◈ Caught By A Beast ◈
╰20th Catch╮
"BAKIT mo pa kasi sila in-entertain?" Reklamo niya.
Ayaw niyang magpahalatang naiinis siya kaya lang ay hindi na niya mapigilan ang damdamin. Ang tagal nilang nanatili sa café kaya bukod sa naiinis siya sa ginawa ni Andy ay lalong nakakainis ang katotohanang late silang nakapasok sa kanilang klase. Dahil doon ay hindi na sila pinapasok pa bilang parusa. Napaka-istrikto ng kanilang professor sa klase na iyon.
"Malay ko bang tatagal kami sa pagku-kwentuhan. Napakadaldal pala ng babaeng 'yon." Katwiran naman ni Andy na para bang wala lang ang inis niya.
"Nakakita ka lang kasi ng chic nakalimutan mo ng may klase tayo." She reprimands.
"Ikaw naman, nakakita ka lang ng pagkain nakalimutan mo na akong i-remind sa klase natin." Ganti ni Andy.
Napasimangot siya sa kaibigan pero tinawanan lamang siya nito.
Andy drapes an arm around her shoulder. "'Wag ka ng magalit dyan. Ako ng bahala kay Professor Alba." She comforts.
Nasa field sila at nakaupo sa isa sa mga wooden bench na nasa ilalim ng naglalakihang puno ng Acacia.
"Yari ako kina dad kapag nalaman nilang ganito ako dito sa university." Medyo disappointed niyang sambit.
"Hindi naman nila malalaman kung walang magsasabi, di ba? Atsaka, hindi na natin uulitin 'yon. Pangako." Ngumiti ito.
Para kay Andy tila ba hindi malaking problema ang nangyayari.
Pero imbes na magalit, napangiti na lang din siya sa kaibigan. Nakakahawa ang pagngiti nitong abot hanggang tenga.
Mayamaya ay inilabas niya ang kanyang binder para ma-review kung ano ba sana ang pag-aaralan nila sa klase na hindi napasukan ngayon. Isa sa mga major subjects nila iyon kaya kailangan nilang bumawi at makipag-usap nang maayos sa kanilang propesor.
"Lara!"
Sabay silang napatingin ni Andy sa tumawag sa kanya. Nagulat siya sa hindi inaasahang presensya ni Shakira.
Even from afar, Shakira really looks fabulous. The way she walks concords with grace. She's stunning in every way. Thus, she can't blame the boys drooling over her.
Shakira's smile stretches the moment she's in front of them. "Hi!" She greeted, waving her hand out.
"H-hi." Alanganin niyang bati.
"Hello, Shakira. Come, join us." Walang patumpik-tumpik na sabi ni Andy na tumayo pa para ibigay ang pwesto sa bagong dating.
Pasimpleng sinamaan niya ito nang tingin ngunit tinawanan lamang siya nito. Nakakadalawa na ito ngayong araw. Animo'y nananadya itong asarin siya.
Nahihiya man siyang mapatabi kay Shakira sapagkat mukha siyang basahan, wala naman siyang magagawa dahil mukhang gustong maki-bonding sa kanila ng dalaga. Hindi naman niya ito kayang ipagtabuyan.
"Thanks, Andy." Shakira uttered.
Andy shifts to the other side, making her sit at the center.
"What brought you here, Shakira?" Andy asks.
"I wanna talk to Lara about something."
Medyo naintriga siya kaya dali-dali siyang napatingin kay Shakira. Nang tumingin ito sa kanya'y hindi niya mabasa kung ano ang nasa isip nito. Kaya hindi niya mahulaan kung ano ang nais nitong sabihin.
Her brows knitted. "W-what is that all about?"
Shakira's smile creeps her out, to be honest. It seems that something bad is about to happen and it starts to annoy her.
"I saw Arqui, with a girl. Do you know about that? She's cheating on you." She uttered straightaway.
Hindi kaagad rumehistro sa kanyang isipan ang sumbong nito. Ikinakunot pa iyon ng kanyang noo dahil sa pagtataka. Sa katunayan ang naisip nga niya ay bakit kailangan pang sabihin sa kanya ang bagay na 'yon gayong wala naman siyang kinalaman sa mga gustong gawin ni Arq.
She's about to say that Arq and that girl, Louisa, are only acting out when she realizes that she has been introduced as Arq's girlfriend. Hence, she needs to show that she is affected.
Pero pano kaya kung sabihin na lang niyang hindi naman talaga sila magkasintahan ni Arq? Siguro naman ay paniniwalaan siya ni Shakira lalo na't mukha naman itong nagdududa kahapon.
But Shakira interrupts her, which leaves her mouth ajar. "If I were you, I'd give them what they deserve. You know, Arqui wasn't the kind who would cheat. I just don't know what's happening to her."
Hindi siya sumagot.
What do they deserve, really? She's undecided for her next move because she doesn't feel cheated on in the first place. If anything, it is Shakira who really is bothered by the issue. Perhaps, she is only persuading her to do something unnecessary.
In the end, she succumbs to her desire and feigns a shocked expression. "S-saan mo naman sila nakita?" She said trying to hide her sham.
Shakira wants to play a game, so be it.
"Ah, they're here." Shakira then purses her lips somewhere.
She looks at where she's pointing her mouth and from the corner of her eyes, she can see Andy looking at it as well. There they are, Arq and the girl, walking hand in hand while the girl keeps flirting with Arq like they are the only people in the world.
Ang magaling na si Arq ay hinahayaan lamang ang babaeng iyon sa ginagawa nitong paglalandi rito.
"Well, you know it surprised me that you as a girlfriend don't wanna do anything to stop them from flirting." Shakira leans closer to whisper, "...it only makes me think that you are not the kind of girlfriend that Arqui deserves."
She instinctively glares at Shakira, who moves back with a sly smile on her lips. Why does she suddenly feel insulted? She tries dodging the inessential emotions that are starting to cloud her judgment. But witnessing how Arq caters to the girl's coyness makes her think of ways to sabotage their happiness.
Akmang tatayo na si Shakira nang hawakan niya ito sa braso. "Watch." Aniya at siya na ang tuluyang tumayo.
Hindi na niya hinintay pa ang pagsagot nito sapagkat naiirita na siya sa pang-aasar nito. Hindi rin niya naringgan ng pagtutol si Andy kaya lalo siyang nagpatuloy sa plano.
Ayaw niyang sinusubukan kung ano ang kaya niyang gawin dahil gagawin talaga niya ang bagay na iyon. Hindi man literal na inutusan siya ni Shakira, parang ganon na rin naman ang nangyari dahil sa mga pinagsasabi nito.
Her feet are trembling as she strides towards Arq and that girl. They seem so busy that they failed to notice her presence coming right at them. She breathes in and out to gather all her might. She already has a certain idea of what to do the moment she comes near them.
Their laughter abruptly stopped when they finally noticed her.
"L-Lara..." Kunot-noong usal ni Arq.
As their eyes meet, she becomes reluctant to carry on with her scheme. But there's no turning back now. There are other sets of eyes that are watching. It will be a shame to not give them satisfaction.
She arches her brow and crosses her arms. "You haven't told her yet, hon?"
Mabilis ring nangunot ang noo ni Louisa. "H-hon?" Usal nito na sinamahan pa ng mapaklang pagtawa atsaka ipinagpalit-palit ang tingin sa kanilang dalawa ni Arq.
"Lara—"
She takes a deep breath. "You win, alright? I'm already pissed off. So please, tell this girl who I really am in your life." She adds, trying to sound believable.
Lalong nangunot ang noo ni Louisa, samatalang nakamaang lamang sa kanila si Arq na para bang tila pinag-aaralan nito ang mga bagay na sinasabi niya. Walang sumagot sa dalawa. Kaya hinila na lamang niya ang braso ni Arq na inaasahan na niyang pipigilan ng babae nito.
"W-wait. Who are you?" Naguguluhang sabi ni Louisa.
She smirks, "Sorry to steal the spotlight, darling but I'm her girlfriend. For real." She answered while glaring at Louisa.
Louisa moves in front of Arq before pushing her lightly on her shoulder. "Girlfriend, huh? You want me to believe that you are Arq's real girlfriend when you didn't even mention that when we were introduced to each other earlier? I bet you're only a crazy fan girl." She said, twitching her mouth as she pulls Arq in the opposite direction.
Ang ungas ay wala man lamang sinasabi. Mukhang gustong-gusto nito ang nangyayari. Sa totoo lang, kasalanan naman niya kung bakit siya naiipit ngayon sa ganitong sitwasyon. Masyado siyang naging padalos-dalos kaya eto ang napala niya. Hindi na dapat niya pinatulan pa ang mga babae ni Arq para manahimik na ang buhay niya.
But she's already at that moment and the best thing to fight the humiliation is to fulfill what she has proclaimed. She quickly blocks them before they can get away.
After smirking at the girl, she gets Arq by the neckline and pulls her closer. Even with closed eyes, she's still able to trace her lips as intended. She remains stunned within seconds before she realizes what she's doing. Her eyes slowly open, meeting Arq's shocked stares.
When everything is clear, she tries to recede only to get pulled back in by Arq to deepen the kiss. There's no one to blame but herself that she's in that situation. In fact, she's even letting herself fall headlong into an unfamiliar bliss when she starts to respond to Arq's kisses. Subconsciously, she wants to get satisfied.
Naramdaman niya ang unti-unting pagpulupot ng braso ni Arq sa kanyang bewang. Lalo nitong dinidiinan ang pagkakahalik sa kanya. Ngunit ito rin naman ang sumira ng kanilang momentum nang bigla nitong tusukin ang kanyang tagiliran.
Halos hindi siya magkandaugaga sa paglayo at nang magawa ay tila gulat na gulat siya sa nangyari. Pero mabilis din niyang binawi angbpagkagulat nang mapansin si Louisa. Hindi pwedeng mauwi lang sa wala ang kahihiyang kanyang ginawa.
Kaya nginisihan niya ito at umaktong proud siya sa kagagahan.
Mabilis din siyang inakbayan ni Arq sabay sabing, "I'm so sorry, hon. I won't do this again."
Arq is one hell of an actress as she carries on with the drama.
Napayakap na rin siya dito para patuloy na magmukhang totoo ang kanilang pagpapanggap. "Let's fix this. Ayokong nag-aaway tayo."
"W-what's the meaning of this? A-Arq?" Lalong naguguluhang tanong ni Louisa.
When she looks at her, Louisa's eyes are welling up. She feels sorry for her. But on the other hand, she doesn't want to be a loser in Shakira's eyes.
Inakbayan siya ni Arq at hinarap si Louisa. "I'm sorry, Louisa. You heard her, we just had a fight and—" Hindi na natuloy ni Arq ang sasabihin nito dahil nasampal na ito ni Louisa.
Mabuti na lang at maliit siya at medyo nakayuko kaya hindi siya natamaan. Gusto niyang matawa nang makita ang namumulang pisngi ni Arq habang ito'y gulat na gulat.
Louisa couldn't hold back any longer. She saw her tears fell before she turned and ran away. If she was in her shoes, she would feel the same way. And Arq would certainly get more than a slap on the face.
"Don't grin, it hurts you know," Arq complained while touching her cheek.
Sumimangot siya at nilingon ito. "Kasalanan mo naman 'yan. Napakababaero mo kasi."
Binalingan siya nito. "If you only agreed right away, I wouldn't have hired her in the first place. Pabebe ka pa kasi, papayag ka rin naman pala. I wished I knew that you only needed a kiss." Anito sabay ngiti nang nakakaloko.
She's about to hit her but Arq dodges it and starts to laugh out loud.
Siya naman ay nakaramdam ng hiya lalo na ng mapagtanto niyang nasa field sila ng RDGU. Konti man ang mga estudyanteng nakasaksi pero alam niyanh nagsisimula ng kumalat ang pangyayaring iyon sa buong university. Hindi niya alam kung ano na lang ang magiging reaksyon ni Pearl kapag nalaman nitong nakipaghalikan siya sa babae.
Nasapo niya ang kanyang ulo at napailing-iling. Tumigil naman sa pagtawa si Arq nang mapansin siya nito. "I guess we do have a problem now. Tell me." Sabi nito.
Nilingon niya ito at halata sa itsura nito ang sinseridad sa pagtatanong. "Hindi ko na alam ang gagawin ko." Usal niya na parang batang nagsusumbong.
Arq scoffs, "Act naturally like we are real lovers."
"Mayayari ako sa parents ko kapag nalaman nila 'to."
"Are they conservative? Are they against girl-to-girl relationships?"
Umiling-iling siya. "Hindi ko alam. Hindi naman kasi namin pinag-uusapan 'yong ganito."
Hindi sumagot si Arq kaya lalo siyang nag-alala. Mukhang pareho silang dalawa na hindi alam ang gagawin sapagkat napakabilis ng mga pangyayari.
She heard her sigh. "Then we must be careful in keeping this a secret from your parents."
"I have a sister here, remember? Napakadaldal no'n sa bahay. Baka bigla na lang niyang masabi."
"Aren't you two close? Talk to her."
"Akala mo naman kasi madaling makipag-usap don."
"Then I'll talk to her." Pahayag atsaka siya hinawakan sa kanyang kamay para hilahin.
"T-teka lang—"
She tries to struggle but Arq won't listen to her. When she looks back to see Andy and Shakira, she shows them her triumphant smile, specifically at Shakira. It is really a victory for her whenever she proves that she can do anything once she's enticed to do it.
** ** **
blacknøte:
If you're rereading, please bear with me as I'm still revising this story. First 20 chapters for now. Then I'll try to republish more as soon as I can.
Forgive me kung mabibitin muna kayo.
Nonetheless, Enjoy! (Especially New Readers & Followers) (kung meron man) 😉💕