'Julia?'
He knows Julia, of course. They have lots of common friends, but, he never showed interest in her. They're not particularly close too. That's why it was a surprise to him why of all people, she'd be the reason for Nadine's discomfort.
'Yeah!' Bret laughs. 'That's a classic, man!'
'What?' James still doesn't get it.
'Oh my god. I can't believe you don't remember this. That was just maybe a few months ago! We should really get you checked out, man.'
'No, man, I don't. Can you please just explain to me why you're laughing.' He told Bret, not finding it amusing at all.
With a last look of disbelief, Bret stops his sniggering and began to tell him.
'Okay, you know how Julia kept on throwing herself at you even if you kept on rejecting her?'
James just innocently shakes his head.
'Well, she was. And then finally, you gave in. You took her here one time after a party.'
Bret tries to hide his laughs again as he recalls.
'That girl is crazy, dude. She didn't wanna leave! I thought she was going when I told her you already left for your out-of-town shoot. But no, when I came back, she's still here. I even had to make dinner for her! You owed me for that one, man!'
James just listens, he's not sure if he should be amused by the story.
'Okay. Then, what does it have to do with Naddie?'
'When you came back - after three days, man - she's still here! You came home with Nadz then- '
'Really??'
He interrupts Bret to his surprise that he came home with Nadine, not because of the craziness Julia brought - she didn't leave for three days.
'Yeah! All I knew was I heard her screaming 'THATS MY BOYFRIEND BITCH!' Then I saw you pulling her away from Nadz.' Bret continues animatedly with a high-pitched voice, mimicking the best impression he can of crazy Julia.
'She attacked Naddie?!'
'It was riot, man! Nadz just left. But it took a while before Julia calmed down. Really crazy, I tell ya. I dunno why she thought you were dating.'
'Oh my god. Oh my god.' James starts to mumble as he sits down to the nearest chair. He doesn't know what to feel, but it's hard for him to accept the fact that Nadine might have been hurt so bad - physically and emotionally - and he didn't do anything.
Or did he?
'What happened next? How was Naddie?'
'I dunno, she was okay, I guess. Thank god it was just Nadz. She's always been cool. Julia's the crazy one, she still didn't wanna leave that night. We had to call her family.'
Bret proceeds to tell the story, but James just isn't interested how they got rid of Julia. He's still concerned about Nadine.
'Did I at least apologize to Naddie?'
'Uhm...I dunno. But you two still seemed okay after that. She's really cool.' Bret says as he realizes something. 'Now I understand why you might really love her. She's really unlike any other girls you dated.'
James chuckles.
You have no idea how great she is.
He thinks this version of him in wherever he is right now may have had the chance with Nadine that night.
Maybe it was a start.
Maybe.
'Did I mention why I brought her here?'
Bret thinks again.
'Uhm, yeah. I think you were just planning on hanging out or play some games. I dunno if...you were planning on doing something else.' He wiggles his brows suggestively to James. 'You don't really bring girls here just to 'hang out.'
'Well, Nadine is different. Maybe I really just wanted to hang out and not just sleep with her.'
Bret looks at him increduously. 'Wow. Now you're saying you just wanted to hang out with her? Shouldn't you be happy that you might actually have slept with her? Well, if it weren't for Julia though.'
Right. He might have slept with her.
Honestly, he's glad that didn't happen. He doesn't want this James to just sleep with her, which was very likely to happen because Bret mentioned how he treats girls.
'That's not all I want, man.'
James was able to return to work little by little. He started doing mall shows again. He remembers this is what he used to do with Nadine when they were first worked together. But the difference today is that he's doing mall shows just by himself.
His sudden disappearance didn't make his image look good to the public. Speculations were heard here and there. Management decided to just give him small events and projects to ease him in back before he stands under the spotlight again.
Since it took him quite a long time to recover from his situation, his and Nadine's teleserye needed to take different turn. The network couldn't cancel the show just because he couldn't work, they had to continue.
His character was told to be going away abroad for the meantime to find himself, breaking Nadine's character's heart in the process.
As part of this, another actor had to be paired with Nadine as her love interest. Their fans didn't take it too well at first, but after a few episodes, they couldn't deny that this new partnership has good chemistry, especially with the given roles. Strict mysterious boss, who is secretly a hopeless romantic over a loss love, falls for innocently charming stubborn employee, who he gives a hard time in work because of his undeniable attraction. The actor Paulo definitely plays the character well, especially with his sophisticated slick bachelor look.
James doesn't know about this though. He doesn't even know that he and Nadine had an on-going show before everything happened. When finally, the management and producers decided to bring James' character back to the show, James couldnt be more excited when he found out he's gonna be seeing Nadine at work all the time.
He could say he's getting better now since he and Nadine text each other every now and then. He started texting her simple 'good mornings' and they'd talk about simple things like the weather and work until she gets too busy. Honestly, that's what keeps him going. He even chooses to ignore how Nadine seems aloof and awkward in their messages. He needs her so much that even just a little from her will do. And now that he's gonna be seeing more of her, he's happiness cannot be contained.
He texts her he's going back. It takes her a while to reply, but still, she does and that's what matters to him. She tells him that's good news and she doesn't say anything else.
His first day of shooting comes, he showers longer than usual just to make sure he smells good, he expects to see Nadine today. But to his dismay, they're just shooting his scenes, and Nadine is in a different location.
He still has to wait for the day when they can shoot together. And maybe be close again.
Just like they used to.
But never did he expect that when that day comes, he'd be much troubled than he is now.
He arrived in the set early that day, ecstatic and ready to impress.
He walks in their tent and his mood went downhill from there. Nadine doesn't notice him, not when someone is hogging all her attention.
Who is this guy?
The label on the door suddenly caught his eye.
It's not their tent anymore. Not his and Nadine's.
Paulo
Nadine
What the fuck --?
'James!'
Nadine finally notices him, cutting her focus from Paulo.
'James!' Paulo greets him too, walking over to him to pat him by his shoulder. 'Pare, it's good to have you back.'
Paulo seems genuinely happy, but James just has one thing in his mind.
'Yeah, yeah. Why are you here?' He asks him straight up, dismissing Paulo's friendliness.
Paulo thought he was joking, so he laughs.
'Still the funny guy, namiss ka namen!' He says it as he places his hand over Nadine's shoulder who is smiling sweetly at him.
That smile would have normally lightened up his mood. But not today, not when some guy has his hands on her.
Nadine somehow notices his discomfort and she purposefully shrugs Paulo's hand off her.
'Uhh...oo, namiss ka namen.' She says, hoping that his brows would return to their normal places and not be creased in the middle.
'James, kanina pa kita hinahanap! Don na tayo sa tent mo.' Caryl suddenly comes in, grabbing his bag from him.
'Nope.' James says without even looking at Caryl.
'I'm staying here.'
'Ha? Eh sa kanila to, Kuya.' Caryl tries to reason as she gives an apologetic look at Nadine and Paulo who are just awkwardly shocked at James.
'I'm staying here, Caryl.' He repeats, this time very firmly.
'Ate Ca, okay lang. Kasya naman kame dito. Okay lang naman sayo diba, Pau?' Nadine turns to Paulo who doesn't seem so amused, but still he agrees.
'Yeah, sige lang.'
'Okay, good.' James says with finality in his voice as he settles his things in one side of the tent.
After everything has settled in their tent, James proceeded to be professional, he tries to read his script, but he can't ignore how Paulo and Nadine seems so close. They were sitting so close together in front of Nadine's laptop, she looks like she's editing something and Paulo is almost leaning on her shoulder.
Paulo doesn't seem so friendly anymore after he decided to stay here. He was a friend of his, he knows that. He also knows that Nadine is his type, but he never did make a move on her before, at least not from where he was from.
As far as he knows, he was the one supposedly sitting beside her.
He hates this.
'You always sit together like that?' He asks them, he doesn't even bother toning down the bitterness in his voice.
Nadine suddenly felt self-conscious and she made an effort to move away even just so slightly, while Paulo looks inquisitively at James.
'Pare, I don't know what you're going thru, pero ikaw ang pumilit na dito magstay. If you're bothered, you can leave us alone in our tent.'
'Pau.' Nadine warns him softly.
James' temper is starting to boil up, but he still has some control left.
'What? Are you two together or something?'
'Whatever we are, wala ka nang pakialam don!'
'Pau!' Nadine scolds him.
'What? Ano?! Siya na naman kinakampihan mo??' Paulo snaps at Nadine as he stands away from her.
'Hey! Don't talk to her like that!' James tells him as he stands from his seat too.
'James! Pau! Ano ba?! Stop it!'
The tone of Nadine's voice made them shut up, and they look at her like they're about to say something but they both chose not to.
Paulo gave a small huff before turning to the door. 'I need some air.'
Paulo leaving didn't make James' mood any different. He's been bothered by all of what Paulo said.
'...leave us alone in our tent.'
'What ever we are, wala ka nang pakialam don!'
'So, ano? Kayo ba non?' He turns to Nadine. 'What? Why don't you answer??'
'Hinde! Hindi kami! Okay ka na?' She runs a hand thru her face because of frustration.
'Hindi mo boyfriend, pero you two are so clingy! What do you call that, huh?!'
'Uuugghhh. Hindi nga kame! Bat ba ayaw mo maniwala??' She groans to his stubbornness. 'You know what? I don't have to explain to you.'
'No! You tell me! What?? You're 'just friends'? You don't fool me, Nadz! We've been there!'
'What?'
James stops. He didn't realize what he was saying. He was so angry. He was so jealous.
'N-nothing.' He croaks out sheepishly. He was reminded of how he is not in any position to question Nadine's relationship.
You're not together.
Nadine stares at him for a moment before she sighs.
'Ang weird weird mo. I thought we're doing okay. One moment, you're nice to me. Tapos, eto ngayon? What the hell, James.'
James couldn't help but feel guilty of how he acted towards her.
'I'm sorry. It's just...seeing you...with him. I got jealous, okay?'
'Are you serious? After everything that's happened?! Are you freakin serious?'
James' tried to say something, but Nadine continued.
'You're jealous?? Eh ikaw nga yung madaming babae diba?'
Nadine knows what she said was below the belt, she immediately wanted to take it back. She shouldn't have brought up things like this.
But he started it. She reasons within herself, but it doesn't erase her guilt.
She looks at James, but he's not looking at her anymore. He's looking away, biting his lip, like he's restraining himself...
From anger?
'James.' She calls him. 'Look, I'm sorry. Pero, diba we talked about this already. I thought we're past that. We were okay...we were okay being friends.'
'Naddie...I don't know what else to tell you, but...' He breathes, desperately. '...I'm different now.'
'James, ano ba. Tama na. Okay na tayo eeeh. You were living your life, I was living mine. Okay na. Then you get weird again!'
It started with just his bitterness and jealousy getting to him. He ended up knowing a little more, yet still knowing so little.
There really might have been a chance with Nadine. What the fuck did this James do to fucking mess it up??
He's blaming himself.
----
Hi! It's me. Sorry it took long. I got busy with business. And then I lost my notes, I had to remember everything. And then TIMY is distracting...also Nadine's slit.
Anyway, I really just wanna ask something. I have a new phone here, I don't use it yet. I wanna ask if my drafts would be saved in my account when I switch phones? Im afraid I might lose the drafts, I don't wanna have to remember them again. Sobrang makakalimutin ako talaga.
Thank you for reading pala everyone. Been getting lots of good comments about this story.
Hope you like this.
What's next: What happened after the attack of Julia