The next day, I heard from my brother that both of my parents didn't go back home. I think they still decided to take me before they could get back. They are staying in a hotel just about five kilometers away from the rest house. I also heard that after our confrontation, Ysmael waited for them and offered them a room to stay in, but they refused. Well, my parents' pride is more important than anything else.
I stayed up all night thinking about the things I discovered. Of course, I felt that it's the truth already and that I don't even need to have what Shaina offered, but then I realized how unfair my situation is for Ysmael, who did nothing but prove himself to me.
I'm still in our room, and then again, he didn't go home last night. That's another reason why I stayed all night. I need someone to talk to about what I found out, but it turns out that he's not here. I don't know where he went, but when I asked Shaina when she knocked earlier to give me food, she told me that he was just securing every corner of this land against the enemy.
"He's out keeping everyone safe."
That's what Shaina told me, and it's a pretty vague statement to make. I went out to the balcony to get some fresh air to calm my mind after what I learned yesterday. My head still hurts a little, but what's interesting right now is that I can feel some muscle pain all over my back.
It feels like thousands of needles are piercing through my back, but it will eventually go away once I inject the serum that Luke left in our room last night. He thought I was sleeping, so he went inside to leave it on the nightstand. Actually, the serum I'm taking is not the usual one. I don't know what it is, but it's helping me to control the pain.
I was busy reading one of the books that I found on the shelves when I felt someone behind my back. I looked in his direction and found him leaning on the doorway while looking at me.
"What do you want now?" I asked.
"I want you," he simply replied in an instant.
I softly chuckled before I continued to focus on reading. Meanwhile, he walked towards me and literally sat in front of me, like he was only inches away from me. He parted my legs and grabbed me by my thigh to get close to me. Now, my legs are on top of his thighs while I'm still reading the book I got.
"Do you know that it's not a good thing to have something you don't own with any permission?" He said, and so I looked up to him only to see that he was looking at the book I was holding.
"So it's yours? You read books?" I asked sarcastically.
"Obviously," he sarcastically replied too!
Here's another side of him that I didn't know. He's a softie at heart, but he's a tough cookie on the outside. It's like he's a hard lock for you to crack little by little to find out what's within.
His hands traveled from my legs up to my waist, and he was about to grab it closer when I stopped him with my other hand.
"I'm trying to read here, creep," I said, tapping his shoulders.
"Are you really reading? It seems like you were admiring my face like two minutes ago," he said, trying to tease me.
"Am I really the one who's trying to admire someone?" I asked to test him.
He chuckled softly and broke eye contact with me at the same time. I smiled at the thought of him getting so shy. I can clearly see how red his ears are, and it's pretty cute!
Our conversation ended when I heard a knock from the door inside. I immediately stood up to open the door, only to see his grandma, who was smiling at me from ear to ear. She has a big glass container filled with lasagna that looks so good, and it even smells great.
"Can I come in, my child?" She politely asked, and so I nodded and opened the door wider for her to enter. She went straight to Ysmael and placed the lasagna on the table outside. I also went to join them.
"Did you already tell her?" She excitedly asked him.
Ysmael looked at me and smiled. I, on the other hand, probably looked so clueless in front of them.
"They had a little gathering downstairs," he said.
"For what?" I curiously asked.
"To celebrate your wedding anniversary, my child!" Her grandma even held my hand. "It's been a year now since the two of you made a promise to love each other forever."
My lips parted at the thought of it. So it's been a year now? It's been so long now.
I looked back at him, and he just looked so relaxed at the thought of it. Meanwhile, I'm trying to digest the fact that I've been with him for months and that those moments are now erased from my memories. I felt sorry, and so I apologetically smiled at him.
Her grandma excused herself and told us that she also made cupcakes for us and that she needed to get them now.
We're left alone again, and I hold his hand immediately.
"You didn't tell me," I said, as a matter of fact.
"I don't want to pressure you to go downstairs if you don't want to," he said as he walked closer towards me and arranged some hair strands that were blocking the side of my face.
"But they've already prepared something for me and for us," I said.
"But I also want to consider you," he insisted. "I don't want you to force yourself and keep giving them fake smiles when it's still hard for you to keep up with everything."
The way he looks out for me makes me feel cared for and appreciated. I could clearly tell how much he values me as a woman, and I'm flattered at the thought that I'm experiencing this kind of treatment from him. From school, I heard people talking about him not being so open to everyone and being such a lonely person, to the point that I even saw him as a freak before. I never thought he had this side. A side that only the closest people around him are allowed to witness, and I'm one of them.
Without any warning or such, I hugged him so tight. This is the only way I could express my gratitude to him. I know we still have a long way to go before I can finally recover, but I know one thing for sure:
I know I will eventually love him.
Again.
Deep inside my thoughts, I could feel it.
I could feel the fluttering feeling, and the amount of happiness he gave me just says it all.
"Let's meet them now," I whispered in his ear. I feel him nodding at my shoulders.
We went downstairs, and I instantly smiled when I saw everybody busy arranging the dining area for all the food that his grandma had prepared. I'm holding the lasagna she gave us earlier upstairs and placing it on the table along with the other food. Everything looked appetizing to look at, and they even decorated the wall with "happy first".
When his grandma noticed us, she looked so happy and hugged me.
"I'm glad you came to see all of this!" She said happily.
"I wanted to see what you prepared," I answered politely.
"Should we start the celebration now?" She asked, and I nodded.
Time flies so fast, and just by looking at the people around me, I could tell that I'd grown into a good person before the accident happened. Luke came out of nowhere holding a cake, and he gave it to me.
"Happy anniversary," he said after he lit up the candle.
Now, everyone's looking at me. They are waiting for me to say something.
"I say you wish?" Ysmael whispered, and so I finally understood what they're waiting for.
I closed my eyes and thought of the days since the start, when I met him again. I smiled and suddenly thought of something.
This time, I'll love him unconditionally.