Chapter 47: Chapter 47

Carlos and Triffany arrived home after a long evening. They are dinner and took their bath separately.

Triffany lay on the couch while Carlos lay on the bed. He looked at her and wonder if she was going to lay on that couch again this night.

He checked the time and it was past nine, she was going to sleep soon, should he tell her to come join him on bed or not. Looking at Triffany who had her back on him, he knew he had to come up.with a better plan.

He was about to get up when her phone rang. He watched her pick it up. "Hello Tommy." She sat up on her couch.

"Triffany, hope you mind me calling you by this time? I needed to talk to you." Tommy said from the other side of the line.

"I don't mind." Triffany said with a smile. Carlos looked at the time once more and then furrowed his brow. What kind of man will call a married woman at this time.

"How are you?" Tommy seems to sleep, knowing that she was not offended.

"I'm good you?" Triffany glance at Carlos who was staring at her all these while.

"I'm fine."

"Glad to hear. How was your day?" Triffany seems to love the conversation, she was even smiling which made Carlos more angry.

"I just stayed at home, listening to music...what did you do?"

"I went to a party." Triffany smile as Carlos raised his brow, now she was feeling him details on her day. "A house warming party."

"That must be a lot of fun, am sure you looked so pretty today." Tommy imagined her in a beautiful dress and smile, to him she always looks so pretty.

Triffany blushed and ran her hand through her hair. "You should have seen me for yourself...I was looking awesome and stunning." Carlos scoffed. Triffany was someone who was always proud of her look and gives herself the best compliments ever.

"Did some young men surround you?" Tommy asked, already curious and wishing he was by her side.

"I greeted many people and had a lot of fun." Triffany responded simply.

"Just like in the university."

"Huh!" Triffany didn't know what he was actually talking about so he we t ahead to explain.

"You are always the star in the university, many young men clustered around you like a colony." He reminded her.

Triffany laughed out loud. "Those guys." She saw the frown on Carlos face, such enough he must be angry that she's having these much fun.

"I know I drew so much attention to myself beach am so pretty. They asked me out for dates." She smile just thinking back to those memories. "University was real fun, though I had to flee from them. They were too much."

"I was jealous." Tommy said after a long silence and Triffany paused. "I couldn't come close because they were so many and I was not sure of my looks then." He said honestly.

In the university he had always watched her from afar, he barely talk to her because he was shy, and scared she would reject him, since there were a lot of people admiring and asking her out.

"I never knew you were jealous when those guys surrounded me in the university, but one thing I know is that you were so handsome then and even now." Triffany said sincerely.

Carlos got up from the bed in anger. He spaced around the room waiting for her to be done with the phone call.

"Seriously?" This made Tommy smile. "This really means a lot to me Triffany." Now she had said this, it won't be hard for her to accept his feelings.

Carlos couldn't take it in anymore, he sat down on the sofa across her couch, tapping his feet restless on the tiled floor. Triffany knitted her brow as he was disturbing her conversation.

"I'm happy." She said to Tommy, with her eyes on Carlos who scoffed.

"So how is the file editing going? You know you're submitting it next tomorrow." Tommy asked.

"I'm done with it." Triffany smile, luckily she had finally finished editing the chapters and sure she did a good work on it.

"You promised to let me see it it first right?"

"Yes." She smiled. "I promised."

"We will see next tomorrow then."

"Okay." She still put on that cute smile on her face, still aware that Carlos was staring at her.

"Goodnight then."

"Goodnight." Triffany put down her phone.

"What's the time?" Carlos asked with his eyes staring at her like dagger and his tone cold.

"9:39pm." She said nonchalantly.

"Then why?"

"Why what?" She raised her brow.

Carlos exhaled softly, he knew he was boiling in anger, not at her but of that friend of hers. "Why aren't you sleeping?" He runs his hands through his hair.

Triffany sighed. "It's none of your business. Why aren't you sleeping then?" She retort.

"That's because of your call." He came up with an excuse.

Triffany rolled her eyes. "And what does that have to do with your sleep?"

"You were noisy." He leans back on his sofa, he could feel his anger dropping.

"Oh!" She exclaimed sarcastically. "Well I wasn't."

Carlos knew that this conversation was just going to lead to a big argument if they continue. "Let's sleep." He nudge her to the bed.

"I'm sleeping on the couch today." She turned to lay down.

"Your hand is still bad, isn't it?" He pointed at her hand.

"No it's fine now."

"Just sleep on the bed I would use the couch."

Triffany closed her eyes gently and ope6them again. "We've done this debate before already. Why are you suddenly concerned about my sleeping spot?" She asked searching his eyes.

"We've also debated this before." He answered simply.

No matter what she think, she still have a feeling he was acting this way because of her confession that night. "I told you not to take in what I said the other day about loving you."

"You can hate me and I will stop my feelings soon, so don't act this way just to make me feel good." She said softly.

Carlos closed his eyes, deep in his heart he knew he was not acting and he doesn't want her to stop her feeling for him either, and he doesn't hate her.

"I will sleep on the couch." Triffany said again.

This time Carlos runs his hand through his hair as he blurt out. "I hate you, so sleeping on the bed with me doesn't matter to me. Like I said, you're like a pillow."

Triffany scoffed. "It matters to me. You sleep peacefully, but my heart keeps thumping and the only way to stop it is to stay far away from you."

"Suit yourself then!" Carlos raised his voice in anger and went back to the bed. He lay down and closed his eyes to sleep.

First was lying that he hates her and thinks of her as a pillow, but that was only a pan to get her to sleep on the bed with him. It was all useless.

Triffany lay on the couch as she closed her eyes, embarrassed that she was the only one that got feelings for him and still have to tell him about her it. To her she got no sense of pride when it comes to Carlos.

Carlos woke up in the middle of the night. He looked at Triffany who lay on the couch fast asleep fir a while before heading downstairs.

He came down to have a drink, but saw Gabby still awake, he walked over to her and sat down.

"You're still awake." Gabby looked up at him.

"I can't sleep." He said softly.

"Me too." It seems that her words made the tears she had been suppressing to roll down her cheek.

Carlos eyes was red from trying to suppress his own tears. "You shouldn't cry." He held Gabby's hands warmly.

Gabby looked at her brother's eyes. "Your eyes are red already and you don't have to hold back your tears Carlos."

“Mom and dad wouldn’t want us to keep crying Gabby. It’s been fifteen years already since their accident, since they died.” He tries to comfort her with his words.

“I can’t help it Carlos, not when their memorial is tomorrow.” She closed her eyes gently as Carlos embraced her. “Do you remember Carlos, the day they died, they were getting us presents. They both called, I thought I will see them again , not knowing that it was the last day, it was the last day I will see my mom and dad.” She sniffles.

Carlos pressed down hid lips, holding back his tears as the memories of that day flashed back in his mind. “You have to stop letting that memory hurt you. Gabby am going to be here for you, always and forever.”

Gabby looked at Carlos who continue. “We would be okay, we have each other right?” He forced a smile, no matter what, he still had to act like an elder brother.

She nods her head as Carlos use his thumb to wipe off the tears in her eyes. “Big girls don’t cry.” They both forced a smile even if it didn’t reach their eyes. “You should get some sleep now.”

“I don’t know, whenever I close my eyes I see mom and dad leaving.” Her eyes became wet again. Carlos looked at her, she was little when their parents died and he was sad that the memory still hurt her.

Carlos took her hand. “Come on, I will tuck you in.” He walked her to her room as Gabby lay on her bed, he pull the quilt over her shoulder and sat next to her. “Sleep now, am right here."

This was something Carlos had always done, after their parents died, whenever she say she sees them in her sleep, he will always stay next to her and watch her sleep.

Gabby looked at her brother. "My bad, I always have you stay by my side the night before their memorial. As if am a kid."

Carlos shook his head, watching his sister in this difficult time was what he as an elder brother ought to do. "I don't mind. Now sleep."

Gabby closed her eyes and he tap her gently on her hands and soon she was asleep. Carlos watched her for a while before switching off her light and leaving the room.

He went into.his room as tears filled his eyes. He looked at Triffany who was still sleeping. He went into the little room be told her not to go into and then brought out a box from the drawer.

He opened it and took out his parents picture. He sat down holding the picture next to his chest.

With memories of the past crawling back into his mind one after the other. He started crying, without holding back, letting all the tears he had held back in front of his sister flow down his cheek.

Triffany woke up from hearing some sound, she looked at the direction of the door where it was coming from. "What's that sound?"

She switched on the room light and looked over at the bed, but Carlos wasn't there. "Where is he?" She looked around the room, still no sight of him.

She listened in and realized that the sound was that of someone crying.she took gently steps towards the door, wondering if Carlos was there.

She knew he had warned her not to come to that room, but she had to find out what was wrong. She slowly turned the knob and there she found Carlos holding the picture with his face buried in his arms, crying.

She entered without his notice. "Carlos.." He looked up when he heard her voice and immediately wipe off the tears in his eyes. "What's wrong?" This was the first time she had ever seen him in tears.

"Why are you here?" He asked her, but she walked even closer to him. "You should be in here."

She looked down at his hands and saw the picture he was holding. "Is that your parents?" She pointed at the people on the picture.

This was the first time she had seen such people, there was no image of his parents in the house, she hadn't asked, since it was not her place to ask and he wouldn't tell her too.

She knew they were dead but haven't heard anything about them, or seen their pictures.

Triffany looked at Carlos face, he looked down at the picture in his hands as tears filled his eyes again as he tries to hold them back. "You miss them."

"Today..." His lips quiver as he sniffles. "Today was the day they died." Triffany covered her mouth with her hands as she looked at Carlos with tears in her eyes.

Oh no! She screamed in her head.

She squats close to him and hugged him silently. "Today is their memorial." He sobs on her shoulders as they both stayed silently in tears.