Operation: Boyfriend, Gone Wrong!

Kabanata 10

Halos uwian na nang ihatid ako ni Elijah sa office. I told him there was no need to go back with me dahil may mga kailangan pa siyang kausaping tao, but he insisted. "I told them I'd bring you back. I don't go back on my words, Theo."

Pumasok lang saglit sa office si Elijah to announce that we came back bago nagpaalam. "I have to go now, Engineers," sabi niya. "See you all at the company dinner tonight," he added, while looking at me.

He shut the door on his way out. I went back to my seat, oblivious of the stares from the adults. 

"Theo," tawag ni Mama.

Para akong biglang binuhusan ng malamig na tubig. I know they're gonna ask questions and I should have been prepared for it, but I guess my mind was too busy thinking of Elijah that I totally didn't have time to think of an excuse.

"Y-yes, 'Ma?" 

"What took you so long sa lunch? Sa'n kayo kumain?" she asked. I saw Papa and Tito Jules stop what they were doing for a second, mukhang curious din sa tanong ni Mama pero ayaw ipahalata.

"A hotel restaurant nearby, I can't really pronounce the name po," natatawa kong sabi, hiding my worry behind a laughter. "Tapos umikot kami sa perimeter ng site after lunch kaya natagalan," I added. Totoo naman, and that took up most of our time. 

"I see," she said. "I didn't know you were acquainted with Elijah, though?"

Ayan na nga ba ang sinasabi ko.

"I accidentally got to know him from the party Natasha took me to," I said, averting my gaze from them.

"Oh, oo nga. Sabi niya it was a cruise party, same day when Grimaldi's Cruise arrived," biglang sabi ni Tito Jules. When we looked at him, he seemed perplexed that he gave his cover away, but Tito Jules being Tito Jules, itinawa niya lang ito. "Anyway, it was good, 'di ba? You are making connections, Theo!"

Ngiti at tango lang ang naisagot ko kay Tito. Mama, however, didn't seem satisfied with my answer. 

"You were out the whole night until noon the next day, were you with him?" she asked.

I stiffened in my seat, trying to think of alibis that are believable enough to them. "O-opo, I was with him."

Nakita kong nanliit ang mga mata ni Mama from my peripheral vision. Hindi na rin nagpanggap si Papa na nagtatrabaho, nanonood na lang siya sa'min ni Mama ngayon. 

"And you were with him because...?"

"I-I was seriously drunk," I said, which was true anyway. "Nagkahiwalay kami ni Natasha and then I bumped onto Elijah. I was nearly passing out so he helped me get into his— into a room in his cruise." 

I almost told them that he brought me onto his room. Damn, you're a better actor than this, Theo. Get your shit together!