CHAPTER 48 "BEDROOM VOICE"

JUST as they have agreed, the next day she left back to Manila. Mama Loida was a bit unhappy about that but she had no choice. She has a lot to go back to the city and firstly her mother is there, secondly is their business that she has been running since she graduated.

"Thank you, you agreed to my offer to drive you home," Jason said sitting in front of the steering wheel and smiling as he drove.

Jenny rolled her eyes at what the young man had said. "It's like I can do something, eh, you asked your mother for help so that I could agree to your offer, didn't you?" she said following what was said with a weak laugh.

"Why? Aren't you happy that I'm with you? Because if you ask me, I'm really very happy,"  the emotion he last said could be traced in the tone of his speech.

Jenny didn't say a word to the young man. She didn't want to admit that she was happy and that she was with him. Because just like she said before, after everything that happened to them, pride is all she has.

"Do you think Aunt Weng is still mad at me?" that's what she heard Jason ask after a while.

Jenny couldn't help but grin at that question. She felt as if Jason is afraid to face her mother when he was not a new acquaintance after all.

"I think she'll be surprised when she sees you. But I don't know if she's still mad at you. The truth is that you're the topic she hates the most since that thing happened," Jenny didn't continue with the rest of what she wishes to say, and instead she decided to just hang them up because she was sure Jason would get what he meant.

"Your words cut like knives," the young man pretended to be hurt by what he said.

Jenny laughed softly there. "That's the truth, I'm sorry. Then don't always bring up the past, isn't that over? We've already forgiven each other."

That's really the truth so that's also what Jenny decided to say. She knew it would be better if she would be honest with Jason or in other words she would be straightforward with him.

That trip was not boring for Jenny. She didn't even admit she knew it was because of Jason. When they were still in college, she remembers that she mentioned to the young man that her dream was to reach Baguio and that she wanted to build a restaurant or bakeshop there as her business.

That dream is still there. She really wants to grow her mother's bakery and someday, she dreams of setting up a branch in Baguio. But she knew it would be a long time before that happened. She still has to work hard and that is one of the many reasons why she decided to return to Manila and take care of their business.

As she had expected, her mother was surprised to see Jason delivering her.

She hadn't told her yet that she again met the young man because she knew and she was sure a very long question and answer portion could happen just in case.

"How are you, Jason? It's been ten years so I haven't recognized you very well a while ago," said Rowena and that's also what she heard her say to Jason when she got out of her room after she got dressed.

"I'm fine, Aunt Weng," Jason replied with a smile and thanked his mother for putting two cups of coffee on the center table.

Her mother nodded and then she saw her smile at the young man. "Oh there you are, I'm going to prepare dinner. Have dinner with us, alright? I'll cook a delicious dish for you," her mother said before she finally left them.

Alone Jenny quickly noticed Jason's strange stare at her as he sipped hot coffee.

"Why?" when she couldn't stand it, she asked and then picked up her cup and sipped her coffee.

Jason shook his head though on his face is the strange sparkle as well as the intense admiration for her.

The latter caused a strange thrill in Jenny's heart.

Will she admit that she becomes vulnerable to Jason because she is in love with the young man again?

But she knew in herself that she had not forgotten Jason. Because what they have had then, it's not just first love for her but, well,  Jason is her great love. So just like she admitted to him when they visited Ara's grave, he remained in her heart.

"I just miss seeing you in such a neat, simple homey attire. I feel like I want to take you home."

In the last sentence that Jason said she wasn't sure if he meant to slow down but that still reached Jenny's hearing that made the young lady blushed.

"You're really crazy," she said, shaking her head and sipping her coffee again although she's smiling.

"Are you busy tomorrow?" Jason asked her instead.

“When I’m here I’m always busy,” she replied. "Why?"

The young man shrugged. "Can I take you out?" Jason asked her.

Jenny thought for a moment then she opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm not sure, I'm busy, I looked at our list of orders earlier, I have a lot to bake so I'm sorry I can't give you what you want this time," she apologized to the young man.

Jason nodded before opening his mouth to speak. "Is that so? If it's okay with you, can I come here tomorrow?" the young man asked again.

"It's up to you, but I'll be in the kitchen all day tomorrow, making orders. So I can't take care of you either. Wait, where is the firm you half-owned?" Jenny changed the subject thinking that she might change Jason's mind about his plan to visit her tomorrow.

It's not that she doesn't want to see Jason or be with him. But since she has a lot of work to do, she definitely can't take care of the young man.

"One day I'll take you there so you can meet Paul. I think you've seen him, maybe you just don't remember," Jason said.

Then Jenny smiled when mischief suddenly entered her mind.

"Never mind, maybe later you'll be jealous of Paul again," she said uncontrollably blushing but still smiling.

That’s when she remembered days ago about Jason saying a cat was crossing the road so suddenly he made a step on the brakes.

"Really? So you're laughing at me again, like before in the library?" Jason suddenly changed his tone of voice.

Jenny was quickly affected by the tone of the young man's voice. She was so familiar with it that he often used it whenever the two of them were in a hot scene. In other words, bedroom voice.

"Oh, why do you look so anxious and why is your face so red?" Jason's tone of voice still doesn't change.

"Stop, Mama didn't know anything happened to us before so don't make any noise. And one more thing, don't use your bedroom voice on me, we're not in the room just to remind you of that," Jenny said in a lower tone but emphatically.

Jason laughed softly then sipped his coffee again. "I'm gonna miss you," he told her.

Jenny's eyes rolled. "You said you would come here tomorrow, didn't you? Anyway, I really need someone to help with the lifting," she said.

"Now you're talking," he said with a smirk.

"You're really flirting, please stop!" Jenny said in disgust although there was still the thrill that she could not hide.

"I assure you that tomorrow, I'll be here early. Where is your bakery? Is it still the same place?" Jason asked her.

Jenny nodded. "But I am renting a studio-type room near the bakery. It would be a bit crowded because if I bake there so that's what I did. The rental price isn't expensive since the landlady is my mother's friend," she said.

"Okay, tomorrow I'll help you and if you need more help every day, I'm just here, I won't leave you," Jason said.

At the young man's words, Jenny couldn't help but smile. Every word he uttered touched her heart deeply and that was why she felt so much lighter and better.