“Lala,” Chun called out, tapping Ella gently on the shoulders as he woke her up.

“What Lala?” Ella asked in bewilderment.

“You know, Elle and Ella are too common, so I made you a nickname,” Chun reasoned out and pulled her up from bed.

“Eh, that’s too girlish,” Ella whined in hesitation about her so-called new nickname. And then it hit her that he woke her up. Meaning, he wanted to do something together, “What do you want now? Spill!” Ella said in exclamation, banging her head towards his hardened chest.

“No, I’m supposed to ask you that,” Chun said. “I mean, it’s a weekend, so I wanted to ask you where you want to go or whatever you would want to do?”

“Sleep,” Ella answered with no second thoughts. “I’m still tired, yet you already woke me up from my deep slumber.”

“Eh, really?” Chun asked in bewilderment. “I mean, you slept earlier than me yesterday. Maybe about 4 hours from your regular sleeping time.”

“That’s because I’m so, so, so weird these days,” Ella explained and slammed her back on the soft pads of the bed, attempting to get sleep once again.

“I noticed that too,” Chun whispered and sat at the very edge of the bed. “What do you think is with you?”

“I’m pregnant!” Ella said in exclamation, alongside laughing—trying to make the statement sound like a joke.

“No, really?” Chun asked, half believing what she said. “I mean…the vomiting, the ‘I need some more sleep’. Lala, it’s not like you at all.”

“You’re thinking too much,” Ella hit him softly on the chest. “Of course I ain’t pregnant.” She tried to disregard whatever fact he’s rubbing on her face, but I think it didn’t work, for she’s just too suspicious.

“So explain to me why you went to the hospital a few days back.” Chun requested.

“You…” Ella paused. “You saw me?”

“Will I ask you that question if I didn’t know?” Chun asked. “I even doubted whether or not I’d follow you.”

“That’s not a very good thing that you did.”

Ella sighed in defeat and stared down the cold marble-tiled floor, trying to think of an excuse, “Daily check-ups, you know?” She tried convincing Chun with her excuses.

B out of , she felt the sour taste of her saliva, “I’m going to the bathroom,” She excused herself and ran to the bathroom wherein she let out all the food she’s eaten since yesterday.

Chun followed forth, half believing what Ella just said. He was trying to debate with himself whether or not it is true, for half of him doesn’t know how to react in a situation like this.

He pressed firmly his hands at the small of her back, massaging up and down. He felt devastated, he didn’t know why she was acting like this all the while, and he desperately needed an answer.

On the other hand, she felt super guilty. Is it that hard to tell him that she’s pregnant and she’s carrying their child? Is she trying to consult with herself and debate just because she’s not yet ready to be a mother? Yes, it’s true. It’s true that she isn’t ready just yet to be a mother, but doesn’t she realize that if she continues on with whatever plan she has (eg. Killing the baby, abandoning), she’s facing consequences? That she’s committing sin against the 5th commandment? They say that ‘Thou shall not kill’, but what is she just doing? She’s trying to kill their baby, for Pete’s sake!

Just as she was done swiping with the back of her hand, she stood up from her crouched position and flushed the toilet and shut it close. She spun herself around and met brown eyes that wanted badly to know what was happening to her, yet she ignored him and pushed through the sink to gargle and rinse herself clean. She looked at herself in the reflection of the mirror and then landed her eyes yet again on his reflection, right behind her. She doesn’t know what she was feeling right at the moment. And it’s as if something’s crutching her abdomen. It’s as if their baby is the one doing it, because it was aware of what her mom is about to do and it is so against it.

And then again, she spun herself around and closed her eyes, alongside whispering, “It’s true that I’m pregnant, Chun.”

Chun was at loss for words. He felt elated about her news, but…

“But I’m not yet ready to be a mother and you have to understand.” Ella explained.

His heart withered and wilted upon hearing those heartbreaking words coming out from . Just a millisecond ago, he felt very much on cloud nine hearing that he’d soon become a father, yet she broke his happiness and told him straight on the face that she isn’t ready just yet to be a mother.

He knelt right away in front of her, and reached out for her hand. “Ella, didn’t we talk about this? Didn’t we promise to one another that we’d have 5 kids?”

“That was way too long ago, Chun. That was more than 5 years ago. Do you expect me to still have the same principles?” She asked, completely turning to an Ella who he didn’t know already.

“Do you love me?” Out of the blue, he asked, and looked up at her with tear-stained eyes.

“You know the answer, Chun. Why do you need to ask?” Ella asked, controlling the tears that are attempting to brim out of her eyes any minute now.

“Then why do you have to hurt me this way and tell me indirectly that you don’t love me anymore?” Chun asked, his tone increasing a little because of anger and fear. Anger, because she was acting immature yet again, making him believe that she didn’t care about his feelings at the spur of the moment and fear, for predicting the he’ll lose his first child.

Silence.

“Why, Ella?” He held her shoulders, and shook her violently. She suffered the pain silently, as she covered her tear-stained face. She didn’t know what she was feeling right at the moment.

And then silence again.

“Give me reasons as to why you wouldn’t want to keep the baby,” He requested and sobbed even louder. He couldn’t care less if his male ego gets hit or whether or not people would think he’s gay for they couldn’t care less. Other people don’t have anything to do with their problems anyway, so why bother?

“I don’t know,” Was the only response she made as she made way for herself to sit at the closed toilet. She actually doesn’t have a clue on whether or not what she’s doing is right or wrong. What just dawned upon her is that she’s not ready.

After a few minutes of silence yet again, he stood up from his knelt down position and reached out for the doorknob. He tilted his head back to meet her face just to say…

“There’s food downstairs, go have breakfast. I’ve lost my appetite, so you’re eating alone. Don’t come spoiling my mood and telling me that you’ll kill the baby, ‘cause if not, Ella…” he paused. “Once you get back up, you’ll find me laid down in this bedroom a cold corpse.”

Ella paled at his words, and then he left the bathroom and made a way to their bed. He pulled the comforters up and up away until it reached and covered his entire body.

“Chun…” she whispered, but he didn’t seem to hear. “Chun…” She weakly called out again. ‘I can’t eat alone,’ she wanted to say, yet no words escaped after she uttered his name.

“J-just g-go and ea-eat!” He exclaimed, with his voice shaking a little bit. He seriously needed some time to be alone. To think over whatever hell is happening in their world.

!@#$%^&*

Hebe hurriedly grabbed all important files from her office desk at home and hailed a taxi cab right outside her house when she’s reached the highway. Today is her official comeback to the studio, ever since it got severe damages and gun shots.

In the nick of time, she went out of the cab she just hailed a little while ago and waited for the bus stop—her second ride in the day, necessarily taken as she needed to really reach the studio in any minute now. Anyhow, it doesn’t take just one ride to reach the studio.

She inserted herself inside the cramped bus and took a seat in where she thought an empty lot. Beside her was a man in a long white suit, which looked like a doctor or something and he were sleeping. She examined his face closer and paled when the memories from before shot right back in her mind. Isn’t he the same as before? Isn’t he…

“Calvin?” Hebe whispered and bit her lower lip, upon seeing him open an eye when he probably heard his name and the flashbacks came flooding back…

‘Hey,’ A man from behind greeted Hebe and hung his arms around her shoulders.

‘Who are you?’ She asked. Thus, straining herself away from his very reach.

She pushed his hands away from her, trying to get him off of her. Hebe recalled the day Calvin cried in her arms, uttering about how he is very afraid of commitment, which he’ll never ever get into a relationship with a woman ever!

To Hebe, she felt pity toward him. She didn’t know what to do, for she really isn’t that kind of person to comfort, but somehow she did and only they knew what happened in the past.