The café bell jingled behind him.
Charlie waited.
Five minutes.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2EysGdMNk
Ten.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlwS9TdTeB
Fifteen.
But no Peachy.
Instead, a man stepped out, looked at the sticky note curiously, then peeled it off and tossed it in the trash without a second glance.
Charlie's heart sank.
He was too late.
Again.
The next morning, Charlie drove to the flower stall by the park. The one near the church where Peachy once volunteered. He remembered her there, humming while arranging lilies, a sticky note on the side of the cart that read:
"Make something bloom today."24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxc87MACHxW
Pink ink. Slanted letters. Hope in a square.
But now the cart was gone. A different vendor stood in its place.
"Yung dati pong naglalako ng bulaklak dito... si Peachy?" he asked.
The vendor shook her head. "Matagal nang di nagpapakita. Buntis daw, sabi ng ate niya. Pero di ko sigurado."
Charlie's breath hitched. "May contact ka niya?"
"Wala na eh. Pero minsan, 'yung ate niya... si Patty ba? Staff 'yon sa Mo Hotel, 'di ba?"
His heart jumped. Patty. Of course.
Later that day, in the service hallway of Mo Hotel, Charlie found Patty organizing linens.
She stiffened when she saw him.
"I'm not on shift sa front desk today," she said curtly. "Kung may concern ka, pakisabi na lang sa—"
"Patty," he interrupted. "Kailangan ko lang makausap ka. About Peachy."
A long pause.
Her eyes narrowed. "Why now?"
Charlie exhaled, voice low. "Because I messed up. And I don't want to keep messing up."
Patty crossed her arms. "She's fine. She's safe. That's all you need to know."
"I know she's pregnant." His voice trembled. "And I know it's mine."
Patty didn't deny it. Her silence was answer enough.
Charlie took a step closer. "Please. Let me talk to her."
Patty looked away, torn between loyalty and distrust.
"She doesn't want pity. She doesn't want drama," Patty finally said. "She just wants peace. And honestly? After everything? She deserves it."
"I'm not here to cause chaos. I'm here because..."24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKAskWmVbP
His voice cracked.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkU6S16QbD
"...because I saw her in a world that finally made sense. And I lost her before I even had the courage to hold her properly."
Patty looked up at him—searching his face, measuring the weight of his regret.
Finally, she sighed. "You didn't hear it from me. But she's working part-time at a small community library in West Hills. Tuesdays and Fridays. Don't go today."
Charlie blinked. "Why not?"
"She needs one more day of quiet."24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufNIuhBdOH
Then she added, "And don't tell her I told you."
He nodded, grateful. "Thank you."
Patty gave him a warning look. "Hurt her again, Mo, and I'll throw you in the laundry chute."
Meanwhile, in a small apartment cluttered with half-read books and pastel laundry, Peachy sat at her makeshift desk.
She looked at the unopened text from her sister:24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfqp7FSIP7
"He asked. I didn't say much."
No name, no drama. Just fact.
Peachy placed her hand on her belly. "It's okay, baby. We're okay."
She pulled out her favorite pink sticky note pad and uncapped her pen. For a second, she hesitated.
Then wrote:
"Dear Charlie,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrLxpbkZVJ
Sometimes I still replay the day we met. I was carrying three boxes and a lemonade, and you still didn't blink when I spilled both on your shoes.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7UTVDHO2T2
You smiled instead. And I... fell.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCEDaCd5UN
Not right away. But steadily.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgLj1tpTFu
I'm sorry for being too hopeful.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorjV5HVm0Y
I'm not sorry for loving you anyway.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTGoHVBerV
Love,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sLXsYt3rp
Peachy."
She stared at the note. The corners curled slightly.
She didn't peel it off the pad.
She just closed the notebook, slid it under her pillow, and whispered,24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hnBfjIPY6
"Hindi lahat ng sulat kailangang ipadala."
Outside, a breeze knocked a wind chime against her window. Soft. Like a reminder that someone, somewhere, might still be searching.
End of Chapter 15.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdsfC36Z0e
