The wedding was held in a beautiful garden and I have to admit after meeting Arabella, I understood why Luke's into her. She didn't seem a threat to any of Luke's women but her wit beat them all. She looked fragile but her self- possession made her stood out.
I was with the boys when my phone rang. My heart leaped upon seeing who the caller was-
Helena!
"H-hi," I greeted and I hated myself for reacting like a teenage boy."What's up?"
"Nothing really. Just wanna hear from you," she said casually. "How's the wedding?"
"It's about to begin," I said.
"Oh, enjoy then," she replied. There was an awkward silence and it felt like we were both waiting for the other to end the call.
"Uhm... thanks for calling," I managed to say. I wasn't so sure but I thought I heard her smile or was it just a product of my imagination. I was about to end the call when she cleared her throat.
Almost in a whisper, she said, "Brad... I miss you." Then she ended the call before I could even reply. I was speechless.
In my mind, questions began to form such as: "What is she doing?
Is she serious?
Does she really mean it?
Does she miss me as a friend?"
"Hey, dad. Are you okay?" Shane asked. So I looked at him and shook my head. He shrugged.
The three idiots called me "dad" because of my grown facial hair and my serious expression but I wasn't offended by it. Perhaps, it was true that I sounded like an old man. I didn't care much to prove it.
As we sat down to witness the two lovebirds professing their love, my sister tapped my shoulder. I turned to her with a furrowed forehead.
"Aren't you jealous, kuya?" Sheryl asked as she turned to the Mcknights sitting side by side with their girlfriends. I thought about it for a moment then I sighed.
"Nope," I replied. She stared at me and I knew that she wasn't buying it. However, she didn't say a word.
The ceremony went well, thankfully because I was expecting some random women to suddenly crash the wedding.
I wasn't in the mood to socialize so I asked permission from the newlyweds and left. The chilly wind welcomed me as I approached the beach where few people walked while others enjoyed some booze and BBQ around a crackling bonfire.
Memories flooded my mind as I strolled along the shoreline. With my eyes closed, I filled my chest with the chilly breeze.
"What now, Brad?" I asked myself as I gazed at the flickering lights from the ships navigating the horizon.
I didn't know what gotten into me but my emotion was overpowering me. I took my phone out and called--- Helena.
"What's the matter, Brad?" she asked. Her voice sounded surprised, yet there's a glint of joy.
"Was it because I called?" I thought. I wasn't so sure about it. All I knew was I miss hearing her speak.
"Hey, what's wrong? Is everything alright?" she asked, getting more anxious about my silence.
I sighed.
"I miss you," I said softly.
"What?" obviously flustered, she asked.
I cleared my throat and said it again, louder this time. "I said, I miss you--- a lot."
I heard her curse. I chuckled.
"Are you still in NY?" I asked to lighten the conversation.
"Nope. Actually, I am on my way there now," she replied. My heart leaped upon hearing it.
"Haha. You're kidding," I tried to joke.
"You know, I don't. Where are you?" she answered.
I was quiet for a moment, pondering whether she's playing a huge joke on me or not. But, I knew her for a long time and she's been so straight forward.
"Uhm... at the beach," I said.
"I will be there any minute," she replied. Then, ended the call.
"What does she mean? She's already here on the island?" I asked myself, holding my breath in anticipation. I walked along the beach to calm my nerves. I was so possessed by my thought that I didn't notice the person walking ahead of me halted.
"Oh, sorry!" I immediately apologized. I realized that it was a woman, looking nervously at me as I held her waist, keeping her from falling. I froze. I didn't know how to react so we stayed like that for a moment. A moment that I would regret later that evening.
"Enjoying yourselves, huh?" a woman said. It was unmistakably Helena's. I slowly let go of the stranger and turned to see Helena looking so beautiful in a red gown.
"Thank you," the lady said before leaving me chastised by Helena's piercing gaze.
I cleared my throat. "It... It's a misunderstanding. I... she...," I struggled to explain, knowing that she's analyzing my every word and gestures. So, I stopped. "I am sorry."
She smiled and threw her arms around me before kissing me. Full of passion. Full of longing. Full of love.
"Nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart. I saw what happened," she whispered. I bit my lip. This lady knew how to make my blood rush. Then, I chuckled.
"Care to tell me what's funny?" Helena asked with her eyebrow raised.
I shook my head. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her in a tight embrace. "Why did you come here?" I asked, burying my face on her bare shoulder. She giggled. Perhaps, tickled by my beard when I turned my face to kiss her neck.
"Hmmm... why do you think I came all the way here?" she playfully asked.
"I am not so sure. Only you can answer that question, Helena," I replied.
"It's cold here. Let's go somewhere warm," she said.
I looked at her for a moment then I nodded. "Where do you wanna go?" I asked.
She shrugged. "Maybe, a bar?" she answered.
"In that dress?" I exclaimed. She looked at her dress and then got back at me with a questioning look.
"What's wrong with my dress?" she asked, even tilting her head.
"What's wrong? Let's see. Too short," I pointed at her exposed perfectly sculpted legs from daily work out, "Too revealing," I pointed at her exposed shoulders,and then she followed my gaze at her cleavage peeking from her plunging neckline.
"Oh c'mon. It's so rare for me to wear clothes like this, so please stop complaining," she said before walking past me. I couldn't do anything but to follow her to a near bar.
"Is this what you want? Men whistling on you?" I asked to which she laughed at.
"Relax. I haven't still forgotten how you held that woman's body at the beach," she replied.
"What? I thought you said, you saw what happened?"
"I did. So, I don't get it. Why do you have to hold her that long? Waiter!"
I couldn't answer her question because a waiter came to take our orders. She looked at me and gave me a mischievous smile.