HER : Unraveled // FayeYoko

Chapter Nine

FAYE

"Faye."

I turned around, and there she was—"Lux," I called her name, her expression a mix of anger and sadness. She walked towards me with determined strides, her eyes locked onto mine.

"Lux, what are you—" Hindi ko na natapos ang sasabihin ko nang bigla n'ya akong suntukin sa mukha, the force of the punch sending me stumbling back against my car. Pain radiated through my cheek, at nalasahan ko ang dugo ko na nagmula sa labi.

"Why the hell were you with Yoko?" she demanded, her voice shaking with fury. "Why are you with my ex-fiancé?"

I wiped the blood from my lip, my heart pounding. "Lux, calm down. Let me explain."

"Explain!?" she shouted. "What’s there to explain, Faye? I saw you two together! Kailan pa nangyayari 'to!?"

"Nothing’s been going on," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "We just ran into each other, and we talked. That’s it."

"Talked?" she sneered. "Do you think I’m stupid? I saw the way you looked at her, she even kissed your fucking cheek. Tapos you two JUST ran into each other and talked? Do you have feelings for Yoko?"

I hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell her the truth. "Yes, I do."

Ang sinabi ko’y parang naging mabigat na hangin sa pagitan namin. I saw Lux’s expression shift from anger to something more dangerous. "You’re in love with her?" she said, her voice a deadly whisper.

"Lux, I—"

Before I could finish, sinugod n'ya ako ulit, her fists flying. We grappled in the parking lot, our struggle a chaotic blur of punches and shoves. I could feel the anger and hurt radiating from her, but I fought back, not willing to let her take out her pain on me.

"Stop it, Lux!" I shouted, trying to push her away. "This isn’t solving anything!"

She finally stopped, breathing heavily, her eyes filled with tears and rage. "You fucking betrayed me," she said, her voice breaking. "How could you, Faye?" Napahilamos s'ya sa mukha n'ya at huminga nang malalim.

"I—I didn’t mean for this to happen," I said, my own voice shaking. "But I can’t deny how I feel. I love Yoko, and I want her to be happy."

Lux’s face twisted with anger again. Lumapit s'ya sa akin. "Lahat nalang, Faye. Simula noong bata pa tayo, you always steal what's supposed to be mine. Lahat nalang ba, Faye? Pati ba naman si Yoko!?" Galit n'yang sabi habang dinuduro ako, her voice shaking with rage and pain.

"You think you can make her happy? You think you’re better for her than I am?" she said, her words dripping with bitterness and resentment.

"I don’t know," I admitted. "But I’m willing to try. I’m willing to be there for her."

She took a step back, her eyes narrowing. "Well, guess what, Faye? I’m not giving up. I’ll make Yoko fall in love with me. And I’ll make sure she forgets all about you."

With that, she turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, my heart heavy with the weight of her words. As I watched her disappear into, I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were about to get even more complicated.

I finally made it home. I collapsed onto the sofa and let out a long sigh. I saw Wanwan emerge from the kitchen, still wearing her apron.

"Oh!? Bakit ganyan itsura mo!?" she asked, concern visible on her face. She rushed over to me, inspecting the bruise on my cheek and the cut on my lip. I winced as she suddenly smacked me on the head, "Aray naman!"

"Sino naman nakaaway mo? Tingnan mo nga 'yang mukha mo," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Angas nga eh." Pagkasabi ko no'n ay nakatikim nanaman ako ng isa pang kotong.

"Ano ba 'yan, Wan!" She glared at me and walked away. When she returned, she was holding a cold compress.

Inabot n'ya ito sa'kin, "Oh, lagay mo d'yan." Kinuha ko naman ito at sinunod s'ya. Baka kotongan nanaman ako.

"So who did this to you?" she asked again. I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes. "It was Lux." I heard her stand up abruptly from her chair.

"Ano!?" Gulat n'yang tanong, I opened my eyes to see her reaction. "Mhm, the one and only," I said, continuing to press the cold compress against my cheek.

"Why did you two get into a fight?" Hindi ko s'ya agad sinagot. Should I tell her? Itatakwil kaya ako nito bilang kaibigan n'ya?

Huwag naman.

"Do you remember the girl I met in the bar several months ago?"

"Yes, what about her?" Naguguluhan n'yang tanong. I let out a deep sigh.

"She was Lux's fiancé. Ex-fiancé, to be exact." Nanlaki ang mata n'ya sa sinabi ko.

Huwag mo ako itakwil, please.

"Ano!?" Gulat na gulat na saad ni Wanwan. Napatawa naman ako nang bahagya sa reaksyon n'ya, nakita ko naman na sinamaan n'ya ako ng tingin, I cleared my throat.

"Yeah," I sighed, feeling the exhaustion wash over me. "We ran into each other today, we walked and talked, and Lux saw us together. She just... lost it."

Wanwan's eyes widened even more, if that was possible. "So, what happened?"

I shifted uncomfortably, trying to find the right words. "Lux accused me of stealing Yoko from her. Well, medyo totoo naman 'yun, pero hindi ko naman kasi alam eh!" I sighed, "She said I always take what’s supposed to be hers. She was furious, said some really harsh things, and then she hit me."

Wanwan sat back down, processing what I had just told her. "And what did you do?" Kunot-noo n'yang tanong.

"I told her the truth," I said quietly. "I told her I have feelings for Yoko." I was shocked when she smacked my head for the third time. This time, s'ya naman ang sinamaan ko ng tingin.

"Bakit ba kasi sa dinami-rami ng babae, doon ka pa sa ex-fiancé n'ya?" Halata sa mukha n'ya ang inis. Napahinga naman ako nang malalim.

"Hindi ko naman alam. Yoko didn't tell me that she was engaged at that time," I said.

Wanwan sighed deeply, shaking her head. "This is such a mess," she muttered, her voice heavy with frustration as she held her head in her hands. "How did everything get so complicated? It's like a soap opera in real life."

"I know," I said, feeling the weight of the situation. "But I can’t help how I feel about Yoko. She means so much to me." I looked down at the cold compress in my hand. "She threatened me. She said she’s going to make Yoko fall in love with her again, no matter what."

Wanwan reached over and squeezed my hand. "Just be careful, Faye. This whole situation is really complicated, and I don’t want to see you get hurt any more than you already have."

"I will," I promised, feeling a bit of comfort from her support, despite her smacking my head. "Thanks, Wanwan."