Bearing the Weight

Eros Pov.

"Ugh!" I yawned, squinting as the sun's rays hit my face.

Jeez it's morning already? Time fly so fast. It feels like I just closed my eyes for a second, and now I'm awake again.

It's So frustrating. And to top it all off, my phone's been buzzing like crazy. Who could be calling at this hour damn.

"Hello," I mumbled into the phone.

"Eros! What time is it?! Are you planning on forgetting me up? Or are you trying to pull a disappearing act on me again?" The voice on the other end yelled.

My ears are ringing! That girl's voice could shatter glass.

"Ah, Juno, haha, it's you! Good morning!" I said, trying to sound cheerful.

Oh, shoot. What day is it? Wait... June 13th. Crap.

No wonder she's breathing fire. This is the third month I'm late on payments. If I don't pay her, that woman will absolutely locked me up.

I'm dead. Ugh, how did I get myself into this mess?

"There's nothing special in the morning you rascal. So, are you planning on showing up or not? And where's my money?"

"Alright, alright! What's the rush? I'll meet you at the usual restaurant. I'll be there in five minutes. I've got to go!"

Ugh! What am I going to do? I need to come up with 50k for her today. If I don't, I'm toast.

I jumped out of bed and scrambled to my closet for some clothes. I checked my little lockbox where I'd been stashing cash.

Oh no. I only have 48k right now.Where am I going to find another 2k that fast?

I yanked on a t-shirt and some pants. Quick trip to the bathroom to brush my teeth and splash some water on my face. Good enough—I'll shower tomorrow. I did yesterday, after all. And I smell fine even if I skip a day. I bolted out the door.

In the parking lot, I gave Veronica a quick pat.

"You're looking finer every day, Veronica. You're one of a kind," I said to my beautiful car.

I hurried to the restaurant where I was supposed to meet Juno. I walked since I didn't even have money for gas. I'm still 2k short on what I owe her. I'll just have to deal with it; I'll give her the rest later.

Hopefully, she'll understand.

I wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for that woman. If she hadn't meddled with Juno's mom's necklace, it wouldn't have gone missing. After that, she just ran off, and I got the blamed. The jewelry was worth half a million. So, until now, I'm still trying to pay off the agreed-upon monthly installments.

I need to finish it before the end of the year, or I'm really going to end up in jail. I have six months left to pay. That's 300,000 pesos.

That's a lot of money; where am I going to get that? I'm also supporting my younger sibling's education, and then there's grandmas maintenance.

Both our mom and dad have passed away. So, it's just my sibling and me. I'm in Nueva Ecija now; I should actually be studying, but because of what happened, I had to stop and work at a convenience store near where I'm staying. I don't want my grandma to know because she'll just worry. At least, what I earn from part-time work is enough for me to save up.

I didn't notice that I was already in front of the restaurant where I was meeting Juno. I immediately went inside and looked for her. I spotted her not far away;

wow, she seems to be in a good mood. She's even smiling and waving at me.

"Hey Juno, you're looking extra gorgeous today," I said, sliding into the seat across from her.

"Cut the crap, Eros. It's too early for your flattery. Where's the cash?"

"You're so prickly, no wonder you're still single," I joked.

I gave her the money, which she snatched without a second glance. She's stunning, but man, is she feisty. Small package, big attitude.

"Hey! This isn't all of it," she said, her brow furrowed.

"Heh, well, Juno, the thing is... could I maybe..."

I reached for her hand, but she immediately clocked me. A light punch, but a punch nonetheless.

"Eros Micael Dizon, let me remind you: those puppy-dog eyes aren't going to work on me. Wipe that smile off your face!" she growled.

I just rubbed the back of my head.

"Alright, alright. I'll figure something out later. We're friends right," I grumbled.

I leaned back in my chair and took a drink of water. I noticed she sighed too, then looked at me seriously.