Chapter 5

JACOB ALDEGUIRE'S POV

I tilted my head slightly, the faintest crease forming between my brows.

“What do you mean by that?” tanong ko, kalmado ang boses at bahagyang nakangisi.

The silence that followed was deafening.

It presses against my ears, and against my chest. Conversations died mid-breath. Someone’s glass hovered in the air, forgotten. Even the music playing somewhere in the background felt too loud for how still everything suddenly became.

Xavier didn’t answer right away.

He just stared at me... for seconds.

And in that pause, was too long that I could feel how uncomfortable.. Elowen is. I didn’t need to look at her to know. I could feel it as the air kept circulating around us.

There was a tension that didn’t belong to me or Xavier alone. It was sharper, tighter.. like someone holding their breath for too long.

At alam ko sa mga sandaling ito at sobra na siyang kinakabahan, pero pilot niya iyong itinatago.. lalong-lalo na sa lalaking nasa tabi niya.

Hindi man kami nag-uusap at ramdam ko ang kanyang pagkabalisa. The way her presence pulled inward, like she was bracing for something she couldn’t stop.

When suddenly... Xavier let out a loud mocking laugh.

Halos sabay-sabay kaming napatingin sa kanya. At sa pagkakataong ito ay dama ko ang paghigpit ng panga ko.

I carefully watched him, as he leaned back in his chair, shaking his head as if I’d just said the most amusing thing he’d heard all night. The sound cracked the silence, and slowly, awkwardly, the room began to breathe again.

“Uncle,” he said, still smiling, still laughing lightly, “you’re always on the news.”

I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

“Left and right,” he continued, glancing around as if sharing a harmless joke with the room. “Models. Actresses. Socialites. Foreign celebrities.” He chuckled. “Even here in the Philippines.”

Ilan sa mga nakasama namin sa hapag ay natawa na din dahil sa sinabi niya, habang ako ay wala landing reaksyon.

“So it’s kind of hard to believe,” he added, eyes finally locking onto mine, “that no one would be interested in you.”

I smiled slowly, setting my glass down on the table with deliberate care. The soft clink echoed louder than it should have.

“Is that what you think?” kalmado kong tanong.

Hindi nawala ang ngiti sa kanyang labi, pero napansin ko ang pagtiim ng kanyang bagay. Ay mamaya ay gumalaw at muling nagbitaw ng mga salita.

“I’m just saying,” Xavier said, shrugging. “You don’t exactly have a reputation for… waiting. That's too impossible."

Kasunod niyon ay ang muli niyang paghalakhak at ang mga tao sa paligid namin. Animo'y tuwang-tuwa sila sa pagpapalitan naming dalawa ng mga salita.

But I remained calm, because I know exactly how to handle these kinds of situations. I just leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms, completely at ease. Or at least, I made it look that way.

“News tends to exaggerate,” I said lightly. “People like stories. Especially the ones they don’t fully understand.”

I let my gaze drift... not to him, but to Elowen. I did it on the way he wouldn't notice, or anyone around us.

She was staring at her hands now, fingers curled tightly together on her lap. Her shoulders were stiff. Still. As if she’d turned herself into stone, hoping not to be seen.

I looked back at Xavier.

“But you’re right about one thing,” I continued, voice steady. “Interest is rarely the problem.”

His smile thinned.

“What is, then?”

I smiled back. And calmly said, “Timing.”

The word hung between us.

Xavier’s eyes darkened, but he laughed again, louder this time, pushing his chair forward as if ready to stand.

“You always did like talking in riddles, Uncle," he said.

Matunog akong tumawa at muling inabot ang baso na binitawan ko kanina.

“Only when people ask questions they already know the answer to,” I replied.

Another beat of silence.

Then someone coughed. Another guest raised their glass. The moment fractured, the tension dispersing just enough for the night to continue pretending it was normal.

Xavier sat back down beside Elowen, his hand once again finding the back of her chair.

I watched him do it.

And I watched her flinch, just barely.

I picked up my drink, taking a slow sip, my eyes never leaving the pair of them.

Abala ang isipan at katawan ko sa pakikiramdam sa kanilang dalawa... nang bigla kong naramdaman ang presensya ng kung sino sa tabi ko.

Kumunot ang aking noo lalo na nang maramdaman ko ang kamay nito sa balikat ko. Kaya dahan-dahan ko itong nilingon at nagsalubong ang aking kilay ng bumungad sa harapan ko si Annika.

"What are you doing here?" tanong nito sa akin, hindi ako nagsalita at tiningnan lamang siya.

And instead of answering her question.. I just wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her and made her sat on my lap.

"I should be the one asking you... that question," malamig kong sambit, tiningnan siya ng diretsyo sa mata.

Pero hindi niya ako kaagad sinagot. Mapang-akit siyang ngumiti at iniyakap ang braso sa aking leeg. She started moving... closer to my face, I know what exactly she's about to do. But I didn't stop her and let her kiss me in front of everyone.

At habang magkadikit ang labi naming dalawa... ang mga mata ko ay nakatutok lamang sa isang tao na kanina pa nakatingin sa direksyon ko.

My eyes lit up and responded to Annika's kiss when Elowen didn't avoid my gaze.

"That's it, Elowen..." inside my head as I keep kissing another woman.

Maya-maya pa ay narinig ko ang sunod-sunod na pag-ubo ng kapatid ko. Muntik ko ng makalimutan na marami pala kaming kasama, kaya bahagya kong inilayo ang mukha ni Annika.

"Enjoy the dinner, and please excuse us." Usal ko, at agad na umahon mula sa aking pagkaka-upo.

"Leaving already?" Xavier asked me.

Tiningnan ko siya at nginisihan.

"Yup... I have more business to do," I said, but before I turned my back on them... my gaze went on Elowen.

Hindi ko alam kung tama ba ang nakita ko, pero hindi ako puwedeng magkamali.

Her eyes was burning as she looks at me.

"There you go..." sa isip ko at agad na tumalikod.

Hawak-hawak ko ang papulsuhan ni Annika at walang tigil siyang kinaladkad palabas ng hapagkainan. Pero habang naglalakad kami ay muling bumabalik sa isipan ko ang emosyon na nakita ko kanina sa mga mata ni Elowen.

At sa dami ng babae na nakilala ko ay alam kong tama ang nakita ko. I can't be mistaken.. and it's impossible that I'm just hallucinating or being delusional.

I clearly saw it with my own eyes.

She's mad at me... really man. And it made me so happy. At wala akong pakialam kung gano'n ako kababaw, ang makita siyang tingnan ako nang gano'n kahit purong galit ay ayos lang.

Basta't may nararamdaman siya sa akin at kahit galit at ikakatuwa ko iyon at magpasalamat pa ako ng husto.

TO BE CONTINUED....