Chapter 30

Primrose

"What the fuck?"

"Language!" I warned.

Loey's lips parted and his eyes blinked a few times as he entered the van and sat next to me

"You're really here?"

I laughed. "What do you think?"

Para siyang nakakita ng multo habang nakatitig sa akin. He rubbed his eyes before he poked me on my cheeks.

What the hell? He's cute!

Okay, what was that, Prim?

Loey continued to stare at me for a moment then his beautiful smile slowly spread across his face.

To be honest, I couldn't still believe the fact that I'm married to this guy. Whenever he smiles at me like that... my heart would always pound faster than its normal beat.

Yeah, I'm fangirling over my husband.

"Wow, improvement Primrose, ha?" aniya pagkatapos ng ilang minutong pagtitig sa akin. Sa wakas ay nagsalita na siya! "I'm really surprised that you're here. Anong nakain mo?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Masama bang dalawin ang asawa ko?"

Mas lalo siyang napangiti sa sinabi ko.

He lightly poked me on my shoulder. "You really know how to make me smile, Primrose."

"You always smile, Loey," I said, shaking my head as I removed his hand away from my shoulder.

I took out the food and drink I bought for him.

"Pero bakit ka nga nandito?" tanong niya.

I rolled my eyes. "Dinadalaw ka nga. Sa ilang linggo tayong hindi nagkita, makulit ka pa rin."

To be honest, ito na yata iyong pinakamatagal na hindi kami nagkita. Hindi na rin kasi siya makadalaw sa office because of his tight schedule. I'm also busy preparing to debut a new teenage boy group. Ngayon lang ako nagkaroon ng time dahil day-off ko. Iba na rin ang day-off ngayon ni Loey kaya hindi na kami nagkakatagpo.

Loey got a supporting role in the most anticipated drama. Mga sikat din kasi ang bida at ang role niya ay nawawalang kapatid ng bidang babae. Bilang lang ang exposures niya pero ilang araw na shoot ang kailangan lalo na't may iba pa siyang schedules. For days, he's been sleeping on set to wait for his scenes.

"How are the trainees?" he asked while eating his burger.

I took a quick glance at him before returning it on the screen of my phone. "Well, they're improving. I could say that they're ready for their debut," I replied. I put my phone down and shifted my body to face him. "But I'm still worried. What if they're not mentally and emotionally ready?"

Loey sip on his drink and chuckled. "We would never know until they experience the harsh reality of the industry, especially the overwhelming fame if they succeed, which I think they will. After all, they're the first boy group produced by our beloved CEO."

I sighed.

We talked about random things while Loey's on his break. I felt guilty that he needs to accompany me instead of taking a nap. I was about to leave but he stopped me. And I have to admit, I was glad that he did stop me.

I didn't want to leave. It felt like I was drained for a couple of days without him. He became the source of my strength. I got used to his presence so much that it's so hard not to see him every day.

"Don't worry too much about the boys, okay? Their dream is to get the chance to debut, and you're making their dreams come true. You're doing a great job, Primrose. Don't be too hard on yourself," he said before patting me on my head as I bid my farewell.

When I decided to pay him a visit my goal was not just to surprise him but to cheer him up, but never did I imagine that he would also do the same to me. Well, he's Loey Parker. He would always do something to make me feel better. 

Always.

I felt like a stranger to myself right now. Since when did I start acting like a sweet wife to Loey?

"Sana all may asawa kagaya ni Primrose."

I glared at Baron who just stuck his tongue out to me. How childish of him.

My eyes turned to the person beside me. Nate winked at me and laughed. Before I could even protest, he quickly snatched my phone and hit the send button!

To: Loey

Congratulations, Loey! I've heard that you did a good job! The director complimented you a lot. I'm really proud of you. Enjoy the party! Also, please if you'll drink alcohol, call manager Riason to drive you home, okay?

"Nate!" I groaned.

"Nice one! That's our youngest member," Baron laughed so hard that he was already sitting on the floor instead of the couch.

Hinampas ko naman sa braso si Nate na tumatawa lang.

"Alam niyo, nakakainis kayong dalawa!" sigaw ko bago kinuha ang phone kay Nate at padabog na tumayo.

"Come on, we're just doing you a favor!" Baron shouted back when I was in front of the stairs.

I glared at him before I left them.

Seriously, why are they so annoying? Well, I do like it sometimes, but they keep on teasing me! Pakiramdam ko tuloy sobrang saya ni Kuya Hendreich dahil kahit bihira lang siya makadalaw ay may iba pang tao na nang-aasar sa akin.

Why are they even here? Kailangan ko yatang bigyan sila ng mas marami pang project. I was too occupied staring at my phone earlier that I didn't even notice that they're already beside me.

"That two!" I groaned as I threw myself on the bed.

Today's the last day of the shoot of the drama, which was a huge success! Even though Loey only has a little exposure, the response about him and his acting skills were also great. Many even demanded the company to let him participate in other dramas in the future.

At dahil last day na rin ay may party sila to celebrate the success of it and finally, makakauwi na rin siya rito!

I was hesitating earlier whether to send that message or not until the two arrived.

My heart almost jumped when my phone suddenly vibrated. I hugged it tightly as I inhaled deeply. Si Loey kaya iyong nag-text? I'm still a little bit embarrassed at the message I composed, so I decided to take a quick shower first before opening it.

Kung ibang tao iyon, normal lang siguro iyong pagmensahe sa isang tao. But never akong nag message ng ganoon sa kanya noon to the point na nagrereklamo siya minsan na wala akong sweetness sa katawan, tapos ngayon naman...What changed?

"What the hell?" I shouted as soon as I opened the door to go out of my room.

Hindi ba't may party pa sila?

Loey eyed me from head to toe. "Is that what you will wear?"

I blinked. "Huh?

Crossing his arms, he grinned at me. "Wow, Prim. Matapos mo akong pakiligin biglang ganyan? Panagutan mo ako. Did you know, our manager thought I'm about to go crazy for smiling the whole drive. Seriously, may talent ka talaga sa pagpapakilig."

"I really don't–"

"You texted me, remember? And I swear, I didn't expect that. It made me really happy."

That's when I could feel my cheeks burning! Okay, I just took a shower to at least forget that embarrassing message. Gosh, I wanted to strangle Nate for sending it.

I looked away from him. I wanted to say something but I couldn't seem to find my voice..

"Pero seryoso, bakit ganyang suot mo?" natatawang tanong niya.

"May masama ba sa suot ko? Matutulog lang naman na ako, eh," sagot ko at pinasadahan pa ang aking suot.

I'm already wearing my comfortable PJ's. What's with his reaction and why is he even here?

"Ikaw bakit ka nandito?" tanong ko.

He sighed. "I was wondering why you're not replying after you texted me. Now I know. Hindi mo na naman binasa iyong text ko, ano?"

My eyes blinked then it hit me. Oh gosh, I forgot to check the message I got earlier! Without saying a word, I turned around and walked back into my room.

"I'll wait in the living room," Loey shouted behind me.

I hurriedly looked for my phone and saw it on my pillow. My heart skipped a beat as I read his message. Dalawa na pala ang text niya.

From: Loey

Aww, thank you, Primrose. Feeling ko nawala ang pagod ko dahil sa text mo. :)

From: Loey

I told the team that I'll just eat and then leave. They agreed with it. I'll be home later so go and prepare. I'll take you on a date because I miss my dear wife already.

Sobrang bilis ng tibok ng puso ko habang binabasa ang text niya sa akin. I bit my lower lip and before I knew it, I hummed one of their songs and danced as I went to my closet. I probably look crazy right now but who cares? I'm happy right now that it feels like I'm only dreaming.

Alam ko naman na mas nagiging natural na sa aming dalawa itong set-up namin. Kahit nga ako parang convinced na totoong kasal kaming dalawa at hindi lang dahil kailangan namin. Hindi lang dahil kailangan kong magpakasal.

I could hear some laughter coming from the living room while walking down the stairs. I rolled my eyes immediately when I recognized the voice.

"Sana all may date," natatawang saad ni Baron nang makita ako.

Napanguso naman ako bago bumaling kay Loey na nakangiti sa akin. Ayan na naman iyong matamis niya ngiti, eh!

"Let's go?" he asked me to which I answered with a nod. He patted Baron on the shoulder before walking towards outside and I followed him, ignoring Baron who laughed and shouted, "I told you, we're only doing you a favor! Also, you're very welcome."

I slammed the door but I could still hear his annoying laugh. Minsan masama talaga kapag binibigyan ng limit ang playfulness niya on-cam. Off-cam naman nagiging makulit. Hell, I'm one of the people he would pester. Just like what he said to me before, I'm his top two favorite person to tease. The top one? Well, it's none other than Dredleigh. Kaso kung lagi niyang iinisin iyon baka puro pasa na siya sa katawan dahil sa hampas at kurot ni Dred.

Still, I wouldn't deny what he said. Kung hindi nila iyon ginawa, baka wala pa rito si Loey.

"What's with the favor thing?" Loey asked as soon as I got inside his car.

"Ewan ko roon,"

He shrugged at my answer and told me to put my seatbelt on and I did.

"I've never thought that you would rent the whole cinema!" I exclaimed when I heard what he did.

I know that cinema malls were really open during their closing hours for the celebrities, but never did I imagine that this guy would rent it for tonight.

"What? I know that there are a lot of celebrities who already know you and your position in the industry, but I also know that you don't want to expose that we're married," he said. "Come on, paano kapag may kasabay nga tayo, 'di ba? Ano ito, bonding lang as CEO and artist?"

He chuckled when all I could only do was to pout because of his explanation. For a moment, I almost forgot that we didn't reveal our relationship to others except to those under the Empire.

"Hindi pa nagsisimula iyong movie pero halos paubos na iyong fries mo," aniya.

Napanguso ako lalo.

We watched a rom-com movie and I enjoyed it. Loey was the one who chose it. I was quite shocked because I liked his choice this time. Minsan lang kasi talaga siya manuod at iyon ay kapag kasama ang SBG, so wala siya gaanong alam sa movies. Music is life siya. Basta pumipili lang siya minsan without knowing what's the movie about, who were the actors, and he doesn't even watch trailers! Kapag movie lang yata ni Dred ang pinapanuod niya.

We both stayed inside the cinema even though the movie ended minutes ago.

"Here's your cotton candy."

"Thank you!" I squealed.

Another surprise... May cotton candy! He left me here saying that he'll just buy water for us, but now look, he gave me one of my favorite! Isa pa yan sa alam niya tungkol sa akin, iyong sobrang hilig ko sa cotton candy to the point na sumasakit na ngipin ko sa tamis. That's why he also restricted me to buy more than three, since madalas ay anim o mas higit pa ang binibili ko. Mas strict siya kaysa kay Ate Alice.

"You're always welcome. As long as you're happy," he grinned. He sat on his seat again and shut his eyes while I ate my cotton candy.

We were silent for a moment, but a comforting one. I don't know when it started but we got used to the quietness even though we're together. I liked it. We're already content knowing that we're beside each other. We don't need to talk. Though, of course, there were times we also talked as we shared our day or if we experienced something, or just some random stuff.

As soon as I sipped on my water, I faced Loey, who was peacefully leaning against his seat with his eyes closed. The ends of my lips curved into a smile as I saw his position. Sa sobrang tangkad niya ay kalahati lang ang nakasandal sa upuan.

Hindi ba nangangawit leeg niya? I carefully poked his shoulder. He opened his eyes and turned to me.

"You need rest, Loey. Let's go back inside the car. We can go home or just stay there so that you could take a nap," I suggested.

Siguradong nahirapan na naman siyang makatulog sa set. Mabuti na lang talaga ay nagkaroon sila ng break noong nakaraan, pero parang kulang naman iyon dahil wala na silang pahinga ngayon sa mga projects nila. Soon, they'll hold a concert tour again that would definitely be tiring. For now, they need to finish the individual projects given to them. Plus, Kaito and Nate still need to go abroad for their photoshoot for a magazine. While Kuya Eros still has his musical thing. The rest were almost done with their everyday schedules, especially Kuya Jinmin.

"You're worried about me?" he asked teasingly.

I rolled my eyes. "Do you really have to ask that?"

His lips parted but I quickly stood and grabbed him on his shoulder to pull him up on his feet. "You'll be more comfortable in the car than here, Giant boy. Let's go!"

Loey chuckled at that before deciding to agree as to what I said. When we were already walking towards the parking lot, I almost doubted that he's tired. He still has the energy to put his hand on my head and then whenever I try to remove it, he'll just mess with my hair, remove it for a moment and then put it again on the top of my head while laughing.

I pulled my legs up and hugged it as I rested my chin on it. Finally, we're inside the car and Loey's already resting on his seat. Tumahimik din siya sa wakas! Ewan ko ba saan niya nakuha iyong lakas niya para kulitin ako kanina habang naglalakad pabalik sa kotse.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked, eyes closed.

"Nope. You rest first. Delikado na baka mamaya ay makatulog ka pa sa biyahe," sagot ko.

Tiningnan ko siya pagkatapos ng ilang minuro at napakurap ako nang makitang nakatingin na siya sa akin. He smiled at me, but I could see that he's really tired. I smiled at him and let out a sigh.

"You should have rest before taking me on a date. Still, thank you so much, Loey."

He sat straight and I felt like my heart stopped beating for a moment as he leaned forward. We're so close to each other that the tip of his nose was already touching mine.

Loey smiled before slightly poking me on my forehead. "We've been busy lately. Besides, you visited me last time, which was the best thing that happened to me during that one hell of a schedule. You at least deserve this night date, though it's not that fancy."

I giggled. "It's more than enough, Loey. Lalo na pinagpalit mo iyong party at pahinga para lang ilabas ako. I really appreciate it."

Again, he flashed that wide smile of his. Seriously, hindi niya kaya itago kapag masaya siya, lalo na kapag malungkot siya. He's really like an open book and I like it. He could also tell if something's bothering me and he knows how to make me smile whenever I'm feeling down. He became my warm comforter since we got married. I hate to admit it, but I would never regret that I agreed in marrying him.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked suddenly. He's not looking at me anymore, that's why I looked in front of me as I waited for his question. "I'm just really curious, okay? It's just that... I've been thinking about it lately. What if we continue our marriage even after a year? What If we try to make this marriage of ours to, you know, work out?"

I blinked. I tried to open my mouth and say something but I couldn't think straight anymore. I know that Karl talked to me about working things out with Loey before, which I didn't take seriously. But it never crossed my mind that Loey would ask me about it!

He turned to me and laughed when he saw my reaction. "Forget it. You don't need to answer me... Well, for now. I'll just wait for it."

It's not like I don't know the answer. It's just that... I'm still scared of it.

Thankfully he didn't force me to answer. Instead, he told me that he could drive now. I was quiet for the whole ride–still thinking about his question. To be honest, gusto kong mag work out kaming dalawa, pero natatakot ako. Paano kung hindi? We entered this marriage because of a reason, but what would be the reason for us to continue our relationship? Anong pumasok sa isip niya at tinanong niya ako?

"Loey."

He turned to me but before I could even speak, my phone suddenly vibrated three times. I picked my phone and read ate Alice's message.

Sobrang gusto kong umirap dahil sa nabasa ko at tawagan siya na 'wag isali si Loey sa project, pero anong magagawa ko? At bakit ko naman gagawin iyon? I better get hold of myself.

I turned to him and said. "You have another project with Karlin."

****