Inexorable Encounter

Chapter 44

Mom just smiled when I looked at her.

"Artistang-artista," Zedie commented, "alam na alam kung paano ire-recommend ang palabas." I just chuckled.

"Papasa rin ako," long hair joined us. Mom was silent, watching us while Leon and Dad were talking about random stuff-I mean, political stuff.

"Huwag ka na!" Zedie argued. "Iwa-wallpaper mo lang picture niyo ni Belle."

"Para nga mapalitan na 'yung picture naming dalawa sa lockscreen at wallpaper ko, puro pa-selfie lang meron kami," long hair demanded.

"Kung sinabihan niyo ako nang mas maaga, sana may picture na rin kayo, baka napa-develop mo pa." Zedie grinned. I chuckled and rolled my eyes. "Alam mo ba, Belle, noon kapag kasama ko 'yan si Zeni, nahuhuli ko 'yang nakatingin sa phone niya at hindi nakikinig sa akin."

"Wow!" long hair expressed his disbelief. "Ikaw kaya 'yung bukambibig si Leon tuwing magkasama tayo," he teased Zedie back. Leon moved his head in our direction, but Zedie shoo-ed her. She slapped long hair's arms lightly, but I scolded her, making my long hair chuckle.

"I remember Zen spacing out, looking at our family picture when he was training," Mom suddenly spoke, making Zedie laugh while long hair pouted.

"Tita, bakit may panlalaglag tayo?" Mom giggled, but stopped when she noticed I was watching her. She cleared her throat and looked somewhere.

"You're longing for Belle, Udrih, just admit it," Leon joined us too. "If you're not, then who's staying with Belle's car when someone goes missing from our gatherings?"

I laughed at that revelation. Long hair grunted. "Baka po gusto niyo rin ako ilaglag, Senator?"

Dad looked at him innocently. "You wouldn't like it if I say something about your longing with my daughter."

I raised my eyebrows. "Why?"

Leon laughed. "Does that mean the...?" Leon didn't continue but laughed when Dad nodded, suppressing his laughter.

"Tito, atin-atin na 'yon," long hair asked Dad, like he was convincing him.

"What is it, long hair?"

He immediately shook his head when he looked at me. "Huwag mo na tanungin."

"Why?"

"Huwag na," he repeated, shaking his head and making them laugh, especially Dad and Leon. "Kapag kayo nilaglag ko," long hair stated, as if he was threatening them. Dad and Leon just looked at him, making him sigh. "Buti na lang mabait ako." He smiled at them before pulling me into a hug. "Huwag mo na alamin, Belle."

When we went home with long hair, Leon asked him and Dad for a drink, so Zedie asked us to stay at the villa while they were at the poolside. Zedie excused herself to call her mother for an update on Zion.

"You can rest if you're tired. You haven't rested since you came back." I smiled and shook my head at Mom's suggestion. "Those three men liked to have a drink together there if their schedule wasn't that hectic, and Zedie tends to worry about them drinking too much, so she likes to wait for them to finish."

I nodded. "I heard about that from Zedie, but I didn't know that long hair was with them." I looked at the poolside and I saw long hair gawking in our direction. I waved my hand, telling him to pay attention to what they were doing with my gesture.

"You like Zen, do you?"

"Are you really asking me the obvious, Mom?" I asked back. "How about you? Do you like my long hair?" Then I looked in her direction. "How come you became that close to him when, the last time I checked, you didn't want me to be with a Gutierrez?"