TMUW 6 - Bullets

My neck felt stiff as I woke up on the sofa. I sat up, wiping away my saliva from my face. I was still at our house.

Technically, I could leave and let him be since he seems good now. I'm not even sure why I'm still here. Maybe I've just gotten used to being available whenever someone needs my help, like I'm possessed by Mommy.

From her, I learned to be attentive to those around me and not be able to walk away until things are at least a little better than they were before.

I answered Noah's call when my phone rang.

"We haven't heard from you," he said.

I pouted. "Maybe you're just planning to talk to me about Miss Bernadette again," I joked.

I laughed when he fell silent. He was probably sulking.

I stood up from the sofa. I wanted to get some water as my throat felt dry.

"How's your day?" I asked.

He pretended to cough. "It's okay. How about you?" he replied.

"Not good. I'm still at our house," I said.

I put the call on loudspeaker so I could leave it on the table and move freely. I grabbed a glass and filled it with water. My throat was really parched.

"What? I thought you moved to your condo and you were just waiting for the annulment papers?" he asked.

"Lucas got sick. I can't just leave him here," I replied.

"After what he did to you?" he said with a chuckle. "You can still take care of him even though all he does is hurt you?"

"Noah, it's not like that. Of course, he needs someone to take care of him, especially now—"

"Is that why you resigned?" he interrupted.

I furrowed my brows. Where did he get that idea?

"No. He just had a fever yesterday. It happened while I was moving my things to the condo. Am I supposed to resign just to take care of him?" I asked, laughing.

"We never know," he said.

I just shook my head. "How's the office?" I changed the subject.

"It's fine. I miss you," he said.

I chuckled. "I miss you more," I replied.

Since I resigned, we haven't seen each other. I didn't want any connections at first, but because of the current situation, I prefer having someone to talk to.

I glanced at Lucas, who had just entered the kitchen. He was still moving a bit hesitantly, so I looked at his leg as if I could see it through the back of his pajamas.

I shrugged and sat down.

"Let's go on a date on Sunday," Noah suggested.

I laughed. "Sure, I'll go. I don't have anything else to do," I agreed. "Wait, Noah. I need to do something," I said, sensing Lucas's gaze on me.

"Sure, Sunday it is. I'll pick you up at your condo. It's weird if we're still driving separately," he said.

"Okay, I'll call you later," I said, feeling uneasy in the environment.

"Okay, love you," he said.

"Love you, Noah," I replied and ended the call.

I looked at Lucas, who was still staring at me. "Your boyfriend?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes," I said. "I mean, he's a guy—"

"That's good," he said, cutting me off.

I played with the glass in front of me. After a while, he excused himself and went upstairs.

"Go up later. Let's eat first," I stopped him. "I'll reheat the food in the fridge. It'll only take a moment," I added.

I was the one who got surprised when I saw that he remained seated.

He raised his left eyebrow as I stared at him for a while. I gave him a glare, then got up to attend to things.

There was some rice left from the rice I cooked earlier, and there was plenty of it, so I just heated that up.

"I'll take care of the annulment papers," he broke the silence.

I nodded. "Call me when everything's settled. I'll attend the hearing," I said.

"No need. I can handle all of that. I'll just call you for your signature," he said.

"Okay," I said, placing the dishes in front of him.

"You resigned?"

I wanted to marvel at his effort to engage in a conversation with me. Not only that, he wasn't shouting! No curses either.

Nevertheless, my eyebrows furrowed when he asked that question. It seemed like he overheard our earlier conversation.

"I mean... I didn't mean to eavesdrop. It's just that your voices were really loud," he defended himself.

I nodded. "Let's eat," I invited as the food was ready.

The dinner was quiet, yet there was no heaviness in the air. It was light and comfortable. This might be the first time ever that I felt at ease in his presence during a meal.

"You don't need to stay here anymore. You can go. I don't mind," he started another conversation.

This time, I didn't even try to hold back my laughter. I covered my mouth slightly while looking at him.

"What?" he said irritably. His mood swing was faster than mine.

"You're acting weird. You're only doing this now," I teased.

He furrowed his brow. "Doing what?" he asked.

I pointed out the situation. "This," I said. "Let's not play games. In our seven years together, this is the first time you've been calm in front of me. This is the first time you've been composed, and most importantly, this is the first time you've insisted on talking to me," I pointed out.

He averted his gaze, while I gave him a teasing look.

"Is this how you say goodbye?" I teased.

"Go ahead and eat... you're so hungry, you're noticing everything," he said.

I grinned. "How can I not notice when you're only doing this now in our entire time together?" I said. "You do have a nice side after all, but I've only been accustomed to your bad sides, which is why I'm not used to you talking to me like this," I said.

"Look, I just want to be civil with you," he said after the moment of silence.

I narrowed my eyes. "Is this related to my parents? Because you're filing for a divorce and we're going to separate?" I asked.

He didn't respond. "You don't need to do that. I'll explain to Mommy. Don't worry... I won't throw you under the bus," I said and slightly smiled as his gaze remained on me.

We continued eating. I handed him more dishes since he only took kare-kare.

"Try it. It's delicious," I said.

He accepted it without a word. He didn't do anything other than accept what I offered, and I found joy in that action of his.

I was happy because there was no arguing. No shouting. No cursing or physical pain happening.

"Stop smiling," he said.

"Oops," I said and bit my lower lip, trying to stop. I tried to stop myself when his face turned sour. He's only the reason for my happiness once in a while, and he still doesn't like it.

"Go home after eating. I'm feeling better now. Don't worry about me anymore."

"You've counted, haven't you?" I teased. "You really want me to leave this house. I thought you were being nice because you didn't want me to go," I playfully taunted.

He just gave me a glare and didn't speak until we finished. I washed the dishes while he went upstairs. He said he was going to rest.

I didn't have any other belongings in my room. I just left the ones I didn't think I would need. Most of them were gifts we received at our wedding.

I really treasured them, but now that we're going our separate ways, it's better for me to leave all these memories behind. My experiences with Lucas haven't been good, so I want to bury them in oblivion. I want to erase the fact that I was once married.

I sighed and knocked on Lucas's door.

"I'm going in," I said, but there was no response.

I went in without a word. The light was on, but he wasn't there. There was nowhere else he could be besides the bathroom.

I sighed as I looked around the room. This is it. This is the last time, and I won't be coming back here again.

Seven years...

"Oh, damn it!" I exclaimed in surprise as the door in front of me swung open, revealing Lucas without an upper garment.

I quickly averted my gaze. I gave him some time to put on his clothes.

"You're getting used to entering my room without asking for permission," he remarked.

"I did ask! You just didn't respond, so I came in," I defended myself.

"And what are you doing here again? I thought—"

I nodded. "I'm leaving, actually. Just bidding my goodbye," I said.

When he didn't reply, I turned to face him. I gathered my courage and tried to maintain a normal conversation.

"Okay? You may leave now. I assumed that you were not expecting a goodbye kiss from me, aren't you?" he asked, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

I grinned. "You're so full of yourself. I'd rather kiss a piranha before coming back to you," I said with a playful scowl as I stood up. "I'm leaving now," I said. "Keep me updated on the annulment," I added.

He nodded. "Take care," he said, climbing back onto his bed.

"Bye," I said and turned around to head out.

I wasn't really expecting him to see me off downstairs. Well, if he did, I'd probably throw a party. That would be a miracle.

With one last glance at our house, inside and out, I wiped away a tear that had fallen from my eyes. As I leave tonight... I'll bury everything in the past. I'll set my past free and I won't carry anything into the future except myself. Just me... only me.

I smiled before getting into the car. Just as I heard a series of consecutive bangs that sounded like gunshots.