Adela's Point of View
Archer let out a sigh in response to what Primo had told him. "Primo, I'm sorry, but I'm the one who invited her. It wouldn't be right for me to leave my guest to someone else, would it?"
They fell silent, their gazes seemingly locked in a battle. Primo's grip on me remained tight, and it seemed like he didn't want to let go.
I swallowed, unsure if it was now my responsibility to decide. I didn't know if I should pull away from Primo's grip or just let him continue holding me; I was clueless. I was afraid to make any move or decision.
"She's with me, Kuya," Primo said firmly, making me nervous. I had no idea how to respond or act anymore.
"No one owns her, Primo. Let her go," Archer calmly stated, looking at me.
"Adela, come on," he added, walking towards his car, leaving me behind with Primo still holding on to me.
My gaze met Primo's eyes. I could see the plea in his eyes. It was as if he was begging me to go with him, but I didn't want to give him any reason. If I complied, he might misinterpret it. He might think I have feelings for him, and I didn't want that.
I bit my lip and slowly lowered my gaze to his hand holding mine. I cautiously raised my hand to place it on his palm that was holding me. As he lowered his gaze to my hand approaching his, I felt his grip on me loosen.
"You're going with him?" he asked, almost gasping.
"Sorry, Primo. He invited me to go," I said, as he released his grip on me voluntarily.
He nodded slowly and gave me a faint smile. He shifted his gaze towards Archer's car, indicating that I should go there.
"See you there," he said, turning away to head to his own car.
"Sorry," I murmured, even though he was already walking away.
I started walking towards the other side where Archer was waiting.
During the trip, I remained quiet. I didn't know why, but I suddenly felt sad and guilty about what I did. The moment I saw Primo's lonely expression, my mood took a downturn.
"What course did you take in college? You mentioned earlier it wasn't business," Archer suddenly asked, pulling me out of my thoughts by the window.
"Ah, landscape architecture," I replied, glancing at him briefly.
He let out a slight gasp and nodded. He didn't look at me, keeping his focus on the road.
"You could be of great help then. My grandmother wants to have a big garden too. She said she doesn't have time to design it herself, so she wanted us to look for someone, but it seems like we don't need to because you're here," he said, causing my eyes to widen.
"Seriously?" I asked, barely able to believe it.
"Yup, a significant portion is allocated for the outdoor area, so I know you'll enjoy designing it," he said, and I couldn't help but smile.
He was right, I would definitely enjoy working on that.
When we arrived at the site, I was surprised to see Primo already there. He had arrived before us.
"Adela, let me show you around the entire area so you can see the whole lot up close," Archer suggested, and I smiled and nodded.
My eyes sought out Primo, and I noticed him looking at us with a cold gaze.
He averted his gaze and swallowed when he saw me looking at him. He quickly walked towards the construction workers, so I also redirected my attention to Archer.
"The outdoor area is really spacious, huh?"
"Grandma wanted it this way. She feels refreshed when she sees her garden. That's why the garden at the rest house is so beautiful, because she takes care of it meticulously. I heard you've been there with Olivia."
"Yes, it's really lovely there," I replied, and I was taken aback when he suddenly held my wrist and pulled me closer to him.
My eyes widened at his action.
"There's a hole. Be careful, Adela!" he warned, his brow furrowed at me.
"Focus on the road," he instructed, and I quickly obeyed.
I could feel my cheeks getting warmer, so I lowered my head to avoid his gaze.
After touring the entire lot, we took a break for lunch.
Archer ordered for all of us, and when the food arrived, we sat down to eat under a makeshift shelter.
Primo, Archer, and I were seated at one table. Our table was quiet, unlike the other workers who were chatting away.
"Miss, you dropped this earlier," one of the workers said, handing me my phone, which I hadn't even realized I had dropped and lost. Where had I put it in my pocket? Gosh, why didn't I notice?
I was about to reach for it when I heard Primo clear his throat beside me. I ignored it.
"Here," he said, placing my phone near me.
"Archer, I want her later," Primo declared, causing me to stop and look at him. I quickly turned away when I realized he was looking directly at me.
"Why?" Archer asked, looking at Primo while he continued eating.
"She'll help with the work here. That's reason enough for you to let her go, right?" Primo replied.
"Also, she's not yours to possess all day," Primo added, causing me to widen my eyes.
"Primo," I whispered, but he ignored me.
"Yeah, take her. I might head home earlier anyway. You can accompany her," Archer said, and Primo grinned.
"Yeah, thanks," Primo said, so I just focused on my food.
We took a brief break before diving into the planning for the landscape. The house plan had already been finalized, so they started working on this aspect.
We discussed the details with the house's engineer, and he gave me a day to complete the design. The given timeframe was enough for me since I had plenty of ideas.
While I was observing Primo, I suddenly snapped back to reality. I had been staring at him for a while without realizing it. I quickly looked away because I wasn't pleased with my behavior.
I excused myself to leave and start working, but I was surprised when Primo followed me.
When he followed me into the empty tent, that's where he confronted me.
"Adela," Primo called, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him.
He called my name multiple times, but I kept myself busy with my work.
"Adela, just look at me!" he insisted, and I nervously turned to face him.
"W-what do you want?" I stammered, blinking a few times.
"You're going to make me beg before you even look at me," he complained, causing me to lower my gaze to the paper, ruler, and pencil in my hands.
"Same question as before, Adela. Why did you kiss me?" he asked, and I closed my eyes briefly.
Seriously? He's still fixated on that issue? I'm already forgetting about it, so he should too!
"It was nothing. Everything was just an accident," I told him and smiled as I glanced at him.
"An accident? But you pulled me back just to kiss me! Is that an accident?" he asked insistently yet softly, making me gulp nervously.
"I was drunk, Primo. Everything was an accident," I tried to convince him. However, he didn't seem to believe me.
"Primo, listen. I didn't want it to happen, so please, let's forget about everything," I said, swallowing hard. I avoided looking at him. Maybe he would read something in my eyes. I don't even know why I kissed him. Maybe it was just the alcohol I had that night.
"Forget? Do you think I can just forget about that, Adela? You kissed me! You know that I like you, and now you're telling me to forget it? I can't do that, Adela!" he shouted, causing me to gulp and lower my head.
"You have two options here: either you just kissed me for fun, or..." he paused and took a deep breath.
"...you already love me," he continued, his voice softer. I couldn't respond because I myself didn't know what was happening to me.
I was surprised when he approached me. I was standing by the side of the table when he caught my waist and pulled me closer to him.
I averted my gaze as he tried to catch my eyes. My head was turned slightly, and I tried to remove his hand from my waist. I stopped trying to free myself from his grip when he leaned his forehead against mine. My head was tilted, and I could feel his breath on my neck.
"Please tell me, baby. What do you truly feel? Tell me, baby, and I'll stop asking you about this," he said, and I gulped. I could feel the quickening of my breath, and his breath was heavy too.
"Primo, please stop this," I whispered and swallowed.
"I can't love you. I can't let go of my feelings for Archer that easily," I added.
"I still feel those arrows Archer hit me accidentally. I'm sorry, Primo, I still can't love you," I whispered, and I felt his grip on me loosen.
"You want me to distance myself from you?" he asked as he finally let go of me completely.
My heart raced, and I felt my eyes welling up as I saw him stepping away from me.
"Yes," I softly answered, and it was enough for him to hear.
"You don't want me like this?" he asked, and I nodded in response.
A melancholic look filled his reddening eyes. I could also feel my own eyes heating up.
"You want me to stop bothering you?" he continued, and I nodded once again.
"You don't want to be hurt anymore?" he added, and I nodded once more.
"Okay, I get it. Sorry, Adela. I didn't intend to fall in love with someone like you. Sorry, I'll learn to forget about you," he said and turned away from me.
I stared at him, and I couldn't help but gasp as my cheek was dampened by the tears that had escaped my eyes. As he finally left the tent, my knees went weak. I feel so vulnerable. Why am I feeling like this? This is what I wanted, isn't it? For him to stop?
I can't understand it, I can't explain it. Why does it hurt so much when I heard him apologize?
Why does it hurt so much?
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