Kate, Finally

by Yeyet Soriano

“Yes, this is me,” Layne says. Then he just continues talking, while his confused brain tries to process what is happening. “When my dad left, he was good enough to leave us the house my Mom built with him. At least we had a roof over our heads.”

  Kate nods.

  “It’s big enough to house four women and a guy who values his privacy!” Layne laughs nervously. Why the hell did I say that?

  Kate laughs.

  “It’s nice,” she says.

  Layne looks at her face, not really sure what Kate was doing in his house, but he is deliriously happy she is there. Then he looks at her right hand and sees she is no longer wearing her engagement ring.

  “Your ring...,” Layne says slowly.

  “I gave it back to Rob, but since I am still his best friend, he asked me to keep it for him, so if he needs it for... anything, he knows where to get it.”

  “I see.” Layne is at a loss for words, but his face is starting to brighten. This is really happening!

  Kate smiles, and Layne can’t help himself and smiles along.

  “The wedding?”

  “We never sent out the invitations yet, so no harm no foul. I mean we are still in the process of letting everyone know, but it’s not the end of the world.”

  Layne smiles wider. Then he suddenly turns serious.

  “Kate, I - I can’t promise you anything right now. I mean, this is me, this is my life,” Layne holds up his arms gesturing toward his surroundings. They are in a small two-car garage, with Layne’s old Honda CRV on one side, and his disassembled bike on the other side.

  “Is everything you told me that day you tricked me into spending the day with you still true?” Kate asks.

  Layne nods.

  Kate smiles. “Well, here I am.”

  Layne stares at her, disbelief still lurking in his eyes.

  “Um... This is all new to me, and I still am at a loss as to how to do this. But I am committed to see where this would go.”

  “Okay,” Kate answers. “There is one thing though.”

  “Yes?”

  “Rob is never going to be out of my life completely. He may no longer be my fiancé, but he is still a dear friend, my best friend even. I can’t... I can’t have him out of my life forever.”

  Layne nods. “I know,” he says softly.

  “You’re okay with that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.”

  “I mean, I saw the guy. He is just too gorgeous for his own good,” Layne says with a wicked smile.

  “You think he’s gorgeous?” Kate smiles mischievously.

  “Yeah, made me rethink my sexual preference for a second.”

  “Just a second?”

  “Only a second, okay? I know what and who I really want,” Layne says with a twinkle in his eyes.

  Kate laughs, then she becomes serious. “So if you know what and who you really want, what are you going to do now?”

  “I... um... shit. You’re going to make me suffer, are you?” Layne fidgets where he is standing, suddenly not knowing what to do with his hands.

  Kate says nothing.

  “This is when I should finally ask you out on a proper date, right? No tricks, no help, no major production?” He is trying to buy some time.

  Kate waits.

  “Um... I actually am low on funds. Mom’s hospitalization and the girls’ enrolment. That dinner at The Orchard, I got that because the owner owed me one.”

  Kate yawns.

  Damn it, I’m blabbering away. This is my big chance. I shouldn’t fucking blow this.

  Layne closes his eyes and breathes deeply.

  “Kate, would you like to stay for lunch, merienda, and even dinner tonight? My mom is a great cook and she—“

  “Yes,” Kate answers with a smile.

  “Sorry?” Layne looks confused.

  “Yes,” Kate repeats her answer.

  “Oh - I..., ” Layne is flustered.

  Kate laughs.

  “You’re hopeless, Number Six!”

  Layne smiles widely. “Oh no, that’s what you’re calling me?”

  “Yes, good to always be reminded how we started,” Kate says with a provocative smile.

  “Oh god, no one should know though what it means, especially my mom and sisters!” Layne says.

  Kate smiles.

  Layne smiles back. “Come to think of it, no one should know what it really means!”

  Kate laughs. “Shut up, Layne,” she says.

  “Excuse me?” Layne is confused and flustered again.

  “Less talking, more doing.” Kate moves closer.

  Layne steps back. “Kate, I’m all greasy and dirty.”

  “I like you greasy and dirty—without the polish and artifice,” Kate says while raking her eyes at Layne from head to foot.

  Layne smiles, becomes more confident and steps forward.

  “Well, here I am,” he says.

  “Here you are.” Kate comes closer.

  Layne suddenly hesitates. “Kate, your dress will get dirty. And I love that dress. I have been dreaming of that dress for the longest time.”

  “You dreamt of this dress? Really?”

  Layne nods.

  “Well, I don’t care if it gets dirty. And when you dream of it, am I wearing it? Or not?”

  Layne groans. “Kate, the gate is open.”

  “So?”

  “Umm... my mom and sisters are in the house.”

  “No, they’re not. They’re in church, and they will only be back a few hours from now.”

  Layne makes a face. “Huh? They’re out? I didn’t even notice. We usually attend church together before dinner. And how do you know they’re out?”

  “Shut up, Layne.” Kate is inches from him, they are still not touching. But she stops moving. She waits.

  Layne waits as well, then he realizes it is his move. Literally and metaphorically.

  “This is what you want Kate, are you sure?”

  “Yes, Layne. I am sure.”

  “Then you have me, for as long as you want me,” he says gruffly. Then he closes the remaining distance and crushes Kate with a tight embrace and an overpowering kiss. There is nothing gentle in the way Layne holds her, and Kate presses herself to him and embraces him tightly as she tries to catch her breath. She has forgotten how great a kisser Layne is. She realizes all throughout the ordeal, they had never even kissed. So Kate feels all kinds of feelings with this first kiss with Layne in normal circumstances.

  Layne comes up for air, and he stares at Kate with wonder in his eyes.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that when I first saw you in Pangasinan, and every moment since then,” he says with a smile.

  “I’ve been hoping you would have done that since that moment too,” Kate answers. Kate runs her tongue over her lips and Layne just groans.

  “Oh hell, this is not going to end well,” he whispers and then dives in for another kiss.

  Kate feels Layne’s hands under her skirt, his hand caressing her thigh, moving up to her butt.

  “Layne, the gate,” Kate says with a whimper.

  “Damn,” Layne whispers. He continues kissing and caressing Kate as he maneuvers her to the gate so he can close and lock it. Then he carries her inside the house. He manages to slam the front door behind him.

  Kate locks her legs around Layne’s waist and then Layne stumbles on the carpet and Kate falls back onto the couch with Layne on top of her.

  “Ouch,” Kate whispers into Layne’s mouth.

  “Sorry,” Layne whispers back, as he shifts his weight off on top of her. He continues to kiss her.

  Layne’s hands fumbles for the zipper of her dress, while Kate tries to undo the knot of Layne’s shorts.

  “Wait,” Layne says. “Not here...”

  “Okay...” Kate stops moving and stares into Layne’s eyes.

  “Damn it!” Layne whispers. He tries to stand and pulls Kate to a standing position too. He motions to the stairs. They hold hands and start
to walk hurriedly up the stairs. But halfway through, Layne starts kissing Kate again and this time the zipper of her dress is fully open. Kate is able to unknot Layne’s shorts and her hand finds him ready for her.

  “Oh, shit...,” Layne groans deeply.

  Layne kicks open the door of his bedroom and for a moment, he and Kate just look into the room. It is definitely a man’s room, with different hues of blues and greens. It is neat, with a queen-sized bed in the middle, a desk to one side and exercise equipment on the other side.

  “This is me,” Layne announces sheepishly.

  “What, no minibar?” Kate mockingly asks.

  “Nope, this time, we will do this both sober and in the light of day!” Layne says with a flourish. Then he hesitates.

  “But you have to promise me something,” Layne says.

  “What?”

  “You won’t leave me afterward,” Layne says this with such earnestness Kate feels her heart breaking.

  “Oh, I won’t leave. We have a date, remember? Lunch, merienda, and dinner?”

  Layne laughs. He just realizes that was all it took for Kate not to leave him. If only he had asked her out any of those times, they would have been together earlier. But no use regretting what could have been. What is important is Kate is in his room, her dress unzipped, her lips red from kissing and her hair disheveled. The white dress, from experience is very easy to remove.

  Layne walks over to Kate and plants a soft kiss on her lips.

  “I love you, Kate.”

  “I love you, Layne.”

  There is a pause and then both of them move forward and proceed to undress each other. Kate raises Layne’s dirty shirt and Layne removes it the rest of the way.

  Kate gasps as she gazes upon Layne’s perfectly chiseled shoulders, chest, and abs.

  “God, I missed your body,” Kate whispers and then she giggles. She runs her hands over his chest and then his solid abs.

  Layne lifts Kate’s dress over her head. He slowly then slides the straps of her unhooked bra off her shoulders. He smiles.

  “I missed your body too. It’s even better than in my alcohol-drenched memories.”

  Kate laughs.

  Layne closes the distance between them and kisses her. It is a slow, deep, hungry kiss Kate drowns in, their bodies pressed together, molding against each other. When Layne finally comes up for air, he whispers in Kate’s ear, “God, I love you, Kate.”

  Kate feels her heart soar. “I love you, Number Six.”

  She has finally found her home.

  Portia takes out her keys and unlocks the gate. She, her mom, Sophia, and Gidgette have just come from church, and some errands Portia had them do, including shopping for groceries.

  When they enter, Sophia sees the bike and the tools strewn in the garage.

  “Kuya?”

  “Shhhh,” Portia says holding Sophia’s arm.

  “Huh, why?” Sophia asks, confused.

  “Kuya might be busy,” Portia says with a smile.

  “Is there a reason you kept on delaying our return home, Porsh?”

  “Maybe, but if all went according to plan, the next time we see Kuya, he will be all smiles!”

  “What are you talking about, Porsh?” their mom asks.

  Then they hear laughter inside the house.

  “That’s a girl’s voice!” Gidgette says excitedly and runs into the house.

  “Gidge!” Portia screams and runs after her sister until she bumps into Gidgette’s frozen body just inside the entrance. Sophia bumps into Portia and their mom bumps into Sophia.

  “Hey! You’re all back! Everyone, meet Kate,” Layne says. He is smiling, at the dining table, helping Kate set the table.

  Sophia, Gidgette, their mom, and even Portia stand shocked looking at Layne and Kate, the first female ever that Layne has introduced to them, much less let inside their house. Kate is wearing a black boyfriend shirt over a dirty-white skirt and silver ballet flats. Layne looks fresh from the shower and is wearing a clean gray T-shirt over board shorts.

  Sophia squeals first. “Oh my god, Kate Borromeo! Kuya! You snagged Kate Borromeo from her gorgeous fiancé!”

  “Your Kuya’s not so bad, himself, Soph!” Kate winks at Sophia, and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

  She then she turns to the others. “Hi, I’m Kate, I’m so glad to finally meet all of you!”

  Kate approaches each one and plants a kiss on their cheek.

  She whispers to Portia, “Thank you!”

  She tells Gidgette how good a guy Pito is.

  When she gets to Layne’s mom, she whispers, “I love your son.”

  Kate got a tight hug in return.

  “Finally,” Layne’s mom whispers back to her.

  Kate giggles.

  THE END

  Acknowledgments

  My heartfelt gratitude to Mina V. Esguerra, for opening up so many opportunities for writers like me. All of my self-published books were written through workshops that Mina either conducted (#Strangelit and #HeistClub) or mentored (#JustwritePH). This novel is my first official #RomanceClass book!

  To the people who read my draft and gave me invaluable comments, thank you very much!

  To Racquel Sarah Castro, for blushing at the steamy parts.

  To Joy Villar, for giving me an analysis of the characters and the way I wrote them that actually made everything clearer for me!

  To Aeus Arcilla, for reading through the draft even if it was like “eating a whole ampalaya,” and actually giving good suggestions and comments (which meant he actually read it in full). He was Team Layne all the way!

  To Chris Salamanca, for showing me that I needed to build up my characters more and for showing me that a lot of people really read romance, and it is okay.

  To Ronald Lim, for kindly pointing out how controversial one original scene was. This led me to a revision that actually made the story and the main character, Kate, stronger.

  To Sheiden Dela Cruz, for letting me know that one story arc was really possible because she lived through it.

  To Elizabeth Galit, for loving Rob unconditionally, flaws and all.

  To my boss, Stephanie Barros, for supporting me in my writing all the way—she has read most of my stories. She read through a draft of this manuscript during an overseas business trip and she gave me wonderful insights that enabled me to make the story tighter and cleaner.

  A big tight hug and “Thank You!” to Chi Yu Rodriguez, for the awesome #romanceclass cover photo, the overall cover design and for the promotional materials and marketing push.

  My sincerest thanks to Ines B. Yao, for telling me she thought my story concept was interesting and for working with me to finalize my blurb.

  Thank you to Diana Reed of Sierra Lexis Communication Services Inc. for the copy editing.

  Thank you to Miles Tan for agreeing to format my book at almost the last minute. Thank you for making it more romance-y yet still true to my real nature.

  Last, but definitely not the least, my deepest gratitude to Pinky Luna, for taking a chance and reading my books, even if she admitted to not being a big reader. She was very vocal about loving my stories, and she encouraged me with her positive comments. Because of that, she made it in this book as a pivotal character—she jokingly asked whether she could be a character in my next book, and it was at a time when I needed a twist in the story. And true enough, her namesake spiced up the story even more.

  About the Author

  Yeyet Soriano does not do romance, or so she claims. Having written mostly stories that had darkness and strangeness embedded in them, she found it a definite challenge to write something where no one had to die and where the ending had to be a “happily ever after.” #romanceclass cured her of this affliction, and this book is the result.

  Yeyet has been writing her entire life, first as an angst-ridden teenager, then as a single working woman, then as a married working woman with kids. Though the themes of her written works have evolved over the
years, she held on to one truth—she needed to write to keep the voices in her head at bay.

  Her day job is that of an IT manager for the Asia-Pacific region for a multinational corporation. She is married to a man who reads only to fall asleep, and they have three wonderful kids—two of whom love to read and one, only starting to learn to read.

  List of Published Works

  Turning Points

  In My Dreams

  The Retreat

  Until . . . Whenever

  Kate, Finally

  Anthology Contributions

  Yeyet (Life in the Middle, A Discovery, 2011)

  Turning Points (#JustWritePH For Redemption, 2015)

  In My Dreams (#StrangeLit Darkest Dreams, 2015)

  The Retreat (#HeistClub Why We Run, 2016)

  Fairy Queen-In-Waiting (Talecraft Presents Master Story Creators’ Anthology 1, 2016)

  He Loves Me . . . Not (FLESH, Fixi Novo, 2016)

  Contact Yeyet:

  e-mail: yeyetms@gmail.com

  Website: www.ysrealm.com

  Facebook: @Yeyetsorianowrites

  Twitter and Instagram: @ysrealm