Stuck in Love

Chapter 23

“Hey, it’s really you!” Celine exclaims as she comes near to us.

I take a sip on my coffee. Just when I’m about to tell him, a distraction came. Great. And why does Celine have to appear all of a sudden? Is this also coincidental?

 

“Celine,” greets Sandro.

 

“Wow. You remember me, huh,” she giggles.

“Coincidental,” he utters then glances at me.

Celine turns to me and I see a spark of surprise in her face. “Liz?”

I fake a smile and try my best to perk up. “Hey Celine. How are you?”

She answers me but looks back to Sandro. “I’m fine. How are you, Sandro?”

Magkano maintenance ng pagiging bitch, teh?

“I’m good,” Sandro answers with his poker face. I look out of the window and clear my throat.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Are you two…you know…”

“No,” I shake my head to answer as immediately as possible. I don’t want to hear it directly from SJ. “We just…we just met here.”

She raises her eyebrow in a little disbelief, I think. Then she pulls a chair to our coffee table. “Do you mind, Liz?”

I shrug my shoulders. “No, not at all.”

She sits with us and starts a conversation between her and Sandro. So I’m quickly out of place.

“So, SJ. It’s quite a surprise to see you. I attended the get-together party two weeks ago. They said you’d be there but you didn’t come. Sayang. We should have seen each other earlier. Where were you?”

 

Get-together. Yeah, we were in Binondo that night. I cough a little in despise but the two don’t seem to notice.

“It doesn’t matter. I see you now,” he jokes romantically.

Celine giggles again. “Ikaw talaga. It’s been so long but you haven’t changed a lot.”

And their conversation goes on. I pretend to smile and sometimes laugh at their exchange of words. This bitch is such an attention-stealer. SJ seems to be enjoying her company so I know I have to flee. Besides, jealousy is now on its way to my mind. I sip on my cup to ditch the feeling.

 

“So who’s your girl, Mr. High School Heartthrob?” Celine asks in a very scrutinizing and kinda threatening tone. I almost choke on my coffee and cough. Why the hell does she bother?

 

SJ just smiles and answers as easy as he could, “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Really now. And why is that?”

He shrugs his shoulders and returns the question to Celine. “Why do you wanna know?”

“Nothing. Just curious.” She drinks from her cup, maybe to hide her blush.

“How ‘bout you, do you have a boyfriend?” he asks.

Okay there he goes, starting to become a little more curious with Celine and her life after him.

“My boyfriend and I…we just broke up a month ago.”

He’s single and she just broke up with her boyfriend. That’s just perfect. I’m starting to get pissed off on the idea that these ex-lovers have the chance of getting back together. No way! That’s my love thought. Excuse me, hello! I’m part of this table! My mind screams in anger and jealousy. I just want to pull her hair and drag her out of the coffee shop and out of his life.