Javianne Priyanka Vasylchenko
I held my head high as soon as I stepped foot inside the bar. I immediately found Russieus sitting alone at the counter, bartenders and waiters are nowhere to be found.
I rushed to him when I noticed he's about to drink alcohol straight from the bottle. He just wouldn't stop, would he?
"That's enough," I said as I took the bottle away from his hold.
"Vika?" he murmured groggily. He looked at me in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe that I'm actually right here in front of him.
I inhaled sharply. "Yes, Russ. It's me. Don't even try to think that I'm some sort of a ghost or the Vika from your imagination."
"Paano mo nalamang nandito ako?" he asked, eyes not leaving mine. Like he's scared to tear his eyes off of me 'cause I might vanish in just a blink of an eye.
"Kay Giovanni. Nag-usap kami via Instagram." I shrugged.
I heard him mutter a curse under his breath.
"Ano pang mga pinag-usapan niyo?" Kunot-noong tanong niya. He looked like he's about to punch someone right on the face.
Hindi ko siya pinansin nang mamataan ko ang isang waiter mula sa malayo. He rushed to me when he noticed I was looking at him.
"We're leaving. How much is the bill?" I spoke to the guy in Italian.
He shook his head and replied to me in Italian. "There's no need to pay all the drinks he ordered, Ma'am. He bought the whole bar the other day."
Napaawang ang bibig ko. My eyes dropped to the guy sitting on the stool. He may be glaring at the back of the poor waiter but his eyes were already showing sleepiness.
"Goodness, Russieus Laurel! Natutulog ka pa ba?"
He instantly fell asleep as soon as he laid on his bed. Nagpakawala ako ng isang buntong-hininga bago ko naisipang punasan ang katawan niya gamit ang basang bimpo. I changed his clothes, readied some meds for hangover, and even cooked him soup. I made sure everything's already settled before I left his condo unit while he's still sleeping soundly.
