Ang asaran kay Donna dahil narinig ng iba ang pinagsasabi niya sakin, ay lalong lumala nang biglang pumasok si Janine sa bar.
She's wearing her grey slacks and white tank top. It's her usual style but it seems different tonight. She has her bright red lipstick on.
Napako ang tingin niya sakin nang magsalubong ang mga mata namin. She stopped walking when a guy touched her arm to take her attention.
"Omg! She's really here!" sambit ng isang katabi ni Donna.
They started asking how I became close to Janine. They even asked if I also own a company or whatever.
I was just about to jump in. The conversation was picking up, voices overlapping, everyone throwing jokes and teasing like it was any ordinary day.
She walked straight to our table like she owned the place, her presence sharp and cold. No warning, no hello. Just that look. That look that could cut through noise like a blade.
Everyone went silent.
"Hi," except kay Donna. She sounds flirty and I hate it.
Janine didn't answer. She didn't even look at her as if she doesn't care whoever it was who tried to greet.
"What?" I asked when she stared for too long. I even raised an eyebrow when she didn't move an inch.
It was so sudden, it felt like someone pressed pause on the entire room. The energy shifted in a snap. Laughter died mid-breath.
"You told me that you want me here." parang naguguluhang saad nito.
Her eyes scanned the table, but they landed on me. Not in a gentle way. Not even in a way that said, 'we need to talk'.
It was a look I knew all too well. One that didn’t need words to be understood. It said, 'don’t try me'.
"I..." nauutal na salita ni Donna. I looked at her for a moment before giving Janine all of my attention.
Donna was saved by a friend when it gave Janine a shot of tequila. Ininom iyon ni Janine nang isang lagukan. Pagkalapag ng baso, muli niya akong tinitigan. Still standing in front of me.
"Are we still not going home?" tanong niya sa akin.
Some of the girls in our table gasp. Lalo na si Donna sa gilid ko.
"Ms. Donna, I apologize for whatever my girlfriend told you earlier."
I wanted to correct what she said but I enjoyed everyone's reaction so I didn't.
Janine took my designer bag on my side. She even helped me stand up.
"I'll get going now," humalik ako sa mga pisngi nila. Leaving lipstick stains on their cheek.
Si Donna na mukhang gulat pa rin, ay ang natatanging hindi ngumiti noong inulit kong aalis na kami.
"I'm not your girlfriend." I said as we both walk through the crowded area of the bar.
Gusto ko pa sanang hanapin si Nathalie para maayos akong makapagpaalam kaso pwede namang text na lang.
"Let's have a drink first. Hindi pa talaga ako inaantok." pagbabalewala niya sa sinabi ko.
Hindi ako sumagot pero sinabayan ko siya sa paglalakad patungo sa bartender. We sat on a high chair.
"Why do you keep on refusing Donna?" I opened an interesting topic so she won't get bored.
"She's not my type." she said as if hindi siya attracted sa ganda noong isa.
"Ang arte mo, ha?! Bagay kayo!" I tried faking my excitement.
BINABASA MO ANG
CAPTIVATED
Ficción GeneralEMPIRE SERIES #1 How do two hearts that once beat the same find their way back after everything broke? And if you're already okay now, living fully without them, is going back still worth it? This is a story of what stays, what fades, and what love...
