Days and weeks have passed. Days and weeks have passed that he haven’t seen her all the while. Days and weeks is it that he hasn’t come up to Charlene and just tell her about the truth. The truth that he truly doesn’t love her—that the only love he can give to her is that of a friend.

The wedding between his betrothed also is counting down days. In fact, two weeks from now would be it.

!@#$%^&*

On the other hand, she spent her past few days with Hebe. Hebe also took her in as her assistant photographer. Hebe’s single, so she didn’t have any time for love and focused all her attention on her studio.

Let’s just say that she’s never fallen in love, but certainly knows how to deal with bastards.

“Hebs…” Ella called out Hebe’s attention as she fixed the lens of her camera. “Am I not a bother to you?” She asked, glancing every time at her friend who was currently planning out their photo trips for the whole month.

“Eh…” Hebe raised the pencil up and pointed it to Ella. “As long as you help me, it’s never a—“

“Oh my God!” Hebe softly exclaimed as her eyes widened in shock just because she saw some unexpected name on their monthly schedule dates. “Ella shouldn’t see this.” She warned herself and gulped as she glanced at Ella who was looking at her with confusion written on her face.

“As long as I what?” Ella asked. “What’s with that look on your face, Hebs?” She asked again as Hebe stood up from her seat, walking back and forth the room.

“Elle, would you want to take a day-off on the 29th?” Hebe asked her, ignoring Ella’s questions, trying to keep her cool.

“Why?” Ella asked.

“I just remembered that I have some unfinished business to do on the 29th, so I might close down the studio.” She tried reasoning out.

“Shouldn’t be that a means then for me to stay?” Ella asked.

“No, no!” Hebe exclaimed. “You don’t really have to, you know.” She smiled a sheepish grin, trying to cover up for whatever matter that she doesn’t want Ella to know.

“You’re hiding something from me.” Ella spoke and looked up at Hebe who now looked as if someone should be of pity.

“Ella…” Hebe whispered. “Please.” She pleaded. “Take the day-off on the 29th. It would be best for you to take a rest.”

“Just tell me the truth.” Ella took a seat and then heaved out a sigh as she patiently waited for Hebe to tell her everything she needs to know.

“Did he tell you that he’ll marry already?” Hebe straightforwardly asked the question, assuming that there’s no point in hiding the truth from her anymore.

Ella’s eyes shot wide. He never told her that he has any plans on getting married. He never really even invited her. “How could he do this to me?” She asked herself as a tear escaped her eye.

“Yes, I know.” She lied, pretending as if she knew the utterly bitter truth and that she would no longer cram and cry.

“What do you feel?” Hebe asked, shocked by Ella’s sudden actions of not cramming and crying right in front of her. Perhaps, Ella’s acting she’s harnessed for the past few years that she painstakingly tried to move on.

“I feel empty. I feel certainly neutral about it, should I feel anything besides feeling happy for him?” She said that in one breath, not even bothering to look at Hebe. She didn’t even blink and found the ground amusing at the moment.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Elle!” Hebe exclaimed. “I know what happened the other night. Jiro told me everything. He told me that he saw you with him.”

“So?” Ella stubbornly asked as if she wanted to forget whatever happened a few weeks back. “It’s the past, move on, you know?” She turned to look at Hebe who looked at her in bewilderment.

“What if you see him again even before the event happens?” She ignored Ella’s remarks and asked her with her own set of questions.

“I wouldn’t, don’t worry.” Ella coldly replied. “Besides, are there still means or reasons for us to meet?” She stood up from her seat and left Hebe with her camera stand to let her be the one to assemble.

“Going out for a walk?” Ella handed her the camera stand and then walked off with a slight nod as a response.

“I’ll be back at four in the evening, are you okay with it?” She walked away and then disappeared from Hebe’s sight.

Hebe didn’t bother replying. She knew she was hurt. She knew Ella was hurt, so she had no right to excuse her from walking out of the studio. Even before she approved—Hebe approved, she knew anyway that she’d give Ella some time alone.

.

.

.

It was then that she was walking all alone on the side streets just after finishing her job for the day. The thought of him getting married a few weeks after today made her dejected, but then made her have an advantage by testing out herself. To test out if she really was stronger than before.

Unaware, a gang followed her from behind as she hugged herself to keep herself warm from the cold winter night temperature.

“I should’ve brought along my jacket with me. That way, I won’t feel this cold.” She looked at the sky when all of a sudden; snowflakes began covering the whole place.

She kept on moving onwards, still unaware that a gang followed her. When she stopped midway, assuming that she’s just halfway to her house, the gang approached her.

“Hey, miss.” One of the guys approached her with a mysterious grin plastered on his face. “Care to have fun with the rest of us?” The guy pointed out to the rest of the gang members, making her scared of what’s yet to happen.

She attempted to run, but then found her weight heavy at the moment. She was freezing from the cold and was frightened by the sudden appearance of some unknown group of guys that she didn’t even know.

“Hey, Mike.” One of the members called out. “I think we better stop this.” The man crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

“But—“ Mike tried to defend his opinions. “The fun hasn’t started yet.”

Ella’s eyes shot wide. Never did she know that even a person from a gang would even dare have a heart.

“Baron, why are you all of a sudden backing out?” A man who looked a little less young than the rest spoke up and approached the man named Baron—Baron who attempted to stop harassing Ella.

“Arr—“

Taking this a chance, Ella ran away from the gang members panted heavily when she reached the exact gate of her house.

!@#$%^&*

“Ella…” Someone just nearby managed to call out her name. Only that he was inside the car that she wasn’t able to respond.

!@#$%^&*

“Did I just see it right?” Someone in particular asked himself. “Was it really Ella that we saw?” He asked himself as he put a finger below his chin, sending his fellow gang members to stop and stare.

!@#$%^&*

“Did I hear it right?” Ella asked herself and looked all around her. “Is he calling me?” She stopped right when she saw his car and the last person she wanted to see inside of it.

“Ella!” The man called out and quickly got out of his car to attempt to catch her even before she goes in the house.

But what he expected didn’t occur. She didn’t come rushing all through inside her house, but then instead waited for him to come down from his car.

“Congratulations on your wedding!” She managed to let out a laugh even before she could turn around and see his expression.

“You knew?” He asked her.

“Of course.” She replied and smiled at him as she commanded for him to come a few steps near to her.

Once he did so, the unexpected happen. She kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck, but he wouldn’t regret it. Instead, he slid her hands down her waist and responded to her every move as their tongues battled throughout the cold winter night.

She completely knows that two weeks away from now is the day that he would finally be married, but who cares? It’s just a goodbye kiss, anyway.

“Goodbye, Chun.” She jerked free from the kiss and slammed her house gate closed, as she crouched back down and leaned on the wall to break down and cry.

On the other hand, it was as if time stopped that she broke free from her own kiss to him. It lasted for ten seconds, but he surely wouldn’t forget it. But then surely wouldn’t make it a means for him to stop the wedding. He loved her, but then realized that he just can’t make her happy. He still loved her, but is willing to move on and live in another’s arms—for Ella’s own sake and for Ella’s own wish for him to move on.