YNA woke up feeling wonderful, getting out of bed with a bright smile on her face. Alas was still fast asleep, so she left him be—this man always loved to sleep in.
She stepped out of the nipa hut. Wanting to repay the kindness the locals had shown her, she retrieved her wallet from Alas' car before heading straight to Apo Larry's house.
"Good morning," she greeted warmly.
"Good morning to you too. You came just in time, I'm having coffee. Would you like some?" he offered. Just from the rich aroma wafting through the air, she could tell their brewed coffee was special. She drank coffee too, but only the instant kind from sachets back in the city, so she was eager to try this.
"Sure."
Yna sat on the floor, waiting for Apo Larry to pour her a cup.
He filled her mug. "By the way, where's your companion? What was his name again? Even though he's been here several times, I still can't seem to remember it well."
"Ah… that's Alas. I left him back at the hut, he's still sleeping," she replied before taking a sip. "Wow, this is so good!" she exclaimed, even licking her lips slightly. It was her first time tasting coffee this rich and flavorful, and she loved it instantly.
"Why does your coffee taste so amazing here?"
"It tastes good because aside from being one of our local specialties, we make it with so much love and teamwork. And it gets even better because of the cool climate up here," he explained.
"I agree with you completely, Apo."
"Oh right, did you two sleep well last night?"
Yna smiled softly. "Hmm, yeah. Sleeping on a pandan mat is really comfortable." Was it really the warmth of the mat she liked, or was it the feeling of being held by Alas?
"Is Sir Alas your boyfriend?" Apo Larry asked curiously, obviously wondering since they were always together.
She almost choked on her drink. "Huh? No, he's not!" she said quickly, biting her lower lip nervously. The thought of Alas being her boyfriend never even crossed her mind. It would never happen—impossible!
"You know, I think you two look really good together, and Alas is such a caring person. Sorry for asking though, but if you don't have a boyfriend yet, he could definitely court you," Apo Larry said. His words were flattering, but it was still impossible for so many reasons.
She forced a smile. Only Janus held her heart, and no one could ever replace him. "Oh no, that can't be, I have a boy—" she cut herself off mid-sentence when someone interrupted. Oh my god, Alas was awake and he had heard every word.
"You don't have a boyfriend anymore, right?" he teased, grinning. Yna was shocked—how did he even know about her ex? "She doesn't have a boyfriend, Apo Larry. So does that mean I can officially court her?" Alas sat down right beside Yna, beaming from ear to ear.
Apo Larry laughed heartily at their exchange and patted Alas on the shoulder. Yna was so annoyed at the man, who just kept laughing at her reaction. She hissed and shot him a deadly glare.
Apo Larry poured coffee for Alas too. "Drink up, it tastes even better on a cold morning. How was your sleep, Sir Alas?"
Alas took the cup gratefully. "Thank you. Just call me Alas, please," he said with a mischievous grin. "I slept very well last night, Apo… especially since I had such beautiful company." He turned to look at Yna, who only glared harder.
"You're welcome. Next time you visit, I'll have the hut renovated just for the two of you. I'll even add a small kitchen."
"Thank you. After we finish our coffee, we'll be heading back to Manila. I still have a lot of work to finish."
"Alright. You are welcome to come back anytime you aren't busy with work," Apo Larry replied. "Especially you, Ma'am Yna, they really liked having you here."
Alas took a sniff and then a sip of his coffee. "Hmm, delicious. I want to buy some later."
"No need, I'll just give you some to take home."
Yna stood up and took an envelope from her sling bag. "Apo Larry, I have something for you. It's just a small amount, but I hope it helps," she said as she handed it over. Apo Larry tried to refuse, but she insisted until he finally accepted it.
"Alright then, thank you very much, Yna."
"You're welcome. You are truly kind. We'll be going ahead now," she said. Alas also finished his coffee and stood up to leave.
"Take care on your way back," Apo Larry reminded them.
THEY left the village and headed back to Manila. A mountain of work was waiting for them, and Yna still needed to finish her report.
"How was your sleep last night?" Alas asked while they were driving.
"It was okay, why?"
"Nothing. Good. Next time, we should bring thick jackets so we don't get cold. Did you like the place?"
"Yeah. Let's bring thick jackets and thick blankets too."
"Of course. I don't want to share with you again. You're so selfish. You only cover yourself and forget about me."
"What? I didn't! I covered you too, but the blanket was just too small and thin."
"Okay, forget about it."
"Better." Yna chose to stay silent. She closed her eyes, not in the mood to talk or even look at Alas during the drive.
After three hours, they finally reached Manila. Yna had fallen asleep, so Alas decided not to wake her up just yet and let her rest.
This gave Alas the chance to stare at her for a long time. He could only do this while she was asleep; if she were awake, she probably wouldn't let him, or worse, she might slap him.
"She's so beautiful. I like her lips… they look so kissable," he whispered to himself with a smile.
Yna was sleeping soundly. He was just about to wake her up when she stirred. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
Their eyes met. For a moment, she wanted to close them again and pretend to be asleep, but it was too late—he had already seen her awake. He was smiling at her, making her heart race and her face heat up in embarrassment.
"Ahh… where are we now?" she asked, trying to act cool and unaffected.
"We're back in Manila, but I stopped the car for a while. I think we should have lunch first. I know you must be hungry, do you want to eat?"
"Okay. I know some good restaurants around here. Let's go." She didn't object anymore; she was starving since they hadn't eaten breakfast.
They were both hungry after the long drive, so as soon as the waiter approached, they placed their orders immediately.
The waiter noted everything down. "Would you like to add anything else?"
"No, that's all. Thank you."
"Please wait for a while, Ma'am, Sir." They both nodded in response.
"Yna, you can go home after lunch. Just report to the office tomorrow. I'll drop you off first before I head to the office. Uncle Jomari is probably looking for you already. Is that okay?"
"Okay, whatever you say."
Soon, the waiter arrived and placed the food on their table. "Enjoy your meal." He then left them to eat.
"Let's eat," Alas said, serving food onto her plate.
"Sure," she replied, eating quickly because she was so hungry. "Who texted you?" she noticed Alas checking his phone after finishing his meal.
"It's Lydia. There's an emergency at the company."
They finished eating, and Alas drove her home.
"Just tell Uncle Jomari that I couldn't stay long because of the emergency. If he has questions about the reports I assigned you, just email me. See you tomorrow, bye."
"Okay, bye!" she replied. Yna went inside their house. Alas waited until she was safely inside before driving away. He felt genuinely happy spending time alone with Yna.
INSIDE, Yna found Jomari sitting on the sofa, staring at her intently.
"Good afternoon, Dad," she greeted.
"Good afternoon. How was your trip? Why didn't you come home immediately?"
"Ah… Dad, it was raining really hard there, and it wasn't safe to travel. The rain only stopped late last night, but then it started pouring again right after dinner."
"I see. Why didn't you bring Alas inside? Why did he leave right away?"
"He was in a hurry to get back to their company because of an emergency."
"Okay, that's enough. How did you two get along there? Did you pick a fight with him again?"
"No, we were fine. Actually, he should be thankful to me because if it weren't for me, he might have gotten hurt. The people there were really angry at him."
"Why?"
She sighed. "Well, they didn't want to sell their land. But luckily, when they saw me, their anger faded and they welcomed us warmly. And guess what, Dad? They finally agreed to sell," she announced happily.
"Very good. Keep it up, Yna. Keep helping Alas. Because of this, I'll increase your credit card limit to thirty thousand pesos. Is that okay?"
She smiled. "Sure, Dad. I'm going to rest now. Excuse me," she said and left.
"Okay," Jomari replied, smiling widely. He was overjoyed. He could see positive changes in Yna's attitude and behavior.
MEANWHILE, Alas was already at the company, handling the emergency meeting. Afterward, he went straight to his office. He had only been gone for a day, but piles of documents were already waiting on his desk.
It was only in Malaya Village that he was able to sleep soundly and comfortably. Back here in Manila, he usually only got two or three hours of sleep every night.
It took him almost three hours to finish checking all the documents. Feeling exhausted, he decided to head home and rest.
On his way out, he ran into Brenda.
"Hi, nice to see you. By the way, I'm here because I want to invite you for dinner. Can we? You promised last time that you would go on a date with me, hmm?" Brenda said in a sweet, child-like tone. She was undeniably beautiful, the type any man would dream of courting.
Alas couldn't really say no, so he accepted her invitation. "Okay, let's go. I'm sorry I really forgot because of my hectic schedule."
"Hmm, it's okay. No need to apologize. I understand."
"Thanks."
They went to the parking area. Alas opened the car door for her, and they left immediately. They went to a famous restaurant owned by Melchior.
They chose the VIP section so they wouldn't be disturbed. Alas was already a regular VIP there.
"What's your order?" Alas asked her as he looked at the menu handed by the waiter.
"Well, these," she pointed at several items, and the waiter noted them down.
Alas ordered his food too. "Here," he pointed, and the waiter listed them as well.
"Okay, Ma'am and Sir. Please wait for about 10 minutes, your orders will be served shortly." The waiter bowed and left them.
They chatted while waiting for their food.
"Alas, it seems like I haven't heard any news that you're engaged. Is that true? Are you still single?" Brenda asked curiously.
Alas and Brenda became friends back in the US when Melchior introduced them. Their friendship started back in college. What Alas didn't know was that Brenda had been hiding feelings for him for a long time.
"Ah, about that? I have no time for dating. Besides, I'm a very busy person. I don't even have time to hang out because of the huge responsibility of being a CEO."
"Hmm. I think you're just holding back your feelings. Where there's a will, there's a way. Always remember that. Maybe the person you love is still the one holding a place in your heart," she said, referring to the woman Alas had loved since before.
Alas smiled at her words. There was some truth to it. Brenda knew bits and pieces of his past, though not the full details.
"No, it's not about her. I'm telling the truth. I'm really busy right now; I have a big project to handle. I need to focus on it and do my best to prove that I'm a capable CEO."
Brenda frowned slightly, curious and eager to help. "Well, what is it all about? Can I help you? I plan to stay here in the Philippines for about a year. I'm free. No one has booked me for modeling jobs lately anyway. I think I'll look for work here. I don't want to be idle and do nothing. I think you can help me, right?"
"Oh, really? You can work in my company anytime you want. But I'm not sure if office work fits your passion. Or maybe you can do both—modeling and office work. Can you handle that?"
"Of course. I can do anything. I will make it work. I will do it, just for you!"
"Sure?"
"Of course."
"Thank you."
Just then, the waiter arrived carrying their food.
"Your food is here," he said, placing the dishes on the table. "Enjoy your dinner," he added before leaving to give them privacy.
AFTER dinner, Alas drove Brenda home.
"I will email my application letter once I've made my final decision. See you again next time, bye!" she said, getting out of the car. She didn't let Alas get out to see her off. She stood in front of her house and waved at him, beaming with happiness that they had reconnected and had dinner together.
Alas smiled back, started the engine, and drove off.
He arrived quickly at his condo unit. After parking his car, he went straight inside. He took off his t-shirt and tossed it into the laundry basket. He took a quick shower, then lay down on his bed. He closed his eyes, a small smile on his lips. "Good night," he whispered.