Chapitre 9: Chapter 8
The weekend has gone fast. It seemed like just yesterday, Chris and I are enjoying nature-- far from the hustle and bustle of the city.
I checked my phone before I got up and found missed calls and a message. I tapped on the message.
Chris André:
Good morning, beautiful! Preppin' for work?
Me:
Yup! And you? Good morning, by the way.
Him:
Will be working on some designs for a project.
Me:
Good luck, then.
I typed another message, hesitated but sent it anyway:
Thanks for the surprise. Greatly appreciated. 😊
Him:
Glad you did! I had a great time. 'Til our next adventure?
I smiled.
Me:
Uh-huh! Got to go. Busy day ahead.
Him:
Same here. Have a good day!
I put my phone down and fixed myself. The thought of being with him again made me smile widely.
09:00am. I made it on time in the office. Odd enough, I noticed that no one's in here. I looked around and when I peeked through the pantry, I saw that there's a commotion inside. I almost jumped when Anna, a colleague, appeared from behind me.
"I'm sorry, Ash. Did I scare you?" She asked.
I shook my head and smiled.
"Your parents are inside. They brought us breakfast," she added.
"Oh, I didn't know they're here." I answered, slightly surprised.
My parents have this habit of, as what they call it, having a simple gathering whenever they visit the office. They bring food for all of us to share.
I hugged them both.
"You didn't tell me you were coming. I should've picked you up from the airport."
"Have you checked your phone?" Mom asked. I noticed a hint of a smile.
Oh geez.
"We've been calling you," Dad added.
I remembered seeing missed calls but I got a little too excited to answer Chris' message that I almost forgot about it. Trying to hide my smile, I answered, "My bad. I forgot to check." And I mentally banged my head on the wall.
"OKAY! Someone's being too busy to even check on her phone here," Mom said in her mocking tone.
"Mom!" I protested.
They both laughed.
Ugh. For sure Mom doesn't buy it. Anyway, at least it prevented further discussion and interrogation.
Their visit is unexpected. If I'm not mistaken, they are supposed to arrive next week. I guess they just have, uhm, some urgent business matters.
My parents are always on business trips. After we expanded our hotels, they have been traveling most of the time. They, especially Dad, prefer to be hands on in our business. They make sure that they personally know and have good relationship with everyone. That's the good thing when you started from scratch. You know how things work and how to handle them. And yes, that is one of the countless reasons why I admire my folks.
"Do you have any plans tonight, our princess?" Dad asked.
"None. Nothing." I said as I made a mental rundown of my schedule.
"That's great! We have set a dinner with the Gonzalez's. It would be nice to have you there too," Mom said excitedly, with hands pressed together.
"We'll ask Matt to pick you up, yeah?" Dad said before I can utter a word.
"He's here?" I asked.
"Well obviously, yes. He picked us up from the airport because our dearest daughter can't afford to even check on her phone," Mom said dreamily.
Geez. She won't let this topic go.
"Whatever, Mom!" I answered defensively.
"We have to go, princess. We'll be meeting a client in an hour. See you later?" Dad interrupted.
"Yeah. See you. I'll go there by myself, okay?" I said, smiling.
"Okay. Okay," Dad said in mock surrender.
The Gonzalez's is a long time family friend of ours. Our families have joint ventures. They own a chain of restaurants which eventually became part of our hotels. Since then, theirs became one of our signature brands.
Their twins, Matt and Lia, were like my siblings. We grew up together but since they moved to the United States for college, our bond was maintained through messages and video calls. Life after college made us all busy, after all, we were about to face the real world.
It's been a long while. I missed spending time with Lia, who I consider my soul sister. And Matt? Well, it's a long story. I also missed him, though. I hope things won't get awkward.
I sorted out the files that I need the next day and responded to urgent mail requests. Knowing that I've done enough for this day, I opted for an early check out.
I tried calling Marco but when he didn't answer, I assumed that he's busy and decided to grab some coffee by myself. But then minutes later, my phone rang.
Marco.
"Lil sis! What's up?"
"Busy?" I asked.
"Just done with the commercial shoot. God, I'm drained!" He said dramatically.
"Oh. Sorry for disturbing you," I answered in a more dramatic tone.
"What the fvck, Ash? Since when have you felt like you're disturbing me?" He said, acting impatient.
I smiled at his reaction. I can really count on him.
"Fancy a cup of coffee?" He added when I didn't answer.
"I'm actually on my way to Starbucks. Few blocks away from the office."
"I'm coming. A dose of caffeine may help calm my nerves."
"Bad day at work?"
"Nah. Just tired. And some random tantrums." He said sheepishly.
"So gay!" I laughed.
"Shut up!" He answered back.
"Hurry up! I'll be waiting." I said then hung up.
We started talking as soon as he arrived. He actually had a misunderstanding with Angel-- over petty issues, as he wants to call it. I told him to let the issue cool down before they talk about it. They occasionally have arguments, but they always manage to fix whatever those are. No big things, actually. Maybe just arguments typical for a 5-year relationship. And as their official third wheel, I realized that I've been playing the role of a counselor for five fvcking years already! Kidding aside, I so love them both. I'm learning a lot from them.
"Enough about me! Let's talk about the reason why you're acting off right now," He said matter-of-factly.
This dude knows me too well.
"Matt's here." I said coldly.
"And?"
"Our families will be having dinner. Tonight."
"And?"
"Marco!" I almost shouted, losing my cool.
"What?" He asked, acting innocent.
"Don't you want to say something?"
"Does the idea of Matt still bother you?"
"No.. Just.."
"Ash?" He cuts me off.
I gave him a questioning look.
"I'll say it straight to you, okay?"
"Shoot."
"You and Matt were never together. I mean, officially. So, speaking from a guy's point of view, there's no need for closure. Besides, you two were close! For God's sake!" He stated.
"We WERE close. Until things get a little special between us. Matt and I both knew that." I recalled.
"And your point is?"
"I.. I don't know. It's awkward. Really."
"Ash that was eight years ago! And you said that you two were cool over messenger and Skype, right?"
"Yeah. But to think that we'll personally see each other again? Oh God!" I shook my head at the thought.
"And.. Our 'talk' was just hi, hello, how are you, what's new, blah blah. Like no real talking. He just popped whenever Lia and I were talking." I added.
"Then do just that! Greet and 'no real talking.' You don't need to actually have a conversation. Not for now, at least." He advised.
It looked like a light bulb has switched on inside my head.
"Oh, thank you, Marco! You're a genius! You're heaven-sent!"
"Nah, I didn't even use a brain cell for that." He boasted.
"I owe you one!"
"No need for that, Ash. You're a woman now. You're not the awkward teenager, like you were eight years ago, anymore." He said, cheering me on.
Hours passed and I found myself preparing for the dinner.
I decided to wear a dark blue, off-shoulder dress. It flows just right above my knees and paired it with a nude high-heeled pumps. I loosely curled the ends of my hair and tied it in a low and messy ponytail. I intentionally put strands of loose curls neatly on either side of my face. I wore light makeup-- just enough to make me look, uhm, womanly.
All set, I drove my way to the restaurant.
"Mom? Yeah. I'm here. To your right."
She waved at me, and as if on cue, my Dad, Matt, and his parents looked my way.
I smiled and walked to the table, trying my best to look as normal as possible.
Play it cool, Ash!
I kissed my parents and Matt's as well.
They gestured to the seat next to Matt as he pulled the chair out for me. I smiled and nodded at him.
"Long time, Ash." He whispered as he briefly kissed my cheek.
All that I managed to say was, "Where's Lia?" I mentally slapped my face for that.
"She's coming any minute now. Aren't you pleased to see me again?" He mocked.
"Of course I am." I acted nonchalant.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone