Love.
"An intense emotion of deep affection for someone we care about."
But for Kenzo Yamamoto, he could give beyond love. Selfless love would be the right term to describe his love. He could give his all for the woman he loved even if it meant that he would be breaking himself into pieces.
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After KENZO and Walter got kicked out by Senthie, Walter kept asking his best friend about what happened between him and Senthie. He kept on asking Kenzo why he wasn't aware of Senthie's store opening or why her girlfriend didn't tell him about it. But Kenzo was surprised, too, when Walter invited him. He was even upset about it and thought that maybe, Senthie didn't want to see him. And by what happened earlier, Kenzo thought that he was right, after all.
For the past month, Kenzo kept himself from contacting and wanting to see her. He didn't want Senthie to think that he was being clingy, so he endured it--but he missed her like crazy that he was even crying every night.
"What?" Walter slammed the table with his fist. Customers of the restaurant were now looking at them. "You two broke up?"
"Bro, calm down, and please, lower your voice," Kenzo said, then glanced to both sides as he bowed his head to apologize to other customers.
"But why? How? Since when?" he asked, not affected by what Kenzo said.
Kenzo forced a smile. "Well... It just happened. It's been more than a month now."
"What?" A crease on Walter's forehead was forming. "So that explains why you always say you were busy whenever I invited you to come over to Sen's house."
Kenzo nodded.
"This is ridiculous!" Walter grunted, his hands on the table were now forming into balls.
Kenzo just smiled at him. For some reason, he felt the heaviness in his chest had been lifted. Perhaps, because there was someone who would be mad for him.
"That ungrateful brat! How can she do this to you? I don't care if she's my sister," Walter blurted out as he stood, leaving. When he was about to walk past Kenzo, he stopped Walter by wrapping his arms around his hips. "I won't let this slide! Don't stop me!"
Their position was embarrassing, it looked like Walter was leaving and his lover was trying to stop him by hugging his hips. Kenzo didn't want to stay longer like that.
"Walter, can you please calm down?" he begged. "Everyone is watching."
Walter listened to his best friend and went back to his seat. He looked around only to be embarrassed. The customers were mumbling and throwing weird gazes at them. Walter's face and ears were now red in embarrassment. He cleared his throat first before he spoke again. "I still can’t believe it. I thought she was finally opening her heart to you. Her heart must be made of something we could never imagine."
He sighed as he added, "I just don't understand her at all. I mean, she's a softie, she has too much empathy for others, but... she doesn't get attached? She's really weird!"
"Yes, she is," Kenzo agreed. "But I want to understand her and I won't give up on her."
"You are really something. She doesn't deserve you at all. You're just trying to hurt yourself," Walter snorted.
"I don't care about any of that," Kenzo replied, not looking at Walter, his gaze was on the table. "I'll stay by her side. I'll be there when she needs a friend or whatever she wants me to be. Someone she can lean on? Cry on? Or even if the world couldn't understand her, I’ll be there for her."
Kenzo glanced at Walter and he was just staring back at him, so he continued. "I will listen to her rants and everything. I'm even willing to be her punching bag." Kenzo chuckled. "I'll make her feel loved, cared for, and wanted."
Walter just smiled as he shook his head.
"All I want for her is to be happy. I love seeing her smile. And that's enough for me," Kenzo said and smiled. "Though I know she can be just fine by herself, still... I'll do all of that without expecting anything in return."
When Kenzo heard Walter sniff, pretending to be crying, Kenzo turned his gaze to him.
"I'm so touched by your speech, bro. Senthie is surely blessed to have you, but she's clearly a fool to let you go."
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The sun had set and the night had come. Grand Mall had closed and it was already past 10 in the evening.
At SENTHIE's residence...
"Gosh, Sen!" Cecile shrieked, plopping her back on the sofa, looking like a withered plant. Her brown curly hair was now messy and bristled.
They just got home and the first thing they thought was the deadline in three days.
"Our standard lead time is one week. Tell me how can we finish that damn gown in just three days?" Cecile asked in monotone.
Senthie shut her eyes and massaged her temples. "I must have gone really insane."
"She was so rude that I couldn't control my temper,” Cecile said. "I know it was my fault, but why did you agree with her?"
Senthie furrowed her brows and turned to look at her. "And why did you behave like that in the first place? She's our first customer! Our first customer and my lucky charm!"
"What? Lucky charm?" Cecile snorted. "Lucky charm, my foot."
Senthie glared at her. "What did you just say?"
"What I'm trying to say is…” She sat up and cleared her throat. “I just got this feeling that I don't like her."
"Tell me you're kidding."
Cecile made a guilty face. "But I'm serious right now."
Senthie widened her eyes at her. "Have you gone mad? Don't sleep, we will finish the design tonight!"
She saluted. "Roger tha–hell?!"
Cecile was startled by the cat. The cat jumped on her lap and ran. It was hilarious! Her eyes almost poked out and her face was as if she had seen a big spider. “I almost had a heart attack!”
"Oh, sorry about that. Were you two fighting?"
"No!" Cecile and Senthie said in unison as they turned to look at the source of the voice. It was Walter.
"Wait, why is your brother here?" Cecile asked.
Senthie faked a laugh. "Because I am kind-hearted enough to let him live in my house."
"Yes, she is," Walter said sarcastically and was now in a squat position, calling for his cat.
The cat was a Ragdoll breed with a color point coat and blue eyes. It was large and had semi-long hair that was soft and silky. Senthie thought it was super cute. She would always pet it when Walter wasn't around.
The cat responded to Walter and jumped at him.
'Awwww. Huffy is so cute!' Senthie squealed in her mind.
Oh, right. Senthie named the cat, Huffy, not Nana. H for happy, 'coz it always lifted her mood, and 'uffy' because it was fluffy.
Cecile widened her round brown eyes to Senthie as if saying 'how come?'
Senthie smiled at Cecile and rolled her eyes at Walter, who was now heading back to his room.
"Am I hearing things or did he just call the cat Nana?" Cecile asked, emphasizing every syllable.
Senthie gave her a tight slip smile. "Yes, he named her cat Nana."
"Wow," she mumbled. "You are really kind, I guess. Anyway, why did you let him live here? I thought you prefer living alone away from your family?
When Senthie was in high school, she entered an international fashion design contest--the participants submitted their design of a wedding gown for a Hollywood actress--the winner's design was worn by the actress at her wedding. Lucky enough, Senthie won third place and the prize incredibly changed her life. It was $30,000! That was 1.5M in peso! She deposited one million in the bank, 200K for her family, and the rest was for her college tuition. Soon, she gained a lot of followers on Instagram so she decided to make a Patreon account and exclusively posted her works and designs there. People discovered her and some of them became her clients when she made a website to offer her services. Senthie was really lucky that at a young age, she earned a lot of money. When she had graduated and had enough savings, she moved out of her mom's house and bought a house of her own--she never felt at home at their home.
"He said he will be transferred to another branch, and he's getting the feeling that it will be in Grand Mall Sta. Rosa. So I let him stay here, and of course, without invading my personal space." Senthie sighed. "But I guess, that's impossible."
"Wait," Cecile held up a hand. "He's working at GMC?"
Senthie nodded. "Yup."
"Wow! Wow! Wow! Wo–"
"Would you stop that? You sound like an ambulance." Senthie glared at her.
"Really?" she said, amused. "Let me check it."
Senthie was in disbelief when she saw Cecile unzipping her bag. "Don't tell me you're voice recording?"
"Yes!" Cecile found her phone and tapped its screen a few times. She started recording her ambulance sound.
Senthie couldn't believe she had a best friend like that.
Cecile turned her gaze at Senthie when her ambulance sound turned to a strong one. "Wow, Sen!"
"Why?"
"Do you still have no idea who is Kelly Ocampo?" Cecile asked, her eyes still on her phone's screen. "We only know her name, right?"
"The investor? Why?"
Cecile scooted beside Senthie and said, "she deposited again. Guess how much."
"Really?" Senthie's eyes were wide. "How much?"
Cecile showed the details on her phone.
"1.5M?" Senthie yapped, not believing what she was seeing. "Just who is this Kelly Ocampo?"
Kelly Ocampo. She was mysterious, they didn’t know anything about her but just her name. She was just sending money and was not demanding any returns. Senthie was suspecting, perhaps, this person knew them personally. But who could be her?
Cecile rolled her eyes and a smile formed on her full lips. "Who cares?"
They intertwined their hands together and squealed, "wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!"
Senthie couldn't believe she was doing the same thing as her best friend.
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Hello, Noomiells!
Thank you for reading this chapter. Hope you liked it. :D
What do you think of Kenzo's confession?
How about Walter's reaction when he learned that her sister and his best friend broke up?
Also, have you tried recording your voice when you think you're making a weird sound?
I would like to know your opinion. Please, let me know! :D