Querencia (Midnight #1)

Chapter 11

Eleven
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈✧༺♥༻∞

"OMG!" Tahimik ngunit dinig pa rin ang impit na tili ng dalaga. "You're really here!" Francine shrieked as she went by to Maxeus.

I bit my lips and lowered my gaze. Seconds later, I could feel a gaze to me—medyo hindi ko iyon pinagtuunan ng pansin dahil naririnig kong medyo nagkukwento si Francine sa kanya.

Medyo inangat ko ang aking ulo upang silipin silang dalawa.

Ang mga mata ni Maxeus ay nasa akin habang nakikipag-usap sa dalaga. His head is only nodding whilst his eyes are on mine, he looks so bored hearing Francine's about.

Kahit napaka-dilim ng kanyang mga mata, may kakaibang pakiramdam akong nararamdaman mula roon—hindi maipaliwanag ngunit kakaiba.

I smiled mentally when his gaze was still on my spot. Nawala lang iyon nang bahagya akong mapansin ni Francine. Maybe she was too busy telling Maxeus that she didn't even notice I was here.

"Oh. . ." anas niya. Lumipat ang tingin ko sa kanya nang magsalita siya. "I know you, right? We've met before. Sa'n na nga ulit?" She asked me.

I don't like how her tone turned out, it was like she really knows where we've met but she chose to use her 'maang-maangan' asking voice.

Medyo napalunok din ako dahil hindi ako handang sabihin kung saan kami nagkita. Ipapaalam ko ba sa kanya na anak ako ni Julietta Carreon?

O magpapanggap na naman akong hindi n'ya anak? I'd love that if it was real.

Even so, I still gave her my sweetest smile.

"Yes, we've met na before." I answered her with my sweetest tone as well, lowkey mocking her.

"Right! That's why you looked so familiar. . ." she said, thinking and then shifted her head up to me. "Sa'n na nga ulit?" She asked again, her lips rose up a bit.

She knows what she's doing. Alam niyang naiipit ako sa sitwasyon kaya paulit-ulit siyang nagtatanong kahit paulit-ulit na 'kong tumanggi sa kanya.

My mouth was about to utter a word but suddenly a clearing of the throat interrupted it—should I say thank You to the above?

Parehong mata namin ni Francine ay bumaling sa lalaking nasa tabi niya at nasa harap ko naman.

"Maxeus, are you okay?" Francine asked.

I wasn't sure about seeing how his eyes darkened more but I do think it really did.

Walang emosyon itong tumingin sa dalaga. "Don't call me Maxeus," naiinis nitong anas.

Itinuop ko na lamang ang aking bibig dahil naramdaman ko ang pagkapahiya ni Francine sa bandang iyon. Kita ko rin ang bahagyang paggalaw ng kanyang lalamunan.

I blinked thrice.

"Francine, have a seat please." Pag-aya ko rito.

Mukha namang wala siyang balak umalis kaya baka mangawit lamang siya katatayo roon dahil mukhang wala namang balak si Maxeus na paupuin siya, kaya ako na lamang ang nagkusang loob.