Unromantic Romance

Chapter 22

"That's it," sabi ko pagkatapos ilayo ang mukha ko sa mukha ni Marley. I placed my index finger on his lips and caressed his lower lip using my thumb. 

"What? Nagsisimula pa lang tayo ah."

"I can taste strawberry from your lips, did you kiss someone before me?" Tanong ko at pinunasan ang labi gamit ang likod ng kamay ko. 

His mouth fell for a moment. I raised my brow before standing up.

Kinuha ko ang branded na red lipstick sa bag ko at inilahad sa lalaking nakaupo pa. 

"Give this to her. Strawberry lipstick is not my type, maybe she'll like this too," sabi ko pero hindi niya tinanggap ang lipstick na hawak ko. I placed my lipstick beside him at umalis na nang walang paalam. 

"Ang tagal mo!" Bungad ni Ayii sa akin nang pumasok na ako sa van ni Jay. 

She gave me a box of tissues at maliit na salamin. My lipstick is smudged!

Umandar na ang van habang tinatanggal ko ang nagkalat na lipstick gamit ang tissue. 

"So, who's the guy?" Nanunuyang tanong ni Jay na nakaupo sa harap, katabi ng driver niya. 

Inilagay ko ang tissue na ginamit sa bag ko at sinuklay ang buhok gamit ang aking mga daliri. 

"A random guy. Nakita ko lang sa cafeteria kanina," I shrugged. 

Ayii is now busy with her phone, probably texting her long time boyfriend. 

"Sure kang isasama mo kami mamaya? You can change your mind now, you know," sabi ni Jay habang nakatingin sa rear view mirror para makita akong nasa likod niya. 

I nodded. "My cousins won't mind. They'll be happy to have you two."

"Even Elli?" Usisa ni Ayii na tumigil na pala sa pagte-text. 

I chuckled. "Yeah, even Illinois."

"Kanina pa sila nakauwi, right?" 

"Yeah. I missed them. I'm not sure to Jaron though," sagot ko bago ngumiwi. 

"Ang rude mo kay Jaiden, Le'!"

"He's annoying," sagot ko na nagpatawa sa dalawa. 

Nang makarating sa harap ng bahay namin ay natanaw ko kaagad ang mga pinsan ko sa teresa. Kloe is giggling habang nakadungaw sa cellphone na hawak ni Jaron at si Micca na pilit inaabot ang cellphone na hawak ni Jaron na hinaharangan lamang siya ng braso para hindi tuluyang makalapit at si Elli na busy sa pagte-text habang nakangisi. 

Awtomatikong tumaas ang kilay ko nang nakita ang reaksyon ni Elli habang may tinitipa sa kanyang cellphone. That's new. Kadalasan niyang hawak ay libro pero kung cellphone man ang bitbit, I never knew he can smile like that while texting. 

I easily concluded a lot of things pero hindi ko na inabala pa ang sarili ko sa iniisip nang kaagad akong niyakap ni Kloe pagkalabas naming magkakaibigan sa van. 

Kloe cupped my face. "Did you lose weight?" Tanong niya habang pinipiga ang pisngi ko. 

I heard Jaron groan behind Kloe. He's now massaging his stomach at nasa kamay na ni Micca ang cellphone na hawak ni Jaron kanina. 

"Fck! I didn't know you could punch that hard, Micca!"

I saw how Micca rolled her eyes at inambahan pa ng suntok si Jaron na kaagad namang tumakas at nagtungo sa direksyon namin. 

He went to me with open arms pero nang nakalapit ay kaagad na lumihis ng direksyon at nagpunta kay Jay na nasa tabi ko at siya ang niyakap ng gagong pinsan ko. 

Jay's eyes widened because of Jaron's sudden hug pero nakabawi naman kaagad and she patted my cousin's back nervously. 

Hindi bumitaw ng ilang sandali si Jaron sa pagkakayakap kay Jay kaya kinailangan pa siyang hilahin ni Kloe papalayo na sinundan naman ng tampal sa braso ni Micca. 

"Have some decency, Jaiden Ronnel!" Ani Micca sa mahinhin at may nagbabantang tono. 

Jaron laughed at Micca's remark and went to me to kiss my cheek. 

"I missed you, my favorite cousin!" Sarkastikong bati ni Jaron pagkatapos akong halikan sa pisngi. 

"Really?" I asked in an enthusiastic tone. "I don't," puna ko sa sarkastikong tono na kaagad naman niyang ikinangisi. 

"I brought my friends," pagpapaalam ko sa kanila. 

Kloe clapped consecutively and jumped a bit. "Yey! The more, the merrier!"

"But we are going to The Max. Is it okay with you two?" tanong ni Micca sa maingat na tono. 

"We party too, Ate Micca," sagot ni Ayii habang nakataas ang isang kilay. 

Micca nervously laughed. "Oh really? You're still 18 but-- fine, come with us." 

Micca is really cautious when it comes to this thing. Partying and stuffs. 

"Elli! Stop texting and go get the car!" Sigaw ni Kloe sa pinsan kong nanatili sa teresa. 

Kaagad naman siyang napaangat ng tingin at medyo nagulat pa nang makita ako. It seems like he didn't noticed that I'm here already. What is he so busy about?

Naglakad siya papunta sa amin at kaagad akong niyakap. 

"I... didn't know you're here. Kanina pa kayo?" Tanong niya sa akin bago tinapunan ng tingin ang mga kaibigan ko. I looked at him suspiciously. Nang ibinalik niya ang tingin sa akin ay kaagad siyang ngumiti. 

"Were you studying?" Nagdududang tanong ko. 

He cleared his throat. "On the phone? No." 

Hindi na ako nagtanong pa at tumango na lamang. He's always been secretive kaya hindi na ako nang-usisa pa. He will tell if he wants to. I know that he always do the safest things, so it's the least of my concern that he'll be doing something reckless. 

"I'll get the car. Sa van lang ba kayo?" Tanong niya at binalingan ang dalawa kong kaibigan. 

Jay nudged Ayii who's spacing out while looking at Elli. 

"A-ah oo! Sa v-van na kami," nauutal na sagot nito na tinanguan lamang ni Elli bago nagpunta sa sasakyan niyang Ford Corsair na kulay puti. 

"Magkita na lamang tayo sa bar. Ingat kayo!" Paalam ni Kloe bago sumunod kay Elli na kasalukuyan nang binubuhay ang makina ng sasakyan. Micca just waved her hand at us. 

"Illinois got a girlfriend," mala-demonyong bulong ni Jaron sa akin. 

Humalukipkip ako habang nakatanaw sa sasakyan na gagamitin nila. "Maybe? I guess he got someone great."

Jaron snorted before going to Elli's car. Pumasok na rin kami sa van ni Jay at sinundan namin ang naunang sasakyan. 

"Mas gumwapo si Elli ngayon! Pansin niyo?" sabi ni Ayii. 

"Wala naman akong pinsan na hindi, ah?"

"How about Jaron?" Tanong ni Ayii, halatang nang-aasar. Alam niyang hindi ko basta-bastang maaamin na gwapo talaga ang pinsan ko na iyon dahil palagi niya akong iniinis. 

"Gwapo rin, gago nga lang," sagot ko na tinawanan ng dalawa. 

Nang nakarating sa The Max ay agad kaming bumaba sa van. Nagtungo kami ni Ayii sa mga pinsan ko habang si Jay naman ay abala pa sa pakikipag-usap sa driver niya. 

"Your skirt is too short, Le'," Illinois commented after surveying my outfit. 

I stretched my right leg to show off my mini skirt. 

"This is the trend, Illinois. You're too conservative." 

"Just don't get too close to guys if you'll dance," bilin niya bago tinanaw ang mga taong papasok sa bar. 

"Cut it off. Let her have some fun," sabat ni Jaron. Wala naman ng nagawa si Elli doon at pumasok na kami sa bar. 

The moment we entered, loud booming of music and disco lights immediately welcomed us. The whole place is swarmed with people, probably because today is Friday. This day is branded as good for night outs. 

Jaron immediately separated from us nang may nakitang babaeng kumakaway hindi kalayuan sa amin. Kloe already reserved us a sofa on the second floor kung saan hindi sobrang dami ng tao dahil sa first floor ang may sayawan. 

Bottles of expensive liquors were placed on our table na kaagad namang binuksan ni Kloe at sinalinan lahat ng baso namin. 

"We should enjoy tonight!" Sigaw niya para marinig namin dahil sa malakas na music bago nilagok ng isahan ang laman ng basong hawak niya. Micca raised her glass before elegantly sipping on it. 

"Elli, you drink yours! Sasayaw lang ako," sabi ni Kloe kay Elli na seryosong nakatuon ang atensyon sa kabilang sofa makalipas ang tatlumpung minuto mula sa pagkakaupo namin dito. Hindi niya man lang nasagot si Kloe dahil sa tinitititigan niya doon. Kloe didn't seem to mind though dahil kaagad naman itong umalis kasama si Micca.

I followed Elli's gaze pero sobrang dami ng tao sa sofa na iyon. I can't tell kung sino ang tinititingnan niya mula rito and the lights are dim. 

"Let's dance, come on!" Yaya ni Ayii sa amin habang hinihila si Jay na pirming nakaupo sa tabi ko. 

Tumayo ako mula sa pagkakaupo at hinila ang kabilang kamay ni Jay. 

"We'll enjoy the night, Illinois. Don't just sulk there!" 

He just nodded and fiddled on his phone. Tinapunan ko pa siya ng huling tingin bago sumunod kay Ayii at Jay pababa. 

Nagsasasayaw kaming tatlo when I felt someone dancing behind me, grinding his whole body on my back. May kausap na naman ang mga kaibigan ko kaya nilingon ko ang lalaking sumasayaw sa likod ko. 

I don't know this guy nor I don't find his face familiar. Maybe he's from Belzac or where. Wherever he's from, no worries. I'll just dance with this stranger for tonight.

Foreign features is evident in his face and his hair is damp maybe because of sweat. He's inches taller than me and he's  wearing a branded, blue polo shirt paired with black maong pants. 

Minutes after dancing with him, he pulled my wrist at dinala niya ako sa counter. Kaagad naman akong umupo sa mga upuan doon while he ordered something before attacking my lips hungrily. His hands roamed somewhere in my upper body until it reached my under boob. 

Nang nailapag na ang in-order niyang dalawang baso ng alak ay tumigil na ako. Hinabol pa niya ang labi ko pero kaagad kong iniwas ang mukha ko kaya't sa pisngi niya lamang ako nahalikan. I reached for the other glass filled with liquor before shaking it.

Umayos na naman siya ng upo at inabot na rin ang baso niya. He chuckled and raised his glass before me. 

"I like you," saad niya sa baritonong boses. 

I secretly examined his face while drinking my glass of liquor.

"The kiss was aggressive though," komento ko before crossing my legs. I saw how his eyes drifted from my face down to my thighs. 

He raised his brows after looking back at me. "Why? Don't you like it-"

I stood up from my seat and kissed him more aggressively.

I distanced myself and kissed the side of his lips before sitting back on my seat. A surprise reaction was etched on the guy's face. 

What? He didn't expect that I'll kiss him more aggressive than he did?

I sipped on my drink before a smirk is plastered on my face. "I like wild kisses more," sabi ko bago pinunasan ang labi ko gamit ang aking hinlalaki. 

I raised the glass I'm holding before putting it on the counter top and sashayed my way back to the direction of my friends earlier. 

He looks like he's in his mature 20's yet he only kiss like that. Tch, he's no fun at all. 

I looked up to the second floor from the first floor and found Ayii and Jay leaning onto the railing. Jay waved at me. I gestured them that I'll go upstairs when someone suddenly pulled me away from the crowd. 

I saw how both of my friends shifted their weight when I was being dragged by someone. 

Binitawan lamang ako ng kung sinong humila sa akin nang nasa parking lot na kami ng bar. 

"The hell!?" 

I turned to someone who pulled me and found Regis' serious-looking face. No. An annoyed face of his. 

"Why are you here?" Nakakunot-noong tanong ko sa kanya. 

He usually don't party, let alone mag-bar! Having him here in a place like this is surprising. Anong gagawin niya sa bar? Mag-aaral!?

"Why are you here?" Balik na tanong niya sa akin. 

"Duh. This is a bar and I'm here to party, what else could it be?" I answered in an obvious manner. 

He scoffed. "Yeah? Does that include kissing some stranger?" He asked, annoyance is evident in his tone. 

My lips parted. "Did you saw that-" Kaagad kong natutop ang labi ko. I figured that what I'm about to say is gonna sound ridiculous!

"So what, right?" I shot back, that usual irritated feeling is slowly building up inside me again. 

He snorted. "Did you forgot what I said? It's okay to kiss and to be kissed back but it only applies to me. Why the hell are you kissing another guy that's not me?"

My mouth fell, kasalukuyang nangangapa ng sagot. I ended up not knowing to say so I just laughed sarcastically. 

"Something is wrong with you, Regis. Magpacheck-up ka kaya!?" Iritadong sabi ko. "The hell with ordering me to kiss only you and to be kissed back by only you? Are you hearing yourself?" I asked ludicrously. "What gives you the right?"

"I clearly said that I like you and I'm ready to accept your offer and that is..." 

He cut off himself off, leaving me curiously. 

He sighed. "And that is... to flirt with you!" 

I can feel my legs wobbling. I could have fallen if only I didn't have some car to lean on behind me. 

"I let you wander and try guys even after confessing that I like you but when I saw you kissing some stranger inside that bar-- it drove me to the edge! I convinced myself that you'll eventually come back to me after losing fun with other guys. I told you that you should just have fun with me instead." 

How can he say all those without even stuttering? Is everything so easy for this guy? Am I that easy!?

"There's no coming back to you, Regis. I didn't go to you once," sabi ko sa madiin at seryosong tono. 

My facade is slowly deteriorating and any time soon, it'll reveal the true me. Ayaw ko maging marupok sa mga salita ng lalaking ito because there's a huge chance that I will be. I'll even be a slave of his words if I indulge myself more. I don't want that. 

His features soften and his lips pursed. 

There was silence between the two of us and I bet he doesn't have anything to say kaya't nilagpasan ko na siya at tinahak na ang daan pabalik sa loob ng bar. 

"I'll go to you, then." He mumbled from behind but I didn't turn nor glance at him because if I'll do, there's no stopping myself. 

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