The man in the black mask
1617 Words
"Why did you do that?" Lucas asked.
"What?"
"The kiss?"
"It wasn't a real kiss, and I wanted to get rid of that girl from my sight," Celine uttered and started to walk, but Lucas held her wrists.
"What? What are you doing?"
"Pay me back," Celine frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Take care of me. Pay me by stealing a kiss from me by taking care of me," Celine scoffed as she looked at him. She bared her teeth while carrying the plastic bags with fruit inside.
"What's that?" he asked as he pointed at the plastic bag Celine was carrying.
"Ah, fruit."
They walked back together to his room. Celine was silent while they were walking together. Lucas looked at her with a smile, "You're pretty," Celine stopped what she was thinking and looked at him. Their eyes met each other, which caused Celine to feel the electricity travel through her body. Her heart beat so fast as her lips parted in surprise. Celine's eyes widened when Lucas got closer to her.
"W-What are you doing?" Celine was about to close her eyes when Lucas suddenly took the booger from her eyes. Celine immediately regained consciousness, and her eyes widened as she stared at him.
"You have a booger in your eyes."
Celine was very ashamed of him. She could not look at him and immediately continued walking towards his room. Lucas laughed at Celine's reaction and immediately continued walking back to his room. As Celine arrived at his room, he leaned against the wall as her chest pounded so fast.
"How embarrassing, Celine. What were you thinking!" she scolded herself. When the door opened, Celine fixed herself and placed the fruit on the bedside table. Lucas immediately entered the room with a smile still on his lips and looked at Celine, who was now peeling apples. He walked towards his bed and immediately lay down. He looked at Celine, but she wasn't looking at him. Celine was just focused on the apples she was peeling.
"Here, eat this," she uttered as she placed the plate with apples on his bedside table.
"Feed me," Celine immediately looked at him with a frown.
"What?"
"Feed me, I'm too lazy to feed myself, and I still need to recover," he said with a sneer at her.
Celine took a piece of apple and fed it to him. Lucas was still looking at him while she was feeding him. She averted her gaze at him because every look he saw shook. Celine stopped feeding him and glared at him,
"Hey! Don't you think this is too much? Here! Feed yourself," she uttered angrily as she handed the apple to him. Instead of taking the apple, Lucas grabbed her hand towards him, causing her to lie down on his chest.
"W-What are you d-doing?" she muttered. Lucas just smiled as he looked at her. "Just stay like that for a moment."
"Hey! Let go of me!" she raged as she tried to free herself. Celine was very naughty in Lucas's bed, so he immediately approached her face. They were inches apart, and Celine could feel Lucas's every breath. She looked at him and gulped.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked.
"Marry Me," Celine immediately stopped at what she heard. She really doesn’t like that topic, but Luke says it again.
"Why are you so desperate to marry someone?" she asked.
"I wanted to do it, because my Grandma wanted it," Celine frowned.
"I guess the reason is shallow, Lucas."
"She's dying," he lied about the matter, but what Lucas didn't know was that his grandma was really sick. Celine stopped bubbling her mouth and just stared at him.
Celine stopped and just stared at his sad expression. She wanted to help him, but she didn't want to lie. "I don't want to lie, Lucas. I've been living my whole life with lies. So, I can't do it," Lucas sighed in disbelief and smiled as he looked back at her.
"It's okay. I understand," Lucas said, but Celine felt guilty about what she saw. Luke seemed to be disappointed in her, and she couldn’t afford to trade her dignity just for a lie.
Celine remained in that position when the door suddenly opened and Lucas's Grandma entered. Celine immediately stood up and greeted her. She looked strict, and you could see in her being prim and proper. Glenda, his grandma, glared at Celine, but she smiled, and she seemed to be hiding her trembling and nervousness.
"Who is she, Lucas?" his grandma asked him. Lucas looked at Celine as if he wanted her to answer his question. She frowned while looking at Lucas. He raised his brows, saying it was her turn to speak. Glenda immediately looked at her with complete astonishment and doubt. Celine gulped, and she could feel her heartbeat speed up.
"Are you-"
"Yes, I'm Lucas's girlfriend," Lucas' eyes immediately widened as he looked at her and smiled.
"Like girlfriend? Couples? Am I right?" she asked again.
"Yes ma'am."
"What's your name?"
"I'm Celine Madrigal, Ma'am."
"What do you do for a living, Celine?" she was about to answer the question, but Lucas spoke up.
"She owns a bar, Grandma," Celine immediately looked at him with widened eyes, and couldn't believe what he said.
"Oh, you own a bar?"
"Yes, M-Ma'am."
"How did you two meet?" she asked.
"We meet at the bar, Ma'am."
"Celine, right?"
"Yes."
"I guess you're financially stable, right?"
"Yes," there was regret in her answer, but she was hiding it.
"Clemente?"
"Yes, Grandma?"
"After you get discharged, go straight to the house with Celine, right?"
"Yes, Grandma."
"I'll get going now. I have to take care of the company paperwork."
"Alright. See you, Grandma."
Celine just bowed her head as Glenda walked away from them. She glared at her and still had mixed doubts about her. As soon as she went out, Celine walked closer to Lucas and gently punched his shoulders.
"What did you do that?" she asked her.
"Hey, you did the first move. Don't you remember?" she rolled her eyes with a matching sigh.
"Lucas, I can't do this. I'm sorry, I was too nervous to answer. But-"
"Hey, you said it. You have to stand by what you say. You lied first, Celine. Let's continue it. We've already started lying, haven't we? Why won't we continue it? What's the use of stopping it if we've already started?" Celine stared at him for a few more minutes and sighed.
"Just play along with me, okay?" Celine looked at him.
"Alright. Let's make a deal."
"Okay."
After a few minutes, Mark arrived with a folder in his hands. "Here."
"Thanks, bro."
"What's that?" Celine asked.
"The contract," Mark replied.
"What? Contract?"
"Yes, you have to sign to ensure that you won't escape from your obligations and responsibility," she bared her teeth as she looked at Lucas.
Celine was reading the contract and looked at them, just staring at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Sign it already."
"Wait. I have to read it first."
When Celine read everything, she let out a deep breath before signing the papers. She was nervous about what kind of mess she had gotten into. After signing the papers, Mark immediately took the papers and left. She looked at Lucas, and she regretted why she had lied earlier. Because of a lie, she will be in trouble.
"Celine, what are you doing with your life?" she asked herself, because she still couldn't believe what she had done.
"Did you regret it?" he asked, causing her to look at him.
"Yes, I did," she answered with a pout.
"Did I just lie?"
"Yes, but it wasn't a bad lie. It's called white lies."
"White lies?"
"Yes. It's a harmless or trivial lie, especially one told to avoid hurting someone's feelings. You just said a white lie to avoid hurting my feelings and my grandma as well."
Celine sighed in disbelief, as she couldn't think of that as a white lie. It was still wrong to lie to someone.
It was evening already when Celine arrived at the apartment. She looked around at the house, as it was too messy. Her chest started to pound fast as she slowly walked inside. Celine was about to take another step, but she saw a man wearing a black mask, which caused his face not to be seen.
Celine looked at him with widened eyes. She was gasping for breath as she slowly took a step back. As Celine was stepping back, she stepped into a can on the floor, which caused the man to look in her direction. Her eyes widened even more as the man walked closer to her, and she started running.
Celine was so close to the door, but the man grabbed her hair first before she could open the door.
"Let me go! Who are you!" she raged. "Help me!"
As the man put her on the chair and tied her hand, the door suddenly opened and Aron went in. When he saw the man tying Celine, Aaron's world immediately stopped. He felt like he was a Deja Vu. He sees Celine with his ex-girlfriend. She looked at him with those puppy and scared eyes.
Aron got closer to the man but he was carrying a knife. "How did you get inside?" To ask the man, but he did not speak. Aron felt like he had to protect and save Celine at all costs. He doesn't want to regret it again. Losing someone you love is the most painful one.
"I have to save her no matter what."
To be continued...
- Writer
