Mystique Temptations: Brittany's Dance After Dark

Chapter 17: Mapang-asar na Matt

Matt Woods's POV

Of all the places I expected to find Brittany Harries today, the library wasn’t one of them. Sure, she looked like the type to bury herself in books, pero hindi ko in-expect na makikita ko siya dito after that little "chair incident" in class. The way she just sat in my chair... my chair... and acted like it was nothing? Gutsy. I’ll give her that. She’s lucky I didn’t feel like making a scene that day. But now, seeing her sitting there in the library, ang linis ng table niya at sobrang seryoso sa notebook niya, I couldn’t help but smirk. Let’s see just how far she’ll go before she cracks.

I approached her table casually, sliding into the seat across from her. Hindi pa niya napapansin na andito na ako, and honestly, it’s kinda funny how focused she is. Or maybe she's just that oblivious.

Then it happened. Someone at the next table knocked over their book pile, making enough noise to wake the dead, and finally, she noticed me. Her eyes snapped up, and for a split second, nagtagpo yung mga tingin namin. Her eyes widened, and I swear, muntik na niyang mabitawan yung ballpen niya.

I leaned in slightly, letting my signature smirk settle on my lips. "Well, hello there, partner," I teased, making sure my voice was just loud enough for her to hear but soft enough to feel personal. Nakakatuwa yung panic sa mukha niya, parang gusto niya akong hindi pansinin pero hindi niya magawa. I mean, naiintindihan ko naman sya dahil kahit na kailan ay wala pang nakatiis na hindi ako tignan.

“Ano'ng ginagawa mo dito?” she asked, her voice hushed but firm. Straight to the point, as always. Classic Brittany. Hindi na nga siya nagtanong kung bakit sa dami-raming pwedeng maupuan ay sa tabi pa nya, she’s probably already used to my unpredictability.

“I should be asking you the same thing,” I said, leaning back in the chair and crossing my arms like I owned the place. “Didn’t think the fearless Brittany Harries would spend her free time in a place as quiet as this. Hindi ba masyadong boring dito para sa’yo?”

She rolled her eyes, which, honestly, was the reaction I was expecting. “Not everyone finds the library boring, Matt. Unlike you, may mga tao dito na gustong mag-aral.”

Ouch. Ang ngisi ko ay muling sumisilip sa gilid ng labi ko, “Wow, shots fired. Relax, nerd, I’m not here to ruin your little study date with your notebook.”

“Good,” sagot nya sa akin, pagtapos ay muling ibinalik ang pokus nya sa kaniyang notes.

Pero syempre, hindi ko siya hahayaang tapusin ang usapan na ganun lang. I leaned forward this time, resting my elbows on the table. “Pero alam mo, Brittany,” I said, lowering my voice just a little. “Kung gusto mo talaga ng tahimik na oras, bakit sa library ka pa? You should’ve known I’d find you here.”

Napatingin ulit siya sa akin, kitang-kita ko na naiinis na sya. “Matt, hindi umiikot ang mundo ko sa’yo. Hindi ko ini-expect na makikita kita dito, and honestly, wala rin akong pakialam kung makita mo ako o hindi.”

Ang talim talaga ng dila niya. I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sabi mo eh, pero you’re the one who sat in my chair kanina. Hindi ba obvious na naghahanap ka ng atensyon ko?”

She gave me a flat look, one eyebrow raised, obviously unimpressed. “Oh please, Matt. I sat there because I wanted to, not because of you. Get over yourself.”

“Hmm.” I tapped my fingers on the table, hindi pa rin nawawala ang ngisi ko, “You keep saying na wala kang pake sa akin, pero here you are, arguing with me. Interesting.”

I could see the way her jaw tightened, but she quickly covered it up by turning back to her notes. “Matt, wala talaga akong pakialam sayo. You're the one who came here, not me.”

“Exactly,” sabi ko habang ipinatong ko ang baba ko sa kamay ko at hindi tinatanggal ang tingin sa kaniya, “And yet, hindi mo ako pinapaalis.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but before she could say anything, I leaned in closer, making sure our faces were just inches apart. I tilted my head slightly. “Admit it, Brittany. You like having me around.”

I swear, nakita kong nanlisik yung mga mata niya. “Matt,” she hissed, clearly trying to keep her voice down, “if you don’t stop—”

“Stop what?” I interrupted, mas pinalaki ang pagngisi ko. “Stop making you blush?”

Kumurap-kurap sya, halatang hindi makapagsalita dahil sa sinabi ko. Bullseye. For a moment, parang wala siyang maisagot, but then she quickly shook her head. “I am not blushing,” she whispered sharply. She's good at hiding her emotions pero hindi nya kayang pigilan ang pamumula ng pisngi nya.

“You sure about that?” tanong ko sa kaniya sabay turo sa pisngi nya. “Kasi parang iba yung sinasabi ng mukha mo.”

Napa-awang ang mga labi nya, but before she could retort, the librarian shot us both a sharp look. “Shh! Keep your voices down,” she scolded.

Hindi ko maiwasang matawa ng mahina, habang si Brittany naman ay mukhang gusto nang maglaho sa kinauupuan niya. She glared at me, her eyes practically screaming this is your fault.

Leaning back in my chair, I raised my hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. I’ll behave,” I said, though my grin told her I wasn’t planning on stopping anytime soon. “But seriously, Brittany… if you ever want to talk about why you were asleep in class earlier, on my chair, by the way, you know where to find me.”

Ang ekspresyon sa mukha nya ay tila nagbago, from being irritated to being I couldn't quite place. Tinitigan nya ako na para bang inaaral ang mukha ko bago sya tuluyang umiwas ng tingin.

“Goodbye, Matt,” mahina nyang binanggit sa akin ng hindi ako tinitignan.

Tumayo ako, ang dalawang kamay ko ay nakasuksok sa magkabilang bulsa ng pang-ibaba ko, pero bago pa ako humakbang palayo, isinandal kong muli ang katawan ko malapit sa mukha ni Brittany. “I’ll see you around, partner.”

As I walked away, I couldn’t help but glance back at her. Brittany Harries. Brave, smart, and a little too interesting for her own good. I smirked to myself. This is going to be fun.

As soon as I stepped out of the library, napansin ko agad ang grupo ng mga babae na nakatambay malapit sa entrance. Hindi mo usually makikita ang grupo na ‘to sa ganitong lugar, lalo na sa library. These girls weren’t exactly the 'studying' type of people. Napahinto ako sandali, pinagmamasdan sila habang nagkukumpulan at nagbubulungan, their eyes darting toward the library entrance like they were waiting for someone.

I couldn’t help but smirk. Joannah, I thought to myself. Kung anuman ang binabalak mo, I’d think twice if I were you. Alam ko ang estilo niya, she doesn’t act unless she has a target, and right now, I have a pretty good idea kung sino ang inaabangan niya.

My smirk widened as I leaned casually against the wall, silently daring Joannah to make her move. Seriously, Joannah? Here? Outside the library? She’s not exactly subtle. Alam kong may problema si Joannah sa mga babaeng hindi niya kayang kontrolin, and Brittany? She’s definitely not someone Joannah can intimidate easily. Pero alam kong hindi pa siya titigil, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Joannah, she doesn’t play fair.

A small laugh escaped my lips, and I shook my head. Tsk. Subukan mo lang, Joannah. Subukan mo lang galawin si Brittany, at magkaka-alaman tayo.

May kaunting inis akong naramdaman at hindi ko ito maipaliwanag. The thought of Joannah or any of her minions trying to mess with Brittany... it didn’t sit well with me. Napakuyom ang kamay ko habang nakatingin sa direksyon nila, at dahan-dahan akong humakbang palayo sa pader, ang dati kong ngisi ay unti-unting nawala.

Brittany didn’t know it yet, but she wasn’t alone in this. Oo, alam kong sinabihan ko sya na tutulungan ko sya, pero nakakasigurado ako na hindi sya naniniwala sa akin. She’s mine, well, at least until I'm finished with her, pero sa ngayon no one, absolutely no one, was going to touch her without going through me first.