Neighbors | Maichard

XXVI. - Labels -

After seeing Richard's reaction, Maine knew right away that she said the wrong words to explain Vince's situation. She then took a deep breath and sat on a nearby chair.

"You mean ... he's gay?" Richard asked her.

"No ... definitely not gay ... at least not necessarily ... let's just say ... wala siyang pake sa traditional gender labels. He does what he wants." She answered, only to see a confused expression on Richard's face. Maine then got up and sat next to him.

"The thing you should know about Vince is that he's very unpredictable. One moment he's into girls, the next he's into guys. Richard ... I guess may pagka-free spirit siya. And he never lets his eyes or his mind decide kung sino yung type niya. His heart chooses for him. Kung kanino siya mahuhulog dun siya mahuhulog. Wala siyang pake. I think that's great ... don't you?" she asked.

"So nagka-girlfriend na siya before?" he asked back and Maine nodded.

"May boyfriend na rin siya dati?"

"He's been seen with guys before ... I saw a picture of him and a boy holding hands pero wala pa siyang pinakilalang boyfriend sa akin." Maine answered. Richard then stood up and looked at her as though she said something offensive.

"What? Then that means pwede pa siyang magka-gusto sa 'yo. Bakit sinabi mong hindi kayo talo? Valid din yung jealous feels ko!"

"Richard ... no ... there are a lot of reasons kung bakit hindi ka dapat magselos. First, hindi pa naman tayo-"

"Hindi PA." Richard echoed, emphasizing the second word.

"That's right."

"Pero magiging tayo."

"Ay, confident. Push mo yan. Second, as I said ... puso ni Vince yung ginagamit niya. At hindi siya madaling ma-in love." She told him.

"But he's basically bisexual. He can fall for girls and guys."

"He's more of a demisexual, Richard. Kelangan meron munang strong emotional connection bago may mangyaring iba. Puso yung sinusunod niya .... Parang yung motto ni Kumareng Rochelle .... Kung ano ang nasa puso mo sundin mo." Maine said and he laughed a bit.

"But you two knew each other since High school ... right? Paano ka nakakasiguro na hindi girls ang trip niya ngayon? What if ligawan ka din niya eh di may kalaban na ako?" He asked. Maine flashed her naughty smile and locked eyes with him.

"So .... Threatened ka talaga na no? .... The self proclaimed 8th wonder of the world ay threatened sa isang Filipino-Belgian guy." Maine said. Richard gulped and narrowed his brows.

"Excuse me?! No, I'm not threatened! I've never been threatened by anything!" he declared firmly.

"Ngayon lang?" Maine asked.

" ... yeah."

"Tigil-tigilan mo nga ako, Miggy Montenegro. Kung liligawan ako ni Vince edi sana matagal na? High school pa kami magkakilala ... kung type niya ako edi sana nun palang nag da-moves na siya pero hindi eh ... wala siyang ginawa. And besides, kakauwi lang niya. Ano 'to? First day dito ligaw agad?" she told him. Richard just stood there and spent a moment of silence while looking at her. Maine studied him and noticed his serious face and tensed body.

"I'm sorry ... I have the tendency to be irrationally jealous lalo na sa mga taong ayaw kong mawala sa akin. I deny a lot of things ... including me being the jealous type. I am somewhat possessive and clingy ... but I'm working on them. I'll do better next time, I promise. I just felt bad because I saw the way you look at him ... and also the way he looks at you. I got jealous when I saw the bond you have ... and it really didn't help na gwapo siya. That made me more jealous." He said. Maine's heart fluttered because of the words he said. For the first time since they met, the obnoxious young model she used to hate a lot finally opened up and released a part of himself she never saw before. He talked about some of his imperfections and her importance in his life.