Chapter 20 Chapter 10 (ii)
Fae
I was staring at my cellphone. It was the afternoon, and I was on the balcony of Jigo’s suite, lying on one of the recliners, facing a breathtaking view of the ocean below and the vivid blue sky. But I could barely take it in.
There were countless missed calls on my phone. My friends were worried about me—Kacey, Pam, and Joana. They hadn’t wanted me to attend the wedding alone, but I told them at the last minute, so they weren’t able to make arrangements to be with me. Thank goodness. I did it on purpose because I didn’t want them to witness a potentially embarrassing scene—I was right. They would have been all over me, supporting me and taking care of me—which they would still do once I got back to Manila. At least they were spared from seeing my painful breakdown. Single and unbothered, I wouldn’t wish for them to be traumatized by what happened to me, nor would I want their anger for what Sarah did escalate.
And if they had been here, I wouldn’t have been with Jigo last night.
So, since I was out of reach all night without a single post on my social media accounts, they were getting worried. But I still didn’t know what to say to them. How could I explain that I got drunk last night and ended up losing my virginity to a man I couldn’t even call a friend before? They didn’t know Jigo except as Carl’s friend, whom they might have met once. They didn’t know anything about Jigo except for what they heard back when we were still in college. My wealth was a separate part of my life. Sarah was the only one interested in my wealthy connections.
Jigo was on the phone now, inside the suite and just behind me. I could hear his soft, low baritone as he talked to a hotel staff member to check on events. He’d already made calls to his offices all over the country and even overseas. I heard him switch between English with an Australian accent, the French language, and neutral accent English. To an American manager, he adopted a mid-US-ish accent. I wasn’t surprised; Carl went through the same training. Being multilingual was normal. They learned several languages when groomed by their families to become heirs to businesses they would one day inherit. Contrary to TV dramas, most old money kids were not brats. Yes, they were privileged with having unlimited cash support and the best things in life, the best education and the latest technology, but their days were filled with studies and their waking hours were burdened with responsibilities far greater than anyone could imagine, expected of them by long-dead ancestors and the ones still living. They were also responsible for the thousands of people and their families who worked for their corporations.
And many of them quietly performed these duties without complaint, striving for perfection in every aspect of their lives, because that was all they knew. Regular people saw them as almost-perfect because they only saw the superficial benefits of being an elite. The hardships and challenges were hidden from public view. I didn’t know any real elitists who resembled the F4 of that Korean Drama that exploded years ago. At least, not in Jigo’s social circle. The dramas of CEOs were the creations of writers from mainstream.
Of course, there was cosmetic surgery, I supposed that would be one of some that were real. Jigo hadn’t had any, while Carl secretly had his nose and chin fixed. I used to tell myself that I truly loved Carl because, even though he wasn’t originally as handsome as he was now, I wanted him more than any other genuinely attractive guy I had met and known—like Jigo.
I used to avoid Jigo because he was simply overwhelming. I still couldn’t find anything to criticize about him. I used to get nervous just being around him sometimes. And now, I couldn’t believe I ended up in bed with him.
There were people swimming on the beach below. Luckily, the glass covering almost half of the balcony was tinted so nobody could see us from down there. We had a late breakfast, spent a lazy few hours, and then had a late lunch. But we needed to let people in our separate worlds know that we were still alive. Hence, Jigo was on his phone calls... and I was checking my messages and missed calls.
I was heading back to Manila today. I would take the boat that late afternoon to leave the island and go back to Manila. Back to my life.
But I wasn’t ready to get up and prepare just yet. I just wanted to stay lying there. Not thinking about anything troublesome.
At the very least, I had to let my friends know that I was okay. But as soon as they heard from me, they would call, and I wasn’t ready to face their questions. Not yet.
Maybe there was another way I could send them a message. Something that would at least let them know I was fine.
I sat up and turned away from the view. I opened the camera app on my phone, raised it, and took several selfies with a smile behind my sunglasses. I didn’t have any makeup on, just a robe and my long hair was still messy from running my fingers through it. As long as my swollen eyes weren’t visible, it was fine. My lips might have been a bit bloated and sore, and thinking it was because of being kissed so often and so thoroughly by Jigo caused a red tint to blossom on my cheeks. After taking several shots, I chose one and posted it on my Instagram. ‘New sun, new day,’ I captioned it. I sent all the other photos to our group chat and sent a simple private message.
Fae: Please don’t worry. I’m alright. I need some time to plan what to do when I get back.
My phone started pinging before I could go offline. I checked it anyway, knowing that the sender wouldn’t know I’d seen it until I was back online.
Pam: OMG! Thank god you finally replied! We were planning to storm over there and hunt you down, you know?! Come home so we can take care of you! Now!
I smiled before putting the phone down. Oh, they were going to smother me with care when I got home. They could ask me all the questions they wanted then.