CHAPTER 13 : Realizations

A week after the whole fiasco, Clell wanted to have a brief escape from everything that had been happening in his life. So, he decided to to take out Luna in a movie date. He was walking out from the conference room of their company, when he messaged Luna.
“Hey, missy. Want to go see a movie later?”
“Hello?”
“Uhh, yes, sorry I can’t.” Luna said, turning down his offer about the movie date. However, he also heard Alicia shouting at the background, “NO, SHE’S LYING! SHE’S AVAILABLE LATER.”
“Thank you, Alicia.” Clell said while laughing.
“Shut up, Alicia.” She hissed, but Alicia just kept on laughing and teasing her.
“You can’t say no now. Alicia said you’re available. I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
“Uggghhhh. Fine.”
“See you later. I need to take a rest now.” Clell said, but Luna felt the sadness in his voice. She felt that something was off.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Ah, yes. I am just tired. Take care, mi lady. See you!” he replied, ended the call as he made himself comfortable in his office chair.
After the call ended, Luna abruptly faced Alicia with a worried expression painter on her face and told her, “Something’s off.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean something’s wrong with Clell.”
“Why did you say so?”
“I just feel it. There’s something bothering him.”
“Wow. Are you sort of connected now?”
“Here you go again with the teasing.” Luna complained, pacing back and forth in their living area.
“Would you please sit down and calm yourself, Luna.”
“Uggh. Fine.”
“So tell me. Spill.”
Luna then sat down beside Alicia and looked at her with worried eyes, “Something’s wrong with me, too, Alicia.”
Alicia’s puzzled now, it’s rare seeing Luna so perplexed and disoriented. She had always been a step ahead of everything—of everyone.
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is I think I am falling deep.”
“Huh?”
“You’re a lawyer, Alicia, but sometimes you can be so dumb.” Luna exclaimed, the confusion in her slowly fading away.
“I let you off with that one.”
“With Clell, okay? I think I love him.”
“Pffft. Duhhh.” Alicia said, rolling her eyes.
“You’re just stating the obvious, Luna. I already know.”
“What?”
“I mean I can see it in you that you’re falling for him—your demeanor and everything.”
“What should I do?” Luna asked innocently, furrowing her forehead.
Alicia couldn’t believe what she heard, which made her release a frustrated sigh. “Luna, what will I do with you? That shouldn’t be a question in the first place. Let it be. Allow yourself to feel. Allow yourself to be vulnerable once in a while. Allow yourself to be happy.”
“What if I get hurt?”
“There will be times that he will hurt you, of course. He’s human, Luna, and humans are not perfect. Humans are susceptible to a lot of things, so there are times that they would do something that’ll hurt the person they love even if they don’t mean to.”
“But..” Luna sighed, “I am still scared.”
“We all are. It’s scary to jump into the unknown, but that will make us stronger and more confident in the future. I am not that valiant either, but if we don’t allow ourselves to be vulnerable then we will forever be trap in our own little bubble, depriving ourselves from happiness.” Alicia’s words hit different to Luna, but it was somehow comforting as well.
“I guess you are right. So…uhhmmm. What’s next?”
“What’s next is you need to have your beauty rest before your date later. Go on. Sleep.”
“But I don’t know what to wear.”
“Well, you knew what to wear on your first dinner date.”
“I am still in denial then, but right now I don’t want to ruin everything.”
“No worries, you can have your rest. I’ll take care of your outfit. What will you do without me?” Alicia said while laughing a little and shaking her head a bit.
“My hero.” Luna responded, putting her hand at her heart and acted like she was touched—but she’s really touched and, honestly, thought that she wouldn’t survive a day without Alicia by her side. She then proceeded to her bedroom and shouted a bit to let Alicia know that she’s off to bed, “I’ll sleep now.”
While Luna dozed off to have her beauty sleep, Alicia was busy picking up outfits for Luna to choose and was also contemplating what to do for Luna’s surprise birthday party—this coming Halloween. She decided that maybe she would do a vampire-werewolf theme and invite some of their friends and colleagues, but she needed help to make all of her ideas come in to reality.
“I need Clell and Ciro’s help.” She said, while walking inside Luna’s room to get Clell’s number from Luna’s phone, and composed a text to send to both Clell and Ciro, “Hi, it’s Luna’s birthday soon and I have been planning for a while now to surprise her, but I lack man power. Would you like to help me?”
Ciro and Clell both replied in a jiffy, asking Alicia what they needed to do. So, Alicia briefed them out a little on her plans and what-nots. She called Clell first.
“Hi, I know we still haven’t officially met, but it’s for Luna. Are you busy as of the moment?”
“Uhmm. Not really, just reading some contracts and papers that I need to sign in our companies.”
“So, you are busy.”
“Not busy if it’s for Luna. So? What’s the plan?” He reassured her.
“I am planning to throw her a costume party. I need someone to help me design the apartment or something and...”
“And?”
“Nothing. Just that.”
“Come on say it.”
“Maybe help me, uhm, buy some stuff for the decorations and food and what-nots.”
“Sure. No problem.”
“That’s great. Thank you so much.”
“By the way, why are you whispering?”
“Oh, Luna’s sleeping. She’s having her beauty rest for your movie date later. I’ll end the call now. Bye and thank you again.”
“Bye.”
After hanging up, she then dialed Ciro’s number, but she couldn’t reach him through his phone. So, she decided to call his home number instead.
“Hi, may I know who this is please?” an unfamiliar voice picked up, which made her think if she dialed the wrong number.
“Hi, this is Alicia. Is Ciro there?”
“Master Ciro is having a rest at the moment. Is the matter urgent?”
“Master Ciro?” she thought to herself.
“Uhhh. He texted me to call him right away.”
“If he told you to call him right away, then it must be urgent. I will wake him up from his slumber. Can you wait for a while?”
“I..uhhh.yes? Sure.” Upon hearing her response, the person on the other line put her on hold. She waited for a few minutes before Ciro finally picked up.
“Hi.”
“Ciro. Who was that?”
“Sorry about that.”
“He seemed so formal.”
“Uhhh. Yeah. So? What’s up?”
“Hmmm. So, about the party, I need you to spend time with Alicia after work, so that we can set up and prepare for the surprise.”
“Okay. I’ll think of an alibi. That’s all?”
“Uhhhmmm. Maybe uhm help me pick up some decorations and also with the planning? We can do that in the office, during lunch break or when you’re not busy.”
“Okay.”
“You and your single replies. Anyways, thank you. Bye.”
“Bye.”
She then went on to prepare Luna’s outfit for her date with Clell and laid on the seat near Luna’s bed while also deliberating about the shoes to pair it with.
“The perfect footwear for this would be? I know.” She said as she headed to Luna’s footwears, rummaging to find Luna’s white chucks.
Feeling pleased with the outfit she picked for Luna, she patted herself and said, “There, but I made a huge mess at her closet. I’ll clean it later when she’s out on her date, I guess.”