Three years later
TRIANA immediately kissed Caleb’s lips when she saw him waiting outside the door of her friend’s house, Lara. Caleb fetched her since they agreed to see each other tonight.
She had to see her friend immediately when Lara called her. Her house was only a few blocks away from hers. Lara was heartbroken when she found out her longtime Nepalese boyfriend got married when he went back to Nepal a few weeks ago because of an arranged marriage. She didn’t want to leave her tonight because she needed a shoulder to cry on, but her boyfriend was adamant that they couldn’t cancel their date tonight.
“I’m sorry for being pushy today, darling,” Caleb claimed her lips again.
Her lips turned up to smile after they broke the kiss. “It’s all right, I understand.”
Triana was dating her dream man, Caleb Ortega. He was the CEO of a well-known construction firm in the Philippines. They had been dating for two years since they met at one business convention in California. She couldn’t wish anything more about their relationship because she was sure they loved each other so much.
Caleb looked dashing in his moss-green long sleeve shirt paired with gray pants. He appeared so hot and dignified. Her sleeves were tucked that compliment his gold Rolex watch.
“You look so sexy.” She winked at him as she scrutinized him further. They share almost the same complexion, fair and fresh. His prominent nose looked perfect with his monolid eyes.
He appeared like a Korean superstar at a glance, which was why many girls gave her an envious stare every time they were together. At thirty, he looked many years younger.
“And so are you, my love.” She sweetly held her face, removed some strands of her hair, and put it in her ears.
Triana playfully smelled him. “Gosh, I really love your scent. So manly, like I want to shower you with kisses and bite you.”
Caleb laughed. “This is why I love you so much, especially your sense of humor.”
Triana giggled. “I love you….”
But of course, her pretty face was never far behind. She stood five feet and seven inches. It was perfect for Caleb’s height of five-eleven. She had a quarter of Spanish blood, and it was visible on her physical features.
Triana had naturally long wavy brunette hair, expressive brown eyes, and a proud nose that made her look intimidating.
“Shall we?” Caleb held out his hand.
“Let’s go!” She nodded and smiled as she reached out. They walk hand in hand, going to the spacious garage of Lara’s house.
Triana quickly fixed her simple, floral beige dress paired with white flat sandals. She put little effort into wearing heavy makeup since she was confident that no matter what look, Caleb would love her the way she was.
TRIANA was dumbfounded when Caleb suddenly put on a blindfold after they parked their cars when they reached their destination. She immediately savored the rich aroma of the jasmine flowers around them and the soft breeze. It was the famous flower farm near the city.
“What is this?” Triana looked puzzled as she questioned him. But in the end, she let her boyfriend do what he wanted. Caleb loved surprises, and this was not new to her.
“Just trust me,” Caleb whispered in her ear, giving her a tickling sensation.
Triana breathed out and sauntered in the direction where Caleb was guiding her. She could smell his masculine perfume as if teasing her with a warm embrace. Maybe later, she would crush him by hugging him tightly. This was one of her fetishes with him. His scent made her feel calm and secure.
“Can you remove my blindfold now?” Triana smiled when she asked.
“Just a little more, darling.” His arms still stretched out on her shoulder, guiding her to wherever it was.
“What are you planning this time?” She giggled.
“Shh.”
A moment later. Caleb finally revealed his surprise.
“Now, everything is ready.” He slowly removed the blindfold, and everything materialized from Triana’s eyes. There was a circular glass table filled with flowers and food. At the center stood two medium-sized pink candles. On the ground, there were scattered red rose petals.
“Wow! You prepare a candlelight dinner. I love it!” She gave her boyfriend a quick peck on his cheek.
“Silly, not that. Look up!”
Triana raised her head, flabbergasted at what she had just witnessed. It was a drone air show giving vibrant red lights in the sky, slowly forming the words: WILL YOU MARRY ME?
“What—” She couldn’t finish her sentence because Triana witnessed Caleb down his knees, holding a ring from a red velvet box, when she turned her head.
“Will you be my wife, darling?” Caleb confidently smiled as he popped the question. He gently reached out her left hand.
Triana was teary-eyed as she tilted her head in agreement. “Yes, yes, of course!”
He slowly put on the ring. It was a princess-cut diamond ring that perfectly suited Triana’s finger.
Caleb stood up and embraced her tight. “I love you so much, Ria. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, waking up every morning by my side and sharing thousands of meals.” His eyes welled up as he uttered those words. And Triana could feel his utmost sincerity.
She kissed his cheek. “No words can explain how much I love you, Caleb. Thank you for coming into my life. You are not just my knight in shining armor, but the radiant universe that always gives me light when everything goes dark.” Her face beamed with joy. Triana was euphoric because Caleb would be the first and last man she would love in her life.
They were both elated when they had their dinner. Triana would always give a glance at the ring on her finger. She was over the moon!
“This is the reason we couldn’t cancel our date tonight,” Caleb said after he sipped his red wine from his wineglass.
“I feel bad for Lara, though. She is having a hard time right now.”
“You can be with her anytime from now on. Maybe we could bring her along while making our wedding preparations. It will help her be less occupied.”
“That will be perfect!”
“Shall we tell your mom about our engagement when you get home?” Caleb poured wine into his glass again.
Triana remained silent. She pretended to slice the medium-rare Kobe beef steak on her plate. She didn’t know what to say until now, and she had not formally introduced him to her mother. Although her mom was aware that she had a boyfriend, her mother would never conceal her displeasure every time she tried to open the topic.
“How about next week?” She raised her chin and met his gaze. “We need to impress my mom about us. Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll like you.”
Triana silently cleared her throat. Deep inside, she knew everything would not come easy. Because even though she was in her legal age, she knew that her mother wanted her to marry someone else.
TRIANA immediately went home after her date with Caleb. She was still stoked! She couldn’t help herself from smiling while walking going inside the house. But she halted when she saw the twins standing near the main door, waiting for her. “Where have you been?” Travis asked, looking bored. Beside him was Tristan, holding a tablet. The twins were identical, and the only noticeable differences were their haircut and height. Travis was taller but chubby with short curly hair, while Tristan was slimmer with messy curls. Triana already visualized these two being a girl magnet once they grew up. At their age, a lot of girls from their class had a crush on them. “Mom is waiting for you,” Tristan seemed impatient. He immediately turned his back on her while Travis held her arm. “I think Mom is kind of mad,” Travis pointed out to their mother, sitting on the couch while her arms crossed. “Why, what happened?
AFTER arguing with her mother, Triana did not hesitate when she booked a flight to Nepal the next day. She never expected that she would face this harsh reality. She came back to the Philippines a month ago after finishing her master’s degree at Harvard, majoring in Business Administration. Bullshit! She wanted to discern. The future of her family would depend on her decision. She needed to make the most of her vacation. She joined an international team scheduled to trek to the Everest Base Camp. It would take her two weeks. And it was enough for her to think before making a decision. Caleb wanted to join her, but he couldn’t go due to his busy schedule. Triana hadn’t told her boyfriend about her current dilemma. The only thing Caleb knew was her going to unwind before they married.And have her trek of a lifetime. And surprisingly, Lara joined her. She immediately agreed when Triana told her about the de
DEVANCE immediately sat on the black leather couch when they arrived home in Bhaktapur. The house was only a ten-minute drive from the airport. The traffic was tolerable, and they didn’t have a stressful trip.“Shall I call Vijay to check the chopper for tomorrow?” Austin asked. He referred to their private pilot, who maintains the family-owned choppers in Nepal.They had two helicopters at home. Both were parked at the helipad of their mansion on the sixth floor. They often used it when the whole family was on vacation here and usually when they wanted to see the Everest Region from above.“Yeah, let him check the engine. I’ll pilot the chopper going to Lukla.” Devance breathed out.Devance might be easy-go-lucky, but he was a licensed private pilot. He had the rank of captain, carrying four stripes in his uniform. He attended a prestigious aviation school in Amsterdam a couple of years ago.
“CALL me, Nim, and I’ll be your guide for this EBC trek.” The man introduced himself. And then he looked at his two companions. “These are Adesh and Hem, your porters.”The porters lightly arched their heads. They seemed shy. At the same time, Nim exchanged a firm handshake with everyone.“I’m Nehan,” he said as he stood beside Lara.“Lara.” She raised one hand.“I’m Austin.” He grinned and pointed the man at his side, “and this is Devance.”Triana’s one brow raised, and she couldn’t help but say something unfriendly. “Is your friend mute or something?”But she was a little dumbfounded when the man raised his hand for a handshake. “I didn’t know you wanted my name that bad. You can call me Dev. What’s your name?”Everyone made fun of them. The team was teasing that they make a good pair. Triana felt as if all her blood had surged up. She looked at her companions before she accepted the man’s hand with hesitation.“Triana.” She casually put her hand in the pocket of her gray trekking p
EVERYONE went back to the trail in the morning time after they had their breakfast at the inn. Triana tried her best to ignore Devance because of what happened a few hours ago. Her hatred towards the man grew even more. She couldn’t stand his overly confident attitude. He was so full of himself! His presence alone made her feel uneasy.And speaking of the devil, it seemed he had already developed the habit of pestering her. Devance walked in her direction, and their eyes met.“Hey, Austin! Can you please look at my hydration pack,” he was smirking and not breaking his eye contact with her. He uttered those words in the Filipino language.Austin quickly came over. And he answered back in the same local language. “Why, is there a leak? I checked it earlier. I made sure it’s fine.”Triana gaped at them as her jaw dropped. She could not believe these two could speak Tagalog with ease!Austin glanced at her. He seemed to enjoy making fun of her, too. “Are you surprised, my lady? We are Fil
TRIANA woke up in an unfamiliar room. She massaged her temple because the throbbing pain would not subside. It took her a while to finally move free while remembering what happened.Her eyes widened when she realized what had occurred during the trek. She recalled her severe altitude sickness. Probably Lara had been worried, and the team despised her for ruining the itinerary of their trek. They were about to reach the Basecamp in a day, but she was careless about her health.Triana got up and leaned on the headboard. Her eyes traveled around as she studied the room. Based on the luxury fixtures around her, she was not in a hospital because she recognized some famous paintings proudly mounted on the wall.What is this place, and where is Lara? Stretching her legs down carefully, she could stand without being lightheaded. She started to walk unhurriedly, going to the terrace to know her location. The sun was already up, and a cold wind greeted her.It appeared that her room was locat
DEVANCE carefully drove his bike, and they reached their destination without inconvenience. It was the famous Nagarkot village. However, they had to go to some unpaved road, which Triana had been complaining about because she expected a decent highway since it was a road toward a well-known tourist destination.They went down the bike and had a mini hike going up a hill where they could vividly see the Himalayas. Unfortunately, when they reached the summit, there was no clearing. It was nothing but thick fog.Devance lightly shook his head and smiled apologetically. “Sorry girls, it might rain anytime with these cloud formations.”“This place is heavenly if only it’s not cloudy,” said Austin. Lara dived into the conversation. “It’s all right. We are thankful for your efforts to drive us here. Besides, weather up in the mountain is unpredictable.”And as if on cue, it began to drizzle. “Let’s go. It’s raining!” Devance called out.Everyone ran going down the concrete stairs because i
EARLY in the morning, Triana knocked at Lara’s room. It was almost dawn, and her friend lazily moved as she opened the door. Her hair was all disheveled, and the dark circles in Lara’s eyes were visible.“What’s the matter? It’s too early. I’ve only been asleep for an hour!” Lara stared at her in disbelief. “Come on, Lars. Get a shower, quick! We need to leave here now.” Triana pushed her going to the bathroom. “What is your problem?” Lara was annoyed. “I’ll explain later. Come on!”“It’s impolite to leave without saying goodbye to our host. Are you that shameless?” Lara held her temple as if summoning energy because she was feeling dull.“I know! But something happened last night.”Lara turned her head out of curiosity. “Why, what happened?”“Well…” Triana hesitated whether she’d tell what had happened last night. She swallowed hard before she went on, “H-he tried to kiss me…”“Okay, and?”“That’s it! He shouldn’t have done that without my consent!”Lara rolled her eyes heavenward