Pinilit ng batang si Marsden na huwag isipin ang sitwasyon nila ng kanyang mama. Huli niya itong nakita kahapon bago siya nagkulong sa Music Room. Natulog siyang nagtatampo dito. Mahal niya ang kanyang mama ngunit nasasaktan siya sa trato nito sa kanya nitong nagdaang mga buwan. Mainit ang ulo nito. Mas nagiging madalas ang business trips kaya naman hindi na niya ito masyadong nakikita.
Minsan nahihiling niya na sana mahirap na lang sila. Nakatira sa isang maliit na bahay at simple lang ang pamumuhay.
Nanaginip siya na dinalaw siya ng kanyang mama sa kanyang kwarto, hinimas ang kanyang noo at hinalikan ang kanyang kamay habang ito ay umiiyak.
Kinaumagahan ay maaga itong umalis at hindi na sila nagkita pa. Gusto niyang magsorry dito sa inakto. Gusto niya itong makausap bago ito umalis ngunit hindi na siya kailanman nabigyan pa ng pagkakataon dahil pagkatapos ng tatlong araw, dumating ang
“C’mon man, let’s have a drink later,” saad ng lead Engineer at batchmate niyang si Liam. “Okay I’ll see you at 9:00. Mr. Muran was delayed in delivering the supplies I’ll think I need a drink. He’s making my head aches,” saad niya habang nakasandal sa backrest ng kanyang armchair at minamasahi ang sentido. “He is a good businessman, surely they will cope up soon.” “They better, they were breaching the contract and it’s affecting us.” “Kalma muna pare, see you maya at Raizone.” Nang makaalis ang kaibigan napabuntong-hininga na lamang si Marsden. Alas siyete na nang sulyapan niya ang kanyang relo. He took his phone and put his feet over the table and relaxingly lounge over his chair. “Hey!” “Hey! Kumain ka na ba?” saad ni Trisha sa kabilang linya. “Not yet…I’m still in the office.” “Take good care of yourself. Padalhan na lang kita d’yan ng picture ng niluto ko para
Hinatid niya si Rheanne sa room nito dahil halos hindi na ito makalakad sa kalasingan. He even had a hard time convincing her to leave. Nang mabuksan ang pinto ay agad niya itong pinahiga sa kama. She was still laughing and even singing. May sinasabi ito pero hindi niya maintindihan. Pagkatapos alisin ang sandals nito ay kinuha niya ang kumot and covered her with it. Aalis na sana siya nang hablutin nito ang kamay niya. “Don’t leave,” anitong pilit tumatayo. Her eyes were pleading. “I should leave Rhey, just sleep okay?” Dahan-dahan niyang tinanggal ang pagkakahawak nito to help her lay down. “I love you. I love you Mars,” anitong puno ng emosyon sabay yakap sa kanyang leeg. Sandali siyang natigilan sa sinabi nito. She what?! Bago pa man siya makareact ay hinalikan siya nito sa mga labi. “Rhey!” sabay iwas dito. “What are you doing?” He detached himself
"Rhey is in Cebu to confess,” saad ni Myrtelle. Tumingin siya dito. Pilit tinatakpan ang ang biglaang kirot na naramdaman. Gusto man niyang magsalita, wala siyang maisip na sasabihin. In her mind, “Rhey is going to confess, must have already confessed and by the look of it… things have been good between her and Marsden.” Napansin niyang napatitig ito sa kanya kaya naman pilit siyang nag-isip ng sasabihin. “She love him?“ “For years…” anitong nakatanaw sa malayo. “She love him more than Amber did. Had sacrificed a lot just for him and now that he’s back she won’t waste another minute to let him know.” She subtly cleared her throat as if realizing that she had shared something she shouldn’t have especially to her. “Atleast now, nagkaroon na siya nang pagkakataong sabihin kay Marsden,” aniyang pilit ngumiti. Honestly, she admired Rhey for finally taking up the courage. “Hindi ka ba naiinis o di naman kaya
To look at her makes him unease. Marsden felt like he was drowning and can’t seem to find something to hold on to. He felt the frustration of wanting someone he doesn’t have the right to want. She’s so beautiful and the longing intensified especially when she smiled at him openly. He wanted to kiss her right there where she stood wearing a white dress which fitted her so perfectly. Just like a bride waiting for her groom. But then reality hit him, she will be another man’s bride, not his. True, he had business matters that needed his attention but he can still work on it through his secretary. He just wanted to see her today, he can’t even understand it. Maybe because Trisha keeps on telling him what she felt about this photoshoot. He knew she was anxious that she won’t give justice to the dresses and no matter what he said, the feeling won’t disappear. He wanted to support her so on impulse he had flewn from Cebu even
Marsden knew Trisha was hurting. He can see it in her eyes kaya naman hindi niya magawang tumingin sa mga mata nito. Ayaw niya ng ganito, lying to her and pretending to like someone else but things are getting out of control and he won’t let his feelings for her makes him vulnerable again. Pero kanina hinayaan niyang pagmasdan ang masayang pagsasayaw nito kasama ang mga kaibigan. He wanted to dance with her, hold her close to him, to possessively grip her hips and sensually join with the bit. She laughed with abandon caused by too much cocktail which he noticed Trisha drank vigorously and the flush in her cheeks made her even more attractive. “Oo nga pala pare, hindi ka pa namin napapasalamatan sa lahat ng tulong mo kay Trisha, “ saad sa kanya ni Brix. “Kaibigan ko rin siya so it’s okay,” sabay ngiti sa mga ito. Napatingin siya ulit sa kaibigan. “She’s a strong one, “ aniyang may paghanga sa boses. “One of a k
Ang sumunod na mga araw ay pahirap kay Trisha. Everyday her patience was tested. Daily, Chelsea reminds her of the past after her parents died, when she and her kuya lived at her uncle’s house. Remembering those times when she made her cousin’s report, brought her a bunch of books Chelsea annoyingly left at her locker, deliberately. Always bidding her to buy snacks outside the campus while she was so busy doing research. The feelings are coming back to her, the annoyance, the selfpity and even the thought how cruel the world was. Her pride was wounded back then. Her friends whom she thought were true, hurtfully joined Chelsea. Pero kahit noon pa man, even when she asked God why did things get so hard for her, at the end of the day, she still have a ready smile for everyone. Believing that whatever life threw at her she overcame with a smile… she was just thankful she and her brother had a roof over their head
“So kumusta naman ang trabaho Trisha?” Napatigil si Trisha at napalingon sa kanyang likuran nang marinig ang tanong ni Jade. Papasok na siya ng kanilang opisina at hindi napansing nasa hall rin pala ito. “Okay lang,” sagot niya dito with a smile. “Hmmm….well I hope it will last, Merry Christmas,” anitong nakangiti bago umalis. Trisha was left wondering if something was amiss o baka naman may pasabog nanaman ito. Jade was smiling but it didn’t reach her eyes. The intensity of her gaze made the hair at her nape shiver, there’s something in there she can’t quiet explain especially as she remembered when Jade begun the scandal with Marsden…she must be a true friend for Chelsea dahil tinutulungan nito ang pinsan na pahirapan siya. But is it all? Minsan naiisip niya baka may nagawa rin siya kay Jade na hindi niya alam. Bago tuluyang pumasok ng opisina, she sighed in resignation. Kahit anong pilit ang pag-ala
Thankfully, her friends helped out whenever they have spare time and even do overtime with her. Sometimes she worked alone at night when they have somewhere to go or something to do. Right now she was still working alone as the clock struck nine pm. She was hungry but she don’t have time to eat. Tomorrow will be the Christmas Eve and she needed to travel early but she wanted to finish another report so she could start another one when she come back on Monday. Her head aches and she wanted to sleep. Her body was starting to give up on her with all the overtimes she had rendered this week. She was yawning when her cellphone rings. “Hey! “ inaantok na sagot niya sa tawag ni Marsden. “Hey! Did I woke you?” “No, I am–“ natigilan siya nang maisip na hindi nga pala alam ni Marsden ang nangyari. Minabuti niyang huwag sabihin dito upang hindi ito mag-alala. “–I am preparing to sleep,” pagsisinunghaling niya d
After a while, she raised her head, blew her nose with her handkerchief and looked at him. He wiped a drop of tear upon her lip. “What happened?”“It’s because of me…it’s my fault, I killed an innocent child Mars.”“What are you talking about?”She retold Chelsea’s accusations and it angered him.“Nothing happened that night, I just let him kiss me to show him I don’t feel anything anymore, to have a closure, for him to leave me alone.”“Hey, hey, listen to me,” gently palming her cheeks with both hands. “It’s not your fault, it was an accident.”“I know, yet I’m so afraid…what if karma befell me. I know I shouldn’t because God won’t be that cruel pero kasalanan pa rin ‘yun. She lost her child because of me, because I let Ash kissed me that night. I have the choice to stop it but I didn’t–““And what are you afraid of? That someday it will also happen to you?” Napansin niyang natigilan ito. “We all have our sins Trish and what you think you’ve done is not even your fault at all.
It’s been a week since Trisha heard Chelsea’s reason for hating her and no matter how much she tried to be optimistic and stop herself from feeling guilty, she can’t. Because she was there, and Ash did kissed her and she let him, to show him that she’s not affected anymore, there’s no spark, that things have changed for months of being apart after she transferred to a public school. And also to close their relationship properly, to say goodbye, so Ash would stop those childish acts that forced her to come to him. Chloe was in Davao with her boss and Marsden was in Bacolod to close a big deal. She missed him so badly especially now that she’s feeling down. They talked over the phone yet being together physically is different. She can’t eat properly, she can’t even sleep for fearing of the nightmare that came to her that night after she and Chelsea talked. She woke up crying, feeling the pain of losing someone, her heart cried and ache for someone. Her baby, her own baby. Most
Weeks passed and Marsden and Trisha enjoyed every moment spent with each other. They read books together, do joggings together at the park Marsden usually do joggings. Marsden stayed with her in her apartment, together they went to the office and when Marsden needed to extend his time at work, he always asked Gareth, one of his trusted employees to drive her home using Marsden’s car.Trisha knew her friends noticed the change in their relationship but she always denies it. They both agreed to keep it secret and asked Chloe and Rudy to do the same. In the eyes of the others who knew them both they were just friends. Wala rin namang malaking pagbabago dahil sanay narin ang mga kaibigan na palagi siyang hinahatid at sinusundo ni Marsden pero siguro dahil na rin sa effort nitong mahatid siya araw-araw, at sa mga chocolates na dumarating, pati na rin sa mga pagkain kapag nag-oovertime sila kaya naman minsan iba ang ngiti ni Jay sa kanya.Everyday, waking up with Marsden was like livin
When Trisha woke up the next morning, she felt like someone who had finally woken up from sleeping for years. She just lay there and closed her eyes again to thanks God for this another day. Last night she thought it would be her last or if not, Arnel would definitely left her devastated and surely ruined. She wanted to cry again, not of fear this time but thankful and relieved to have her guardian angels. “Marsden,” she whispered as his face appeared on her consciousness. She can’t stop the blush traveling over her face as she remembered something else that happened last night. Naitakip niya ang mga palad sa mukha as the events played before her eyes. Feeling giddy for the words he’d uttered and guilty, definitely guilty for sleeping on him. When finally she decided to clean up and went down to the kitchen, her stomach growled with the delicious smell coming from there. Trisha thought him gone but she heard his voice singing along with the music on his phone. Nakita niyang b
Jade was calling Arnel for the hundredth time but it’s always out of coverage. She was anxious to know what happened and even excited to hear her enemy’s downfall. A sly grin slowly appeared over her face. Finally, if Trisha get devastated and change her positivity, Jade’s beloved Ash wouldn’t like the bitch anymore, and she will have him for good. Finally! Finally! But the bastard Arnel can’t be reached and it’s disturbing her nerves. She was about to leave and go to the bar where Arnel wasn’t banned when someone knocked on her bedroom door repeatedly. Her dad is in congress and her mom visited her friends. Who could it be? “I’m coming, I’m coming,” aniyang naiinis at padabog na binuksan ang pinto. “A-Ash!” Jade was a little bit shocked to see him and a sudden burst of anxiety dwells in her rapidly beating heart. What if Ash realized what she’d done? But he looked calm, maybe he is here to ask her out. She pasted her sweetest smile. “Hey, come in.” She led him to her sof
“We should terminate the contract to avoid being caught up with his illegal deeds,” Marsden said in anger. “But sir–“ “Your department is the one whose responsibility is to check the credibility of the people we get into contract with. How come, that this problem is here now taunting our patience.” He looked at their eyes one by one. “Don’t make me caught you receiving commissions from our clientele just for their papers to pass the screening.” They just looked down and received his scolding. This is a serious matter. These men are in the company even when his grandfather was still the chairman. He trusted their loyalties but someone is surely having his loyalty bought. “Sir!” bulong ni Hans sa kanya. “Nasa office mo si Trisha at Drew.” Napangiti siya nang marinig ang pangalan ni Trisha pero nagulat siya ng marinig na kasama nito si Drew. Worriedly, he excused himself at pumunta sa kanyang opisina. He saw Drew outside of his office. He was angry and worried while Drew re
“Mag-oovertime ako ngayon, I have a deadline which I think, is impossible to meet.” Kausap ni Trisha sa cellphone si Rudy nang tumawag ito habang papasok siya ng rest room sa kanilang floor. “I already explained it to her, pero hindi siya nakikinig and after the meeting she just left. I’m so sorry Ruds, pati ikaw nadadamay sa mga kalokohan ko.” “Ano ka ba, sumabay ka na sa boyfriend mo…ako na ang bahala sa sarili ko at tsaka minsan lang nga kayo magkatime, aayaw ka pa.” After assuring him she’s okay kahit na hindi siya masusundo nito mamaya, in.off na niya ang cellphone at ibinulsa sa kanyang blazer. Habang naghuhugas ng kamay, naisip ni Trisha ang meeting kanina. Thankfully, hindi siya late dahil every detail ng meeting ay importante. To start, Chelsea was having an indefinite leave. Unfortunately, as Chelsea is leaving, the staff are required to finish monthly reports this week and other necesarry reports for their new boss. Trisha handles four large branches and it’s defin
“God! She’s killing me!” Marsden whispered to himself when he got inside his car. It’s getting harder to control himself around her. He wanted to give in, he wanted to feel her, embraced her, wrapped himself with her heat. But his mind, the one who keeps on reminding him of his promise not to let his heart rule again over his head, waking him like a drench of cold water. He snorted with the thought that she wanted to learn flirting. She’s already a killer and he’s not sure if he can survive the next time. He tried to keep it cool, everytime this crazy attraction pulls him like a magnet and every day gets harder and harder to resist. Tomorrow, he should tell Trisha to stop what she feels because he doesn’t feel the same, such a big lie. He should stop this and if being far from her is the only solution then he had no other choice. ‘*** “Teka, ang aga pa ata nangangapitbahay ka na?” aniya
Days passed and Trisha and Marsden renewed their friendship. Eating together at breakfast and sometimes at dinner. But one thing that change is that he never sleepover anymore. Even when the rain never stop pouring, he always had reasons to go. Sometimes it makes Trisha laugh to think he was afraid that she would lose into temptation and ravish him at night. But then, reality also makes her sad that even though their friendship was returned, he was still careful and maybe just trying to spare her feelings…he might not have directly told her to stop but she felt how much he avoided her failed flirtations. It was not easy really, because Trisha don’t know how to flirt. With her previous relationships, she wasn’t actually into flirting, was not motivated or doesn’t have the chance or maybe theirs were different with how she felt with Marsden. However, she is quiet enjoying it. Everytime he looked at her in a way that to