RJ froze, he got stuck right in that second of seeing Nicole's face for the first time in weeks. The smile of the youngest Mendoza grew brighter before she walked towards them.
"Guys, para kayong nakakita ng multo? Ate? Tisoy? Okay lang kayo?" she asked. RJ gulped and looked at Maine. But her nervous face only made the situation more intense.
"Oo naman." he finally said.
Nicole then moved closer and quickly apologized for not answering any of their texts or calls. RJ on the other hand just nodded and continued to smile awkwardly.
"Guys , I'm sorry kung di ko sinagot. I wanted my return to be a surprise."
"Di ba may classes ka pa?" Maine asked her.
"They got cancelled so I have the whole weekend off. Are you two alright? Kanina pa kayo mukhang ewan." Nicole asked back. RJ gulped once again, something has changed about Nicole and he can't figure out what it is.
"Yeah, we're just really surprised that you're here." Maine replied before giving RJ a look. He quickly nodded at her remark.
"Ikaw Tisoy ... nagulat ka ba?"
"Oo naman Nik. Asan na gamit mo? Tulungan na kita." he offered. Nicole smiled and told RJ to follow her back to the garage. RJ looked behind her and saw Maine still sitting nervously on the bench. That was way too close, too close it almost ruined everything.
--
Maine ran back to her own room and locked herself in. One moment of weakness and she almost ruined everything in their lives. The young girl quickly called one of her friends to ask for an advice.
"Hello? Teresa?"
"Hey!" her friend enthusiastically replied.
"I need your help." Maine said, sitting right at the very edge of her bed.
"With what?"
"Not with what ... with who?"
"Oh ... I see. What do you want?" Teresa asked Maine. The young girl looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh.
"Teresa ... paano mag-control ng feelings?" she asked, feeling her cheeks get warm. Maine then quickly closed her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand. What happened between her and RJ earlier just proved that she somehow developed feelings for him.
Getting attached right away has always been Maine's biggest problem. She never learned how to control her emotions and it always landed her on serious situations. But this time, things are different. Maine's sister is once again in it with her and that is already enough to break her heart into two.
"Oh my gosh .. so you mean in love ka na ulit? Or kay Evan pa rin?"
"With someone new."
"Sino?"
"Our freaking pool boy."
"Seriously?"
"Yes. Ugh, I hate it. Please help me? Kung kelangan mo akong ipakilala sa ibang guys ... go." Maine replied before standing up and making sure that her door is locked.
"So what naman if he's a pool boy? I thought you would never care about a guy's money?"
"I still don't. My problem is he's into my sister."
"What? Oh my ..."
"I know ... that's why I really need to. Can you help me?" she asked, now pacing back and forth inside her room. Maine's heart is still pounding, the intensity of the situation hasn't subsided yet.
"Fine ... meet me at Starbucks okay?"
"Fine." she replied and then ended the call. Maine quickly jumped into the shower. Maine has now decided what she will do. She's going to leave the house as soon as possible and dodge Nicole's possibly juicy questions.
--
It took RJ a couple more minutes to warm up on Nicole again. But after that, they are now back to what they were before she left.
"Malamig ba sa Baguio?" he asked.
"Yup. Laging sweater weather dun? Wait, di ka ba nakapunta?" she asked.
"Hindi pa." he replied shyly.
"Eh di next time, punta tayo." Nicole replied, smiling at him. RJ smiled as well and placed his hand on hers. He looked at her straight in the eyes and asked how she is.
"I'm good, nga pala ... I have a question, Tisoy. Please be honest okay?"
"Nag-kiss na kayo ni Ate?"
"Ano?" he asked, feeling his heart skip a couple of beats. Cold sweat started pouring down the side of his face.
"Nag-kiss ba kayo ni Ate kanina? I saw your heads close to each other bago niyo kami nakita. I just acted like I didn't saw the two of you." Nicole said.
"Uh ..."
"Tisoy ... please ... I'm not mad. I just want to know. Ate and I already went through stuff like this before and ayoko ng maulit pa kaya please?"
"Hindi kami nag-kiss." he said, stating the truth. Nicole then smiled and held his hand tighter.
"Thank you." she whispered.
"Para saan?"
"Wala ... Tisoy ... you know that I really like you right? " she asked and he nodded.
"And I know wala akong karapatan kasi hindi naman tayo. Pero sana .... sana mahintay mo yung time na maluwag na schedules natin. Na pwede na tayong magsama ng madalas. Kaya mo bang hintayin yun?"
"Siyempre naman, Niknik." RJ said before he pulled her close to him. His heart started to beat fast once again. Maine crossed his mind and for some unknown reason, that image of her smiling sweetly at him decided to stay. RJ just closed his eyes and hoped to God that his confusing feelings would just stop.
---
"Gwapo ba?" Teresa asked a few minutes after they met. Miane let out a sigh and pulled out her phone from her bad. She then searched for RJ's Facebook profile and showed it to her friend.
"Ay pogi nga ... kamukha niya yung Alden Richards ... in fairness ... pwede silang magkapatid."
"I know right? ... so tell me, paano mo ako matutulungan?" Maine asked, desperate for help.
"Ganito kasi yan ..."
---
RJ spent the rest of the day working and talking t Nicole. It's already almost 6:00 pm when he got home. A few moments after he entered their gate, he saw his friend Bogs waiting for him right on the terrace.
"Pareng Soyti!" he greeted.
"Napano ka?"
"Wala ... kumusta trabaho mo?"
"Umuwi na si Niknik." he replied before giving his friend a grin.
"Ba ... ayus yan. Imagine mo na lang ... dalawang amo in love sa iyo." he said and RJ giggled a bit.
"Loko ka talaga. Bakit ka ba andito?"
"May nagpatulong kasi sakin eh."
"Sino?" he asked and the door suddenly opened. RJ's heart started pounding after he saw who it is.
"Dad?"
--
that's it for this part guys ^^ stay tuned for more :))) x
