Chapter 54

Carla realized that Ria will not answer her question, so she just continued confiding to her. "It's like I ate all that I said before, right? I said I will not give in to whatever trick he does... But here I am thinking... wanting for us to have a second chance." Because she does not want to cry, Carla just downed the lambanog again. She's slightly feeling the effects of the alcohol to her brain, if that's how it feels to get drunk. But she does not want to stop because aside from the fact that the lambanog tastes good, it seems to drown everything she is feeling. Now she understands how Edmalyn feels. "Are you talking about Joshua?" Carla looked at Ria. "Are you falling for him?" "Falling... Fallen..." Ria was dumbfounded. "Falling again..." Carla really feels like crying. "You mean... you liked him even back then?" Carla nodded. "If he didn't stop, I might have been his girlfriend." Ria gaped at her. "But he stopped, and he disappeared. Then he comes back, and he leads me on and then... then he'll do nothing." "Lead you on? What did he do?" Carla reminisced what happened during their trip to the Daebak Park. "I felt like he wanted to kiss me. That's what his eyes told me as he looked at me under the stars and the lights and the fireworks." She felt she wanted him to kiss her. But it didn't happen. Until they went home, nothing happened. Then after three days, he'll show up again telling her all sorts of things. Carla really feels like crying now. Oh yeah, the alcohol is starting to kick in. "But you talked, right? Earlier in the gazebo. Did you tell him how you feel?" Carla shook her head. "I haven't got the chance. He said he'll not fall in love with me again." And she finally burst into tears. Ria looked at her friend with pity. "He told me he can't fall in love." Whatever that means, Carla just knows that Joshua does not want to love her again. "What?" Ria gaped at her. Carla was surprised upon hearing Ria's voice rise up a notch. But still, she repeated what she said. "He said he can't fall in love!" Ria suddenly seems annoyed. Carla was a little surprised at her reaction, and was totally shocked when she suddenly took one bottle of lambanog and drank as well. She choked at the taste of the alcohol. "He really said that?" asked Ria. Carla nodded. "Oh..." Ria shook her head. Then she downed the lambanog again. "Are you mad?" Carla asked. "Of course I am!" answered Ria. "What stupidity does he meant with that?" "Maybe he just doesn't want me..." Carla cried again. Ria immediately came to her senses as she tried to console her friend. "Is this Karma, Ri? Because before, I pushed him away. Then now, he's the one who's pushing me away." Ria just looked at her. She wants to say something, but she might end up telling her something she shouldn't. Especially since she's also getting drunk a little. "If he can't love me, then why did he lead me on? Back there in Daebak Park... I wanted him to kiss me." He probably wanted to kiss you, too, Ria wanted to say. But she was able to stop herself from saying that to her. She just sighed as a reply to Carla's misery. "So he would lead me on, but when I started falling for him, he'll just disappear again?" Carla let herself cry. Ria tried to console her. In between sobs she took the lambanog again. God knows how long they have been talking and how much alcohol she had drank. All she knows is she came to a point where her mind is too sleepy she just wanted sleep. ****************************************************************** Ria woke up at past eight o'clock the following morning. Quite early than her usual routine. She slept quite early last night. Well, to her 12 AM is still early to sleep. Her head is throbbing because of the drinking session she had last night. She doesn't know what to do, so she decided to go down the kitchen and ask help from their maids. Probably her driver Reimund knows the remedy for hangover? She saw her mother cooking something in the kitchen. She felt like her hangover can be cured by her mother's warmth, so she came to her and hugged her. "Mom..." she called while resting her head on her equally petite mother. "Good thing you're up," Gloria said to her. "My head is aching." "Because you had lambanog, even though you don't really drink." Ria moved to face her mother. "How did you know?" "Reimund told me," answered Gloria. "They were the ones who put away the bottles you finished. You had five bottles, I think?" She put the omelet on the breakfast nook table. "Kuya Reimund is really such a gossip." Ria scowled. "Oh well, I need to finish something on my shop, so I already made your breakfast. I got you a smoothie as recommended by your Kuya Rico. He said that's what he drinks whenever he has a hangover." Ria smirked. "They should sell that together with the lambanog." "Tell that to them so that you can contribute to your business," Gloria said. "Hey! I have contributions on our business!" Ria complained. "You say so," Gloria said to her daughter. "Well then, you eat your breakfast first before consuming the smoothie or you might be in trouble again. You know how delicate your digestive system is." Ria smiled childishly. "Thanks, Mom." "How about your friend?" "She's still sleeping." If she got drunk last night, Carla was even more so. They might have drank five bottles of lambanog, but Ria is very sure that only one of those bottles belong to her. She even was not able to finish one bottle. "Oh well, I'll go to the shop now." "Okay, Mom." After her mother left, Ria looked at the food on the table. Garlic rice, egg omelet and corned beef is what she has for breakfast. The food looks delicious, but her throbbing head is more persistent than her hunger. And so she first consumed the smoothie that her mother made. The drink tasted good and refreshing. She does not know whatever plants her mother put in that drink, but it really tastes very good. She drank the smoothie until only one-fourth remained more or less. She literally choked when her mother returned to the kitchen. When she was able to speak again, she immediately explained what happened to her mother. "I swear, Mom. I was about to eat the food, but my head throbbed so bad, so I thought of drinking the smoothie to somehow lessen the pain. But I was about to eat, really," she explained continuously. Gloria just scowled at her. That's when Ria noticed the guy who is standing behind her mother. "Joshua?" The guy looked at her shyly. "Oh well, I'll leave you now," Gloria said to the two. As soon as Gloria left, Joshua went closer to Ria. "Ri... where's Carla?" "How do you know she's still here?" As far as she remembers, Joshua knows that she will be sending Carla home last night. "You called me last night," Joshua said. He looks very excited and it seems he is about to cry. "I called you?" Ria suddenly felt nervous. "You don't remember?" Joshua asked. Ria shook her head. "You called me last night. I think you are drunk." Ria totally felt worried. "But anyway, because of that, I discovered something very important." Joshua smiled at her gladly. "Ri, Carla is my red thread." Ria's mind went blank. "I didn't do something stupid last night, did I?" Ria asked as she tried to remember what she might have told Joshua last night.