The Writer's Romance

Cj"s with Bea while Sheen"s Dad is talking to the gardener about how they grow the sunflowers.

"Nothing, I"m just... tired, yeah," Sheen answered with a forced smile.

Her mind won"t move on from what happened and what she feels.

She knows she was just mad and upset last night, but after hearing what Clark said, she just blocked her feelings and let out all her anger.

Her Mom frowns, knowing her daughter, there"s always something that bothers her.

She held Sheen"s hand as they walk, shocking Sheen, "Well, I know I am not the best mom. I know, I know that too well..." She remembered the childhood days of Sheen, the only child they have, the girl they left alone in the dark thinking that it"s best for her.

"I know that I was not always there with you when you needed me. I know that. I mean, it"s fine if you are angry with us, She--"

"No, Mom. I am not," Sheen denied, trying to get over from the awkwardness that this conversation will bring after.

But her Mom just smiled and continued, "A child, no matter how much they love their parents, somehow felt anger towards them. I know that. I was angry at your grandpa for not letting me take the course I wanted but still, I love them and I am grateful that I had parents like them."

Sheen looks away, she hates to agree but her mom"s right.

"Now, why don"t you tell me... where"s the ring on your finger?"

Sheen"s guilt suddenly vanished, she looks at her mother terrified and confused, "What?"

"Well, Blue... that kid, he sent me a photo of you with Clark in a party. That was a long time ago, and I saw that you are wearing a ring similar to Clark. I wanted to keep quiet until you two tell me what is happening but now I am sad to see that you don"t wear any ring."

Her mother touched Sheen"s ring finger softly, wondering where the ring went.

Sheen stops walking, "You knew?"

"Well, based on my conclusions, yes. I knew." Her mother stops walking as well and lets go of Sheen"s hand.

"Mom, I can explain. It was... I was... We were... Gosh, I love him... so bad," Sheen cried as she trembles and starts to cry.

Bea and Cj turn around when they noticed that Sheen and her Mom stops walking while the gardener and Sheen"s Dad looks to their direction.

"What is happening between you two? Don"t cry... Come here," Sheen"s Mom saw that the people around them are starting to stare and decided to take Sheen to a side which is somehow secluded.

As Sheen follows her mother, her tears flow heavier every second.

Her chest tightens as coldness runs through her skin.

"Now, now," Her mother hushed as they sit down on a flower box.

The place is silent and n.o.body can see them.

"Tell me, exactly what happened. I may not be able to help you before, but I promise, I will help you today, darling," Her mother whispers as she pats her daughter"s back to comfort her.

"We had a misunderstanding last night," Sheen whispers as her sobs become louder. "He thought Wyn was doing something inappropriate to me while I was sleeping but G.o.d, I promise Wyn"s just trying to wake me up. And he started shouting, I was trying to break them apart but Clark won"t budge."

Sheen interlocks her fingers while staring at the ground, avoiding her mother"s gaze. If she ever sees her caring, soft and hurt eyes, she"ll cry even harder.

"And how did you end up removing your ring?" Her mother asks.

"Well... I realized I don"t really know Clark. I mean, yeah, he"s my best friend but that was before when we were kids. He... I don"t know, he became different after he proposed. It made me feel like I am suffocating. He wants things following his plan, his wants... He even.." Sheen broke into tears harder as she tries to tell her mother what Clark told her that night.

Her mother just continues to pat her daughter"s back to comfort her at least.

"He"s worried about what people think if they saw me, an engaged person, with another man in a room. Mom, he"s thinking the same way Uncle Verrez did. What will people think? What will people say? He even got angry when I forgot the date. He was also annoyed when I learned something about him."

Sheen started off crying but as she gets more into her words, her tears dried and she started bursting out of anger.

Her mother sighed, "Now, Sheen. You are in a relationship," she said and held Sheen"s hand, "You do not own yourself anymore. You are sharing it with someone and that someone is Clark. Not because he"s annoying or that you don"t like the way he acts doesn"t mean that you have to cut off your relationship."

"But Mom, he"s different," Sheen answered with an irritated voice.

"Of course he is! He"s not only your best friend, but he is also your future husband. And no man will allow their woman to be.... so careless. Even if you have your ring on your hand, it does not mean that you will surely not sway away from him. He"s afraid because he knows you and because he knows the people around you."

"No, Mom. You don"t understand, Wyn"s my friend and he---"

"And he"s a man. Sheen, I like Wyn but that doesn"t mean that I will not think ill of him. No one fully trusts anyone. And I know, Clark was just worried. He"s jealous because he"s afraid and worried."

"Afraid of what? That I will cheat on him?"

"No. Afraid that he will not be able to protect you. He knows you, Sheen. I know that. You"re the one who doesn"t know him. You kept yourself in that cage where you see him as a friend and you still want him to treat you as a friend even though you love him more than that."

"Now I"m the wrong one here?"

Sheen stands up with a fit of anger while her mother just looks at her in pain, "How come you think that way?" Her mother thought.

"Do you really love Clark?" Her mother asks.

Sheen is standing with her back facing her mom, frozen, she nods.

"Then... why do you get affected too much from the things that he shows you? You should learn from it, that he doesn"t like when men are too close to you which is pretty normal for husbands, I should say."

"But it"s...it"s suffocating. They are just my friends."

"And both of you started as friends as well, am I right?"

Sheen turns around with her hands on her hips, "Really, Mom? I already turned down Kady and Wyn. What else? Should I stay away from them?"

"See? You even had something in the past. Who wouldn"t be angry with that?" Her mother laughs in disbelief that her daughter lost her common sense when it comes to relationship, even calling herself a romance novelist.

"What?" Sheen looks at her Mom in annoyance and exhaled.

"Okay, I"ll listen to you. You mean, I"m the wrong one here because I reacted negatively and I should, like, apologize to Clark because I got angry that he got angry over something that did not happen?"

"Yes. You see, for someone who is new to relationships, it will make you think that their partner is too tight. But when you get to that same spot, I know you, Sheen, you will get angry as well. You will be jealous." Her mother looks at her seriously.

"And don"t tell me things like you won"t get jealous of something that you shouldn"t be jealous about. I"ll tell you if you love Clark, a simple h.e.l.lo from a lady that Clark will respond to will make you pull your hair. Since knowing Clark, he"s not someone who notices unimportant people. "

"What if she"s important?"

"What if she"s wearing revealing clothes and keep staring at Clark for the whole day, using s.e.xy alluring voice when talking to him?"

Sheen went silent.

Her mother exhaled and taps her forehead, "What if she"s a friend of Clark who used to like him and now you see them in a room together and that girl seems to, even though she isn"t, looks like she"s about to do something to Clark?"

Sheen"s face went bitter, she just suddenly realized that what her mom"s telling her, what Bea was telling her.

She just pictured herself in Clark"s shoes.

And it really p.i.s.ses her off imagining that there"s an existence of such woman in Clark"s life.

"Sheen, a relationship isn"t a free ride where things go your way. You don"t follow the road you want to take. Clark was looking unwell this morning and now I know why. If you really know him, you know what to do." Sheen"s mom stands up and brushes Sheen"s hair away from her bitter face.

"He just wants to be alone, he said that. I"ll let him be alone if he wants to," Sheen whispered.

"Oh, aren"t you like that too? But, when you"re the one who was hurt, don"t you like it when someone comforts you?"

Sheen looks at her mom, amazed by her words that clarify things that she seemed to not see earlier, "But he has to apologize to me as well."

"And you have to put your ring back, don"t you feel lost without it?" Her mom smiled and hugs Sheen, "Relationships are hard but don"t give up just because you"re hurt. Feel the pain until you learn something, Sheen. And it"s fine if you do things wrong, he"s your first man after all."

Sheen chuckles from hearing that Clark"s her first man.

When she was head over heels with Kady, she thought relationships are easy. Just love the person and you"ll end up happily ever after. But now, she knows what real love really means.

It does not only require pa.s.sion, but it also needs trust, patience, understanding and most especially forgiveness.

Hurt is a part of the bind, and if you can"t forgive them, it will destroy your relationship.

"But I am still angry. He needs to say sorry to Wyn as well, he almost punched him."

"Don"t tell him what to do if you don"t want him telling you what to do. Respect, Sheen. You need to respect his decision. You walk this life with him now, his choice, your choice, and vice versa."

Her mom lets Sheen go and kissed her forehead, "I didn"t know my words will come to use someday. Your dad doesn"t listen to my lessons."

"You sound so cheesy and dramatic but I understand, Mom. I mean, maybe I was just afraid of what I am into. A relationship is way too hard, I"d rather write 12 volumes of a novel than be in this," Sheen smiled, "But Clark"s worth the hardship, he"s always there for me when I need him the most."

---

"Sir, are you sure you can finish all this work today?" Mr. Rogers asks Clark as he watches the pitiful president sign paper works while answering some calls at the same time typing his own schedule.

"Yes," Clark answers shortly without looking at Mr. Rogers.

"I will call Mr. Dan if--"

"No. I don"t need any help," Clark cuts Mr. Rogers with a sharp and heavy voice.

"Yes, Sir," Mr. Rogers took one last glance over Clark before leaving the room.

He saw Dan waiting outside with a worried look, "Mr. Rogers, how is he?" he asks.

"He"s... not well, Mr. Dan. It seems like he had an argument with Miss Sheen. She"s the only one who can make Mr. White this way."

"It seems so. Bea called me and told me they had a fight last night over Wyn."

"Mr. Lee? Well, if it isn"t that young man," Mr. Rogers exhaled, "Mr. Dan, can you talk to Miss Bea, tell her that Mr. Lee is our company"s enemy and getting close to him will ruin the company. He"s plotting something against us."

"What are you saying, Mr. Rogers? He"s a nice kid." Dan furrowed his brows with what Mr. Rogers told him. Even though they are not close, he"s been with Wyn for some time.

"He refused the business partnership invitation Mr. White gave him. This may be about Miss Sheen, but it seems like there"s a bigger reason behind it."

"What do you mean?" Dan asks.

"Mr. Lee, with or without him knowing, is Mr. White"s half-brother." Mr. Rogers replied, "Mr. White doesn"t even know it himself. Only me and his father"s old employees knew about his father"s relationship with Mrs. Lee."