“DARN, Caroline! What got into your mind?” Hyacinth scolded her as soon as she reached her table in their office. “We’re so worried about you—”
“Really?” she asked with an arched brow. “You were so busy making out with Lucas that you didn’t notice me when I waved goodbye to the two of you.”
Hyacinth's mouth fell open. Her brows furrowed, and her expression was a mix of shock and confusion. “P-pardon me?”
Caroline rolled her eyes. “You kissed Lucas—”
“What?!” she cut off. “Impossible. I’m not drunk last night—”
Oh, yeah?” she laughed. “Why don’t you ask your boyfriend?” she said, stressing the last word.
“Oh, my gosh… I thought that was just a dream,” she pulled a chair and plopped down. “I can’t believe it—” She caught her collar. “Did we…?”
Caroline chuckled. “Lucas wasn’t the type of a guy that would take advantage of drunk women,” she said. “So, don’t worry, your hymen is still intact.”
Hyacinth heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good news… But, wait, so what happened to you last night? Aren’t you drunk?”
Caroline turned her swivel chair around to face her computer monitor. She opened a file, and a photo of Benjamin’s wife that she just grabbed from the internet flashed on her screen. “How to be Benjamin’s ideal woman?”
She heard Hyacinth’s chair rolled towards her. “Things did not turn out well last night?”
Caroline sighed. “I can still feel that he loves his wife so much.”
“Of course, she’s the mother of his children,” Hyacinth said matter-of-factly. “Learn to accept that, Caroline. You can’t compete with his wife because you’ll just look desperate.”
“I am desperate…” she whispered. “I told him how I felt last night.”
Hyacinth gasped. “For real?”
She nodded and frustratingly pulled her hair. “But, he just ignored what I’ve said.”
“Benjamin is not yet ready for a new relationship.” Hyacinth shook her head. “Caroline, why don’t you give him space for a while?”
She shot her a look. “What do you mean by that?”
“Take a break with your business with him,” Hyacinth replied. “No chats, no texts, calls, video calls, and even emails—”
“I can’t do that!” Caroline brushed her hands in her face. “I can’t last a day without him.”
Hyacinth snorted. “That’s it! Benjamin was overwhelmed by your presence. You’re always showing up in the café even if he doesn’t tell you to come over. You’re crowding his personal space by making his life full of your presence.”
“Am I choking him?” she said, disappointed.
“Yes! And, in the process, you’re also making him get used to you,” Hyacinth said directly.
Caroline froze in her seat as the words rang in her ears… get used to me… she covered her ears and tried her best to divert her thoughts to other things. But, her breathing started to get rough.
Hyacinth seemed to notice her sudden change of mood. She rubbed her back repeatedly until she calmed down. “Caroline, I’m sorry… I-I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t mention it again…” she said. “I want to get out of this shit…”
Hyacinth dashed to their office water dispenser to get her water. She gave it to her immediately, that she drank continuously. “Why don’t you get some rest first?”
She cupped her forehead. “I was just faking a headache a while ago, and now I really got it.”
“I’ll drive you home,” Hyacinth offered. “I wanted to make sure that you’ll reach our apartment and not your home address in Metro,” she added with a scowl.
“I’ll think about your suggestion in my dreams,” she said, ignoring what Hyacinth’s said. “But, I hope to meet Benjamin in my dreamland.”
Hyacinth grunted, and Caroline just touched her cheek that Benjamin kissed.
*
“Dad, I think this necklace belongs to Tita Caroline.” Anastacia showed Benjamin a thin gold necklace with a cloverleaf pendant. “I found it under the coffee table.”
Benjamin looked closely at the necklace. He saw that necklace hanging on Caroline’s neck last night. Maybe she dropped it onto the floor when she— Benjamin ditched the thought quickly. He shouldn’t be thinking about it.
He cocked his head. But, what happened last night has been occupying his thoughts since he woke up this morning. And, every vivid detail was torturing him and his conscience. What if he failed to control himself? What if he got carried away by her hot kisses? What if his body couldn’t refuse the heat that her luscious body emits?
Their friendship might be over by now.
Caroline was so vulnerable last night that she almost threw herself to him. And Benjamin will never take advantage of her. Caroline was his friend—a good friend. He’ll never do anything that could ruin their friendship. He just hoped that Caroline would cooperate.
“Dad?” Anastacia interrupted his thoughts. “What’s our plan for the weekend?”
“Mamita’s birthday is on Saturday,” Antonette informed.
“And, Tita Rochelle messaged me earlier if we could pay them a visit on Mamita’s birthday.” Anastacia picked up her phone on the dining table. “She said that it’d been six years since we last visited them.”
The last time that they went to Bohol was Camille’s birthday. Antonette and Anastacia were just six years old back then. Benjamin heaved a sigh. His mother was missing her grandchildren.
“Okay, we’ll go to Mamita’s this weekend,” he said with a sigh. “The past few months gave us so much stress; I think we deserve a 3-day break now.”
‘Three days?” Anastacia’s eyes widened. “We should invite Tita Caroline to come with us—”
“Why? She’s not a part of the family,” Antonette disagreed.
Anastacia rolled her eyes. “Say that to those books that you’ve been sniffing in the attic since the day that we moved here.”
Antonette folded her arms. “Whatever, Anastacia. That type of sarcasm was for a no brainer—”
“Enough,” Benjamin put his hand on the table. “Anastacia, Caroline is busy—”
“She isn’t!” She showed him her cell phone screen. “Look, she posted on her social media that it will be a long weekend for her. Let’s invite her to come with us. It’ll be more fun!”
A photo of Caroline’s feet wrapped in blankets filled the screen. Benjamin felt relieved that she took a rest instead of working with a headache.
Antonette snorted. “You’re so fond of her,” she said. “There’s nothing special to her, and she’s too clingy to dad.”
“Antonette, you shouldn’t be saying those things to the person that did nothing but help us,” Benjamin told his daughter. “I’ll ask her if she’s not busy this weekend.”
Benjamin picked up his phone to call Caroline, but several rings have passed, and she’s not picking up. He redialled her number and received the same operator response.
“Maybe she’s sleeping,” Anastacia said, watching him typing on the screen. “Why don’t you go to their office tomorrow to invite her personally?”
Benjamin’s fingers stopped typing a message for Caroline. He looked at Anastacia, who was smiling widely at him. On her side was her twin sister, Antonette, who wasn’t even trying to hide her disapproval from Anastacia’s request.
“I think that’s a nice idea,” he said and quickly deleted his message.
But, before he put his phone down, he sent her a message that reminds her to eat healthily and on time.
***