#treacherouswp
***
Chapter 2
I gave myself a one last scan in front of my mirror to decide whether I'm ready to go or not. Dad's business partner made a private reservation at Las Flores. And since it's them that we are meeting tonight, I decided to wear a white tube dress that I paired with a cream colored blazer. Just to make myself look presentable yet chic in front of Dad's partners.
I also curled my straight blonde hair. I'm not naturally blonde since both of my parents are Filipino but living in Canada and seeing a lot of gorgeous women with blonde hair pushed me to go blonde as well. It's something that I didn't regret doing because I loved how blonde looks on me.
"Geremy..." Dad greeted the man who immediately stood up the moment we entered the private room. Mukha itong nasa mid forties na niya but you can't deny the fact that he's a heartthrob back in his time.
"Suzie, hello..." Dad greeted the woman beside Geremy with a cheek to cheek kiss. I gave the woman a quick scan and she immediately reminded me of Charlotte York from Sex and The City. The way she elegantly holds her posture and as well as her outfit... damn. Chef's kiss. She's the kind of woman that you can proudly put next to Kate Middleton.
"This is my daughter— Amber." Dad introduced me to them. "Sweetheart, these are my friends, Geremy and Suzie."
I smiled and shook their hands. "Pleasure to meet you, Geremy and Suzie." I say.
"Likewise," they replied.
"You grew up into a fine young lady..." Suzie said, smiling sweetly at me and that made me a bit confused and Suzie seemed to notice.
"You Dad used to take you with him everytime he visited my husband's office." She explained.
Oh. That explains why they kinda look familiar. Both of them.
"By the way, where are the twins?" Dad asked them.
Twins? May anak sila na twins? I hope they're both girls and I hope they're into kaartehans para naman may maging friends ako dito sa Pinas.
"Hay nako, they're just here somewhere. Nagpapa-picture pa si Rylie. Pang Instagram daw niya." Suzie replied. Napangiti ako.
Nice.
"Let's have a seat first. Um-order na kami, I hope you guys don't mind." Geremy said as we sat on the table.
"No, not at all. I'm actually glad that you did because I'm starving." Dad said.
"Oh there they are." Biglang sabi ni Geremy habang nakatingin sa likod ko kaya awtomatiko naman akong napatingin sa kung saan siya nakatingin. Isang babae at lalaki ang naglalakad papalapit sa kinaroroonan namin and as they get closer, I'm beginning to recognize the tall man beside the beautiful lady.
"Oh my gosh! It's him!" shocked at mahina kong sabi sa sarili ko at kaagad na umayos ng upo. What the fucking fuck? What kind of game is the universe trying to play me?
"Good evening po, Mr. Loyzaga. You're here na pala. So sorry we left." the girl said politely. Hindi ko sila tinitignan. Nakayuko lang ako.
"It's okay hija." I heard my Dad say. Inaya na silang umupo nina Geremy at Suzie. Tumabi sa 'yung babae kay Suzie habang 'yung masungit na guy naman ay umupo sa harapan ko. Pagka-upo nila ay saktong dumating na ang mga pagkain.
"Amber." Suzie called me. Nagdadalawang isip man akong mag-angat nang tingin ay ginawa ko. Pagka-angat ko nang tingin ay nagtama ang mga mata namin noong masungit na guy. I don't remember his name but I remember his psychotically handsome features.
He's the perfect mixture of Bill Skarsgard and Drew Starkey. He looks so expensive and handsome in his suit and tie as well even though he looks bored and so done with the dinner meeting before it even started.
"Y-Yes?" I stuttered, fixing my eyes on Suzie. I can still feel his eyes on me. He's looking at me boredly and I took that as a sign that he doesn't recognize me.
"Do you still remember them?" tanong niya sa akin at inilipat ang tingin niya sa dalawa niyang anak.
Kumunot ang noo ko. Ano ang ibig niyang sabihin?
"Oh my!" sabay-sabay kaming napatingin doon sa babae. Well, she's beautiful and she's like the girl version of this masungit guy. Malamang, kambal nga sila 'di ba? Dati ba akong tonta?
"I remember you!" amused niyang sabi.
I gave her an awkward smile. "R-Really?" I asked at pilit kong inaalala kung saan ba kami nagkita. Where did I see this gorgeous woman who looked so chic?
I think hard, trying to remember her face and how it became so familiar to me.
"Ah!" I exclaimed. "I saw you at the airport a few days ago!" sabi ko.
Yes, naalala ko na din. Siya yung babaeng nakita ko na nakaupo at mukhang bagot na bagot din kakahintay sa sundo niya.
"Oh you saw me at the airport?" gulat niyang tanong. Ang gulo nitong kausap. Ano ba yung tinutukoy niya na naalala ko? Hindi ako nakasagot. Kumunot lamang ang noo ko.
"Anyways, 'yung ibig kong sabihin na naalala kita ay noong mga bata pa tayo." aniya at ngitian ako. "I'm Rylie." pakilala niya.
"Nice to meet you but I can't really remember meeting you at a young age..." I say, sounding almost apologetically.
"It's okay. Once lang naman iyon and it's understandable since we're both so young back then." She replied.
"How about you Gio, do you still remember her?" I heard Suzie ask.
Yeah, Gio. That's the name of the grumpy guy.
"It's quite surprising but yes, I do." nakangisi niyang sagot. "She's the stupid little girl from my Dad's office and still the same stupid girl from the airport."
"Gio!" Suzie hissed at Satan's spawn.
"What?" painosente nitong sagot. Naningkit ang mga mata ko. How dare he call me stupid!
"Pag pasensyahan mo na ang anak ko, Arthur. Ganyan talaga 'yan. Nagmana yata sa akin." nahihiyang hinging paumanhin ni Geremy kay Daddy.
Dad let out an awkward laugh. "O-Oo naman, naiintindihan ko. Mga bata pa kasi." sabi ni Dad. Suzie and Geremy both laughed awkwardly, making this dinner more awkward. Thanks to Lucifer's twin who's currently seated in front of me.
Pasimple kong binigyan nang matalim na titig si Gio at tinaasan lang niya ako ng kilay.
Tumikhim si Rylie kaya napunta ang lahat ng atensyon sa kanya. "How about we all eat? My mouth is watering just staring at the dishes!" she smoothly broke the awkward atmosphere.
We then started eating as Suzie opened a new topic to talk about. It's been just fifteen minutes and yet I managed to recognize which child got their traits from.
Suzie has a bright personality na sa tingin ko ay namana ni Rylie sa kanya while Geremy has this different aura na sa tingin ko rin ay minana ni Gio sa kanya. They both look so intimidating but Gio's both intimidating and annoying as hell.
Bastos pa ang bibig!
I don't think I'll ever move on from the fact that he called me stupid! Ang kapal talaga ng mukha!
Biglang naputol ang pagtitig ko nang masama sa lalaking nasa harapan ko nang may maramdaman akong umokupa ng upuan sa tabi ko. I looked at the person who's now seated beside me and I saw Rylie.
She smiled at me showing me her crooked teeth that made her look so gorgeous and cute at the same time. There are really some imperfections that make a person look more beautiful.
"Pag-pasensyahan mo na ang kambal ko ha? He's nice naman eh." Rylie whispered, looking quite embarrassed at how her twin acted.
"Kailan ba? Kapag tulog?" I replied, sarcastically as I gave him another glare.
Look at that son of a bitch eating his steak!
Rylie chuckled. "Uh-huh." She agreed. "So, tell me about Canada... It's one of the countries that I wanted to visit!" She opened up a topic, completely stealing my attention from her twin.
So far naging okay naman ang dinner namin. Rylie and I exchanged numbers. We also followed each other's social media accounts. Naging okay naman din ang pag-uusap nina Geremy, Suzie at Dad. Mukhang si Gio lang talaga ang naiinip. God, he's so bastos. Bakit ba hindi na lang siya mag pretend na nage-enjoy siya sa dinner? Pinapahiya niya sina Suzie at Geremy. That couple are so nice pa naman.
"Nag enjoy ka ba?" Dad asked nang makarating kami sa bahay.
"Yep." I said while smiling.
"That's good to hear," aniya at nginitian ako. "Hindi ba sumama ang loob mo doon sa sinabi ni Gio?" He asked gently. This is what I like about my Dad. He always considers other's feelings. Unlike that Gio, he's so rude and annoying and walang modo!
"Nah. It didn't even affect me a bit." sagot ko at ngitian pa siya to prove that I'm okay.
"You sure?"
"Yes, dad. Ako pa ba?" mayabang kong sabi. He just chuckled. He kissed my forehead bago siya pumasok sa kwarto niya.
***
8 AM na nang magising ako. I logged my Facebook on my phone and I have 30 friend requests. Chineck ko kung kanino galing ang mga iyon at nahagip ng mata ko ang isang pamilyar na pangalan.
Rylie Gia Villazamora sent you a friend request
Kaagad kong inaccept iyon at ilang sandali lang ay nag pop ang chat head niya sa sceen ng phone ko.
Rylie:
👋
Me:
👋
Me:
Hi!
She immediately opened the message and I saw the ellipses, indicating that she's typing.
Rylie:
Hello. I would like to apologize for how my twin acted last night. I hope you'd still want to be friends. :<
Me:
Nah, it's cool. And of course, I'd love us to be friends! Hindi mo naman kasing menopausal ang kambal mo, right?
Rylie:
Yay!
Rylie:
And oh my gosh, no. We're like the total opposite.
Me:
I noticed! Saan ba ipinaglihi 'yon? Sa sama ng loob?
Rylie:
HAHAHA lol idk.
Rylie:
Baka nakurot siya ng OB namin pagkalabas.
Me:
HAHAHAHA lmfao. Maybe that's the explanation why
Rylie:
Lol.
Rylie:
Anyway... do you have any plans today?
Me:
None, actually. I'm dying out of boredom here. I'll just probably watch Friends again.
Rylie:
OMG! You're watching Friends, too??
Me:
Yeah! Like a hundred times na!
Rylie:
OMG!! Nasa season 4 pa lang ako! Do you wanna come over and let's watch it together?
Me:
Thought you'd never ask! Wait, shower lang ako.
Rylie:
Okay, I'll just text you the details papunta sa house namin. This is gonna be fun! :)
Napangiti naman ako. She's so hyper and bright and conyo like me. There's no doubt that me and her are going to get along... I just don't know about his twin but to hell with that man. Bahala siyang maalibadbaran sa presensya ko!
Nag send na lang ako ng sticker sa kanya at nag log out na. Pumasok ako ng banyo ko para maligo.
Nang matapos kong maligo at mag-ayos ay tinext ko si Daddy para sabihing pupunta ako sa bahay nila Rylie. He replied 'okay, take care and enjoy.'
Tinignan ko ang sarili ko sa full body mirror. I am wearing a round neck shirt na tinuck-in ko sa dark blue high waist shorts na suot ko. Matched with red keds shoes. There, I'm good.
"Nandito na po tayo, Ma'am..." The driver announced as we stopped in front of the massive house in an exclusive village.
"Ano pong oras ko kayong susunduin ma'am?" tanong nito.
"Around 5:30 siguro po." sagot ko. Tumango naman siya kaya lumabas na ako ng sasakyan.
I pressed the doorbell at lumabas ang isang maid.
"Ano po iyon?"
"Good morning. Is Rylie here?" I asked politely.
"Sino po sila?"
"I'm Amber." I said and I smiled at her.
"Ay pasok po kayo ma'am." aniya at iginaya ako papasok. The house is good, no, it's great. Both the interior and exterior are modern. It's like I teleported from the Philippines straight to one of the celebrity homes in Beverly Hills in Los Angeles.
"Upo muna po kayo ma'am tatawagin ko lang si Ma'am Rylie." sabi niya. Tumango naman ako at umupo sa isang sofa. Inilibot ko ang paningin ko sa buong paligid. Kaagad akong napatayo mula sa kinauupuan ko nang makita ko si Gio na papasok dito sa sala. Noong una ay nagulat siya nang makita ko pero kaagad din niyang binawi iyon.
The asshole is wearing a white shirt and gray sweatpants with a small towel hanging around his neck. His hair is wet from his sweat and as well as his shirt, making it possible for me to get a glimpse of his hard rock chest. It looks like he just finished working out.
"Well, well, well... look who's here." Aniya at halata sa mukha niya na hindi siya natutuwa na nandito ako.
Hindi ko siya sinagot. I just made a face.
Lalong dumilim ang mukha niya at mukhang hindi siya natuwa sa inasta ko. "Sinong nagsabi na pwede kang pumasok dito?" ganyan ba talaga ito kung mag welcome ng visitors? Kahit sa sarili niyang pamamahay ay wala siyang manners.
"Your twin sister." I say, crossing my arms on my chest as I raise a brow at him.
He smirked, a sarcastic one. "And now your friends with my twin sister?"
"And what's so surprising about that? Bawal ba?"
"Oo. Dahil baka kung ano pa ang ituro mo sa kapatid ko." The asshole replied.
"How dare you? You don't even know me!"
"Exactly. We don't even know you. Malay ko ba na bad influence ka?"
Nag-init ang pisngi ko dahil sa inis. This fucking guy! Hindi ko alam kung pinaglihi ba siya sa sama ng loob o sadyang gising na gising lang siya noong nagpaulan ng kasungitan ang Diyos.
Imbes na magpadaig ako ay mas lalo ko siyang tinaasan ng kilay and then I shrugged. "Don't worry. Mukhang hindi naman madaling maimpluwensyahan ang kapatid mo. Hindi nga naimpluwenyahan sa gaspang ng ugali mo," I bite back.
I saw his features flinch. I smirked, internally. I hit a nerve.
Looks like his twin is one of his weaknesses.
"Don't you even try..." There's a warning in his tone.
I grinned. "I will try my very best not to." I teased.
His eyes turned into slits. "I'm serious, Ambrosia."
Now it's my turn to be caught off guard. "Don't you dare call me that!" I hissed.
Siya naman itong napangisi. "Ambrosia."
"Isa!"
"Ambrosia..."
"I fucking hate you." I said in annoyance.
"I fucking hate you too, Ambrosia." nakangisi niyang sabi. Naningkit ang mga mata ko. How dare him call me like that!
"Stop cal—" bago pa man ako matapos ay nilayasan niya na ako nang may mapang-asar na ngisi sa mga labi. "Ugh, walang manners!" I hissed.
Napapadyak na lang ako sa sobrang inis. Nakakainis. Nakakainis.
"Amber!" I heard Rylie squeal.
"Oh hi." Bati ko sa kanya at pilit na ngumiti. Kahit papaano ay natanggal ang pagka bad trip ko.
"I'm glad you came!" masaya niyang sabi.
"It shows." I chuckled. Tumawa din siya na iginaya na ako papasok sa kanyang kwarto. Her room is so girly girly, just like mine. Mukha talagang magkakasundo kami ni Rylie which is the total opposite of her twin.
"Feel at home!" she said. Umupo naman ako sa kama niya at inilibot ang paningin ko sa buong paligid.
"Your room is cute." puri ko. She giggled. "Thank you."
Napatingin ako doon sa mga magazines at hindi ko napigilang mapatili.
"OMG! Is that Miranda Kerr?!" sabi ko sabay turo doon sa isang magazine.
"Yes. You like her too?" She said in amusement.
"No, I love her!" sabi ko then we both screamed and jumped while holding our hands. This is gonna be fun!
"I love her too!" She squealed.
Nagkwentuhan kami ni Rylie about our likes and dislikes. Mas marami yung pagkakapareho namin sa likes. Kaya I'm sure talaga na magkakasundo kami. Kahit papaano ay hindi na ako maiinip dito sa stay ko sa pinas.
"Let's watch a movie." she suggested. "What movie do you want to watch?" tanong niya.
"Warm bodies." sagot ko.
"Hindi ba about yun sa zombies?!" Kita ko ang pagkatakot sa mukha niya. Oh, I forget. She mentioned awhile ago that she doesn't like horror movies. Natatakot daw siya. Ako din naman ayaw ko ng mga ganoong movies but zombies are the only exception. Ewan ko ba kung bakit interesado ako sa mga zombies.
"Don't worry hindi naman nakakatakot yun e. Infact nakakakilig pa nga e." paliwanag ko.
"You sure?"
I nodded my head. "Yeah. Hindi ba kadalasan sa mga movies pinapakita nila na ang alam lang gawin ng mga zombies ay habulin ang mga tao at kagatin." pagkukwento. "Pero iba 'to, pinapakita niya yung point of view ng mga zombies."
She smiled. "Okay. Let's watch it na." sabi niya. We played the movie at hindi pa man nag-uumpisa ay sumiksik na siya sa kama niya while hugging a pillow. Napailing na lang ako at natawa ng bahagya. Noong nag-uumpisa pa lang yung movie ay natatakot pa rin siya pero noong kalagitnaan na ay nawala na ang takot niya at nagsimula na siyang kiligin.
"Omg, that zombie is so handsome!" nakangiti niyang sabi. Tumatango-tango naman ako habang nilalantakan yung pop corn.
Nag e-enjoy na sana kami pero naistorbo ang panunuod namin nang makarinig kami ng ingay ng gitara kalabog ng drums.
"Ugh! Ang ingay talaga ni Gio!" She groaned at nilakasan ang volume pero lalo ding lumakas ang mga tunog ng instrumento. I tried to focus on the movie that we're watching but those instruments are just so annoying.
"What are they doing?" tanong ko kau Rylie na nakasimangot na din.
"Rehearse with his band." she shrugged. "Ugh! Bwisit talaga tong si Gio!" she groaned at tumayo.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"Papakiusapan ko sila." aniya. Tumayo na rin ako at sumunod sakanya. Hindi naman siya pumalag at hinayaan niya na lang ako. Habang palapit kami ng palapit ay lalong lumalakas ang mga instrumento at tumigil kami sa tapat ng isang pintuan na may nakasulat na
Warning: Explicit Noise
Akmang bubuksan na sana ni Rylie ang pintuan pero may narinig kaming kumanta.
Tinignan niya ako. Nahalata niya ang pagka amaze sa mukha ko kaya ngumiti siya bago sinabing, "That's Keira." aniya bago binuksan ng marahas ang pinto. This girl can be a badass sometimes you know.
Natigilan silang lahat sa pagtugtog at pagkanta at tumingin silang lahat sa amin. Halos malaglag ang panga ko. Parang binuksan mo lang ang pintuan ng kwarto na kinaroroonan ng mga greek gods. Damn, ang gwapo naman ng mga ito.
Where am I? In Greece? Or Italy where the handsome people lives?
"What the hell, Rylie!" iritang sabi ni Gio.
"Hi princess," nakangiting bati noong sa tingin ko ay vocalist dahil nasa harapan siya ng mic at may hawak siyang gitara. At kung hindi ako nagkakamali ng dinig ito yung sinasabing 'Keira' ni Rylie. Lumipat ang tingin sakin nung 'Keira'
"Oh, may kasama ka pa lang maganda." He said and I blushed.
"Umalis na nga kayo dito Rylie at isama mo na 'yang kaibigan mo." naiiritang sabi ni Gio. Tinignan ko lang siya ng masama. Ang sungit talaga! Hindi lang siya pinansin ni Rylie.
"Huwag ka ngang KJ diyan," saway noong lalaki na may hawak na drumsticks. "Hi Ry! I see you brought a friend. Very rare. Why don't you introduce us?" sabi nito at tinignan ako.
"Hindi iyon ang pinunta namin dito pero sige. Ipapakilala ko siya sa inyo." sabi ni Rylie.
"This is Amber, my friend." pakilala niya sa akin at iginaya pa ang kamay niya sa direksyon ko. I just smiled awkwardly and waved at them.
"Amber, that is Keira their vocalist and also the guitarist. That guy naman is Pierre, he's the drummer obviously. That one is Greg and he's playing the bass," she paused at tinignan si Gio. "And of course, my sweet and lovely twin, Gio. He's the lead guitarist." she said full of sarcasm. The three look nice naman. Pero yung si Pierre mukhang medyo maloko. Si Greg naman ay mukhang tahimik at si Keira ay mukhang babaero and of course, Gio, mukhang masungit.
"Yung name ng band nila is Track 13." nakangiti niyang sabi sa akin. There's even a hint of proudness in her voice.
The three guys greeted me while Gio just rolled his eyes.
"What now?" Gio crossed his arms over his chest, looking so bored and impatient.
"Well... we came here to ask you to please tone it down? We're watching a movie and the vibrations and all... it's kinda distracting." Pakiusap ni Rylie sa mga ito.
"Rylie, this is a band rehearsal, what do you expect?" Gio replied sarcastically.
"You always do this almost every day! Ngayon lang ako nakiusap," Rylie said, rolling her eyes.
"Bakit hindi na lang kami ang panoorin niyo?" suggest ni Keira while smiling showing his dimples. Ooh. The dimples.
"No!" matigas na sabi ni Gio. Bakit ba kontra nang kontra 'to?
"Game ako diyan." Pierre said at nilaro pa ang hawak niyang drumsticks.
"It's okay with me." sabi ni Greg. Dahil mukha siyang tahimik, medyo nakakagulat kapag nagsalita siya bigla.
"What do you think, Amber?" Rylie said, asking for my approval.
"I would love that!" pagpayag ko. Nakita ko ang pagtiim ng bagang ni Gio. Inirapan ko lang siya. Hinila ako ni Rylie paupo doon sa isang couch.
Rylie and I are sitting in the couch tapos nakaharap sa amin ang Track 13 holding their instruments. Mukha kaming judge.
"Don't I have a say in this?" Gio said.
"We don't have much time. Just roll with it," Pierre said, shaking his head.
"One, two, three, four!" Pagbibilang ni Keira bago nag-umpisang tumunog ulit ang mga instrumento. Nagbibilang lang siya pero napaka attractive niyang tignan. Inilipat ko ang tingin ko kay Gio. Nagbago ang ekspresyon niya, hindi na siya mukhang naiinis ngayon. While he's moving his fingers on the strings of his guitar lalo siyang nagiging gwapo. He's gracefully playing his electric guitar like it is the most beautiful instrument that he have ever played.
Inisa-isa ko silang sinuri. They all look good. Hindi lang panty ang malalaglag sayo kapag pinanuod mo ang mga ito. Inulit ni Keira yung verse na narinig namin kanina.
"You walked in, everyone was asking for your name
You just smiled at told them, 'Trouble'
My head spins, I'm pressed against the walls just watching your every move
You're way too cool and you're coming this way, coming this way."
Nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin ni Keira sa mga mata namin ni Rylie while singing those lyrics. Playboy.
But I admit that this playboy has a voice that can give you an eargasm.
"How did we end up talking, in the first place,
You said you like my cobain shirt now we're walking back to your place
You're telling me how you love that song about living on a prayer
I'm pretty sure that we're half day there but when I wake up next you
I wonder how, how did we end up here?"
I'm not into music, I'm not into bands, but damn! They are so good! Hanggang sa matapos yung kanta ay hindi ko pa rin mapigilang ma-amaze.
"OMG guys! Ang galing niyo talaga!" puri ni Rylie.
"Maliit na bagay, Rylie..." mayabang na sagot ni Keira.
"Ang hangin mo talaga!" nakairap na sabi ni Rylie. Nakakatuwa naman mukhang close siya sa mga ito. Inasar lang ni Keira si Rylie habang si Greg ay tahimik na pinapanuod ang dalawa. Si Gio naman ay tino-tono ang gitara niya.
"Nagustuhan mo ba 'yung tinugtog namin?" tanong ni Pierre sakin habang nilalaro yung drumsticks na hawak niya.
Tumango ako. "This is my first time watching a band. I was never into bands... Ang galing niyo pala." puri ko sa mga ito.
"Really? First time?" Pierre asked in amusement.
"Yeah. It just never was my thing. But now I'm currently reconsidering. Ang galing... you guys did an awesome job." I commented, still hungover from the amusement.
"Cool. Got it. Now there's the door... pwede na kayong lumabas," Gio boredly said, pointing at the door.
_________________________________________
This chapter is dedicated for my xqst fam. Thank you for the love and support and for the monthly parcel knocking on my apartment door (lmao) kidding aside, but you guys are awesome. I love you all and you're one of the reasons why I'm striving to take back my pen and bleed again.
And!! Apologies for the slow updates because as you can see, I'm editing every chapter as much as I can to make it readable in this present time.
PS. It's still fun, though. It feels like I'm sixteen again. 😩🤍