Buffet at the Griffith's
After my last subject, I found Maddox standing right next to my room, waiting. He approached me with a smile and pecked my lips. My classmates in this subject were kind of shock at Maddox's affection as they're still not used to the idea of me and Maddox being together. Well, I'm not used to it myself.
I wasn't used to it yet-him showing affection towards me in front of other people and them, judging us and girls, giving me envious looks. I've always been in the background after all.
Maddox doesn't look like the kind of guy to be sweet with a girl. Sure, I've seen him with different women before but those women were always the first to show interest on him and he'll mostly dumped them afterwards. You see, he have the reputation of a heartbreaker but his past was never an issue to me. What important is the present.
Maddox noticed my discomfort and stopped walking. "Something's wrong. What is it?"
Releasing a loud sigh, I didn't have to tell him anything, he always seemed to know if something's up. "I'm just not used to this arrangement. Dont worry, it's no big deal."
"Arrangement? You mean, our relationship?" His arm around me tightened and I felt his body tense beside me. "This is a big deal to me, El. You're not sure of this relationship, are you? Why? Because of the people around us? Who cares of what they think?! Ang mahalaga masaya tayo at mahal natin ang isat-isa. That's all that matters. Or perhaps you're ashamed of me. Is it because of my past-"
"No, definitely not." I said cutting him off. "I love you, okay? For what you are and what you've done in the past doesn't matter to me. I know we've had this same conversation before and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being such a drama queen. I'm just not used to having all eyes on me."
He was about to say something but I cut him off again.
"How can I not be proud of you? Ikaw lang naman ang nag-iisang Maddox Preston sa mundong ito. You have the brains, the face, the body, a leader, magaling pa sa sport at higit sa lahat wagas kung magmahal. You're definitely a guy with a total package."
His lips curved into a wide grin as he cupped my face. "Sasabog na yata ang puso ko. I don't think I can take anymore compliments."
His eyes showed pure happiness and I bet my eyes were the same. Maddox must've been a womanizer, a jackass, a jealous guy with anger issues but despite all these flaws, for me, he's still the perfect guy in my eyes.
↭↭↭↭↭↭
"Jeremy called." Anunsiyo ko nang makalabas si Maddox sa banyo, may twalya na nakabalot sa bewang nito.
Sumeryoso ang mukha nito at bumagsak ang balikat nang marinig ang pangalan ni Jeremy.
"Anong kailangan niya?"
"He's inviting us for dinner tonight."
"Tell him you're not going." Utos ni Maddox na pumasok sa walk in closet upang magbihis.
Pagbalik nito ay saka ako sumagot. "I need to go, Maddox. I miss his mother as well at ito na ang huling gabi nila bago sila bumalik ng states. Cara and her parent's will be there and I'm planning to introduce you to my tito and tita."
Since I don't have my parents anymore, I have to at least introduce him to my second parents which is Cara's parents.
This made Maddox change his mind. "Alright."
"Thank you! I'll go take a quick shower and can we stop at my house to get something to wear for the dinner?"
"Sure, babe."
The clock says we have an hour before seven giving me enough time to prepare.
After almost thirty minutes, I was done. We're at my house, Maddox was in the living room, watching some sports as I changed into something presentable for the dinner.
I was surprise not to find Jeremy in my house. Ang akala ko ay dito siya matutulog ngayong gabi? He's probably at the Griffith's already.
After a few moments of debating what to wear, I settled on a tight black dress that reached above my knees and some black stiletto to match my outfit.
Paglabas ko ng kwarto ay agad na pinatay ni Maddox ang tv at itinuon ang tingin sa akin. Umikot ako upang ipakita ang suot ko.
"How is it? Do you like it?"
His eyes roamed my body heatedly. "I don't like it."
Nawala naman bigla ang ngiti sa mga labi ko sa sagot nito. He was checking me out a moment ago and by the looks of it, he like what he's seeing.
"What? Why?"
"Too revealing. It's showing too much skin. At masyadong fit sa katawan mo, just go change into something else." Sagot nito at naglakad palapit sa akin. Ang mga mata nito ay nakatuon sa mga hita ko at sa heels na suot ko.
"It's not that revealing. Hindi nga ganon' kaikli eh." Nakasimangot na sumbat ko.
Paglapit niya sa'kin ay hinaplos nito ang balikat at mga braso ko. "It is for me, so either change it or put something over it. We're not going anywhere until you go back to your room."
Wala na nga akong nagawa kundi bumalik sa kwarto ko. Pinatungan ko nalang isang leather jacket and tight dress na suot ko dahil ayoko nang magpalit pa ng ibang damit. It's time consuming.
How is this revealing to him? It's only showing my arms and my legs. It's not even backless. Maddox is a freaking crossword puzzle sometimes.
Paglabas kong muli ay hindi ko na hinintay ang opinyon ni Maddox at kinuha na ang bag ko. There's no way I'm going to change it. I already have a leather jacket over it.
"I'm not going back to my room. I'm gonna wear this whether you like it or not." Sambit ko at lumabas na ng bahay habang nakasunod ito sa akin.
"This is better." Maikling sagot nito bago kami nagtungo sa Griffith's residence na ilang minuto lang ang layo mula dito.
I hope Mrs. Griffith won't stuff me with a lot of foods tonight. If she does, at least I have Maddox to eat her food for me.
Pagdating sa bahay ni Tita Elena Griffith ay ito na mismo ang nagbukas ng pinto para sa amin ni Maddox. Nang makita ako ay lumawak ang ngiti nito at agad akong niyakap ng mahigpit. I hugged her back but my arms couldn't even embrace the whole of her as she is a really big woman.
"It's so nice to see you my dear! Bakit ba ang tagal mong hindi bumisita dito?" Tanong nito na napatingin kay Maddox na nakatayo lang sa tabi ko.
"Good evening, tita Elena. This is Maddox, my boyfriend." I greeted and kissed her cheek, introducing Maddox to him. Maddox did the same thing and kissed her cheek as well.
"Good evening po, I'm Maddox." Magalang na bati nito.
"Such a handsome boy." Puri ni Tita Elena. "Come inside. Everyone's here already."
Ang bahay nito ay may dalawang palapag at pagpasok palang dito ay maririnig na ang mga boses nila Cara at iba pang bisita.
Sinalubong ako ni Daryll na masayang tumakbo patungo sa akin.
"Ate Penelope!!!" Sigaw nito na masiglang yumakap sa bewang ko. Si Daryll ay ang bunsong anak ni Tita Elena. Anim na taon na ito at malusog din ang pangagatawan gaya ng iba pang miyembro ng pamilya Griffith.
"Hello, Daryll. How's my sweet little boy?" I asked crouching to match his height. Pinisil ko ang mga pisngi nito dahil nakakagigil ang katabaan nito.
"Isang buwan po kitang hindi nakita ate. Namiss tuloy kita." Naka-pout na sambit nito.
"Namiss din kita Daryll. I miss hugging you. I miss my puffy Daryll." I said sweetly and hugged him tightly.
"Ate, sino po siya?" Maya-maya ay turo ni Daryll kay Maddox. At dahil sa tangkad ni Maddox ay nakatingala lang si Daryll.
"Siya ang kuya Maddox mo." Sagot ko.
"Boyfriend mo po?"
"Yes. I'm her boyfriend." Madiing sagot ni Maddox na hindi man lang ngitian si Daryll.
Pasimple ko namang siniko si Maddox at bumulong dito. "Can you be a little sweeter than that? He's just a kid."
Maddox sighed and cleared his throat. He seemed a bit awkward talking to kids. "Uhmm... Yes, I'm your ate's boyfriend, uh.... bro."
"Bro?!" I exclaimed.
"I don't know what to call him." Maddox explained defending himself.
"Bro? I love that! No one have ever called me that. Can I call you bro as well?" Daryll jumped up and down in excitement and hugged Maddox's legs as he couldn't reach his waist. "Please?"
Maddox looked at me for approval but I only shrugged.
"Yeah, sure." Alanganing sagot ni Maddox.
"Yes I have bro! I have a bro! I have a bro!" Daryll ran back to the dining room, screaming those lines.
The dining room was already full of people, mostly family. Tito Sam was seating at the end of the table with Tita Elena and a happy Daryll on either side of him. Beside Daryll is her older sister, Karyll who is sixteen and well, healthier than most teenage girls like her. Across Karyll is Jeremy beside tita Elena.
Then on the other side of the table is tito Hank, Jeremy's father. On his right is Tita Crista and on her lap is their three years old daughter. Ang kapatid na babae na nabanggit sa akin ni Jeremy kagabi.
Naka-upo narin sa mahabang mesa sina Cara at ang mga magulang nito, sina Tito, Regie and Tita Linda.
"Good evening, tito's and tita." Bati ko na bineso sila isa-isa.
"It's been a long time, sweetie. You're so beautiful." Tita Crista, Jeremy's mother said and stared at me in awe.
"Thank you, tita. So are you and your cute daughter. What's her name?"
"Samantha." Sagot ni Tita Crista. Little Samantha have big eyes and chubby cheeks.
"Hi, Samantha." Bati ko dito at hinaplos ang mahaba nitong buhok.
"Hallooooo." She replied and continued eating her cupcake.
"Siya nga po pala. Si Maddox po, boyfriend ko." Anunsiyo ko sa lahat. Napatingin ang lahat kay Maddox maliban nalamang kay Anika at Jeremy na busy na sa pagkain, obviously not interested at Maddox.
"Hello po. Good evening. I'm Maddox Preston. It's such a pleasant to know Penelope's family." Maddox said introducing himself.
"Come on, you can both take a seat now." Tito Sam gestured at the two empty seat beside Karyll.
Karyll's attention was all to Maddox as he sat beside her. She blushed when she made eye contact with Maddox. Couldn't blame her, Maddox is really distracting.
"I wanna sit beside my bro!" Maya-maya ay reklamo ni Daryll na nakasimangot na.
"Bro?" Tanong ng ama nitong si Tito Sam.
"Please let me sit with my bro. Please daddy. Please?"
"Looks like, little Daryll right here is already fond of you." Puri ni Tita Linda, ang ina ni Cara. "Do you mind if I ask, how are you related to the Preston Hotels?" Dagdag pa nito.
Maddox looked a bit hesitant to answer but he still did. "My father owns the company."
There was shock at everybody's faces but Maddox doesn't look comfortable about it. Ayaw siguro nitong pinag-uusapan ang kompanya ng pamilya nila dahil kahit sa akin ay hindi pa siya nagkwento tungkol sa ama at kompanya nila.
Tita Crista noticed his uneasiness and decided to change the topic. "Are you in college, Maddox?"
"Opo. I'm graduating this semester." Maddox replied politely.
"Can you tell us more about you?" She added.
Everyone seemed very interested at Maddox that all of them except Cara is waiting for him to speak.
"He's the captain of the soccer team at school. He is also a genius. I woudn't be surprise that hell graduate as the summa cum laude." Biglang sumingit si Cara sa usapan.
"Is your name Maddox now?" Baling dito ni Jeremy pero nagkibit-balikat lang si Cara.
"You are such a perfect son!" Eclaimed tita Crista, Jeremy's father. "Kung hindi lang kayo nitong si Penelope ay paghihintayin kita kay Samantha. I'd like to have a son in law like you "
"Mom!"
"Cris!"
Sabay na sigaw ni Jeremy at nang tatay nito sa sinabi ni Tita Crista.
"Well, bawal bang mangarap?" Tanong ni tita Crista. Nagsitawan naman ang lahat.
"Kuya Maddox, do you have a brother?" Karyll asked who had her head bowed while she played with her food.
"I don't have any siblings." Sagot ni Maddox.
"What was that question all about?" Tito Sam, her father asked raising a brow at his daughter.
"Just curious." Maikling sagot ni Karyll.
"You know you're not allowed to have a boyfriend yet, Karyll." Paalala ni tito Sam.
"Dad! You don't have to announce that in front of everyone." Namumulang bulyaw ni Karyll sa ama nito.
I started putting food on my plate and I only realized that moment how much food is in the table. It's like a buffet for fifty people and the dessert is not even served yet. The Griffiths sure loves food.
I was finishing my food when tita Elena Griffith stood to put more food in my plate then on Jeremy and Cara. The three of us shared a knowing look.
"Eat more. Dessert will be serve later." She said going back to her seat.
Putting my hand above Maddox's thigh, I asked him for help. I'm sure I can't eat everything that is on my plate right now. When Tita Elena was busy talking to Cara and Jeremy's mother, Maddox took more than half of the food on my plate as I mouthed a silent thank you on his way.
Cara saw this and she sent me a pleading look. I gestured for her to give her food to Jeremy but Jeremy refused and said no way. Jeremy and Cara's parents are very aware that this has been happening every time we're the the Griffiths house and it's still amusing to them to watch the three of us find a way to get rid of Tita Elena's food.
Hindi naman sa hindi masarap ang luto ni Tita Elena. Sa katunayan nga niyan ay isa siyang magaling na chef, iyon nga lang ay kung magluto ito ay parang papakainin ang buong baranggay. At ayaw na ayaw nitong may natitira sa mga niluto niya. So we had to eat everything that she cooked.
Tita Elena saw that my plate is almost empty and was about to put more food but I stopped her.
"Tita, can we have dessert now?" Tanong ko para lang mapigilan siya.
"Sure, dear." She said as she started cleanning the table. Tita Linda and tita Crista helped her and together they brought the desserts which consists of three different kinds of cakes, brownies, cookies, leche flan, cupcakes, ice cream, fruits and there is even a chocolate fountain!
Jeremy, Cara and I shared another look as Maddox whispered in my ear. "You didn't inform me that we will be attending a fiesta."
"I wasn't informed either." I replied forcing a smile.
After dinner and eating dessert, we all gathered in the veranda with wine in the table at syempre, hindi mawawala ang pagkain. Nakipagbonding muna ako kina Jeremy at sa pamilya nito na matagal kong hindi nakasama bago kami nag-paalam ni Maddox.
"I'm so sorry but we have to go." Paalam ko.
"Take care of yourself, okay?" Bilin ni Tita Crista.
"Of course tita. Thank you."
"I'll see you again after a few years." Paalam ni Tito Hank.
"Tito naman. Parang ang tagal naman masyado. Balik agad kayo sa Pilipinas." Sagot ko.
"It kinda hard with my work but for you, I'll try." Tito Hank promised and hugged me.
"Take care of our Penelope, okay? Hurt her and I'll wrestle with you. Kahit mas malaki pa ang katawan mo sa'kin, lalabanan talaga kita." Baling nito kay Maddox.
"Don't worry, sir. I'll treat her like a queen." Biro ni Maddox.
"Good, aasahan ko yan! Yan talaga ang gusto kong marinig eh!" Tito Hank grinned, embracing Maddox as well.
Pagkatapos nito ay niyakap ko naman si Jeremy sa huling pagkakataon. "I will miss you."
"I'll definitely miss my cutie pie." He whispered as he hugged me back. Thankfully, Maddox didn't complained about this.
"Promise me that you'll call. Kung hindi ka nanaman magpaparamdam sa'min, itatakwil na talaga kita."
Jeremy chuckled, "I promise."
"You still staying at my house tonight?" Bulong ko dito.
"Nope. We have to catch our flight early tomorrow." Sagot nito at saka humarap kay Maddox.
"Man, it's nice meeting you. Though you gave me a cut in my lips, I trust you not to hurt Penelope." Jeremy said towards Maddox.
"Sorry about that." Maddox apologized. "It's nice meeting all of you."
Paalam ni Maddox sa kanilang lahat. At bago ako umalis ay bumeso muna ako sa mga tito at tita ko at niyakap si Samantha. Since my parents died, they had all been my second parents. I guess I couldn't say that I'm an orphan since I still have all of them as a family.
Sa loob ng sasakyan ay tahimik lang si Maddox habang nagmamaneho.
"Jeremy isn't going to sleep at my house tonight. Maybe I can go back now." I suggested.
Maddox gave me a quick look and base on his expression, he's against the idea.
"You promised to stay at my house for two nights right? A promise is a promise babe. Besides, I have a lot of plan for us tonight." He said as his right hands gave a light squish on my thigh.