Jharied's POV
I watched as Filia's head slowly listed to the side, finally coming to rest against the window pane. Her breathing evened out, and from the back of the van, I heard the soft, irritated snores of my friends, who had settled down at last, after my warning.
I hated that I was the reason she hadn't slept, but seeing her this worn out, with dark circles underneath her eyes, made the guilt sharper. I tentatively reached out, being very careful not to wake her up, and slid my hand between her head and the window, easing her head onto my shoulder instead.
She shifted instinctively, snuggling into the warmth of my shirt. A small sigh escaped her lips."Don't you dare tell anyone," I whispered fiercely to Arman, who was driving and watching us through the rearview mirror with a knowing smirk.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Pare," Arman replied, barely suppressing a laugh. "But your wife looks exhausted. You should probably stop being an idiot.
I ignored him, concentrating instead on the soft weight of Filia against me. Her scent-soap and that uniquely hers-was comforting. I knew that whole thing at the mall had been a very poor handling on my part. Seeing Jacob with her, smiling over baby supplies, had ripped through my fragile self-control. It was pathetic. I, Jharied, the king of casual hookups, was reduced to punching a friend over jealousy.
"We need to stop soon for gas, Jharied, and maybe a quick bathroom break for these loudmouths," Alex called out from the back.
I glanced down at Filia. "No. Drive until we absolutely have to stop. I don't want her woken up by your collective chaos."
"Bossy much?" Lara muttered from the middle row, but she didn't argue.
I adjusted my position to let her get more comfortable. I pulled the lunch box I had given her onto my lap; she hadn't even opened it. She was still mad, and rightfully so. My confession wasn't enough; I needed to prove it. La Union was my chance to cut out all the noise—Jacob, Samantha, the school, the mess—and just focus on us.
I looked at her face again. She was beautiful, even in sleep. I mentally retraced everything Jacob had said yesterday:
But the moment you trick her or hurt her, I won't hesitate to take her away from you. You don't mess with Filia. She's not like your other girls, Jharied.
Jacob was right. She wasn't like the others. She was straightforward, loyal, and stubborn as a mule. And she was mine. I had a hell of a mess to clean up, and I was going to start with making sure that cut on Jacob's lip was the last painful thing she had to deal with because of me.Slowly, I brought my free hand up and brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek. I needed to convince her, make her believe that I was serious, the fear of losing her was real, my feeling was true: I was irrevocably in love with Heartfilia.
I just need two days.
"Hey, Jharied, what are you doing?" Lara asked me. I quickly gestured for her to be quiet so that she would not wake Filia.
"Wow, so caring, huh? What is this, husband duty?" Arman asked, laughing.
"Our Jharied is making moves," Alex teased.
"Mind your own business. And can you please shut your mouths? Just go to sleep," I said in a grumpy tone. Idiots just laughed.
I turned my gaze back to Filia, who still lay sleeping soundly. Gently, I readjusted the hair that covered her face. My gaze drifted to her lips again, and I swallowed hard because they seemed to beckon me closer, urging me toward a kiss.
I squeezed my eyes shut to stop myself. I didn't want to wake her up. It was enough for now, just seeing her like this. I no longer had to sneak glances at her.
I continued stroking her hair so she could sleep better. I just stayed there looking at her gentle face; even the soft snoring of hers made me smile.
"In love is hitting him differently—he's laughing to himself," Arman teased, laughing too.
"Dude, you're a different person when you're in love," Alex added, piling on the mockery. They had nothing else to do, I thought they were all asleep. It looked like they were just waiting to see what I would do.
"Can you please just be quiet? The minute Filia wakes up because of your noise, I'm kicking you out of the car," I threatened them. But instead of getting scared, they just laughed at me. Crazy fools, they probably thought I was joking.
"It's truly different when Jharied Cojuangco falls in love. It's shocking, like a sickness," Lara said in a tone that was so disbelieving, accompanied by an irritating laugh. Couldn't they find anyone else to tease but me?
"The thing I instructed you to do, do it the moment we arrive," I reminded them, in case they had forgotten again. I could not vouch for my patience if they botched this; after all, the object of this excursion was to curry favor with Filia.
"Don't panic, take it easy. That's simple for us," answered Rey, showing off once more.
"It better be. This outing needs to be worth something. I don't want a single day— or even an hour—wasted. That Jacob guy is just being too much of an annoyance," I grumbled, annoyed. His relentless pursuit of Filia was infuriating.
Because of that man, my blood truly boiled. Every time I saw him getting close to Filia, it made my blood boil. I didn't care if they were childhood friends. As long as I could keep Filia away from him, I would. To me, there was no such thing as 'just childhood friends'; he was still a man, and I couldn't entrust Filia to him. Nobody spoke after that, and I had not heard a more welcome silence.
I looked at Filia once more; she still slept soundly. I stroked her hair. If her face was gentle when she was awake, it was even gentler in sleep. Just sleep well, because later, once we get to Lara's resort, I'll make sure you enjoy yourself-even if it's only for two days.
I rested my head back against the seat, as I too was feeling drowsy. I closed my eyes, knowing how long the journey still remained to be covered. We could reach late this afternoon, or maybe even during the night.