"Looks like you're hiding something from your Dad, huh?" Lyle stated from my side. We are now on our way back to the hall. Hindi na ako tinigilan ni Lyle mula sa paglabas ko ng restroom. I didn't expect him to be this talkative. Akala ko isa s'ya dun sa mga usual na anak ng senador na tahimik lang at anti-social but I guess he's not. "Hello? Are you mute?" He was all over my face before we reached the opening of the hall. Seriously? "I'm not," I answered. He placed both of his hands on both of his pockets and smiled at me. Okay lang ba itong lalakeng ito? Anak ba talaga 'to ng senador? Mukhang may sayad 'to. "I like you," he blurted out. Nanlaki ang mata ko. He's so straightforward. "That's what they want me to say. Hindi mo pa ba ramdam?" he sarcastically asked. I get his point. The way they introduced us to each other is so weird. Ano future first lady na ba ako? "I'm not dumb. They want us to see each other. I mean it's okay with me. I could use a companion," I told him while w
It is the next day yet I’m still struck by what Dave said. Bakit parang kilalang-kila nya ako? Parang mas kilala nya pa nga ako kaysa sa sarili ko. Bumangon ko sa kama at dumiretso sa banyo para mag hilamos at mag sipilyo. I don’t want to believe Dave that I’m the one causing Dwight to change. Changing someone is bad. I don’t want to be the reason why someone goes out of their league. Matapos kong maghilamos at magsipilyo ay lumabas ako ng kwarto para tanawin ang langit. So blue and clear. Ilang minuto ko ring pinagmasdan ang langit. Natauhan lang ako ng biglang may kumatok sa pinto ng suite ko. Sinilip ko kung sinong nasa labas mula sa peeping hole. May hotel crew na may dalang tray ng agahan. PPinagbuksan ko ito ng pinto. “Good morning po, Ma’am. Ito po ay request mula sa isang guest na padalhan kayo ng agahan,” sabi nito habang inihahanda ang agahan sa lamesa. Sino namang mag uutos na padalhan ako ng almusal? I quickly dialed Kuya’s phone number.Luckily he’s awake. “Hmmm?” he in
The next day I decided not to join Dad with his agenda. I was thankful that I was knocked out from yesterday’s trip because if I was not, I’ll be up all night thinking. Kuya and Mom accompanied Dad with their trip. Ang alam ko ay nasa Bulacan sila ngayon. I withdrew myself from the bed and walked towards the living room of the suite. Mayroon nga palang binili si Kuya kagabi na fastfood on the way back to the hotel. Binuksan ko ang paperbag at naamoy ko na ang fried chicken at spaghetti. Talk about a healthy meal. Inilabas ko iyon mula sa paperbag at dinala ko iyon sa sofa. Looks like I’ll be here all day.Nanood ko ng Netflix series habang nag aalmusal. I’m currently obsessed with a Netflix series entitled ELITE. The series is set in Las Encinas, a fictional elite secondary school and revolves around the relationships between three working-class teenage students enrolled at the scho
I was shocked by the fact that Coach Sandy really wanted to talk about Dwight. He's now sipping his espresso. On the other hand, Kuya Jerome arrived. He quickly went to me. "Let's go,"bungad ni Kuya Jerome. Nakalimutan kong sinabi ko pala kay Kuya Jerome na gusto ko nang bumalik sa hotel. Was I really that stunned about Coach Sandy? "Let's stay na muna. I need to talk to Tito Sandy." It was a bit awkward to call Coach Sandy Tito. Nilingon ni Kuya Jerome si Coach Sandy at tinitigan. Is he examining Coach Sandy? The heck is wrong with this guy? Nakakaoffend kaya yun! "Hello, Hijo," bati ni Coach Sandy. Now I really feel bad about how Kuya Jerome looked at him. "Jerome Bantigue, Sir," formal na pakilala ni Kuya Jerome. Coach Sandy just nodded. "I'll call you na lang ulit pag tapos na kaming mag-usap," I said, dismissing Kuya Jerome. He didn't shrug, he just simply went out of the store and disappeared into the wave of the crowd. "Your Dad really wants you safe, huh? Jerome Bantigue,
Hindi ko akalain na magiging mas komplekado ang buhay ko. Today, I’m here the shooting range learning how to shoot a gun. I’m kinda gitty about this. Bumaba ako sa kusina para mag-almusal nang payapa pero may ibang plano si Dad. Dad dropped the bomb that early in the morning. HIndi man lang ako pinatapos mag almusal. He deadass ruined my morning. Tinatanaw ko si Lyle na kasama ko ngayon dito sa shooting range. He is the one talking to the range officer. On our way here Kuya called me that he is the one who suggested it to Dad because of yesterday’s encounter. He also added that it’s for my safety. Sa isip-isip ko, hindi ko dapat ‘to ginagawa. I might get arrested for this. Knowing myself, I might get annoyed all of a sudden then shoot people to death. “This is pointless,” I blurted out when Lyle walked towards me. He was confused. Ibinaba nya ang isang maliit na baril. On the table are different types of guns. From the longest one to the smallest. What if I pick u one and start shoot
For a short span of time, I figured out how to get along with people, but to let them dictate what I will do is not tolerable. The only one who can dictate to me what to do is my Dad. “Sam, Kuya won’t like it if you hit her.” I was shocked. Sinong Kuya? Wait, that guy isn’t Dwight?! “ Elias, What are you doing here?” takang tanong ni Samantha. Who’s Elias? I was dumbfounded while looking at the two. “I came to pick you up.” The baritone voice of the man echoed through my head. He sounds exactly like Dwight. Ano ‘to clone ni Dwight? Ganun ba kayaman si Samantha para gumawa ng clone ni Dwight? “Sorry if she’s bothering you, Miss. By t
The awkward silence was deafening. Should I address what he did? But if I do, I would look like a paranoid person. But he took pictures of my kitchen! I decided to shrug it off. I smiled at him and asked him once again about his coffee. "Black or with creamer?" tanong ko kay Elias. Inilagay nya ang kanya phone sa bulsa ng kanyang pantalon bago sumagot. "With creamer please." I quickly turned around to prepare his mug. I just realized that the coffee mugs I have here are statement mugs from Erica. Gusto kong iumpog ang ulo ko sa pader. I tried to look for the least offensive one but I can't find any. The statements on the mugs were all s*xual . One says 'Cumming Soon' another says 'Tip the head'. I decided to grab the 'Cumming Soon' mug for Elias. I just hope that he doesn't notice the writing on the mug. I poured the espresso shot then added some creamer. Iniabot ko iyon sa kanya at naupo kami sa sofa. It was dead silent. "So, you already took Samantha home?" tanong ko dito. Wh
Wala ako sa sariling umuwi sa condo. I didn’t even bother to wash my face. I went straight to my room and started crying. Why is life so hard? Maayos naman ako noong hindi ko pa s’ya nakikilala pero bakit? Bakit ganito?! I was so frustrated that I threw my phone across the room. How dare he walk into my life and mess me up so bad?! I was already over my insecurities about liberty. I already accepted my faith as a daughter of a well-known attorney but because of him, everything fell apart. I'm falling down the same hole I was in before and this time I don't know how to get out of it. Lord, What did I do wrong in my past life
My relationship with Dwight didn’t get any better after our talk. Emotions got the best of me when we last talked. At this point, I don’t even know if we really have a relationship.He’s busy training with the national team while I’m at my dad’s office. It’s just a few days before the election, so our security is at its max. Our house security system has been upgraded. More bodyguards are deployed.“Caily, you should ask your manager to reschedule all your shoots to a week after the election. It’s your dad and aunt’s request,” Mom said when she sat beside me. My schedule has already been pushed far too long. If I do what I was asked, I might lose a few contracts in these coming years.“Mom, I hope they will understand me. I’ve pushed the shoots far too long. I might lose my contracts next year, or worse, they might sue me.” I fidgeted with my phone. Mom sighed beside me. Modeling is becoming my full-time job, and I know my mom has something to say about it because she did modeling as
“Dwight?” He was horrified when he saw me in the lift, but he tried to hide it.“Sav,” matipid n’yang bati. By the sound of it, I already know what’s up. This is not the proper way to handle the situation, keeping in mind that our relationship is not public. Bumaba ang mata ko sa bitbit nya. He held a bouquet of red roses and a Starbucks paper bag. Breakfast for Sam, I guess?The elevator ride was awkward. We couldn’t talk much because there were other people on the lift. Nang tumigil ang elevator sa fifth floor ay tinignan ko muna s’ya bago lumabas. He better explain why he’s been avoiding me these past few days.The sound of my stilettos against tiled flooring was eerie. It is straight out of a movie, if I must say. There is so much tension and anticipation.I hate to admit it, but seeing Dwight holding a bouquet of flowers pains me. He was busy with Sam while I desperately waited for his texts or calls. He even partied out with Eli and didn’t bother to inform me.Bumalik sakin ang
“Alam ko na kung bakit umuwi ang jowa mo!” sigaw ni Brithey. She showed me her phone. It was a news article with Samantha as the headline. It turns out that Samantha and her family got involved in a car accident. Bigla akong kinabahan para kay Samantha. Is she okay? Gaano kalala ang injuries n’ya? Kamusta naman ang pamilya n’ya?I grabbed Brithey’s phone to read the article. The Chen Family was involved in a car accident in Cebu City. Is it a coincidence? We were also in Cebu when we got ambushed. Samantha was with their driver, her dad, her mom, and her younger sister. It was ruled as an accident because of the heavy rain. Agad naman silang naisugod sa malapit na ospital. I doubt that it is an accident. There is something fishy going on in Cebu. “Minor injuries lang naman siguro ‘yun,” Brithey commented. “It’s nothing compared to what happened to you.” I was pissed at what she said. Oo, aminado ako hindi maganda ang relasyon namin ni Samantha but to say that is unacceptable.“Kahi
“It’s been a while, love” Tumayo ang mga balahibo ko ng maramdaman ko ang mainit n'yang hiningi sa likod ng tenga. It sends shivers to my spine. I looked at Isaac. He was stunned."Hey," malumanay kong bati sa kanya. He's wearing a black polo shirt and khaki pants. How can someone look so good in such simple clothes?I almost lost my breath when he leaned over to kiss my forehead. Damn!“Hey,”malambing n’yang bati pabalit at umupo sa tabi ko. Nararamdaman ko ang titig ni Isaac sa’min. They already knew each other so introduction will be stupid.“How have you been, bro?” Dwight casually asked as he placed his hands on my thigh. Wala akong magawa kung hindi ngumiti na lang ng hilaw. Someone’s getting teritorial.“Thanks for asking. I’ve been busy establishing businesses after we graduated from college. What about you?” Isaac answered before drinking one of his shots.“I’ve been busy with training. It’s only just now that we got our vacation. When I found out my girl flew to Thailand for
I flew to Thailand as planned. Maayos naman na ang lagay ni Bella. It was a miracle that the baby survived. Kuya offered Bella to stay in his house but Bella refuses. Bella reasoned out that it is too dangerous for her to be around kuya after the incident. Kuya Jerome is still investigating. Hindi namin alam kung kami ba ang dahilan kung bakit nangyari yun kay Bella o may sarili silang alitan ng mga armadong lalake. “Caily, we will be staying for 2 days and 3 nights. Tanghali ang dating natin ng Thailand. Your first day is your free day. If you want to explore the city, we can do that. Then, the next days will be filled with shoots. Bali 3 layouts per day tayo. Sa huling araw natin naman, we will have dinner with the CEO.” Sumandal na lang ako sa upuan ko at pumikit. Pinapakinggan ko pa lang ang mga sinasabi ni Brithey pagod na ako.Thailand is not that different from the Philippines that’s why I’m not that interested in exploring the country. Plano kong magpahinga lang ngayong araw
“Baby, you should get some sleep na. Don’t worry about mommy. I will sleep once your Kuya is asleep,” mom said after putting me to bed.It’s Kuya’s Midterm Exam tomorrow. I know to myself that both of them will stay up all night. Leading up to his exams, Kuya always becomes erratic, so mom is scared to leave him alone. “But Kuya won’t be sleeping tonight since his exam is tomorrow,” I said as I tucked myself into bed. Mom was smiling at me while leaning on the door.“Very observant of you, my little princess.” She walked towards me, turned off the side lamp, and kissed my forehead.“Good night, my princess.” She walked away and closed the door.I slept that night assured that everything would be fine the following day, but it was far from the reality I faced the next morning. A loud banging awakened me, not on my door but perhaps in the room beside me, my brother’s room. I went out of bed to check on what was happening. It was my mom knocking non-stop on kuya’s door.“What’s happeni
It’s been weeks since I last saw my brother as well as Dwight. Kuya was true to his words, he didn’t do anything to Dwight. Well, anything physical I guess? It’s not unbeknownst to me that my brother has a sharp tongue.“Caily, I just got an email from an international brand. They are asking if you can fly to Thailand to discuss a potential contract with them,” Brithey said. Kasalukuyan kaming nasa Cebu para sa isang shot. We did five layouts today and it’s all by the beach. Inabutan ako ni Brithey ng tuwalya para takpan ang katawan ko.We shot a magazine cover. The main theme is about standing out so I wore a latex dress accessorized with chunky jewelry.“Kailan naman yan?”tanong ko habang tinatanggal ang suot na alahas.“The day after tomorrow,”tipid n’yang sagot habang nakatutok sa iPad. Tinignan ko ang relo ko. It’s already 5:30 pm. “Uuwi na rin ba tayo ngayon o bukas na ng umaga?” Hindi ako sigurado kung kakayanin ko pang bumiyahe pauwi ng Laguna matapos ang trabaho ko ngayong a
Ever since my early childhood I’m always the type of kid who will just stare around and instantly comprehend what’s going on in my surroundings. Some adults deemed me as mature but the reason that I’m quick to pick up on what’s happening in the surrounding is because in our house we rarely speak to one another. As I grew older, I realized that I’m not that aware anymore of what’s happening around me. It’s like I’ve dived into the abyss.“Are you alright, ate?” I was brought back to my senses when Eli gently racked my body. I looked at him. I can’t figure out his look. Is he apologetic or worried? I didn’t speak. Brithey just looked at me and Eli as if she was trying to grasp what’s happening. I stared at Eli for a few minutes before my phone rang. It was Erica calling. Eli took my phone and answered it. Lumakad s’ya papunta sa may kitchen. Akala ko ba okay na ako? Akala ko tanggap ko na ang katotohanan? Napahawak ako sa noo ko. That’s bullsh*t! I’ll never be alright with it! I neve
I was still shocked from what went down during our lunch. Malapit na bang mamatay si dad? Why on earth is he suddenly sweet and understanding?“Sapphire, I’m talking to you.” I was caught off-guard when dad uttered my name. “Po?” tanong ko dito dahil sa tingin ko mali ang narinig ko kanina.“I’m asking you when you are free. Balak ko kasing pumunta tayo sa ibang bansa bilang pamilya. That’s my graduation gift for you. So when are you free?” paliwanag ni dad.Ibinaba ko ang kubyertos na hawak ko at sandaling inalala ang schedule ko. If my memory serves right, I’ll be free after a month.“I’m not sure if I remember it correctly but I’m free by next month, I guess? I’ll confirm it tomorrow after talking to my manager.” Dad nodded and continued his meal.I swear that was the first time that he acknowledged me. If I only know that this is how I can gain his acknowledgement I should have studied way earlier. Wala sa sarili akong naglakad papasok ng lobby nang bigla akong tawagin ng recept