Vixen 3: The Abused

Chapter 12 (Cont. 1)

Tinutulak ko ba sya palayo? Gusto ko lang naman na malaman nyang mayroon talaga linya sa pagitan namin. Ayokong malaman nya, baka magbago yung tingin nya sa akin.

"Wag mo sanang masamain yung itatanong ko, Morgan, pero sa tingin mo ba magtatagal tong ganitong set-up natin? Sa tingin ko kasi hindi talaga magandang ideya na mag-date pa tayo, masyado tayong mabilis at isa pa ay sa tingin ko hindi talaga tayo bagay sa isa't isa."

Lalong nawalan ng emosyon yung mukha nya. Tila ba bumalik sa dati noong unang beses kaming nagkita.

"Was it really bad liking you so much to the point that I'm rushing things between us?"

"Morgan..."

"Don't you still get it?" Tumabingi yung ulo nya at nakatitig sakin na para bang pinag-aaralan yung bawat reaksyon ng mukha ko. "I'm a different person when I'm with you, I get to do the things that I didn't even think that I would do, you're making me feel the emotions that I have never felt before and you're making me to want you much more so why are you suddenly pushing me away from you?"

"I'm sorry, Morgan." Kagat labi kong hingi ng tawad kahit hindi ko naman alam kung bakit.

Seryoso ngunit matalim yung uri ng tingin na ipinupukol nya sa akin. Wala akong maramdaman na galit pero alam kong may malalim syang iniisip, kaya naman naguluhan ako ng bigla na lang syang ngumisi ng nakakaloko na para bang may naisip na kalokohan.

"I'm so sorry in advance too, Noam, but nobody can stop me from doing the things that I want-not even you." Humalumbaba sya habang nakangisi pa rin na nakatitig sakin. "What a Verdan wants, a Verdan gets."

Hala sya.

(Morgan's POV)

"BEBI gerl numba waaaaan!" Dad screamed as long as I got off from my motorcycle.

He's running towards me while his arms are spread in the air, ready to give me his usual tight hug and instead of avoiding him, I just walked straight on his direction and simply throw away the five bottles of sleeping pills on the trash bin that I stole from Noam's house.

Yeah, I stole it.

"Good morning, dad." I kissed him on his cheek.

"Ang baby ko!" He hugged me tight first before clinging his arm into mine while we started walking towards our house. "Waaaah! Na-miss ka namin ni mon-mon ng sobra! Huhuhu!"

"I'm just gone for almost 24 hours, dad."

"Kahit na!" He protested while giving me his puppy eyed look, making himself look like a teary eyed pup begging me to pity him. "Kahit isang minuto ka lang na mawala sa paningin ko, nami-miss na agad kita! Huhuhu!"

"Okay, okay, I missed you too." I sighed in defeat.

"Saan ka ba kasi nag-sleep kagabi? Huh? Sabi ni mon-mon nakitulog ka raw sa friends mo pero hindi ako naniniwala! Nag-alala ako sayo baby girl number 1! Huhuhu!."

"My apologies."

"Ayos lang baby girl dahil big ka naman na." He pouted his lips like a cute little child even though his age is far from being a child. "Pero sa susunod magpapaalam ka kung hindi ka makakauwi ah? Akala ko kasi kung ano ng nangyari sayo, tapos yung phone mo naka-vibrate mode na naman yata! Huhuhu! Tsaka chikahan mo naman ako kung kanino ka matutulog baby girl para alam ni mon-mon kung saan ka nya hahanapin! Saan ka ba kasi nakitulog? Baka mamaya kung napano ka ron huhuhu."

I paused for a moment and took a glance on him. I tapped his shoulder as my mouth curved up for a smile.

"Don't worry, dad. I didn't do anything last night aside from sleeping."

He stilled for a second before letting me go and began examining me from head to toe. Dad's jaw dropped as his eyes widen in shock, his reactions are exaggerated yet I don't find it irritating.

"Where's mom?" I asked. He pointed the door which made me conclude that mom might be on the kitchen as usual. "Okay, I'll go first, dad."

Dad just nodded so I did what I said and walk towards the door. The sweet scent of baked desserts immediately filled my sense of smell, obviously mom is busy on the kitchen again. She's always cooking sweets for dad and linus, both of them have big appetite and always looking for sweet foods on the kitchen so mom is always there to prepare it for them.

Come to think of it, Noam also like sweets. He loves to eat desserts and even drank hot milk before going to bed. Should I learn how to bake for him?

"How's the date?" She asked even before I could enter the kitchen.

Mom didn't even glanced at me yet she already knew that it was me just based on my footsteps-that only us can feel.

"Great, I guess." I leaned beside the door as I cross my arms under my chest. "I learned a few things about him."

"That's good. I didn't expect that you're dating your brother's homeroom teacher."

"Me neither."

"Noam is a good guy, so modest and naive." She smiled and gave me a wink. "I like him for you."

"I like him for myself too."

"Well, the question is does he like you too?"

"That doesn't matter. I like him, period. If he don't like me then I'll just make him do."

"Oh, Morgan." Mom shake her head in disbelief and chuckled in amusement. "Cupid did a good job on hitting you hard with his arrow, isn't he?"

"I think so."

She took the tray full of fresh baked cookies before taking a look at me with a smirk in her face. "Good for you then."

I took one of the cookies and bit it, not minding it's hotness since it came straight out of the oven. I watched her as she put all of it on the plate.

"Charlotte's mother called earlier, she said you didn't pay her a visit last week which makes her think that something must've happened to you."

I tsked. "I forgot about the appointment."

I'm so busy in wooing Noam that I even forgot a bout m regular appointment with tita Zia. He's always running in my head that makes me focused on him solely and forget the things that I usually do.

I don't know if this is bad or not, whatever it is I still like it.

"Anyway, I already clear things to her but you still have to attend your check up, okay?"

"Okay."

She beamed and pinched my cheeks before finally went off to call dad and my other two siblings.

I was off to my room when Linus suddenly showed up out of nowhere. His mouth is stuffed with the cookies made by mom and his other hand is holding his favorite baby blue pig designed mug filled with milk. He's still wearing his pair of pajama's so I bet he just got up, he also got this bird's nest bed hair and he still has a dried saliva on the right side of his lips.

My lips twitched in disgust. Gross.

"Bina-background check nyo si sir Noam, ah!"

My eyes squinted in suspicion. It's a matter between Beau and I only yet Linus still discovered about it, this brat must be sniffing some trouble around the organization again.

"Bakit bina-background check mo si sir, ate?"

"Keep your nose out of my business, Linus."

He pouted. "Kung may gusto kang malaman tungkol kay sir pwede ka naman magtanong sakin ih."

"And how can I make sure that the information that you'll provide is as accurate as what Beau can find?"

"Ay nako, pustahan tayo ate, sigurado ako hanggang ngayon wala pang nakukuhang sagot yon si kuya Beau."

He crinkled his nose while giving me a confident look that made me heaved a sigh.

I can't deny it but I knew how accurate his gut feeling is, Linus' hunch are always right. In every guess that he had made there's always only 5% possibility that his lucky guess might turn out to be wrong.

"Fine." I threw some sharp glares yet he didn't even flinched and even let a bright smile. "How much do you know about Noam?"

"Yung pangalan nya, birthday nya, lugar kung saan sya ipinanganak-basta marami!" He beamed. "Actually marami na nga syang naikwento sa amin nung first day pa lang, parang kinwento na nya main personal profile nya." Linus said while pouting his lips.

"If he's that open about his personal profile then why can't Beau find him?"

He grimaced. "Eh nickname kasi ni Sir yung sine-search nyo eh."

I frowned out of confusion.

"Nickname?"

He nodded while giving me a thumbs up. "Nahahabaan kasi si sir Noam sa pangalan nya kaya Noam na lang madalas yung pakilala nya."

Does it mean 'Noam' is not his real name but just an alias for his long name? But why did he not told me anything about it? I'm baffled.

It may seem not a big deal for him but still, I would appreciate the fact that he's telling me even the simplest information about him.

My lips we're pressed together as my forehead creased. He's giving me the same puppy eyed look that dad always using, obviously he already knew that I'm not a hundred percent convinced by his words.

"Hindi ka naniniwala sakin, ate?" Linus drew his lower lip between his teeth and frowned. "Nero Orazio Arsen Mikhail Rivera yung full name ni sir."

"Nero Ora-what?" I scowled. "That was such a long and weird name."

"Mas weird naman yung pangalan ko! Linus?! Tunog pwet!" He began stomping his feet while silently complaining.

"His name sounded so foreign." That came out as a whisper but I forgot that my brother has huge ears that he can hear all kinds of gossips.

In tagalog, tsismoso.

"Eh foreigner yun si ser eh! Foreign yung name nya kasi foreigner sya. Sa Florence, Italy sya ipinanganak." Linus squinted his eyes as he scratched his head as if he's trying to remember something. "Sabi ni sir pure blooded Italian sya kasi parehong italiano yung parents nya, yung features rin ng mukha nya halatang foreigner eh. Hindi mo alam ate?"

"No."

His eyes went round like it was going to pop out of its sockets, then his mouth fell open.

"Hinalikan mo na pero hindi mo man lang nahalata?"

I glared at him. "How the f*ck did you know about the kiss?"

"Wala lang, hula lang! Hehehe!"

I heaved a deep sigh, trying to calm myself and not to burst my anger out so suddenly. I don't want to hurt him or do something out of my control.

So instead of continuing talking to him, I just turned my back at him and began walking upstairs towards my room but even though I'm not answering his mouth is still blabbering nonstop about it as he follows me.

"Uy~ Nag-kiss talaga kayo, ate?"

"Get lost, Linus."

"Pero totoo nga? Nag-kiss talaga kayo ni sir Noam?"

I felt the nerves on my forehead's temple twitching because of this annoying brat.

"Shut up."

"Anong lasa ng italyano ate-ouch! Bakit mo ko binatukan?!"

"Leave me alone or else I'll throw you out of the window."

"Okay, okay! Eto na, aalis na!" He assured. "Ang damot ah, parang nagtatanong lang kung anong lasa ng-ah! Aray! WAAAAAH! MOMMYYY! SI ATE MORGAN HINAMPAS AKO SA MUKHA!" He cried.

I watched him running back down the stairs in a hurry while still holding his cookie and mug both on each of his hands, legitimately crying right after I smack his face lightly with my palm.

What a crybaby. Tsk.

I took the phone out of my jean's pocket and immediately dialed Beau's number, it didn't took him long to answer.

After telling him about Noam's full name I quickly ended the call and stared at the wallpaper on my phone.

"So, you are Nero Orazio Arsen Mikhail Rivera, huh?" I uttered while looking at his photo as my wallpaper.

I took it while he's sleeping heavily last night. He's looking so endearing while his eyes are shut close, his lips are slightly parted and I can still hear how soft his snores are.

What have he been doing this past few days that made him so worn out? It was like he hasn't sleeping very well except last night, is it the reason why he has plenty of sleeping pills? Was it associated on his sudden panic attack when I touched him? I have this feeling that he's enduring something that he doesn't want me to know but whatever it is that he's hiding, I'll wait for him to tell me wholeheartedly.

For now, I'll just focus on how will I make him fall harder to me.