The Paintbrush Deal

CHAPTER 24

Elio's POV

"Habang basang-basa kami nang gabing 'yun at nangangatog sa ginaw, kayong dalawa naman pala ay nagpapainit at may ginagawang kababalaghan. 'Yun pala ang rason kung bakit hindi ko man lang ma-contact si Kelly that time."

Kasalukuyan kaming nasa restaurant ni Sir Mico. Magkatabi silang dalawa ni Kelly. Si Skyler naman na katabi ko ay nakatitig lang sa kanila. If looks could kill, these lovers would've been dead by now. Skyler just crossed his arms as he gave the two an icy stare. Hindi na lang ako umimik pa dahil sa matinding intimidation na pinamamalas nitong katabi ko. Maging sina Sir Mico at Kelly ay hindi sa kanya makatitig nang diretso.

Tahimik din ang ibang crew na naghahanda na para sa pagbubukas ng restaurant. Manaka-naka naman silang tumititig sa 'min, pero wala ni isa sa kanila ang nagtatangkang lumapit.

How the hell did I get dragged into this?

Here's a recap of what happened last night:

Skyler interrogated Kelly right away after seeing the marks on the latter's body. I was really surprised to see Skyler get all serious and intimidating, considering how he's usually uncaring and detached. In the end, Kelly had no choice but to tell the truth.

Kung nakakagulat ang behavior ni Skyler, mas lalo naman akong nagulantang sa ginawa ni Kelly. I've always looked at him as a pure and innocent person who doesn't have a single trace of naughty thinking in his mind. It seems that I was badly mistaken about him, especially nang sabihin niyang hindi naman niya first time na ginawa 'yun.

Well, looks really can be deceiving. I never thought that Kelly was hiding a naughty and adventurous personality behind his kind and innocent face.

Doon na rin sa bahay natulog si Kelly dahil sinabi ni Skyler na gusto niyang makausap sila pareho ni Sir Mico. Hindi ko talaga alam kung bakit nakaladkad ako sa sitwasyon na 'to, pero mukhang ako ang primary witness ni Skyler sa kaso.

"Like I said last night, it wasn't the first time that I did it with someone, sir. Hindi na po ako bago sa sex, that's why I don't understand why you're being so overprotective with me," Kelly said.

"Let me tell you something, young man. You are a part of our family. My parents are your legal guardians. Natural lang na ganito kami pagdating sa 'yo. The responsibility of looking after you lies mostly on my shoulders because we spend more time together. Also, oo alam ko na hindi ka na bago sa sex, pero alam mo rin kung ano ang opinyon ko tungkol diyan sa ginagawa mo. I don't like that," Skyler replied, his eyeglasses gleaming.

I had to hold in a chuckle. Young man? This bastard sounds like someone's dad.

"It's not like I do it with just anyone. I've only done it with my past boyfriends," Kelly replied, frowning a bit.

"Wala naman talaga akong masyadong problema sa 'yo. You're already old enough. My problem is with this one. . ."

His frosty gaze transferred to Sir Mico who seemed to shrink a little on his seat.

"I'm going to kill myself if my hunch is wrong that you're the one who made the first move," Skyler said.

"Yeah. . . You're right. It was my fault," Sir Mico replied.

The four-eyed bastard exhaled loudly as he massaged his temples. "Akala ko ba may usapan tayong dalawa? You've only been courting him for several weeks. Weeks. Tapos makikita ko na lang na tinadtad mo na si Kelly ng marka mo?"

"We've known each other for years—"

"You still can't ignore the fact na marami kang ikinama bago kay Kelly. I only gave you permission to court him because you're my friend. However, my doubts about you still remain. I still can't trust you completely, especially with how you behaved these past few years."