MOA - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After the party and all the dancing, Alex and Aaron decided to stay at the balcony of the Kruger Hills Mansion near the swimming pool. They were soaking their feet in the crystal clear water while watching the stars beneath the dark blue sky. “One week…” Aaron exclaimed. “I have one week to live a king’s life, dear,” he continued. “W-what do you mean?” Alex asked. “This place is what we call paradise, honey. The spots, the parties at night, the beaches, the rooms, and everything! I love this place, Alex. And I feel very lucky for Eric to have this paradise,” he added.

Alex was shut in silence staring at the stars. “I guess Eric has everything as in everything, dear. The money, the power, the popularity… his life is perfectly wonderful,” he said. “But I feel luckier than him, dear. Eric could have all the power in the world but I have you, Alex. And for having you in my life makes me feel complete, dear,” he confessed. Alex caught his attention. She looked back at him straight to the eyes rewinding up every single word that had came out into his mouth. Having you in my life makes me feel complete. But…do you really have me? She thought to herself.

She remembers the time Eric had kissed her and the way she tried to resist but had ended up replying to his lips. And now, she stares at the man she had chosen after Eric. She knew something was wrong about her but she didn’t know what that is. Her conscience was disturbing her with odd questions. Did she really love Aaron? For all these years, why can’t she forget Eric? And the closest question to the answer was… Am I in love with my best friend? And the answer was definitely… a big I DON’T KNOW. And I don’t want to know!

Then unconsciously, tears began to appear on her eyes, falling slowly on her cheeks. She was crying and Aaron was watching her, shocked by her absence mentally. But he did not dare to ask for his instincts tell him that all along, Eric is involve with it. He touched her face and wiped her tears with his hands. And looked at her gently with a lovely smile on his face. “Is it a late reaction, dear?” he asked. “No…” was her quick reply. He draws her closer to him and hugs her; never want to let her go.

Alex has no idea what she was doing. All she thinks is the confusing questions that knock her head off. That suddenly, she holds his face facing her and blurted out the words she never wished to say. “Kiss me.” He gently pressed his lips from hers and they kissed. She had a quick response on it unlike the kiss from Eric. She tried to feel something different about it, the way she had felt with Eric. The kiss was long enough to take your breath away but that time, she felt nothing. Nothing at all. What they do not know was that someone was watching them from afar… Eric.

As he was watching the two, his mouth was shut with silence, unable to breathe to take what he was seeing. His face was in despair. He haves her… He’s the lucky one. And his heart broke to accept the truth that he can’t have her because he had let go of her and now; it’s hard to take her back. He decided to ignore what he was seeing and hurried back to his room, bearing the hurt within it.

When Alex had realized what she was doing and wasn’t able to breathe, she instantly pushed Aaron away, paused for a moment, looked at him directly and blurted out two words… “I’m sorry.”

“Was there something wrong?” Aaron asked.

“Nothing. I think I must go now, dear. Good night,” she replied. And she hurriedly walked away from him. Not looking back, feeling guilty over something. With that kiss, and with the kiss with Eric, she finds the big difference. But she can’t accept the big fact about it.

She reached her room, locked the door, lay on her bed and closed her eyes. Then she opened it again, and started talking to herself in silence. I should know why did he kiss me all along. I might know the answer. I guess. She thought. And she glanced at the connection door. A while later, she was walking in a tiptoe manner towards the door. She opened it slowly without any noise, and then entered inside.

There was no one inside. The bed wasn’t touched. Eric isn’t there. She looked around until she reached the hidden balcony beneath the curtains. From up there, she could see the wonders of the island, the views, the spots and everything. “What a sight!” she exclaimed. She suddenly felt at ease with what she was seeing, feeling the cool breeze touching her face, there was a minute of relaxation in that place. Then, she looked back at her and her eyes sparkled with what she saw. It was a telescope. But it’s not just any ordinary telescope you bought at selected stores… it was the telescope she gave to Eric as a Christmas Present way back then. She quickly recognized it because their initials were written on it.

She hurriedly but carefully walked towards it, held the telescope, and examined it slowly. “Now, where did I put that?” she asked. She’s studying the telescope, turning it over, scrutinizing every detail of that memorable device. Then, her face lightened up seeing the words printed in golden letters on it. “There it is!” she whispered. My love for you will always be as countless as the stars above… she read the words with her mind. She smiled and hugged the telescope tightly. Countless as the stars above… sounds like a vow of a married couple to me, she thought. Then she looked at the stars above using the telescope she was holding for the second time.

“One, two, three…” she whispered as she was counting the countless stars in heaven. She paused for a moment staring at the glass of the telescope. “Seventy-nine… eighty… eighty-one…” she continued counting again. Then there was silence again. “One hundred!” a voice exclaimed. “I’m already in one hundred twenty-eight,” she informed. “Oh, well… I’m counting too, you know,” there was a reply again. She was quickly alarmed by what she heard, put down her telescope and looked back. It was Eric, of course. Who else could it be? He was just right beside Alex facing her face-to-face.

He was watching her the time she tiptoed in his room silently. He stood beside her quietly when Alex was busy counting the stars. He was planning to surprised her, embarrassed her again for trespassing his room, but when she looked straight at him with fear, he finally forgot his plans. Instead, he was more surprised by what he saw in his best friend’s innocent face.

“Eric…” she quickly grasped. And Alex was suddenly speechless to say the next words to him. I know I am trespassing his room. And I am aware that I am playing his telescope without any permission. Lastly, the most embarrassing part here is that I entered his room in the middle of the night wearing pajamas. I’m absolutely running out of excuses and alibis to him. I must think quickly before I go to my bed with a red face, she thought.

He was watching her confused face again covered with fear. Her eyes couldn’t look straight at him. She was pale and frozen, speechless and silent. While Eric was amazed with the woman in front of him, completely hypnotized with her innocence and fear. Then suddenly, an inner voice inside him whispered. Touch her. And he followed. He placed his hands on her arms gently, looking straight in her eyes calmly but seriously.

Out of the blue, Alex’s confusion disappeared, and she was staring at her best friend’s eyes warmly. They were both frozen to move, as if time had stopped in that scene, with the two of them staring each other tenderly. Then again, the inner voice speaks softly in his ears telling him to kiss her. He carelessly gaped at her lips. And after that, he found himself drawing his face closer to hers, tempted to touch her kissable pinkish lips for the second time.

And Alex was frozen in his arms, like a cold dead animal, unable to move, unable to say a word, unable to stop him touch her. She wants that kiss because through that kiss, she knew all along that there was something different about it. It was the kiss from two persons in love with each other, priceless as it is. But then, she doesn’t want to allow it to happen again for she also know that she could end up falling in love more and more with her best friend.

His face was too close from her. His eyes could melt her. His lips could reach hers. However, all of a sudden, Eric paused for a moment in that position. He looked down for a split second, and he fixed his eyes on her again. Then he carefully uttered out the words in his mouth. “What are you doing here?” he asked in the blink of an eye without thinking just to stop him from being tempted.

Alex was suddenly startled by the question. She withdraws herself away from him and hurriedly searching for words to answer him. “I… ah… I was just wandering if you were sleeping. And I… ah… just want to check you. W-well, that is all. I am really sorry to disturb you. I just thought to check you for a minute that I may express my deep gratitude to you for the party. I… well, I heard you were in-in-charge of the arrangements and ah… well, you really arranged a great party. And ah… I also thank you for inviting me here. And for g-giving me a wonderful room to stay with. And ah,” she said carelessly, unaware that she was telling him too much. She stopped for a moment, thinking what she was saying to him, and realizing what she was doing. “Ah… I-I’m sorry for being a stupid talking machine in front of you,” she apologized humbly.

He smiled in return. “I-well, I better go now. I’m really sorry for disturbing you. G-good Night!” she told. She was about to go when unexpectedly, she sensed her self surrounded by Eric’s arms, holding her close to him tightly but mildly. “A-Alex…” he whispered. “Would you stay with me a little longer?” he asked. “Please, I beg you,” he pleaded. His eyes were closed, his hands were tightly embracing her body to his and his lips were in her ears. There was a minute of silence. Then finally, Alex placed her hands on his back, hugging him too, and her head lying on his chest with her eyes closed, listening as his heart beats.

“Eric, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “For what?” he asked. “I forgot to thank you for…” she blurted but paused for a moment. “For loving me, Alex…” he divulged. “Even just as a friend…” he hastily added. He placed his soft hands gently on her cheeks, looked into her brown eyes and watched her closely. Alex was unable to spread out the simple words coming from her mind. I did love you, Eric… more than a friend. Through all these years, my love for you hasn’t change a bit. It won’t fade and I can’t make it disappear… That sometimes, I wanted to blame you for being blind. Now, loving you is too late… now, loving you is wrong, Eric, she thought.

Unexpectedly, tears began to appear in Eric’s lovely green eyes. He was unaware of the teardrops falling slowly in his cheeks, as he was staring to his best friend’s expressive eyes. Deep inside him, he knew what she was thinking just through looking into her eyes. I was a complete fool to let you go, Alex, he thought. I love you so much. I wished to tell you that for so long, Alex. But now, the essence of those words had gone away just like the way I let you go, he moaned. Exactly the way I had let you go, he cried, bearing those words in his mind.

The tears falling in her best friend’s cheeks shocked Alex. She carefully looked into his wet eyes of tears and was tempted to place her hands on his face, wiping the tears in his eyes. “I-I’m sorry,” she whispered in a very low voice without looking straight on his eyes. Eric suddenly became aware of the tears flowing on his eyes that he situated his fingers on his cheeks, drying up all the tears falling in his eyes, unconsciously touching her hands. Furthermore when Alex felt his hands over hers, she fleetingly detached it from him to her pocket.

He continued drying his eyes without looking at her, moreover, without knowing that she was still there. “Ah… E-Eric… I was just wandering. W-what are those tears for, best?” she asked without any idea what she was thinking. Eric finally realized that Alex was still present in his room, marveling of his weird actions that took place a while ago. He glimpsed at her, studying her face like a doctor diagnosing his patient in a carefully careless manner. She wasn’t looking at him directly. Her face was full of confusion, he thought.

He constantly observed her anxious face. With a beam of light from the moon beneath the sky, he was able to see the hidden beauty of his best friend’s lovely face. Moreover, now, he was not just watching her confused face but he was also admiring the beauty, which was glimmering from the darkness of his room. She was exquisite, more beautiful than ever like an angel from the heavens above, he thought.

In the twinkling of an eye, both of them were staring at each other’s eyes looking for answers and replies, searching for any explanation from there endless questions which cannot be asked through their mouths but only with their eyes, the only window of the soul. “I cried… because I can’t help it, Alex,” he blurted out, controlling the hidden passion inside him that he may restrain his hands from touching her. “I-I can’t help yawning. I haven’t sleep for five days, see,” he added, clearing up what he just said accompanied with a yawning gesture. “I-I see,” she replied. “I guess I must be leaving now that you could rest then. Good Night again, Eric!” she informed.

“N-No… I didn’t mean that, pal. I want you to stay here with me a little longer. Please…” he begged. “But I thought you were drowsy already, Eric,” she countered. “Oh please, best. Stay, I beg you!” he pleaded, knelt down in front of her and held her knees tightly. “Hey, stop that!” she shouted. “Please… please!” he continued pleading, not listening to her with his eyes closed. “Okay… I’ll stay, Eric. Just stop that! You’re acting like a child again,” she answered. He quickly stood up and held her hands gently but tightly, gazed into her eyes and smiled. “But I am,” he proudly said.

He embraced her gently, pushed her into the bed, with him on top of her, laughing joyfully. He showed her his two fingers ready to attack her waist with a naughty smile. “Oh no, you don’t! Let me go, Eric!” she ordered. “Never!” he replied naughtily, tickling his best friend while he is on top of her. “S-stop!” she said, giggling cheerfully. She quickly placed her hands on his shoulders, giving enough effort to push him.

And the minute of laughter was halted when the connecting door opened; standing from there was a shadow of a man, whose eyes were angrily staring at them with full of doubt, cynicism and suspicion.