Maginoong Medyo Bastos

Chapter Twenty-Four

Hindi na rin sila nagtagal sa SM dahil hindi na kaya ng energy ni Bee at ang gusto lamang nito ay matulog at magpahinga. Kaya nag-book na lamang sila ng Grab dahil ang susundo sana sa kanila ay matatagalan pa bago makarating. Traffic na rin daw kasi.

Tahimik lamang silang dalawa sa kotse, natutulog sa pagitan nila si Bee. Nakasandal ang dalaga sa dibdib ng kuya nito at habang mas tumatagal ang pagtitig ni Vannessa rito, mas lalo niyang napapansin ang ebidensiya ng sakit nito. She was evidently paler than a healthy teenager, and because of her appetite, she had also been losing weight. Kaya nga natutuwa sila ni Jax kapag kumakain ito pero siyempre, dapat din nilang tingnan ang mga kinakain nito. Marami pa ring mga bawal.

She was told that there had been nights where Bee would wake up, and complain that her body was hurting. She would vomit, sometimes bleed. Still, there were medicines that she needed to take, especially painkillers at night. Hindi mawari ni Vannessa ang sakit na dinarama ng dalaga. Paano kaya nito nagagawang patuloy na maging masaya? It hadn't been long since she meet Jax's family, but they were already close to her heart.

She just couldn't bear the thought of Bee—

She shook her head before her eyes shifted to Jax who was gently caressing his sister's hair. She stole glances of his side profile, afraid that he'd think that she was being weird. She just couldn't help it. There was something about the guy that was drawing her in.

Of course she had already seen all angles of his face. She had a copy of his portfolio that contained a lot of his pictures. Sometimes she would even find herself staring at his pictures, which embarrassed her the moment she'd realize. Pointed nose, pink lips, and almond-shaped eyes behind his glasses. It was undeniable that he had an uncanny resemblance with Jackson. That had always been the reason why she didn't like looking at him. Before, she just couldn't separate the two men.

Things were different now. Ever since she saw him at a different light, she realized that he was no Jackson. Jack's face had harsher angles. Jax's was softer. Jack's eyes were confident and fierce. Jax's was genuine and delicate. Even their lips were different. Since when did she start caring about his lips?

Jack was an only child so he grew up getting almost everything that he wanted. He came from a wealthy background, his father was a renowned business tycoon. He grew up having people serve him that Vannessa remembered she would sometimes feel small whenever they were together. Their families' wealth was both immeasurable, but there was an unexplainable distance between the two of them. She just couldn't point out why that was the case.

Jax, on the other hand, grew up in a middle-class family. Having a younger sister made him more responsible and respectful, especially among women. He was playful. He attracted a lot of younger and older women, but even when that was the case, he never lost the respect. Dahil na rin siguro sa kung paano ito pinalaki ng mama nito. He was also passionate and genuine. When he cared for people, she knew that that was genuine care. Hindi pakitang-tao lamang. That was what having a loving household mold him to.

The two were way different. She didn't know why she was too stubborn to even fail to unconnect the two from each other. He was not Jack. He would never be Jack.

He would never do what Jack did to her...

Lumingon ito sa direksyon niya at nagtama ang mga mata nilang dalawa. Kita niya ang pagod sa mga ito. Hindi niya alam kung pagod dahil sa mga ginawa nila sa mall o pagod na hindi mawawala ng kahit na anong klaseng pahinga.

Hindi siya nagbitiw ng tingin. Nanatili lamang siyang nakatitig dito, ramdam ang malakas na pagkabog ng dibdib at kung ano sa tiyan. Just seeing him looking so tired made her want to let him rest in her arms.