Bad Times at Sunrise (La Fortuna Series #3)

Kabanata 11

"Anong ibig mong sabihin?"

He lifted a sarcastic smile and shook his head. "Woah, woah... Wait, I'm still shocked. Talagang gano'n 'yong taste mo?"

"Bakit?" tumaas ang boses ko. "What the hell happened?"

"He called you a slut, Sunny."

"No..." It was my turn to shake my head. "No. Why would he do that?"

Nagkibit-balikat siya. "I don't know. Kasama ko si Ico kanina sa poker table at napag-usapan ka ng ilang lalaki roon. They were badmouthing you and then suddenly, he cut in and said, 'Stop talking about her. She's just a slut.' or some shit like that. I wish I'm lying but," he curved an apologetic smile, "I'm really not. Your boyfriend said that."

A slut? Umawang ang labi ko sa parehong gulat at 'di paniniwala. Ico would never say that and I could bet my fucking life on it. Lasing lang si Levi. He must've misheard or something. Besides, Ico wasn't the type to hang around his crowd. They're too much for him to handle.

Pumasok sa utak ko ang sinabi kanina ni Sextus. Totoo kaya 'yon? Talaga bang sinabi sa kaniya ni Ico na nagpapanggap lang kami at binabayaran niya lang ako? There wasn't a confidentiality rule that we couldn't say the truth to anyone but I thought it was common decency not to do so. I could deal with the shame, but the betrayal? Wow. Unbelievable.

Guess I did patronize him too much, huh? Because hell, how could I not see this coming? Mukha siyang laging may baong plano sa bulsa niya. Ico was a sly bastard who had his plans laid out before his eyes. He had it all figured out. He needed freedom. And I was nothing but a slut he's hell-bent to use to get it.

"Kung ayaw mong maniwala, puntahan mo siya."

Kumuyom ang panga ko. "Nasa poker table pa rin ba siya?"

"He is," wika niya at saka tipid na ngumiti. "'Di ko 'to sinasabi sa 'yo dahil gusto ko kayong sirain. It's just a damn red flag. He's your boyfriend, not your fling. He should've respected you whether or not you were watching."

Despite what I heard from Levi and Sextus, I still gave Ico the benefit of the doubt because I knew he was a good person. Niligtas niya ako kanina sa pool area tapos biglang pagsasalitaan niya 'ko ng masama sa likod ko? He wouldn't stoop that low!

'Di nagtagal bago ko siya namataan sa gitna ng ilang taong nagkukumpulan sa poker table. Nakangiti siya at mukhang kumportable sa mga kasama niya taliwas sa inaasahan ko. It was the first time I saw him have fun and be a laid-back person unlike his usual uptight self. I marched toward him and with the long strides of my feet, it only took a few steps before I was facing him.

Agad na nagtama ang mga mata namin. Napatuwid siya ng upo at saka tinaasan ako ng kilay. Nakangisi siya. May isang bote ng alak sa harap niya pero kalahati lang ang bawas doon. Different colors of lights were dancing on his face so I wasn't sure about his true expression. I knew he was in his asshole mode though. He was smirking for God's sake. He didn't usually do that.

"We need to talk."

He shrugged. "Alright. Dito o sa labas?"

"Sa labas," mariing sambit ko.

Tumayo siya't tinapik ang likod no'ng katabi niyang lalaki. I bet he didn't even know who that guy was! Iritang-irita na 'ko at mas lalo lang 'yong nadagdagan nang nilampasan niya 'ko habang naglalakad siya palabas. He bumped into my shoulder but he remained unfazed like I was just air or something. Ano ba talagang problema niya?

Nang nasa portiko na ng country club ay tumigil siya. Maliban sa iilang valet 'di kalayuan sa 'min ay kaming dalawa lang ang tao roon. It was the place's happy hour and everyone was inside doing their own stuff.