You Were Never Mine

Chapter 4

Yvette's P.O.V

It begins with the words "Rossveth Bueno..." I uttered my words in a hushed tone.

Nakatulala lang ako. I am completely at a loss on what to do in this predicament. Kapag naririnig ko ang pangalang iyon, hindi ko alam kung ano ang mararamdman ko. Kung matutuwa ba ako, masasaktan o magagalit. Ang hirap kasi suriin ng nararamdamn ko. Minsan feeling ko nakaka-move on na'ko sa lahat, tapos bigla ko na naming maaalala then wala. Back to zero na ulit.

Paulit-ulit lang. Ewan ko ba. Nagsasawa naman ako sa ganitong Gawain ko, pero wala naman akong magawa para mawala.

Hindi parin ako makapaniwala sa narinig ko mula kay Shaun. Hindi ko magawang maka-buo ng mga salita. Walang kahit ano ang kaya kong sabihin kay Shaun ngayon. Binabaan ko siya ng tawag nong araw na 'yon at agad na bumagsak ng higa sa kama ko.

Hinayaan kong lamunin ako ng antok at hinihiling ko na sana paggising ko, panaginip lang ang lahat ng mga nalaman ko ngayong araw na 'to. Masyadong maraming impormasyon ang di magawang bitbitin ng utak ko. Hindi ko alam paano ko lahat ipapasok sa utak ko at kung paano ko lahat iintindihin.

It's been already days mula nang malaman ko ang work place at ang magiging ka-collab na company ng kumpanya namin. Rios is the only individual who fits the description of the person in question. Hindi ko pa rin talaga matanggap nor makapaniwala sa nangyayari.

I am well aware that the circumstances surrounding me are bleak; nonetheless, I did not imagine that they would be quite so hopeless.

As I was driving to the coffee shop, I grumbled and mumbled something under my breath before saying, "Hay..."

The fact that it's just 2:00 in the afternoon doesn't change the fact that I've got a major craving for a cup of coffee. Nang makarating ako, agad akong nag-park at naglakad papasok sa coffee shop.

After looking for a*****e in the neighborhood, I found one that appeared to have a lot of customer appeal.

In addition to the makeup that I'm wearing, which has a natural appearance, I'm wearing a tank top in a creamy hue that is tucked into a pair of trousers that have a straight cut, and I'm also wearing a pair of brown shoes. I have made the conscious decision to dress appropriately for the season by donning a light spring coat despite the fact that the temperature outside is very high.

Pagpasok ko sa loob ng café, inilibot ko ang paningin ko at sakto naman na walang gaanong costumers, dahil I know. It is absurdly close to the middle of the afternoon.

Perfect na perfect moment para sa mainit na kape, Yvette. (- -)

I requested that a caramel syrup be prepared for me to accompany the whipped cream that I had placed on top of my venti iced coffee with extra cream and additional cream served on the side. I smiled at the attractive girl ang kumukuha ng order ko. She must be the same age as me, and all I can say about her is that she is simply breathtaking despite the fact that she is a freak! —- However, as I will shortly be conducting an inspection of the current conditions at my place of employment after this, this is not the appropriate time to congratulate anyone.

"Would you mind taking a gander at this receipt, Ma'am?" She smiled at pinunit ang resibo mula sa machine at inabot sa akin kasama ang sukli ko at ang buzzer na tutunog kapag ready na ang order ko, "Thank you." And I did my best to smile back at him.

Kinuha ko ang smartphone ko sa bulsa ng aking overcoat at tinipa sa google map ang address na in-email sa akin ni Shaun The Boss.

Block 3 of Miranda Street, in the municipality of Quezon.

Yes. Wala akong nagawa kung hindi um-oo sa project ang naibigay sa akin. Matapos kong marinig ang pangalan ng tao behind it, I just can't say no or maybe, I just don't want to? I'm not sure. I don't understand myself.

Constantly the same thing. Wala naman nang bago.

From this location, getting to the destination will take approximately twenty minutes via automobile. Not really remote, making appropriate language choice. Hindi naman 'yon nagmamadali, so dito muna ako sa café to drink some Latte. Bigla naman akong nakaramdam ng gutom nang, kaya makakita ako ng strawberry cake and mga deserts na nakadisplay sa counter na hindi ko napansin kanina, because I was too busy amusing that girl's beauty, ay natakam ako.

After some consideration, I chose to give my order to the cashier at the counter. Pagdating ko sa counter, hindi ang magandang babae ang sumalubong sa akin kung hindi isang batang lalaki. Since I was the only customer there at the time, I have a strong suspicion that the child in question does not belong to one of the other customers.

"Excuse me…" tumingin naman siya sa akin. His eyes have the power to put people into a hypnotic state. Para siyang artista, dahil ang gwapo niya! "Where is the incredibly beautiful young woman who was just standing there?" I inquired at itinuro naman ng nguso niya ang pinto kung saan I felt is their kitchen.

"What's your name, you absolutely precious little boy?" "Why?" I said it, and he looked at me in a peculiar way, as if I had done something bad by saying it.

"To begin, I would like to make it clear that I am not a young child. I'm cute—- gorgeous even. I'm Jonah." He didn't even smile. He's just gazing at me intently na parang sinusuri niya ang mukha ko. May ibinulong siya habang nag-iisip, pero bago ko pa itanong kung ano iyon, agad siyang nagsalita.

When he asked me, "What are you going to have for dinner?" As a result of hearing something so incredible, I was both rendered speechless and filled with laughter. He is too young to be employed by the company at this time. That's amazing, however nakaka-curious kung paanong ipinagkakatiwala nila ang café —- ang counter —- sa isang batang lalaki.

"I would like to make an order for one slice of strawberry cake..." I rubbed all of my taste receptors together to figure out what I really wanted, and I said, "And an oreo cheese cake, please." The guy has a ton of experience and is really good at what he does, as evidenced by the fact that he only looked at the monitor.

Maya maya naman, nakarinig kami ng tawag mula sa kitchen ng café.

"Jonah!" agad naming nanlaki ang mata ng batang lalaki.

“Uh-oh…”

“Jonah! What is it that pulls you to this location? Hindi ba sabi ko naman sa'yo na huwag papakialaman ang counter? You are not accountable for completing this task in any way. Sure you can do this, kapag kasing tangkad mo na si Mommy, but not now, okay?” tumango naman ang bata.

"It would appear that he is your son, pala," you said. I stated, and she confirmed my statement by nodding. I didn't think that she already had a kid, dahil napaka bata ng itsura niya or maybe matanda naman ang itsura ko? I can honestly say that I have no idea. Baka mas matanda siya sa'kin or what.

“Yes. A long long story…" She let out a long, drawn-out exhalation before grinning and saying, "So what are you going to get?" itinuro ko nalang ang monitor, dahil tama naman ang ginawa ng anak niya.

"He's incredibly smart for his age... And really lovely." She thanked me and hand me my Latte and ilang saglit pa ay inabot niya sa akin ang tray na may lamang dalawang pinggan na mag-kaibang cake.

"You seem even lovely in person." She complemented na para bang nakita niya na ako someplace. Just a second, please! feeling ko nakakahiyang masabihan ng maganda ng isang babaeng mas maganda pa sa'yo like—- she's extremely nice! Women who are like this have my undying admiration. She has an overly gentle and naive demeanor. The café is the ideal environment for her easygoing and unpretentious nature to shine through.

Syempre, gawa gawa ko lang 'yon. Wala naman talagang standard ang mga café, no!

Sinimulan ko nang lantakan ang mga cakes and inumin ko na sobrang sarap! From now on, I anticipate making this business one that I visit very frequently for my drinking and dining needs. Naubos ko lahat ng iyona t agad na tumayo. Sobrang busog ko na feeling ko sasabog na 'yung pantalon ko. Before heading out, nag-order ako ng hot tea with lemon nang maibsan naman ang kabusugan ko.

She enquired, "May I ask what your name is?" "May I ask what your name is?" I then gave her a friendly grin and said to her, "Hello there, my name is Yvette. And you?" itinuro naman niya ang parte nang dibdib niya sa pag-aakalang may name plate siya, pero wala naman, so I laughed a little. “Oh. That's embarrassing, but I'm Giannah." In addition to that, she made a gesture by extending her hand.

"After all of this time, it's wonderful to finally catch up with you... She stated that, and my only response was an odd smile directed at her because I had absolutely no notion what the word FINALLY meant to me.

LOL.

Despite the fact that I had a strong desire to do so, I pushed myself to stop from inquiring about personal topics such as marriage and other matters. This was despite the fact that I wanted to do so very much. I do not consider myself to be an insensitive person, and I was aware that the other person would experience some level of discomfort as a result of my actions. After living in the Philippines for the past three years, it is wonderful to finally have a friend here, and I would like for her to be that friend.

Badly.

"See you!—-" Someone pushed the door just as I was about to pull it, which brought me perilously close to sliding off the floor. I don't know who did it, but someone did it. Agad kong pinrotektahan ang tea ko, kahit na mainit. I felt relieved nang masapo ko ito nang hindi ako napaso, yet unhappy nang maalala ko kung bakit ito muntik matapon.

Bwiset naman kasi! Bakit ba may sumabay sa pagbukas ng pinto?!

Well, alam kong hindi naman niya sinasadya pero nakakainis parin! Dapat hinayaan niya muna akong makalabas bago pa siya pumasok. Ang ganda ganda pa naman ng araw ko ngayon, tapos… ugh!

Agad akong napatingin sa suot niyang sapatos. It was a pair of Dolce & Gabana leather shoes that were part of a limited edition, and there were only five of them available for purchase anywhere in the entire world. Yes. I know, since I was intended to purchase one para sana ipang-regalo kay Shaun, pero hindi ako nakahanap.

Dahan dahan akong nag-angat ng tingin upang makita kung sino ang may suot non. He must be important and powerful, or otherwise he would not be in this position. In the picture, there appears to be a gentleman dressed in a long-sleeved button-down polo and wearing sunglasses from Ray-Ban.

The temperature is higher than f**k, however... WHAT THE F*CK IS GOING ON?

“Y-Yvette…” parang bumaligtad ang sikmura ko at kahit ano mang oras ay masusuka ako.

S h i t.

T a n g i n a.