The Tale of the Ascendants

CHAPTER 3: Remnants

"Hey! Stand up, Terrence!" I tried my best to carry Terrence, but he's huge! Damn it! If I only knew he could be this drunk, I should've not let him finish those drinks. But now, I needed to suffer from the repercussion.

I heard him mumbled something, but I couldn't even understand a single syllable. Sa sobrang kalasingan niya, hindi na rin niya magawang tumayo.

"Don't do this to me. Stand!" Angrily, I kicked him on his side. He groaned in pain. Served you right! But, geez, how could I get him out of this bar. It was getting late and the customers were piling up on the dance floor. I couldn't risk myself be out in the open. It's not safe especially that I lost my distant guards. I needed to get us out of here.

I went out of the VIP room and started to look for Vince, but I couldn't see him—even his shadow. I tried to push my way through the dancing crowd. Smoke and disco lights filled the entire bar. Giggling girls were visible everywhere flirting with the jerks.

I continued to look for Vince when I unintentionally bumped into a guy wearing a black ball cap. Due to the strong impact, I fell on the floor. That bump hurt, huh! I stood up and brushed off the dirt stuck on my pants.

"I'm sorry," He said in a foreign accent. I looked up at him. I saw a bearded man with a scar on his left cheek. I suddenly felt familiarity with this man. I was not sure though. He seemed familiar, but I couldn't think why.

"I'm fine." I retorted. Maybe I was just imagining things. That fall might've shaken my brain pretty bad.

"Have we met before?" He asked. Same question I had in mind.

"Pardon?" I pretended not to hear it clearly avoiding that have-we-met-before spiel of a lady-killer. This middle-aged man was making me laugh in mind. Someone needed to remind him of his age perhaps.

"Never mind. I might be mistaken you for another person." In an instant, he was lost from my sight. I immediately brushed off that incident. That man's kinda weird.

Failed to seek for help, I went back to the room. I saw Terrence crawling his way out. What a funny scene! I should have taken a photo of him and sent this to the media. How much would I gain from that?

I carried him once more. This time he stood up, and I guided him on the couch.

"Let's drink some more!" He shouted. I shook my head in disbelief. How could he drink more if he's already drunk? Sarap tuktukan ng isang 'to. I restrained myself from doing so.

"Stupid! No more drinks for you. You're already drunk." Isa pang pangungulit nito sa akin, sasamain talaga siya.

"Drunk? Me?" He chuckled like a lunatic. With my patience getting thinner and thinner, I clenched my hand into a fist, ready to punch this jerk if he talked nonsense again. The alcohol had really gotten into him.

"I wanna dance. C'mon, let's go out!" Without waiting for my answer, he dragged me out of the room and joined the mob.

I tried to free my hand, but he held it tightly as if he knew my plans of escaping. I didn't want to dance, for Pete's sake! My feet were both left when it came to dancing!

"Enjoy the night while you can, swan lake." He leaned against me, his breath touching the sensitive part of my ear. Aware of his beyond-my-set-borderline presence, I felt how it brought shivers to my spine. I grimaced and pushed him away.

Stubborn as he was, he pulled me closer and guided me as he danced, placing his hand on my hips and draping my hands on his nape. He moved his face closer to mine until his forehead touched mine. I closed my eyes as I breathed his musk and aftershave cream. It made me feel dizzy and nauseated at the same time. With the music pounding my ear, my heart seemed to go with its fast beat. This was one awkward moment.