"Good morning ma'am, sir! Welcome to Zamoro, have a wonderful day ahead!" the flight attendant greeted us warmly.
"Thank you," I replied with a smile, while Raze remained stoic and authoritative.
"Welcome to our next adventure, love," he whispered to me.
"Thank you, love. This is all because of you," I said, wrapping my left arm around his right as we exited the plane.
After we met with our service—actually, it was his friend who came to fetch. We headed directly to the hotel for some rest.
Despite the short flight, I felt surprisingly tired. Raze had reserved one of the most luxurious suites in the hotel, and his presence was immediately recognized, almost as if he were the country's president.
Our suite was spacious and lavish, boasting its own kitchen, steam room, jacuzzi, and a large TV. Outside the glass window, we were treated to a breathtaking view of the city's skyline.
"Love, we're going to have lunch in a bit. What would you like to do before then?" he asked, after finishing yet another call.
"Hmm! I want you to get me a sniper, I need it ASAP! I already have the blueprint of the building and my precious USB for gathering important information about Mr. Faller's business later. We have to apprehend him for his astounding tactics in business, that's our mission!" I said with a serious tone, pretending to be a secret agent.
"Love, you're amazing!" he replied, before our laughter filled the room.
"Anyway, where did you get Mr. Faller's name? Who is he?" Sometimes it's easy to pull one over on this man. Lol!
Actually, I just saw Mr. Faller's name on the bulletin board in the lobby earlier.
"He's our target. We're going to apprehend him, and if he resists, we'll take him out. That's why I need the sniper," I whispered, trying to sound like a seasoned agent.
"Alright, let me handle his bodyguards. I can take them out swiftly," he replied seriously, his cool expression unwavering. He even mimicked the action stars, forming his fingers into a gun and blowing on it dramatically.
"Okay, let's go!" I said, marching forward like a determined soldier.
"I'm on Mr. Faller's side! I'm sorry!" he said from behind, making me wince.
He pointed two fingers at my back. He really loves playing the secret agent, huh?
"You're obstructing our business, Ms. Celo! He's my business partner, and I won't let you ruin our plans," he declared authoritatively, even laughing like a villain.
"You're a traitor! I trusted you, and this is what you do?" I yelled back, raising my hands. Surrendering this time?
"You have to surrender now!" he commanded.
"WHAT? SURRENDER ISN'T IN MY VOCABU—"
"Surrender your heart and soul. I'll keep them forever," he whispered, sending shivers down my spine. He was so close I could feel his breath tickling my skin.
I suddenly laughed, relaxing my hands.
"You're witty!" I mumbled, spinning around to see his laughing face.
"Let's go now, love. Let's quit acting, we're actually great. We might surpass real superstars!" he said, cupping my cheeks before giving me a peck on the lips.
"Let's go, planned things might change if we stay here!" I joked, squeezing his forearm tightly.
As we made our way downstairs, we passed by the pool area.
There were several groups enjoying themselves, but my attention was caught by a cute kid climbing on the kids' slide. Aish! He reminded me of Toby, I missed him.
We only stayed at the pool for a couple of minutes before treating ourselves to the fish spa corner. After that, we had lunch on the veranda of our room, enjoying the beautiful view of the hotels on the other side.
There's a lake just a few kilometers from the hotel, and I noticed a plethora of trees and native bungalow houses on the western side. It was the perfect blend for both nature and modern city of lovers.
After lunch, Raze was engrossed in something on his laptop. I didn't bother to ask; I knew it was all about his business. I settled into the single-seater chair beside him and worked on my digital art. It was him in a side view, and it turned out pretty cute.
Around 2 PM, he left, so I continued with my art, scrolling through my social media accounts, taking selfies, and having a video call with mom. Finally, I had the time and perfect timing to tell her that I already had a boyfriend.
My mom was happy about the news, but as mothers do, she wanted to get to know Raze and have a chat with him.
I felt like I was at the right age and in the right moment to make my heart even happier.
At 3:30, I headed out to the nearest bookstore. I bought a sketch pad and a set of Faber-Castell pencils since I needed different leads for portrait drawing. Yes, I truly loved art. After that, I stopped by a convenience store to grab some canned drinks and snacks before heading back.
While working on a portrait, I received a call from Cynthia inviting me to the ICEcore fan festival next week. I told her I'd let her know if I could make it, considering my work schedule. Perhaps I could ask Raze to join us, giving me a reason to take some time off since I'd be with the boss.
Around 4 PM, I had finished munching on the chips and drained all the canned drinks. Along with that, I completed my first masterpiece here in Zamoro.
Deciding to make myself a coffee, I returned to the coffee table and scrolled through my phone to find a new, good reference to draw. And I found the perfect one.
With a smile on my face, I started on a new sketch. I was just bored but feeling inspired that day. I finished that perfect art just as Raze arrived, so I abruptly closed my sketch pad and ran towards him like a kid.
"Hi love, what are you doing?" he asked, slipping off his shoes.
"Just working on some sketches!" I answered.
"Really? I wanna see. Guess what, love, the meeting went well!" he said happily, winking at me.
"Good for you! And since you did great, I have something for you!" I said, pulling him to sit on the couch near the coffee table.
"See this first!" I handed him my phone.
"Wow! This is me earlier. I love this!" he exclaimed, looking at me with a happy expression.
"I guess I have to change my profile picture on Instagram," he said, studying the wallpaper on my phone. It was him facing his laptop in my digital art. I was happy that he loved it.
"There's more, Raze!" I said, handing him my sketch pad.
"Wow! This is amazing, love. I love this one! I'm really going to change my profile picture and post this now!" he exclaimed. It was a portrait of us, a selfie with him wearing a wide, lovely smile, and me too. I found it cute since he was giving me a back hug and holding the phone.
He flipped to the next page, and there, we both started to laugh. I had stolen the reference for that portrait from his photo album. It was him, a handsome boy with long hair, maybe around 3 years old at the time. He looked adorable there.
"You did it perfectly! Perfectly accurate, even the glow in my eyes, love. I'm so proud of you!" he blurted out.
"That's because you're a good-looking man. I guess you did a great job in your past life, so you've been blessed so much in this one!" I concluded, chuckling.
"Maybe, that's the reason why I deserve to have you in my life!" he said, giggling like a kid.
He took pictures of my portraits and changed his profile picture on Instagram with that digital art I made. He even posted my first portrait with a great caption, mentioning me in the post as a proud boyfriend.
I'm really lucky to have him.
"Okay, this is the day after the meeting, and today I have exciting plans with my one and only. She's still sleeping like an angel now. It's been 8 years, guys, 8 years of hiding myself, and now, right at this moment, I have to—"
"Love?" I called out to him. Was he talking to someone? I could hear him.
Glancing at the wall clock, I saw it was already 6:30 AM, and he hadn't bothered to wake me up. Yet here I was, awakened by his voice. I thought he was talking to someone, but then I saw him in front of the camera. Have I heard 8 years? What? Argh! Never mind.
"Good morning, love!" he said, sitting beside me and kissing my cheeks.
"What are you doing? You're up so early!" I exclaimed, stretching my body.
"I just wanted to see your face while you were sleeping, and I sorted out the things we needed for our next destination."
"Your eyes are lying!"
"Oh? They are?"
"Yeah! They said you're hiding something! A woman?" I teased him before pulling myself up in bed and heading straight to the bathroom.
"Love, your phone is ringing!" he yelled.
"Who's calling?"
"It's Cynthia!"
"Ah? You can answer the call!" I replied, then proceeded with my morning rituals.
"Raze?"
"Wow! The queen is done taking her royal bath!" he laughed.
He was holding a newspaper, dressed in his signature maroon ¾ shorts paired with a gray v-neck t-shirt. Even in such a simple outfit, he looked classy and handsome. As expected of a billionaire, everything suited him, making even a basic attire look hot. RAWR!
"Stop bluffing, handsome. Anyway, what did Cynthia say?" I asked while wiping my hair with a towel, of course.
I was just wearing a bathrobe, so I walked over to my suitcase and chose a peach sweatshirt and ripped jeans.
"Love, she said she's excited to meet you next week."
"Ah, do you want to come with us?"
"Love, I can drop you at the venue, but I guess I can't go with you all along."
"I see, that's a girl's walk after all. ICEcore seems to be more handsome than you!" I giggled, playfully rolling my eyes as I teased him.
"You're crazy! I'm going to contact my underlings to assassinate him!"
"Oh? You're a badass billionaire!" I joked, throwing him the wet towel from my hair. He simply caught it and tossed it into the laundry basket. While getting dressed, he told me that his post yesterday already reached 2.1 million reactions, 1.5 million comments, and 700,000 shares. He was really a beast.
If I were him, maybe I could only get hundreds.
We had breakfast before setting out. This was my first time going with him, just riding on a train, bus, and a sky bus as we made our way to High Trick Mountain Top. The place was amazing, and the sky seemed like a silent, dangerously deep ocean.
The view from above was truly breathtaking. The trees with orange flowers gave off a summer vibe, while the cultural design of the sheds and buildings made you feel like you were in a different dimension, out of the country. The huge statues of different kinds of birds made you feel like you were flying too, as if you were about to reach the horizon of your imagination and reality. It was a perfect illusion, a real illusion indeed.
Photos are proof that once you become happy in a wild adventure, in the crowning of success, you deserve to have a friend and someone with the same mindset as yours or someone whose heartbeat matches yours. But sometimes, photos are really meant to slap us with the reminder that once we had great memories with our special someone. Even years or decades may have passed, yet they'll tell you to go back or send you a powerful pain, reminding you that once you securely had them and loved them—a lovely fact as time moves its feet and makes a bitter sound... tic-tac! Game over!
"I have to post this, Raze! You captured it perfectly, like I'm in the middle of a dying wildfire," I explained, giving him a hug out of amusement.
I hope memories won't haunt me with pain in the future.
"Wow, Raze, look! I've received a lot of follow requests and flooding messages. Uwo! This must be because of you," I exclaimed happily, telling him about the sudden attention. Maybe his fans were curious about me.
"Because of me? Love, you're just an amazing person. Don't be surprised."
"Flattering me again!" I fired back, chuckling.
We left High Trick Mountain Top with wild smiles on our faces. That was unforgettable, though.
"Welcome to Zone 10, the block of promises!" a woman in her mid-30s welcomed us with a wide, accommodating smile on her face. We each brought two padlocks for the promised lane.
"Love, what did you write on your wish card?"
"Eh? That's a secret. I already dropped it into the jar of fate," I explained while searching for my key.
"I wrote your name, love!" he said, smiling as he showed me his closed wish card before dropping it in.
"Why did you write my name?"
"Secret!" he winked, so I twitched my lips, feeling slightly annoyed.
"I love you. Let's throw our keys together now?"
"Sure, handsome! I want our wish to be granted at the same time too!"
"Okay! One, three, two, negative zero! Go!" But instead of throwing the keys, we ended up laughing together.
"You're really unpredictable! That's a lame joke, but you made me burst out laughing!" I said between my laughs.
To be honest, it wasn't funny at all, but I couldn't help but burst into laughter because I never expected this billionaire to be so goofy.
Damn this man!
"Love, this is final. Ready! Go!" And successfully, I perfectly heard the splash of water from the deep well.
The man who made my heart beat is Raze, the lord of the genuine hearts from the underworld.
Love is truly as powerful as time, it's fast, and I hope that separation isn't as good as time. I love Raze, and staying beside him is paradise.
Leaving the promised lane with satisfaction, imagining putting our padlock among the thousands already there to make our promises, love, and wishes come true was quite an experience. Writing our wishes on the wish card and placing it in the jar of fate, then throwing the key into the wishing well—it all felt like a magical ritual.
We headed to the plate breaking section, where the handler said it was a stress reliever and a form of relaxation, especially if you shout as you throw the plates at the trees or stones.
We did a lot at Zone 10, and everything there was fun, especially because I was with him. We relaxed at Gazer and had lunch there. We also played darts, and he taught me how to play billiards.
The next day, we went to Enchanted Park, and we spent the whole day there. Since we both love extreme rides, the day was extra extreme and fun, leaving us longing for more rides even as the sun began to set. We returned to the hotel around 5 PM and watched movies before dinner. Like the day before, we slept early because we were really tired.
Alarm clock ringing.
The sun was fully awake when I woke up, feeling the comfort of Raze's warm embrace.
Exchanging greetings, teasing each other, engaging in a pillow fight, and running after each other like enemies completed our morning, with the treat of artisan coffee making everything more than enough.
Waking up and still loving each other, seeing that love grow stronger every day—isn't that more precious than anything else? K3U Raze.
As planned, we went to La Zena for more adventure. We did wall climbing, zip lining, sky biking (which twisted my stomach), and other activities. But then something happened... Just kidding. His mom actually called me. I don't know where she got my number, but the most important thing is that she called. Sadly, she wanted us back at Cazila tomorrow, so Raze and I ended up going to Zamoro's finest delicacies and gift shop called 'The Wonder Bliss.' We bought souvenirs, including gifts for the girls and a special remembrance for Mother Sharn, Cynthia, Kyle, Markus, Sebastian, Vince, and for my teammates at Texno.
We returned to the hotel around 3 PM to pack our things, and after that, we enjoyed some time at the pool before heading back to our hotel room to rest.
I never get bored, I only feel like we're lacking time. We enjoyed ourselves, but I wanted more.
Conscience: RK? Spoiled brat?
:RK?
Conscience: RICH KID! BOOK FIRST BEFORE FLIRTING!
:WHAT? YOU CAN'T FIND THAT IN BOOKS! CRAZY!
Conscience: WE
:WEH?
Conscience: Yeah! WE AS IN WHATEVAHH!
:LOL!
"Love, wake up. It's already 8, we have an early flight."
"Hmm, okay."
"You're not moving. Do you want me to carry you and we'll shower together?"
"Crazy! Go shower by yourself!" I complained while still keeping my eyes closed.
"Love, wake up."
"I'm up!" I said while rubbing my eyes.
"Good morning, beautiful. Get ready now. We should arrive at the airport around 10," he said, giving me a soft kiss on my cheek.
"Morning!" My body was suffering from muscle aches because of our previous activities.
I got ready, and we checked out around 9:30. We reached the airport exactly at 10 AM, ready for departure, and arrived in Cazila around 11 AM.
My phone rang again, and it was his mom calling.
"Hello! Ma'am? We already arrived at the airport," I informed his mom.
"Really? Yay! Don't call me ma'am, mom will do. I'm excited to see you, my future daughter-in-law, and my son. I miss him too," she excitedly exclaimed.
"M-mom?" I whispered, totally confused, which made me feel like an absent-minded kid.
"Yeah, call me mom!" she replied.
I couldn't believe it. I gawked at Raze before saying, "I'm happy, mom!"
My heart thumped differently this time. I felt love and was truly accepted.
Has the wish already been granted?