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13 Battlefield
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2021-12-21 16:53:30Related chapters
Always Been You 14 Someone New?
The advice from the strange woman made Grace deep in thought. Logically, Evan and she were just best friends, nothing more. However, the hidden feelings and hopes for Evan's return in her heart made her doubt. She knew there was something more to it than just being friends. Nonetheless, Grace thought it might only be a one-sided thing. Otherwise, Evan would have acted differently toward her. As a matter of fact, he had the heart to stay aloof from her. Grace’s mind had been all about Evan all this time. She even felt more restless after he’d come back compared to when he was absent. She thought that it was time to open her heart for another chance. ‘Then find something else to focus on, in order to forget him. Could be another man, or a new hobby.’ The stranger’s voice rang in her ears again. “Another man? The closest and possible one is definitely Anthony. But … I’m not ready.” Grace was talking to herself while sitting at her desk inside her bedroom. Before her, laid a personal j
Last Updated : 2021-12-24Always Been You 15 Trying
Like a dream come true, more orders were pouring in. Indah got busier in making cookies and cakes every week. Either for birthday parties, social gatherings, office meetings, and so on. That was why Grace went back home on time to help her mom. Likewise, Anthony also helped out an hour or two in the evening. That's why Grace felt that her closeness to Anthony was starting to be taken to a different level. He really showed sincerity without any urge to reciprocate the feelings he had previously expressed toward her. Grace gradually found comfort near him. On the Sunday before Christmas break, Grace and Anthony delivered several cakes to a house in the Sanur Beach area. It was the second order from the Danish-Chinese couple. Since there were too many boxes, they used Anthony's pickup truck. It wasn’t a tiring trip since it took less than half an hour. Once they arrived at their destination, the two of them brought the cake into the big house. “Thank you for making such delicious cake
Last Updated : 2021-12-28Always Been You 16 Getting Back
[April 2007] ✉ Grace » 'Hey there. I’m Grace, the one you saved in the crash last Friday. I didn’t get the chance to thank you. And doing it through text seems to be inappropriate. May we meet?' ✉ Evan » 'Oh, hi, Grace. You feel better now? How’s your mom? Hmm, I think we can catch up somewhere near the hospital. I’ll be there in an hour.' ⋯ Grace felt lucky because the guy had left his contact info. Even the nurse in charge said that he was willing to be contacted if anything might happen. However, things got better in three days, though Indah was still in recovery. Having made an appointment, they met at a cafe next to the hospital. Grace took some of her savings to treat Evan as a way to express her gratitude. She excitedly greeted him as she saw him appear at the entrance. As if having been friends for a long time, Grace waved at Evan who seemed to be a little surprised. They sat across from each other at a table near the window. “Hi. Did you just get back from school?” gues
Last Updated : 2021-12-31Always Been You 17 Year-end Start Over?
“—late.” Anthony walked toward the table. In his hand was a transparent plastic bag that clearly showed what was inside. He put it there before approaching Grace and Evan. Evan looked at Grace without a single word spoken, as if asking who the man was. “Ah, right. Hmm, Anthony, this is Evan, Evan, this is Anthony.” Grace introduced them to each other briefly. Anthony was thunderstruck and commented, “Oh? Isn't he …?” but didn't finish it. Grace nodded, understanding what he was trying to say. “Well, we … finally made up,” she said. Evan sensed there was something between Grace and Anthony. That man even sounded like he knew Grace's past problems with him. This made his heart restless. “You guys … in a relationship?” asked him without a second thought. “Oh, Anthony is—” “Someone who's CLOSE to Grace.” Anthony cut Grace off, Introducing himself with assertiveness. “A-ah! I thought you were Grace's hired driver. I saw you several times around the hotel, picking up Grace.” Evan del
Last Updated : 2022-01-04Always Been You 18 Suffocated
It wasn't long after they reconciled that Evan disappeared again. He was out of reach since New Year's Eve. Even Vino, his secretary, didn't know anything about it. Three days after workdays began, Grace still couldn't reach him. He wasn't in his apartment either when she came to check it. Grace was sure that something wrong had happened. She had to do something, no matter how. Unfortunately, her focus was consequently diverted to thinking about him all day long. “Grace. Grace!” Only after Nita touched Grace's arm did she eventually pay attention to her. “Mr. Suganda requested you in his office.” As if just having woken up, Grace was absent-minded for a moment before finally leaving her chair. She automatically walked toward Mario's office like a robot; moving as instructed but not really knowing what she was doing. “Excuse me, Mr. Suganda. What can I help you with?” asked Grace when she was inside the HR supervisor's office. Mario handed her a piece of paper on the table. “There
Last Updated : 2022-01-10Always Been You 19 The Reason
Grace didn't believe what she'd heard. She had already known the reason why her dad and mom got divorced from the beginning. However, she never wanted to know who the third wheel was. Now that she knew who her dad had been having an affair with, she was lost for words. “Grace.” Evan worriedly touched Grace’s arm. "Grace, please say something." Instead of replying to Evan's questions, Grace lowered her head, looking at the floor. She clenched her fists tightly. Learning Grace’s reaction to the information, Evan immediately regretted telling the truth. "I shouldn’t have said it," he mumbled and squeezed his hair. Then he got up from the couch and stood by the window, looking out. ‘Why does it have to be Evan’s mom? It would mean nothing to me was it someone else. But it’s my best friend’s mom. Why?’ Grace became so frustrated thinking about it. She repeatedly wiped her tears that wouldn’t stop flowing. Not to mention she now understood why Evan once suddenly cut off their communicati
Last Updated : 2022-01-13Always Been You 20 Mood Breaker
“Evan, my heart is broken hearing this. But not because of what my dad has done. I honestly couldn’t care less about him. Not a single thing. Whether he married anyone or had another affair, to me I no longer have a dad. He’s dead to me and I won’t get hurt because of him. But now my heart’s broken and it’s because … it’s your mom, whom you never expected would have done such a thing. So now, I want to act as your best friend. I’m your support system here. Please stop hiding, let’s go through this together.” Grace’s words from last night kept ringing in Evan’s ear. Especially about her wanting to be his support system. It gave him strength when he woke up. Now he returned to the office in a much better state. Evan did not expect that Grace's response to this bad news turned out to be the exact opposite of what he had been afraid of. He even wondered if he'd told Grace straight away, he probably wouldn't have had to go through such a painful experience alone. The year before he return
Last Updated : 2022-01-14Always Been You 21 The Dinner
Improving mood wasn’t an easy thing to do. Grace didn’t want to ruin the dinner with Evan. She wanted to make that night into an enjoyable moment. Her best friend had just passed a critical stage related to their parents’ affair. Hence Grace tried her best to positively respond to every topic Evan brought up along the way. Either with light laughter or some jokes. Luckily, it quite successfully lightened up her mood. “Whoa. A French restaurant. So this is the talk among my colleagues. They said it’s a fancy restaurant. And it’s expensive, Evan—ah, you’re a GM. It’s dirt cheap for you.” Grace chuckled, realizing who her best friend was now. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she got out of the car. Evan came from the other side. He locked the car and stood next to Grace. "Frankly speaking, I googled some good restaurants and found this as the first on the list," he said. "Aw. My dress doesn't match this place. It's too… plain." Grace looked up to Evan, pouting her lips in slight disappointmen
Last Updated : 2022-01-19
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Always Been You Extra 02 : The Future
Dealing with moving and a few other things seemed to take a lot of time. It was only in February that the newlyweds had the opportunity to go on their honeymoon. But who would have thought that an unexpected pandemic would strike the entire earth in early 2020? Luckily, Evan and Grace were able to return to Indonesia just before the government closed the border.Rumors about the economic downturn of the tourism sector were already here and there. As hotel workers, Evan and Grace were very involved in addressing this issue. Especially after the hotel owner said that there should be layoffs in every branch of the hotel to maintain business continuity.Over the next few months, they had to work even harder. As a result, this newly married couple experienced challenges in getting a child. A pregnancy program was the best solution. However, on the other hand, they also had to consider the unfavorable situation, especially the hospitals which were crowded with people infected by the deadly v
Always Been You Extra 01 : The Past
[September 12, 2008]“Two special young coconut ice for my cutest loyal customer.” Dahayu brought two of the cafe's signature drinks for Grace and Evan who returned there at the weekend. They immediately took one for each of them. "To be honest, I'm curious. Are you two an item?”Hearing that, each of them spontaneously reacted in surprise. Grace spit out the drink that was already in her mouth while Evan coughed."Oopsies. Why are you reacting that way?” Dahayu patted them both on the back. "How could you be startled by my question?" She chuckled amused."Of course. What makes you think so, though? We are best friends.” Grace who wasn't having a problem with her throat answered.Evan turned to Grace once his throat was better. “Well, I know why she thinks so of us. We’re very close," he said, thinking of the most likely reason. “Not to mention, we come here every week to watch the sunset. We’re like a couple."Dahayu nodded with her index finger pointing at Evan. “There he knows,” she
Always Been You 45 Two Become One (Final)
[December 8, 2006]"Why don't you turn it in, Grace? Didn't you hear Miss Diana say it's the end-of-semester assignment? Aren't you afraid of failing arts?"A keychain made of clear resin with half a clamshell stuck inside was placed sweetly on a pile of textbooks. Grace was looking at it with a big smile, satisfied to see the results of her hard work. "I did. I made two of them," she replied."Why did you make two?""No idea. I just felt like it. Who knew this keychain could bring happiness to someone?" Grace answered perfunctorily. She lifted the keychain in front of her face before putting it in her jacket pocket. "I'd better be going home now."Grace walked out of her classroom which was still quite crowded with tenth graders. While the others could still have fun with their friends after school, she had to go home as soon as possible. Her mom needed her help to look after the drink stall.The sky was quite cloudy at three that afternoon. Nevertheless, nobody would be able to tell
Always Been You 44 Almost Midnight
There were only a few hours left before the long-awaited day arrived. To make things easier, Grace stayed at the hotel where she worked, along with her mom. Of course, as the future wife of the hotel GM, she got a privilege. All those tasked with making her a queen a day would also be there around four in the morning the next day.Only Grace couldn't sleep. She continued to be restless, not knowing what was causing it. Indah said it was natural for a bride-to-be. Nevertheless, she felt that something else was bothering her."But you should try to sleep, Grace. Tomorrow will be a long day." Indah advised her while patting her own shoulder. "I'm sleepy, and also feel a little sore in the back after baking cakes with Rosa.""You shouldn't have pushed yourself too hard. Didn't I tell you that you don’t have to?" Grace arched an eyebrow. "Well then, you can go sleep first. I want to stay awake for a while longer. I might pray too, who knows this restlessness will go away after praying?" She
Always Been You 43 Reconciliation
“Grace, thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet and talk.” Randy still couldn't believe that he finally got the long-awaited moment. With tears in his eyes, he looked at his daughter who had been separated from him for so long. “I also thank you, Evan. I should have told the truth from the start so you didn't have to go through everything alone.” Rosa chimed in, expressing her gratitude towards her only son. “Once again, forgive me. I thought keeping things to myself and letting you blame me was a good choice.” It wasn't an easy matter for Grace and Evan to completely release forgiveness. The pain in their hearts was still pronounced, like a post-surgery wound that hadn't fully healed. Deciding to have this meeting even took almost two weeks, close to their wedding day. “If it weren't for Mom, I don't think this day would exist. So, the gratitude, uh,” Grace paused, unsure of how to address Randy and Rosa. But finally, she decided in her heart to say, “Dad and Mama Rosa's gr
Always Been You 42 Secret
"Oh, someone is legally going to be a wife next month." Nita visited Grace during her break after hearing the news about her marriage plan with Evan. “You … will make me your bridesmaid, right? People say that after a woman becomes a bridesmaid three times, she will get married soon." Grace laughed at Nita's words. "What kind of myth is that? I've never been a bridesmaid but I'm getting married next month, you see,” she said, amused. Sitting next to Grace on a small couch, Nita nudged her. "See who’s being arrogant now," she quipped. “Well, you should be grateful. You’re lucky to have met Mr. Williams. Unlike me who was already engaged, almost married, but suddenly left for no reason.” She took a deep breath. A few months before Grace's position as HRD assistant manager was replaced by Nita, she had heard the bad news. However, Nita's stubbornness and indifference made it seem like nothing wrong happened to her. At the request of her colleague, Grace also promised not to discuss it
Always Been You 41 Ex-Friend
Anthony's impudence affected Grace's mind. After all, she had been close to him; someone who once was able to put a smile on her face, when Evan hadn't returned. After his dad's death ceremony finished, Anthony disappeared without a word.Due to problems involving Anthony, Grace was forced to find a replacement for Nina to help run Indah’s pastry shop. It wasn't that she didn't want to hire the girl anymore, but that her family had withdrawn from dealing with Grace. It wasn't surprising, but still sad for her.She must admit that Nina's replacement was not as competent and deft as she was. But finding someone honest and willing to work as a cashier for a small shop was not easy. Therefore, Grace spent a little more of her time taking care of the shop every day like before."Are you dizzy, babe?" Evan stroked Grace's hair, who was counting money in the shop.A weak smile appeared on Grace's face. "Not dizzy. Just a little tired," she replied. "Got more work in the office today."Evan si
Always Been You 40 Laughter and Tears
The sun's rays penetrated through the gaps in the curtains that were not completely closed. The cold night was slowly replaced by the warmth of the sun. But the comfort that enveloped Grace made her reluctant to move from her place. Her hand moved to pull the blanket that was slightly dangling to the floor. That's when she felt something odd.The temperature of the air conditioner was set to the lowest and the sunlight was not the source of warmth she was feeling. When her eyes brightened, it was clear that there was now an arm supporting her head and another arm hugging her waist from behind. Even her fingers intertwined with those of the arm’s owner.'Good heavens. How did I get here?' Grace lifted the blanket up a little just to check if she was still fully clothed."Nothing happened. We just slept through the night.”Grace woke up in a hurry, then moved to another bed and sat down.“In the middle of the night, you suddenly moved to my bed, saying you felt cold. I wanted to turn up
Always Been You 39 A Business Trip?
The special assignment given to Grace required her to make a short trip to Lombok. The Spanish investor couple welcomed her warmly, like their own daughter; the woman, especially, always clung to her hand from the moment they met until they arrived at the beautiful resort in the south of Lombok.It was a private three-bedroom villa where Grace, the Dominguez, and the hotel owner, Roger, and his wife stayed. As previously informed, the other two rooms with a king bed each were occupied by the husbands and wives, and Grace was alone in the room with twin beds. The aim was to make it easier for them to negotiate, but at the same time get to know each other in a soothing place. A typical warm Spaniard, as Grace often read from cultural articles.There was not much to do once they were in the villa. Apart from chatting and having lunch together, Mr. and Mrs. Dominguez chose to relax on the balcony of their room. Meanwhile, Roger was sleeping in the bedroom, and Melissa, his wife, was making
