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Home / Romance Maikling Kwento / Today, Your Control Tower Goes Dark / Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

Lahat ng Kabanata ng Today, Your Control Tower Goes Dark: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

Andrew's POVI stood about six feet away, staring at the table for two.The tomato bisque was Dylan Humphrey's favorite dish, while the steak tartare was Hayley Clark's must-order.There wasn't a single dish I liked. And there wasn't a seat for me, either.My legs started to ache from standing, so I went ahead, paid the bill, and then left. After all, I was the one who had suggested dinner.Hayley and Dylan always flew together for work. To match their schedules, I had worked three extra shifts.We had agreed not to talk about work at dinner. But all it took was one text about a shift schedule to leave me excluded from the conversation.They were in the sky, while I was on the ground. I was the extra one.As I scrolled through my phone mindlessly, I saw that our three-person group chat had exploded with messages. Dylan had posted dozens of travel guides for Portside City, along with updates about recent flight routes and crew schedules. Mixed in among the colorful posts were

Chapter 2

Andrew's POVMy finger hovered over the "send" button for a long time, while memories replayed one after another in my mind.With her arms around my waist, Hayley had promised she'd fly me all over the world. I rested my chin on top of her head, smiling along with her.But Hayley had forgotten something—I was afraid of heights.Ever since I fell down a flight of stairs during my senior year of high school, I'd never been able to lean over railings while joking around with them again.I stopped hesitating and hit send, just like the tens of thousands of instructions I'd issued from the control tower over the past five years. Only this time, I was giving permission for the plane called Hayley Clark, a plane that had never landed for me, to fly far away.The next day, I stepped out of the control tower. After staring at radar screens for two straight hours, my eyes burned.Since yesterday, I hadn't received a single message from either Hayley or Dylan. My WhatsApp might as well hav

Chapter 3

Andrew's POVThe news of Hayley's public proposal quickly spread through the operations center."A captain and a flight attendant are a match made in heaven. They're meant for each other!"Someone nudged me with an eager grin. "You're close friends with both of them. Do you have any inside gossip?"I forced a smile and shook my head. At that moment, the star of the day's gossip appeared at the door. Ignoring all the curious stares around her, Hayley looked directly at me and said, "I'm here for Andrew."Out in the hallway, Hayley didn't say a word. Instead, she suddenly buried her face against my chest and wrapped her arms around my waist.I froze. Out of habit, my hand drifted to her hair. The scent that greeted me was fresh pine from the detergent we'd bought together just last week.After a long while, she finally let go and carefully straightened the wrinkles in my uniform."I'm sorry, Andrew." Her voice was thick with exhaustion.The old me would've felt extremely heart

Chapter 4

Andrew's POVI burst into the control tower. Everyone was already there.On the radar screen, the blinking red dot representing Flight 863 flickered, as though it could disappear at any moment.The supervisor looked relieved when he saw me. "Andrew, you take over. You know the crew of Flight 863 better than anyone."That was right. On that aircraft were two people who used to be the most important people in my life.I closed my eyes, practically able to picture exactly what was happening inside the cabin. I put on my headset and took a deep breath."Flight 863, this is Tower. Report your situation."The moment Hayley heard my voice, she sounded noticeably calmer. "Tower, Flight 863. We have a landing gear indication malfunction. Requesting a low-pass inspection."I pinched my thigh to keep my voice steady. "Flight 863, copy. Execute a low pass on Runway 02 at 300 feet. Tower will conduct a visual inspection."I raised a pair of binoculars. I saw the aircraft roaring past the t

Chapter 5

Andrew's POVBack in my rented apartment, I had already packed up all my things. As I stepped out the door, I took one last look at the place I'd called home for the last five years.Over those five years, Hayley and Dylan joined the same airline, and I became an air traffic controller at the airport they flew through most often.The control tower stood 260 feet above the ground—a tiny glass box in the middle of the air. 260 feet was just enough for me to overcome my fear of heights. Every day, I guided hundreds of aircraft through takeoffs and landings. But there was only one flight that always landed perfectly in my heart—Flight 863. It was because aboard that plane were the two people who meant the most to me, my best friend and my beloved girlfriend.Every time the aircraft touched down safely, I felt as though I had fulfilled the promise I had made on graduation night."No matter how high you two fly, I'll be the one guiding you."Five years later, I was tired. Just as I

Chapter 6

Third-Person POV"What are you standing around for? We're boarding in a few minutes." The first officer tapped Hayley's arm.Hayley snapped back to reality. "No. I… I need to find him.""Find who? Dylan? He's in the cabin." The first officer leaned closer and teased, "Hey, when are you two getting married?"Hayley frowned. "Who said Dylan and I are getting married?""You proposed to him in public! Doesn't that mean you're getting married? Even that air traffic controller you're close with, Andrew, said you and Dylan were getting married."Hayley froze. She murmured under her breath, "No. I would never marry him. I love Andrew. I always have.""Woah!" The first officer slapped his own thigh, enthused by the juicy gossip.Hayley couldn't sit still anymore. She got up and ran."Where are you going? The flight is about to depart!"But she never looked back. She kept running, leaving everyone behind. Even when Dylan chased after her, she ignored him."Have you both lost your mind

Chapter 7

Andrew's POVThe next time I saw Hayley was when I was working inside a vegetable greenhouse.I wiped the sweat from my forehead. The sun was blazing, forcing me to squint at the woman approaching from a distance."Andrew, I finally found you."Hayley was dressed in a sharp business suit and heels that made it difficult for her to tread the muddy farm. Every step she took was a struggle.I set down the seeds in my hand. When she nearly lost her balance, I instinctively grabbed her arm so she wouldn't fall."Andrew!" Her emotions got the better of her. Tears immediately welled in her eyes as she clung to me tightly."Please come back. I've already cleared up what happened during the emergency landing with the safety commission. Dylan's been suspended and is under investigation. Everyone's waiting for you to return."I dusted the dirt from my hands and gently pushed her away. "Hayley, we've already broken up.""I never agreed to that!" She staggered backward, her voice trembling

Chapter 8

Andrew's POVThat night, I came back from the fields to find Hayley helping Grandma trim vegetables. The same nimble fingers that could manage hundreds of controls inside a cockpit were now completely defeated by a few bundles of chives.Grandma glanced over and patiently corrected her. "This one's still good. Don't throw it away.""Oh, okay. Got it, ma'am."Hayley quickly picked the stalk back up and examined it with even greater concentration."Grandma, I'm home."At the sound of my voice, Hayley's head shot up, and her eyes lit up. "Andrew!"Ignoring her, I took off my jacket and headed straight to the sink to wash my hands.Hayley lowered her head, visibly discouraged.Grandma didn't say anything. Instead, she followed me into the washroom. "Drew, is this beautiful young woman some romantic trouble you've brought from the city?"I nearly choked. "What romantic trouble? She's just a stubborn lunatic who won't leave me alone. Grandma, if she comes back again, throw her ou

Chapter 9

Andrew's POVHayley kept showing up and knocking at my door every day. It was always three rhythmic knocks each time, and she'd knock for ages.I ignored every one of them.As if that wasn't enough, she rented the house next door. She seemed convinced that as long as she was persistent enough, my heart would eventually soften again.Until one day, she learned that I was engaged to the village secretary's daughter.The day Hayley found out, she went mad. She ran around the village, crying and screaming. She dropped to her knees outside my door, grabbed my hand, and begged relentlessly.But my fiancee pushed her out. "You bitch! When you had him, you didn't appreciate him. Now that you've lost him, you suddenly want him back. Unfortunately, nobody's waiting for you anymore!"Hayley stood there, filthy and disheveled. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She knew there was nothing she could say.By the time fall harvest arrived, Hayley finally gave up. She left dejectedly, loo

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