Chapter 5 Unexpected

Bram and I were stuck in Manila traffic for two hours. My discomfort went to another level that I wanted to cry. But after the expressway, there was no traffic anymore. I thought that the glances that Bram gave me in the car showed that he cared for me. But when we reached the glass house he did not even look at me.

Maria escorted me to my room and told me that my mom called earlier after I left. She said that it was urgent and that she would assist me pack my bags for a short trip. She also said that I should call my mother back. I dialed my mother immediately and my mom answered on the first ring. I sat on the bed and listened to her.

"We need to take Roland far away from Manila. It was recommended by your brother's friend," my mom said frantically.

"Mom, we paid them already. What's the problem?" I asked my mom. I suddenly felt all the energy drained out of my body. I kicked my sandals and laid down on the bed. I curled up and held the phone tighter.

"I can't disclose the details to you but I have already talked to Maria and Bram's mom about this. This is about you and your brother's safety. Please get ready," Mom said, then she disconnected the call.

Maria was standing in my mini living room with a brown-colored branded bag. She was facing my direction and said, "Your bag is ready, Madam."

"Whose bag is that?" I asked as I stood up.

"This is yours, Madam. The personal shopper delivered it yesterday," Maria explained.

"But I did not order anything," I told her in confusion.

"Madam Credence did," Maria stated as she mentioned the name of Bram's mom. Then she carried my bag and added, "Shall we, Madam?"

I carried my sandals and walked barefooted out of my room. We walked quietly towards the elevator.

"Um...Maria. Does Bram know?" I asked as I looked at the elevator buttons.

"Not yet Madam, he changed his clothes and went out again," Maria explained. Then the elevator door opened for the ground floor. We walked out and this time I followed Maria towards the garage, "Madam, I have already booked you a ticket. Your mother already knows the details of where you will get them. Please take care and I hope to see you again soon."

Then she opened the service car door for me. The driver took me to the airport where I met my mother and my brother. Roland's friend took my bag from Bram's family driver. I thanked Bram's chauffeur and bid him goodbye.

Siquijor Island, Philippines

When we reached the resthouse of Wilson-my brother's friend. We were introduced to his family and we were given a room. I just removed my blue dress and went inside the bathroom, freshened up and changed into my pajamas. We were asked if we wanted to eat something and I told them no. I was freaking tired and my soreness down there was not helping.

I could not believe that all of those things happened within twenty-four hours. I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes immediately, then I passed out. I dreamt about Bram and me. I could feel every caress and every kiss on my body until someone touched my shoulder and shook me. It was my mom waking me up the next day.

"Darling, it's nine in the morning. You need to get up. Bram has already called six times," mom said as I sat up.

I massaged my head and looked around for my phone, "Where's my phone, mom?"

"Here, I answered Bram's calls and told him that you were still asleep," mom stated as she handed me my phone, "Get ready love, we need to assist Wilson's mom with her household chores."

I went out for a walk with my brother and his friend, Wilson. We were greeted by the friendly people on the island. We enjoyed the wonderful scenery and island music. Though I was mad at my brother for what he did to himself and to me and our mom, I still joked around with him and we would still talk about other things like his dating status. He said he recently met a girl but it was nothing serious because she had left the country already.

We ended up at a local restaurant and decided to eat our dinner there. While we waited for our order, my phone vibrated and it showed the face of Bram. I quickly answered.

"Hello?" I said to him,

"Are you okay? Where are you staying?" He said in a hurried voice.

"I'm fine," I told him as I stood up. I walked far away from the earshot of my brother and his friend, "We're staying at the house of Roland's friend."

"Do you know them? Where is that?" he demanded.

"Here on the island. I think we were sort of hiding my brother for safety until things got better in our hometown," I had a hard time explaining it with Bram. Because I was so ashamed of the situation that I was in.

"I will get you. You don't need to go with them. You'll be safe here with me," Bram said, and I heard him release a long breath.

"My mom is with us, Bram. I think we're okay. I'll be back soon," I told him. I heard my brother call me and then he pointed at our delivered food, "I'll talk to you later when we get home," then I hung up the call.

When we were done eating, my brother took a lot of photos of me and he used the setting sun as my background. Bram called again when my phone detected Wi-Fi. This time it was a video call. I hurriedly went up to the room that was provided for us and readied my power cord.

"Are you inside the house now?" Bram asked. He was wearing this white V-necked shirt that showed the lean shape of his body. He appeared to be outdoors because I saw some plants in his background.

"Yes, we just got home. We ate dinner in a restaurant," I said to the camera.

I was watching what Bram was doing. I could see his profile because he was looking far away. So I asked him, "How about you? Are you okay?"

He just nodded and licked his lower lip, then he bit it. I smiled because I bit my lower lip too most of the time. Especially when I was rattled or nervous. But, I was not sure what he was feeling right at the moment.

Bram looked at the camera again and I saw his beautiful blue eyes, "I just want you to be safe. Just keep your lines open, okay? I'll call you back again tomorrow," he said as we stared at each other on the phone.

"Okay, I will," I answered him. Then we looked at each other again for a moment, then he said goodbye.

"Be safe!" he added, then he ended the call.