room?

“Should I just call the restaurant to deliver food here?” She sighed as she checked her wallet. She still had some money and she received a lot when she modeled for Margaret. It wouldn’t hurt to use that money to buy a little expensive food, right?

When she heard the knock, Bea immediately walked towards the door and opened it with a forced smile.

“Food delivery. Please enjoy your meal, Ma’am.” The man smiled at her cheerfully as he entered and pushed the cart towards the table in her room. “I’ll come back to take the dishes so please call once you’re finished.”

“Thank you.” Bea forced a smile again and watched the man leave the room. She looked at the cart with covered dishes with curious eyes.

She splurged a little for the meal with the hopes that it would somehow cheer her up. “Now, let’s see.”

Bea opened the covers and saw the delicious-looking seafood placed on different plates. The vibrant colors of the shrimps and lobsters made her stomach rumble again. She finally put the plates on the table then she started eating enthusiastically.

She smiled when she tasted the savory flavor of the shrimp. It was the best! Who would’ve thought that food could help her alleviate her pain? She shook her head when she thought of something unnecessary and continued eating. She focused her attention on the food and the wonderful flavors that exploded in her mouth with every bite.

It was a warm feeling that she almost forgot because of the cold nights she spent there. If she had just known earlier, she would’ve not minded splurging a little more to make herself feel better.