Ch. 5: Six months ago

Maddox's point of view

My brother Marlowe and I are here today at Jungle K to follow our sister because she is with her boyfriend, whom I don't want her to be with. It's simple: He looks like an addict.

"Kuya, we've been around for a while now. They're gone. Let's just leave them alone," Lowe sneered at me.

I glared at him because he had been complaining for a while. "Don't talk; just open your eyes and find where the f*ck they are."

I heard someone giggling. Lowe must have heard it too, so we both look around to see if there's anyone else here besides us. I noticed someone's head with bunny ears not far away, so we walked carefully to ensure she wouldn't notice us. We moved to the other side; her back was to us. I think she is counting before she will peek to see where we were a minute ago.

"Where did they go?" she murmurs.

She looks stupid, though. Is she a spy? Well, I wouldn't know unless I asked her. "What are you doing?" I asks.

When she turned to face us, the corners of her eyes widened, and she shrieked in the middle of her throat. "Waaaaah!"

Did I startle her?

She put her right hand on her chest, feeling her pounding heartbeat. "Oh my gosh! You just gave me a heart attac..." She didn't finish what she was about to say when she looked up at me. Who wouldn't be surprised by our stance, given that we look like ninja turtles? I also took a moment to look at her and assess how she looked.

She has perfect porcelain skin, which seems delicate and simple to scratch. Given my calloused hands, I liked her facial expressions the most, especially her almond-shaped eyes.

Her almond-shaped eyes were perfect for widening them, and when she glanced at me, it felt like she was sucking me in, calming my grumpiness. Her lips had a seductive pinkish curve. I groaned. I may kiss her right now if I do not stop checking her out. Damn. This wasn't part of the plan; she captured me with her beauty in just a second.

"Ahhhm? Guys? Is this perhaps a staring contest? You know you two didn't lose, you both definitely won. Damn, you two didn't blink for a second," Lowe snapped between our staring contest.

She blinked her eyes several times. "Oh, I think I just saw a Greek god in front of me. It's like he has magic, and I was suddenly mesmerized by him," the girl exclaimed. Lowe tilted his head to look at me, and he scrunched up his face. I glared at him because I knew exactly what he was about to say.

"Ha! This? A Greek god?" Lowe chuckled and winked at her afterward, stating, "Naahh, I am the most handsome one among our siblings."

"Oh, you're handsome too," the woman said, smiling at him. Lowe's face suddenly crumpled. I grinned at him. Damn. This girl has made me feel as though I will be smiling every day, despite the fact that I am not typically disposed to smile.

"By the way, what's your name, miss?" I asked. I've been holding back because I wanted to know her name.

"I'm Sariel," she beams, holding out her hand to me, which I accepted immediately.

"Maddox, I hope we will get along." I smiled, slightly squeezing our hands. I felt her body flinch for a split second before she gave me her loveliest smile. I felt like I was going to melt after this. Ha! This is ridiculous.

"That's enough, Kuya. Stop it." You just saw a beautiful girl, and you're already acting crazy." Lowe pushed my hand away, replacing it with his own. I clenched my jaw and was about to smack him when Sariel kept looking at me, smiling. Damn. Maybe I found my soulmate in this jungle.

"I'm Marlowe; call me Lowe."

"Nice meeting you, Lowe," Sariel chuckled, pulling her hand back afterward. Lowe looked like he had gotten lost. I just smirked at him.

"So, you guys are brothers?"

"Yup." Lowe beamed, popping the p. Sariel nodded her head.

"So, what are you doing here?" She asked, looking at both me and my brother.

"Oh, it's confidential. Family matters," I replied, not looking away from her.

"What about you? What are you doing here alone in the middle of this jungle?" I snapped.

"I am here with my best friend and her boyfriend, but I didn't want to be the third wheel. Consequently, I took a detour on my own, which is how I became lost and eventually found you." Sariel giggled and winked at me. I smelled someone being naughty here.

"Oh, we won't catch up with the ones we're following, so I guess we're leaving," Lowe expressed, giving Sariel a lopsided grin.

"So? Can I join you? If you don't mind?" She looked at me with a smirk, too.

"Sure, I'll lead the way out," I responded, nodding at her and walking ahead.

I'm not certain about my feelings for this girl, but this is the first time I can't help but feel drawn to the sparkle in her eyes and her smile. I mean, I've been with other girls, staring at them and observing their smiles, but I didn't feel anything. The others may claim to be my girlfriends, but I don't truly have a girlfriend; they are simply my flings, driven solely by pure lust and need. But what about this girl? Damn. If she said I was her boyfriend now, I wouldn't refuse.

When I found the way out, we went to the nearest ice cream parlor. Well, Sariel requested it, and who am I to refuse? She's just so irresistible.

When we entered the ice cream parlor, I looked for a table near the glass wall so we could see the people outside. When I found a place to sit, I went straight to it. I looked back at Lowe and Sariel, who were already following me.

"What do you want?" I asked Sariel when they reached the table.

"A chocolate sundae with Oreo for me, Mahal. Oops—Maddox, I mean." I just laughed and winked at her.

"Sure," I mused.

Tilting her head to the side, she looked at me and asked, "Can I call you mine? I mean, Maddy?" Sariel was grinning wide.

"Yeah, sure, why not?"

"Right, thanks, Maddy." I nodded and smirked at her. Lowe's face contorted when I turned to look at him. I also asked what he wanted because I was in a bit of a good mood today because of Sariel. When I got his order, I immediately went to the counter to order.

After a moment of waiting, the orders were done. I carried the tray with ice cream and iced coffee.

"Here's your order, ma'am," I said, taunting Sariel. After sitting down, I handed them their orders.

"Thank you, sir, for your good service," she said, shaking her head with a smile. Damn. I'm turning gay right now. Why do I feel like butterflies are swirling inside me?

"You really like ice cream a lot?" I asked her, disregarding Lowe's presence but pretending he wasn't there.

"Well, absolutely yes. I really like ice cream," she answered while still savoring it.

"Well, you girls really like ice cream." I nodded, still amused. I am not particularly fond of ice cream; however, if she enjoys it, I will temporarily develop an appreciation for it.

"Do you like it? It's delicious too." She handed me her ice cream cup. I didn't object and proceeded to scoop some with my spoon.

"Hmmm. It's delicious. No doubt!" I exclaim.

Of course, she wouldn't choose it if it wasn't delicious. Even if it's just ordinary ice cream, it's still delicious to her.

We took a moment to calm down because we were busy munching our food. Sariel got up and made an excuse to go to the restroom.

"Do you think our sister is okay with being alone with that asshole?" After Sariel left, Lowe inquired.

"Tsk. If she doesn't, I'll kill her boyfriend if he touches her," I spat, gritting my teeth.

"Calm down, big brother. I think he's harmless," he said, sipping his iced coffee.

We waited a minute for Sariel to come back. I quickly glanced at the restroom where Sariel had gone. A few minutes later, she came out. She was about to walk straight toward us, but someone stopped her—a man in a business suit.

"What's that bastard doing here at this kind of ice cream parlor?" I murmured, but Lowe heard what I said.

"Who are you talking about?" he asked, turning his head to where I was looking.

"Holy sheemms. Is that who I think it is?" I nodded to reassure him.