Love at the Nth Time

At Odds With the Family

Chapter 35

The ticking of the clock enveloped the room. Almost an hour had passed when the client meeting ended. The thrill of seeing Celine again drop a bomb off the ground — the place I anticipated our start of intimacy.

The lady messaged me not to meet her until the issue regarding her family died out. Although I used to get turned down by her all the time, such as inviting her to hang out after work or simply accompanying me shopping, first it was that I heard curse words from her.

Celine lived near the office of their business in Ortigas. She was born initially in Rizal, a region outside urbanity. Somewhat, the zone lacked civilization and an area I hadn't thought of visiting yet.

"So, you're going?" I nodded, later glancing at Win with a hand on his waist, facing me with a hint of an interrogation. I softly scoffed as I wore my wristwatch and picked the black sweater on the chair.

"Do I look decent?" I lived in decency concerning others' points of view amongst citizens of any class. In the presence of fashion, knowledge of the basic outfits to blend in with any group of people projected me.

However, times of self-doubt made me nervous. Clueless of Celine's family, should it be better to let her know about the sudden visit and my auto parked across the street from their house already? I groaned.

I grabbed the phone in the passenger seat and accepted the call from Rose. She laughed.

"Are you there now?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Rose sniggered. She knew how to successfully tease me now.

"You're crazy, you know. Hold on. I'll call Celine." She put us on a three-way call.

"Hello?" the voice of Celine lingered.

"Seth's outside the street. She wanted to visit mom and you," Rose answered.

"Ha? You told her our address??" Celine's tone turned up. I cleared my throat to attract their attention.

"Is it not normal to visit a friend who just got into a car accident?" I asked. Celine sighed.

"Go home, Seth. I told you I didn't wanna meet-"

"You do. Though, I'm here to visit the family of Rose?" I cut Celine. Rose laughed over my stupid reasoning..

"I need to go now. Busy bee," she said, and dropped her line.

The soft rumbling of my car filled the minutes of silence. The screams and shouts of kids in the background of the call. I gazed outside the window as a skinny black woman holding the hand of a naked 4-year-old boy passed by.

My eyes turned to the other side of the window beside me and saw Celine knock again. I lowered the window. She stated, "Please, don't introduce yourself with rainbows and glitter." I blinked and quickly hopped out of the car as Celine walked away.

"What do you mean glitter?"

"You, the son of a CEO," Celine mumbled. I rolled my eyes and shrugged. How amazing she could be even to set my identity in secrecy while the usual circle surrounding me wanted it to be all mine.

"Rose told me not to bring any. I'm regretting it now."

"No, that's better. People here are gossipers." She took a deep breath. I scanned the expansive view of soil with wild grass and old wooden fences marking the territory of each house. The hectares they owned were spacious. Celine halted her step and blocked her arm in front of me. She cautioned, "Careful, there's dog poop."

I smiled and the chukka boots I wore moved past it. A wooden house was displayed in front of me—two single windows on the second floor and another one on the first. As we reached the wooden floor before the door, we slowed down our steps, and Celine looked up at me. She did not say anything. Ahh, weird. Her silence turned me more nervous than I already was.

Two kids diverted their attention to me while watching a cartoon series on TV, and Celine headed to the old woman with white hair almost covering her head, skinny and dark bags under her eyes.

"Mom, this is Seth, our business partner and a friend," Celine introduced me. I smiled and shook hands with her mom.

"Did she bring any food?" inquired the boy, kneeling on the couch to face us.

"Rocky, go and play with Carla, don't intrude on the elders' conversation," Celine commanded gently. The kids sat down on the carpet floor and talked incessantly with cartoon figures in their hands.

"I'm sorry if the house is messy and plain," said her mom. I shook my head.

"It's fine, madam. It's filled with amazing kids. It won't matter." She smiled faintly and nodded. She offered me to sit at their dining table, and Celine came from buying biscuits and juice to serve as we converse. A topic of my profession in Fashion and the activities I encountered around the business of Celine and Rose.

"Have you met her ex-boyfriend? He's an American too," stated their mom. Celine, who sat next to me, met my eyes, and I processed the suffering of listening to the great stories her mom believed the bastard ex possessed.

"I trust whatever Celine decides in the end," I proclaimed, and sipped the apple juice.

"I, I just wished Celine would have a better future than ours. Have kids and settle for a man with a good job," their mom asserted. My jaw clenched as her firm words pierced me as an insult.

Celine closed the door of the auto and stared at the dark outside. A lamppost we could vaguely see. If there weren't lights in my car, I wouldn't see anything.

"Did I behave like…that?" I asked with eyes on the road. Celine sighed and clicked her tongue.

"I guessed she sensed you're a queer."

"Lesbian," I corrected.

"Yeah, what- whatever." I rested my head on the back of the seat and looked at Celine, whose eyes were upfront. I hadn't got the chance to bring up the opportunity I asked for her daughter. It was all messed up.

"How are you?" I asked. She averted her eyes on me.

"I'm fine. It's nothing serious but I got scolded for driving." Eyes scanned her pale face. My hand slowly reached the cut on her left cheek. I gently touched the corner of it. She yanked my hand a little and straightened her posture.

"Is your car tinted?" I nodded.

"But it's not soundproof," I joked.

"What?" I escaped a soft laugh and took a silent breath as I started the engine.

"I got hungry with all the drama and s**t. Are there any good restaurants around here?"

"No. I can't join you. I have to pick up my brother from school. It's not close to the house."

"Oh? Why don't we?" She agreed and instructed me on the location. It's a 30-minute trip, and the nine-year-old boy named Jonathan walked home more often than riding a jeepney to save a dime. I watched the guy sit down on the backseat.

"Mmm, the smell is good. It won't get me dizzy," Jonathan said. I chuckled a little and gazed at Celine, putting on the seatbelt.

"Nathan, put on your seatbelt," she ordered the brother. I started the engine and stopped at the nearest café. I searched in haste online. I smiled a bit at her brother staring at me whilst Celine lined up at the counter to get our order.

"Are you-"

"I'm Seth, kid. Your sister's friend," I responded to the indistinct cloud forming on his little brain. He shook his head.

"I don't understand you."

Damn, I forgot. I spoke natively in English. I leaned closer to explain it to him without grabbing my phone and translating it instead.

"Celine and I are friends." He nodded. Celine put the snacks on the table and sat on the chair beside her brother. I diverted my gaze as I kept avoiding other people's gape. It's uncomfortable. A camera flash grabbed my attention, eyes on the girl sitting at the table beside us. What the actual fog? She sensed my serious glare at her, and she hid her phone.

"Seth, wanna eat in the car?" questioned Celine. I turned my eyes in the way of the girl.

"Do something about her first," I ordered.

"Huh?" Celine looked at the girl who stole a picture of me. "Um, sorry, did you take a picture of her?" The girl, who looked like a minor, nodded. "Can you delete it? She's uh, allergic to having her picture stolen," Celine mumbled. I scoffed and frowned at Celine.

"What are you talking about?" The girl smiled and showed her phone to Celine. Celine asked me to eat in the car.

The time filled us with eating burgers and fries. The two sibs on the backseat enjoyed their food. The pleasant moment of being with Celine drove me to want more of it as I learned more about her family.