He is driving to the city to pick up his fiancée at the airport. His phone pings with a notification and he checks his inbox to see that he has received two text messages from her. He responds to the first one by saying he will arrive soon as he can. The second one contains pictures and a message saying ‘I miss you so much already.’
He stopped in front of the crossroad when the light turned red. While waiting he looked at the pictures of Chantria and remembered what they did in the past month. His fingers traced the edges of the phone screen and smile at the memory of them.
*****
After their talk with Harvin, he found out that Hanna went to the barn to see the horses and she wanted to stay for a vacation. He went back to his room but Chantria isn’t there. He looked around the house and found her in the garden, sitting on the grass. So he approached her.
“Hi!” she said.
“What are you doing outside?” he asked and sat beside her. she didn’t look up when she answered him.
“I’m thinking.” She looked around again. She sighed and finally looked up at him with a smile on her face. She stood up and grabbed his hand. She dragged him out of the garden into the woods. They walked for what seemed like hours until they came into an open area, surrounded by trees. He could see some animals in the distance running from one tree to another.
“This is my favorite place. It reminds me of how I feel.” She said.
She always comes to this place whenever he is not around. He nodded and smiled.
“Do you know what I’m thinking about?” she asked as she turned towards him and took a step closer.
“No,” he replied.
She chuckled. She was right next to him now and suddenly, she closed the distance between them. She pressed her lips against his. They kissed each other passionately. Their tongues danced together. His hands moved up to cup her face. Her arms wrapped around his neck. They broke apart panting for air. They continued to kiss each other passionately, then it got more heated. He pushed her down to the ground. She moaned. He took off her shirt then his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt and smirked at her.
The clouds were red-or orange emphasizing that it is a sunset. He was staring at her back as they walked to the house. She turned to face him, smiling.
“What are you thinking of?” she asked.
He looked down at his feet before answering.
“You. I think about how beautiful you look.”
His eyes met hers and they stared into each other for a few seconds in silence before they broke out laughing. Then she ran.
“I love you!” he shouted and she stopped not looking back.
He walked fast and was able to catch up.
“I love you, Chantria. I mean it,” he said gently.
But she still didn’t look at her and he was worried, so he walked to her front and looked at her face. She’s crying. He panicked, not knowing what to do.
“Chantria. I… did I… what’s wrong?”
She sniffled and wiped her tears.
“I love you,” she whispered but he heard it loud and clear.
He took a step closer and cupped her face with both hands.
“Wait, you’re not upset? He asked, eyeing her closely.
He kissed her lips and slowly pulled away to see if she’d cry again. This time he felt a slight movement against his lips which he instantly connected with. They pulled away and chatted about how much fun they had. When she saw a small tear in the corner of her eye, she quickly brushed it off. She grabbed his hand and started walking again. She could feel a smile on his face which only caused a smile of her own.
They spent their every day together. They would go to different places, eat some food and drink a lot of wine and just have fun. They could talk, laugh, scream, and even kiss a few times… but for now, she was sitting with her legs crossed on the chair while she watches him cook something. They were in their kitchen, having a nice dinner when she saw it. he was humming some song under his breath while mixing ingredients while cooking a simple dish. The music seemed to flow perfectly through his body as if it was singing along to his movements and that made her smile. She watched as he did this and it gave her ideas. She got up from her chair and walked slowly and quietly towards him until she stopped right behind him around so that he faced her. he blinked confusedly at first before realizing what happened. his lips curved into a smile as he wrapped his arms and leaned forward to give her a kiss. His lips moved against hers with such ease that she melted against him. she let out a small sigh when he pulled away from her. he looked at her lovingly, a slight blush tinting his cheeks as he brushed some hair off her forehead.
“What were you thinking about?”
She shrugged, leaning back against his chest again.
“Something stupid probably. I want to do this more often!”
He chuckled lightly.
“You are quite bold today. I don’t think you ever acted this boldly towards me before.”
“I guess we are both different then huh?”
“You can say that.”
He reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear, making sure there was nothing else on it.
“Now come on, dinner is ready. I don’t want anything burning!” She rolled her eyes and let out a light chuckle.
The two of them sat down together at the table in silence. They ate and talked but not much of it was said. He didn’t know if he would tell her about him picking up his fiancée tomorrow or not. But he rather keeps it to himself and just told her that he will take some business in the city. After all, it will not do her good to worry about something that will eventually end. Just like his engagement. He planned to end it quickly.
*****
His heart ached because of the distance between their bodies. He turned on the engine of the car when the light finally changed into green. He arrived at the airport and saw her waiting outside with her luggage. He get out of his car and greeted her.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I picked up some documents at the office before coming here.”
“It’s fine. As long as you’re here now,” she said and entered the car.
He drove her to the hotel owned by his father. When they arrived, the staff were lined up with a red carpet for her entrance.
“Welcome, Ms. Everleigh Alonso. Welcome, Mr. Alexander Genovese.” They greeted in unison.
A middle-aged woman approached them.
“Mr. Alonso has been waiting for you. Please follow me,” she said.
They followed her to the hallway and rode the elevator to the top. They entered a private meeting room. Turns out, the woman is the secretary. She opened the door for them and entered the room.
“Daddy!” she said and hugged the man inside the room. He stands and meets her hug. Then he turned to Alexander and nodded. They sat on the couch and talked. Then Alexander pulled out a document and laid it on the table. He looked at the man straight on the face and said firmly.
“I’m breaking off the engagement.”