Loving Miss Banana

Chapter 12

Grabe. Yung lamig ng aircon sa loob ng kotse, wala kumpara sa lamig ng aura ng babaeng katabi ko ngayon.

I was staring at her profile, trying to read her expression, pero parang bato yung mukha niya. Walang emosyon. Walang reaksyon. Parang hindi niya ako kasama dito sa loob.

Liblanc.

Ilang araw lang ang nakalipas, she was the most playful, flirty person I knew. She would tease me nonstop, whisper those cheesy lines that made my heart beat fast, and look at me like I was the only person in the room. She used to call me "Baby" or "Hazel" in that deep voice na nakakainis pero nakakakilig naman.

Pero ngayon? Leche parang hindi niya ako kilala.

"Castillo, make sure the files are organized. I don't want any delays." she called out, her voice flat and cold.

Castillo.

My last name. She’s calling me Castillo.

Napakuyom ako ng kamao sa gilid ko. Annoyance. That’s what I feel right now. Sobrang inis na inis ako.

Bakit ba siya ganito?

We weren’t like this before. She used to talk nonsense with me, she used to flirt with me openly, tapos ngayon? Ngayon parang hangin lang ako sa paningin niya. She didn’t even glance at me once since we got in the car. Not even a single look.

"Yes, Ma'am," sagot ko na lang din, pilit na pinapakalma yung sarili ko.

She just nodded, tapos tumingin ulit sa labas ng window. Wala na namang imik.

I couldn't understand why she even brought me here in the first place. Usually, kapag may ganitong meetings sa labas, yung Secretary niya ang kasama niya. But earlier today, she just marched into my desk, looked at me with those cold eyes, and said, "Pack up. You're coming with me."

Nagtanong pa naman ako nang maayos, "Ma'am, hindi po ba si Ms. Reyes ang kasama niyo? She usually handles external affairs."

Tumingin siya sa akin nun. Finally, her eyes were ice cold. "You are my Personal Assistant, are you not? That means you go where I go. Is there a problem?"

Of course I have a million problems! Numero uno siya roon. Pero syempre di ko pwedeng sabihin yun, baka ako pa pagtuunan niya ng pansin at magalit sakin. So here I am, stuck in this car, dying inside because of her sudden mood swing.

Pagdating namin sa restaurant, sobrang sosyal at eleganteng lugar. Private room pa talaga para sa meeting namin. I walked a step behind her, as usual, pero hindi mawala yung pagtataka ko.

During the meeting,  nakikinig lang ako. I was distributing documents, and taking notes.  Pero habang ginagawa ko yun, I couldn't help but notice her.

And the more I noticed, the more I got confused.

Kasi kahit ang cold ng babaeng to, kahit puro "Castillo" lang ang tawag niya sa akin... she was being so attentive. Sobrang attentive na parang hindi siya yung taong ayaw tumingin sa akin kanina, at parang hindi ako kilala.

When I reached for the water, she already moved the pitcher closer to me before I even asked. When I was writing notes and my pen ran out of ink, she silently slid her own pen towards my hand. She didn't say anything, she didn't smile, pero ginagawa niya lang yun na parang normal lang sakaniya.

I bit my lip to stop myself from sighing out loud. She was really playing mind games with me, and the worst part is... I was reacting to it.

Matapos ang meeting, dinner na. Syempre kailangan mag-socialize kasama yung business partners. They were a big family business, and they brought their son along. His name was Marcus, I think. May itsura, mukhang rich kid, at sobrang daldal.