Willow gave her a cursory glance and rolled her eyes.“You look fine,” she said, then handed the invite to Sal.“Are you going?”
Sal tilted her head.“Yeah.It shows respect between colleagues.”
Willow slightly raised her brows and stared at Sal for a moment.She let out an exhale as she sat at the foot of the bed.“Hey, level with me,” she said, planting her palms on her knees.“You’re my best friend, and I didn’t want to ask because you’ve been so broken.But how are you and Rafa?”
Sal held her gaze and breathed in, letting the air settle here.“We’re taking a break.I’m having cold feet, I think, about being married,” she said, focusing her gaze elsewhere.
“Does it have anything to do with Harmon?”she asked in a tone so soft and compassionate that Sal felt like telling her everything.“You can tell me,” she assured her.“The same way I’ll tell you that Baron and I have a thing too.I’ll share anything you want to know.”
The tension immediately lifted.“You’re not going to judge me?”Sal asked, feeling ashamed again.
Willow gave a wry smile.“Never.That’s not how I roll, babe.”
In the safety of their shared space, Sal disclosed to Willow everything that had transpired between her and Harmon until that very afternoon.When she was done, Willow was wide-eyed.
“So what are you gonna do about Rafa?”Willow asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Sal said, “I love him, but he’s just so perfect, and I can’t do perfect anymore.He wants the kids, the perfect wife, the white picket fence.He wants me to move to Medina and help him run the business.And it’s just like me and my parents all over again,” Sal whispered.“Being a people-pleaser sucks.”
“I see,” Willow responded while nodding slowly.“And Harmon’s in the picture because…?”
“I dunno.He just gets me, Will.He’s like me,” she sighed.
“But you only met Harmon a few months ago.”
“That’s what I can’t explain.He and I are so compatible.He excites me.I mean, he even loves books and appreciates art like I do.He challenges me.We have the same hurts, the same wounds, and I’m just drawn to him,” Sal said with a tone that sounded so desperate.
Willow slowly nodded and crossed her arms over her chest.“So Rafa is perfect and boring, and Harmon is new and exciting?”she asked.“Or are you just attracted to hot men with issues?”
Sal gave an amused huff.“Rafa has issues too,” she clarified.“With Rafa, I feel safe and loved, but with Harmon, I feel excited and alive.But I guess…it boils down to which path I choose.”
“It doesn’t have to be so black and white, you know.”
Sal nodded; she knew what Willow meant.It was so easy to think of everything in extremes.If she chose Rafa, she’d have a stable, warm, and quiet life, but if she picked Harmon, she’d have a life of adventure and excitement, and she could continue reinventing herself with him.But life wasn’t cut so cleanly, and no one truly knew what they were getting once they chose a path.
“In any case…” Willow commented, “I dunno how it feels to have two guys fawning over me, but I feel—what do you guys call it here?”
Sal smiled.“Thekilig?”she answered.
Willow nodded.“Yes, that feeling, when Baron is inside me,” she said, smirking.
Sal laughed.“Oh, my God,” she said, catching her breath.“At least you’re not pressured into marrying him.”
“You got that right.”Willow paused, then gave her a thoughtful gaze and nodded slowly.“For what it’s worth, I think Rafa would understand.But the choice is still yours.I think it’s only fair that you tell him when you’ve decided,” Willow concluded.“I’ll support you whatever you decide.”
Sal hugged her best friend.“Thank you,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes, as Willow hugged her back.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The Lady in Red
RAFA
Taal Heritage Town
Ithadbeentwoweeks since he had broken up with Sal.Two weeks of silent agony, realizing that he was now facing an unknown future.He stayed because he feared losing her forever if he left and that Harmon would take her.Rafa couldn’t blame Harmon for being attracted to Sal.She was, after all, the type of beauty that grew on you as the seasons passed.Every smile, every tear shed, and every mannerism contributed to her appeal.Once you got to know her, you would end up believing that you’d find no one like her.It had become a solid truth for him ever since he fell in love with her.He saw her in every book that lay open, in every half-finished coffee drink, in each cat that was generous enough to be petted, and in the soft knitted clothes he sometimes saw in shops.She was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Now, without Sal, what was he to do?He took so much pride in helping her, being there for her, and being needed by her, but now that that was gone, what now?He occupied one room in the Wedding Gift house and kept sight of the inventory and even aided the helpers in lifting the heavier pieces.Every painting accounted for, every statue placed, every bead of sweat was in her name.Strangely, he felt that if he dedicated all his efforts to her, that she would come back, that the universe would reward him somehow for all his hard work.
