My Kind of Perfect (28 page)

Seeing that he stopped from moving, I realized that he must
now be aware that I was already here. Keeping my face straight, I saw him turned
his head to my direction. And in one heart-stopping moment, our eyes met.

“Hi,” he greeted, holding my eyes in straight in his own.

“Hi,” I said back, my voice muddled.

And just like that, the world stopped moving and it felt
like we were the only ones around. The passersby suddenly disappeared
altogether into the depths of the night. The loud honking of the cars entirely
stilled as the only sound I heard was my wildly beating heart in my chest. I
just hoped that I didn't look too stupid in front of him, seeing how I was
feeling all this confusing emotions inside.

He broke the clunky silence as he said, “How have you been?”

Clearing my throat, I forced some words out. “I'm doing
fine. You?”

“Just the same, everything's going well,” he uttered, lying
all the way through. It was clear that he was exhausted. Not well, definitely.
Everything about him told so.

I took a seat at the empty swing beside him, looking away. I
caught my breath, trying to even it out. “Why did you call me out here?”

He didn't answer. His gaze was lost.

I tried calling him, “John?”

“Huh?”

“Are you even here? What are you thinking?” I faintly
muttered. “By the way, how's Dorothy?”

He just nodded.

What was that supposed to mean?

“Is she doing well?” I asked again.

He simply nodded, looking away this time.

Right, it was a forbidden topic for both of us.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to—“

“She's fine,” he finally said.

“That's good to hear,” I said to him, looking ahead and
pushing my feet against the ground. The moment passed on, but even though no
one actually said a word, it felt like we were already having a meaningful
conversation. Or maybe it was just me.

“Kayla?” I heard someone unnecessarily called my name from
behind, breaking the serene moment.

No. It was just my imagination, I convinced myself. But I
noticed that John turned around to the direction where the voice came from. He
also heard it. So it wasn’t just my imagination. Looking back, my eyes widened
in shock as I saw Aaron.

I immediately blurted, “What are you doing here?”

“I'm on my way to your flat. Who's he?” he asked as he
pointed to John.

“Why are you going to my place?” I asked him.

“To visit you?” he suggested, not being bothered by the tone
of my voice.

“Who's he?” John asked the same question to me.

I totally forgot to introduce both of them to each other.
This was awkward but it wasn’t as if I had a better choice. So I said, “John,
this is Aaron. Aaron, this is John.”

I had decided that I'd rather not do any further
introductions. Labeling them would be like saying,
‘Ex-fake-hubby
John, this is Aaron. Ex-boyfriend Aaron, this is John.’

So really, it was all weird if I would say it like that.

They both just nodded and hadn't even bothered on offering a
hand like normal people did with introductions. And they got this stern
atmosphere built up in between them instantly. Did they even know each other
for them to act this way?

“So, you're Aaron,” John mused, standing on his feet and
placing himself in between me and Aaron.

“Yeah?” Aaron asked, confused. But the sharpness in his
voice was also clear. I placed my bet that he hadn't watched the news for the
last few weeks. He completely regarded John as a total stranger.

“Is he the one from before?” John asked me, slightly turning
his head to my direction.

“The one form where?” I confusedly asked him.

“The one who ran off with some other girl.” His voice was
grimmer than before. In that month of being together, there were some other
things that I had shared with him, including my not so fortunate love encounters
before.

I simply nodded, cautious as I beheld both of their
reactions. I saw some color drifted off from Aaron's face when he saw me agree.
But it was John who spoke, “And what is he trying to do now? Could you two be
back together?”

“No,” Aaron answered though the question was clearly meant
for me. “But I'm trying to win her back. And who are you to her?”

I kept my mouth shut, wanting to hear what John would
answer. I was actually curious about it even if it wouldn’t be that much of a
positive answer. The last thing he said about us was that we were friends.

The soundless seconds ticked and it was as if my heart
stilled with it. It was the moment when everything seemed to be in slow motion.
I thought that this kind of thing didn't happen in real life. But for those
excruciating five seconds, I was certain that it does.

One. Two. Three. Four. A lifetime. And then five.

“She's not my girl and never been mine. But one thing's for
sure. I loved her then and I still love her now. And from this day on, I will
do what I can to make her stay by my side. I lost her twice and the pain was
just the same. But this time around, it was not just I who was suffering. I
believed that it was both of us. I'll do what I can to be worthy of her and I
will never give her up for someone like you,” he asserted.

And then the world stopped all together.

There were so many ways to which love could come to us. For
some, it was that one unexpected ride that you had never imagined taking. That
one wrong turn, a wrong corner.... but turned out, it was all you needed.

“Kayla!” I snapped as John's call penetrated my ears.

“What happened?” I blurted out of nowhere, making it the
most unintelligent statement of the century.

But then it turned out that my uncanny reaction had done
something good. For the first time since he arrived here, John finally laughed.
However, the bad thing was, he was laughing about my senseless question.

Regardless, I felt the hefty lines on my face slowly
disappeared. The heaviness and bewilderment I felt a moment ago was swept away
by the soft sound of his laughing voice. And the awkward mood eventually
lightened up a bit.

“I'm sorry for being so surprised,” I added, smiling a bit
as I stared at his face.

“It's okay. Sorry for suddenly saying all that,” he said, sitting
again on the vacant swing.

The streets of Creeksburg became normal once more as the
once stopped cars and silenced place in my imagination came alive. As for the
world, it came back and decided to start revolving again. Everything was back
to normal as the unimaginable happening came to an end.

Aaron had been gone millions of years ago, I mean, a moment
ago. And as expected, he didn't leave without putting up a show and saying that
he was certain that it was him who I really liked. But the moment he had said
that I was still head over heels for him and that I would be utterly miserable
without him in my life that was when I snapped and told him to get lost. For
once, I had been that way. But there was no way it would happen again. My
wishful hopes and dreams about him altogether disappeared to nowhere. Reality
check, he was really a jerk from the start.

After that awkward moment, Aaron finally left us. I had no
clue where he would go or what he’d do with his life. But setting all that
aside, I was certain that he could live on and still be happy. He once ran away
with someone and had the time of his life while cheating on me. He can do
anything with his life. All of which I had no care about anymore.

And so that left me with John here, sitting beside me and
staring at me in such a very endearing manner. The words were out, the verdict
had been declared. So where exactly do I stand now?

“Kayla,” Dorothy whispered in a weak voice.

I held her hand and clasped it tight, letting her know that I
was around. “I'm here.”

She smiled faintly, lines tracing the fullness of her face.
She asked Mr. Smith to pick me up and bring me here—all the way from
Creeksburg—telling him that she had something to say to me. John was out and
attending a meeting so I was the only one that was with her inside this empty
room.

A few days in the ICU, she had been transferred to a regular
room. And she was getting spunkier, I heard. All in all, I was glad that she
was well.

“Kayla, sit down. I have something to tell you,” she told me.

I walked closer to her and took a seat at the chair that was
at her bedside. I stared blankly at Dorothy, unable to grasp why she called me
here for or how to react to that person whom I had caused a misfortune to
happen. She softly smiled at me. I unintentionally flashed back a guilty smile
in return, the one wherein you tell the whole world that you had done something
wrong.

Dorothy seemed to notice it and she shook her head. “Don't
give me that look.”

“But...”

“It's okay. I'm old and quite fragile myself. I hate that word
but that's how I am. My heart problem has been with me ever since I turned
sixty. So really, don't blame it all on yourself,” she said, comforting me.

“But if I did not...”

“Kayla, if you say another word about that incident, I'll go
ahead and drop your marriage license to the clerk's office,” she muttered in a
weak voice, threatening me once more. It sounded like even in her sick bed, she
would still threaten me if she had to.

“You're here. How can you even do that?” I said back, quite
disbelieving to the thought. And besides, if she actually did that, I would be
wickedly happy. I mean, to be bluntly honest, I would love for that to happen.

“I have people who work for me. Don't you think I won't be
capable of doing that?” she said, throwing me a wink.

“Okay, then go ahead,” I muttered.

“Right,” she agreed. Then she called out, “Nate?”

“I'm just kidding. I mean...” Lost for words, I paused. The
clock ticked on and I still hadn't been able to say a thing.

“You mean what?”

Dorothy had no clue on what had really happened. I bet she
hadn't heard a word about it. It was only me and John who really knew what had
occurred. Since I hadn't said a word about it and I was certain that it was the
same way for John, Dorothy still had no clue that she had already succeeded. I
fell for his grandson. I fell so hard that I hadn't been able to pick myself
up.

“I mean... you know, there were things that had changed,” I
tried saying, searching for the right words. I was torn if I should let the
secret out or conceal it in a set of lies.

“You like him, don't you?” she asked flat out.

Did she ever learn the meaning of the word courtesy? But we
were talking about Dorothy here so courtesy was long diminished from the topic.
Looking away, I coughed out the nervousness that got caught in my throat.

When I looked back at Dorothy, she had that one meaningful
gaze which got the word out of my mouth. “Yes?”

Colors immediately traced her face as her lips twitched in a
wry smile. I stared down, unable to look at her anymore. She finally got it. I
utterly gave in to what she had wanted to happen. I was miserably in love with
his grandson who had no hint of adoration left for me.

“You're shy, that's sweet,” she complimented, or more like
dragged my heavy feelings a hundred feet under the ground.

“Alright, I do admit it. I mean, who wouldn't fall for your
grandson? Anyone you set up with him would also feel this way,” I reasoned out.

She shook her head a bit, catching her breath. I suddenly
became alarmed that she was still feeling unwell. However, she assured me that
she was okay as she lightly placed her rough hands on mine.

Then she said, “I’d done this countless of times. I set him up
for dates, for relationships, and even an arranged marriage. And trust me, all
of them dumped him and I got you to blame for it all. What? You think you're
the first one?”

“What do you mean?” I asked her, not really getting what she
had said.

“I wanted him to forget you. I fully knew that my boy was in
love with you ever since. But really, I wanted him to just get over with that
puppy love whatsoever,” she began.

“And?” I asked for her to continue.

“So I set him up for dates, threatening him every now and
then. You know, the usual,” she said.

“Are you serious? You did this before?” I incredulously asked
her.

“Of course. You have no idea of the damage you left when you
dumped him for that Jonathan guy. I also know the name, funny right? He cursed
and loathed that name for years. So why shouldn’t I?”

“He did that? Isn't he uhmm... calm… refined…composed?” I
tried enumerating John’s good traits.

“He was angry. What did you expect? You couldn't be thinking
that he was enthusiastic and overwhelmingly happy at that time?” she asserted.

“For real?”

“Uh-huh,” she answered, reaching out for the cup of water.

I gave it to her and she took a sip. Then I said, “I'm crazy,
right? I mean I should have known that...”

“It was all in the past now. Something greater pulled the two
of you back together again. Who would have thought that you would suddenly
appear out of nowhere a day before his wedding? You know, I do believe now that
when two people are destined to be together, no matter how many turns they make
in this life, they will definitely meet each other again,” she said to me.

“You think? But then...” I stumbled with the words.

“I did what I should do. I made you two realize the stupid
mistakes that you both had done before. But I don't want to be the one to break
the confession to you. He will come around eventually. Knowing him, it would
probably take some time though,” she told me.

“I don't think I get what you are saying. He doesn't like me
at all. How can we be meant for each other? And how come that there will be a
confession?” I asked her.