Programmed Wife

Chapter 40

"So to be a hundred percent clear, uuwi ka na sa condo dahil sa pagkukumbinsi sa'yo ni Leyla?" there's a little hint of jealousy and a sense of betrayal deep inside Shawn's shaky voice as he held onto Rui's shoulder while he's picking up the stuff that he's going to bring back home.

With one nod Shawn's heart got even more broken. As if it was personally dug out by Rui, thrown to the ground and repeatedly stomped on with full force. He slid down the edge of the cabinet as if there's no way of recovering for him.

"Rui, you know I've been persuading you to go back home since I first knew right? Gaano katagal na ba 'yon? Hindi mo man lang ako pinakinggan kahit na kaunti? Taksil!"

"I get it, you're an actor. Stand up, you look like a beggar."

"The heck? Talagang sasabihan mo pa ako ng gan'yan kahit na pinagtaksilan mo ako dahil sa babae? Kung makasunod ka kay Leyla parang may relasyon kayo ha? Kulang nalang talaga makita ko kayong naghahalikan para makumpirma ko," Shawn ranted as he stood up to face his friend who's currently looking at him. Just by looking at his emotionless stare, Shawn could sense something different.

"Man, why are you pulling a straight face when you want to smile so badly?" direkta niyang tanong na kaagad namang iniwasan ni Rui. Instead of talking to him he pushed him aside and took some of his favorite neck ties to pack in his bag.

"You're hiding something from me. You little piece of sh*t!"

"Dumb*ss no I'm not. Quit it already!"

"See! Napapangiti ka! OMG, anong ginawa mo hoy bakit ka gan'yan? May nangyari ba?" hinatak niya pa ng puwersahan si Rui para lang matapatan ang mga mata nito. "Huli kitang nakita na gan'yan noong naisahan mo ako sa poker dahil nandaya ka. Spit it out, anong nangyari ngayon?"

"I can't tell you yet. I promised not to tell anybody!"

"OMG! So may secret ka nga! Tungkol kay Leyla! Aray! Bakit ka nananapak!"

"I said nothing about Leyla you dumb f*ck!"

"Duh?" Shawn flipped his imaginary long hair. "Sino pa kaya ang pinupunto mo roon? Wala ka naman na siguradong ibang tinutukoy. Puro si Leyla lang naman ang laman ng utak mo lately."

"You know what, I really want to send you somewhere far away right now."

"Gosh! What's wrong with you? Wala naman akong ibang tinutukoy pero parang 'yong gigil mo pang p*****n na! Is it about your evil father?"

Rui gave him the deadly side eye, "Mmmhmm," he lied. But that is the only way to make Shawn quit. Which thankfully worked out pretty well! Hindi alam ni Rui kung paano niya ipapaliwanag kay Leyla kapag nagkataon. All she wished on their first day of dating is that their real relationship would be kept as a secret. Lalo na sa mga katrabaho niya.

He knows Shawn so well that he knew, the exact moment that he'll tell this guy, the whole nation would hear about it. Hindi imposible na mangyari 'yon basta si Shawn ang usapan. He even told the world about Rui and him fighting in school when they were kids just to escape an exam that they did not wanna take and be sent to the Principal's office. Ganoon ito kadaldal, wala naman kasing nagtanong sa kan'ya noon pero trip niya lang na I-share. Whatever happens he needs to tell his mother first. Mahirap na kung si Shawn ang unang makabalita, siguradong bibigyan niya ng kulay ang bawat impormasyon.

"Sir Rui, lunch is ready!" tawag ni Leyla mula sa labas ng kuwarto. Nauna ng tumakbo si Shawn nang marinig niya ang tungkol sa pagkain. Sa likod niya ay ang lalaking may napakalaking ngiti dahil sa direktang pagtingin sa kan'ya ni Leyla.

"Wow! You ordered Korean food! Rui oh yung paborito mong tteokbokki pati bibimbap. Huh? Pati 'yong stew- teka nga, paborito mo lahat 'to ha?"

Rui glanced at the table full of the food that he likes, even his favorite grape soda, and shrugged, "I made her chose man, don't blame me."

"Do you not like it Shawn?" tanong ni Leyla.

"'Di girlie, okay lang. Nakakabilib naman, alam mo lahat ng paborito ni Rui 'no?"

"Uhm, I guessed."

"Right, nice guess!" Shawn sarcastically said as he dug in to eat on the table.

Leyla waited for Rui to sit down before sitting right beside him. He was quick to adjust his chair and shorten the distance between thew two of them. Nakadikit na nga ang tuhod niya sa tuhod ng dalaga.

Leyla was busy putting different kinds of dishes on to Rui's plate that she did not realize the intense gaze that was coming from the man beside her. He started to scoop out some of the spicy rice cakes to her plate. Whatever their plan is in covering up their relationship, it did not work at all.

Shawn was sitting in front of them chewing a piece of meat as patiently waited for the two to stop cutely caring for each other and start eating. Alam niyang walang inamin sa kan'ya si Rui na kahit ano pero itong nakikita palang niya, gusto na niyang masuka sa tamis. It got him thinking if he could ever handle the sweetness whenever these two decided to start dating openly.

"Diabetes," bulong niya sa sarili.

Rui picked up a pair of wooden chopsticks but Leyla quickly snatched it off of his hand and gave him a fork instead. Ngumiti naman si Rui bilang pasasalamat. Nasa kalagitnaan palang ng pag nguya ang lalaki ay nakaabang na ang inumin na nilalapit ni Leyla sa kan'ya. She even holds the end of his sleeve to prevent it from dipping into the red spicy soup whenever he's grabbing food. Ganoon din si Rui sa kan'ya.

He's really attentive, tucking her long hair behind her ear to not get food in it, giving her a piece of tissue whenever something was on her face, he's doing the absolute most! Ninakaw niya pa ang fishcake na kukunin na sana ni Shawn dahil lang napansin niyang gusto ito ni Leyla. Now her plate is full of fish cakes, hindi na nga alam ni Leyla kung mauubos pa niya 'to.

"Okay what the f*ck?" hindi na kinaya ni Shawn at napatanong na siya sa kabila ng mamula-mula niyang labi na namamaga dahil sa maanghang na pagkain.

"Is it too spicy?" Leyla asked. She was about to grab his glace to refill it for him but Rui snatched it from her. Pinanlakihan niya pa ito ng mata bago pinuno ang baso ni Shawn.

"Thank you, but that's not it," Shawn irritably accepted the glass of water. "Bakit gan'yan talaga kayo? Ang lakas talaga maka mag-asawa vibes. Umamin nga kayo sa akin!"

Leyla smiled, "Shawn, I'm his secretary. I sure know a lot about him, don't worry I wont steal him from you, okay?"

"Leyla wala akong paki. Kung gusto mo I-uwi mo pa 'yan sa unit mo. Ang akin lang naman, kung may dapat akong malaman, umamin kayo! 'Wag niyo akong ihuli sa balita!"

Shawn got easily distracted when Rui placed a piece of crab meat on his plate followed by a shrimp. He loves seafood, and Rui knew that. Most importantly, he knows how emotional Shawn could get, by receiving simple gestures like this from him, he will easily feel touched. And when he's simmering in those feelings, he's quiet. That's the whole point.

Rui became as caring as he could possibly be. He started to peel shrimp just to give them to Shawn. And it all payed off. Shawn was too touched to talk.

"Smart," bulong ni Leyla. Of course she caught up with his evil plan. "That's kinda messed up."

"Do you like it?" simpleng tanong nalang ni Rui kay Shawn para mabago ang usapan nila. Tahimik lang na tumgo si Shawn.

"I have a lot of alcohol in my condo, do you want some?" umiling naman si Shawn sa tanong na ito.

"I can't drink, I have an interview tomorrow."

Napanganga si Leyla dahil sa seryoso at malalim na tono ng boses ni Shawn. Madalas kasi ay hyper ito at nagwawala sa tuwing nakakausap niya. Parang ito palang yata ang unang pagkakataon na makita niyang kalmado si Shawn.

"He's really like this huh?" tanong niya pa sa sarili. "This is who Shawn is. He's not loud nor flashy. He's doesn't really have that energy twenty four seven. Most of the time he's acting," isip niya. Napalingon siya para tignan si Rui na masayang nilalagyan ng pagkain ang pinggan ng kaibigan. "He's acting for Rui. He's being as noisy and as lively as he can because he knows that he's the only connection that Rui has with a social life. He wanted to show Rui that it is fun."

Everything that she just analyzed based on Shawn's expressions and movements were a hundred percent true. Sa tuwing kakausapin niya si Rui, sinisigurado muna niyang wala siyang lungkot na madadala sa kaibigan. Lahat ng problema at pangamba, lahat 'yon binubura niya muna sa isipan niya para kapag kaharap niya ang lalaki ay wala itong ibang makikita kung hindi saya. He hopes that maybe if Rui saw him this happy and excited at he tells him about his different adventures, maybe something in his subconscious mind will trick him into trying it too, freely, free from the chains of the past.

"Sir Rui, Shawn, you two have a very great friendship," hindi napigilang masabi ni Leyla habang nginingitian ang dalawa.

"Huh?" tanong ni Rui.

"Ano?" sabi naman ni Shawn.

"I can see that you two really have such a tight bond, I'm jealous of that. But I am so glad that you both have each other."

"Yikes! Rui make her stop! Nakakapangilabot!" tili ni Shawn na nakapagpatawa naman sa kanilang lahat.

After filling up their tummy with such good foods, Rui and Shawn took all of Rui's bags and carried them out of the company all the way to the parking lot. There Rui took out his car from the private parking space.

"Hoy babae yayamanin ka pala!" bahagyang tinulak pa ni Shawn si Leyla nang makita nito ang magara niyang sasakyan.

"Ah! Hindi, hindi, regalo 'to sa akin ng papa ko," natatawa namang sagot ng babae.

The two almost jumped when they heard a loud honk coming from behind them. They could see Rui's frown through the glass.

"Did you just push Leyla?" sigaw nito.

"Nagbibiruan lang eh! Parang tanga naman 'to! Overprotective!" Shawn said before he got into his own car.

"Why don't you just ride with me?" Rui's tone completely changed when he talked to Leyla with his window rolled down.

"Hmm? I need to drive my car, wala akong sasakyan bukas."

"Eh? Come on, I wanna drive for you more!" Rui cutely pouted but Leyla held on to her last brain cell to turn him down.

"Nope. Alam ko na 'yang binabalak mo, iiwanan ko rito itong sasakyan ko para bukas may dahilan pa para sabay tayong pumasok sa opisina."

Rui was caught. He rolled his eyes and started complaining, "What's wrong with that? I just like driving with you," he said.

"Hush, para kang bata," Leyla giggled. "Go now, nanonood si Shawn oh. Sige na magkikita pa naman tayo sa condo."

With no choice left for him, Rui sadly drove over to be closer to Shawn. Parang alam naman ni Shawn na may gustong sabihin sa kan'ya si Rui kaya naman nakangiti niyang ibinaba ang bintana niya.

"Shawn! I want to kill you by the way!"

"Wha-Huh? What the f*ck did I do to you b*tch?!"