Bewitching the Tempter

Chapter 3: Dating

Nakakainis is an understatement.

Ilang taon ko nang crush si AJ and now that I finally have the courage to approach him ay biglang may gagong naki-epal?

Galit na galit ko siyang tiningnan, samantalang siya naman ay nakangisi lang habang nakatingin sa akin. Gago, mukhang aso.

"What do you think you're doing?" Inis kong tanong at nilapitan siya habang nanlilisik ang mata ko. I'm pretty sure I look really mad already.

"Uh, nakatayo?" He answered and shrugged his shoulders. "And probably...watching my girlfriend?" His lips twisted.

Damn him. How could he look at me without remorse at all? Siraulo ba siya? A psycho?

"Uy, Ashtine! Hindi mo naman sinabi na kayo pala ni Klio ngayon, akala ko pa naman si AJ 'yong type nito noon, lagi ko kasing nahuhuling nakatingin e!" Reel laughed and looked at us.

What...I can't believe it!

"Hindi kami 'no! I don't even know him!" I hissed and threw him a deadly glare once again.

Natawa naman siya. "I'm sorry, bro. Galit kasi 'yan e, medyo LQ kami."

Huh? Nananaginip ba siya?

"Dream on! As if! Ni hindi nga kita type!" I rolled my eyes and faced Reel who's smiling while looking at us, na tila nag-eenjoy pa sa nakikita.

"Cute niyo," he laughed.

Agad akong napangiwi.

"Reel, pwede ba? Ngayon ko nga lang nakilala ang gagong 'yan!" I added and pointed the jerk, trying my best to control myself.

Ayokong sumabog dahil kung ano-anong masasamang salita ang nasasabi ko kapag galit ako.

"Oh, shit. That hurts. Talaga bang itinatanggi mo na ako?" He muttered and held his chest.

Damn, I want to slap or punch him already! But I will lose my poise if I do that. Ang swerte naman niya kung sasampalin ko siya.

I turned to him and smiled. "Follow me."

Agad naman siyang ngumisi at sinundan ako. Nang makalayo sa mga tao ay agad ko siyang hinarap. Mahinahon ko iyong ginawa kahit na gusto ko nang hilain ang mukha niya't ipahalik sa dingding.

Hindi ko 'yon pwedeng gawin dahil hindi naman ako gago na katulad niya at isa pa, kapatid pa rin siya ni AJ. Takte, bakit ba kasi kapatid niya 'to?

I took a deep breath before talking.

"Hi, first of all, I don't know you, so please stop calling me your girlfriend. We're not in a relationship, I'm sure you know that unless you have some kind of a mental disorder that confuses imagination with reality. Second, leave me alone hangga't mabait pa ako sayo because I really hate people who mess with other people's life without a significant reason. Ang gago lang kasi e," I stopped and raised a brow when I noticed that he was just looking at me intently, tila sinasaulo ang bawat salita na lumalabas sa bibig ko.

Napatigil ako at wala sa sariling napatingin sa mga mata niyang malamlam na ngayon. I don't know why but I felt tongue-tied for a bit.

"T-Third, you need to fucking apologize!" Galit kong sabi dahil hindi ko na gusto ang ekspresyon na pinapakita niya, he was looking at me like a freaking puppy. Akala ba niya madadala ako sa gano'n? Shunga!

"Apologize?" He asked and stepped forward, agad naman akong napaatras.

"Yes! You need to say sorry! Y-You need to apologize for spreading a lie. What you said earlier was a lie and I don't want other people to get the wrong idea. Baka isipin pa nila na totoong may relasyon tayo when in fact, I don't want to get associated with you dahil hindi naman kita kilala." I uttered and looked at him once again with annoyance. "Gago pa."

"What if ayoko?" He asked again and moved closer to me. Muli akong umatras.

"Then you just prove that you're a jerk. Kulang sa pansin, kulang sa aruga, sinungaling, paepal!" Sunod-sunod kong sabi at ngumisi. "Kapatid mo ba talaga si AJ? Kasi hindi halata e, ibang-iba siya sayo. He's smart, good-looking, and well-mannered, while you..." I looked at him with disgust in my eyes.

I know I shouldn't judge him fully yet but I'm already so annoyed.

"You're way out of his league." Nandidiri kong dagdag. "When faced with him, you're just like trash."

I thought he's gonna get triggered or go away already, but I was surprised when he suddenly laughed.

"Alright, was that all?" Natatawa niyang saad at tinitigan ako. His lips twisted. "I've already heard worse, Miss."

Kumunot ang noo ko.

Muli naman siyang lumapit sa akin. "Alright then, I'll apologize."

He looked at me straight in the eye. "I'm sorry, I was at fault. It was just supposed to be a joke pero mali ako, hindi ko dapat ginawa iyon sa isang taong kakakilala ko lang. I'm sorry. I was rude and what I did was unreasonable. I'm sorry," he uttered with his sincere voice at hindi ko naman alam kung maniniwala ba ako.

He seemed serious but I don't know, there's just something about him that keeps me from believing whatever he said.

"Let me make it up to you," he added and before I could even react, he held my hand and placed a calling card on it.

"Just call me." He muttered and smiled before going away, ako naman ay nakatulala lang habang tinitingnan siya palayo.

What the heck?

"Uy ayan siya oh!"

I turned my back and immediately saw my friends.

"Gagi, 'di mo naman sinabi na boyfriend mo pala si Ashtine! At 'di mo rin sinabi na LQ pala kayo kaya galit na galit ka kanina," panimula ni Agatha.

"Kaya nga! Akala ko ba naman magkaibigan tayo, Klio? Bakit may paglihim ka nang ginagawa? Tsaka, kailan pa ba kayo? Parang last month lang 'yong ka-fling mo ay 'yong Ateneo law student pa. Bilis mo ah."

I sighed. Damn. So the news has already spread, huh? Talaga bang may pakpak ang balita?

"I'm not dating him... I'm not dating that damn Manjarrez." Mariin kong sagot.

Kumunot naman ang noo nila.

"Gagi ka! Weh? Usap-usapan na 'yon ah!"

Huh?

"What? Hindi pwede! That's not true!" I defended myself.

But they were indeed telling the truth, kinabukasan pagkapasok ng school ay panay ang bati at tanong sa akin ng mga kakilala ko tungkol sa kumalat na balita.

It was really sickening.

The news has it that I'm dating the most notorious playboy of Mapua engineering, Ashtine Manjarrez.