Gun 08

Third Person

Louis stepped on the accelerator of the car. He was worried about Elaine, especially when his mother mentioned that something bad had happened to her.

“Damn,” he cursed while hitting the steering wheel because of the traffic. Just when he was in a hurry, traffic congestion happened in the area.

“Can you calm down? As if you can stop the traffic with that, idiot,” Kaizer told him, but the truth was, Kaizer’s hand had been shaking with fear about what happened to Elaine. He had liked her for a long time, but he always held himself back whenever they met because he didn’t want to complicate her mind with all that was going on.

He knew Elaine better than her future husband. There was nothing he could do about it, especially since he wasn’t sure if she liked him, too. If he could, he would run away with her and live a simple life, but if that happened, there would be important things that they needed to sacrifice that he couldn’t bear to lose.

When they arrived at the mansion, Louis immediately got out of the car and quickly went inside. When he entered, his mother was smiling at him while Elaine was unaware of what was going on.

“You’re home, son. I’m glad to see you. How’s your day?” his mother asked, coming closer to hug him. Kaizer, standing behind him, was confused by what was happening.

“I thought, Aunt, something bad happened to Elaine?” Kaizer asked, glancing between Elaine and Louis’ mother who was smiling at him teasingly.

“Actually, she just got a small cut while we were cooking, and I already applied betadine. Don’t worry,” Hacel said and pulled from the hug.

Louis and Kaizer were nearly speechless upon hearing what she said, so Louis spoke first, “I said I’d come home once I finish what I’m doing. Why did you use Elaine just to get me to come home?” Louis asked, frowning. He did want to come home because he was worried about what his mother might tell Elaine, but she didn’t need to say that something bad had happened to her just to get him to come home quickly.

“Why? Something bad did happen, and she got hurt. Do you think, Louis, that this isn’t bad news?” his mother asked, placing a hand on her temple as if thinking. She did this to tease Louis, and it was very effective.

“Fine, but next time, you shouldn’t call like that. You’re making someone worry when the truth is, it’s not that big of a deal,” Louis said, almost lecturing his mother for what she did. She only gave him a peace sign before returning to her side.

His mother really acts like a child sometimes, so how could he not be used to this now? She always pranked him, and once it was done, there was nothing he could do except forgive her because she always guilt-tripped him.

“Instead of standing there like you’re frozen, why don’t you greet your future wife?” his mother said while munching on cookies and graham crackers placed on the table. Elaine and Louis had made them together. He was glad he found common ground with her in that hobby. Whenever his wife was at work, he would bake and bring the treats to her office.

“No need to tell it, Mom,” Louis said. His mother was treating him like a teenager again. For Pete's sake, he would turn twenty-seven in March, but the way his mother spoke to him made him feel like he was still eighteen, which he hated about her.

Louis was a consistent dean’s lister when he was in college because most of the professors there were well-acquainted with his family. He was also a member of the football team, which always competed in tournaments for their university.

He was really popular at school, which he hated because women were so annoying. They were always around wherever he went. They almost worshipped him because of his looks and wealth, going so far as to suggest sleeping with him. He hated that. What he wanted in a woman was someone with dignity, not like the ones he met who were ready to give up their purity just to be with him.

“Hello, wife,” he greeted as he slowly approached Elaine who was busy talking to her father. She immediately turned to face him and shyly greeted him back. He kissed her on the forehead, which made her father, who was standing next to Elaine, clear his throat. He couldn’t do anything but greet him back.

“And greetings to you, Uncle,” Louis said firmly. He smiled at the older man, who, from the gray hair and wrinkles, seemed to be in his forties. His body was a little thin compared to his daughter, Elaine, however, was taller than her father because she had inherited her height from her late mother.

Nevertheless, the older man greeted him back. Mr. Natividad took Louis’ hand and guided it to place on his forehead to show him how to pay respect to elders. Once done, Elaine laughed while Mr. Natividad said, “May God bless you, hijo.” To which Louis just nodded, feeling a little embarrassed in front of Elaine’s father.

Kaizer then approached Elaine’s father and also did the same. Louis shot him a teasing smile since Kaizer didn’t know how to show respect to the elders. “How are you, Tito?” Kaizer asked. Mr. Natividad held Kaizer’s hand and said the same words he had said to Louis. The only difference was that he offered Kaizer to sit next to Elaine, something he didn’t do for Louis.

Luckily, Louis’ father was there to save him from the awkward situation. “Why don’t we talk about Elaine and Louis’ upcoming wedding at our private resort?” he suggested, and his wife immediately agreed. Kaizer sighed, It seemed like this would have been his chance to sit next to Elaine, but out of nowhere, his uncle suggested that he couldn’t sit next to her.

“That’s perfect timing, honey. It’s too humid right now. It’s also better so that we can bond more with Elaine and her father. If it’s okay with you, amigo?” Louis’ mother said, smiling at Mr. Natividad. The older man didn’t think twice and agreed because there was nothing he could do, especially since his daughter’s wedding had already been arranged before she was even born. All he needed to do was make sure Elaine was in good hands.

“Well, in that case, it’s good timing for Elaine to move her things here to my son’s mansion,” the woman said, smiling at Louis as if saying, “I got you.” It was truly wonderful to have parents who would save you from an awkward moment.

“Does Elaine really need to move now, Aunt? Can’t she do it after their wedding?” Kaizer interjected, scratching his head. He was thinking about the father of the young woman who would be left alone in the apartment once Elaine moved.

“Come on, hijo. Of course, they need to get to know each other better, especially since their wedding’s near. Also, it’s safer for her to stay here. You know our family, we have many enemies. What if something happens and she’s attacked in the apartment they’re staying at? What can we do? We can’t get to her in time, can we? I hope you don’t take my intentions the wrong way, Kaizer. I’m just thinking about Elaine’s welfare,” Hacel said. She quickly grabbed some water to drink because her throat had dried up after speaking for so long.

“Don’t worry, hijo. I know you just want to protect Elaine. Hacel is right, it’s better if my daughter stays here to lessen my worry about her safety,” Mr. Natividad said. His voice showed that he wasn’t happy about being separated from his only daughter, but this was the only option that would ensure Elaine’s safety. No matter where she went, there were always guards around them. Also, it seemed that her future husband, Louis, wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Just the fact that he rushed home when his mother said something bad had happened to Elaine showed how serious he was. Mr. Natividad was amazed by the young man, but he still couldn’t give Louis his full trust because his daughter was involved.

“Well, you can count on my son for this. We’ll head to our private resort first. Let Louis go with you to help Elaine move her things,” Hacel said. She waved them goodbye and left with the car they used when they arrived.

The four of them were left in the living room. The silence was broken when Kaizer offered to drive, which Mr. Natividad agreed to.

They were quiet during the drive.

Mr. Natividad spoke to Louis to ask him, “Are you serious about my daughter?” he asked, staring at the young man, making sure he wouldn’t answer wrong. Elaine, sitting between them, immediately grabbed her father’s arm to stop him from asking. Louis just smiled and quickly responded to reassure her father.

“I’m serious about Elaine. Also, I never thought that this marriage was only for the sake of the deal. I’m trying to connect with her so we can get to know each other,” Louis said. Elaine’s father nodded in approval and smiled at his daughter.

“That’s good to hear. Just don’t hurt my daughter, understand? I’ll keep her away from you if that ever happens,” he warned Louis, to which the young man just nodded.

Louis didn’t know why he was acting like this—being kind to avoid disappointing a woman. He would never have done this before, but over time, his perspective changed. Maybe he was starting to like Elaine. He just hoped that his feelings for her wouldn’t change because of one thing.

The last thing he wanted was to break his trust. He couldn’t forgive himself if he made the wrong decision to love her.

When they arrived at the apartment, Sir Pedro, who was wearing red lipstick, greeted them. “Wow, you have a handsome companion,” he said. Louis ignored him, so Sir Pedro hit him on the back with the fan he was holding.

“And where are you going, handsome?” Sir Pedro asked, raising an eyebrow.

Louis gave him a glare for what he did. “I don’t owe you an explanation,” Louis said, which annoyed Sir Pedro. He blocked his path, but Mr. Natividad spoke to get him out of the way.

“This is the man who will marry my daughter Elaine. He’s here to help her move her things into their future home,” Mr. Natividad said with a smile, which made Sir Pedro freeze.

“Your daughter is so lucky. You always bring handsome men to this apartment. Maybe I’ll get one of these foreign men,” the old man, who was a flamboyant gay, responded. They all laughed..

“Well, you’re here, huh? Maybe you and I should go on a date instead?” Sir Pedro said, flirting with Kaizer who was standing behind Louis’ family. He quickly ran into the apartment, Sir Pedro ran after him. Sir Pedro was about the same age as Elaine’s father, but he acted more like a teenager when he flirts..

“Let’s go inside,” Elaine said. They saw Kaizer holding a broom while Sir Pedro slowly approached him. Mr. Natividad cleared his throat, which made the older man stop what he was doing.

“Seriously, it was almost like I was going to kiss this handsome young man. You guys ruin everything!” Sir Pedro whined like a child who had been deprived of candy. They didn’t want to waste any time since they had to go to the private resort that day.

“Can you give us some privacy, Sir Pedro?” Elaine asked, making the older man roll his eyes.

He gave them a forced smile and said, “Alright, I’ll just bring you some snacks,” before leaving. Before he left, he blew a flying kiss at Kaizer, which made him nearly gag. He never thought Sir Pedro would flirt with him, but he knew he would never entertain it.

When he left, Kaizer breathed a sigh of relief, which Elaine laughed at. “Are you okay?” she asked.

The young man got an idea to tease Louis. “Of course. I’m facing the most beautiful girl in the world,” Kaizer said, mimicking Sir Pedro’s flying kiss. Suddenly, a slipper flew from Louis and hit him in the face.

“Are you trying to ruin my handsome face?” Kaizer yelled. He was about to rush toward Louis, but Elaine stopped him.

“Enough already! You both act like children!” Elaine scolded, standing with her hands on her hips. She looked like a teacher lecturing her two mischievous students, especially with the glasses she wore, which made both of them stop.

“Okay, fine. I’ll help you pack your things,” Kaizer said.

Louis immediately interrupted the conversation. “If someone should help my wife, it’s me. Not you, dickhead,” Louis snapped, and the tension rose further when Kaizer moved closer to Elaine.

Mr. Natividad cleared his throat, stopping both of them. He immediately faced them, held both their arms, and led them outside.

“I won’t let you in until you two stop fighting!”

Elaine was happy with what she witnessed. It seemed like just earlier, she was about to curse Louis for his behavior, but now he seemed to have turned into a lamb in front of her father.

“Elaine, baby, help me out here,” Kaizer flirted. Louis frowned. He didn’t know, but he wanted to kill his cousin because of how he was acting around his future wife.

“Baby my ass. Don’t you know how to f*ck off? I’ll tell you this once, Elaine is mine,” Louis said seriously. Kaizer ignored him and continued calling Elaine like that.

He pulled out his gun, shocking Sir Pedro, who was holding biscuits and soda. “Wow, it’s huge,” the old man screamed, which caught the attention of the neighbors. Surely, the gossip would spread quickly if the nosy neighbors saw the gun, so Elaine immediately approached Louis.

“Louis, put your pistol down. If anyone sees it, they’ll surely report it to the police,” Elaine said. Louis’ mischievous side kicked in. He raised the gun higher.

“Please, put it down!” Elaine begged.

“I’ll put it down if you can kiss me in front of Kaizer,” he said. Elaine was overwhelmed with embarrassment.

The young woman hesitated, unsure if she should do it. Kaizer looked at her seriously, waiting to see if she would do what Louis asked. He trusted Elaine, but he was surprised when she slowly stood up and gently kissed Louis on the cheek, which made him turn away.

He liked Elaine so much, but it seemed like she already had feelings for Louis, and it crushed his heart. He thought she liked him, but now he realized he was wrong. His feelings were one-sided.