27 - Cravings

"What was that, Cali?" he demanded, his voice laced with anger.

I frowned, not understanding why he was upset. "I don't like her. And you're asking me, what was that?" I shot back, my grip tightening on the glass in my hand. "What do you want me to do? Be friendly with her?"

He took a deep breath, trying to control his frustration. "She's just a friend—the one who helped me during college, Cali," he said, his voice strained. "I owe her a lot. Can we please not fight over this?"

"Ow, malaki pala utang mo sa kanya.” I snapped, my irritation boiling over. “Edi sana sumama ka nalang sa kanya.” Iritable kong sagot tsaka ko kinuha ang bag at naglakad palabas ng resto kahit na hindi pa dumadating ang order namin.

"Cali!" Thaddeus called after me, his voice tinged with desperation. But I didn't stop. My heart was pounding, and every step I took felt like a release of the fury and hurt that had been building inside me. How dare he invalidate my feelings? How dare he dismiss my discomfort like