No one asked any question why George had to go home to Ayala when it was her time of the week.

She figured it was probably because Jackie and Dannie were more concerned on Dannie’s dilemma. Or maybe because they just got used to her being at Jordan’s place that the week didn’t matter.

She spent the weekend with her friends, her mind sometimes wondering around what Jordan told her that Friday night.

She tried to focus on Dannie’s problems, but at the back of her mind, she was also thinking it might be time for her to also face her own.

She did not hear from Jordan that weekend and when she went to spend the week with him that Monday, he was up and ready to go to work.

“Why so early?” she asked, feeling a bit awkward. They did not have time to talk when she went home early last Saturday.

“Meetings and more meetings,” Jordan answered with a sigh. He checked his watch and looked at her inquiringly. “Are you ready?”

She shrugged and walked toward Victor. “Sure, I am. Let’s go.”

Jordan was very busy that day and the next.

He did not even spend long hours inside his office before another meeting would take place. They would launch the new line in two weeks and there were a lot of people coming and calling in to talk to him.

George spent most of her time talking to her mother on the phone, checking if her father was in any way angry toward Jordan. It was surprising that Jordan was right. Her father was not that greatly affected, or if he was he was not showing it. “It’s like it never actually happened,” her mother had said. “But it tells us Jordan is starting to care for you. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t care.”

That was what she feared the most. That her family—their families—would think that way.

She was deep in thought that Tuesday. Jordan’s birthday was coming up. It seemed that no one was planning anything, not even his family. Maybe he just never celebrated his birthdays? But she had to at least do something. Or give him something.

Cassie might pop in unexpectedly, she thought.

But before she could tell him she’d be going home to the apartment to give him his space to celebrate, he surprised her by saying, “Model for us.”

They were eating lunch, the only time they could talk for the past two days, and she immediately said, “No.”

“I’ll consider it as your birthday present for me.”

“Think of something else. Just not that.”

“Oh, I have a lot of things I would want from you for my birthday, but this one is the most urgent. You are the one who inspired the Georgina line. It is only right that you model for us.” When she did not say a word, he peered down at her with begging eyes. “George, please. My birthday’s tomorrow, remember?”

George closed her eyes. He almost had everything he needed and it was hard to think of a gift to give him. “Fine. I’ll do it. But I won’t model for more than one clothing.”

“Five,” he bargained.

“Three,” she shot back.

“Deal,” he said with a grin.

“You’re good at this.”

“Of course. And there are only three set of clothing, by the way.”

She kicked him under the table and he winced in pain.

*****

So Vicky aka Victor told me about how Jordan spent his weekend. And it did not sound good for my guy. Cassie had been calling him nonstop as what Vicky said.

She was asking him to meet her in person. She didn’t think it was over for the two of them.

But he did say he’s in love with Georgie, right? I asked Vicky.

Vicky said Jordan tried to reason with Cassie, but the girl was just persistent. She told him it was just because she was not around and that he was probably feeling lonely thus his attention was turned to someone else.

Vicky said Cassie started crying, saying she tried to understand but just couldn’t and she needed to see him and let him tell her in person.

Gosh, the lady must have probably gotten over her shock and was getting a big desperate. Well, who could blame her? She was dumped. And she it was all so sudden. Jordan had to face this one, I thought.

Jordan decided it was time for them to finally meet.

And he’d meet her that weekend.

He better go there single and go back home single. Else I’ll lock him inside me until he suffocates!

*****

The weather was not good that Wednesday.

“Why can’t you just find someone else?” George asked desperately as the makeup artist worked on her face.

Jordan completely ignored her by playing on his phone. She had the urge to grab it from his hands and throw it out the window.

They were in the studio of the professional photographer the company hired to do the shoot. Jordan wanted Troy to do it but George refused to have her friend snickering while taking photos of her. At least Jordan heeded that concern and hired someone else she didn’t personally know.

“Jordan, I don’t think I can do this,” she said after a while.

He finally looked up from his phone and when his face landed on hers, he looked awed. “You look beautiful.”

She frowned and turned around to look at the mirror. “It’s too heavy! Why does it have to be that heavy? I am not going to wear a gown! I am going to wear outdoor clothes!”

Jordan sighed and stood up. “As a matter of fact, you are going to wear a gown.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s for the story the photographer has in mind. You wear a gown which you won’t like and it would not be hard to portray considering you really don’t like them. And you’ll eventually choose to wear the Georgina line. Do you get it?”

“No one told me anything about this.”

He shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”

“Fine! Where’s the blasted gown? Let’s get this over with within the day.”

So the long gown was delivered to her and when she wore it, she felt completely uncomfortable. It bared her back and hugged her hips.

“We better make a lot of shots,” she heard Jordan say to the photographer. “We will never see her in a gown for a very long time after this.”

George tried to follow the orders of the photographer once the shoot started, but it was hard to. The lights were so blinding she could barely see the people behind the cameras. She knew Jordan was somewhere, watching closely and it added more to the discomfort. Good thing the look they wanted was the very same one she was portraying.

When the clothes for the Georgina line were finally given to her, she felt a great deal of relief. They were simple, outdoor clothing she was used to. They were sets of camping, running and casual attires. Cool to the eyes and very much comfortable. She had to use her own shoes to match them and she was glad for that.

Though she was comfortable with the clothes, she had trouble smiling or laughing like the photographer wanted.

“Just think about doing something really fun,” Jordan suggested from behind the photographer.

“Yeah, easy for you to say.”

“You want me to make you laugh?” he offered.

She chuckled. “You’ll miserably fail.”

“Then think about killing me.”

She laughed at that. “You’re that desperate to make me laugh?”

“Well, I just succeeded,” he bragged.

She didn’t realize that and when she looked back at the photographer, the guy was smiling. “Captured it. Now, why don’t you try to jump?”

The shoot continued for another hour until it was very hard for her to smile at all. Jordan said they should have enough taken and the photographer agreed.

As a bonus, she got the clothes for free. She returned the gown though.

“I’ll go back to the apartment,” she later told Jordan.

“Why?”

“Well, isn’t it your birthday today? Did I greet you already? No? Well, happy birthday. I hope you enjoyed my gift,” she added sarcastically.

“Why would you go back to the apartment?” he asked instead.

“Aren’t you going to have a party or something?”

He looked out the window and frowned. “Actually, my friends are waiting for me at Uma but I think I’ll pass. The weather’s not good today.”

“You mean you’re not going to show up?”

“They are most probably already enjoying themselves. They don’t need me.”

“You’re the birthday boy.”

“I don’t care. Let’s go grab some wine and go home.”

“Are you serious?”

He nodded and George stared at him in disbelief. But it was his birthday. He could do whatever the hell he wanted.

*****

“How old are you?” she asked as they waited for their pizza outside Greenoz.

He did not answer and pretended to sleep with his head against his headrest.

“You don’t have to tell me. I can figure it out.”

“How?”

“Well, for one, I only saw you around in high school for a year so that means you were already graduating when I started. So you’re probably three or four years older than me. So you are… what? Thirty?”

“Thirty-one,” he corrected. “I am four years your senior. You were able to catch up to me in high school because you skipped a grade as what I heard.”

“You could have just told me,” she muttered under her breath. “What’s taking the pizza so long?”

“Go ask them,” he ordered without opening his eyes.

George got out of Victor and went back inside Greenoz. When she came back five minutes later, she was already carrying the large box.

“We should have bought something smaller,” she said. “You want me to call Dean and Troy or the others?”

Jordan shook his head and turned on the engine. “Let’s just celebrate quietly.”

*****

They ate the pizza with Dioning, Tippy and Lita.

The three women looked relieved that there was no impromptu party, but they also felt awkward to be celebrating their boss’ birthday with him.

Jordan asked them a series of questions about where they all grew up and how they came to Bacolod.

In short, his birthday dinner was composed of pizza and stories of three ladies.

His phone kept ringing and George had a hunch it was his friends. He never picked up and eventually turned off his phone. She wondered if his parents had called but she didn’t ask.

They popped the wine upstairs in the balcony and sat on two rattan chairs. There was no smooth gradation of colors in the sky because of the storm. And the rain was falling heavily outside, creating the kind of music she wanted to listen to if she were in bed.

“Have you figured out what you want to do yet?” asked Jordan in a very calm voice.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Let’s not talk about my family problems.”

“Okay. Then why don’t we talk about next week?”

“What’s with next week?”

“It’s our final week, right?”

It suddenly dawned on her that she would finally be free soon. Well, if they could make a good case in front of their parents. But next week would be the final week for her and Jordan to be together most days of the week.

And she found that she didn’t want to think about it at all. Heck, she didn’t even want the week to come.

“Why don’t we do something next week?” Jordan suggested.

“What? Like a goodbye trip or party?” she asked with scoff.

“No, not really. To…appreciate what we went through these past months?”

“Why not this week then?”

He shook his head. “I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I’ll have to go to Manila.”

She suddenly felt ashamed that she almost sounded so eager to do something exciting with him while he had already planned other things. He was going to go to his girlfriend, of course, she thought bitterly. Why did she even think that the only plan he had was with her?

“Oh, okay,” she managed to utter. She finished her glass of wine and said, “I need to go to bed. That photo shoot was more tiring than wall climbing.”

She heard Jordan chuckle behind her and she almost kicked his chair. Was he that happy to finally see their time together come to a close?

*****

Obviously, something was wrong between Jordan and Georgie. AGAIN.

Seriously, how could two people be so stubborn, especially Georgie?!

She was being cranky again and it was getting irritating. I knew she was not okay with Jordan going to Manila that weekend. And then, Jordan was not helping at all by not explaining the reason for his visit to his ex-girlfriend whom Georgie thought was still his girlfriend.

Vicky aka Victor had been trying to tell me that she was getting tired of them as well.

Seriously, when would these two stupid people say something?