Zed's POV
“No, I’ll be fine. Thank you. You all don’t have to bother at all,” Yen says.
“I insist, Miss Yen. Any taxi driver can recognize who you are,” says Ella. And I am pleased again at the sportsmanship she is showing.
“Either you wait for me, or you go with Zed. Choose,” Ara says, moving her gaze from Yen to mine.
“Let’s go, Yen! It must be something urgent since you can’t wait,” I butt in.
Yen opens her mouth to speak, but closes it again. Perhaps, she knows she can never win against Ara. Or perhaps, she doesn’t want us thinking she’s playing hard to get.
“I’ll get the keys,” Ella rises from her seat and walks to the key rack, plucking off the car keys from the hook, and throws it to me.
I still walk towards her, hold her hips and bend to kiss her on the lips. I kiss her long and hard, erasing the sense of jealousy that she may have started to harbor deep in her heart.
“I love you,” I whisper in her ear, but loud enough for the other ladies to hear.
She got stunned for a second, but smiles afterward and says, “Take care both of you.”
I turn towards the door, gesturing for Yen to follow. Somehow, my eyes catch Ara’s unconsciously and she rolls her eyes.
“Ar, tame your tongue a little. My sweetheart isn’t used to your big mouth.”
“I know, I know. Go.”
Yen moves towards Ella and Ara, giving them a goodbye kiss before she follows me to the garage. I open the pilot seat next to me and let her in before I walk around to the driver’s side.
“You alright?” I ask after I turn the ignition key and have my seatbelt fastened. She mirrors me and fastens her seatbelt as well.
“Dying.” She presses a thin smile.
“Why is that? Ara?” I ask her as soon as we get into the main road.
She scoffs before she answers. “Sorry for her behavior. She’s really embarrassing.”
I laugh softly. “Dear, as if you haven’t known her for many years. She only calmed down a bit when she was pregnant. And now that all is well with her, her mouth always explodes like fireworks. Aren’t you used to that?”
“But we’re not her only audience.”
“Ella understands. She already knows she’s brainless at times.”
“All the time,” she corrects, and I laugh.
Silence follows until it’s no longer comfortable. “Is Ara the reason why you want to go ahead?”
Yen doesn’t answer. And I don’t have to hear her reply. What happened at home a few minutes ago was really embarrassing for her.
“Sorry that I came. If I have known that Ara was going to your house, I would not have come with her.”
“Forget it,” I say. “For a talkative lady like her, the length of the trip would have killed her.”
“She can find another companion."
"But she's happier with you."
I pull to the side and stare at her. Even if she’s looking at the road, I can tell by the creases on her face that she’s fighting over her urge to cry.
“Dear, can we keep the friendship? We used to be good friends before. There’s no need to avoid each other.”
When she doesn’t answer, I continued, “And our paths are bound to cross often because your husband is offering a partnership with Ella.”
“Do you love her?” she asks after a few minutes of silence, her eyes are on her fingers.
I give her a long stare, wondering if I should answer her question or not. I don’t want to hurt her, but it seems that we need a firm closure now. Although the truth that she’s also hurting as much as I did surprise me. What kind of a husband is Kim? She shouldn't have felt that way since I never doubt Kim's love for her.
“Yes.” I wait for her reaction and see her nodding.
“Happy to know that.”
“Yen, let me ask this. I hope you give me an honest answer.”
Finally, she turns to look at me, but only for a few seconds. She doesn’t even ask what my question is.
“How is Kim as a husband? Why did you say you want me back?”
Her face turns red right away. But she still opens her mouth to speak. “Because I’m an idiot.”
“Care to explain?”
Silence follows, but I fix my eyes on her. Even with her peripheral vision, she can see that I’m staring at her, silently demanding an answer. She’s still the stunning woman I know but she doesn’t make my heart leap anymore. I can still remember the pain, but no longer the longing to have her in my life again. Ella’s presence in my life hastens my steps towards moving on, even if our future is loaded with uncertainties.
“Okay,” she glances at me for a while, “since we didn’t have a proper talk after what happened three years ago, I think now is the best time to talk about us.”
I feel my heartbeats quicken, so I take a deep breath and shift my position so that my back is inclined well at the backrest. I fix my gaze on the road before us, and I guess she can tell by that position that I’m listening. To listen to her sentiments is important for me, too.
“You have no idea how much I tried to convince Kim before to leave us alone. Even if I may not be expressive, I had truly love you. Until now, I’m still burdened by the guilt of leaving you. You did nothing wrong but loved me tenderly, despite my shortcomings.”
“Ara kept feeding me things about you. That you left the country because of me. That you stopped living because of me.”
My body stiffens at her confession; the guilt and pain in her voice break my heart into pieces.
“Because of me, you have that disorder. And I feel I’m too heartless to leave you just like that.”
Yen breaks into a sob, pouring all her emotion out. I reach out to hold her hand and squeeze it.
“Your decision is right, Yen. You have Kim and two kids waiting for you. It’s expected for me to get hurt because you were my everything, but I didn’t stop living as you said. I just changed my priorities, giving my focus to my business and my carrier. See, I’m with “The Quartet.”
She sobs louder and I stop explaining, waiting until she calms down.
“And I have already moved on.”
“Someone has told me Ella is just a cover-up.” I freeze for a few seconds. It means she’s not buying my drama with Yen from the beginning.
I chuckle. “You have seen it in your own eyes a while ago.”
“And how are you in bed?” I suddenly choke on my saliva. Yen hasn't changed at all. She still talks about sex like she has no backbone.
“Does it matter, Yen? Do you think Ella will leave me because I have the disorder?” One of the reasons I let her go was because of my impotence. I was ashamed of it. It even lowered my self-esteem despite the praise I get from my followers.
Her eyes flew wide at the meaning I give to her statement. And she stutters in her explanation. “It’s not what I meant. I have talked to your doctor and it’s my fault that you have that weakness.”
I stare at her again and see her hands shaking on her lap. My heart melts upon realizing the depth of her guilt that I pull her close and hug her.
“It’s not your fault. It’s my body's reaction to what I had witnessed. Just as it’s not your fault that you lost your memories and forgot that you have kids and husband waiting for you.”
She doesn’t reply and is still fighting against her tears.
“To answer your question, yes. Yes, I love Ella and she gives a whole new meaning to my life. I don’t say she’s better than you because you are both peculiar in your own ways. I love you both dearly at different times.
I pause a little for my next answer, holding her gaze. "And yes, I’m now fully healed. My only regret is that I never got to give you the best sexual experience.”
Yen finally smiles, but still refuses to look at me. “You gave it to me once, not too long ago.”
I laugh, and she laughs as well.
“So, we’re good now?”
She nods and says, “Yes. And am I already forgiven?"
"I'm never angry at you."
"Thank you, Zed. Ella is lucky to have you."
"I was also blessed to have you back then."
"Cheesy," she laughs, and I smile.
“So, let’s go back to the road.”
She suddenly stops my hand from reaching out to the steering wheel. “Zed?”
“Yes?”
“Can I kiss you for the last time?”
I stiffen in my seat. My mind screams, “No.” I can’t do this to Ella. But Yen suddenly grabs my chin and claims my lips in a deep kiss.
Just then, I see a car from the opposite road. I notice that it slows down and a light flashes from inside.