Badboy's Addiction (Badboy Series 2)

Chapter Seventeen

The dress that Addison picked for me is pretty decent that ends just above my knees, it's an off-shoulder dress which top is a tight plain white while the bottom is dangling down lightly with two layers of fabric, the inner is a white silk that's patterned with blue florals while the outer layer is a see-through fabric and is shorter than the silk one.

I'm also wearing a small gold ring earings that has a tiny gem on the front that's glittering when present directly in the light. We found it sitting inside the drawers in my closet, untouched and lonely. I'm pretty sure it's fake though, maybe it's from a long time ago that I don't remember.

Addison also let me borrow the necklace she's wearing currently which I assume costs so much. It's a siver necklace with a tiny silver paper airplane as its pendant.

Inside her backpack are makeups and brushes, she came prepared and ready. I guess she wasn't lying when she said she's been waiting for this moment.

She did a full glamor make up on my face that my skin feels heavy. The makeup's not too much noticeable but it still felt too much. I never put too much make up before, I don't like the way they look on me, but I gotta admit that it looks decent since it's Addison who did it for me.

Maybe it looked bad on me before because I was the one who did it by watching some make up turtorials on youtube. Well, I did use to impersonate Addi back when we were young.

Noong mga bata pa kami, paminsan-minsan ay bumibisita si Papa sa bahay para magbigay ng pera kay lola pangsuporta sa akin, minsan din ay dala niya si Addison at nuong una siyang dinala ni Papa sa bahay ay naging magkalaro kami. Maayos pa noon ang sitwasyon, ganoon pa rin ang ugali ni Mama pero nanduon naman si Lola, the only person who can stand my mother's behavior and demeanor.

Naalala ko noon ay naiinggit ako kay Addison kasi iba siya sa akin, mahal na mahal din siya ni Papa hindi tulad ko na hindi man lang niya mangitian nang maayos at totoo. Halata rin sa ayos nito na mahal siya ng mga magulang niya dahil magaganda ng damit at bestida niya. Bawat pagbisita nila sa bahay ay may bago siyang laruan, at dinadala niya lang iyon para ibahagi rin sa akin.

May pagkakataon din na sinama ni Papa ang ibang anak niya para ipakilala ako sa kanila pero hindi sila katulad ni Addison na mabait, ayaw nila sa akin at ganoon din ako sa kanila. But I was naive back then, I wanted to be part of their family and wanted their attention, yet they keep pushing me away everytime. Ane I just gave up one day and started to mind my own business.

"Oh my god, ang ganda-ganda mo, sis! I am proud of myself!" She exclaimed, she's even tearing up and fanning herself with her hand to hold her tears.

"You're overreacting," I replied shyly.

"I'm sure and no doubt that Emmanuel will be head over heals for you after he sees you like this. Ugh, I wish I can come with you pero ayokong sirain ang moment niyo ng boyfriend mo."

"He's not my boyfriend, Addi!" Tinakpan ko ang mukha para itago ang naiilang kong ekspresyon.

"Ano ba sa tingin mo ang mangyayari pagkatapos ng date niyo? He'll ask you out officially, that's how it works, that's the purpose of asking a person out while in a courting stage. Wala ka bang planong sagutin si Emmanuel?"

Binaba ko ang kamay ko at napalabi. "Plano ko sanang i-cancel ang date."

Her lips parted open. "No way-!"

"But he got you involved! Even the boys! So I have no reason to do that anymore."

"There's no way you just planned to do that."

"What do you think will Kosovar think when he finds this out? He told me to stay away from Emmanuel and I promised him I will, but I disobeyed him and here I am." I catched my forehead in stress, being careful not to ruin my makeup. I don't want to waste Addison's effort.

"What do you think will Emmanuel feel when he finds out that you planned to cancel the date? Won't you think you'll hurt his feeling?" Pumamewang siya at huminga ng malalim. "Hindi mo naman kaano-ano si Kosovar, wala siyang pakialam sa mga desisyon mo at hindi siya dapat nangingialam sa buhay mo."

Nagbaba ako ng tingin dahil may punto siya. Ang totoo ay mas nag-aalala ako sa mangyayari sa date at kung anong kalalabasan nito kaysa sa sinaad ko. All I need to do is to act like myself and to interact with him normally like before, why does it seem so hard to do that?

"Why don't you do this." She grabbed my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "Subukan mong hanapin ang dahilan kung bakit natatakot kang pumasok sa relasyon kasama si Emmanuel. Sigurado akong makakahanap ka ng kasagutan sa date."

"Y-you think so?"

"I think so, but you should also enjoy your time. This is your first ever date with your soon to be boyfriend."

For half an hour, my sister teased me about the date and Emmanuel while straightening my hair until we heard a familiar motorbike stopping from outside the house. I looked at Addison nervously, trying to ask her what I should do and what should I say when I see him.

"You gotta be kidding me? Is he expecting you to ride that dangerous thing?" She stood up and strode angrily all the way downstairs as I followed her frantically.

God, what should I do? Anong dapat sabihin ko kapag nakita ko siya? How do I usually greet him?

Lumabas si Addison sa bahay habang ako ay nagtago sa loob, sumilip ako sa bintana sa likod ng kurtina kung saan hindi ako makikita.

Kasalukuyang pinaparada ni Emmanuel nang maayos ang motor niya, nakuha ng atensyon niya si Addison na huminto sa harap niya habang nakapamewang.

"You should have brought a car instead of that thing, pupunta kayo sa date hindi sa kung saan lang. That's not how date works!" She complaint.

Emmanuel looked at her flatly. "This is how we usually go to our destination, what's wrong with it?"

"You could at least try to be romantic."

"I don't think your sister will prefer that."

"Excuse me?"

"She won't be comfortable if I start to act differently now and why does it matter to you, anyway? Your job is to help her, not to point out how I should treat a girl on a date."

"Both of you are hopeless, bahala na kayo sa buhay niyo kung anong gusto niyong gawin!"

Mahina akong natawa sa sagutan nila. Alam ko na yata kung bakit tingin ni Addison ay masama siya at ang ugali niya. Naiisip ko tuloy kung ganito rin ba siya makitungo sa ibang tao at hindi ko lang napapansin, sa akin lang ba siya mabait? Hindi rin siguro dahil parang mabait naman siya kina Alonzo at Reece.

Maybe Addison's right, maybe I could find the answers to my questions through the date, and maybe this could be an opportunity for me to know more about him.

I took a deep breath, I slicked my hair at the back of my ear and walked slowly to the door. I stopped on the porch, my eyes trained on the ground and my cheeks burning. I can feel their gaze on me, it's making me frantic that I don't know what to do next.

I awkwardly folded my arms over my chest, I looked straight ahead and immediately met Emmanuel's eyes. I bit my lower lip, my shaky hand raising to give him a short wave.

"Hey..." My heart is beating so fast that I almost couldn't hear my own voice.

Naglandas ang tingin niya sa kabuuan ko at ganoon din ang ginawa ko sa kaniya. I can tell right away that his clothings today are different from his usual style. He's wearing a simple dark blue tuxedo that looks like what the boys wears during a prom, a white necktie around his neck, a black pants and a pair of black formal shoes.

Nakaayos ang buhok niya at may suot na mamahaling relo sa kaliwang pulsuhan. Hindi niya kamukha ang sarili niya, para siyang ibang tao pero hindi makakaila na bagay rin sa kaniya ang ganitong ayos. Parang hindi ako nararapat na tignan siya ngayon.

"Hey, you look beautiful." He complimented me with a smile.

"I-ikaw rin naman."

Nakangiti pa rin siya habang naglalakad palapit sa akin, para akong aatakihin sa puso habang palapit siya nang palapit. Nanigas ako nang yakapin niya ako, nanlaki ang mga mata ko at tumingin kay Addison na nagkibit-balikat lang.

"I'll leave you two alone now, good luck!" She said her goodbye and left with her car. When she left, Emmanuel pulled away and looked at the direction where Addison's car disappeared.

"Your sister is annoying," he said.

"She helped me get ready, dapat nagpasalamat ka man lang." Pagdadahilan ko, mahina ng boses at hindi pa rin komportable sa presensya niya.

"Yeah, she did a good job. You look beautiful."

"N-nasabi mo na 'yan, hindi mo na kaylangang ulitin pa."

"I'm just being honest."

Your honestly is killing me in embarrassment.

"Isasara ko lang 'yong bahay, mauna ka na sa motor."

Bumalik sa bahay para kuhanin ang phone at wallet ko sa kwarto, lumabas ako at kinandado ang pinto ng bahay bago tumungo sa motor ni Emmanuel. Pinakita ko sa kaniya ang mga dala ko at agad niya itong kinuha mula sa akin at nilagay sa maliit na compartment ng motor niya.

Pinagkrus ko ulit ang braso ko at wala sa sariling kinakaskas ang paanan ng sandals ko sa lapag. Hinintay kong sumakay siya sa motor pero sa halip ay sumandal lang siya rito at tumingin sa mga mata ko.

"Ash, you don't need to be nervous." He said softly.

Naiilang kong iniwasan ang mga mata niya. "I don't know how I'm suppose to act in a date, t-this is my first time."

"It's also my first time."

His phrase caught my full attention, I looked at him again in disbelief and surprise. If this is his first date, why is he not nervous then?

"You don't have to act differently, you don't have to think. Just be yourself."

"How do I usually act? How do I be myself?"

He smiled and held my face with both his hands. "Just like this." Gumalaw ang isa niyang kamay para marahan na haplusin ang ulo ko na wari ay pinapakalma ako. Pinagpatuloy niya iyon habang ako ay hindi makagalaw at makapagsalita, nakatitig lang sa mga mata niya.

Sandali ay nawala ang lahat ng kaba at takot na nararamdaman ko, nalunod ako sa pagiging totoo ng mga mata niya at ng mga salitang lumalabas sa bibig niya.

Nakapagtataka kung paano niya nagagawa 'to. Sa hindi ko matukoy na rason, nagagawa niyang ilagay sa kaalwanan ang puso ko.

Is this man really a bad person like everyone say so?