03
1502 Words
What a show-off.
I just rolled my eyes as the three of them started laughing and kept eating. Gold medalist? Is he really that good?
While chewing, I closed my eyes for a second before glancing at the guy across from me. He and Seiji were chatting when his eyes suddenly locked with mine. I quickly turned to Satana, who was grinning while chewing. I shot her a glare and played it cool. Gosh.
A few minutes later, we finished eating. Satana and I made sure to put everything back where it belonged. Ate Sev and Gringgo didn’t make it, though. I wonder what happened.
Satana was still washing her hands when I made my way to the living room. I found Jeco sitting there alone. My eyebrows immediately furrowed.
"Where’s he?" I asked, looking around, trying to figure out where my cousin went.
"He left already," he said, leaning back on the sofa and closing his eyes, rubbing his temples. I accidentally swallowed when my eyes wandered over him...accidentaly.
He was wearing black cotton pants and a white shirt. Oh, God. Why did he suddenly look so attractive and cute?
I bit my lower lip right away at the thought. Get it together, Maurette.
"Why?"
"H-huh?"
"Why? Don’t you have any idea where he went?" he asked again.
"Hello? That’s why I’m asking, right?" I shot back, sitting down on the single couch. I crossed my legs and raised an eyebrow at him. "So where did he go?"
He furrowed his brow for a moment before grinning and laughing. "I don't know, your highness," he said softly, adjusting his seat. He rested his left arm on the armrest and fiddled with his naturally reddish lower lip. Oh, God. Now he's hot.
I gasped and looked him in the eyes again, only to realize he had raised an eyebrow and was watching me! I quickly looked away when he chuckled softly. Gosh, Maurette!
"I have to go."
We both turned when Satana rushed out of the kitchen, looking like she was in a hurry. I immediately stood up, suddenly worried.
"Why? What happened? I’ll go with you," I said, walking up to her. She glanced at her phone again before facing me.
"It’s Ate..." she said, looking really troubled.
"Okay, I’ll go with yo—"
"You can’t. There is way too much media waiting outside. All the exits are being watched. They’ll swarm you, and who knows what could happen?"
I froze for a moment, then nodded. Satana quickly grabbed her black jacket and car keys before facing Jeco, who was already standing.
"Please, if it's okay, let Maurette stay here for now. Can you watch over her, Jeco?" Satana asked. Jeco nodded and glanced at me.
"No problem. Are you sure you can drive?" he asked, which Satana just nodded to.
"I’ll tell you when I get back." She hugged me and patted Jeco’s shoulder before walking out.
I had been standing for over half an hour in front of the glass wall, staring at the glowing buildings of Manila. I couldn’t relax, worrying about what happened to Sevena.
"Can you sit down?"
I looked up when Jeco dropped a big paper bag on the coffee table. He plopped down on a stool next to me and grabbed two cans.
"Coffee? Soda?" he asked, showing me what he had. I just sighed and sat down on a small wooden chair.
"Just water."
He shrugged, set the coffee and soda down, then went to his big fridge to grab some water. When he came back, he handed me a glass of cold water. I drank it right away and leaned back in my chair.
He went back to where he was sitting earlier and quietly sipped his coffee. We both just stared at the city lights for a few minutes. I was pretty full from all the water, so I decided to break the silence.
"So when do we start?" I asked, watching him finish his drink. After he finished, he licked his lower lip and set the can neatly on the table. He looked at me and frowned.
"What?"
"I mean, when are you going to teach me? Swimming lessons," I clarified, which made him grin.
"I was just joking when I offered to teach you," he said, still grinning, leaving me a bit shocked. How dare he? I even wasted time thinking about whether I’d agree or not!
"How could you—" I was about to snap back when he chuckled and cut me off.
"Why are you so hot-headed?" he said, laughing again. "Cute." I heard him mutter. My face immediately got all hot, so I looked away. Cute?! How rude! That felt more like an insult!
"So you interested?" he asked, glancing at me. Well, that was unexpected!
"Interested in you?" I fake-laughed and shrugged it off. "No way."
He paused for a second before laughing again, just loud enough for me to hear. Damn.
"What's so funny?" I said, grinning. He laughed again and looked at me.
"What? I mean about what I offered," he said, biting his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing. My eyes went wide as it hit me. Oh, gosh!
I quickly grabbed a canned drink from the paper bag and chugged it down to hide my embarrassment! I didn’t even care about the bitter taste of the coffee. Once I finished, I finally looked at him again.
"Are you going to teach me or not?" I asked, a little annoyed.
"I'll find time, my schedule's a bit hectic right now," he said, leaning back in his chair, still looking straight at me. What?! He’s making me wait?!
"Wow, really? How can you say that to me?" I said, giving him a sassy look as I noticed the corner of his lips curl up even more.
"Why? Alright, we can start right now," he replied. I thought he was joking again, but then he stood up and smiled at me. "The jacuzzi’s right there."
My eyes went wide when he started walking. I was about to protest, but I just ended up following him anyway.
We walked out through another glass door, and there it was—a huge pool. My knees nearly buckled when I saw the clear water. It instantly reminded me of what happened at the event earlier. I just sighed and followed Jeco as he walked over and plopped down by the edge. He glanced at me and gave me that smile.
I rolled my eyes and sat down too, making sure there was plenty of space between us. When I dipped my feet in the water, I heard him laugh. I shot him a look.
"Are you afraid of water?" he asked, serious but still smiling.
I immediately raised an eyebrow. Is he messing with me? "Of course not," I snapped, trying to hold my ground. He nodded like he actually believed me, which just made me more irritated.
"How deep is it?" I asked, trying to change the subject. He grinned and looked at me.
"You wouldn't want to know."
See? He's so arrogant. He probably thinks that just because he's a gold medalist, he can talk to me like this. Hell no!
"Good thing you saved me earlier, no one talks to me like this unless we're close."
"Same to you."
Ha! I took a deep breath in disbelief. But I also sighed as I remembered what happened earlier. It was so embarrassing.
"But are you okay?" I asked. Now, he looked at me and met my gaze. "What do you mean?"
I surveyed his body and looked him in the eyes again. “From earlier. Look, I’m sorry—”
“I am, don’t be sorry,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “How bout we make a deal.”
I raised an eyebrow in return and waited for him to speak. “Since I saved you from earlier, you owe me something.”
Wow, seriously? Thought he was being genuine with the whole saving thing, but guess there’s always a catch. Fine.
“What is it?”
He smirked and got up. "I'll tell you once I teach you how to swim."
I was about to say something when his phone rang. We both looked at the screen. It was Seiji. He answered and put it on loudspeaker.
"Get inside, you're being watched right now!"
My eyes widened at what I heard and I quickly looked around. s**t.
Jeco immediately led me back inside. The call ended, and then Seiji sent a link to a live video. It was true. I grabbed Jeco’s phone and checked what was on it. It was a live video captured from the building across. Damn it. The comment section was going crazy.
#ATTENTIONSEEKERZAMORAGIRL, #EarlierWasJustHerDrama.
Then another call came through, so I handed Jeco his phone, but I managed to catch a glimpse of one last comment.
"Really? Even Jeco Jimenez, girl? No shame!"
- Writer
