"I am not getting married to that sorry excuse of a man," she expressed frustratedly, throwing her purse onto a coffee table, and herself on the couch beside it.
"Meng, pinagbigyan ka na namin to choose your own degree in college. At least sacrifice this for the company," Theo Mendoza, her father, replies as he unbuttoned his coat.
"'Tay, this isn't just a decision over a stupid degree. This is a marriage for crying out loud! My, marriage!" she exaggerated as she lied down on the couch.
"Anak, give the guy a chance. Mukhang mabait naman 'yong bata eh," Mary Mendoza, her mother insisted.
"Being 'nice' isn't the only criteria to a marriage, 'Nay. You should know that," she huffs."And besides, why aren't we looking for Kuya? Shouldn't we be worrying about him right now?" she queries as she slightly raises her body, only to plop it down on the couch, once again.
"Maine, we've already heard from him."
"What? Where is he? I'll go ahead and drive us," she offered as she quickly got up and grabbed her purse, heading straight for the door.
"He didn't exactly say kung nasaan siya."
"Wait, what?"
"Maine, he's hiding out right now. From us, from the Faulkersons. He only called to tell us that he's safe."
"Ugh! Lagot siya sa akin when he comes back."
"I don't know about that, Maine. It looks like he has no plans of coming back."
"Well then, I'm off. I'll go search for him na lang."
"NO!" her parents shouted abruptly.
"You are not running off like your Kuya, young lady," Theo demanded. "Your Kuya is a disappointment. And to think that we were so confident in turning the company over to him," he proceeded to add.
"That reminds me, who's taking over the company, now?" she asked as she looked at both of her parents.
However, to this, she got no reply. Instead, they started to look around the room, obviously avoiding her eyes.
"It's me, isn't it?" she said with a straight face.
"Well, anak, we have no other choice. And I mean, you already finished your around the world trip anyways," Mary shrugged.
"'Nay, that wasn't just some trip. I got great knowledge from that 'trip'. I'm going to cook now," she argued.
"And who do you think you're going to cook for?" her father asserted.
Then she found herself unable to answer his question.
"You haven't really thought this through yourself, have you Maine," her mother gently asked as she placed a hand on Maine's shoulder.
Maine looked down on the ground, as she remembers the tears that she shed on her plane back to Manila. She had just finished a month long immersion in India, where she learned about its cuisine. It was the last country that she visited before she headed back home, and to be honest, she really didn't want to come home. Because, she knew that her year long around the world journey hasn't really done her any good with regards to what she wants to do for the rest of her life.
"Guess your silence means yes?" Theo asked in assurance, and to this he got a gentle nod.
-
"You guys looked a little tense yesterday," Rico quizzed at his son, which only earned him a shrug from Alden. "You know, you should take her out. She is your fiancé after all."
Fiancé, he thought to himself. He almost cringed at the thought of it.
"Dad, do I really have to do this? Puwede bang, itakwil niyo na lang ako?"
"Son," Rico replied in a scolding tone.
"Dad, I don't think I can do this. Our friendship ended badly, we still haven't even talked about what happened."
"Then go and talk about it."
"Dad, it's not that simple."
"It is if you make it to be, son. Go and try to get to know her again. Like I said, take her out or something. Do the both of you a favor, because my mind's not going to change anytime soon."
He sighed and proceeded to making his way out, through the front door. He closes the door behind him, and sits in front of it. He jiggles his car keys in his hands, as he tries to make a decision, on whether or not he should follow his father's advice.
With this, he looks back at the time when he didn't hesitate on taking Maine out.
"Tantararan," he sings as he pulls out a stick of freshly fried banana cue, out of the plastic bag that he was holding.
Though they came from rich families, they still made it a point to liberate themselves with street food, any time that they felt like it. It was kind of their way to feel normal, amongst all the chaos of their lavish world.
She takes the stick from him but his surprises seem to not be finished, just yet.
"Wait. Eto pa."
"Wow, lumelevel-up ka na ngayon ah. Dati isang stick lang ng fish ball ang libre mo sa'kin, pero ngayon, may pa-lala chocolate na si mayor," she irks.
"Syempre, malakas ka sa'kin eh," he reasons.
"Pero, Alden, tingnan mo o. Natunaw na 'yong chocolate. Bakit mo kasi isinuksok sa bag na may mainit na banana cue?"
"Sure ka bang dahil sa banana cue at hindi dahil sa hotness ko?" he asked as he wiggled his brows.
"Ew Alden, please lang. Maupo at kumain ka na nga lang, hindi bagay sa'yo."
"Eh bakit? Ano, or better yet, sino ba ang bagay sa akin?"
They looked straight into each other's eyes, both their lips in a straight line. Until they both blurted out their answer.
"Ako!"
"Ikaw!"
They proclaimed at the same time, ending it with a burst of laughter. He places his arm over her shoulder, ever so comfortably.
"Bakit tawang-tawa ka? Totoo naman ah. Ako lang ang bagay sa'yo, kasi ako lang ang kaya kang pagtiyagaan," she declared as she took a big bite off of her snack.
All he could do was look at her as she continued her ministrations. He swore that he never felt the same way about her, since that day.
"But seriously, posible kayang magkatuluyan tayo?" she asked out of the blue, to which his heart suddenly started to race. He was about to reply but she was quick to cut him off. "Nah, scrap that thought. That's just disgusting," she claimed as she started to laugh.
Oh how his heart instantly ripped to pieces every time he saw her took a bite out of her banana cue.
Alden shakes his head at the memory. Well look who's marrying Alden Faulkerson, now, he proudly thought.
-
"Anong ginagawa mo dito?" Maine asks Alden who was leaning against a pillar, as she opened the door.
"Is that the way to greet your fiancé, my dear?" he replies, clearly sounding sarcastic, and lets himself in.
She scoffs, and rolls her eyes as she closes the door behind him. He strides over to the lounge, and nestles in one of the couches. He rests his foot over his leg and his hands on the back of his head. Alden starts to look around the room.
"Wow, this place still looks the same," he comments.
"Ano ba talaga ang gusto mo?" she asks in annoyance, her arms crossed over her chest as she stood in front of him.
"Dad told me to take you out. Spend time with you before the wedding, blah, blah, blah," he remarked, changing his position by resting his elbows on his lap.
"Maine, si-" Mary Mendoza cuts herself off upon seeing Alden. "Alden, iho," she greeted as she approached him.
Alden stands up to meet her halfway, giving her a beso.
"Hi, Tita," he addresses back.
"Anong ginagawa mo dito?"
"Ay, Tita. Can I take my future wife-to-be out on a date?" Alden insisted as he placed an arm over Maine's shoulder, squeezing her tightly so that she wouldn't be able to get away.
She gave her mother a sarcastic grin. Alden turns his head to examine her reaction, and she turns her head to squint her eyes at him. Maine looks back at her mother, whilst placing her arm over his shoulder. She bends her arm towards his neck and starts to squeeze it, the pressure getting tighter and tighter.
"Yes, 'Nay. Can I go on a date with my future hubby?" she asks whilst plastering her satirical grin, once again.
"Of course! You two lovebirds go ahead," Mary urges as she starts to walk away from them.
They follow her with their eyes until she was out of sight.
"You can let go now," Alden requests, slightly out of breath.
However, it's as if she didn't hear a word he said as she continued to tighten her hold.
"Maine! Let go," Alden demanded louder.
"Ok, let's go!" she announced as she took her purse from the coffee table and made her way out of the house.
I'm going to marry this? Alden impressed on himself.
They arrive in a restaurant, and Maine led the way upon approaching the entrance. She stops right in front of the door, and Alden almost crashes into her as he was looking down at his phone.
"Hindi ka ba papasok?" Alden asked irritatedly.
"Papasok," she assured.
"Eh bakit ayaw mong pumasok?"
"Pakibukas 'yong pintuan, please."
"What?"
"If we're going to do this, then we should do it right. Pagbuksan mo ako ng pinto."
Alden rolled his eyes, went up to the door and opened it for her. She enters and whilst she does so he stretches out his arm, to seemingly present the restaurant.
"Eto na po. Gusto niyo po bang buhatin ko kayo papasok ng restaurant?"
She rolls her eyes at him, ignoring his comment, and proceeds to talking to a waiter to request a table.
"Ok, I know what you're doing, and I'm not going to let you put up a sarcastic face for the rest of our lives. So, let's settle this once and for all. We're getting married, Alden. What happened between us, happened many years ago. Can we just settle our differences?"
He looked at how serious she said every word. He guessed that she's already come to the acceptance that they no longer have any choice but to follow their parents' requests. He remembers what his father said, "Do yourself a favor." It wouldn't be that bad to try and make it work, right? But also, they can't just, "settle [their] differences" because obviously, he's still quite hurt over what she did to what they had. He was about to speak his concerns when he was interrupted.
"Maine?" someone from behind her called out.
She looked to where the voice came from only to see a scruffy, slightly bellied man standing, holding a child's hand, and carrying another in his other arm. She tilted her head to one side to try and figure out who it was, allowing Alden to get a view of the man that apparently knows her.
"Alden, andito ka din!" The man continued to speak, as he placed the child in his arm down, and motioned to point at himself. "Alden, Maine. It's me, Prince!"
Both Alden and Maine's eyes widened at the sound of his name. Maine turns back to Alden, and she purses her lips to try and hold herself back from laughing at the sight in front of them.
"Prince! Hi!" Maine greets as she wisps her hair around to face him. "I almost didn't recognize you. How have you been?" she adds.
"I've been great! Cess, stay here," he demands the little girl who attempted to run off.
"Are you like...babysitting or something?" Alden questioned.
"Ha?" Prince asked confused, and realises what he meant upon looking at the children. "Oh, no, no. These are my kids."
Again, Alden and Maine's eyes widen at the sound of what Prince just revealed to them, with Maine turning back to Alden and tilting her head.
"K-Kids," Maine asked to re-affirm.
"Yeah," Prince confessed shyly.
"Prince!" a female voice called out.
Prince almost jumps at the voice, and slowly looks back.
There behind him was a tall, slim woman, who had just raised her Gucci sunglasses and rested it on her head. She was wearing a red halter, bodycon maxi-dress, red YSL heels, and sporting a black Hermès Crocodile Birkin handbag.
"Prince, ano ba?" she called out once again.
"Hon," he greeted.
"I've been carrying this bag for matagal na. You take it na, my arm hurts na," she complained.
"Akin n- Cess stay here!" Prince demanded as he struggled to do everything at once.
"My Princess! Come to Mommy," the woman directs to the child, as she shoves the bag onto Prince's chest.
The little girl runs up to the woman and sticks out her tongue at her father.
"Um, guys. This is my wife, Lucinda," Prince introduced.
Lucinda looked towards them, and particularly gave Maine a once-over. Maine returns her a smile. Lucinda raises a brow at her, and crosses her arms over her chest.
"Who's this girl," Lucinda whispers to her husband, as she continued to give Maine a piercing look.
"Old friend," he whispered back.
"Old friend, or old ex?" Lucinda continued to investigate, through gritted teeth.
"This isn't the place to discuss this, Lucinda," Prince argued. "Uh, guys. Sige. We best head off to our seats. It was nice seeing you two gain," Prince said to Alden and Maine.
The two just nodded their heads at him, as Prince was slowly dragged away by his wife.
"Looks like a...difficult marriage," Alden cringed, making Maine look back at him.
"He deserves it after what he did to me," she insisted, as she took a sip of her red wine.
"What did he do to you?" he erupted, placing both of his hands on the table, which made her jump a little. "Sorry," he was quick to express.
"Wala namang nangyari...may...montik lang mangyari."
"You mean," Alden continued to question.
"Yeah," she confirmed.
"Well, I told you so," he attested.
He sat back on his seat, taking his cup of coffee, off of the table, with him.
"Yeah...I know," she agreed, staring back at him with big doe eyes.
No, you are not falling for those eyes ever again, Alden, he demanded himself.
-
A/N: Hope you liked today's update! Continue to place your comments and concerns down below 😊
With regards to RST, I still don't have an update ready for it. But don't worry, I won't just abandon it, I just need a bit more time to sort some things out.
Thanks guys!