Will You Remember Then? - Chapter 131

Early the next morning, Allie was awakened by the persistent buzzing of the doorbell. She was alone in her new house and the helper she hired only came during daytime. She wondered who would be looking for her in the wee hours of the morning, granting that there were only few who knew about her new home. Hayri didn’t have the habit of surprising her, he always made a call whenever he was coming over.

She stood up and her abrupt movement made her stagger on the floor. Perhaps, it was because of her lack of sleep. She was too bothered in seeing Ajie and her daughter in Hayri’s home and thinking about it, made her sleep elude her. She rushed up to open the door and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Mommy!” screamed Chloe as soon as her head popped out on the door.

“Sweetheart!” she squealed in the joy of her surprise.

She bent down quickly to pick her up and her sudden movement increased the lightheadedness she felt a while ago. Just as she was able to stand up, her vision seemed to blur and she stepped backward to find her balance. Somehow, her dizziness worsened and as her instinct dictated her, she secured her daughter’s head with her hands before she lost control and fell down. To her relief, Ajie caught her up before she fell headlong into the ground.

“Are you sick?” he asked as with one hand, he picked Chloe from her arms while his other hand secured her in place.

“I’m not, just dizzy due to lack of sleep,” she answered, her heartbeats quickened to the warmth and familiarity of his touch.

“Can we get in?” he asked again, his eyes were on the door.

“Yes, of course,” she stuttered, ashamed in forgetting to invite them in.

Ajie guided them towards the couch and when she was settled well, he went out again. He was already carrying pouches when he was back, the inviting aroma of a black coffee dispersing into the living room.

“Can we have breakfast together?”he said with a pursed smile, clearly not expecting for her to turn him down.

“I have not cooked yet,” she agreed indirectly, not wanting to spoil the moment. She was willing to keep a tie with him to the extent of plain friendship, if that would mean bringing Chloe over to her at times.

“I’ve brought enough for the three of us. Do you feel better now?”

She nodded silently, her chin was on top of her daughter’s head while her arms were around her.

“Come on,” Ajie stretched out a hand to lift her up and she couldn’t understand why she just wanted to submit. She couldn’t remember a moment with him lately where they were not arguing.

“Baby, can you just please walk over to the table? Mommy is not feeling well,” he added when he saw that Chloe did not move.

“Uh-uh! Pick mommy up!” her sweet voice tickled the insides of her heart that she ended out laughing, only to realize that she was lifted up into the air.

“Put me down!” she hissed, tears were already escaping from her eyes. She really missed his warmth and it damn felt good at the moment.

“It’s your daughter’s order,” he replied and a smile broke into his face.

Chloe tugged her arm as she pulled herself closer to her. “Mommy, I like that!” she said as her little finger pointed out to a pancake in a box.

“Sure, my love,” she chuckled. The wonderful feeling of having a complete family wrapped up her heart.

Ajie stood up and went over to the kitchen to find sets of plates and cutleries. He then poured out the coffee from the paper cups to the mugs he got from the cupboard.

“Shall I put a cream or you want to leave it black?”

Allie looked up before she answered and Ajie snapped his finger as if he remembered something. “So stupid of me, I forgot you love black.”

A sense of inexplicable warmth spread into her heart. Why is the human heart too difficult to teach, she thought. She shook her head as she pondered about this. She just couldn’t help but feel silly over her longing to have him back. She knew there was already Jane and she was commited to Hayri.

“You like beef tapa so I bought two for both of us,” his voice broke into her thoughts again.

“Thank you,” was all she could say.

But as Ajie opened up the box to transfer it into the plate, the delicious aroma infiltrated into her nose. Instead of stirring up her appetite, the spicy aroma created an unpleasant reaction in her stomach that she ran to the sink to throw up.

“You have to see a doctor,” Ajie said as he rubbed her back until she felt better.

“It’s just hyperacidity. I skipped meals lately and had too much coffee,” she replied after a short rest of vomiting bouts.

“Still. You need medications for

that.”

Ajie guided her back to the table but the smell of the food tortured her once more. She ran again to the sink.

“Jie, please. Remove the food. You know how I love it I don’t know why it feel strange this morning. I’m sorry.”

Ajie quickly wrapped the food again in its box and he only brought Allie back to the dining table when the aroma of their breakfast set totally disappeared. Allie’s eyes were almost bulging out due to so much vomiting. His heart was wrenched in seeing her that way and so he pulled her close to him in a tight embrace. Allie did not protest. She closed her eyes instead as she rested her head in his chest.

“Jie, thanks for bringing Chloe over,”

she said as she calmed down from her panting, “you just don’t know how happy I am.”

“I’m giving her back to you,” he said and his voice was hoarse. It seemed that it took him a great courage to finally say the words.

“Really?” she looked up and his tender eyes met hers.

“I was supposed to keep her away from you. She is the only bridge whom I hoped to link us back together. But mom talked to me about this…”

Allie smiled. Issa was always their peace moderator eversince from the start. She didn’t know about the revelation and had never opened her social apps. She didn’t want to see the sweet and happy faces of Ajie and Jane during the engagement.

“You mean we no longer need court proceedings for the agreement in child custody?”

“No need,” he smiled bitterly as with one hand, he removed the straying hair strand in her eyes.

Overwhelmed, Allie hugged her tight for a long while.

“What make you change your mind?” she asked further as she burrowed her face in his chest, wondering why she seemed to forget easily all the pain he caused her.

“Because I love you,” he answered and his arms tightened around her.

Allie was lost for words and she just couldn’t get the courage to reply.

“Allie, as much as I still want you in my life, I want you to know that it is my deepest regret that this little family we have, has to be broken.”

Seeing that Allie did not answer, he went further.

“Yet, somehow, I must learn to accept the consequence of what I did. Rest assured that you are in good hands.” His voice was already cracking.

Allie’s heart sank and once again her tears threatened to flood down. “Why were you there in Hayri’s home?”

Ajie chuckled lightly before he answered. “I tried to talk to him to ask you back but I know it was like asking your last piece of food before you die.”

“Jie, I’m sorry,” was all she could muster. She just couldn’t turn back.

“Allie, can I ask a favor?”

“What?”

“On your wedding day, as you’ll walk down the aisle, will you remember then that once in your life, there was us?”