Chapter Six

AFTER three hours of travelling they reached the Rancho de Lara in Cavinti. And Bella cannot help herself but feel a little huffy as she watched her mother and Lola Nerita hugging Theous full of glad, like he's their family. While she's standing beside them like an awkward visitor.

She cannot believed that the moment they reached the foyer the two women ran straight to Theous, telling him how much they're looking forward to see him, how much they missed him, when the real daughter and granddaughter was standing beside him.

"Wow! Seriously, I didn't come home for almost a month and no one of you missed me? I'm the family here," Bella voiced out while shaking her head in disbelief.

Tho she's not taking everything seriously, she's just acting like a jealous child. She knew how much her mother and grandmother missed Theous, he's their favorite since they're young. Because he talks maturely and understood the elders so well that's why he became the favorite of the ladies. He got a great charm.

She looked at Theous and he seemed so happy that he got all the attention. Then when their eyes met, Theous smirked at her, like when they were young, he always bragged about him being the favorite.

Bella just rolled her eyes at him before walking to her grandfather, who's smiling sweetly at her.

She pout as she hugged Don Luis. "Lolo, you're the only one who missed me. You love me more than Theous, right?" the old man laughed as he patted her hair while nodding his head. "Why you look more handsome today? Is that the result of aging a year?" she joked as she stared at Don Luis with giggle.

"I'm not sure if you're complementing me or not, but I'll take it as the former. And don't mind your mother and grandmother, they're just happy to see their future son-in-law," Don Luis said that made Bella shocked.

What the he— "Son-in-law?" She looked at her mother and grandmother with deep frown. While the two still busy talking to Theous.

"Yes, Theous. Isn't he your boyfriend?" Don Luis asked innocently that made her mouth fell in shock.

WHAT?!"BOYFRIEND?! THEOUS IS MY BOYFRIEND?!" she asked borderline shouting. Making the three who's busy hugging turned to them.

"Oh, he's not your boyfriend?" Don Luis asked really confused as he looked at the women of their family.

Now, Bella understood what's going on. It's her mother and grandmother's fault. They're cooking something.

Then she looked at Theous who's only reaction was serious while watching her. He's waiting of what she gonna say. What? he's not gonna deny it himself?

She sighed as she looked back to Don Luis. "No, Lolo, he's not boyfriend. And you know that among the brothers, Kuya Terence was my favorite, right?" she said that made everyone speechless. And she could feel the awkward energy roaming around them.

And even her heart felt against to what she just said.

When she turned to look back at Theous, he's face was now blank as he looked away.

While her mother and grandmother both sighed while shaking their heads.

"Oh, I remember now. You used to tail Terence a lot before. But I thought that you and Theous are dating because your Lola Nerita—"

"Luis, sweetheart, enough. Let's all go inside the house, the children just came here and probably too tired because of their long ride. Let's go to the dining and have you two enjoy some snack and tea." Doña Nerita walked to her and smiled lovingly, then kissed her on the cheek before she guided her inside the house.

Bella gave her grandmother a judging look, "Lola, are you planning something?"

The highly and sophisticated Doña Nerita laughed comically as she shook her head, "Oh, hija, it's nothing. Don't mind what your Lolo said, it's really nothing."

But she just kept on watching the beautiful old lady. "Please, Lola, don't make Theous uncomfortable. He might think I have a crush on him."

But Doña Nerita looked at her with wide smile, "Oh, that's better, I really want the two of you to end up together."

"Lola?!"

"What? You're single and his single. Perfect combination. And Carabella, we're not getting any younger, we missed having little cupcakes running around the manor every summer." Doña Nerita said dreamily with happy smile.

"Then, I'll buy you a lot of little cupcakes—Aww!"

"I want grandchildren, Carabella!" Doña Nerita said after pinching her waist.

Bella was pouting as she looked at her grandmother, "Why am I the only one being pressured to give grandchildren? There's Paula and Cloud too," she said talking about her cousins.

"Goodness, the twins are not yet graduate of college. And you're the eldest grandchild so you're the one who should give us sooner."

"Then," Bella turned to her back to looked at Theous who walking beside her mother, "Hey, they want grandchildren ASAP, let's go upstairs and work on it—Aww!" she gained another pinched from Doña Nerita.

"You little brat! I want marriage first, goodness! How can you say that without blushing?!" She just laughed at her grandmother who's the one blushing at her bluntness.

"I think she got it from you, sweetheart."

"Oh, shut up, Luis!"

But honestly, she's embarrassed inside her specially when she saw how Theous eyes became dark but his lips gave her a handsome smirk. The dude can easily melt any girl in his gaze.

And even if she knew that she was just joking and trying to be funny when she said that, her heart was shouting inside like she want the idea of having children with him. Yes, my heart's crazy.

They just laughed at their silliness as they went to the dining, where there's the famous Doña Nerita's pastries.

"By the way, Mama, where's Papa? Is he not here yet?" Bella asked when they started eating.

"He's in the market buying some ingredients for tomorrow's dish." She nodded to her mother's response.

But when their almost done of their snack Bella heard another shocking news from her mother and grandmother.

"Tonight, your Tita Nina and Tito Eric will arrived too, that's why our helpers are busy cleaning their rooms and all the guest rooms. So, Theous will stay in your room for the mean time, to take a rest because for sure he's tired of driving for three hours," her mother said that Bella felt like she was splashed with cold water.

He's gonna stay in my room?! Us, alone in my room?!

As far as she remembered, because it only happened this morning, the two of them staying in a room was not a great idea. What the heck?

"Mama!" she said with clear tone of disagreement. Then she turned to Theous who's still quiet and just watching her with his blank face. Why he's not talking?!

Bella's attention was turned to her grandmother when Doña Nerita stood up and walked to her.

"Carabella, my dear, don't worry we know that we can trust Theous. He's a gentleman." Doña Nerita said calmly as she caressed her back. She looked at Don Luis but her grandfather just smiled at her.

Bella sighed while shaking her head. "I thought you want marriage first and now you want us to stay in my room?" I can't believed this!

"Carabella, he's not gonna stay in your room tonight, just let him take a rest, okay?"

She just nodded to her mother and turned to Theous again, she can't be selfish now, even if he's not showing it he looked tired because of their long ride to here.

"Okay. Seems like I have no choice, and I'm not that ruthless. But why I feel like you're setting me up to him?" she asked giving her mother and grandmother judging look.

But they just laughed at her and even Theous smiled that her heart instantly became crazy about.

"Stop smiling they might got wrong idea that you like this!" she said to him.

But Theous continued smiling, "Well, it's not that bad of an idea." Then to her surprised he took her hand and kissed it without breaking his eyes on hers.

"Hey, stop it!" She took her hand back and tried to act cool but she's blushing hard. Dang it!

"CARABELLA," Theous called when he entered Bella's room after his little chat with Don Luis.

Bella turned to him from arranging the tulips on the vase at the side table beside her bed.

"Yes? Come in. Do you wanna freshen up first, I already prepared a towel for you at the bathroom." She turned her attention back to the flowers because she don't want him to see her awkward face. The idea of them in a room was nerve wracking.

She heard Theous sighed before he closed her room's door, and she felt her heart got excited. The fudge!

But honestly, she felt scared right now, and not because of Theous, it's because of herself. She's scared that she might say something that she shouldn't. She don't wanna embarrassed herself again.

"Are you really fine of me staying here in your room? Don't worry, I won't bother you and I'll just sleep on the sofa—"

"No need, Theous. And for sure my mother will kill me if I ever let her son-in-law sleep on the sofa. My bed's pretty huge, and I'm not taking a nap because that's all I did on the way here." And because Theous still standing on the closed door she's looking straight to his eyes as she smiled.

And she can't help but frown when he looked away, she knew him for too long and even if they haven't seen each other properly these past years, she still knew when something's bothering him.

She put down the flower that she's holding and face him fully, "Is there a problem, Theous?"

He looked back at her but didn't say anything, then he sighed and his face became serious.

"I'm sorry, Carabella, you're family was just worried that's why Tita Bea called me and asked if I can come with you here at the rancho and tried to be close to you again. Because they noticed that since Kuya Terence and Ate Liria got engaged you became sad and you're overworking. They haven't seen you often, because you're always staying in Manila. They're scared that you might lost interest in falling in love, specially because they never see you in a relationship ever," Theous confessed that made her feel sad as she bowed her head.

Bella's feeling sad because everything he said was partly true except for one thing, she's not single because of Terence, it's because of him, of Theous.

She's just telling her mother that she's single because of Terence, but the truth was she didn't have courage to tell everyone that she like somebody else.

Bella looked up to Theous, and he's watching her intently.

This man that she spent a long time trying to hate not because he always annoys her but because she cannot acknowledge the emotions that she's feeling whenever she sees him. Emotions that she only felt and still feeling for him.

"THEOUS! Theous!"

Bella shouted loudly as she looked around the huge soccer field of their academy.

She rushed to go here after she heard from her mother and Theous' mother that he's leaving this coming Saturday, and she thought that she could just ignore it and let him go without saying goodbye but she still cannot accept that he's leaving her without properly saying goodbye.

Since he took her first kiss, they never saw each other again. She have no courage to see him after that kiss, and also because her head was full of thoughts of her realization. Thoughts about the two of them.

But right now, she can't let him go without telling him what she really feels.

Good thing she saw some of his friends and they told her that he's in here in the soccer field, but she almost tour the whole field but she cannot see any trace of him.

"Where are you, Theous?" Bella stop talking and wiped her sweats from running here and there. The weather's a bit hot today.

She roamed her eyes carefully around the soccer field and her face instantly lighten up when she saw Theous laying on the grass under a tree on the side of the soccer field with a book covering his face. She recognized him because he's wearing the green string bracelet that she gave him when he graduated Senior High two years ago.

Bella smiled as she walked slowly to him, then she sat carefully beside him before she lay down too. She felt him moved and took off the book that covering his face.

She could feel his eyes on hers but she kept looking on the blue sky above them. No one talked for a minute, then suddenly the view of the sky was covered by Theous's frowning face as he stare at her intently.

"You're wearing a skirt, Carabella," he said with a tone of annoyance.

"So?" she said not taking her eyes off of his, she wanna memorized his face, this moment that's making her heart go wild.

Theous' frown became deeper as he continued watching her. She knew why he's looking so pissed, he hates it when she's wearing short shorts and short skirts but she still wear them because they look lovely.

But Bella was shocked when she felt Theous's hand on the edge of her skirt and pressed it on her leg when the wind blows. The skirt that she's wearing today was just an inch above her knee and she could feel his warm hand on her skin. And she felt a weird electricity traveled throughout her body, she pushed him and sat properly.

She's aware that he's just stopping her skirt to flaunt but her cheek's blushing so hard at that contact.

She turned to Theous when she heard him smirked, "So, huh?" he said sarcastically.

She annoyingly slapped his shoulder. "You shouldn't touch me there!"

"And what? Let those fools see your underwear?" he asked pointing at the boys playing at the field.

"I'm wearing cycling shorts inside."

"Tsk! I told you to stop wearing that skirt, your so stubborn!" he said before laying back on the grass but this time he covered his eyes with his arm. "What are you doing here, Carabella?"

"I'm looking for you," she answered right away while looking at him, that's why she saw how his eyes slowly looked at her.

"Why?"

"I heard that you're leaving this coming Saturday. And you're still not saying goodbye to me properly." Bella cannot help herself to sound sad.

"Is it really needed?"

"Theous..."

He sighed and stood up as he offered his hand on her, she took it and she actually expecting him to let go right away but he kept on holding her hand tightly. He didn't talk after that and just staring at their holding hands.

"I'm in love with someone, Carabella," He suddenly said that made Bella shocked as she felt her heart being torn into pieces.

Bella tried to took her hand off of his hold but he didn't let it go. She just sighed and can't look him in the eyes. She's so hurt right now and she could feel her tears starting to build up.

"I doing this for us. I really have to leave. And I really wished to not say goodbye to you because I know that you're just gonna cry a lot and I hate seeing you cry, specially if it's because of me." Then she felt his hand hold her cheek and wiped her tears as he lifted her face to look at him.

"I'm really sorry that I can't come to you debut—"

"There's no debut. I don't wanna held a party anymore. I'll just go on vacation to Maldives with my friends." She wiped her tears. Yes, she came here to hear him say goodbye but still it's breaking her heart.

"But I thought you want a party—"

"I want you to be on my party. I want everyone I love to be with me on that special day, but I cannot be selfish, right? Not everyone's life revolved on me. And I think I would enjoy that vacation more than a party."

Theous just smiled at her before he hugged her tightly.

"You're starting to sound like an adult. You're really gonna be eighteen now."

"I'm gonna miss you, Theous. You'll call me, right?" she asked looking at his face, and it break her heart again when he shook his head.

"No. I'll be busy there and I don't wanna promise you something I couldn't do."

"You'll be that busy to call me?"

He just smiled and kissed her forehead. "I'm gonna miss you too, Carabella. I'm sorry for making you sad."

"You should."

Theous laughed and hold her both face with his hands. "I'll be back."

She just hugged him tightly as she continued crying.

Yes, she didn't confess because she felt like it's not the right time. And she have to respect that he love someone else. He's right, she's starting to act like an adult... but dammit! It hurts!

And since that day, she tried her best to forget about him because all those years that passed, he never did contact her once. It hurt her big time.