Chapter 3: She Left Without a Word

The alarm was already ringing, but my eyes were still heavy. I want to sleep some more, but I need to get up now. I grabbed my phone on the bedside and struggled to turn off the alarm because my sight was still blurred from lack of sleep. I suddenly felt the numbing sensation on my arm as I tried to pull away gently from Laia's embrace.

"Sh**! What did I do last night?" I whispered to myself.

My head was ringing intensely so I tried to stretch my neck and massage my nape to release the tension on my head as I slowly stood up while my eyes were partly closed. I yawned a few times while walking to the bathroom door.

I accidentally bumped my toe on a hard leg of the table near the bathroom and gasped, "Holy Sh**!"

I crouched in pain as I rub my toe while holding my breath briefly before springing up to walk limping to the bathroom. I took a shower in a hurry then wore my clothes back that still stinks with alcohol.

"F***! I don't have time to get a new set," I murmured while hurriedly fixing my clothes.

I rummaged in Laia's bag and asked, "Laia, do you have a perfume with you?"

"*sigh* Don't mind if I use it? It seems expensive though," I said while glancing in her direction.

I sprayed her perfume on my shirt and coat, trying to cover up the scent of the alcohol. It's fresh and cool scent made my heart flutter for some reason, remembering the scent of her skin last night while looking at her sleeping soundly on the bed.

"Sh**! Calm down Aziel!" I mumbled while looking at the mirror on the wall.

I grabbed Laia's phone that she dropped last night on the floor and was horrified to see the cracks on its screen—I tried to turn it on but it wasn't working anymore.

"F***! Laia! Wake up! Your phone is broken! I need to go now," I shouted, but she wouldn't budge.

She seemed exhausted because of last night.

"Sh**! I really need to hurry up," I mumbled when I checked the time on my phone while placing her phone on the night stand.

I left a note and one of my cards beside her phone before leaving the room in a hurry. I haven't even had a chance to get her number.

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My name is Aziel Elrod, 23 years old, a graphic designer in a company named Grafitika Graphic Design Corp (GGDC). I live alone in my flat near Allegro Global City (AGC) in Taguig. I am an only child and my parents live in Manila.

It's not actually necessary for me to move out from my parents' house, but I wanted a place of my own. A home where I can freely invite my friends over without anyone nagging about our noises or even questioning who they are and where they came from.

Even though I already moved out, I never forgot my responsibility as their son.

"Hi Mom! I'm on my way to fetch Sienna," I said while facing my mother on a video call.

"Did you sleep late again? Your eyes look swollen. I already told you to sleep early. Have you been drinking again? I shouldn't have let you—" my mother nagged.

"Let him be. He's old enough to decide on his own," my father said.

"Mom, Dad, I'll have to go now. I'm in the airport already. Call you later," I said in a hurry.

I hurriedly ran inside and went to the waiting area—it was too crowded, but I immediately saw her in the distance.

"Sienna!" I shouted, while waving my hand.

"Aziel! Finally!" she screamed as she hurriedly walked towards me and jumped into my arms.

"How's your school?" I asked.

"I'm doing well in school and I won first place during the latest design contest in school. Hmm... It's weird. Did you change your perfume? Also... Did you go for a drink last night?" she asked while sniffing my coat.

I jolted--I thought I was caught. It's a good thing that Laia's perfume wasn't floral.

"Right! I did. I went with Carlo and the boys last night. We haven't had any time previously so they decided to hang out and chill at the pub. I couldn't decline," I explained.

"Hmm... I see... I like the scent of your new perfume. Can you buy me one too?" she asked, grinning as we walked out of the airport.

"I'll check later. I still need to finish a project for the upcoming international event that our company will attend in a few weeks. Let's grab some breakfast first before I send you home," I responded as I called a cab and helped the driver to arrange her bags.

Sienna and I grew up together because my mother took her in after her parents died in a car accident when she was still a baby. She's the only daughter of my mother's best friend and my mom is her godmother. She doesn't have any relatives who can take care of her so my mother took her under her care. They loved her like their own daughter. I sometimes asked myself if I was really their child. She's talented in designing dresses and received a scholarship abroad with the help of some of our relatives. We're well off, but we aren't wealthy enough to afford her studies abroad alone.

We grabbed some breakfast at a nearby restaurant and traveled to my parent's house. I was checking my phone subconsciously for some reason, though I haven't received any important message.

"Is there something else you need to do today? You've checked your phone multiple times already. Is it about the project you were talking about? But it's Saturday today..," she asked with suspicion.

"Ah... Yes, I need to meet some of my colleagues later for the progress of the project. We couldn't finish our task yesterday because there were some visitors that we needed to tend to," I lied.

I felt anxious because Laia hasn't contacted me yet. Was she still asleep? I felt uneasy for some reason and I couldn't explain why.

We arrived at my parents' house, but my mother didn't let me go until I had my lunch despite explaining that I still have work to do. After lunch, I rushed back to the hotel where Laia and I checked in. It took me 2 hours to travel and hurriedly checked if she was still there, only to find out that she already checked out. I checked my bank account to see if I could trace her location, but she didn't use it. I waited until the next day, but not a single transaction was made using the card that I gave to her.

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The next morning, I barged into Carlo's place.

"Man! Let's grab some drinks!" I said while walking straight to his sofa like it was my own home.

"Dude. Do you know that it's still early? What brings you here all of a sudden? Did you forget that I'm not a morning person?" he nagged while yawning as he tried to make some coffee for the two of us.

"Is it possible to trace the location of a card even if it's not being used?" I asked.

Carlo is a freelance programmer and knows how to hack, though he doesn't do that often for security reasons.

"No dude! It's entirely impossible. Just block the card. How did you lose it anyway?" he answered.

"I didn't lose it bro! I gave it to someone," I replied.

"What?! Why? Wait... Is it a girl? You didn't even get her number and gave your card in haste? What were you thinking? Do you know her real name? Let me check if I can trace her social media accounts," he nagged while placing the coffee at the table in front of me.

"Whoa! Relax bro! It's Laia. I gave my card to her," I answered.

He suddenly looked at me in disbelief, then screamed, "Are you kidding me?! L-Laia?! Laia Dominic?!"

"F*** man! I'm serious! Yes! It's Laia Dominic," I replied while he was sipping his coffee.

"Ugh! Sh**! Hot! It's hot!" he screamed with his tongue slightly sticking out, placing his coffee down in a haste, causing it to spill a little.

"F*** man! Was it really that unbelievable?" I asked while helping him to clean the spilled coffee on the table.

"Man... Did the sun rise from the west?" he mumbled.

"Shut it bro!" I jolted in irritation.

"Ahem! I mean... I thought you went to fetch Sienna yesterday? So when did you two meet?" he responded.

"After I got out of the pub, I kinda saw her wasted alone outside and couldn't leave her so I brought her with me to the hotel near the airport," I explained.

"Wait. Technically speaking, you picked up a drunk lady on the street—" he said while pausing briefly.

"Yeah..," I replied while nodding.

"Brought her to a hotel..," he added, speaking slowly

"Hmm..," I replied.

"Had s** with her then left her the next morning without even getting her number... Man! I didn't know you're such a beast bro! How could you do that?!" he continued with a disgusted look.

"Wait, what?! F*** dude! She's the one who provoked me and we were both drunk. She's still asleep when I left the hotel to fetch Sienna. I left her a f***ing note and my card because I wasn't sure what time I could return, but when I got back, she's already gone. She didn't even contact me. She hasn't used the card even once since yesterday," I explained.

"She left on her volition, like nothing happened. Why do you need to find her? Don't tell me you've fallen for her after a one night stand. That doesn't sound like you," he replied while drinking his coffee.

I sipped the coffee and responded, "F*** man! I just want to make sure she's alright."

"Fine! I'll check it man! Stop sulking, it doesn't suit you," he finally agreed.