C H A P T E R T W O
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"I missed you," I said in lieu of a hello.
Greg's sweet chuckle filled my ear, making the hair on my neck stand up. I could picture him lying on his bed, lips stretched to a wide smile as he tapped his index finger on his phone—one of his few mannerisms.
"I missed you, too," he answered breathily. "God, gusto na kitang makita. When will you come over?"
I bit my lips to suppress another smile.
I've been dating Greg for six months. Ipinakilala siya sa akin noon ng best friend kong si Laureen nang minsang magkita-kita kaming magkakaibigan. Greg went to college with most of my friends, so whenever there's a hangout, he'd always be present. Dahil doon ay mas madali kaming naging malapit sa isa't isa.
At first, I was hesitant to entertain him because my parents didn't really liked the idea of me having a relationship. They said it was futile. Sila ang pipili ng mapapangasawa ko kaya wala ring mangyayari kahit pa pumasok ako sa maraming relasyon. I was mad at them for that, so I did the exact opposite of what they like. I dated a few guys before Greg, but none of them were serious until him.
He's kind, outgoing and has good looks. Doon pa lang ay nagustuhan ko na siya. But what I liked most about him was that he didn't care about my family background. More specifically, my family's fortune. Ang mahalaga lang sa kanya ay ako at ang relasyong mayroon kami, kaya mas lalo ko lamang siyang nagustuhan.
I actually planned to introduce him to my family, but then Czar came into the picture. Bago ko pa man madala si Greg sa bahay ay nakipagkasundo na sina Mommy at Daddy sa pamilya ni Czar para ipakasal kami, kaya wala akong nagawa kundi itago ang relasyon namin ni Greg. I knew for a fact that my parents wouldn't accept him, now that they finally found me a fiancé, so I gave up on convincing them. But that didn't mean I'd also given up on Greg.
"Hindi ko pa alam. In two days, maybe?" sabi ko.
"Talaga?" tanong niya, medyo masaya. Bigla tuloy akong tinamaan ng konsensya.
"I mean, I'll try. Alam mo namang ang daming pinapagawa sa 'kin nila Mommy ngayon. The wedding's in a week."
"Right... The wedding," he said, sounding a bit down. "Well, I'll just have to endure this 'til then. Cold shower galore."
Natawa ako nang malakas roon. Mas lalo pa nang ma-imagine kong naka-pout siya ngayon. I know I shouldn't laugh about it. Sobra-sobra na ang pagtitiis at pag-iintinding ginagawa ni Greg para sa akin, pero hindi ko lang mapigilan. Just knowing that he wanted me, just as much as I wanted him, made me feel giddy on the inside.
"Bakit? Bakit ka tumatawa?" he asked, playfully. "You think this is funny?"
"I don't think we should be talking about this, Greg," I suggested. "Sa ating dalawa, ikaw lang ang mas masasaktan."
Sandaling nagkaroon ng katahimikan mula sa linya niya, siguro ay nag-isip. "You know what... That's a good idea, babe," aniya, natawa na rin dahil sa sariling kalokohan. "So how's your day? Did the party went well?"
Napa-iling ako. I pushed myself up and sat at the edge of the bed, then took off my stilettos. "Yeah. I think it did. Mukha namang hindi sila nakahalata."
