"Love, why do they call us MonSam?" Freen asked irritably, lying on the bed and staring at her phone.
"It's our shipname, Love... Monique-Samantha," I replied, my eyes still glued to the captivating world of the novel I was engrossed in. I was comfortably propped against the headboard.
"Rebecca Monique Carlos... that's your real name, right?" she asked, causing me to pause, my heart skipping a beat. That wasn't my real name.
I took a deep breath before answering her question.
"Hmm, yes... why?" My voice was steady despite the sudden surge of anxiety.
I noticed her pause for a moment before speaking again.
"All of our friends, and even everyone at St. Vincent, call you Mon or Monique, right?... What about Rebecca or Becca?"
Once again, I found myself silent in response to her question. My dad and Kuya Renz were the only ones who called me that.
"Love, is there someone calling you Rebecca or Becca?" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
Once again, I remained silent, unsure of how to respond.
"Love, are you okay?" Freen asked, noticing my hesitation. She got up from lying on the bed and moved closer to me. Her eyes searching my face for answers.
"Hmm, yeah, I'm good... My father calls me Rebecca when he's angry.. Becca when he's irritated," I finally answered.
Freen couldn't help but burst into laughter. She quieted down and looked at me, thinking about something.
Ignoring her laughter, I continued reading my book.
"Becky," she suddenly said, causing me to look at her.
She smiled at me, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"No one's calling you Becky, right?" she asked, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"What? Are you going to change my name?" I joked, trying to hold back my laughter.
She looked at me with a sulky face, acting like a baby.
"No, love... I just want to be original, you know? Like, when you hear the name Becky, automatically, you think of me... Because I'm the only one who calls you that," she explained, hugging me tightly.
I couldn't help but smile at her playfulness.
"Okay, Becky it is then," I said, laughing.
"Love, please..." she pouted.
"Why do you give me a new nickname?" I asked her.
She just flashed me a goofy smile, her attention already back on her phone. The room fell into a comfortable silence, the only sound of the soft rustling of pages as I returned to my book, a smile still playing on my lips.
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