Chapter 11

She checked her bank account through the bank’s mobile app installed on her phone, keeping track of Aldous’s transactions. And once again, Nova felt guilty for thinking that he would take advantage of it because he did not. Aside from the long sleeves shirt that he fitted, he only purchased a couple of clothes and underwear. There were also some personal needs like toiletries. Aldous was the one who showed everything that he bought when they met at the mall’s food court. Nova did not even have to ask to see all of them.

“Is that all?” she asked, looking at him straight in the eyes.

“I don’t need that much. I told you I will go home after the wedding. After my mother has recuperated, I will come back to you with my belongings from home. This is enough for a short-term stay. I’ll just wash them if I run out of clothes.” He pulled the chair across her and sat there. “How are you feeling?”

Instead of responding to his question, she picked the paper bag that she hid under the table and put it down on top of it. She dropped by to the electronic shop before heading to the food court.

“What is this?” he asked, even though she knew he already had an idea.

The paper bag has the logo of a famous cellphone brand.

“See for yourself,” she said as she propped a hand on her chin.

Aldous looked inside the paper bag and fished out a small rectangular box.

“You bought me a new phone?” His gaze turned to her. “Nova, you don’t have to.”

“Well, I thought you will need that to contact your family in the province. When was the last time you contacted them?”

“Yesterday afternoon.” He opened the box.

Nova watched him as he scanned his new phone. She was glad that he looked satisfied. It was not a high-end unit, but good enough for him. Well, once she gave him the money, he can buy the model that he wants. Nova raised her brow when her phone vibrated, and he saw Aldous’s name flashing on the screen. She saved her contact number on his phone earlier at the shop when she tested it. She declined his call. What was the sense of answering someone’s call when there were sitting there, face to face?

“Won’t you tell me how you feel?” he asked without looking at her.

“I have nothing to tell,” Nova lied. Of course, she has a lot to tell. She has rants that she kept to herself. Aldous was a stranger; even though he saved her face from Jayden earlier, she still found it hard to open up with him. Maybe someday if they became friends, at least.

She stood up and grabbed her bag.

“Let’s go home now. I still have work to finish.”

“Oh, okay.”

***

Nova was starting to lose her patience. Everything seemed wrong. She cut her finger as she cut the papers into halves, and now she could not bind the book well because the glue was brittle. In the end, Nova stopped making the books and lay flat on the floor with her hands beneath her head. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling as if they found something entertaining up there when she was literally just spacing out.

After quite some time, she heard footsteps approaching. She knew it was Aldous, so she did not bother to look.

“I must add another term to our contract. We should not bother each other during working hours.” She turned her head to her left when her nostrils suddenly smelled something nice.

Aldous came with a tray of food in his hands.

“Working hours when it’s past nine in the evening, and you still haven’t eaten any meal since afternoon. What are you? Humans eat three times a day or more.” He put the tray down on the vacant space beside her.

“Hey!” She abruptly sat and took the tray. “You don’t put your food on the floor.”

He took the tray from her.

“Stand up and go to the kitchen to eat then.” Aldous walked away with her food.

Nova conceded to him for the first time. She rose and followed him to the kitchen. The meal that he prepared was a basic one, chicken adobo. It was the easiest dish to cook, though.

She started eating. The moment she tasted his cooking Nova realized how much she was starving, but she kept ignoring it because she was too lazy to cook. Earlier, she planned to order a meal from a fast-food restaurant and have it delivered to her apartment. But she eventually forgot about it as time passed by.

Aldous opened the fridge and got two cans of beer. He put one on the table, just beside her plate, and opened the other one for himself. Nova sneered as she opened her beer. How long had he been there again? Ah, a day and two nights only, yet he moved around the house apartment as if he had been there with her for ages. He adopts so quickly that he even learned how to feed her cats and cleaned their litter box.

“Is this how you live?” he asked after a couple of sips. Aldous was looking at her straight in the eyes. He always did that. At first, she thought it was annoying, but now she realized why she thought of it that way.

It made her heart skip a beat.

“Yeah…” Nova lowered her gaze on the canned beer that she was holding at that moment with two hands. “I’ve been living like this for years now.”

“Your family…Where are they?”

“Home. Enjoying their retirement.” She took a gulp.

“So, you’re trying to be Miss Independent,” Aldous retorted.

“Exactly!” She clapped her hands. “You nailed it!”

“Nova…”

She met his gaze. “What?”

“If I’m going to be your husband, even if it just for show, I want you to open up your heart to me.”

“I…I think that’s…”

“Ridiculous,” Aldous finished her sentence for her.

“We’re total strangers.”

“But we can be friends,” he countered. “It won’t be easy to live together if we keep being strangers with this tall imaginary wall between us.”

“You want us to be friends…”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

She let out a sigh. From the day Jayden broke her trust, she found it hard to make new friends. Nova was afraid to be disappointed again; she kept her circle of friends small. For her, it was better to befriend a cat or a dog. At least, once you fed and befriended them, they love you the way you wanted to be loved. People, well, some people were far from that.

“Aldous…” she said afterward.

“Hmm?”

“Could you please get all the beer in the fridge? I’d like to open up with a little help of alcohol because I’m such a coward to tell it to you when I’m still sober.”

His mouth dropped open and did what he was told after a while.

And that night, Nova got drunk and open up her heart to Aldous. She told him everything she liked about Jayden and everything that disappointed her. That night, she felt her heart at ease as though she had been freed from everything that bothers her from the past years. And that was kinda refreshing.

***

“Mrs. Roxas is here to see you,” Gianna announced when she entered the office.

“Oh.” Nova closed the logbook where they jot down all the shelter’s expenses.

Mrs. Roxas came inside the office, but to her surprise, the woman was not alone. She was with his nephew, Jayden. Unlike yesterday there was no hint of arrogance on his face. He looked like the Jayden she used to know.

Nova’s lips twitched. There was no way he could make her believe that he has genuine intention towards her. Not anymore.

“Have a seat.” She gestured to the visitor’s chairs.

“I’ll cut to the chase, Nova. I came here to tell you that I’d like to apologize for the way I treated you last time,” said Mrs. Roxas. She looked at her nephew and turned to her again. “Jayden asked me to give you more time. So, I decided that as long as there is no sure buyer, you and your rescues can stay here. Also, I have some recommendations where you can transfer in the future.”

She could not help but raise a brow. So, Jayden decided to change the game. Nova could not believe he could resort to that. She thought he already lost interest in her when he saw her with Aldous yesterday at the mall. But still, thanks to him, the situation lightens a bit.

“Thank you, Mrs. Roxas. I’ve been praying for days that you would be considerate to us,” she said without looking at Jayden.

“Well…” The woman tapped Jayden’s cheek. “All thanks to this nephew of mine. He kept bugging me since the day he knew about it.”

Nova turned her gaze on him. Now he looked expectant of her. Well, expect as much as he wants to, but she will never say thanks. Instead, she checked her wristwatch.

“Do we still have something important to talk about?” she asked as she raised her head. It was not the time to tell Mrs. Roxas that she will buy the entire land. Not in front of Jayden. “I have an important matter to attend this afternoon.”

“Oh, there’s nothing more for now.” Mrs. Roxas rose from her seat. “I’ll call you when there’s an update.”

Nova stood up as well.

“Thank you again, Mrs. Roxas.” She escorted them out of the office.

“Nova,” Jayden called when she was about to go back inside. He even went in front of her, blocking her way.

“Excuse me.” She pushed her to the side and walked past him.

He grabbed her arm.

She sighed exasperatedly and turned to face him.

“What is it now?” she snapped.

“Are you really going to marry that guy from yesterday?”

“So? It’s none of your business, Jayden.” She pulled her arm from his grip.

He scoffed and tilted his head upwards, then looked at her again.

“I didn’t expect you to end up with a guy like him. What did that rugged guy feed you? Did he bewitch you?”

“You’re belittling him just because he looked like that?” Nova shook her head. “I think you got the answer to your question.”

“What?” His brows creased.

“How slow…” Nova remarked.

“Jayden! Let’s go!” said his aunt, who was waiting for him beside his car with an irritated look plastered on her face.