Hush Louder

CHAPTER 21

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VIEN

RED.

A flashy, annoying, red Ford Mustang is parked at my backyard. Its loud color is making me see red in fury. Hindi ko alam kung sinasadya ba ng attorney na iyon na bilhin ang kotseng ito para asarin na naman ako.

I suddenly heard a beeping sound coming from my pocket. Pag-angat ko mula sa bulsa, nagulat ako dahil may unfamiliar phone ako sa pantalon.

Oh, so the attorney got a phone for himself. Finally, hindi na niya gagamitin ang numero ko para mag-contact ng kung sino-sinong mga babae.

I narrowed my eyes as I observed the phone. It's the latest model from a famous cell phone brand. Flashy, once again.

I won't deny that the attorney has good taste. Kahit ang pagkakapili sa kulay nito ay maganda. He chose the Phantom Silver color which looked really sleek.

Bubuksan ko na sana ang phone ngunit napatigil ako. Wait, what the hell am I doing?

I shouldn't invade his privacy. Saka isa pa, baka hindi ko magustuhan ang makita ko. Baka kung sino-sinong babae ang nakakausap niya na gusto na namang makipagkita para lamang sa sex.

Ibinalik ko na lamang ang phone sa bulsa sabay hawak sa comm-button na nakakabit sa damit ko.

Miss Fiorisce wants us to communicate. I'm not gonna lie, I still hate the attorney. But if Miss Fior wants us to start talking to each other once again, then maybe I should try.

Communicate lang naman, hindi naman sinabing maging mag-best friends kami.

I pressed the comm-button and left a short message for the attorney. "Hey, someone sent you a text."

***

I SPENT the first half of the day meeting with my patients, and I'm glad that a lot of them are starting to recover.

If I can't cure my own disorder, I'm happy to at least help others who are struggling with their own.

Tumunog ulit ang phone sa bulsa ko. Out of habit, I immediately pulled it out to see who texted me.

Unfortunately, I got the wrong phone.

And even more unfortunately, I saw its lock screen.

There, I saw the beautiful side profile of Miss Fiorisce, looking naturally pretty even without makeup. Her small, straight nose pointing down as she types on her own phone. The neon lights from the store signages are reflecting on her warm ivory skin, highlighting the details of her beauty.

I almost smiled, until I realized that it was the attorney's phone that I am holding.

What the hell? Why is Miss Fiorisce his wallpaper?!

Agad kong kinuha ang sarili kong phone mula sa kabilang bulsa. I opened Miss Fiorisce's Instagram account and quickly browsed her photos. I also checked her Facebook and Twitter, but I couldn't find the photo that the attorney used as his wallpaper.

No way. Did he. . . take the photo himself?

I had difficulty swallowing a dry gulp. My eyes automatically went to the screen's notification bar.

As if that wallpaper alone didn't crush my heart, seeing the message flashed on the screen crushed my heart even more.

HER:
Psst! Libre ka 5PM mamaya? Interview with the client.