CAPTIVATED

Chapter 32

Tuloy-tuloy sa pagpatak ang aking mga luha, habang dinadama ang mainit na yakap ni Janine.

I know for a fact she wouldn't cheat on me.

Even in the middle of all the doubt, all the confusion, all the quiet distance that started building between us, I held on to that one truth. I had questions, yes.

Disappointment, maybe. In her. In myself. In how far we had drifted without meaning to.

But even then, even when everything felt shaky, I never truly believed she would betray me like that.

I was her only. I am her only.

So even when my mind played tricks on me, when doubt crept in and whispered all the worst possibilities, my heart stayed firm.

She would not do that to me. She could not. Because no matter how messy things got, we were real.

I'm crying but it's not because I'm sad, or mad, or anything. I'm happy and nervous at the same time. It feels fulfilling but it also feels like a responsibility.

Tinapos namin ang concert na parehong sumasabay sa kanta. It felt so good to be with the person that you love.

Nang makalabas sa arena, tuluyang naglaho ang pagdududa na naramdaman ko.

There's Tiffany with Jane waiting for us. Sa gilid nila, si Aubrey at si Nathalie. At sa pinakadulo, ang emotionless na si Catherine kasama si Madison.

"Sorry..." Tiffany apologetically said as she goes towards me to give me a hug.

Yumakap ako pabalik at bahagyang hinampas ang braso niya. Others came towards us to congratulate us with the engagement.

Sabay-sabay kaming nag dinner pagkatapos. Sa kanan ko nakaupo si Janine at sa kaliwa naman si Nathalie.

Nath has a lot of explaining to do. Mukhang seryosohan na yung sa kanila ni Aubrey.

I'm closed to Aubrey but not closed enough to ask her about these things. Sabihin pa niya na chismosa ako.

I just kept eating, quietly, trying not to draw any attention to myself. My eyes stayed on my plate, pushing the food around more than actually finishing it.

They were all talking around me, laughing, catching up, throwing stories back and forth like the world outside didn't matter.

I wanted to join in. Part of me really did. But for some reason, my voice stayed buried somewhere inside my throat, heavy and unsure. Nangingibabaw sa akin ang kagustuhan na malaman ang tunay na namamagitan kina Aubrey at Nathalie.

When Nathalie excused herself, tumayo rin ako at nag presentang sumama sa kanya.

She wasn't surprised at all when I decided to join her. It didn't seem like she hates the idea too.

"Ano?" She asked immediately when we entered the comfort room.

Parehas kaming sa repleksyon ng isat-isa nakatingin.

"Bwisit ka," natatawang sabi ko habang naglalakad papalapit sa hand-dryer. "Seryoso na kayo?" I asked.

She looked at me, her eyes flickering with uncertainty, like she was weighing every possible consequence of what she was about to say.

"I don't know..." Marahan niyang sabi.

Bahagya akong natawa sa isinagot niya sa akin.

"Stop playing safe with your answers. I'm not a media or something." napapalakas na sambit ko sa kanya.

Hindi na ako sigurado ngayon, napapaisip ako kung tama bang may namamagitan sa kanila. Opposite attracts, they say. Nathalie and Aubrey has the same personality. I don't think they would work.