Chapter 5

“Let’s wrap it up!”

A soft yawn escaped into my lips while I massaged my neck. We finished our shooting with the Alpha team. Glad that they are all cooperative. But there are times that I want to taped their mouths because of their loudness.

I glanced at my wrist watch only to see that it’s already eight in the evening. We spent that long, huh? Sighing, I sat on the Bermuda grass spreading both of my legs. I groaned as I closed my eyes in tiredness.

“You’ll get cold.”

Before I open my eyes to see who it was, I felt a warm thing on my shoulders.

“Martinez,” I mouthed then open my eyes.

He was looking down on me, holding a tumbler on his left hand. My eyes fixated on his wet chest. I cleared my throat then look away. Such a tease.

“Are you hungry, Rojas?”

I bit my lip. And now, he’s calling me by my surname.

“Obviously,” I said without looking at him.

I look on the jacket on my shoulders then grab it. I stand up while carefully fixing his jacket on my shoulders. My forehead creased when I felt a hand on my head. I blink, and next thing I knew; the rain showered upon us.

My whole body froze when I saw myself being lifted up. I hiccupped in shock as I let Captain carry me on his arms. We stopped inside of the locker room.

He slowly put me down then grab a towel in locker.

“Thanks,” I murmured.

He look down on me and just nod. I wiped the droplets of rain on my arms. From here, I could here the loud pouring of rain. The rain fell down constantly like an endless bucket of water being poured down from the heavens. It’s a relief that we finished our shooting before it rained.

“Can I give you a ride?”

Rain falls like it means to wash us away, like it means to keep hammering until we smudge like a Monet masterpiece. I watched how the droplets of rain run down on the window shield, racing from one another.

Oh, how I love the rain. It’s my favorite weather. Rainy days feels like home. It’s comforting.

“This is not the right way to my house,” I spoke confused from where we’re heading.

Captain didn’t answer me and just continue maneuvering the steering wheel. This man. Where will he take me? This is kidnapping.

Oh, right. I voluntarily enter his car. Estúpido Amber.

“We’re here.”

I wander my eyes around the area and was surprised from where we are.

“What are we doing on the top of this hill?” I asked, eyes widen.

I eyed him flabbergasted on where I’m standing. He’s so unbelievable. Why of all places? Seriously!

He didn’t budge instead he sat on the grass. I watched him while he puts his jacket on it. He turn to me and gestured me to come closer to him and pats the jacket beside him, urging me to sit there.

“So, why are we here?”

“To breathe some fresh air,” he mumbled. “Aren’t your tired being exposed to the city?”

“How did you find this place, then?”

I look up in the night sky. It’s not gloomy anymore; the rain had stop. The wind was chill. Stars are now showing and glittering like a sequin-silver stars of a scattered embers of a dying fire, illuminating the tremendous curtain of sky.

“Accidentally,” he said. “I was finding a place that’ll give me comfort, and then I ended up here.”

I nodded my head. Truth to be told, this place screams comfort and peace. Up here away from the loud city, watching the night sky and feeling the cold wind against your skin. You can’t always find a comfort zone in your life. I closed my eyes and let the wind blow my hair. But this is enough.

“Let’s talk about ourselves.”

My forehead creased. “What?”

“This is a freedom zone,” he smiled a bit. “That means, you can always let out the things that you want to show, to feel, and to speak up.”

I look at him, examining his face as if making sure if he’s not blabbing.

“Alright.”

I saw him moved closer to me. I held my breath when our legs touches each other. There was something in the way our skin touched. It’s like there was an electrifying feeling surge upon it.

“What are your fears?” he started.

I look down while playing with my fingers. Fears. Fear was initially an emotion to keep us alert when we were having a survival mode of living, where death could come and knock at our door anytime of the day or night. Everyone have fears because it is an unavoidable facet of the human experience.

For me, fear is an emotion arising from avoidance. You fear something because you want to avoid it. Maybe it is the thing itself. Maybe it is some deeper, underlying thing.

And we all have different fears.

“I’m afeard to left those things that keeps me alive. The things that keep me in the darkness.”

“Was it really keeping you alive? Or you just get used from the idea of it?”

It caught me off guard. We we’re just staring at each other. I pulled my gaze on him and cleared my throat.

We avoid something because we don’t want it in us. We don’t want it a part of us.

“What are your fears, Captain?” I asked, dismissing his question.

He look up in the sky then to me. “I feared the dark.”

That surprised me. I never thought a man like him could fear the dark. In my perspective, he’s not the kind of man who will be afraid from it. Because for me, he’s the man who can drive out the darkness.

“Do you have regrets?” he spoke again.

“I regretted accepting those foods that you gave me.”

And for the first time that I never thought will going to happen, I heard him laugh.

His eyes were closed, shoulders are shaking while holding his stomach. I watched him in astonishment as he laugh his heart out. I’m starting to doubt if this was the same man who rudely told me; that I don’t look like a club president in his eyes.

But while staring at him, I felt something awakened inside me. I unconsciously gripped the hem of my skirt as I calm my loud beating heart. For a minute, his laugh echoed between us.

“I never laugh like this before,” he murmured, grinning.

“Thank me then.”

He chuckled. “Gracias señorita.”

I bit my tongue and roll my eyes at him to cover my flustered face.

Our conversation goes on that we didn’t notice the time. I won’t deny the fact that talking with him feels good and reassuring. Sometimes, talking to someone is all it takes to feel right. Conversation is therapy to a lot of people in just the right way.

Before the night ends, he left me those words that sent solace into my system.

“I’m just here, Missy. Don’t be afraid to share your thoughts with me. For you, I will give you kind words, immense patience, hoping to make you feel better if you ever feel low, to listen to you when you have something to say, to comfort you or to share your silence.”

The warm ball of light filtered through my thin eyelids awoke me in the morning. I blinked a few times, in an attempt to help my eyes adjust to the illumination directed right at my defenseless figure. Rays of brightness cast squares onto the tiled stone floor, reflecting onto several objects in the room which decorated its otherwise simplicity.

I look at the window; the sunlight shone through the glass, lying on the tiled floor like a sweet honey. Sitting on the bed, I recall what happened last night. The picture of Jethro laughing appeared in my mind like a fresh memory. The grey-eyed man has a lot of things that no one can ever imagine that he has.

He shared so many thing to me. From his favorite foods, drinks, songs to his hobbies. And because of it, I had known that he’s the type of man who admire and likes nature above anything else.

Jethro said, “I believe nature uses beauty and seduction for survival, because we protect what we fall in love with. It floods me with dopamine bringing me with a sense of joy in my well-being.”

 “Amber?”

I fixed my hair before looking at my cousin. He's wearing a jersey, hair was tied in a man bun. Beads of sweat formed against his forehead and running down on his face.

“What?” I asked.

“Did you see Adira?”

“No, why?”

My cousin pouted his lips. He looks frustrated at something. I arched my eyebrow. Now that he asked me that, I have a feeling that they’re not in good terms again. Nothing’s new, though.

“You pissed her off, again?” I stood up then grab my camera. “Just give her a milk teas and chocolates to make up with her.”

Worth just grunted. “That won’t work.”

And that made me smirk.

“Be a man.” I said leaving him with a puzzled look.

My Monday was just a normal day for me. I’d spent my day in my club room, getting ready for our new project. Being inside our club room always feels like home. It was my second home. Photography club is the only place that I won’t trade with anything.

I hugged myself while walking in the hallway. It’s cold. Summer's over and winter was slowly coming.

I paused from walking when I saw a light coming from the Music club. My forehead creased. Does Elite band stay up this late? They’re not just a band, but also belong to a soccer team. I’m sure that they need a lot of rest from those.

So, why are they still here?

With the urge of confirming my hunch, I slowly walk towards the Music club. I peeked silently from the door. My eyes widen when I saw the person inside the room.

In my place, in my place

Were lines that I couldn’t change

I was lost, oh yeah

It was Jethro. Singing with his eyes closed while strumming a guitar. I kept myself in my position not moving.

I was lost, I was lost

Crossed lines that I shouldn’t have crossed

I was lost, oh yeah

“In my place,” I whispered under my breath.

The song was entitled 'In my place' by Coldplay. The band that he likes. It’s one of the things that he shared to me. We’re alike in some things. We both like Coldplay’s songs.

Sing it, please, please, please

Comeback and sing to me, to me, me

Come on and sing it now, now

Come on and sing it out, to me, me

Comeback and sing it

I don’t know how and why did I decided to enter the room. As soon as I entered, my mouth unconsciously mouthed the last line of the song. “And I was lost.”

His eyes opened and we found ourselves staring with each other’s eyes. Silence. It gives me an opportunity to look closely in his grey eyes. They were so intense, coming from that fire that burned deep within his soul.

But as I look deeply into those eyes; it wasn’t just merely grey. They were a sea. A stormy, treacherous sea that tore apart anyone who looked into them and dragged the onlooker down into their depths.

There is something about that gaze of him that I’ll never find in another man, as if in that moment our souls have made a bridge.