Film of Love

Sioxante Dix

“Oh s**t!” I exclaimed when my phone rang and it was from Auntie. I hate myself for not even care that I have a family left behind and let my colleagues that I am unfortunately be going to be late. I have no idea if I will tell them where we are or I will just shut my mouth and let them use their amazing imaginative skills to locate where we are exactly. I am in dilemma when I answered the phone call and startled when my aunt yelled. It’s just past time for dinner time and she knows that my schedule is flexible and I can go out anytime just more than five hours. If the time is less than the given time—they will include it as an irresponsibility as an employee under them.

“Yes, Auntie?” I asked right away. I don’t think it’s a good idea and I loss the timing to greet anyways.

“What do you want to eat for dinner?” she asked. As expected, she always been liked this since I told her about my amenable timetable. I am just a bit worried about not going back and put the dismissal time to the time sheet.

“I am actually not going to back home tonight,” I said. I know she will be shock hearing this but I hope she will not tell this to mom. I am afraid she might do it and is she does do it—I will be so irritated about the fact that I am still being under them when I got my debut years ago. I actually will be celebrating my 25th birthday and still they will be checking me and put authority upon me when I am adult and can handle myself.

I don’t need their help and I am still standing still even though I fainted but it’s not a big deal and I will not make a big issue about that. I learned from the past that they are somewhat controlling my life so this time I will give my chance to control my own life and I prevent them to hinder my life forward.

“Where are you right now?” she asked. This question is expected and I always can hear it from my secondary level and College years. I am too tired to hear it but I need to hear it and tell them where I am.

“Well…I am staying to my friend’s house.” I looked at them who looked at me and motioned “What is it?” because I just literally said lies. I am sorry because I know what she will do about that.

“Is your friend a she or he?” she asked again. oh! Look at her— clarifying about the gender here. Is she worried that I might be sleeping with a guy.

“She is Hani and don’t worry because we are a trio.” I assured her.

“Can you put this on speaker?” she requested. I rolled my eyes and still put it on speaker. I am hesitant at first because I have no idea what she will say or tell the whole world. I hope also that she can’t hear the waves sound as the waves hit the shore— it will be so suspicious if that happened and all of this acting and dialogue making or alibi will be gone like bubbles in the air.

“Please take care of Aryn for me!” she said. They looked at me and also ask for a permission to talk and I just nodded my head. I can’t do anything anyways because I put it on speaker might as well give this as an evidence that I am with a woman and not a man right now.

“Yes, we will!” Hani said. I turn off the speaker in a hurry because she might hear something that she shouldn’t be hearing and I might be doomed if I go with it any further.

“Alright, then!” she said. “Might as well tell you to enjoy!” she added and I thanked her for understanding this.

“No worries! You need that because I also observe that you’re not that sociable person and you really love the room that I prepared for you for not going out.” she finally conceded that she also sees me as a diligent introvert who loves the room I am occupying right now although I can’t see anything outside the window except the other glass building right in front of our apartment. It’s an “our” because I am currently living with them so basically I am part of the people that lives in the same roof but different functionality or authority.

I sighed when the call ended. The sun was now down the far from our sight. It is still winter so that the sun is actually saying bye too fast and it will be like that until February and we are missing the scorching heat when we step in the beach. My birthday is actually around the corner— yes you read it right. I am actually not born in January and born February 08, 1997— while my mother was born on January 08. We have the same day of birthday just different month. Look at also her name, she is Febby Ashton, a cute name that is associated in the month of February.

“Your aunt is so strict,” Tallia commented. I shift my gaze to them and chuckled.

“She is a little bit strict.” I corrected them and they looked surprised.

“Little?” Hani asked while gesturing how much that little is.

I copied her and said yes. They all look surprised— I think that it is not little for them but for me it’s a little bit strict. I am jealous if they don’t have a strict aunty nor strict parents.

“My parents are the strictest out of them all,” I said and basically just put the weights on my parents but I am just stating facts here.

“Whoa!” they both exclaimed and I just laughed at them. “Why?” I asked

“Nothing!” they said and take a sip on their beverages.

I looked back to the other side and also asked. “Where are the guys?” I looked at the time and they’ve been somewhere for so long and the food is not hot anymore.

“Oh! Right I forgot them all of a sudden,” Tallia confessed beside Hani.

“Shall we call them?” Hani suggested while she waved her phone. I can’t believe I didn’t think of calling them and then I realized that do I even have their numbers.

“Did you exchange phone numbers with the guys or even to us?” Hani asked. I opened my phone to check if they are in the list of my contacts. I shook my head and they nodded theirs.

Hani and Tallia put the phone facing me the same time and I asked. “What should I do with this?”

Hani rolled her eyes while Tallia just chuckled. “Put you phone number, sis!” she answered. I face palmed myself and whisper how dumb I am— but at the same time it was not my fault that they don’t even notify me that they will getting my number this fast. They don’t even prioritize the two men who seems to be nowhere to be found. I am doubting Jace if he reasoned out to us that they got lost on the way because the freaking liquor shop is just a few blocks from the beach entrance, not unless they went farther.

“Are you finished?” Hani questioned and I can’t finish because of the thing that I can’t multi task but I am just checking the number if it’s the correct one.

“Alright, tell me if you finished it.” she reminded me and take back her hands but right after that I put her phone down also.

“Let me just call them,” she let us know what she will be doing and we let her be.

“Okay! I’ll be saving yours!” I told Tallia. Hani stood up and went a bit further away from us because I heard a music ringing in our ears. I looked back to find where it came from and I can see that there is a band performing right in the middle of the shore.

“Oh! That’s the purpose of the mini-stage earlier,” Tallia commented.

“Did you noticed it earlier? Because I didn’t” I frankly said.

She looked at me and smirked. “You’re not a keen observer like me, but it’s alright.” She still have the guts to tease me from being not a diligent observer but for my perspective I really didn’t notice the stage because I think that it is not that beautiful and well-built earlier.

“Whoa! I don’t know them but their music is bop!” she said and subconsciously(?) stood up and went there. Oh no! I am getting curious also but how about the food in the table.

I sighed and slightly ruined my hair out of frustration. “Where the f**k are they?” I mumbled under my breath.

“Where are they?” I asked when Hani walked back to our table after she ended the call.

“They are in the hotel,” she said. “They are finding where to stay or as what I understand, they have the tickets they just need to get the keys from the hotel.” She explained. Oh! That’s why they are making us wait and the food wait when I am starving— I know all of us are starving because I don’t even have a proper meal since the beginning.

I looked up the sky and realize that my day today feels so long, and it is euphoric to feel this kind of feels under the gust of cold air in our skin. I am bit cold now and I kind of regretting not to carry a scarf or wear a padded jacket or even just a jacket. I am dumb and not even expecting that we are still in the winter month and I didn’t foresee that it will be colder at night and also the fact that we are in an open area.

“By the way, where is Tallia?” Hani asked when she noticed that her seat mate is nowhere to be found.

I pointed out the blazing lights in the middle this area and told her that she went there to have fun or just catching a handsome prince in the crowd.

“Good for her,” she commented. “She is always complaining having no other person to share a warmth with her.”

“She’s horny?” I asked out loud.

“Well, if that’s what you can see then it is the reason and many more.” She has no choice to agree to what I am saying. I am just guessing actually because of how she describes why that’s good for her.

---

We are now walking to the biggest liquor in the town. I looked at the man who lost the game and proceed to buy our first champagne in this crazy mini-trip. I told Alejandro that we will buy a light alcohol because we are going back to the city, early in the morning and we don’t want any hangover lingers our body and he is unexpectedly agreed.

I know Alejandro is the biggest drinker out of the four— I mean five of us. Aryn looks too innocent to even be drinking this kind of drinks, she should be drinking coffee or milk.

“What champagne here?” Jan asked pointing out variety of alcohol drinks in one section.

“Hi, sir!” a woman dressed in the store’s uniform approached us. “If you are having hard time to locate what alcohol you want in this thousands of kinds— you can just type, search, or scroll here in our liquor monitor.” She said. “We also organized this and we have the hall of the greatest and best selling liquor, just read the labels and it is easy.” She added and after that she left us in front of this humongous touch screen monitor.

“Shall we look around first or what?” Jan asked. I looked at the time and also saw that my mother’s friend text and just remind me to get the keys from the hotel receptionist.

“Let’s just type it in.”

“Alright!” he agreed. He also went to the hall of the best liquor to see what is it and all of it are too strong so we just put in the lightest liquor they have and check it out.

“So where are going next? Shall we go back?” he asked.

“Are you not wondering where we will sleep tonight?” I asked the man back. His eyes beamed in shock when he was suddenly hit by the fact that they don’t know where to sleep for tonight.

“I can’t believe we are still out in this time,” he said.

“Let’s go!” I told him and start to walk and I am grateful he didn’t ask where it is and just followed me. I opened my phone and start locating the said hotel— until we ended up in a fancy but small looking hotel.

“Is it here?” he asked.

I nodded and went in. The receptionist recognized me and rapidly gave us attention and that’s when we easily got the keys. We just went slow when we walk back to the beach because we are just walking and it’s a distance from the beach also.