Ever After (End Game Book 2)

His Past: A Review

Then the guy in front looked back, grinning "Did she just stomp her foot?"

And they all laughed in unison.

I saw Roni looked back at me, and when she saw that I was laughing as well, she pinched me at my torso, which earned her an "aray!"

"Nananakit na, Pare", Al said, laughing.

"Tol, hintayin namin kayo sa loob", Fran said, smiling.

I rubbed my stomach then pulled her to a hug. "Sige Pare, sunod kami"

"Why were you laughing with them? Is there something funny sa sinabi ko?"

"Sa sinabi mo, wala. But you just stomped your foot after... that's a bit funny", I said, looking at her, somewhat gauging the mood behind her words. I knew her mind is processing a lot of things right now, and I'm not sure how she's taking the intro to this past. Others might think that she's all ok with it, but they don't know that she can hide very well... too well that she could even convince her other self sometimes. "Kaya pa, Ronaliza? Or enough na for today?", I asked, waiting for her cue.

She looked up at me, chewing her lips, like she has a lot of questions but not sure how to ask them...

"You can ask me now... or later. Your choice... Baka lang maipon and you'll get lost in your head later..."

"You share girls with them?", she asked, averting her eyes from mine.

"Probably... I remember once or twice... but I couldn't be so sure. Everything was a blur"

"Why?", I knew she would ask that, and I don't think I have an answer for her. There are some things in the past that felt ok, but not when I'm with her. I'm actually surprised she doesn't repulse me at this point.

That past probably has a lot of stories, and I was trying to find ways to justify it, but even I myself couldn't accept any reason at this point, so why would I think she would?

I didn't know I was lost in my thoughts, when she held my face and forced me to look at her. "I'm not judging... I just want to understand. Before this, I would admit that I've never heard something like that in person, much so, knowing someone who has done it. Uhm... anyway, I don't think I'm in a position to ask. It's all in the past, as you said"

She was about to walk away when I pulled her back. "There's no good reason. And using your absence as a justification is like a broken record, but that's all that I have. A weak excuse for a lifestyle that I had back then. I won't say I didn't enjoy it, but I didn't know there was anything wrong about it, until it was said in front of you. Roni... if there's any consolation, all of those are consensual- it's quite normal, I guess- depending on what your circle view as normal"

"Would you share me with him?", she asked, glancing at me quickly then looking away.

"Don't ask stupid questions, Ronaliza!", I said, suddenly I felt my blood boiling. I looked at anything but her.

"Ok", she said nodding her head, and holding my hand.

"Why are we doing this?", I said, suddenly confused of the need to do this.

"I want to know you"

"You know me"

"I want to know the ten years"

"You've heard it from Tita Mariel"

"I want to know the other side"

"Because you don't trust the version that you've heard, that you want to dig deeper, so you'll have an excuse to leave me later?", I'm not sure where the sudden insecurities are coming from... probably because I know that past is ugly- and that there are a lot of skeletons there that might scare her away.