Holding on my handbag and ticket, my other hand is busy on the phone, contacting Dina. I winced infuriated, over the hot summer sun that's unapologetically burning my forehead, together with the crowd, copped at a bit, pushing each other towards the boat's gangway since everybody is restless under the fiery summer weather.
"Hey, Dina, where are you?" Trying my best to cope up with the flaw of the crowd, brushing each other's shoulders.
"Oh, I'm sorry besh. My flu is the worst, and I can't get on my feet." A deep and harsh sounding female voice from the phone.
"Ohh, I'm sorry. Please get well soon." I slightly frown in sympathy.
"Thank you, besh, and I'm sorry. I hope you will be fine, traveling alone."
"Don't worry, and I will be fine. Beside's, it will only take a few hours, and I won't be alone. I will be with Ziggy."
"I'm glad to hear that, so see you both in a month, and enjoy your vacation, take care."
We hang up the phone the exact moment that I reached the crew, who's collecting the tickets. He takes my ticket with a wink. He may look charming and neat with his clean-cut hair, but he can't flutter my belly. He is not Ziggy.
I smirked in response while unexpectedly, somebody nudges me, and the next thing I know, I lost the phone I was holding just a while ago.
"A thief! that boy running is a thief!" Somebody from the line shouted. Concurrent as I realize that it was the boy who nudged me and snatched my phone, undetected.
"Oh, no! My phone!" My eyes clouded in tears, surprised and scared.
The ticket collector looks at me with sympathy and obliging, he passes the tickets into the other crew and runs fast enough to keep up with the snatcher. At the same time, another crew guides me inside towards the saloon.
Sitting alone at the busy saloon as the people passing to and fro across my eyes. I curl with my hands under my chin, anxious and staring blankly, facing the vague and faded moving figures. Someone in white pants stays, blocking my fuzzy view, standing right in front of me. I look up after it got my attention. It's the crew who went after the thief who snatched my phone.
I smiled after seeing my phone in his hand.
"Here's your phone Miss Cloe." He smiles politely and warm.
I pick up the phone from his hands and mutter. "Thank You"
He's about to go when I realized something and calls back at him. "Excuse me! How did you know my name?"
He looks back at me while his eyes moving towards my phone allows me to discern something.
"Did you looked over my phone?" My brow furrowed slightly sulky.
"No, it's not what you think. I accidentally touched the screen; then it's awakened, and your wallpaper got a big name Cloe in it."
I nodded and a little embarrassed after realizing the great chance that what he said is actually true. I didn't put any security pins on my phone, and it has a touch activation feature.
He smiled slightly, and without being sarcastic, he says. "Is this how I should be thanked after helping? To be suspected?"
Conscience stricken, I bit my lips with a palm in my face. "I'm sorry, really, really sorry. Is there something I can do to repay you? 'Coz what I've done, a simple thank you or a sorry won't be enough."
He grins wider this time. "To join me for a little walk and some chat will be fine."
I Tilt my head, and submissively agrees.
We find ourselves standing by the deck. Looking towards the ruffling water syncing with it's reverberating sound. He talked mostly about the boat and his work since it's getting hard for me to grip on the topic. I asked his name instead to change the topic. We try to get to know each other formally and shakes hands, but...
He takes my hand and kisses it. " Bree at your service."
"Oooh, chivalrous," I uttered after being surprised.
"Maybe, I just want to smell your hand."
I snicker at his jokes and retaliate. "So, did you smelled something fishy?"
"No, I think I smelled something addicting instead."
His answer makes both of us laugh. Not long enough, one of his mates calls him to attend the job as we are verging the marina.
It takes almost three hours to travel towards Ziggy's town, Ubay. I rented a motorcycle, not far from the marina. I would say, however fast may this motorcycle runs; still, it can't bet the speed of my heartbeat. It's been a long time since I used to be here, and thanks goodness nothing much changes, or else, I can get astray along the way.
My nervousness never ceases; in fact, I'm even antsier now that I am here, standing in front of Ziggy's bungalow house. The wooden gate is open, and I get in comfortably after calling two times, and nobody answered.
I knock on their front door slow and wary; I know that his family still knows me being Ziggy's best friend, although I'm still wondering how they would possibly look or treat me as Zig's girlfriend. Perhaps, they might like it, knowing how we love each other differently now or perhaps not. But anyway, should I care? As long as we both love each other, wait, did he really love me? Uncertainty starts to bother across my mind again.
The door creaks as it opens, exposing an incredibly seductive lady wrapped in a towel. Her bosoms are literally bulging at the seams, and her waist can unhesitatingly fight with barbie's figure. Looking at her, my insecurities starting to envelopes me. In my calculation, we're around in same age. I didn't know her, and for several times, being here for vacation, I had never met her, not even once. I know every one of Ziggy's siblings, as so as his mom and dad, even I only met his dad once since it's out of the country most of the time. They also know me well. Even all his aunts and cousins here. But this girl obviously didn't recognize me as well as I am to her.
"Good morning, Miss. Did you live here?" I'm not sure what came to my mind asking her that question. Still, I don't care. I am too eager to know who is she and what on earth is she doing, barely naked in Ziggy's home. It's making me truly uneasy and confused.
She greeted me with a mocking look and answers. "No, and yes?, Uhmm, what I mean is, this is not actually my home. It's my boyfriend's, or should I say, my fiance, and we are living together now. I came here just recently, let's say a few weeks ago? So that makes me living here as well. Oh, sorry, did I puzzle you? Maybe you are a family friend. His family is not actually here now, and they are on vacation. It's only me and my boyfriend, who's presently here. He just went out for a while doing some errands. Why don't you come in and wait for him inside?"
I'm dumbfounded for a while after hearing everything she said. I don't know if I should be angry with her for talking so much and hurt me very badly. Because I know the fact that Ziggy is the only son, his siblings are all girls, no doubt, and I am totally sure that this girl is his girlfriend, his fiancee. Maybe I should be happy that all my questions are answered; I should be glad that I already know the reasons why he needs to ghost me up, why he preferred to stay away from me and cut our contact.
And since I already know everything, there's no use for me to see him, I don't even want to see him again. I don't want to be too emotional and end up awkward and pitiful in front of his girlfriend.
"No, I should not wait for him; I'd better go. You can tell him though that Cloe drops by."
"Cloe?" Her brow wrinkles while repeating my name.