IT’S BEEN more than four weeks, or a month, since she got home from Iloilo. It had also been that long since she last saw Aiden, and she missed him already. She hated to admit it, but she really did. She could not stop herself from thinking about him. Maybe the saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” was true after all. What she expected to happen was for her to forget him once she was far away from him. Instead, she found herself unable to sleep every night because she kept thinking about him. How could she not when she slept beside the Baymax stuffed toy he gave her and constantly wore the bracelet he gifted her on her birthday? Sometimes, she even caught herself staring at the bracelet while wearing it. She wondered if he missed her too.
And she could not help wondering where he was.
Four days after she got home, Audrey returned to Manila. Bree prepared herself for the possibility of seeing Aiden again, but it never happened. Audrey was the only one she saw. The woman did not even acknowledge her. She later found out from her aunt that Audrey was returning to Paris. And when she asked Aunt Isabel if she had seen Aiden, Isabel said Audrey came back alone. One day, Bree found herself visiting Aiden’s condo unit on the fifth floor, but nobody was there. She came back again the next day, but it was still empty. If he was not with Audrey, then maybe he had already gone back to America.
The thought filled her heart with sadness. Would they ever see each other again?
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. It was probably Aunt Isabel. Her aunt called earlier saying she forgot her condo key and asked Bree not to leave because she might not be able to get inside. She stood up from the high stool and left the untouched brownies on top of the countertop. As always, she had been spacing out again.
She walked toward the door and opened it. Her eyes widened because it was not Aunt Isabel standing there, but Aiden Lyle Francisco.
Without saying a word, she slapped herself. She slapped herself so hard that she winced. When she looked up again, Aiden was already hugging her. To say she was surprised was an understatement.
“I thought you’d hug me the moment you saw me, but you didn’t. So I’m just gonna do it,” he said.
She blinked, tears slowly filling her eyes. “I…” She swallowed hard. “I was just making sure you weren’t my imagination.”
He pulled away from the hug and looked into her eyes. “I’ve missed you so much, Bree.”
She did not expect him to say that, so a gasp escaped her lips. Even so, her heart filled with happiness. She wanted to hug him tightly, but she still felt hesitant.
“A-Audrey…” she started. “She left. She already went back to Paris.” He did not look surprised by what she said. Maybe they left the country together. She tried to suppress the jealousy slowly surfacing from deep within her heart.
“Audrey and I are over.” Her jaw dropped at his words. “She broke up with me. For the umpteenth time, I refused to become the person she wanted me to be. I guess that was the last straw for her.”
“I’m sorry…” she said softly after a few seconds.
“It’s for the better,” he said. “I was planning to end our relationship anyway.”
She swallowed hard. “W-Why?”
“Because I’m falling for someone else,” he said while looking straight into her eyes, causing her heart to beat faster. She swallowed hard and looked away. At that moment, he closed the door, which she had only just realized was still open. She automatically took a step back.
“I got you something,” he said before taking something out of his bag.
She gasped out loud. He was holding the last book of Blood Brothers Code.
“This copy is for you, Bree,” he said with a smile on his lips as she took it from him. It looked completely brand new. “That’s the reason why I disappeared for more than a month.” From staring at the book cover, she looked back at him. “I went back to the States to check if it had already been printed. But it turns out the book won’t be printed until next month. I told them…I needed to have a physical copy of the book fast. I humbly asked them to print an advance copy, just one copy for me, so I could finally see the girl I’ve fallen in love with, the same girl who gets me and claims that she’s my number one fan, and give it to her.”
She bit her lower lip. Her heart soared higher than she thought possible. “W-What are you saying, Aiden?”
But instead of answering her, he opened the book she was holding to the dedication page. She looked down at it too. And when she saw her name there, she gasped once again.
For Bree…
I must admit you were not a part of my book
But now if you open it up and take a look
You're the beginning and the end of every chapter
Tears filled her eyes as she read the words. One tear rolled down her cheek and fell onto the open book. She felt him wipe away another tear that slipped from her eyes. “I know this is a bit early to say, but I’m falling for you, Bree,” he said as he lifted her face. “Some people question the choices I’ve made in life, and they continue to do so. But you…you never did. You get me. You never saw me as the son of two famous people. You saw me for who I am.”
“Aiden…” Another tear fell, but his thumb was already there to wipe it away. He kissed her forehead, and she let him. Happiness overflowed in her heart. She never expected to hear those words from him.
He looked into her eyes again. “While I was away, I spent the whole time thinking about you, Bree. I kept praying that you would wait for me. That maybe, even just a little, you felt something for me too.”
She smiled shyly at him. “I don’t know why or how it happened, but before I knew it, I was already falling for you, Aiden. I tried to fight it, but I just couldn’t stop myself.”
One corner of his lips lifted into a smile. “Sometimes you can’t help what you feel, for whom, and how quickly you feel it. Strange things can happen when you least expect them.” He kissed the bridge of her nose. Then his lips slowly traveled down to hers. She closed her eyes and, at the same time, let go of the book. She could only hope the fall did not damage it.
Their first kiss was breathtaking in its simple beauty. He was so sweetly submissive, as though he was giving her the chance to pull away.
But pulling away was the last thing on her mind.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. Bree opened her mouth and kissed him back. This time, he deepened the kiss much more slowly. One of his hands rested on her waist while the other cradled the back of her head. His fingers threaded through her hair as he tilted her head to deepen the kiss further. Her heart pounded wildly as they continued.
Then he slowly pulled away from her and rested his forehead against hers. He continued stroking her hair as he tried to catch his breath. “There’s nothing you can do now, Bree. You’re falling for me, and I promise I’ll meet you halfway.”