Tala was crying inside the cubicle. Her date with Theo was a disaster. Theo and Matt ended up in a fistfight at their Grandmother’s birthday party. She doesn’t recall who started it because there was tension the moment they entered the venue. It was Jake who stopped his cousins from killing each other.
“Tala” she heard a familiar voice. She opened the door. It was the birthday celebrant.
“I’m really sorry I ruined your birthday” she continued to cry.
“It’s not your fault” the old lady smiled as she squeezed her shoulder, “This isn’t the first time my grandchildren had a brawl. Last time it was the girls who ended pulling each other’s hair over a guy” she laughed.
“I feel horrible. I’m really sorry” she apologized again.
“Does my grandson know you have feelings for him?” the old lady asked. Tala knew whom exactly she was referring too.
“He doesn’t like me that way” she answered. She avoided looking in her eyes.
“I can tell that he’s very fond of you” the old lady smiled.
“He doesn’t like me that way” she repeated.
“Have you tried telling him?” the old lady asked.
“I did but he turned me down” she explained. The memory was still fresh in her mind and it still hurts. She loves Jake. She always did. He was her savior and her best friend. She was her everything.
“I’ll talk to him” the old lady patted her hair.
“He will never love me the same way a man loves a woman” she said it softly as if saying it out loud would shatter her into pieces. The old lady sighed gave her a hug.
“I’ll take you home” she offered.
“Thanks but I think I’ll just take a cab home” she politely declined.
“I insist” the old lady looked at her.
“Okay” she finally agreed. The old lady handed her a facial tissue. She wiped her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Her nose was red and her eyes were puffy. She looked like a mess.
“Let’s go” the old woman coaxed her out of the washroom. They found Jake, Matt and Theo waiting outside. “I’ll be the one to bring her home” she told her grandsons.
“She can ride with us” Matt told her grandmother.
“Lola, she can ride with us. We all live in the same house” Jake reminded the old lady.
“I don’t want to ride in the same car with you” Tala scowled. She was really in a bad mood.
“Hey, I was the one who stopped them” Jake reminder her, “Why are you mad at me?” he asked pretty confused.
“Jake” the old woman gave him a look. Tala started crying.
“What did I do?” he asked pretty frustrated.
“Let’s go” the old woman wrapped her arm around Tala.
Jake went inside Tala’s room to check on her but she wasn’t on her bed. He realized she was inside the bathroom.
BINABASA MO ANG
Stars Can't Shine Without Darkness (Stellar)
General FictionTala left home to pursue her dream in writing Tagalog Romantic Novels; it was something her parents frowned upon. While making ends meet, she met Jake. He became her savior and best friend. For short, he was her everything. But here's the kicker...
