In The Arms Of An Angel (ON HOLD)

CHAPTER 34

"Hello, RJ?! Ano nangyari sa iyo kagabi? San ka nagpunta? Bigla ka na lang nawala then magtetext ka na umuwi ka na! Anyare?" Kris asked nonstop the moment he groggily said hello.

"Good morning din syo, bro! Ang aga namang interrogation nito. 6 o'clock pa lang,oh!" He answered dryly while peering with one eye at the alarm clock  on his bed's side table while he lay face down on his bed. He turned around to lie on his back as he put his phone on speaker.

"Pinag-alala mo kaya kami lahat kagabi! Tinatry ka namin tawagan after ko mareceive text mo pero nakaoff yata ang phone mo. Ano ba talaga ang nangyari?" Kris persisted. RJ just exhaled deeply before talking again.

"Sorry, bro. Biglang nalowbat ang phone ko after ko magtext. Nakacharge lang ako pagdating ko na dito sa condo. Saka na lang natin pag-usapan ang nangyari medyo mahabang kwento..." He said trying to avoid the topic but Kris would not be sidetracked that easily.

"Oh no, no, you don't! Hindi ka makakalusot this time, RJ! Style mo! It won't work this time. I will see you sa gym in an hour. May utang kang kwento. Magbayad ka! Samahan mo na rin ng breakfast after. Bawal tumanggi. Bye!" Kris then disconnected the call. RJ just stared at his phone screen before he shook his head, left his phone on the bed then went to the bathroom to bathe.

"Well, guess I have no choice now, do I?" He thought. He just wish he also knew what made him do what he did last night.

Exactly an hour later, RJ was walking briskly towards the door of the gym when two of his closest friends suddenly appeared from both sides and they did a rowdy version of their bro fist with him.

"RJ pare! Buti naman dumating ka! Haha." Kris exclaimed as he patted RJ's back.

"Oo nga, bro! Akala namin ano na naman nangyari sa iyo kagabi nung bigla ka nawala sa party. San ka nga ba nagpunta?" His other friend, Rod, asked as they walk together inside the locker room so they can stow their gym bags in their respective lockers.

"Sabi ko na nga kay Kris kanina na mahabang kwento..." He answered evasively but his friends would have none of it.

"Bro, we have two hours to hear it as we do our workouts so start talking dahil di ka namin titigilan. It's so unlike you to be doing that so we want the details." Kris persisted. RJ knew he is cornered so with a sigh he started narrating the events of last night as they do their warm up.

"Ang totoo nyan di rin ako sure ano nangyari. Remember Kris when I asked you about the lady in red last night? Yung kasama ng friend ni Joyce?" He started.

"Si Dei?! Bro, wag mong sabihing tinake home mo?! Well, I can't blame you she is really very pretty and hot..." Kris smirked and RJ can't understand but he suddenly felt offended in behalf of the woman with his friend's words.

" Huy! Ayusin mo words mo! Hindi sya mukhang ganun!..." He retorted irritably.

"Wow! Mukhang iba dating sa'yo ng girl na to, ah! That's the first time you showed any interest again on a girl since Anne..." Rod commented but he stopped mid sentence when RJ glanced at him sharply after hearing the name.

"Bro, let us not go there please..." RJ started but his friends backed off with a peace sign.

"Whoah, bro! Calm down. Sorry to bring her up. We know she is still a sore topic. Pero balik tayo sa nangyari kagabi. Ano kinalaman ni Dei sa bigla mong pag-alis kagabi?" Rod diverted his attention back to the original topic as they resume their work out. RJ now on the threadmill as the other two started with weights.

"So, ayun nga. I saw the woman in red, yung Dei nga, looking agitated while talking to her friend. Then I saw her go out with a worried expression on her face. I got curious so I followed her outside the venue. I found her being harassed by a drunk guest so I intervened. I was forced  to get her away from there when the drunk man followed us to the parking lot. I drove her to the nearest coffee shop where I left her to wait for someone to fetch her. Di na ko bumalik sa event. Baka masalubong ko na naman yung lasing na lalaki so I decided to just text you then I went home straight. End of the story." He nonchalantly narrated trying hard not to show any emotion. His friends are fond of analyzing his actions especially about his non-existent lovelife.

"So you are telling us that you played the hero to some girl that you don't even know personally, even going as far as escorting her out to ensure she is safe and yet you are claiming that you are not interested?" Rod asked skeptically.

"Guys, I just did what any gentleman would do for someone who obviously needed help. Wag nga kayo! Tinulungan ko lang. Yun lang yun..." He insisted.

"Did you at least get her digits? Please tell me you did, bro!" Kris demanded. RJ just scoffed.

"Bro, hindi nga ako interesado so bakit ko naman gagawin yun? Besides, may boyfriend yata yung tao...Yun nga yata ang sundo nya kagabi..." He answered haltingly.

"Yata?! So di ka sure?" Rod persisted.

"I did not stay long enough to find out for sure, okay?! At di nga ako interesado, di ba?! Ang kulit nyo!" He retorted exasperatedly.

"Okay, sabi mo eh..." Kris replied as he shared a conspiratorial smirk with Rod behind Rj's back.

"Di ako interesado sa ganung klaseng babae...pare-pareho lang sila...baka para lang syang si Anne..." RJ thought as he adjusted the thread mill to high speed to try to blur the image of Dei's beautiful face in his mind.