“WHAT DO you want to eat for lunch?” Thaddeus asked Tamara while they have breakfast together. It was a rainy weekend, and Thaddeus wanted to spend the whole day with Tamara inside the house.
“Anything…” Tamara replied, not looking at him. Her eyes were focused on the omelet on her plate.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like an omelet? Do you want me to cook another one for you?” Thaddeus asked, but Tamara just heaved a sigh.
“Omelet is fine,” she said with slopped shoulders.
“Is it about Wil again?” he asked, mentioning the guy’s name made his chest tight. “Have you thought about it?”
Tamara shook her head. “I don’t want to think about him. I’m melting every time I remember his apology to me,” she sighed again. “What bothers me is the applications that I submitted on numerous hospitals around Metro Manila.”
“What about them?” He poured her coffee and refilled her plate with garlic rice. He doesn’t want to see her losing her appetite because of that man. If I could just make Tamara believe that Wil’s energy can bring misfortunes in her apartment—wait a minute… Thaddeus smiled at his thought.
“None of them is responding on my online application,” she said and started to cry. “What if my previous hospital doesn’t recommend me because of the mistake that I made before?”
“You’re just over-thinking, Tamara.” Thaddeus reached for her hand. “Don’t stress yourself too much—”
“I can’t help it,” she countered. “I’m running out of budget. I don’t know if I could still pay for the rents here because until now, I’m still jobless.”
“I will pay for your rents,” Thaddeus suggested that making Tamara look at him. “For now, I will take care of your bills—”
“You’re just making it hard for me to pay you back,” she said and slopped her shoulders again. “I need to eat. I don’t want to be sick when a new job offer came to me.”
Thaddeus laughed. “That’s a good idea.” He pushed the coffee to her. “I can feel it. This will be the best day of your life, Tamara.”
Tamara looked out the window. “How come this is the best day if the weather is gloomy? It was as if the sky is sympathizing on my feelings of uselessness today.”
“Believe me, I’m a shaman, right?” Thaddeus doesn’t know why he started to be more concerned about Tamara’s emotions. He doesn’t know when it began. He just felt it. He felt the need to stay by her side. “Come on, eat your breakfast, then we’ll do something that you will enjoy.”
“What is that thing?” she asked in a knotted forehead, then after a few seconds, her cheeks blushed. “You jerk!” she said, then threw the teaspoon at him.
“Hey, what are you thinking?” Thaddeus laughed. He took the teaspoon on the floor and brought it to the sink. “Tell me, what’s on your mind when I said that we have something enjoyable to do?”
He wiggled her brows at her when she just looked at him, wearing her cutest embarrassed expression. “I don’t have anything in my mind,” she said and stood. She brought her plates to the sink.
Thaddeus followed her to the kitchen and cornered her to the sink. “Really, huh?”
Tamara’s eyes widened in surprise as he stepped closer at her. “Thaddeus!”
“What?” Thaddeus laughed. “We’re adults already. It’s just normal for adults to do these things.”
“It’s normal for adult lovers to do this,” Tamara corrected. “Are we lovers?”
Thaddeus doesn’t know why her single question brought slicing pain inside his heart. “I don’t know,” he said, then took a step back from her. “Then, why did you kiss me if we aren’t lovers?”
Tamara’s face showed she was caught off guard. “Well… I-I just got curious.” She pulled her long hair to the front and covered her face.
“How will I get curious in your lips if you’re blocking my view?” Thaddeus laughed and removed her hair from her face. Tamara’s eyes were closed when he swept her hair. But when she opened her eyes and met her gaze, Thaddeus felt as if his heart joined a marathon race. He took a step back again, afraid that Tamara might hear his heartbeat. “I’ll wash the dishes. You clean the table.”
But Tamara didn’t move. She’s still looking at him. “Thaddeus.” Her voice sounded different. “I think kissing won’t hurt us.”
Thaddeus knotted his forehead. “Huh?”
But before Thaddeus could understand what she said, her lips met his. Thaddeus opened his mouth and kissed her slowly but deeply. He’s been slain by her twice, but the funny thing is, he doesn’t mind as long as it’s Tamara.
_____________________
“I APPLIED ON ten hospitals, and I haven’t received any of their feedback,” Tamara muttered while staring at her laptop screen. “I wanted to see the notification label on my email.”
Thaddeus sat beside her on the couch and leaned on her shoulder. The man became clingy to her after they went to the Sky Ranch. Tamara knew that she shouldn’t be letting him so close to her, but why would she do that? Thaddeus is a handsome guy who’s perfect in all aspects. Would she waste this moment that’s been dreamed by all girls? Of course, she won’t.
“Thaddeus, why don’t you make the notifications come in my email?” she asked with furrowed brows and nudged him in the waist.
Thaddeus snuggled to her. “I’m not a magician, Tamara.”
“Really?” She looked at him. “Then, how can you remove all my stress and worries by just looking at me like that?”
The man smiled at her. “You’re the only one that can answer that.”
Tamara’s heart fluttered. But she immediately ignored it. How could she still feel like this to a man that she had kissed twice? She shook her head and stared at the monitor again.
“Tamara.” Thaddeus reached for her hand and squeezed it. Tamara felt her heartbeat stop with that gesture. “Everything will be okay, trust me.”
When she looked at him, his eyes were closed as if he were sleeping. How can he be so charming? She reached to his face but was interrupted by a notification sound from her laptop. When she opened the email, her eyes widened.
“Oh, my gosh…” She caught her heart. “Thaddeus, I received a job offer!”
Thaddeus sat up in a jolt and looked at her laptop. “That’s good news!”
Tamara hugged her tightly. “This calls for a celebration—”
They heard knocks on the door, then after just a moment, it pushed open, and Wil stepped inside with a large bouquet in his hand.
“Hi, Tamara. I used my keys to open the door,” Wil said with a smile. “We have a date, right?”
***