Marrying the Devil

Chapter 4

The Rumors

"You're dating Cole? Hindi ba't boss mo yun, anak?" Tanong ni mama while lifting her mug of coffee from the table.

I squirmed a little in my seat before answering. "Opo." 

I usually found it relaxing to sit in my foster parents' backyard and listen to the sound of wood snapping in the firepit. Pero ngayon? Not so much. Kasi kailangan kong magsinungaling sa kanila. Now, I'm worried they'd be dissapointed of me for being so unprofessional as to get involved with my boss.

I was bracing myself for a "that's not smart, you could lose your job" lecture. Pero ikinagulat ko ng bigla itong ngumiti saka tumingin kay Papa.

"O diba, sabi ko sayo." she taunted him.

Napakunot naman ang noo ko. "What?"

Papa shrugged. "We're not stupid, sweetheart. Matagal na kaming naghihinala na merong namamagitan sa inyo ng boss mo. I mean, you made it clear that he can be very frustrating to work with sometimes, but you never once told us you were thinking of quitting."

Mama nodded. "When you first got the job, you told us not to get too excited; na baka hindi ka magtagal ng isang linggo bilang PA nya. Pero matapos ang isang linggo, andon ka pa rin naman. Those weeks turned into months, and those months turned into years. Hindi na nakapagtataka na mahuhulog ang loob nyo sa isa't isa, lalo pa't madalas kayong magkasama."

"Hindi po ba pwedeng magaling lang ako sa trabaho ko?" I asked.

"We don't doubt that," Papa assured me. "But we know our girl. Alam naming kapag nauubusan ka ng pasensya sa isang tao, eh talagang namumura mo paminsan minsan. Malamang nakatikim na ng mura ang boss mo galing sayo which means pwede ka nyang sisantehin, pero hindi. He decided to keep you with him."

Okay, so minsan ko na syang tinawag na gago, jerk or asshole kasi kasalanan din naman nya; sinagad nya pasensya ko. But if there's something I know about Cole, it would be that he wants to be surrounded by people who can be honest with him sometimes; yun bang hindi sya tatratuhin na CEO minsan. Ayaw nya kasi sa mga plastik na tao, kaya useless din kapag merong employee na nagpapasipsip. 

"So, who made the first move, you or him?" tanong kaagad ni mama.

I shook my head. "Oh no, I'm not giving you any info about how it all went down." Ayoko ngang dagdagan pa ang kasinungalingang sasabihin sa kanila. "Basta ang masasabi ko lang eh.. seryoso kami pareho sa relasyon namin ngayon."

I rubbed my arm as a cool breeze swept over my skin and sighed. "I know you must be thinking na masyado kaming naging mabilis at—"

"No, sweetie, sa tingin ko tama lang ang ginagawa nyo," komento ni mama. "You two have spent pretty much every day in each other's company for the past four years. Kaya kahit pa ilang buwan pa lamang kayo nagdi-date eh, alam kong kilala nyo na ng mabuti ang isa't isa. I just hope that your relationship with him will last and that everything will work out."

And now I feel awful. They were being so understanding and supportive, and I was being a big fat liar.

"Pero teka, sinabi mo na ba sa Tatay mo ang tungkol dito?" Papa asked.

Napabuntong hininga na lamang ako. "Hindi pa po, but I will.. I just ... I worry he won't take it well. He doesn't like change." 

"Your happiness is important to Peter, hija. He'll be pleased for you if he thinks Cole makes you happy." komento ni Papa.

"Yes, pero paano naman po si Alex?" I asked. Isa pa to sa poproblemahin ko.

"I've never come face to face with Alex—he doesn't seem interested in talking with me or your mama Sandra. Pero base sa mga sinabi mo sakin tungkol sa kanya, tingin ko naman hindi sya gagawa ng ikakasakit mo."