Beneath the Perfect Sky

FIVE

I apologize for not being able to update yesterday. Namatay brain cells ko at puso ko dahil sa Laws of Attraction (leaga twitterserye, and if you're not reading it - why?????). So anyway, eto nalang bawi ako hehe. It's also a bit longer kasi the last chapter was on the shorter side :) Sana magenjoy kayo!

TW: character death and cancer - not in the way you think, so chill hahaha

.::.

FIVE

The shrill ringing of her phone wakes her from her otherwise deep slumber. Lea groans as she rolls on the bed, her arms flying to the side and her hand reaching blindly for the offending device. The ringing escalates, further bringing her to the land of the living, and she forces her eyes open.

She finally finds it and she grabs it, taking it in her hand and sliding her thumb across the screen to take the call, even when she doesn't check the caller id. It's her work phone, so if they're calling at the wee hours of the morning when the world is asleep, and so is she, then it must be something important.

"Hello," she snaps, still feeling a bit groggy. She doesn't appreciate being woken up at this ungodly hour.

The sound that greets her ears in response is a jumbled mess of noises - music that's too loud, voices of people cheering, and the buzz of conversation. She rolls her eyes and scratches her head.

Who the fuck?

She pulls the phone from her ear and finally checks the caller ID. Her heart jumps to her throat when she reads the name on her screen, even as her brows furrow in confusion. She notices that her hands have started to tremble as she lifts her phone and presses it back against her ear.

"Hello?" she tries again, softer now, less snappy, and more concerned. She knows he only has her work phone, so he calls her here - but she doesn't know why. And at this hour, she doesn't think it can be anything good. "Aga?"

Her mind races and conjures a thousand different scenarios - each one uglier than the next, and she feels nervous, too nervous to speak, her heart beating so hard and so loud she can hear it.

Is he okay? Is he in trouble? Is it Leigh? The possibilities are limitless.

"Hello," he responds, finally, but he sounds different, slurred. "Attorney..." it comes out more like a whine and she bites down on her lip.

Is he really, actually drunk?

"Attorney," he slurs, and she barely understands him, but she tries, concentrates harder, her forehead creasing as she struggles to hear him better. "Attorney..." and he's muttering something.

She hears the words, but barely understands them, because it sounds gibberish to her, sounds like his mouth is too close to the mouthpiece and he's speaking from under a pillow - his slurring isn't helping matters any.

"Aga!" she calls out, trying to catch his attention. She's concerned, and she tries not to unpack that - not right now, because it's late and she's barely awake and she can't think about it.

"Attorney babes," he says again, and she hears him clearly now. Attorney Babes?  "Gusto kita, Lea, gustong gusto. Ang hirap pala nito."

Her heart drops to her stomach as soon as she drops her phone to her lap. The words echo inside her mind and she finds herself unable to speak, or move, or function. She hears the sound coming out of her phone, but it's drowned out, the noise around her is muffled, it almost feels like she's submerged in a tank filled with water. Her ears are ringing, and the words are an endless loop playing in her ears.