Shouldn't Have Gone - BOOK III

Chapter 27 - What She Wants

Chapter 27 - What She Wants

After their second day in Bogota, Angel and Hunter take the 4pm flight to Cartagena where they would spend the night before they fly to Guatape. Through the small window of her seat, Angel sees the feather-like clouds floating around the plane. With Hunter sitting beside her, sleeping, she thinks she could make use of the solemn time to nap. However, their last moments in Bogota were the most wonderful-the best so far in this trip, she couldn't stop thinking about them. They visited several churches that are mostly built during the colonial period. Churches play a huge role in her life since she used to sing in the church choir when she's around 7 to 10, and when there are weddings, she and little friends in the choir sing for the service. Since she was little, she's always dreamed of the day when she'd walk down the aisle in her lovely white dress, with George in her arms, and the man he loves waiting for her at the altar. There were even times when her chorale group was invited for wedding services, and instead of singing, Angel would turn into a bedazzled spectator, and crazily imagined herself as the bride. Now, it's not far from coming true.

Also, churches in Bogota are grand, the design of the altars and facades display the heavy influence of Spanish colonization while the churches she had visited when she was little were small in size and not as enigmatic and historical as the ones she saw in La Candelaria. Never had she seen such classic beauty, never before her eyes had laid upon a history come to life, never had she imagined herself to stand before important relics and religious statues of massive sizes and grand prizes. All day she stared at them as though she was staring at Jupiter.

She rests her head on Hunter's shoulder when the latter suddenly lays his head on hers, and he slides his hands to hers so that they are entwined.

"Sorry I have to put you through this," she says to him.

Hunter's lack of sleep was caused by her poor choice of hotel. Although Hunter did not breathe a word about how he despised the little room they had last night, how he's been trying to steal a few hours of sleep while in travel. Twisting and twirling last night was what all he did. Well, the bed was pretty uncomfortable but it wasn't that bad either. It's pretty large for the room but the temperature was really high, and the airconditioner was dead half of the night. And yet, she heard nothing from him.

And she had to put him in economy class for another lengthy travel. The chair is too small for Hunter's huge frame, the space too narrow for his long legs.

"When we get to Cartagena, I promise I won't get into your way," she adds as she lifts her face to kiss him on the cheeks. This experiment has gone way too much that Angel seriously thinks she's already punishing the man. Hunter's born with a silver spoon in his mouth. She doubts if Hunter has ever been in a situation when he has to make ends meet.

She's doing this not only because he wants him to let go of rules and standards, and to stop depending on the expected. Angel wanted Hunter to know the life she's living, the world she was born into, the kind of things and people that made her the person she is. She will not be able to give him expensive gifts or anything that does not have; there's many of them she can't point out now. But she knows that Hunter is secured of her heart, of her entirety, as his woman, as his own. She could only give herself, and nothing more.

"It was fun, Angel," finally, he speaks. "Last night was horrible, but I got to watch you sleep, and it's the best part of it."

"You watched me sleeping?"

"Well, yeah..." shyly, he bobs his head. "I like to do it a lot, I must confess. Sometimes, when I woke at night, I'd just stare at you, and sleeplessness suddenly is of no bother anymore."

"And what did you make out of watching me sleep? Was it entertaining?"

"Very much," he answers directly. "It gives me peace of mind." But he stops there.