Chapter 7 SEVEN

I wanted to scream at that point. So I yelled, "Kendra! "

My whip crack filled my apartment, but it didn't come close to matching how irritated I was at the time.

"Don't even consider it!"

"

From the other room, Kendra called out to me. "Just give me a second!" "

Kendra was a sweetheart and a hard worker, but she was never a good liar. I dashed into the living room from the guest bedroom, which I'd converted into an office. Kendra stood in the center of the room, her thumbs a blur as she typed a text message.

"Please don't do it!"

"Almost...and...done!"

I came to a halt a few feet away, staring at her big grin as she slipped her phone into the back pocket of her black skinny jeans.

"Please tell me you did not do what I believe you did."

"Can I save you from having a breakdown? Because I'm fairly certain that's exactly what I did."

"You have no idea how off-base that little assessment is," I grumbled.

"I did, in fact, send your address to Dr. McSexy." And I told him you were available on Saturday."

I groaned to end all groans, shuffling my feet in place. "I can't believe you did something like that."

I turned around, stepped into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed the bottle of white I'd opened the night before, not wanting to look at Kendra.

"You know, as a gracious host, I feel obligated to offer you some wine." But after what you just did..." I sighed and shook my head.

"Is that Sauvignon Blanc?"

she asked, craning her neck to look at the bottle, ignoring my words. "Yeah, I'll definitely have some."

I muttered under my breath as I reached for two glasses from the cabinet. I placed the glasses on the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room and observed how disorganized the space was.

My apartment was a smallish, but cozy two-bedroom in an apartment complex near Manila Bay – the bay or should I say sea into which Manila. The view from the living room balcony was breathtaking, with the sun setting between the white-capped mountains in the distance stealing my breath every time. It made more sense to rent an entire space just for me and Kendra when we were both perfectly capable of working here, so I used the other bedroom as my office. Sure, it meant Kendra was a regular visitor to my apartment, but I didn't mind. Aside from this, she was a fantastic employee and a wonderful friend.

"I need to clean this place," I said, my gaze fixed on the shambles as I approached Kendra with the glasses of wine. "This place is a shambles."

"Oh no," Kendra said as she took the wine. "Don't even think about it."

"What should I try?"

"

"Working is your preferred method of avoiding dealing with whatever problem in your life requires attention." And if you don't have any work to do, you'll make something up."

"That's not correct."

Kendra sipped her wine and gave me a sly smile.

"OK, maybe it's a tad true."

"Only if you say so."

"But, speaking of distractions," I pointed out. "How about you?" You're the one attempting to divert my attention away from this completely insane move you just pulled."

Kendra took a step back to open the balcony door. "Come on – I'm thinking this is a wine and sunset conversation."

I looked around me, without saying anything, at all the work documents.

"We're set for the weekend," she declared. "There are no events until next Tuesday, which we are already planning for, and we are all caught up for the next few days – at least until Monday." There's no reason not to come out here and unwind for a while."

I sighed, an anxious feeling forming inside me as I realized she was correct – there was nothing I could do to distract myself from Joey.

"All right," I said.

We stepped out onto the balcony, shivering from the cold wind. I reached up and turned on the space heater, and the warm air encircled us, making me feel nice and toasty. We sat in the plush chairs, wrapping ourselves in the blankets I'd set out for cool autumn nights.

"Look at that," she said, nodding toward the setting sun. "It has a way of making everything else seem so small, doesn't it?" "

I had to admit that she wasn't entirely wrong. The sun was halfway below the Rockies, and the sky was a deep, wild orange, with red flashing through it like fire.

A few wisps of clouds were airbrushed in here and there, and the first evening stars were visible above.

"A beautiful sunset, a glass of wine, and good company...what else do you need?"

"

"How about you explain why you gave Joey my freaking address?"

"

"Of course, he needed to know where to pick you up."

My head cocked to the side, my eyes flat, and my mouth curled up into a sneer.

"All right, all right," she conceded, curling up into the blanket. "I believe I may have crossed some lines."

"Overstepped? That's a little bit of an understatement."

"However, it's all for the best. "Because I know you need some time off better than anyone," she argued.

"You're putting in a lot of effort, babe!" You'll soon turn around and see nothing there, and you'll think to yourself, "Holy crap, my ass is gone – I literally worked it off."

I burst out laughing. Even when I was annoyed with Kendra, she had a way of making me laugh. "All right, maybe. But this isn't the way to go about it. Going to Bora with Joey...not a good idea. Not even in the least."

"OK, I understand you have a history with him."

"There's a long history."

"Not quite," she said as she lifted a finger. "You have a history from a long time ago. That is a subtle but significant distinction. It's not like you got married and divorced or anything."

The mere mention of marriage in the same sentence as Joey made me shudder.

"That means it's time for you to bury the hatchet and move on." I mean, that's what he seemed to want to do."

"It's not that simple," I admitted, setting my glass of wine down after a long sip. "Let's just say if you were in my shoes, you'd understand where I'm coming from."

"All right," she said, "here's the million-dollar question." "What transpired?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I had absolutely no idea where to begin. "I'm not even sure I want to talk about it."

Kendra's face took on a serious expression as a result of something in my tone of voice. Shit. Had I made it too clear that something significant had occurred? I despised displaying my emotions because it made me appear weak. As a woman in my position, I couldn't afford to appear weak.

Kendra put her hand on my arm and squeezed it. "What transpired?" " she said softly again.

I had two options at the time. The first step was to be honest with Kendra about what had happened between Joey and me all those years ago. It would be excruciatingly painful, but perhaps getting it all out there would be beneficial. Or I could clam up and keep it to myself, as I had for the previous seventeen years.

I didn't have to think too hard about how good of a friend Kendra was. "It's insignificant. "I just don't like the guy."

"Alright, alright, I won't push anymore," she said, giving me a look as if she wanted me to know she could see right through me.

I sipped my wine, tense in my stomach, hoping she'd drop it. But I knew better.

"However, whatever happened between you and Dr. Handsome-as-eff doesn't mean you can't have a good time in Bora this weekend." Drop the dude and go play some blackjack, or watch one of those shows where the bears ride around on little bicycles."

"Bears on bikes?" It's Bora, not a circus, Ken."

"Can you tell I've never been before?"

" Her eyes flashed, as if she had just realized something. "Or, hey, I'll fill in for you. Just an idea."

She was joking, but the concept didn't seem so bad to me. I shook my head back and forth in thought.

"Oh my goodness!

" she yelled, giving me a playful shove. "You were seriously thinking about it! "

"I mean, what's the harm?" I don't want to go, but you obviously do. "It all makes sense to me."

"I don't even get it," she said, shaking her head. "If you didn't want to go, why did you bid on him?" "

"He asked me to place a bid on him. Do you remember the lady who kept bidding against me? "She's his ex-wife."

That piqued her curiosity. "Gia, please tell me the story. "Come on, guys."

I shook my head, taking a quick sip of wine to buy myself some time. "It's too complicated to go into. Just...you know what I mean? "I believe I should begin packing."

Her head cocked to the side. "Are you sure you're serious? You're leaving now? "

"I mean, I haven't made up my mind." But if I change my mind, I should at least be prepared, right? "

Kendra gave me a puzzled and suspicious look, as if I was working some angle she needed to figure out. "Um, yeah. Do you need some assistance?"

"No, I'm not worried about it. You've been stuck here for far too long. "I'm going to go home and relax."

There was a beat of silence in the air, and I could tell she was still trying to figure out who I was. She looked at me for a moment before shrugging.

"Alright. But if I hear you're planning to cancel this once-in-a-lifetime trip, I'll be furious."

"I told you I'd think about it."

Kendra sipped the rest of her wine, set her glass down, and began gathering her belongings. "I'm not sure what happened between you and this guy, but it can't be worth being this stressed out about."

"I'm not stressed; I'm just...thinking about things."

"Well, think whatever it takes to get your butt to Bora." It'll be a lot of fun, I promise. "See you later," she said as she walked away, leaving me alone with my glass of wine.

I was completely overwhelmed. I refilled my glass and went back out onto the balcony because I didn't know what else to do. As soon as I sat down, I felt a strange urge to play a particular song.

I shook my head, thinking, "This is so stupid." It's only because of him that I'm thinking about it.

I took out my phone and opened Spotify with a frustrated sigh. Then I typed T-L-C into the browser's address bar and hit search. TLC appeared, and one of their top songs was the one I was looking for.

Nothing is going to happen. After a brief pause, I pressed the play button. I was transported back to the day it happened the moment the track began.

I'm sitting on the bed in my childhood bedroom in Metro Manila, my legs pulled up in front of me, my arms wrapped around them.

It's three weeks after graduation, and Joey Garcia has completely ruined my life.

TLC's "Waterfalls" is playing on the crappy three-CD player I purchased with money earned from my part-time job at Gap. My tiny attic bedroom is covered in posters of bands I like – The Spice Girls, TLC, Tupac – or bands whose members I adore – N'Sync, The Backstreet Boys.

Tears are streaming down my tomato-red cheeks, and I'm sobbing uncontrollably.

And it's all thanks to him.

"Fucking jerk!" " I want to scream it, let it rip from my lungs. But I'm so heartbroken that I can only whimper in defeat.

So, instead of expressing my completely justified and well-deserved rage, I grab the remote for my stereo and crank up the volume. And when the chorus comes on, I join in with the girls.

We're chasing waterfalls. It makes perfect sense to my still-developing brain. Joey Garcia is a freaking waterfall if the other guys at Laguna High are rivers and lakes. And I chased him around like a crazy person.

That's not entirely correct. He pursued me just as hard as I pursued him. To be fair, his flirting was as cool and smooth as it gets, whereas mine was as clumsy and awkward as I was in high school. Since sophomore year, I've been staring at him from afar, watching him go through each of the most popular girls in school one by one, like he's trying to fill out a bingo card.

I'm a bit of a jerk. I have braces, I'm gawky and tall, and I haven't filled out yet. So when Joey Garcia himself starts laying game on me at the first party I'd been invited to in God knows how long, I assumed it was a joke.

He rolled up to me, all cool, with that cocky, I-know-something-you-don't-know grin on his face. When Joey asked how I liked the Perez Temple Pilots song they were playing, I blurted out that I hated grunge.

That, of course, occurred immediately after the band played the song's final chord and the between-tunes silence fell. Everyone turned to look at me, the girl who had insulted the band. Joey turned to face the crowd, his face flushed, and he didn't miss a beat.

"Hey, the lady says she doesn't like grunge," he said confidently, unconcerned about the hundreds of eyes on him – including the band's.

He turned to me, still smirking. "What's your favorite song?"

"Um, well, I don't really have a favorite song. I've got favorite songs, but how can someone be expected to pick one? I-p"I was rambling, and he knew it.

"You like 'Melt With You'?" he cut me off, and part of me was glad he did.

"Yeah," I said with a smile. "I do."

The party still silent, he called out the song to the band, and after a moment or two of uncertainty, they played it just for him.

Just for me.

I was done.

Music playing, we get to talking. And of course Joey Garcia isn't just a handsome face; he's smart and witty and friendly and totally into me.

But, being the insecure person that I am, I keep looking over his shoulder, expecting his friends to jump out and laugh at me.

We had that incredible night months ago. And stupid, stupid me, I thought it was the start of something special.

But here I am, crying every last drop of moisture from my body after learning that not only was he breaking up with me, but he was getting married, and he was marrying Crystal freaking Montecillo herself, the girl who was almost single-handedly responsible for making my life from elementary school on a living hell.

How could he have done this to me? I'm crying uncontrollably, my body trembling with sobs that are almost painful.

Even worse, the marriage wasn't the worst of it.

The icing on the cake, the teaspoon of salt rubbed into the wound, was that he'd gotten her pregnant.

I can't believe he'd had the audacity to show up at my house, laying it all out for me as if he wasn't about to turn my life upside down with just a few words.

I thought he was joking at first. For a few weeks, things had been a little tense between us, but as far as I knew, we were still together, still a couple.

But I knew something was wrong the moment he stepped out of his car, that pine-green '72 Jaguar convertible he loved and that I loved him driving me around in. That cocky grin he always wore had vanished, replaced by a solemn expression.

He'd been having an affair with Crystal behind my back. He was abandoning me for her. She was expecting a child. They were tying the knot.

One shocking revelation after another.

In a fit of rage, I'd thrown him out. What else could he possibly have expected?

And now I'm alone, heartbroken, vowing never to let him – or any man like him – back into my life.

In a daze, I re-entered the present moment, feeling as if I'd gone back in time. Kendra's text message lit up and shook my phone.

You'd better get going! ';)

I exhaled a sigh. I hadn't seen Joey in years, not since that fateful night. And now he was back in my life, acting as if nothing had happened.

But, as furious as I was, other emotions rushed through me. For example, I was extremely curious. What had become of him and Crystal? Did they get divorced? There didn't appear to be any love lost between the two of them. What about the child? Was there a Joey running around out there?

It was all very strange. But the more I thought about it, the more determined I became to find out. More importantly, I was determined not to let this strange situation get the best of me. I'd confront Joey and conquer that part of my past. Because that's what I was – a conqueror who was afraid of nothing.

To be honest, it would be a lot easier if he wasn't so damn attractive. Joey was even hotter than he had been in high school.

But I was a warrior. I could handle him.

It's as simple as that