The atmosphere of our table was uncomfortable, so I excused myself as I stood up. Hinanap ng mata ko ang magpinsan pero si Eugene ay may kausap na isang ginoo na mukhang hindi pwedeng istorbohin.
Kumaway ako at ngumiti sa iilang bumati saakin habang naglalakad papunta sa isang pahabang lamesa kung nasaan ang drinks. I grabbed a cocktail, took a sip, and turned around to scan the crowd.
Nagkatinginan pa kami ng isang waiter na naglalagay ng bagong drinks sa hawak niyang bilugang tray. I smiled at him a bit and he did the same.
I let out a sigh before finishing the remaining liquid of my flute before approaching a guard stationed near the backdoor of the mansion.
"Hey, may I know where the powder room is?" I asked.
He gave me quick directions. I thanked him with a polite nod before stepping inside the house. May mga iilang kasambahay akong nakasalubong na napatingin pero agad din namang nag iwas tingin.
Nang makarating sa loob ng powder room ay agad akong naghugas ng kamay habang nakatingin sa salamin na nasa harap.
My hair was a bit messy now and my forehead and nose were a bit shiny, so after washing my hands, I blot my forehead and nose to remove the excess oil before retouching them with powder.
My right hand raked through my hair to comb it a bit before turning to my left side to see if it looked neat from the back. Naglagay na rin ako ng panibagong patong ng lip gloss bago lumabas.
The moment I stepped out, a sharp gasp escaped my lips.
Kaleb was now here, standing too close. His gaze was dark and unreadable. Before I could react, he scoffed and forcefully gripped my right hand beside me against the door.
"K-kaleb, what are you doing?" I asked, my brows furrowing as I tried to break free from his grip.
His fingers tightened. I winced. He was clenching his jaw like he was barely restraining himself. What is happening?!
"You really know how to hit a nerve..." he muttered, his voice low and laced with anger.
That made my left brow arched in confusion. "H-huh? What do you mean?"
I forced a small smile despite the situation. "And can you please let go? You're actually starting to hurt me,”
"Mary..." he inhaled swiftly. "broke up with me,"
Nagsalubong agad ang kilay ko. "And? Ano namang kinalaman ko sa break up n'yo?"
Like seriously, what is he insinuating?
"Mary broke up with me!" he repeated, his voice firm and seething.
Nagpumiglas ako dahil nilapit niya ang mukha niya saakin pero wala akong magawa dahil mas malakas siya.
"Because of you!" he spat. "The girl you were referring to? She wasn’t just some random girl. She’s the daughter of my father's business partner!"
"And what does that have to do with me nga?!" I asked, now raising my voice because I really don't understand where this conversation is going.
"You f*****g ruined my plan! Gustong gusto mo palagi ng atensyon!" he said.
The veins on his neck were protruding as he raised his voice on me. Nag iwas tingin ako bago bumuntong hininga para kalmahin ang sarili.
I could feel his stare on me so I gulped the lump in my throat before looking at him. His heavy breathing was making my heart beat faster. At alam kong dahil sa takot sa kung anong pwedeng mangyari!
"Please, Kaleb. We can talk properly...not like this," I said, keeping my voice steady.
Napapikit ako nang sumigaw siya. "At sa tingin mo may karapatan kang mag reklamo? Pagkatapos ng ginawa mo? Sinira mo ang dapat na kinabukasan ko!"
"What the hell is happening in here?"
We both looked at that person who suddenly talked. Agad lumuwang ang pagkahawak saakin ni Kaleb kaya hinimas ko agad ang kamay ko. I let out a low groan because my arms felt sore and numb.
"No—"
"Oh, don't be like that, Kaleb" I scoffed in disbelief.
I earned a glare from him which made me look away. Nanatili akong nakatayo habang salubong pa rin ang kilay ng lalaking biglang nagpakita dito.
Thanks to him, because Kaleb might do something that may harm me if it wasn't for his intervention.
Kaleb clicked his tongue in irritation. "We’re not done here," he muttered, pointing an accusatory finger at me before storming off.
Tumingin pa siya sa lalaki bago tuluyang nakalayo. Nagkatinginan naman kami ng lalaki. His lips were parted, confused.
"What exactly happened in here? Are you alright?" He chuckled awkwardly as he walked towards me.
I shrugged my shoulders. "I actually don't know, too. Bigla nalang siyang sumugod at sinigawan ako," then chuckled awkwardly.
The guy still looked unconvinced, but I wasn’t in the mood to explain further.
"Now, if you'll excuse me..." I added with a faint smile before walking away.
Pagkabalik ko sa labas ay nagkatinginan agad kami ni Eugene at agad na lumapit saakin.
"Hey. I've been looking for you.." he said.
Napatingin ako sa paligid at may mga nag aalisan na at narinig ko ang salitang 'club' at 'drunk hard'
I cleared my throat. "I...I was in the powder room. You know, girl things" then chuckled.
"Are we leaving now?" I asked.
"Uh, actually, oo sana. Pero ‘yung iba kasi mauuna na raw…”
Naghintay ako sa susunod na sasabihin niya habang nakatingin lang sa kaniya. I don't know why, but he seemed hesitant.
"Are you okay?" His tone shifted—from hesitant to concerned.
My lips parted. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"Kasi may nakakita raw sainyo ni Kaleb na nag aaway,"
"Is that so? Uh, yes. I'm fine," I reassured him.
His eyes studied me as if trying to gauge whether I was telling the truth. I forced a smile to ease his concern.
"I will tell the bouncers to not let him enter. He is a guest, I know. But you're my—"
"Eugene, let's go!"
A group of guys and girls called out to him, laughing. Kaya napatingin agad si Eugene sa kanila at natawa.
"Susunod kami!" he shouted back.
His friends seemed excited and eager to go to the club that he was talking about after this party. And I was not actually in the mood to go after that verbal abuse that I have received from Kaleb.
"You can go, Eugene. I actually have to leave,"
His eyes widened when he looked at me. "Huh? Why? Akala ko ba pupunta ka?"
I shook my head and smiled apologetically. Gustuhin ko man sana ay wala talaga akong gana at paniguradong nandoon sila Kaleb. I don't want to cross paths with him again.
My gut tells me that he will do something worse than earlier.
"Is this about Kaleb? Siya ang dapat na aalis hindi ikaw," he insisted seriously.
I wanted to let out a heavy sigh, but it would be rude to do it in front of him.
"N-no, please don't do that. Ako nalang. Atsaka...marami rin akong kailangang gawin para bukas," I held his both hands, almost pleading.
Napatingin siya doon bago pilit na ngumiti at napatango. "Hindi na kita pipilitin kung ayan ang gusto mo,"
"Happy birthday again," I said with finality.
"Thank you," he said.
We exchanged faint smiles before I turned away, heading outside. Dumiretso ako sa labas at may iilang bumati pa saakin na naghihintay sa labas ng mga kotse nila na nakaparada.
May narinig pa akong tanong habang nagtitipa na ng mensahe sa driver para masundo ako. Tinanong ako kung hindi raw ba ako sasama sa kanila at tumango lang ako.
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