Mister Villain

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Sobrang tagal na simula nung huli niyang makita ito pero hindi maaaring magkamali si Gab.

The woman pushing a child's trolly with her, while looking through the menu outside Cyma was no other than her brother's former fiancée, Louise.

She seemed to be debating whether to eat inside the restaurant or not and when her face showed that she decided not to, something inside Gab propelled her to stand up and go after her.

"Louise!" the woman's name sounded so foreign against her lips.

It had been years.

Louise turned back and her eyes widened into the size of saucers as soon as recognition set in.

"Gab?"

Tumango siya and then slowly walked towards mother and child. "Nakita kita dumaan and I thought I should say hi to you."

Lalong nanlaki ang mata nang kausap niya. "You did?"

She nodded, smiling, diffusing tension in the air before it could even build up. "It's been a long time since nung huli tayong magkita."

The other woman turned red.

The allusion to the last time they saw each other would most probably embarrass her, Gab understood, because that was when Enzo declared to everyone in the dining table that he was in love with Louise and then he took her hand and they escaped on his car.

Everyone had been too stunned to stop them except for Gab.

She ran after them and before they disappeared into the night, she managed to ask them "Why?"

Hindi na niya tinanong kung ano ba ang nangyayari o kung totoo ba ang nangyayari because she already had an idea weeks before.

"Nangyari lang Gab" Enzo had answered "I'm sorry."

He did look sorry that she had to get hurt pero Gab could see in his eyes that he was not sorry for falling in love with another man's fiancée.

She then willed her eyes towards Louise, who looked so torn between being happy and crying but Gab could not understand it then.

Ang alam lang ni Gab noon e gumuho na ang mundo niya at ang dahilan nun e ang babaeng itinuring niya na kaibigan at minahal na parang "Ate".

"How could you do this?" the question was laced with poison.

"Gab... I'm... I'm sorry" Louise whispered in response.

"No your not."

And that had been the last.

The next time na nag-usap sila ni Louise was over the phone and she had told the other woman to truly let go of her brother.

Humingi ulit ito nang tawad sa kanya noon.

Their last conversations both ended in Louise saying sorry. Hopefully, today, that isn't how it is going to end.

"Uhmmmm... I really do not know what to say Gab."

Hindi nawala ang ngiti niya. She was happy to see the other woman. "Well, you could start by saying you'll have lunch with me."

Louise looked confused.

"Please..." Gab threw in "I think it would be great to catch up."

Louise took a deep breath then. "I guess you're right. It would be great to catch up after all these years."

"It's my treat then" Gab told her, doing more than what was needed as she held out an olive branch to a woman she once thought of as an enemy.