Elegi Of Rose

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Roy nudged her.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

"Can you scoot over? You're occupying like three-fourths of the bed here," he nudged her one more time, lifted her arms and dropped it over her chest. "I'm tired, can you stop that?" she moaned. She was already half-asleep and he was still making a lot of noise.

He rolled her to her side and sighed in contentment. "Good, stay that way."

She rolled right back, her arm flying over his face.

"You must be kidding me, right? Look, I'm tired as well so better keep on your side of the bed or I'll make sure we'll be doing something else here."

Ayu immediately turned away from him and pulled the comforter over her shoulder and scooted away.

"I thought you'll do that," her husband whispered and dropped back on the bed and closed his eyes. "Good night, babe, see you tomorrow." "Jerk," she muttered under her breath.

*****

They left most of their suitcases in the hotel and left for Boracay the very next day. Ayu brought with her the backpack that contained her valuables and some clothes. Roy carried a bigger bag which had some of the work he brought with him. They took the plane to Iloilo City, hired a van to take them to some place where they had to ride a pump boat to Boracay Island.

By the time the boat arrived, they had to walk on water and she had asked him-loud enough for everyone on the boat to hear-if he could carry her on his back. Of course he did it. He was too conscious of everyone that looked-and still was- looking at them with amusement and awe.

"You really planned this," he said with a grunt.

"Of course I did," she chuckled on his back.

"I would love to drop you right now," he clenched his teeth.

"That will really disappoint our fellow passengers. I told them you're the perfect gentleman," she teased some more and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm gonna get you for this," he gritted.

"Save your breath, babe. I don't want to be embarrassed in front of so many people if you suddenly drop dead on the white sand," she pushed her body up and he grunted once more.

When they reached dry sand, he let her slip off his back and almost fell over. It was no easy task, she knew it. She was not heavy, but she was not light either. And their bags were... well, quite some extra weight.

"Let's go," she led him to their hotel just a few paces away from the shore. It was a really great place and there were a lot of tourists like them everywhere. Restaurants and bars lined up along the shore. And outside each establishment, their knee-high tables spread out on the sand with cushions, the water just about ten steps away.

Roni would have loved this place, she thought with that constant ache in her chest. "You don't look good," Roy said beside her. His face was flushed from carrying her. "I'm fine," she mumbled and walked on faster.

*****

It was Gugun who did the reservations, so again they had to share a bed. Not that it would be much of a problem anymore.

She went straight to the sliding doors leading to the terrace overlooking the beach and breathed the salty air. Roy became busy arranging his laptop on the coffee table, folders in hand. She shrugged. He was probably way behind work, so she'd let him be for now. She walked to the bed to lie down a little bit when her phone rang.

She frowned and asked aloud, "Did you give my number to anyone?"

"No," came the short reply from her husband-he was already engrossed looking at his computer screen. "Why?"

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She did not answer; instead, she punched the button to accept the call and said, "This is Ayu Suar,"

"Punda," she heard Roy mutter behind her. "You're a Punda now."

"Yu, it's me, Herland, where the hell are you? I've been trying to contact you." Ayu almost dropped the phone.

"Hern?" she asked. "I-I'm out of the country right now."

"What do you mean you're out of the country?"

"I'm in the Indos..." she trailed off. She saw Roy look at her intently over his computer. "I'm here for... work," she said the half-truth.

"When are you coming back?"

"Uhh... Saturday, I guess."

"I'll wait for you. I'll be at your house Monday morning."

"No, I won't be there," she said. Roy already told her she'd be moving in with him once they get back. "I'll call you up and we'll meet somewhere else, is that okay?"

"Who's that?" Roy asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. "Is that the guy who left you the message?"

"Who's that?" Herland asked from the other line, hearing Roy's voice.

"No one," she answered both men. She turned sideways to avoid Roy's demanding gaze.

"That did not sound like no one, Yu," Herland uttered.

Roy already got up and started walking towards her, his eyes seriously curious and pissed. "Give me the phone." "Like hell I will," she hissed at him, covering her phone with one hand so Herland wouldn't hear a word. "Then end the call right now," he ordered.

"Go away first," she said to avoid further argument that Herland might overhear.

He took a step back.

"Hern, I'll call you back when I get home, okay? I'm really busy right now."

"But-" she disconnected without saying goodbye.

She threw daggers at Roy with her eyes. "Don't ever do something like that again."

"I'm your husband and I have the right-"

"You don't have any right! You forced me into this marriage and now you're prying into my private life?"

"Your private life will also reflect mine. I told you I don't want any-"

"I very well remember what you told me, so back off. Herland is a friend and I don't want you to ever think of interfering between me and him again. He's one person I don't ever want you to meet, so again, back off, Punda."

He looked at her suspiciously. His forever tousled brown hair seemed to have turned red with anger and his blue eyes were dark with contained frustration and ire. She didn't really get it why he was so afraid of her having an affair. Oh, yeah, he was a Punda. His name was on the line. "Why can't I meet him?" he finally asked in a flat voice.

Because of Roni, she almost answered. "Because I want some part of my life to be mine to control without you or my father signing on it," she snapped and circled around him to walk out the door. It was one thing when Ayu was pissed and the other when she was furious. Most people would choose the first over the latter. This time, she was really angry.

Herland was an important part of her life-he knew everything she'd been through-and she was still struggling how she should tell him about her current situation. She knew he'd try to understand, but he'd be hurt and confused for sure. After all, Herland had been wooing her for quite some time now and she had been rejecting him ever since. How would he react when he found out she suddenly finally decided to get married?