Kaler Bryce's plan wants to stay in his condo for his planned leave but his desired peace for the first time in two years was disturbed by his mother's call at five in the morning.
He rubbed his eyes before he got the phone on his side table.
"What's up, ma? If its not an emergency, just let me sleep, okay?"
"Bryce, son, I had been compromised to get someone from the airport and I had an early meeting with the board of directors today. I can't contact my friend's number which is her mother to tell her that. Can you do me a favor and fetch her from the airport at eight this morning?"
"What? Eight? Ma! Its three and half hours from here before I can make it on the airport! You should call me earlier to say that! I couldn't make it even I go at this moment!"
"That's why I called you! I cannot face her mom if I didn't do anything right now! Come on, what is the use of you being a race car driver?"
Kaley Bryce suddenly got out of the bed. He didn't bother to wash his face or have a mouthwash first. He forcefully get his car keys from the door and the hook came out off its place but he didn't care.
He was a prodigal son, alright, but he cannot let her mother down.
He did some tricks since he knows the fastest route to the airport and because he's a race car driver but still because of traffic, he arrived at exactly three hours.
He's running out of time! It's still twenty to thirty minutes before he can go straight to the arrival area where he can see the person he needs to take home!
He stopped for a second from running towards the airport's entrance.
Wait, take home where? Her mom's place is five hours drive from his condo! And who will he wait in the arrival area? He didn't even know the person nor didn't have a picture or her name! The only thing he knew was she's a girl. Oh God, this sucks!
****
Nia's beautiful face was distorted. She's on the waiting area for five minutes already from the time that she arrived. She didn't have much patience to wait because she's sitting on the plane for twenty hours and forty-four minutes to be exact!
She didn't care about the flight but she's very sleepy since she cannot sleep on the plane. She always remember that plane accident that killed her father and everytime it happens, she got chills all over her body.
She shrugged to forget those nasty thoughts out of her head.
Her mother even got her the place to stay so why should she reject the vacation offer? It's also good to cure her trauma in a peacefully and new surroundings.
Her mother messaged her from W******p about the address she'll gonna stay for the time of her vacation. She also give her extra cash though she had enough money even for a year stay!
Mom: Are you with my friend already?
She's very friendly and accommodating. Just let her know if you need anything.
Enjoy your vacation, sweetie! Don't think of your job that you left here in New York, I'll take care of it.
Take your time to come back home and don't forget to contact me even once a month! I love you!
Me: I got here safely, Mom. Don't worry, I can handle myself. Thank you!
She had decided to have a tour first since she's already near in some tourist spots based on the pamphlet that she got from the flight attendant. She dialed the number on the paper to start her tour in the foreign country.
****
As expected, Bryce didn't see anyone sitting near the arrival benches.
He panicked and called his mom but the phone's unattended.
Oh God, what should I do? Does she have the address on which place she should go?
He's exhausted from running back and forth from the arrival area to the terminal area for several times already in the past couple of hours.
Because of self frustration, exhaustion and being sleepy kicked in, he drove back to his condo without knowing how was her mother's guest.
He concluded that she has the address of her accommodation and that she will be there safely. She's a grown up, after all.
He got home at two in the afternoon and he was very hungry since he didn't even have breakfast and its past lunch already.
He ordered online from food panda for his lunch. He even eat three rice in total! It's so much for his lunch and he knew he need to work out later.
He cannot go back to sleep so he finishes a couple of articles and send it to his boss via email. He didn't even realized that it's evening already.
He got up from his desk, put on gym clothes and put some extra clothes in his bag before he left his condo.
****
Nia got lost on her way a few times before she's able to see the place. The condo unit looks secured and fancy from the outside. She wonder if it will be as spacious as her previous rented apartment.
It's a miracle that she didn't fall asleep in the museum's tour earlier. She even got herself a to-go packed dinner from a nearby restaurant with Filipino food. She didn't recognize what was that food but she still ordered it.
She got the keys from the secretary of her mother's friend before she got on the van for the tour. The lady secretary was resourceful. She didn't know how she had her number since she changed her number to have a philippine's sim card--thinking she might need to call someone later or she will got a call or text on someone later.
Her body aches all over and her legs are starting to getting numb. No time to choose which of the three rooms she need to lie down her body.
She just chose the first room on the right and didn't bother to unpack her things on the closet.
She eat the packed dinner with gusto---savoring the delicious spices used to cook the meal. She will definitely try again the same food tomorrow or until she got used to it.
Just like in their house, she found the luxurious bath tub with shower on the left connecting door on her room. She take her time relaxing on the bath tub with her rose oil essentials and scented candles before falling asleep on the soft matress of her bed.
On the next morning, Nia got out off the bed at ten in the morning. She was sound asleep last night and didn't bother to check if she had a housemate.At eighteen years old, she became independent by living on her own and having three part time jobs at Bronx, New York while studying in an open university for college.She was an assistant chef in an Italian restaurant, a cashier until three in the afternoon and an online doctor since she is a Psychology Major. All in all, every week, she got a total salary of $4,550, enough for her to spend on foods, clothes and her college tuition.Her mom often give her an allowance of $5,000 a week even if she refused it, it will be transferred to her bank account. She just got used to it and let the remaining money in her account.Until recently, she withdraw half of her money for her vacation.Maybe she can cook a meal for her housemate for a commemoration of he
Nia quickly put the towel around her body as she heard the man chuckled loudly. She imagined the man scanning her buttocks from behind and it made her cringed.It's the first time that a man was not attracted to her slender body figure. In her previous work in an Italian Restaurant in New York, she was pretty popular that all the men drool over her even though she wears a chef's uniform. The women told her she has a body to die for like a model's figure.Some magazines also called her to be their new face including the Vogue which is based in France, New York magazine, Harper's Bazaar and GQ so she was insulted by that man's respond when he saw her body silhouette from behind.Is it only a silhouette? Or is she afraid that the man saw her round buttocks and will saw motive to seduce her? Ah! I don't know and I don't care! I only came here to have a peaceful vacation but it looks like she will not have one.She had a habit of pleasing people with her cooking s
Half an hour passed by and Nia started to calm down. She started to hear the birds chirping from afar and she saw her reflection in the mirror with the man earlier hugging her from behind.He look funny and nervous while he hugged her. His eyes were tightly shut while he bit his lower lips that is starting to get bloody.Her breathing is still heavy to the point that she needs to gasp for air but she can tolerate it until her heart beats back to normal.After several years of having physical and psychological therapy, she still have panic attacks that was caused by stressed. Her mother knew it.She still tried to smile but it turns out a grimace in her face.The man's right eye opened and when he saw her scanning his reflection in the mirror, he quickly release her from his arms that made him bounce as he sit near her bed. He looked electrified.Now it's her turn to chuckle nonstop.
The aroma of delicious food soothes Bryce's nose and make his stomach growls.Usually, he wouldn't have anything in the morning aside from having his expresso coffee because he's afraid to lose his muscles in place. He didn't want to be called 'fat' instead of having a 'fit' body.That is also the reason why he usually go to gym at night after having a heavy meal in the afternoon.It looks like his diet will be altered because of this woman!Nia showed up as of on cue and tap his left shoulder to get his attention. He faked typing something before turning around."Aren't you hungry? I'm waiting on the dinning table for five minutes now. I thought if you would smell the food, you will get up and went to the table by yourself.", Her lips in a pout like a child."I told you to call me, right? When I work, I won't notice the time until I finished it."He got up and walk
Bryce carefully stretched his left arm towards the other side of the bed, afraid that Nia will woke up if he will touch her without opening his eyes.He silently turn around to face the side table and open his left eye to see the time on the clock. It's quarter to six in the evening!He quickly jump out of the bed and his butt bounced on the carpeted floor."Ouch!", he rub his aching butt with his right hand before he continue to stand up and glance on the bed but he only saw some hair strands on the other pillow.Why didn't I wake up with the fire alam sound of the clock? It didn't happen before to him! He will usually woke up with the sound of it, thinking there will be a fire in the house!Or maybe Nia woke up because of its sound and didn't bother to wake him up? Or is it because the woman didn't notice him sleeping beside her on her own bed?Argh! I don't know what to think now! Where did she go without even checking her housemate? Did she le
Nia didn't know how long she's staring at the bright, perfectly shaped moon with a couple of stars in the sky.Her heart beats faster than normal--indicating that she's very nervous. The trauma she had experienced made her comfortable in the dark before the therapy. But after the psychologist confirmed that she can handle it without the therapy, her doctor also explained that there will be an instance that she may have an attack due to her own actions and emotions.In short, she needs to manage her emotions to stay calm all the time. In that way, she won't have an attack anymore.She sigh deeply, shrugged and closed her eyes.This is the situation that she need to conquer by herself without any help of others. She doesn't need to be dependent on someone since all the things, people and place she's currently in will only be temporary.How about Bryce, will he be just a man she met a few mon
In Bryce's eyes, having a man as your best friend is not suitable if you were a woman--he always tell that to his girlfriend Maristal Chavez.He actually dislikes seeing her best friend Dylan around them during their outdoor dates. Maristal always argue that its better for them to have her best friend accompany in exchange of having a good public image. And he disapproved of it but she is always the one who wins the argument in the end.Why? Because he loves her so much. She was his world. She accept him wholeheartedly when he needs someone beside him. She made her feel loved and let him believe that they will be the one for each other forever.Bryce is a field journalist and he has his own office in the publication company--even though he's mostly out for field reports--where he met Maristal being the Editor-in-Chief's secretary.Maristal is very defensive, always rude when he talks to her but when he got into her submissive side, they unexpectedly clicked.
Nia felt like she was in a deep slumber for a long time and she just woke up with ease.She tried to remember what had happen but she can't. She had no memory but she's happy.Without thinking anything, she get up from the bed only to be surprised. Her body remains on the bed but when she double checked, she's also standing straight next to her body!When her eyes roam around, there are other patients lying on the beds nearby and her bed is near the glass window.The room has a light coming from the fluorescent light on the ceiling and there are two doctors and three nurses around her bed. One of the doctors is currently pumping her heart, the two nurses are checking her vital signs and putting some liquid medicine from the vials to her dextrose using a long syringe.She cringed. If she's conscious right now, she won't let them stung her with that.She's the type of pers