Chapter 26 – For the first time.

"He's at the hotel."

"What?!" bulalas ni Hannah. "Kakagaling ko lang doon, Paul and his assistant said na wala siya."

Kausap niya sa phone si Paul. Syempre hindi naman siya didiretso sa bahay ni Nate. For all she knew, baka banned siyang pumasok ng subdivision.

"Baka sa kabila."

"Saang kabila?" Frustrated niyang tanong. "Andaming NS Hotel. Which one? Please, I only have a couple of hours left and then my landlord will throw all my belongings if I am not back to get them."

"Hannah, I'm sorry. I don't know. I'm going to fetch Elisha now."

"Can you help me figure out?" she begged. "Please, I've nowhere to go. I need him to tell my landlord to give me more time."

"You have his number, Hannah. Why don't you call him?"

"I- I don't have it." Binura niya iyon para hindi siya matukso noon na tawagan ito. "I deleted his number," amin niya.

"Geez, Hannah, you're so complicated. I'll forward it to you. Call you later, 'andito na ako sa school ni Eli."

"Okay... ahmn, wait... Could you hug Eli for me? I missed her so much." She ended the call at once bago pa siya maging emosyonal nang tuluyan. Kailangan pa man din niyang habulin ang ilang oras na palugit niya na buo pa ang loob niya. She couldn't be weak at this point.

Ibinaling niya ang pansin sa pinadalang numero ni Paul. The next thing she knew, she was waiting nervously as the number kept ringing on the other side of the line.

Nate wasn't picking up.

'Okay. Baka busy lang. Patience, Hannah', alo niya sa sarili para hindi siya panghinaan ng loob.

One more attempt. Two. Three. Four. Five. Ten.

She failed. If Nate wanted to answer her call, he should've picked up. In the few times that she initiated a call between them then, he would always pick up on the first ring. Kung busy naman ito, he would let her know.

Kaya alam niya ngayon na ayaw lang nitong sagutin ang tawag niya. So no choice siya kundi subukang hanapin ulit si Nate. But not without sending him a message first.

'Mr. Sarmiento... This is Hannah. May I talk to you please?' aniya sa mensahe. Baka naman kasi wala na rin itong kopya ng numero niya.

'Mr. Sarmiento, I beg you.'

That went unanswered as her two hours extension withered down.

She was tired. Kakamadali. Kakahabol. In the end, she decided na wala siyang mapapala sa kakaasa na papansinin siya ni Nate. She should've known better than waste her time finding him.

Dapat ginamit na lang niya ang oras para maghanap ng malilipatan niya. She couldn't even understand the urgency to vacate her apartment. Bakit? Titira ba si Nate roon?

Sinasadya nitong pahirapan siya. Iyon nga marahil ang dahilan. At inaamin niya na nasasaktan siya sa ginagawa nito.

Bumalik siya sa apartment niya to find her things being thrown outside. She rushed para pigilin ang mga tao ni Nate. She literally begged pero parang bingi ang mga ito at pinagpatuloy lang ang paglabas ng mga gamit niya.

She just cried and watched helplessly. Hannah called Leah for help. As much as she didn't want to bother her dahil kakapanganak lang nito, ito lang ang kaibigan na matatakbuhan niya. There was no Olive this time to help her. That was the harsh truth.

"Caleb will be there in thirty minutes, Hannah. He's got a truck with him," malumanay na sabi ni Leah. "Don't cry. You'll get through this."

"Thanks, Leah. I'm sorry..."

"Don't mention it. We're angry at what Nate did to you. You don't deserve this, Hannah. This is not how he should repay the woman who raised his child!"

"I don't know what he wants from me..."

"Stop crying. Caleb will bring you to our townhouse. Doon ka muna hangga't gusto mo."

"I couldn't thank you enough, Leah. I'm so sorry for bothering you."

Two and a half hour laters, iniwanan na siya ni Caleb sa townhouse na pagmamay-ari ng mga ito. It was a bare unit dahil daw 'di naman nila planong tirahan iyon.

Investment lang daw but they offered it to her for free no matter how she insisted to pay them rent when she's able.

Hindi iyon kalakihan at hindi rin masyadong pangmayaman ang lugar. Pero 'yong totoong bahay ng mga ito ay hindi nalalayo kay Nate.

Medyo kumalma na ang pakiramdam niya pero nakaupo lang siya at nakatitig sa mga gamit na kailangan niyang ayusin.

Bakit ginagawa ni Nate iyon sa kanya? May ginawa ba siya to cause him to act in such cruel way?

Hindi pa man niya naiisip ang maaaring maging kasagutan sa tanong niya ay nakatanggap naman siya ng tawag mula kay Mia.

"Hannah, where are you? Nate Sarmiento is closing the company now," sabi nito.

"What do you mean now? We have one month pa, 'di ba?"

"He changed his mind. His representatives came at isinara na ang office."

"He can't do that! What about our commitment to our clients?"

"He's going to pay for the damages, Hannah. We're going to be compensated. He assured us. Pero alam mo naman na iba sa atin mga matatanda na. Mahihirapan ng makahanap pa ulit ng trabaho," mangiyak-ngiyak nitong sagot. "Hannah, please. Talk to him. He might listen to you. Think about our family here. Ako makakahanap ako ng trabaho. But not all of us here can do the same."

Pumikit siya nang mariin. She couldn't tell Mia na wala siyang magagawa. They were hoping against hope at hindi niya kayang basagin ang pag-asa nila by telling them na hindi siya gustong kausapin ni Nate.

So, she still went to find Nate again. This time, Paul told her na nasa office nito ang binata but was leaving again in a few minutes.

Pagod na ang dalaga. Emotionally at physically. Hindi pa siya kumakain at tanging ginagawa pa lang niya ay magmadali, tumakbo, umiyak... But she couldn't give up now. Madaming umaasa na magagawan niya ng paraan ang sitwasyon nila. She couldn't fail them. At least she had to try.

Pagdating niya sa NS Hotel, saktong papalabas na si Nate. May kausap sa cellphone at nagmamadaling sumakay sa naghihintay nitong sasakyan. But Hannah wouldn't let the opportunity slip as she ran towards his car.

Humarang siya sa daraanan nito.

"Mr. Sarmiento!" Humawak siya sa kotse para masigurong hindi nito iyon papaandarin habang umiikot siya sa side nito. "Mr. Sarmiento!" She knocked on the window which he didn't bother to open. "Please, let's talk. I beg you!"

He didn't look at her at sa harapan lang ang tingin nito like she wasn't beside him with only his slightly tinted car's window between them.

Kung tutuusin, he could open it and talk to her but instead nakita niya itong nagradyo sa mga bodyguard nito para ilayo siya.

"Nate, just a minute. I promise," hindi niya hinayaang mahawakan siya ng mga bodyguards nito na parang naawa rin naman sa kanya being that they know her.

Being that once upon a time, under Nate's instructions, they obeyed orders from her. Kahit na ba with regards to Elisha lang.

"Hannah, please," sabi ng isa. "Nagmamadali si Mr. Sarmiento. You are delaying him."

"You don't understand. I need to talk to him." Bumalik siya sa unahan ng kotse at humarang doon.

"Hannah! Don't force us!"

"Then force me. That's the only way you can stop me!" Hamon niya na sinalubong ang tingin ni Nate na pinapaalis ang mga bodyguards nito sa tabi niya habang iniaatras nito ang kotse.

Alam niya ang plano nito. Scare her na sasagasaan siya. She didn't move even when she couldn't deny the determination in his eyes. Hindi naman siguro siya sasagasaan nang totohanan ni Nate. Pero kung magkagayunman, she would die fighting for the people na umaasang matutulungan niya. At least, she tried. She gave her best.

Naririnig niya ang maingay na makina nang handa ng umarangkada na kotse ni Nate. That when she saw his car moving towards her, her heart stopped beating. Her mind told her to run pero hindi na siya nakagalaw. Nanlamig siya. Her tiredness was taking its toll on her.

Nagdadalawa na ang paningin niya as she stared wide eyed at Nate's car. One moment she was standing bravely on his path. The next, she couldn't already remember.

Tires screeching furiously and her body crashing against the hard ground being the last on her memory.

-----

Hindi pamilyar ang kwartong sumalubong sa kanyang mga mata pagkagising niya. She also noticed na naka-arm sling siya sa kanang braso.

"What happened?" she asked herself habang iniikot ang paningin sa silid. Wala siya sa ospital. She knew it by the elegant design of the room.

Parang hotel... Her eyes continued to roam around pero napatigil siya nang makita ang silhouette ng pamilyar na bulto sa likuran ng kurtina papuntang balcony.

Bumangon siya at pupunta sana sa kinaroroonan nito when he entered the room, the gorgeous Nate Sarmiento was still wearing his business suit.

"What the f*ck, Hannah?!" His eyes almost had fire in them when he looked at her. "What do you think you were doing?!"

"N-nate," napalunok siya nang makaharap ito. Her tears threatened to fall as realization dawned on her how much she missed the man.

Three months and this was the closest she got to him. Gusto niyang takbuhin ito at yakapin. Tell him how much she missed him.

"Why didn't you run? You've let me hit you! Were you out of your f*cking mind?!" Sigaw nito bago marahas siya nitong hinawakan sa braso niyang walang arm sling. "I could have killed you, Hannah! And then what? I'm gonna spend the rest of my life thinking about how it would have been if you were alive!" May bumahid na kirot sa mga mata nito as the anger in them melted away at napalitan ng ibang intensidad na noon lamang niya nakita sa mga mata nito.

"You didn't—" hit me. I fainted. I was tired because you didn't want to talk to me. 'Yon dapat ang sasabihin niya pero literal niyang nalunok ang mga kataga nang walang kawarning-warning na hinila siya nito at siniil nang malalim na halik ang kanyang mga labi.

She was surprised that she stared wide eyed at his shut tight eyes for a few seconds before she realized what was happening.

That feeling when there were twenty-six letters in the alphabet and thousands of freaking words to form from them and yet wala ni isa ang nagrehistro sa kanya as her mind went completely blank for the first time in her whole life.

Pakiramdam niya nawala lahat ng bagay sa paligid niya as her mind focused on what was happening at the time being. Nate's one hand at the back of her head, the other on her waist pulling her closer to him and the taste of his lips on hers as he deepened the kiss.

How? If she never kissed anyone before? Instinct. That's probably how she found herself responding to his intense, senseless, mind blowing kiss that lasted for as long as her mind cared for time.

"Hannah," he gasped for air when he pulled away, the anger in his eyes was back as she struggled to meet his gaze with her face burning in shame. "I hate you!"

"What?" Mahinang naiusal niya but she was already talking to his back as he already made his way out of the room.

Naiwan siyang medyo tulala. What happened?

In confusion, she even slapped her face to check if she was awake. She was probably drugged while she was sleeping and the hot kiss she shared with Nate Sarmiento was just a part of her hallucinations.

But crap, her swollen lips told her otherwise!

Nate was in the room just a moment ago and he kissed her.

Nate Sarmiento kissed her!

And told her he hated her... 'Don't forget about that,' her mind told her.

"Shame on you, Hannah," she grabbed a pillow at ibinaon ang mukha roon.

Who kisses someone he hates?

Despite her face still burning, she felt her tears streaming down her cheeks.

Nakalapit nga siya kay Nate, he even kissed her. But she wasn't able to tell him anything. As in nothing. She lost the chance to raise her concern. And now, she failed the people who were trusting that she could help them.

"Get a grip, Hannah and fix yourself." Tinuyo niya ang luha at inayos ang sarili.

Hahanapin niya si Nate. Forget the kiss they shared, forget her confused feelings and tell him what she was there for in the first place.