Boundaries
"What?" 'yon agad ang tanong ni Celine nang makapasok siya sa kuwarto ko.
Basta nalang kasi akong tumalikod kanina at nagmamadaling umakyat pabalik ng kuwarto ko. Inutusan ko naman siyang sumunod—hindi pinansin ang pagbati ng bisita niya.
She shut the door behind her and turned to face me again. I crossed my arms, putting on my indifferent expression.
"Send him home," sabi ko agad.
"I told you—"
"I don't need him. I can take care of myself just fine. Please send him home," I cut her off.
As expected, she didn't back down. I sighed inwardly. Celine was always like this—never letting things go.
"You need him, Alex."
"I don't," I shot back, keeping my tone serious.
"Then I'm not leaving."
I furrowed my brow. "What?"
"I'm not leaving."
"What about your work? I thought it was urgent?"
"It is," she replied, not budging an inch.
"Then why are you—"
"I have to take care of you," she interrupted me again.
"Celine—"
"I'm going away for two weeks, Alex. I can't leave you alone for that long."
I rolled my eyes in frustration. What am I? Five?
I sighed, trying to keep calm. "Ash is here—"
"Ash is out there. He can't take care of you."
I rolled my eyes again, clearly irritated, but knowing full well there was no winning against Celine when she got like this.
"You know I can't trust anyone—not even my own family, let alone a stranger like him," I countered.
I stopped myself from grimacing. As if he's a total stranger. Well, he is a stranger—but not entirely.
"I know. But I trust him, Alex. You don't have to worry about that. He's the most trusted person I know, and Mom already did a background check on him. Plus, he's a childhood friend," Celine said with a smile, clearly trying to convince me.
I barely stopped my eyes from widening. Seriously? Ganito ba kaliit ang mundo?
Pero bakit walang sinabi si Celest tungkol dito?
"Is a background check necessary when he's a long-time friend?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm.
Celine shrugged. "You know Mom, kahit gaano niya katagal na kilala ang tao, she will always be thorough in protecting you."
I didn't reply. My mind was racing, trying to find a way to refuse what she was asking. Habang nag-iisip, nagsalita siya ulit.
"I know, Alex, you can't easily trust him, but I don't have a choice. Mom is still in Rome, and it'll take a while before she can return. I'm not comfortable leaving you here alone. I can't trust your 'I can take care of myself' line," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'll just worry while I'm working there. It'll be pointless if I can't focus. I won't go, even if it costs me my job."
Her job... I sighed inwardly. I didn't want to be a burden to her, to tie her down. The way she treated me like a helpless child always grated on my nerves.
I'm a grown-ass man, for God's sake!
There's no point in arguing with her about this, though. No matter how many times I tried, she always dug her heels in.
