My Guardian Aswang

27.2: Hapunan

Rossini Restaurant, 10pm

(Gabby's POV)

After ng dinner at ilang awkward converstion with Tita Via and his son, Miguel, iniwan muna kame nila Mommy at Tita Via ni Miguel sa table para daw makapagusap kame nang sarilinan at sila'y may pupuntahan daw. If i know didiretso lang sila sa bar para tumungga ng wine.

"It's you isnt it?" Tanong ni Miguel sakin

"Me isnt what?" Balik na tanong ko sa kanya

"You're Gabrielle from the mall last time, you're friends with Angel right?"
Sagot na tanong ulit nya

Akala ko hindi nya maalala. Sya nga yung guy sa table nila Angel last time

"Yeah that's me!" Awkward kong sagot sa kanya

"Sabi mo Gabrielle, Girlie called you Gabby and your Mom calls you Gabriela. Which one should I call you?"

Wow! Naalala nya lahat yun. Hindi kaya stalker ko to.

"It's actually Gabriela. I just dont like using it coz its sounds 19 kopong kopong" totoo naman and lakas makatanda ng Gabriela

"I think it's fine, masyado lang talagang maarte kayong mga babae"

What!? Anong sabi nya!? Maarte!? Nako nako pigilan nyo ko, kung hindi lang nakakahiyang magiskendalo dito sa sosyal na restaurant na to nakarinig na tong mokong na to ng malutong na mura. Napaka sexist na comment nya!

"Look" sambit nya ulit "You're not my type"

Ha? Ano daw?

"You're not that pretty like Angel. And shes the one im planning to marry. I know Im very handsome so whatever your mom, my mom and you plotting just to force me to marry you, it will not work" dire-diretso nyang birada

Kinompose ko muna sarili ko baka may masabi akong unlady like "I'm sorry, What plot are you saying?" Pilit na kalmado kong sagot sa kanya

"This arranged marriage. Don't tell me after nung magkakilala tayo sa mall you started searching about me on social media, got help from your mom to call my mom because you found out theyre friends then set up this dinner to meet me again, how elaborate" Walang preno preno nyang sabi sakin

Lintik na bibig nitong taong to. Tamang hinala si kuya

Again,  bumuntong hininga muna ako bago ko sya sagutin. Medyo nanginginig na nga ako kasi feeling ko ang cheap cheap ng tingin nya sakin.

"Im sorry Im not plotting anything. Maybe our Moms obviously have. But I assure you I dont have any participation in this. Nagulat nga lang rin ako na ang dinner na to ay para sa arranged marriage natin" nairaos kong sabi

"Is that so?" Pagtataka nya

"Definitely!" Mayabang ko namang sagot

"So... you dont find me attractive?"

"Ofcourse you are"

"See, then you like me then"

"I don't like you!" Medyo napataas kong sagot sa kanya. Medyo nagkatinginan na yung mga katabi naming table at napapabulong na lang. Kumalma muna ulit ako bago ako ulit magsalita "Actually, I already liked someone"

"Me?"

"No!" Nako nakakahighblood kausap tong G****g to "His name is Ez. You might remember him from the mall.

"Ez, yung guy na sinama nila Angel sa mall?"

Tumango lang ako

"Hahahahaha! Really? That guy?" Napatawa sya

"Why? Anong problema kung sya ang gusto ko?

"Coz he's a f****g loser"

"No he's not!" Pagtatanggol ko kay Baby Ez "Unlike you, Hes a gentlemen"

"So yeah he's really a loser. Hahahahaha!"

Sinusubok talaga nito pasensya ko

"I'll tell you what. Let's have a deal"
Bigla nyang sambit

Ano daw,  deal?

"What do you have in mind?" Tanong ko

"First things first, the marriage is off the table"

"You don't have to tell me that. It was off from the beginning"

"Good! But if we need to be sweet in front of our parents, we need to ok?"

"Ha? Bakit pa. Why not just tell them that we dont like each other"

"Tanga ka ba? If youre saying the truth na wala kang kinalaman sa arranged marriage na to then you should have thought why there is an arranged marriage in the first place"

Napahinto ako sa sinabi nya. Oo nga naman bakit nga ba may arranged marriage na na nangyayare eh its 2020 na.

"Bakit nga ba?"

"Tsk tsk" naparolled eyes sya "Obviously it has something to do with our parents businesses"

Ok. That makes alot of sense

"So I'm proposing, we fake it"

"Ha?" Hindi ko malaman san patungo ang mga sinasabi nya "And then what?"

"Well we will fake it just to facify and satisfy them. Ayaw mo nun hindi ka kukulitin ng parents mo about sa lovelife mo kasi alam nilang andito ako and vice versa, thats when we will get leverage against them"

"Leverage? What are you saying"

Alam kong matalino ako pero ibang level itong kausap ko parang leader ng sindikato

"Ang slow mo talaga. Walang wala ka talaga kay Angel. What im saying is... we are free to go out if we will use each others name"

"So youre saying if i want to go anywhere ill just tell my parents na ikaw ang kasama ko?"

"Exactly! And thats not it. We can date other people basta we just let each other know na we will use each others names to our parents"

Wow Im impressed sa klase ng pagiisip nya

"So I can date Ez free anytime Ill just call you and also you can date Angel as well?"

"Correct!... am also regarding our dates I have another proposal"
Pahabol na sabi ni Miguel

tbc...