Foretold by the stars

03

"What happened to you?"
Anika asked immediately.

I looked at her still thinking about the bookstore encounter. Should I tell her?
I guess, maybe, i'll tell her some other time.

"Let's just go home!" I said in a hurry.
She must have noticed my eagerness that's why she stop asking me questions.

She's already alone so I assumed Aivan has left. I don't know.
My mind is in a haze and I can't think of anything else right now other than what happened earlier in the bookstore.

Jace, Lucas and the girl.

She was the girl beside him in the picture I saw in one of their family gathering.
I can feel it. She's not a relative. She's got different surname with Jace and Luke who are cousins.

Thank God, Anika did not bugged me with more questions the whole ride home. Maybe she noticed that there's something on my mind. Besides she knows I'm going to tell it to them whenever I'm ready.

We went our seperate ways on our way home. She lives in the West side and so is my cousin, Jen. I, on the other hand lives in the South side of the Greener Pasteur, the name of our subdivision.

I don't know if I should activate all my socmeds again just to check any updates from him.
All I know is that he's back in the country and he's brought her with him.

I don't feel like doing anything now. I feel empty and I can't help but cry. Fortunately, my Mother is not home tonight. I'm free to bawl my heart out.
This is not the first time he's got a girlfriend while he's far way from me.
But this is the first time he brought a girl with him in this country.

It's just so unfair. Here in Manila, even though he can only be with me for a night, we both are so connected with each other. We clicked that's why we became so close. Like he feel like he knows me for a long time. He told me that. And I feel the same with him.
I can accept that he gets involved with other girls in the States. I'm trying to have no problem with that at all (as if I have the right to). I did not ask him questions because I feel like that is not the right thing to do and I'm also scared of his answer and reaction.
But in this country, he belongs to me like I am to him. It's something only we know. Something only for us. Just like before.

I have many questions in my head.
What happened to Tala's readings? Is she wrong all along?I held on to it for so long now.
Am I just going to accept the fact that he's not really my Jace anymore? (Not that he's mine from the beginning)
He's with someone else now and I guess it's different this time. He wouldn't bring her here if he's not serious with her, right?

I laid awake in my bed. Tears in my eyes. Thinking of how things end up like this.
We're so far from where we are before. We used to be so close. Now I feel like we're as close as strangers. And I'm afraid that this is all we'll ever be.

My thoughts went back on how i saw all the signs in him until I fell asleep.

Morning came and i instantly regretted why i cried so much last night.
Now how am I going to deal with this puffy and red eyes?
Looks like insects held a pity party in my eyes last night.
How can i go to work without looking like a mess?
And as if the weather is sympathising with me, raindrops fell lazily outside my windowpane. As if it can feel the gloominess I'm feeling.

I wasn't able to sleep properly last night and my head is feeling light.
Still, I have to get up and prepare for work.
My mother will be home any minute now and I can't let her see me looking like this.

I put on cold compress hoping for it to lessen the puffiness and swelling of my eyes.
That's the scene my mother came in to.
Hurriedly, she came to me. Taking the ice bag I'm holding.