We used his car. He drove way to his mother's house. We entered a subdivision. We parked outside and the guard let us inside the gate. We're infront of the closed door when I remembered my gift I bought for his mother.
"I left it in the car!" I agitatedly said.
"Okay then. Wait me here. Ako na ang kukuha," he insisted.
He left me and went back outside to get my gift. I checked the time on my phone and it was already 6:10 o'clock in the evening. We're late. Mas lalo akong nakaramdam ng kaba. I feel so anxious and conscious. I am really here standing nervously and I will gonna meet his mother later.
I was waiting infront of the door when it suddenly opened. I turned my body to check for it but I was stunned to see who was infront of me.
"You're late, Marcus-"
Maika haven't finished what she's about to say when she saw me instead of Elij. We are both shocked and surprised to see each other. My eyes literally widened and confused to see her here. I stepped backward when I felt my nose got irritated with her perfume again. Hindi talaga kami pwedeng magsama ng babaeng ito.
"What are you doing here?" She managed to ask first.
"I should be the one asking you that-"
"Oh, who's that, Maika?"
A woman suddenly interrupted us. We both glanced behind her. My eyes widened and nervously stepped backward seeing his mother. She was elegant and intimidating with her red long dress. I tried greeting her.
"Good evening-"
"Who are you, miss?" She cut me off and asked with her eyes seriously looking at me. "I'm asking you." She asked again when it took me minutes in staring and standing there stiffly.
"I-I'm Elij's... girlfriend..."
"What?" She confusingly looked at me and then glanced at Maika after. "I thought you're my son's girlfriend?"
Oh my god. What the hell. I never expected I will be in this kind of situation again!
"Mom,"
Elij's voice somehow calmed me, his presence relaxed my tense. I felt him walk towards us and proudly stood beside me. Then she greeted his mother and hugged her. He went back beside me and encircled his arm to my waist, he pulled me closer and hugged. Elij's mother and Maika watched that. They're making the same expression and I don't want the feeling it gives me. Then his mother finally dropped the bomb and asked her son about me.
"Why was this woman claiming herself as your girlfriend, Marcus? I thought Maika's your-"
"You didn't ask, mom. Maika is only a colleague, she knew that." He answered seriously and hugged me tighter to not make me feel worried about it. "This is my lovely girlfriend."
I bit my lip and tried to smile. Kita ko ang pagtaas ng kilay ng mama niya sa narinig samantalang tahimik si Maika at hindi makapaniwala sa presensya ko. I couldn't meet his mother's eyes now. I looked away and my head's almost bowing when she didn't smile back. It was as if I lost my composure and my strong poise. I just want to think about my own realization.
"Meet Rose Quartz, my girlfriend." he introduced me and glanced, he smiled. "Quartz, my mother."
"Good evening, ma'am." I formally greeted her, I stammered a bit. "And happy birthday..." I tried to give her a warm smile now.
"Thank you." She formally answered and glanced at her son. "Okay, then. Let's all get inside,"
She didn't smile back at me again. I watched her turned her back and hugged Maika's arm as she pulled her inside. And realization keeps hitting me.
