AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Happy Valentine’s Day! Spread the love. ❤
CHAPTER 50: Eyes are out on stalks.
“I really have the worst taste in men,” I mused after realizing that there’s a pattern with the guys I date: playboys who don’t know how to take things seriously. I can’t say they’re the only ones to blame.
“I must say that stung a bit, Cars,” Wesley pretended to look offended but the pronounced smugness in his voice couldn’t conceal his attempt of teasing.
I haven’t the slightest idea how I messed it up with Wesley. I’ve forgotten how close we were until today.
“Why did we ever stop hanging out?”“Because we slept together, remember?” I raised my bottle of beer and clinked it with his; both of us laughing like a drain.
“And here you are trying to get me drunk again.” I moved my eyebrows up and down tauntingly. Just then, the Axe “Bom Chicka Wah Wah” commercial began airing on the flat screen TVs by the bar and we just couldn’t stop cracking up. Wesley almost fell off his chair when he’d forgotten for a second that our barstools didn’t had a back support when he tried to lean back. I was nearly in tears from laughing too hard.
I only had eight bottles of Stella Artois, still far from my alcohol limit, but I was already high on euphoria.
“Stop goofing around,” I squealed and punched his arm.
“Now I need to pee again. Look what you did.”He helped me out of my chair but I still tripped over my own foot, good thing he was holding me the entire time. I lifted my head and found his lips almost in contact with mine. I took a deep breath and there it was, that familiar Hugo Boss scent that’s enough to make me woozy and come on to him right then and there. It was more potent that any alcohol in the world combined.
“Carrie, I—”“You have a girlfriend,” I mumbled before he could even say anything else, pulling myself away from him.
“You, mister, have a girlfriend,” I sighed with my hands on my hips, tapping my foot impatiently.
I inhaled deeply before heading to the restroom. I locked the door behind me and pulled the strands of my hair in frustration. Why do I keep messing this up? We’re finally back to our old selves again and I just keep going back to square one.
“Carina, wake up!” I was slapping my own cheeks, hoping this would bring me back to my senses.
There was a soft knock on the door,
“Cars? Are you okay?”“I’ll be out in a second,” I called out.
“Please open the door,” I could hear his plea even from this side.
I left the door ajar and backed away a few steps as I watched him enter the unisex restroom.
“Care to fill me in what happened out there?” He didn’t look completely clueless, I’d give him that.
“It was nothing, Wesley,” I tried to assure him but he just wouldn’t buy it.
“It didn’t look nothing to me.”“I just don’t want to do something we’d regret in the morning.”“What do you mean?”“I think you know exactly what I mean.” I leaned against the nearest sink and turned the tap on.
“The last time we got drunk, we ended up sleeping together and a whole lot of things happened.”“Where exactly are you going with this, Carrie?” He slowly narrowed the gap between us.
“Tell me what you’re really worried about.”I’m worried about falling for you when it’s obvious that I already missed my chance.“Do me a favor, Wes,” I shook my head and exhaled,
“change your goddamn cologne.”
“Latte or cappuccino?” he asked as he placed two mugs on our table.
“Latte,” I smiled, glad that he didn’t order anything bitter.
“I just got a reply from my brother.”“I hope he didn’t notice you were fishing,” he chortled.
“Actually, I’m guessing he did but he just didn’t bother telling me off,” I giggled.
“From what I found out, your sister will be going with a guy from Wade’s class on their prom.”“But Wade was planning to ask my sister, right?”“Exactly,” I nodded, pleased that he’s able to get the drift with very few details from his sister. He doesn’t have the common stumble block among males where you have to explain every single detail for them to keep up. Gerard just gets it, unlike my brothers.
“Do you know who your sister is going with by the way?”“Why do you want to know?” he teased.
“Are you planning on having him kidnapped so your brother can take my sister to prom instead?”“What? Do I like I’m a Mafia to you?” I laughed, hitting his arm.
“That’s your second one for today. You only have one more to go before…” His voice grew faint.
“Before what?” I dared him to go.
“Before I tell my mom that you’re bullying me,” he pulled a face and feigned a whimper.
“Anong gusto ng batang ‘yan? Bakit umiiyak?” I pouted and even pretended to baby talk, pinching his adorable cheeks in the process.
“But good thing I’ve been working out a lot lately,” he said when our laughter died down. I could see him clenching his fist and flexing his biceps.
“Ikaw na ang macho!”“I’m totally kidding,” he gave a loud, silly laugh.
“My sister would smack me in the head with this chair if she ever sees me do that.”“Don’t wait for me to lose my patience and do that myself,” I eyed him warily and that made him cringe a little.
“Gerard, I’m totally kidding!” I chuckled at the look on his face.
“Please don’t ever do that unnerving look again,” he said, crying uncle. He looked nothing but a frightened child and that just made him more adorable.
“As long as you’re a good boy,” I managed to say without my face cracking into a smile.
“So what do you plan we do with our siblings?”“Lock them up in a room and don’t let them come out until they’re finally talking to each other?”I bit my lip and struggled not to hit him again.
“I’m serious, Ardie!” My face gave a little away when I couldn’t help snickering.
“Why don’t we tell everyone except Wade and Maxine that cotillion practice is cancelled today and only the two of them would show up in the venue?”“Who’s the Mafia now?” It’s a laugh a minute with the suggestions he keeps coming up with.
“On a serious note, I hope our siblings would stop ignoring each other and just talk things out.”“It’s no fun when you can’t see the girl that you like everyday,” he said while sprinkling his coffee with brown sugar.
“Good thing you see me everyday,” I joshed and that made him blush a bit.
“Chi,” he breathed and gently linked his hand with my left.
“When you’re sad, I hope you’ll come to me first.”“Eh?” I chuckled over his sudden change of mood.
“Call me when you’re sad or if you need someone to talk to. Or for any reason at all. Just call me, okay?”I gave him a strange look and just smiled,
“Okay, if you say so.”Gerard has his way with words and I admit that my knees would get all wobbly whenever he says or do something sweet. But the thing is, he’s sweet to everyone else so I don’t really know if he’s just being his usual charming self or he’s trying to make a move on me.
I always get to have a seamless conversation with him where I don’t need to be conscious of my mannerisms or which dress I’d wear and I don’t have to think twice of what I’m about to say. But there’s always an undeniable tension whenever I realize that I’m alone with him or I catch him staring at me… or maybe I’m the only one feeling it?
“Hey, did you know that Mr. Transferee is dating your Execom rival?” Zara spoke in a whisper while our professor in Research was helping the girls from the front row regarding the hypotheses with their paper.
“Charmelle Siytangco?” I hissed, unable to believe I’m saying her name right now. Up to this day I still don’t understand why anyone would name their kid
Charmelle. I don’t know, I guess my loathing for the name also transcends with the person I know bearing it.
“Wow, I didn’t know he has a thing for girls who wear skimpy clothes all the time,” I groused.
“Gina from the morning class told me that they met during her vacation in the US about three years ago.”“Seriously, Za, bakit ang dami mong sources?” I’m surprised by the amount of information she gets with such a short span.
“Okay, everyone, listen up,” Dr. Gonzales called when he realized he only has thirty minutes before the class end.
“The group reporting will start next week so I need four groups with five members each. I already picked who will be the group leaders based on the scores of the essay you submitted last meeting. Once I call your name, please stand in front.” He shuffled the papers on his desk into a neat pile and cleared his throat.
“Policarpio, Romano, Sanchez, and Sy. Leaders, you can pick your own group members from the class and you can also pick the topic you want to discuss.”Everyone started calling out the people they want to be in their group. Zara was the last member to complete Ann Policarpio’s group while there are only three of us left.
“Mr. Sy, who’s going to be your fifth member?” Dr. Gonzales asked while he was listing down the names of the members in each group on the board. This is a give away. Dr. Gonzales might as well write Charmelle’s name since everyone knows Spencer Sy would pick her.
I met his eye and I just hated the way he just stood there smirking with his smoldering look. I wonder what Charmelle — and all the girls — in our class see in him, and it’s a bigger mystery to me what he saw in her. I saw Charmelle glance at me for a mere second then rolled her eyes. Well, excuse you.
“Katt Briones, sir.”
I could feel the sun on my face and all I could do is curse under my breath. I want to get up and draw the curtains but my body is just not cooperating right now. All I want to do is get back to sleep. I blindly searched for the covers hoping to block out the harsh glare of the sunlight peering through the windows.
“Where the f*ck is that quilt?” I rose from the bed, annoyed that my sleep got disturbed with a serious headache to boot. I was wearing nothing but my undergarments and given the icky feeling on my face, I’ve most likely forgotten to remove my make-up before going to bed.
But there was something else that was out of place.
Me.One look and I knew that this is definitely not my room and I am definitely not in my condo.
Bloody hell…
This is Wesley’s room.
Poll
