We Broke Up

19 - Spill The Beans

So the girls and I finally found time to all meet up that Saturday afternoon. With the Santa Rosa campaign done with final edits and ready to launch on Monday, I have the entire weekend free. 

We all decided to have a little staycation at the Discovery Primea and book the entire Sunday at their spa. Nothing better than a little R&R with my best friends after a long week at work. 

Since we had a whole spa day planned in the morning and all we really wanted to do was relax, the girls and I settled for a quiet night by the pool after dinner for some wine and to catch up with each other.

Still in our matching short spaghetti strap dresses in white for Francesca, red for Denise, pink for Sophie and black for me, we took our shoes off and sat, forming a straight line, along the side of the pool then dipped our feet in the water. Ate Ches and I were on each end. 

"So, Ate Ches, how was your trip to the caterer?" I asked.

"Huh?" She looked up from her glass to face me but barely met my eyes when she looked out to the pool. She has been a little distracted and unusually quiet since we met earlier that afternoon. "What caterer?"

Denise, Sophie and I looked at each other and shrugged. Francesca used to be more enthusiastic when we talked about her wedding plans. With a few wiggles of our eyebrows, nose twitches and lip pouting, it was decided that I should continue prodding. 

"The caterer for your wedding. Remember? That's where you and Francis went to kaya hindi kayo nakasipot yesterday for coffee with Martin." I reminded her.

"Oh... That. Okay. I guess. We have two more places to check before we make a decision." She answered with lack of enthusiasm, her voice sounded distant and we were all worried about her.

Sophie, who was sitting beside her, held her hand which made Ate Ches lookup. "Ate, what's wrong?" 

Francesca shook her head and sighed. "Wala. It's nothing. Just tired." She answered.

We let that go for the time being because we all know that no one can force anything out of Francesca and that she will eventually tell us everything anyway. In her own terms. 

"Speaking of Martin... That perv!" Denise cut in to change the subject. 

"Yes. Oh my god!" Sophie seconded. "Who would have thought that the shy Dr. Martin Cruz had such evil intentions for you, Naeve!" 

I sighed. "Well, I guess, if there is one thing that I learned from all my recent experiences, it's that you can never really say when you know a person. I was with Fred for 7 years and akala ko we had it all figured out pero hindi pala tapos thought we knew Martin as this sweet and shy gentleman, yun pala m******s din. Ang swerte ko rin naman talaga lately sa mga gago ano?" I chuckled. 

"Mga gago talaga. Remind to break a certain doctor's nose when I see him. Let's see how good of a rhinoplasty he can do on himself." Denise said, rolling her eyes. 

"Grabe ka talaga, Denise. If you had your way, you'd have a string of dead bodies at your feet." Sophie gasped. "I don't think I can study to be a good enough lawyer to defend you then." She laughed.

Denise laughed heartily at Sophie's remark, as we all did. Seconds later when our laughter quieted down, Denise stretched her arms to collect all three of us in a hug. "You know I love you girls so much. That's why I can't just let those jerks hurt and take advantage of you like that. Basta. We look out for each other. All of us." She said then kissed Sophie's and my temple like a drunk grandma.

"Di ka pa naman lasing di ba?" I chuckled. 

"Ikaw." She glared at me. "Pasalamat ka mahal kita." She scoffed. "Plus let me remind you that sa ating apat, you need the most looking out for. Paano? Habulin ka ng mga siraulong lalake." 

"Hoy! Grabe ka naman. Hindi naman lahat." I pouted. "Mabait naman si Fred noon. Tsaka there was a suitor back in highschool na sobrang bait kaso pari na ata yun ngayon." I giggled.

"Oo nga, Denise. Wag mong lahatin. May RJ pa kaya." Sophie smirked. 

"Hmmm... Oo nga pala!" Denise beamed and looked at me mischievously. "The knight in shining armor who saved our fallen princess from trolls not just once but twice. What's up with you two huh?" She smirked.

"Ha? Ka... kami? Ni- ni Jay? Wala. Hindi. Wala. We're friends. Co-workers. Friends." I answered.

"Ohhh... Friends... Kaya pala every ten minutes mag-text ano? Tsaka mga five times na kayong nagtatawagan mula nung magkasama tayo kanina." Sophie said.

"Yun ba? Ga-ganoon lang talaga. Work yun. Sa work yun." I absentmindedly chewed on my lip and cleared my throat while I answered. 

"Aaah... Work lang. Eh bakit kinakabahan ka?" Denise asked. "Nabubulol ka pa." She raised her eyebrow. "Yung totoo, Naveah? Spill the beans."

"Anong beans? Pork and beans?" I laughed nervously at my corny joke. "Wala nga. Ma-mabait lang talaga yung tao."

"So mabait nga. Mabait din naman si Fred sa umpisa." Denise said.

"Iba si Jay. He's genuinely caring and responsible tsaka mapagmahal sa pamilya. Lagi inuuna ang iba kesa sa sarili. Ma-pride, yes, pero sakto lang. Sakto lang na hindi mapahiya sa babae kaya he volunteered to pay for tea at sakto lang na ipagmalaki ng mga kapatid niya that's why he insisted on paying for Riza's tuition." I told them. 

By the time I finished talking, all three of them were staring at me and giggling. 

"What?!" I glared at them confusedly.

"Wala lang." Denise shrugged, side-eyed me then smirked.

"Hoy! Anong wala lang?" I pouted.

"Kasi..." Sophie snickered. "There must be something there that wasn't there before. Grabe ipagtanggol ah. Daig mo pa abogado ni RJ." She said.

"Ano ba?" I chuckled nervously and tucked my hair behind my ear. "Walang something. He's just... a really good friend and  really nice person." 

"Sige na nga. Sabi mo eh." Francesca finally spoke then looked at us and actually saw us for the first time that night. Her gaze focused on me and she said. "Kung ano man yang meron kayo ni Jay, professional, platonic or romantic man yang something niyo, I'm happy to see you happy." 

Francesca spoke softly and then sighed. "Basta guard your heart, Naevey ko. Trusts have been broken too many times lately." Her voice cracked and tears started flowing from her eyes at that point. We all knew then that her last two sentences were not just meant for me but for her too. 

"Ate Ches..." I got up from where I sat and rushed to the empty spot beside her as we all pressed towards her. 

"I'm sorry, Naeve." She sobbed. 

"About what?" I asked.

She was struggling between sobs as she cupped my cheeks and looked into my eyes. "Please don't hate me after this. I have a confession to make."