Fascinated by You (GM Series #1)

40

Everything is going smoothly or she thought. A week before the semester finally ends, a news broke out in the whole university. It was about a professor who's having an affair with his student. And the professor? It's none other than Caius.

Halos tumalon palabas ng ribcage niya ang kanyang puso sa lakas ng tibok niyon. Hindi niya alam kung ano ang gagawin. Gusto niyang makausap ni Caius ngunit hindi naman n'ya alam kung paano.

"Sabi na, eh!" Olive blurted. "Duda talaga ako sa pag reresign na yan ni si Sir Riley, e," dagdag pa nito.

Everyone was talking about that scandal. They were so curious as to who the girl Caius was having an affair with. ­Affair. Tingin ba talaga nila ay panandaliang relasyon lang ang namamagitan sa kanila?

Gusto niyang magalit sa lahat ng mga nang huhusga sa kanila ngunit mas nananaig and takot at sakit sa kan'ya. She's scared for what will happen to her and Caius and pained that they have to go through that just because they are in love to each other.

"Eh, sino kaya yung babae? For sure dito lang din 'yun sa Engineering. Itong department lang naman ang hawak niyang klase hindi ba?" Luna butted in.

Mas kinakabahan naman siya sa sinabi nito. Gusto niyang mapamura at sigawan ang mga ito. Utusang tigilan na ang pag-uusap tungkol sa bagay na iyon.

"Baka fifth year?" Olive asked.

"Gaga! Wala namang hawak na fifth year si Sir, ano!" Luna answered.

"Eh, sino pala?"

"Aba, malay ko! Basta ang sigurado, yari siya pag nahuli kung sino siya," sagot naman ni Luna.

She couldn't look at them. Buong oras na nag-uusap ang mga ito ay naka-yuko lamang s'ya at mahigpit ang hawak sa kan'yang ballpen. Halos bumaon iyon sa kanyang papel sa din ng kanyang pagsusulat.

"Are you okay?" Shan asked her.

Tumango naman siya at bahagyang ngumiti. "Ayos lang ako," sagot n'ya.

"You look like you are about to cry," sabi naman nito.

Umiling naman agad siya. "Wala 'to. Sama lang ang pakiramdam ko dahil siguro sa pagod," sagot naman n'ya.

That's what she did the whole day. Pretending that she's tired and sick. Hindi n'ya kayang makipag-usap kahit kanino lalo na't ipinatawag ng Dean nila si Caius ng araw din iyong.

It was almost seven in the evening when it went home. Agad n'ya itong sinalubong, alalang-alala sa nangyari sa pag-uusap nila ng Dean.

"What happened?" agad niyang tanong. Pero ngumiti lamang ito sa kan'ya na para bang wala silang kinakaharap na problema.

"Nothing, baby. You don't have to worry," sagot naman nito.

"Hindi ako naniniwala. Please, tell me what happened," pakiusap n'ya pa.

Caius walked to her and caged her to his arms. "They asked me if it's true that I'm having an affair with my student. I answered no for having an affair but yes for having a relationship," he answered.

"Alam ba nilang ako 'yun?" she asked.

Caius nodded. "They got as captured, Jordyn. Hindi ko alam kung paano pero nakuhanan nila tayo ng litrato. Malinaw ang mga mukha natin dun," sabi nito.

Nang lambot naman siya sa narinig at kung hindi lamang siya hawak nito ay paniguradong nahulog na siya sa sahig.

"Anong gagawin natin?" she asked. "Sinabihan ka ba nilang hiwalayan ako?" dagdag n'ya pa pero hindi ito sumagot.

Instead, he cupped her face and looked at her straight in the eyes. "They will talk to you tomorrow to ask about us. And I want you to be brave. Can you do that, baby?"

"I-I don't know... I'm scared, Caius," she honestly said, tears started falling from her eyes.

Caius kissed her on the lips and wiped her tears. "Don't be, okay? They will ask you about our relationship, how we met and how we started. I won't tell you that you should lie, instead, I want you to tell them the truth that what we have is serious and not just a sexual tension," sabi nito.

"Why would they think we're like that?" she asked. Although it's real that they have been sexually active ever since they got together, but that doesn't mean that they were only really up for sex. They love each other and that's the main reason why they are together.

Caius smiled a faint one. "We can't blame them for thinking like that, but we can make them understand that we are serious with each other. That's what we have started since we were in high school," sabi nito. "I just want you to be brave with whatever is going to happen ahead of us, is that okay, baby?"

"Hindi mo naman ako iiwan, 'di ba?" she asked.

Caius laughed and kissed her forehead again. "I should be the one asking you that, baby. Hindi mo naman ako iiwan, right? Kasi ako, hinding-hindi kita iiwan kahit gaano pa maging kumplikado ang sitwasyon. Kakapit ako ng mahigpit kaya sana ganun ka rin," saad nito.

She reached for her face and nodded. "I won't run away this time, baby. Lalaban tayo. Alam kong malalampasan din natin 'to," sagot n'ya.

With that, Caius hugged her tight, tighter more than he had before. "That's enough for me to keep going. Hindi ako mawawala sa tabi mo, okay? I will fight for us, Jordyn. Hanggang sa huli," sabi naman nito.

That's what she held onto for the next few days. She was expecting to be summoned at the Dean's office the day after Caius was called there. But she didn't. It took a few more days before her name was called to the office and that didn't help her situation.

Dahil isang araw bago tuluyang matapos ang huling semester ay kumalat sa buong University ang mga larawan nila ni Caius. Malinaw ang mga mukha nila roon at hindi maitatangging sila nga ang mga tao nasa larawan.

She didn't know what she will do, adding the reaction she got from Olive. Sa tingin palang, alam na niyang nandidiri na ito sa kanya lalo na nung nag simula itong mag salita.

Akala n'ya ay masakit na iyong mawasak ang puso n'ya ng dahil sa pag-ibig. Hindi n'ya alam na mas masakit palang makarinig ng masasakit na salita galing mismo sa kaibigan n'ya.

"I didn't know you were this kind of a woman, Addison. Nakakadiri," sabi nito.