Dark Secrets

Chapter 20: Hey! (1 of 2)

Maybe it has something to do with the 6th day of the 6th month of this year 1976, that I had a glimpse of the underworld.

It was almost sunrise of that Sunday when Alessia and I arrived at my apartment after that long night dealing with a vengeful butcher.

We woke up almost lunch and we’re too lazy to cook so we had lunch outside, Alessia paid for it since I’m going to wash her clothes along with my other clothes for laundry.

Life should be this simple and ordinary but the thing is I’m neither of the two because of my ability, fortunately I’m not the only one.

“There’s a wanderer here, right?” Alessia asked while I’m trying hard not to look at the spirit on the table nearby.

“Uh-huh, but I don’t think he’s harmful, he’s just accompanying his wife and child.” continue eating my brunch.

“Oh.” she also tries to act normal like the other customers. “Have you ever seen one of your family before not in their meat suits?”

“Hmm … not that I remember. I used to stay at my late Aunt Lily’s house before but I never seen her wandering around nor my Halabeoji in the temple.” I replied.

“My grandfather is staying with my father, Troye said that the reason why he doesn’t want to leave yet is because he’s helping my father to business.” she responded.

“I see, what does your grandfather smell like?” asking about her sixth sense since she can only use her nose to detect supernatural.

“Cinnamon, that was his favorite when he was alive. Dad said that grandpa was a smoker before but he replaced it with cinnamon sticks instead to let go of his vice.” eating another spoonful of her meal.

“Ahh … so that’s what somebody would smell like when they’re gone, whatever their favorite was.” I nodded as I comprehend.

Alessia stayed with me for a while after having lunch together as I do my laundry and she’s flipping the pages of the magazine she brought earlier from the mart on the way to the apartment.

I’m hanging the wet clothes to dry when Luke suddenly appeared, looking for Alessia with a worried expression written all over his face as if something bad happened.

“I finally found you!” Luke hugs Alessia immediately as soon as he sees her sitting comfortably on the pallet.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?!” Alessia trying to push him away but he doesn’t seem to let go of his grip. “Luke! Get away from me!”

“Just stay still!” Luke said sternly. “Do you know how worried I am when I found out what happened to you last night?! You should’ve called me.” he slightly pulled away but he’s still grabbing Alessia’s shoulder. “You’re not hurt or anything right?”

“No, I’m not but you will if you don’t keep a distance from me.” Alessia pushed Luke hard enough to make him step backward.

“If you guys want to flirt please don’t mess up with my washed clothes.” pulling the basket away from the two.

“Gosh! No! We’re not flirting!” Alessia denied immediately as she stands up abruptly. “Luke here is just overreacting, right Luke?”

“Yeah, maybe. Do you need some help Desa?” Luke picked up a cloth from the basket randomly without looking and he caught Alessia’s.

“So, how long are you going to stare at my bra until you’re satisfied?”

“I-I don’t mean to!” Luke dropped the bra to the basket again.

“I think I’m good Luke. You’re just putting yourself into trouble.”

“I’m just trying to help Desa, because you’re doing all the work and she’s just sitting there doing nothing.” Luke responded.

“I can hear you; you know.” Alessia spouted. “It’s not that I don’t want to help Desa, she doesn’t want me to help her because I already ruined one of her shirts and that wire where she’s hanging those clothes got lose, almost hitting us both.”

“That’s right, I never that she’s destructive.” agreeing with her explanation. “She better sits there and do nothing for my work to be easier, and so are you, if you also want to stay for a while.”

“She’s cheeky now.” Alessia said. “I’m leaving.” tying her hair in a bun.

“I’ll drive you home.” Luke immediately replied.

“See you tomorrow at the campus, Desa.” Alessia kissed my cheeks goodbye before she takes her leave.

“Bye, Desa!” Luke waved his hand to me before he followed Alessia downstairs like he’s chasing after her.

There’s nothing wrong if they date but I think Alessia is making things complicated between them, though I understand where she’s coming from, Luke is a model and he’s good-looking to be alone.

And speaking of good-looking, Pluto’s handsome face is so impossible to be ignored, even if I see him every day.

The next day, Monday morning he came again as his usual agenda with me, delivering my breakfast.

This week, he never skipped a day to annoy me every time he acted so sweet in public like we’re a real couple.

When the dance practice ended this Saturday, I don’t know if it’s just me or no one bothered to tell me that tomorrow is the competition as I’m so unaware of it.

“I can’t go, you know why.” I reasoned out to Pluto when I talked to him privately after he dismissed everyone to get a rest.

“I can’t go there and dance alone either, you’re my partner remember?” he smirked at me as he crosses his arms on his chest.

“I might ruin the whole dance routine if I saw something in the background. I’ll just drag the team down; I don’t want that.”

“If you’re not confident with yourself then put your trust in me.”

“Don’t you know the reason I never get the main roles in a show before and why I’m always a back-up dancer?!” I exclaimed.

“I know. But you performed in a larger stage before with thousands of people watching you dance, you were the ‘Swan Princess’, right?”

“That’s an exception, I performed with a spirit before, her name is Odette, I only helped her crossover.” crossing my arms. “Get another partner, you asked someone to be my understudy, let her.”

“No. I only want you, if you don’t come tomorrow, I’ll tell everyone that you’re pregnant as you’re excuse for not coming.” He said with a cunning smile on his face.

“Don’t you dare!” glaring at him as I put my hands on my waist. “Everyone here believes on your lies and it’ll be hard for me to take it back. So, don’t go overboard!”

“Then you have to come. I told you trust me; you can dance now to your heart’s content. It’s a pity to waste that talent of yours.”

“Fine, but don’t blame me if I just runaway during the performance or what’s worse freak out while dancing.” I turned my back against him and walk off towards the locker area to get my bag.

I’m a fool for thinking that it’s just a club activity and nothing serious, but competing with other universities is too much.

Sunday morning, maybe Pluto already thought that I’m planning a great escape so he picked me up from my apartment.

“Going somewhere?” Pluto standing at the corner as he smirked at me as soon as I landed my foot on the ground.

“What are you doing here?!” I exclaimed.

“Picking up my dance partner.” He walked up to me and get my bag from my shoulder. “Let’s go together at the venue.”

“Wait …” I pulled my bag from him. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“Yes, you can. I told you if you don’t believe in yourself put your trust in me. I know you can do this.” he pulled my bag from me.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” sighing heavily as I follow him to his car. “Your team may not win because of me.”

“It’s our team not just mine.” he put my bag on the backseat before he gets in at the driver’s seat.

“Why do you have so much faith in me?” hesitating to buckle up.

“Not on you, I’m confident in myself.” he replied arrogantly as he put the seatbelt on me. “I only need you to be my partner that’s all.”

“There must be something wrong about you, tsk, tsk.” shaking my head as I turn my head on the road and not at the crazy driver.

We arrived at the venue an hour and a half before the contest starts and changed to our costumes as soon as we got our number.

I may not be competing a lot but being first means our performance might be easily forget by the audience because of the others next to us, number one isn’t a good number at all.

“How come Pluto always get number one when he’s picking up a sequence?” one of our crew asked.

“Because we always come first on the awarding.” her friend replied.

“You know it’s a good sign to us when Pluto gets number one, right?” Dante walks in from my behind. “Nevertheless, instead of depending on luck we should do our best and show everyone what we got, yes?”

“Yes!!” everyone exclaimed except me.

“I didn’t hear you saying yes, Desa.” he turned to me along with the others. “Are you nervous?”

“Yes.” I replied on his question and not on his cheer but he took it like I agreed with everyone.

“Desa, come here.” Pluto asking me to stand beside him.

I know that he’s handsome but he looks so pretty damn hot in his costume that I can’t help but to look at him from head to toe.

“You like what you see?” he confidently asked with a smirk on his face as he already knows how good-looking, he is. “You’re pretty too.”

“Yeah, make-up did the magic to transform me into a princess.”

“I know, that’s why I’m only complementing your looks now because the magic will wear out later.” he smiled teasingly.

Of course, this guy in known to be chic and blunt that makes him cold and arrogant but I must say that personality of his is so charismatic as what people consider him.

I guess I’m about to be one of his fan girls if I see him in this perspective. I need to pull myself together.

“Hand.” he’s asking for my hand to hold as we get on the stage together. “It’s alright to breathe you know.”

“Don’t you feel nervous even a bit?” breathing heavily while holding his hand as we walk to the center stage.

“No.” getting in to our position.

His confidence is over-the -top but he got every right to be that way he’s a perfectionist and everything he does never fails.

When the lights turned on, we started to dance like how we practiced every Saturday but today his eyes are burning with so much emotion like he’s drawing me to be his.

My body moves on its own and I don’t care about anything else but this man whose dancing with passion, I feel like it’s just us on stage and no one is watching even though there must be hundreds of people in the crowd.

When the music ended, the sweat on his forehead shows how much effort he put on to perform perfectly as everyone applauded after our number even asking us for an encore.

“I told you, you can do it.” he comes to me after praising the other members with their performance.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me but the moment he got close I just pulled him closer to give him a tight hug.

“Thank you. I never danced like that before, everything was so perfect and I feel like I’m being the younger version of myself who only loves to dance.” thanking him sincerely before I realized that everyone is looking at us so I pulled away from him immediately.

But he pulled me again closer to him and this time he’s leaning forward like he’s about to kiss me … wait … what??

“Pluto.” a familiar voice called out to him and he turned his head to the man when our lips are about to touch.

“Diso. What are you doing here backstage?” Pluto take his hands away from me that I almost lose balance.

“Checking up on you, did I interrupt something?” Diso asked coldly.

“No. What do you think of our performance?” Pluto walks up to Diso and leave me on the side.

I felt like I’m a mistress that almost got caught by Pluto’s wife doing something indecent but the crazier part is I’m a bit disappointed.

I know our relationship is fake and it’s just for a show but this guy knows how to take my breath away and make my heart beat slower than the normal when he’s inches from me.

I watched the rest of the show with the other members while Pluto and Diso were nowhere to find.

They must be together somewhere but I hope Diso didn’t misunderstand the situation earlier although it really what he thinks it is, still nothing happened so it’s alright, right?

... To be Continued ...