43: Way Life

“Hey, what are you up there?”

Talia put her phone back in the table and looked at the closed door of her room. Axel was out there, calling Talia lot of times. They have planned to go to mall and buy stuffs but Talia has not came out yet, she was not even ready because she lie still.

“Yeah, I will take a bath first,” Talia told him. Axel’s eyes widened in disbelief and knocked the door again.

“We planed to get early, right? It is already late!”

“Maybe you should go first and I will just follow you guys there?” Talia suggested, feeling tired. “I will be there in any minutes. I just have to talk to someone.”

“Who? The Ramirez?”

Talia bit her lower lip because of her brother’s easy bet. She just nodded her head even if he was not seeing her. She get up and stretched her arms. She just woke up and as usual, she thought of Kiel. That became her habit in every morning, when she wakes up or even when she is feeling lonely.

“All right. I will go there first. You follow me, okay? I will wait for you in the restaurant. I will text you the floor and the area.”

Talia agreed before she heard her brother’s footsteps away. She let out a heavy breathe and looked at her phone, hoping that Kiel might text or call her. Half minutes of waiting, there is still nothing from him. Talia did not hesitate to contact Margo and ask how are they already.

“Hey there!” Margo greeted in a surprised tone. “I miss you, man! I never heard about you after I wound your neck! How are you doing? Where the hell are you up, huh?”

Talia chuckled and sat in the edge of her bed. “I am just fine. I am sorry if I did not update you. Anyway, how are you?”

“You mean, how is Kiel?”

“Yeah,” Talia agreed and looked at the floor. She noticed her hands shaking because of nervousness. She does not want to hear any negative news from Margo about Kiel. She is expecting him safe but her thoughts are just killing loud. “Is he there? Can I talk to him?”

Margo chuckled from the other line, seems like she is teasing Talia. “He is fine, Tali. Don’t worry about him too much like he is a baby boy. He is always dreaming about you.”

“Why did not he contact me?” Talia sounded so down just by the thought. It makes her sad that Kiel did not reach her out. “Can I talk to him? It has been weeks, Margo. I want to hear his voice.”

“Is not he answering your call?” Margo asked curiously, making Talia sigh.

“I never call him.”

“Crazy. He might be waiting for your call.”

All Talia did is to get disappointed of herself. Margo said that Kiel is asleep and she will just wake her brother up. After two minutes of waiting, Talia heard Kiel’s voice from the other line.

“Hey,” Kiel greeted as Margo gave him the phone. “You there, Talia?”

Talia bit her lower lip, feeling butterflies twirling around her stomach. “H-Hey, babe.”

“How are you doing?” Kiel asked in hoarse voice. “I… I miss you.”

Nothing could explain how they feel right now. They are more grateful when they heard each other's voice. It may just be digital, yet they could still feel their hearts connected. It has been weeks, already a month when they stopped communicating and they just thought that they are already over. That something between them already faded. But they are wrong.

“I miss you too. I am just fine here, living my life. I am lucky, Kiel. I am lucky with my family. How about you? How are you?”

“Fine as all right, Talia.”

“I don’t believe you,” Talia hissed and played with her fingers. “How about the enemies, Kiel? For sure, they have already –“

“They are tamed,” Kiel cut her off. “We are free now, Talia. We paid them and that is it, money drive them nuts.”

Talia’s lips parted in disbelief. She blinked twice and shakes her head. She could not grasp the news she heard. “W-What?” her voice is shaking now. “They can be paid? They accept money? W-Why? Why did not they tell us that in the first place, huh?! Why do I have to leave and bear you away from me?! They want money! W-Why? Why do I have –“

“Talia,” Kiel called her, trying to make her calm. “We pleaded. We knelt in front of them. Money is their justice, and we just gave what they want. It is already over.”

Talia gasped and looked up, stopping herself to shed tears. “I am free to go home, then? I am free to come back to you. I am free to come back to my haven?”

“Talia…” he uttered her name, making her stop from feeling the joy. His voice is lonely. “You can’t leave your family because of me. You can not –“

“Why?” Talia chuckled in pain. “I can leave and just visit them here often. I want to go back too you, Kiel. You are my home, not here, not anywhere, just you. Don’t you want me? Do not you want me to come back to you?”

“Talia, it’s not that. I want you back, okay? But your family needs you. You just can’t go back here and leave your real home. You have to stay with your family, Talia.”

“Kiel,” Talia’s shoulders sagged. “What are you saying? Are you breaking it up to me? Are you making this over? Because if yes, you can’t. I will come back to you and I will never leave again. Do you ever understand that? Listen, Kiel. I will see you again…”

Kiel sighed from the other line, controlling his patience and stopping himself from agreeing to Talia. Her family needs her, she is already part of their company and she can’t miss it. “Okay, I get it. We will just see each other if we have time to, okay?”

“I always have time,” Talia said, clicking her tongue. “I will always make time, Kiel. So what? Coming back to you does not mean leaving my family.”

“Alright, alright. You won, baby,” Kiel surrendered and chuckled. “I will see you later. I will crack a beep up.”

Talia chortled as Kiel hang up. Her smiles then fade when suddenly, she remembered Axel who is already waiting for him in the mall. She quickly stood up and took a bath, then she prepared herself to go to mall just like what is planned.

“You took so long, where are you already?” Axel asked Talia, sounding so pissed off. He called his sister and good thing she answered immediately.

“I am on my way, okay? Sorry,” Talia said while she is driving. “Where are you already? In the restaurant? You should wander around first. I will be there in a minute.”

“Yeah, okay, big sis. I will wait for you.”

Talia ended the call and speed up. Good thing she did not crash herself to the road because if she did, she will face her own grave. She called Axel again to ask where he is already and then after searching, they finally see each other in the second floor.

“You took so long,” Axel complained. "But you look excited, huh? What’s up?”

Talia shrugged her shoulders, smiling. “I will see Kiel later.”

“Good for you.”

They wandered around the mall, looking for a stuff to buy. They struggle looking for something to buy because they already had almost everything and they have nothing to seek for anymore. They just ended up in the decent restaurant where they took their lunch.

“Hmm, love it,” Talia uttered after she took a taste to the food that she is not familiar to. “This is my first time here. This place is so good, perfect for a date.”

“Yeah, invite your boyfriend here. I have been looking for a woman to bring here, maybe a girlfriend? But since I have not found my ideal yet, I brought my sister here,” Axel said, smiling. “We were lucky to have you, Talia. We’re happy that you came back.”

Talia hissed. “I am already here for a month yet you are still in disbelief and is still grateful.”

“Like I should.”

In the midst of eating, Talia’s phone vibrated. She looked at the screen and smiled when she received a message from Kiel. “Hey, I already miss you. See you at 4. Let’s have a date.”

“What did he say?” Axel asked when he saw his sister’s reaction. Talia grinned and looked at him.

“None of your business.”

“Yeah, okay? I get it. I wonder how it feels like having a partner in life. I will ask you, does it feel like heaven? Like the usual happiness you feel when you are grateful?”

Talia shake her head in disapproval. She put down the utensils she is holding and sipped on her water. “It is the odd happiness,” she stated. “It is the different happiness you would not feel every time you receive a candy as a kid, a book as a teen and bunch of money as an adult. It is the happiness that nothing can beat up. Happiness that cannot be compared to anything/”

Axel nodded his head twice and looked at Talia. “But it is painful as hell when you two break up, right?”

“I have not experience breaking up with anyone yet. I don’t know how actually it pains but base on the books I have read, they are painful as death that you just wish you never born in the Earth,” she forced a smile to her brother. “Wait, we are being serious here. Let’s continue to eat.”

***

“Waiting for someone?” Ysiah get near Talia who is sitting in the bench near the gate and is looking at the road, shaking. When she heard Ysiah, she looked at him and smiled a little.

“I am waiting Kiel,” Talia simply said and brushed her palm against her thighs to fight the coldness.

“Ramirez?”

“Yup.”

“What are you to him?” Ysiah asked and raised his left eyebrow. He was just standing in front of Talia and is like examining her. Talia looked at him again and shrugs her shoulders.

“My boyfriend.”

Ysiah’s lips parted before he chuckled silently. “Nice catch, huh? You love him?”

“You think we will be together if I don’t?”

“Yeah, maybe? They are rich and you are just a po –“

“Gold-digger, huh?” Talia cut him off with her amused expression. “Your standards are so low, little brother.”

“I am not a little brother,” Ysiah protested with a clenched jaw. “And also, everyone would think that way. Who would not, right? A CEO and famous business man into a poor maiden?”

Talia gritted her teeth, now getting pissed off. “You know what? You should just shut yourself there and don’t talk to me. Your foolish mindset, really. If you do not want me to kick your ass, back off.”

Ysiah chuckled. “But, he know that you are a Zanea. What if, Talia? What if he loved you because you are rich? What if he just used you so they can save their company once bankrupt?”

Talia shot him a glare but Ysiah did not care at all. “What if you were just born because I am gone to their life?” Talia fired back, making Ysiah caught off guard. “What if I did not know why you are jealous of me? You should keep your mouth shut because I am not an angel.”

Ysiah clenched his jaw and looked at her thoroughly, this time, she was the one who does not care. She cannot be gotten with the killing glare of her brother. “I am born to be useful while you are born to be useless and wasted.”

Talia smiled teasingly. “At least, I was not raised to envy and get jealous when I can’t have what I want.”

Ysiah clicks his tongue and walked away from her. Talia scoffs and shakes her head. “That was intense.” Somehow, she is regretting because she answered him. She should be nice and just shut herself so she would not hurt Ysiah, but her badass side just can’t.

She was about to leave when she heard a beep outside the gate. She jumped in joy and went out to see Kiel inside his car. She smiled as she opened the door, then, she went in the passenger’s seat, shaking.

“Hey,” said Kiel.

“Hey,” Talia also greeted and smiled nervously. “Happy to see you again.”

Kiel bit his lower lip and nodded twice. “Yeah....”

Talia stared at him before she went near him to have a kiss. They both gasps when they felt their softness. After a month, here they are again. Kiel carried Talia to his area and reclined the seat so she would not bump in the car’s roof.

“I miss you,” Talia said while they are kissing each other. Kiel held her waist and pulled her closer. They both groaned and gasped as they removed their clothes. “Are you sure we gonna do this here? I mean, we’re outside our house.”

Kiel chuckled. “You want us inside?”

“Well, if you want.”

He shook his head. “We will take long there, introducing myself to your family before we could have our time. I will just move the car near that tree where we are not obvious.”

Talia nodded her head. While Kiel moved his car nearby the huge tree, she did not stop to kiss him. She kissed his neck down to his chest, making him groan while holding the steering wheel. “Oh, crap…” Kiel looked up as he stopped the car under the three.

“Prepare yourself for the crazy driving, baby,” Talia said seductively and wandered her hands around his body.

***

“Where have you been?” Trist asked after she saw Talia entered in the front door. “We have been looking for you – oh.”

Trist stopped from talking when she saw Kiel following Talia from her back. The lovers smiled at Trist while she is taken aback, not expecting Kiel to be here. “Good evening, Ma’am Zanea.”

 “Oh, a Ramirez,” Ysmael came and handed a hand on Kiel, then they shakes their hand. “Welcome to the house of Zanea’s. What made you came up here?”

Talia and Kiel looked at each other. “Mom, Dad…” Talia started. “This is Kiel Alexandro Ramirez, my boyfriend.”

Their mouth formed an “o” before Trist clapped her hands. “I was not expecting this. Ramirez and Zanea. Welcome to the family, Alexandro. Come and join our dinner.”

They all smiled and headed to the dining table. The three men was also not expecting a Ramirez’s presence in the house. Eman and Axel stood up and welcomed Kiel while Ysiah as usual, he just watched them like nothing.

“Sup, bro! You got my sister, huh? Welcome!” Eman tapped his shoulders. “I am Eman by the way, well, I think we have met before?”

Kiel hissed. “Sorry, I can’t remember.”

“That’s fine. I am Eman Zanea, princess’s sister.”

Kiel nodded his head. Axel also introduced himself. They sat on their seat and since Ysiah did not welcome anyone, they all looked at him. Kiel also looked at Ysiah, creasing his brows. He does not recognize Ysiah since he was not memorizing anyone that is not worth his time.

“Ysiah Zanea,” Talia said. “Pardon him. He is kind of allergic to beautiful creatures.”

Everyone chuckled except Ysiah who already looked pissed to what Talia said. “Alright, let’s start the dinner? This Ramirez is in good time,” Ysmael uttered and cleared his throat.

And just like that, they started to eat silently. Trist opened a topic later on, asking about how Talia and Kiel met. It was Kiel who answered her while they were listening intently, well, except Ysiah.

“It is kind of creepy following her,” Eman chuckled.

“No, it is cringe,” Ysiah said, making them to look at him. “Really? You believe in his story? He is eyeing Talia and made her fall so he gets benefit from us, Zanea.”

“Ysiah!” Trist warned him. “You don’t talk that way to our guest!”

Talia held Kiel’s hand over the table. They looked at each other. Talia smiled apologetically. She guess she should have used herself to his brother, Ysiah to offend and argue to a guest or a new comer of this house. “I am not sorry,” Ysiah said firmly.

“You don’t have to,” Talia said and gripped tight on Kiel’s hand. “When you do this again, Ysiah. I would not stop myself from —”

“From what?” Ysiah challenged her. “From what, huh?”

“From talking back to you.”

“You think I am afraid talking back to you? Who do you think you are, huh? You are just the woman who thinks she is better when she is not. You are ruining a well-built wall, Talia.” After saying those words, Ysiah stood up and walked away.

They all sighed. “Pardon me for my son’s behavior, Alexandro,” said Ysmael. “That is really his habit in the dining table.”

Kiel chuckled. “It is fine, Sir.”

Talia shakes her head. “Ysiah is too much,” she said, anger in her voice. “Maybe we should go now too? I will bring Kiel in my room. He will stay there for the night.”

“The dinner is not yet over,” Vionna exclaimed. “Don’t be a disgrace in front of the food, Talia. You are not like your brother.”

Talia shut herself and nodded her head. After the dinner, she immediately dragged Kiel off. They went inside her room and heaved a sigh. Talia lied on her bed and stared at the ceiling while Kiel leaned against the wall, staring at Talia.

“I am sorry you have to witness that,” Talia uttered. “He is just like that, Kiel. That is how he welcome anyone.”

“He does that when you came, didn’t he?”

Talia looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. Anyway, there are things in my closet you can use, Kiel. Take a bath and join me here. We will have a rest.”

Instead of following Talia, Kiel stared at her more. “Are you really living fine here, Talia?”

“Hmm? Of course, I am.”

Kiel chuckled, not satisfied to what she answered. “No, you are not. You are not living the life you wanted. Tell me, are they hurting you? Is that Ysiah hurting you?”

Talia chuckled. “The hell? Why would they hurt me? Ysiah is just jealous of me but he will never come up with the thought of hurting me. I am already living the life I want, Kiel. I am good here. They treat me like a princess.”

Kiel hissed and closed his eyes. “Ysiah is not a good man. He might hurt you soon —”

“Then I will fight,” Talia cut him off. “I am not afraid, Kiel. If he would, I will fight. Now, take a bath and let’s have a rest.”

He nodded his head multiple times and get a towel. He kissed Talia’s forehead first before he went inside the bathroom to clean himself. While Talia is waiting, she smiled faintly and shut her eyes.

“No, I am not living the life the way I wanted,” she uttered under her breathe, then a tear fell in her cheeks.