One More Try

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Hungry?" Theo asked the moment they entered the house. He put his keys on the bowl next to the main door.

It was his first time to speak since they left the mall's parking lot.

Throughout the whole drive, he will just glance her way from time to time, forehead creased and sometimes gritting his teeth. Hindi rin naman nag-abala si Carson na tanungin kung ano ang problema nito. Somehow, she enjoys the silence between them. Isa pa, pagod din sya at wala sya sa mood makipag-usap.

Going back to Theo's question, hindi naman talaga sya gutom dahil kumain naman sila ni Emma kanina sa mall matapos nila mamili. But she still nodded.

Theo made his way to the kitchen.

She followed him. Naabutan nya itong naglalabas ng ingredients ng lulutuin mula sa fridge.

"Need help?" she asked.

Nilingon sya nito at umiling. "You can sit there. I'll make this quick."

Pero hindi nya sinunod ang binata. Kanina ay okay pa sya sa katahimikan nito. But little by little, nabo-bother na sya sa ikinikilos ni Theo.

So, to keep herself busy, she went to the bar counter and took out a bottle of red wine. She pours the glass halfway before sinking on the bar stool.

"You shouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach." Sita nito sa kanya habang naghihiwa ng gulay.

She shrugged before sipping on her glass. "I'll be fine."

Hindi na ito umimik at pinagpatuloy lang ang ginagawa.

Napakunot ang noo ni Carson. There's really something wrong. Hindi sya sanay na doon matatapos ang usapan nila. Usually, Theo will have engaged her in a conversation. Madalas nga naiinis na sya dahil gusto nyang manahimik pero panay ang pagkukwento nito sa kanya. But today's different.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

Umiling lang ito bilang sagot. But Carson wasn't convinced.

"Are you sure? Bakit feeling ko galit ka sa akin?"

Wala naman syang maalalang ginawa na pwedeng ikagalit nito.

Tumigil si Theo sa paghihiwa ng gulay at itinukod ang dalawang kamay sa gilid ng countertop. Pagkatapos ay pinakatitigan sya.

"I'm not mad at you, okay?" he said. "I'm just upset."

Napataas ng kilay ang dalaga. Okay, that's a first.

"Is it something I've done?"

"I just don't understand why did you call Phil to help you? You can just tell me. That's why I'm here for, Carson."

She raised her hand to stop him.

"Okay, first of all, I didn't call him. Why would I even do that? Ni wala nga akong number ng lalaking yun. Also, we just bumped into him. He offered an extra hand, so why not?"

"And you didn't bother to tell me?"

"Why would I tell you?" balik na tanong nya dito. "Wala naman iyon sa usapan natin. No string attached, remember?"

He stared at her and gritted his teeth. Napabuntong hininga na lamang ang binata at nailing na binalikan ang ginagawa.

"Why did I even agree to your terms?" he mumbled under his breath but enough for her to hear.

She chuckled as she took another sip from her wine glass.

"Because you couldn't resist me." She said teasingly. "Don't be a hypocrite and deny it. I'm sure you love our kind of setup."