A deafening sound like a thunderclap surrounded the room where a strawberry blonde woman was sleeping, followed by a loud voice shouted near the woman's ears.
"Reane! We'll be late if you stay in bed!"
The sleeping woman was startled; her heart skipped a bit. She opened her eyes and saw her best friend, Nic, a petite woman with a mischievous glint in her eyes, holding the lid of an aluminum pot and a ladle; she seemed to have used it like a drum that woke her up.
"What the hell? Can't I just get a good night's sleep?" Reane grumbled sleepily. With her eyes half-open and heavy, she glanced at the digital clock on her bedside table, which read 10:43 AM on Sunday, April 8, 2018. 'Oh, it's morning,' she thought, frowning slightly. But she didn't care; she closed her eyes again and shifted onto her side of the bed.
"Nic, I'm still sleepy... It's Sunday, and the weather is perfect for sleeping. Please leave me alone." Reane groaned, pulling the blanket over herself.
A vein almost popped in her best friend's forehead, a clear sign of displeasure with Reane's behavior.
"Hey! Miss Reane Castillejo, you have to get up now, or I'll throw you some water! You promised we would do the photoshoot today for my coffee shop. How can you be the face of my business if your lazy body is still here!"
Nic tries to pull the blanket, but Reane is persistent and doesn't even bulge.
"I know, alright! The shoot won't start until 2 PM; what's the rush?! You won't open your shop till the end of May anyway." Reane turned her back and shut her eyes.
"Five minutes more, please; I need to go back to sleep, or my beautiful face will be ruined because of you." Reane protested, her voice muffled by the blankets as she attempted to drown out her best friend's persistent calls. She curled tighter, desperately hoping for just a few more precious moments of rest.
Her best friend let go of the blanket and mischievously smiled; then, Nic didn't hesitate to grab Reane's foot and pull her off the bed.
"Nic!" The strawberry-blonde woman was astounded by her friend's action, and she couldn't keep up because Nic started tickling her body. Reane burst out laughing; her clothes were almost lifted, but Nic continued to tickle her, her laughter filling the room with lighthearted playfulness.
"What five minutes are you talking about?! You need to start getting ready now! You always take forever in the bath and even longer picking out your clothes!" Nic exclaimed, still mercilessly tickling Reane on the bedroom floor.
Reane's laughter filled the room, growing uncontrollably until she was gasping for air. Her attempts to squirm away only made Nic tickle her even harder.
"Stop…please… hahaha… Ms. Pherenice Perenchio, stop this now!"
Reane squealed between bursts of laughter, stretching her arms in a desperate attempt to reach Nic's head. But it was useless—Nic easily towered over her, dodging every swipe with effortless ease. Her short, layered bob shifted with each movement, the deep midnight blue melting into electric blue at the tips. With that signature smirk playing on her lips, Nic was every bit as untouchable as she was relentless.
Nonetheless, Nic thought that she had enough and quit before Reane started to get angry or, worst, cry since Reane is so sensitive to most parts of her body that even a slight touch on her skin, especially to her stomach, would make her laugh nonstop; Nic stood up and proudly said.
"Mission accomplished! You're finally awake! And may I remind you that I don't like it when you call me by my full name." Nic raised an eyebrow but still managed to grin, teasing Reane that she would tickle her again if she stayed on the bed; therefore, the strawberry-blonde woman stood up instantly.
"Excuse me, you mentioned my name first, Miss Perenchio. I need to get your attention so you'll stop harassing me!" Reane complained, her voice tinged with mock indignation. She placed her hand on her chest, mimicking Nic's earlier actions. The two giggled before Reane sat down at the end of the bed.
"Whatever you say. Just get ready so we can eat before we leave—and please take a bath; you still smell like alcohol from last night's party," Nic reminded Renne, who was stretching a little. Nic then continued, "Oh, and by the way, are you meeting up with your boyfriend today? If so, cancel it. We're hanging out with the girls instead." She then picked up the pillows and blanket that had fallen on the floor.
"Who? What boyfriend?" Reane looked puzzled by her best friend's sudden question. Nic threw the pillow in Reane's face and snickered, her teasing nature adding a sense of amusement to the conversation.
"Seriously, how drunk were you last night? The guy who looks like a salaryman that tagged along with you. I even saw you two making out." Nic explained slowly, emphasizing the words 'making out' to highlight what had happened and tease Reane.
"Oh, and what was his name again? Henerry? Oh! Hairy? No… Amhm.." Reane looked at her friend in disbelief; she could sense that Nic was mocking her and enjoying it.
"It's Henri with an 'I'—short for Henricho. The only son of the owner of that massive media empire," Reane answered and rolled her eyes. Both laughed at the thought of the guy Reane was dating at the party.
"I can clearly recall him boasting about his father's business," Nic remarked a playful hint of mockery in her tone.
"Right, that's why I mentioned him. He was just one of those guys my parents tried to set me up with again. You know how much they love to arrange dates with different bachelors. Then he asked where I was going, and…." Reane paused as if trying to think of the best excuse.
"Since the girls wanted me to bring someone, I thought Henri was kind of cute anyway, so I just invited him along."
Nic let her friend continue her story with a suspicious look.
"Then I got a little drunk, so when I went outside to get some fresh air, he kissed me. I just tried to enjoy the moment, you know?"
Despite her friend's words, Nic still wore an expression that conveyed disbelief.
"Come on!" Reane yelled in frustration, "I came home with you here in your mansion, so nothing more happened, okay? And I don't think there will be next time." Reane smiled weakly.
"Yeah, because you passed out, and I have to drag you here by myself, you drunk fool." Nic bragged and smirked at Reane, and then she remembered something about Henri.
"But you said you were seeing each other for weeks now. Did you dump this Henri guy already? Come to think of it, you were upset before you passed out, but I didn't see him with you, did he..." Nic couldn't finish her sentence as Reane stopped her with a piercing look that, if possible, could kill her.
"Let's forget about it! Get out now! It's almost noon, and I need to start preparing." Reane tossed the pillow aside, which Nic caught effortlessly with one hand; after all, her best friend was tall and had large hands.
Nic decided not to push the issue further and thought, 'If she says she's okay, maybe we can discuss it later instead.'
"Whatever you said, Ma'am Castillejo." Nic nodded, then gave Reane a big hug and left the room.
Reane forced herself to smile. She knew that Nic could sense when something was wrong or if she needed her—after all, Nic was her best friend. Whenever Reane wanted someone to talk to, cry on, or rant about the world, she always turned to Nic. She was confident that Nic would understand without her needing to say anything.
As Reane began to unbutton her clothes to prepare for a bath, she realized that her outfit had been changed from what she had worn the night before. She hadn't noticed this earlier because she had been busy arguing with Nic.
"Wait, where are my clothes from last night? And where did she put my belongings?" she wondered as she looked down at the yellow, long-sleeved, silky pajamas she wore, though she couldn't remember changing into them.
"Since I passed out, it's probably Nic or the maids who took care of it."
Reane is currently staying in one of the guest rooms on the third floor of the main house. The room is spacious enough to accommodate at least four king-size beds. Her bed is positioned in the middle of the room, adorned with light grey covers and pillows. A lamp is on the left side of the bed, while a white wooden bedside table sits on the right. In front of the bed is a mahogany TV rack, and mounted on the wall is a 42-inch flat-screen TV. A study table is placed near the window.
As Reane walked around the room, she noticed her cleaned clothes neatly arranged on a chair next to a large white cabinet. She opened the wardrobe and found a variety of clothes—pieces she commonly wears when staying at the Perenchio estate. Since becoming friends with Nic, Reane practically lives at his home, even though her own house is not far away. Their parents have also developed a strong business partnership.
Reane continued to browse some clothes and decided to wear a plain white blouse and denim pants paired with white sneakers. 'They'll give me a new set of clothes to change later on anyway, so I might as well wear something comfortable,' she thought. Then she heard some noises outside; she peeked into the window and opened it to check what it was.
From her room, Reane could see the vast landscape of the mansion. The estate stretched as far as the eye could see, encompassing Nic's family's entire property. There was a spacious courtyard that rivaled a stadium in size and another building nearby for special events, all surrounded by tall pine trees. Below her room lay the garden next to the greenhouse.
The estate is extensive, with a broad courtyard that resembles the size of a stadium, an additional building for special events surrounded by tall pine trees, and a garden adjacent to the greenhouse below her room.
She stood still in front of the window, gazing at the view. It was a pleasant afternoon; the sky was blue with fluffy white clouds drifting lazily in the gentle breeze and the delicate songs of birds in the trees; she felt a sense of calm wash over her as she gazed at the sprawling landscape of the mansion. She could see Mr. Lerio, the gardener, tending to the large plants. He was talking incoherently to one of the helpers; it was too far away to hear their conversation, but she could tell there were people outside.
It was a beautiful day, but she couldn't appreciate it. Everything felt grey for her, and she showed an emotionless face despite the beautiful scenery. The birds started flying, and she murmured to herself.
"If only I could fly as free as a bird,"
But then she heard a gunshot not too far from the main house; it hit one of the birds. She muffled a laugh and mused, 'Well, that didn't last long; we live in a cruel world, after all.'
She heard another loud bang resounding outside. Reane looked where it came from and saw that Nic's father started practicing target shooting on the field with some friends/business partners; they do this during weekends to bond or talk about business while doing some boring stuff.
Her eyes widened and she came back to reality when she remembered that it was Sunday, and she had to prepare quickly, or Nic would get mad at her again. One of the visitors tried to gaze in her window, but before that visitor could see her, she slid the curtains, turned on the TV, and put on a random show to help distract her from the bird that had just been killed for no reason.
Reane removed her clothes and went straight to the bathroom in her room; she kept the door half open so she could still listen to the TV while showering. The bathroom has a hefty tub that can fit two people at the same time; she soaked herself deep in the bathtub. Her head is afloat, and she then closes her eyes. Unexpectedly, tears start streaming from her eyes as she remembers last night's events; she touches her lips with her right thumb and bites her lower lip lightly; blood begins to form in the corner of her mouth. While the TV program's sound plays in the room's background, she hugs her knees to her chest and cries in silence.