Holding on to my handbag and ticket, my other hand is busy on the phone, contacting Dina. I winced, infuriated, under the hot summer sun that's unapologetically burning my forehead, together with the crowd, cooped up a bit, pushing each other towards the boat's gangway since everybody is restless under the fiery summer weather.
"Hey, Dina, where are you?" Trying my best to cope up with the flow of the crowd, brushing shoulders.
"Oh, I'm sorry, besh. My flu is the worst, and I can't get on my feet." A deep and harsh-sounding female voice from the phone.
"Ohh, I'm sorry. Please get well soon." I slightly frown in sympathy.
"Thank you, besh, and I'm sorry. I hope you will be fine traveling alone."
"Don't worry, I will be fine. Besides, it will only take a few hours, and I won't be alone. I will be with Ziggy."
"I'm glad to hear that, so see you both in a month, and enjoy your vacation. Take care."
We hung up the phone the exact moment that I reached the crew, who were collecting the tickets. He takes my ticket with a wink. He may look charming and neat with his clean-cut hair, but he can't flutter my belly. He is not Ziggy.
I smirked in response when, unexpectedly, somebody nudged me, and the next thing I knew, I lost the phone I was holding just a while ago.
"A thief! That boy running is a thief!" Somebody in the line shouted. Concurrent as, I realized that it was the boy who nudged me and snatched my phone, undetected.
"Oh, no! My phone!" My eyes clouded with tears, surprised and scared.
The ticket collector looked at me with sympathy and, obligingly, he passed the tickets to the other crew and ran fast enough to keep up with the snatcher. At the same time, another crew member guided me inside towards the saloon.
Sitting alone in the busy saloon as people pass to and fro before my eyes. I curl my hands under my chin, anxious and staring blankly, facing the vague and faded moving figures. Someone in white pants stays, blocking my fuzzy view, standing right in front of me. I look up after it got my attention. It's the crew who went after the thief who snatched my phone.
I smiled after seeing my phone in his hand.
"Here's your phone, Miss Cloe." He smiled politely and warmly.
I picked up the phone from his hands and muttered. "Thank You"
He's about to go when I realize something and call back to him. "Excuse me! How did you know my name?"
He looks back at me while his eyes move towards my phone, allowing me to discern something.
"Did you look over my phone?" My brow furrowed slightly, sulky.
"No, it's not what you think. I accidentally touched the screen; then it awakened, and your wallpaper got a big name, Cloe, in it."
I nodded, a little embarrassed after realizing the great chance that what he said is actually true. I didn't put any security pins on my phone, and it has a touch activation feature.
He smiled slightly, and without being sarcastic, he said. "Is this how I should be thanked after helping? To be suspected?"
Conscience-stricken, I bit my lip with a palm in my face. "I'm sorry, really, really sorry. Is there something I can do to repay you? 'Coz what I've done, a simple thank you or a sorry won't be enough."
He grins wider this time. "To join me for a little walk and some chat will be fine."
I tilt my head and submissively agree.
We find ourselves standing by the deck. Looking towards the rippling water, syncing with its reverberating sound. He talked mostly about the boat and his work since it's getting hard for me to get a grip on the topic. I asked his name instead to change the topic. We tried to get to know each other formally and shook hands, but...
He took my hand and kissed it. " Bree at your service."
"Oooh, chivalrous," I uttered after being surprised.
"Maybe, I just want to smell your hand."
I snicker at his jokes and retaliate. "So, did you smell something fishy?"
"No, I think I smelled something addictive instead."
His answer makes both of us laugh. Not long after, one of his mates calls him to attend the job as we are verging on the marina.
It takes almost three hours to travel towards Ziggy's town, Ubay. I rented a motorcycle, not far from the marina. I would say, however fast this motorcycle runs, it still can't beat the speed of my heartbeat. It's been a long time since I used to be here, and thank goodness nothing much has changed, or else I could get astray along the way.
My nervousness never ceases; in fact, I'm even antsier now that I am here, standing in front of Ziggy's bungalow house. The wooden gate is open, and I get in comfortably after calling twice, and nobody answers.
I knock on their front door slowly and warily; I know that his family still knows me as Ziggy's best friend, although I'm still wondering how they would possibly look at or treat me as Zig's girlfriend. Perhaps they might like it, knowing how we love each other differently now, or perhaps not. But anyway, should I care? As long as we both love each other- wait, did he really love me? Uncertainty starts to bother my mind again.
The door creaks as it opens, exposing an incredibly seductive lady wrapped in a towel. Her bosoms are literally bulging at the seams, and her waist can unhesitatingly compete with Barbie's figure. Looking at her, my insecurities started to envelop me. In my calculation, we're around the same age. I didn't know her, and for several times, being here for vacation, I had never met her, not even once. I know every one of Ziggy's siblings, as well as his mom and dad; I only met his dad once since he's out of the country most of the time. They also know me well. Even all his aunts and cousins here. But this girl obviously didn't recognize me as well as I am to her.
"Good morning, Miss. Did you live here?" I'm not sure what came to my mind when I asked her that question. Still, I don't care. I am too eager to know who she is and what on earth she is doing, barely naked in Ziggy's home. It's making me truly uneasy and confused.
She greeted me with a mocking look and answered. "No, and yes? Uhm, what I mean is, this is not actually my home. It's my boyfriend's, or should I say, my fiancé, and we are living together now. I came here just recently, let's say a few weeks ago. So that means I'm living here as well. Oh, sorry, did I puzzle you? Maybe you are a family friend. His family is not actually here now, and they are on vacation. It's only my boyfriend, who's presently here, and me. He just went out for a while doing some errands. Why don't you come in and wait for him inside?"
I'm dumbfounded for a while after hearing everything she said. I don't know if I should be angry with her for talking so much and hurting me very badly. Because I know the fact that Ziggy is the only son, his siblings are all girls, no doubt, and I am totally sure that this girl is his girlfriend, his fiancée. Maybe I should be happy that all my questions are answered; I should be glad that I already know the reasons why he needs to ghost me, why he preferred to stay away from me and cut off our contact.
And since I already know everything, there's no use for me to see him; I don't even want to see him again. I don't want to be too emotional and end up awkward and pitiful in front of his girlfriend.
"No, I should not wait for him; I'd better go. You can tell him, though, that Cloe drops by."
"Cloe?" Her brow wrinkles while repeating my name.