Chapter 44 Nightmare
"I told her to bring her," Yazmine replied instead. "She'll be coming with us to gain some experience," she smirked. Jameson knew what that smirk meant.
"Hey!" Jackie suddenly appeared before him, and he jerked. "I would love to learn from you, new boss!" she exclaimed, bowing her head so low it almost touched her knees. Jameson stayed stunned.
Einstein chuckled. "I'm loving this."
Candy's smile dropped; Diego wasn't there with them. She couldn't help but wonder if he was okay. Checking her phone, she saw he hadn't replied.
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It's been three whole days since they left for the trip. In these three days, Diego completely forgot she wasn't home; he would check her room and find it empty. When he realized, he would curse under his breath.
There were no texts or calls from her. Deep down, he wanted to know how she was.
Staring at his phone, he battled inwardly for a while before dialing Jameson's number.
"Hey, dude! It took you long enough, Diego Gonzalez," Jameson's mocking voice sounded.
"Fuck you, James," Diego closed his eyes in annoyance. "How is the trip going?" he asked.
"Wrong question, bruh."
"What?"
"You're asking the wrong question, dude. Ask the one in your mind," Jameson said.
"Fine," Diego gritted his teeth. "How's Candy?" His voice sounded a bit gentle.
"This is awesome!" a tiny voice sounded in the background—obviously Candy's.
"Well, I guess that answers your question," Jameson's voice sounded afterward.
"What? Where are you guys?" Diego frowned.
"At the beach. The business went smoothly, as I had planned, so we decided to have some fun out here before coming back."
"It's a business trip, not an outing. You all should be back since the business is finished."
"Whoa, whoa, hang on there, big fella. This business trip is a week. I worked hard for it, and I can't let you ruin it. If you're worried about Candy, then trust me, she's perfectly happy out here. Her smile is so lovely." What Jameson meant was, she is happy out here without you because you always hurt her.
Diego exhaled, gripping his phone tight. He wondered if he should ask the next question.
"I'm not going to send you her pictures," Jameson answered his unspoken question. This guy really knows a lot about him.
"You've got to be kidding me, James," Diego clenched his jaw.
"What? Oh my God, does Mr. President want it so badly?"
"I'll kill you."
"Fine, I'll send it," Jameson surrendered. Teasing Diego for long would be a bad idea. The man could fly over and kill him for real.
"I hate you," Diego said.
"I love you too, bruh... kisses," Jameson ended the call.
"I'm really going to kill him," Diego grumbled. Soon, Candy's pictures were sent to him. She was smiling beautifully in every place: while she ate, played, cooked, and walked around. One of the pictures revealed Candy staring at the rain with a smile.
"Kiss in the rain."
Her voice rang in his head. He immediately dialed a number.
"Prepare a flight for me tomorrow."
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Meanwhile, Candy and the others returned that same day. Jameson said those words so he could put Diego in a tight spot.
"Are you sure you want to return home?" Yazmine asked Candy.
"Yeah, I just need to grab a few things. I'll call you," Candy said, then entered Jameson's car. Jameson's gaze went to Jackie, who wasn't looking at him at all. She was upset. His grip on the steering wheel tightened.
He started the car and drove Candy to her place.
Yazmine sighed, remembering an incident with Aiden during the trip. This incident made him leave early.
"Will he be alright?" she mumbled worriedly.
The car stopped before the large building, and Candy got out of the car.
"Hey, Candy," Jameson rolled down the car window. "Take care," he smiled.
"Thanks," Candy smiled and left.
Jameson took a deep breath as he recalled something during the trip. "Fuck, I must be so stupid," he closed his eyes in frustration.
___
Candy walked into the apartment. It was late; Diego should be home. Nervousness kicked in as the thought of facing the man that hurt her feelings clouded her mind. He never called nor texted her in three days. Isn't he worried about her?
Opening the door, she found the living room surprisingly empty. He must be sleeping already. That was better. She would just grab the things she came for and leave the next morning. With this thought, she went upstairs.
However, as she reached her room, she heard a strange sound. A sound of someone panting hard, like he was in pain.
Diego?
Without thinking twice, she slammed the door open. The view before her made her heart skip a beat.
Diego was seated on the floor, his face twisted with pain under the dim light. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and she could see sweat all over him even when the AC was on. His hair was messy, his head facing the ground, and his chest heaving hard.
"Sir," she rushed to kneel before him. He was still panting hard without looking up at her.
"Sir," she called again, holding his hand but receiving no reply. He kept on panting.
"Diego," she called softly, this time touching his face. This is the first time she'd called his name directly.
Ever so slowly, Diego lifted his head to her. Candy's heart shattered seeing his face.
Tears?
Tears streamed down his face, his eyes bloodshot from prolonged crying. He was a complete mess. Candy could never have imagined seeing him in such a state.
He stared at her, wondering if he wasn't seeing things. "Candy?" His voice dripped with pain as he managed to speak.
"Yeah, it's me. Wh-what happened?" she stuttered as fear gripped her.
"Night...mares," his words came out hard.
Candy was speechless. Since when did he start having nightmares? She didn't know when her eyes teared up seeing him this way.
He lifted his hand slowly to hold her hand on his face. Relief washed over his face. She was really here.
"It's... nightmares... Cand..." He couldn't finish his sentence before the woman pulled him close, enveloping him in a warm and soothing hug. It was exactly what he needed in that moment, a comforting embrace that spoke more than words ever could.
He shut his eyes in her embrace as she patted his back gently, caressing his hair with her other hand. The weight of his unspoken troubles momentarily lifted.
"It's alright... everything will be alright," she whispered as Diego slowly fell asleep in her arms.