TRAPPED BY LOVE

For the nth time, she checked her phone to see if she got a message from him. He agreed to meet her at the town proper, but she had been waiting since ten in the morning! She scanned the crowd of drivers and peddlers who kept on stealing glances at her. Their intent gazes made her uncomfortable on the steel bench. She raised her eyebrow at a man who had the nerve to sit beside her, and his eyes scanned her exposed thighs! Jeff, where are you? She craned her neck to see if someone’s coming from the road leading to her farmhouse. “Where do you live, Miss?” The man asked, and she had to wrinkle her nose because of his bad breath. If she had way, she wouldn’t mind being rude to the man; however, in her husband's hometown. She forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes and glanced at him. “San Agustin,” she replied curtly, but he smiled widely and showed his yellowish teeth. She thanked the shades she wore because at least he wouldn’t see her rolling her eyes at him! “Ah, I’m also from San Agustin.” He implied take her home, but she shook her head to refuse. “My nephew is coming to pick me up,” she replied, and then she pretended to call someone on her phone. It was a good alibi until Jeff called her. Embarrassed, she tried to salvage her pride by saying loudly to put someone on hold. Ella Santiago frowned at Jeff for being late because she was stuck at the market for almost an hour. She scowled at her seventeen-year-old nephew by marriage, who had the nerve to flash a smile at her! “You’re late!” she scolded Jeff as soon as he approached her at the waiting shed. “Sorry. My friends suddenly showed up, and I can’t just leave them.” Jeff apologized to his aunt, but he wasn’t sorry at all, to be honest, and he enjoyed her crankiness. She’s already twenty-seven, but they got along well. Ella left home around five in the morning and took a ferry which departed at six after Ryan asked her to visit their farmhouse. Or she’d rather say that Ryan forced her to see-through the finishing of their farmhouse. “I see. Anyway, let’s go home now.” She’s tired and hungry at the same time, but she couldn’t eat at the small eatery in the market for fear of being poisoned. Ella knew she’s being paranoid about being poisoned, but she wasn’t a regular visitor in San Agustin, and it's better safe than sorry. Jeff nodded and walked ahead of his Uncle Ryan’s wife towards the Mio being parked nearby. “When did you change your hair colour?” Ever since he knew the woman, she always has coloured hair, but he bet she would look gorgeous with black hair. Ella rolled her eyes at Jeff for being nosy. “Three days ago,” she answered. The duo travelled around thirty minutes from the town before they reached the Red House. The sun was blazing hot, and Ella had to fan herself with her hand to cool down a little bit. One of the reasons she hated visiting the Red House was the weather and Ryan’s mother. They didn’t get along well, and she hated the older woman’s manipulative attitude. They had a clash on opinions and principles, and she’d rather not see her often. When Jeff parked the motorcycle under the unfinished porch, Ella was shocked to discover several teenagers inside the Red House. Her eyebrows raised as she questioned Jeff. “Who are they?” She asked even if she had a hunch that they were his classmates. “I told you that my friends suddenly showed up,” Jeff reasoned out. “But you didn’t tell me that they’re still here,” she replied. “Should I tell them to go home now?” Jeff waited for her outburst, and he feared to be embarrassed while his friends were nearby. “Never mind,” Ella said before she opened the main door and entered. “Having fun?” She asked the nine boys in total when she counted, and Jeff would make it ten, but her eyes lingered at the tallest of the boys. All of them stared at her, except for the tallest one, and she wondered why he’s such a snob! Before the boys could answer Ella’s question, Jeff joined her and introduced his friends to her. Ella smirked after she learned his name, and she thought that his name matched his personality. She arched her brows before she took a step away from the group of teenagers. However, she decided to turn around, and that’s when she caught him staring at her! For a moment, their eyes locked, and she didn’t know what to do. Before she would embarrass herself, even more, Ella walked away. Anthony Quileopas! She lay on her bed, but his name echoed nonstop inside her brain, and she couldn’t sleep! There was something in Anthony’s eyes that captured her attention, and when their eyes locked earlier, she felt an inexplicable joy! She was reminded of how butterflies felt in her stomach, and it has been a while since she felt that way. She didn’t want to compare, but Ryan’s been boring lately. Ella peeked her head at the door to listen if they were still in the living room, and she discovered they already left! She felt a little sad that she wasn’t able to say goodbye to that guy, who’s her type! Quickly, she changed into something comfier and went outside to check if Jeff’s friends were still around, and a smile formed in the corner of her lips when she saw them at the makeshift kitchen. “I’ll just get a glass of water,” she said and sashayed her curvy hips in front of the teenagers. On her way to the water dispenser, she thought it had been too long since she tried attracting someone with what she has, and when she noticed Anthony’s secretive glances towards her, she felt good and sexy!