[ Sunday, October 9 ]
I sat down on one of the seats in the mall's food court and pulled out the piece of paper inserted in my wallet where Summer's number is written. The moment Amethyst and I arrived here in the city, we agreed to separate ways where she'll go back home and on the other hand, I'll go to the mall to buy a new phone and sim card to contact Summer. Thankfully, before Summer left Edevieth, she left her number for us to contact her just in case. It still surprises me that I managed to survive life without a cellphone – ever since Amethyst's car accident last July. If I remember well, that was July 16th, and diving down to the river made me lose it. But then anyway, when I'm in Edevieth which is an island – such things don't really matter. I can definitely live without cell phones. Funny how people cry whenever they don't have their phones with them. I may be a millennial, but I don't have any attachments to my phone.
I dialed Summer's number to reach her and the phone kept on ringing. I called her repeatedly until I get an answer.
"Who are you and why do you keep on calling?" she asked, her voice filled with annoyance. Too annoyed, to the point where I can imagine her saying all of those things on my face.
"It's me," I answered, testing if she can recognize my voice.
"I don't know who the heck 'me' is. Stop wasting my time, will you?"
"How can you not recognize my voice? Sorry for fooling around, but let's just say I'm the shoulder you're crying on a week ago."
The other side of the line grew silent, which makes me wonder why. I don't see any reason for her not to realize who I was talking about. Unless she hugged someone else that day which I doubt. I can be wrong, though.
"Shawn?" she said in a soft voice like a whisper. "Please tell me that you called because you got yourself a new phone and you're here now in the city."
I chuckled. "Your assumptions are correct. Amethyst is on her way there, she's supposed to be there an hour or two ago. Isn't she there yet?"
"No, that's why I didn't expect that you'll call. I thought the two of you will not come today because neither of you texted me at least. Where could she possibly be now?"
"I can't think of any other place but Vaughn's house. But anyway, I'd like us to talk about us."
"What about us? You know, I strongly believe that you should talk to your dad first and mend things. You're going home there anyway. Unless you're planning to stay somewhere else."
I paused for a moment to weigh the options I have in mind. As far as I know, I can't go to dad's house just like that. I think I need to inform him at least or something. I can take the risk and proudly say that I'm home, but there's no way I'm going to do that. There has to be another way. Either that or …
"You're handling The Crown, right? You're basically the owner of that hotel business."
"Stop changing the topic and let's talk about how to mend things with your dad. What's your plan?"
"My plan is to stay in your hotel for a night and we'll talk about all these things."
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The taxi dropped me in front of The Crown's entrance. As the taxi left, the sound of flowing water from the rectangle-shaped fountain sounded music to my ears and seeing some fish in it and several plants next to it made me feel a little hint of nature at the very least, which reminds me of Edevieth.
I proceeded inside the hotel that reveals the lobby made of white textured walls with shades of gold and brown with yellowish-gold colored lights throughout the place. The lights from the crystal chandelier adorned with gold and glass hang from a dark wooden beam that ran down the center of the ceiling illuminate the chandelier itself into the polished tiled floor. A red carpet with gold linings covers the center stairs and the reception desk is located not too far from the stairs, where at least five customers are talking to the receptionists.
I sat on the red couch adorned with golden ornaments near the entrance door where Summer will meet me. A man wearing a black suit holds the broadsheets between his hands, reading it page by page. I couldn't see the face, for it was covered with the newspaper. On the other hand, a woman in stylish V-neck and half sleeve blouse in a solid color of gray and black pants is busy scanning the pages of the magazine, choosing the articles that she'll read.
I sent Summer a message, informing that I'm already here. I didn't bother to call because first, she might be busy working on her piles of work and second, I hate calls. There's no deep reason why I hate calls or answering calls but basically, I'm not confident enough to call her, unlike we used to because I call her every night before going to sleep to ask how her day had been if we didn't meet that day. I do miss those old days where I hear her laughter, chuckles and even her hiccups whenever she cries in a call. If there is such thing as a human diary, I would've considered myself as one because she used to tell me everything that happened to her day in detail usually. But when either of us is too tired, we'll just talk for at least three to five minutes and always ends it with "Good night, I love you." She's the last person who told me 'I love you' and the last time I heard her say that was more than a year ago when we were still together.
Even though we haven't talked for almost a year after I told her that I have to prioritize my calling of helping the typhoon survivors – I'm still surprised that she didn't manage to stay mad at me when I said goodbye. The last time we met, which was last October 1st, was surprising because not even a hint of anger was expressed by her.
Instead, she swallowed up her pride and decided to forgive and just hug me instead of yell at me and blame me for breaking her heart and leaving her hanging with lots of questions in mind. I can't be more grateful like that. Even though I didn't apologize and I won't because I know that I just did the right thing – she chose to understand me – that my heart follows the belief that I should help people who were hopeless and have lost everything, for I have basically everything. Giving and helping is the right thing to do, not savoring the luxuries life has to offer.
The elevator from a distance threw open with a woman in a plain white, off-shoulder blouse with a black bowknot tied at the center of the blouse and black skirt went out of the elevator, her heels making noise with each step on the glossy-polished tiles. She flipped her long, wavy brunette hair as she stood in front of me.
Summer.
The flipping hair part surely is unnecessary but there's no need to comment about it.
"Hey," she said, flashing a small, shy smile. She avoided my eyes which makes me think if something's wrong. As far as I know, neither of us caused any conflicts yet she looks uncomfortable about seeing me. I wonder what's up with her.
"I booked you already. Your room's Room 1278 and here's the keycard," she added, handling the keycard in my hand. "Drop your stuff there and go to my office. You can still remember where it's located, am I right?" I nodded in approval. Of course, I do remember. How can I forget those days when I did visit her here?
Summer smiled a bit as she turned her back and walked away. I watched her 'till she's out of my sight.
Carrying two bags with me, I entered the elevator and when I arrived on the 12th floor, I looked for my room. As I find my room while looking at the room numbers in the hallways, I can't help but feel relieved when I finally found my room. It took me at least two minutes of roaming through the hallways before finding my room.
I tapped the keycard of my room and the door was unlocked. As planned, I only left my baggage in there and headed to Summer's office.
When I arrived outside Summer's office, I tried to imagine how things will look like when we begin talking. As far as I know, we'll talk about how I'll deal with my dad plus the idea of telling our parents about us. I still can't imagine all of those things happening, but I have to face the consequences of my decisions. She's only here to help since she's … basically, she's still my girlfriend, after all. Being separated from her was like some kind of cool off, but that doesn't matter now. This talk won't be about our past dramas.
I knocked and she immediately opened the door. I raised my eyebrow and tilted my head a bit, my eyes narrowed. "How long have you been next to the door for you to answer that fast?"
Summer looked up to me, her lips pressed together, seemingly looking for the right words. "I uh … I kinda felt like you're already outside so…" she breaks an eye contact after saying the last words.
She couldn't look at me straight in the eyes. She doesn't sound confident about the reason that she's telling me. She's lying.
"That's crazy and too good to be true. I'm telling you, you're not a good liar."
She raised her hands in front of her in surrender. "Alright, alright. You got me. It's the CCTV."
"You're serious? You're not even in the control room to see what's happening outside your office's door."
Summer closed her eyes and placed her palm on her face. "I told the people in the control room that when someone's outside my office – a fair-skinned, 6-foot tall guy wearing a red shirt and jeans – they should tell me immediately. There, you happy now?" she sighed upon confessing the truth.
"See, saying the truth isn't that hard," I commented as I walked past her to enter her office and sat on the peach-colored couch. "It surprised me that you told them things in a very detailed way. I can't say that I'm not impressed." I smirked.
Summer made face and rolled her eyes. "Stop it. Let's discuss the things that are supposed to be discussed," she said while sitting on the opposite side of the couch where I'm seating.
Meanwhile, I noticed a moving furry ball and some rolling yarn next to it from a distance, in the dark corner of her office.
"Wait, is that … a cat?" I stood up and walked in its direction to take a closer look. I reached my hand to the cat, letting it smell my hand to win its trust. The cat began rubbing itself to me, and its smooth fur gives me the conclusion that this cat is well-taken care of. When the cat didn't mind me caressing it, I gently lifted the cat to my chest and rubbed my fingers on its head, which seemed to be enjoyed by the cat itself. "What's the name of your cat?" Summer opened her mouth but nothing came out. Eventually, I noticed a collar wrapped around on the cat's neck and the name of the cat surprised me.
Shawn.
"You named your cat after me? You can't be serious." I scowled, my eyes locked on hers.
Summer sighed and shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut. "Guilty as charged. Not that I'm degrading you to a cat but it's just that … I feel better mentioning your name whenever I call the pet that I love. You might laugh at me about all these things but I certainly have an excuse for everything."
I rolled my eyes and smiled to tease her, looking away. Summer gave me the will-you-please-stop-teasing-me look and I chuckled in amusement, seeing her like this. Only if she knows how much I appreciate even the little things. I'm more than sure that deep inside, she's just saying that the root of all these crazy acts are from the fact that she missed me.
"Don't feel so guilty about it, I have my own version of that too. My laptop's password is your name, Summer, and my desktop background is a photo of us. Even Amethyst is aware of that because she used my laptop when she emailed you."
The corners of Summer's lips lifted to a satisfied grin, as if happy to hear that she no longer needs to feel guilty. "Just so you know, I missed you too and every night I can't help but remember my old routine of calling you before I sleep."
"I haven't confessed that I missed you but you said I missed you too? Wow, you are so smug. You're too confident."
"Why, correct me if I'm wrong. Your actions speak louder than words. You should be thankful that you have an interpreter so you don't have to swallow your pride and say those words," I shrugged. "Anyway, let's talk about important matters."
Summer nodded and leaned her back on the couch and crossed her legs, making her peach high heels noticeable.
"So, what I'm planning is to go to my dad's house. I might give him a call to inform him that I'm coming, then we'll settle things about our family. I already forgave him, but it's facing him again is what's hard. Besides, I don't have his number since I lost my phone so if you have it, I'll ask you that."
Summer picked up her phone on the glass table that separates the two of us and scanned her contacts. "Ah yes, I have James Barron's number. Here you go," she handed her phone to me so that I can copy his phone number.
"I'm glad that at least you forgave him for rejecting your plans. But the application of that act starts when you face him. On a scale of one to ten, how confident are you about meeting him?"
"6.5 to be precise," I answered as I give her back her phone.
"What's with that point? You sound like giving a film a decent rating. Although that's fair enough. If I'll do the Math, it's pretty much a 7 when rounded off."
"Whatever," I leaned my back on the couch which gave made me feel more relaxed. "So how about us? We need to inform them about us. You mentioned before that I have to prove to your dad that I'm worthy of your love, isn't it? Any ideas how I can do that?" the thought about winning the heart of Gabriel makes me sweat. I've heard that the man is a perfectionist and it stressed me when Amethyst told me how Vaughn won his trust. I don't see the point of rushing the marriage even though if I'll be really honest, I already want to marry Summer. We're both in the right age, after all. Still, if we did inform them about our relationship even before, things shouldn't be this hard.
Anyway, there's no sense in regretting, what's done is done.
"I think we should set a meeting. Our fathers are good friends so it shouldn't be that hard. When you fix things with your father, I'll inform dad about you and then the meeting happens. I think that's it. I don't think I should be helping you with the idea of winning my father's trust. That's supposed to be your problem, not mine."
"Right, of course." I looked at my watch to see what time it is, and it flashed 10:49 pm. As funny as it sounds, I never experienced dropping Summer to her home because she has her own car and I have mine. I can still tell how effortless I was before. "It's pretty late. Don't you have plans in going home? I think we should wrap this up."
"You're right. We should rest. I feel tired and I don't feel like going home. I'll stay in my guest suite here in the hotel. Amethyst and I, even dad have our own here so that if we're too tired, we can rest." Summer said as she stands up, picking up her bag.
"How about Shawn?" I asked.
"Shawn the cat or Shawn Barron?"
"You're smart enough to know what I mean. I have the room where you booked for me, right? So, I'll stay there and savor how it's like to sleep in a 5-star hotel after being in a faraway island for a year. I'll make the most out of my stay here," I replied, and Summer flashed a sad smile which makes me think what's the reason behind it. Perhaps she's just tired. "In other words, I'm talking about your cat."
"Can you carry my cat for me and just escort me to my room? I have to feed my cat first before it sleeps. I've got some cat foods there."
I carried Shawn in my arms as Summer and I walked into her guest suite. I gently dropped the cat to the floor and it ran away, leaving Summer and I standing next to the door. She looked at me with an expression that I couldn't read. Her lips remained sealed as if stopping herself from saying that it's time for me to leave.
"You really shouldn't make that face so often," I commented, looking down at her. She raised an eyebrow, confused on what I'm talking about. "What does my face look like?" I smiled a bit.
"Do you really want to know?" I paused before saying my next words. It feels awkward to say, 'It's the face that says you want me to kiss you,' because her expression leaves a lot of questions in my head. I shouldn't say it. Even if we've been together, I never kissed her on the lips. I want that to happen first at our wedding that I'm dreaming of.
"Never mind," I said, sighing in relief mentally. I turned my back to leave her room, but she pulled my wrist to stop me. I looked back to see her, her head face down. "If it's okay, can you stay a little longer?" I can feel the heat in my cheeks with thoughts that she might be thinking too. I can be wrong but …
"You know I can't do that. We can't, we shouldn't. It's wrong." Summer didn't bother to look up, as if embarrassed for doing something wrong. I closed my eyes as I sigh. "Alright. I can just stay here to watch you until you sleep so that you won't feel alone. Will that work?"
Summer looked up to me, her face as red as a tomato. She smiled, satisfied with my offer. "That's good enough."
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I sat on the chair next to her bed and watched her feed her cat. She went out of the bathroom wearing her negligee which made me look away. If I'll be honest, seeing her like that is tempting. But I'm not going to let myself be carried away. I'm going to do my word.
She covered herself with a blanket which gave me the relief. It felt like I got my breath back because it was taken away for a couple of seconds. "Your face is red, Shawn Barron," she commented, seemingly amused.
"Whose fault is it?" I feel defeated whenever she says such things.
She giggled as she covered her face with a blanket for a second and pulled it out of her face. "Mine, I suppose."
"Just sleep, would you? Stop acting like a kid there. You don't know how exhausted I am from my long trip just to get here. Close your eyes."
Summer closed her eyes, following my request. In a couple of minutes, I heard her snoring softly which gives me the conclusion that she's already asleep. I had no idea that she snores, even though it's soft so it's not disturbing enough. With that, I planted a kiss on her forehead as gentle as I can to avoid waking her up.
"Good night and I love you, Summer," I said softly as I leave her room to get some rest myself.