It was hard to admit, but Nelson had a point.
I watched in horror as Marissa made Axel uncomfortable with her attempt of flirtatious advances. "I don't get it..." I muttered. "Why would Marissa do something like that...?" The thought made me sad because I was hoping that I would regain a lost friend, but apparently, I was mistaken. "Don't tell me, is it because of you again?"
"Marissa and I had been in an on-again-off-again relationship for the past years, but when I met you again..." Nelson said.
"Stop it." I told him. "I don't know what kind of wicked games you two are trying to play with me, but I don't want any part of it." I told him. I turned my eyes to the pool table and saw Marissa leaning close to Axel as he took his shot.
Impatience got the best of me. I left our table in anger and walked towards the pool table. "Can I play too?" I said as I took a cue stick hanging on the wall
"Sure, why don't you take a turn?" Marissa said.
As I walked towards the table to take a turn, Marissa walked towards Axel. There was music playing at the bar, but it wasn't too loud that we couldn't hear each other. That's why I was sure she was trying to flirt with Axel when she leaned closer to him just to say something.
I must've used too much force because the pool balls scattered around, but it served its purpose as it gotten their attention.
"What are you doing?" Axel said with a chuckle as he walked away from Marissa and stood to my side. "We're playing billiards, not bowling." He suddenly wrapped his arm around my neck and pulled me closer.
To my surprise, Axel suddenly kissed my cheek.
My cheeks burned and my heart started thumping so hard. It's not like we haven't done anything more than that, but it was the first time that he kissed me in public.
We played for a while until our food was served on our table.
"Axel, how are you adjusting here in the Philippines? Isn't it a bit too hot for you?" Marissa asked him.
"I'm fine with it." Axel replied shortly.
"That's great." Marissa said. "Here, taste this, it's one of my favorite dish here." She said as she placed a spoonful on Axel's plate.
"Ummm... thanks..." Axel said in an awkward manner.
"Have you met Clark's parents yet?" Marissa asked all of a sudden that it made me choke on my food.
"Are you alright? Here drink this?" Axel said as he handed me his glass of water.
"I'll take that as a no, then." Marissa said with a grin. "Why haven't you introduced him to your parents yet, Clark? Don't tell me, they still disapprove of..." Her tone was smug and mocking.
"Marissa..." Nelson called her.
"Clark's father is really strict and scary." She continued. That was true. Though my Mom had come to accept my preference, my Dad was still a bit reprehensive about it. "If you want any tips on how to get on his good side, you can call me anytime. Or better yet, ask Nelson." She said.
"Why would I ask him?" Axel glared at Nelson as his mood turned sour when Marissa mentioned Nelson.
"Don't you know, Nelson is really close to Clark's Dad, well before things blew up?" Marissa continued.
It seems that trying to flirt with Axel wasn't the only thing in her agenda. She was also trying to make a rift between me and Axel. She knew how much Axel dislikes Nelson, and she was using that to her advantage.
"Can we stop talking about the past? I didn't come here to reminisce about those kinds of memories." I told them.
"Sorry, is it still a bitter topic to you?" Marissa asked me in return.
"Marissa, stop it." Nelson said in a stern voice.
"He was abandoned by his supposed friends, what do you think?" Axel replied to me.
His reply made Marissa stop. I saw her expression change. Things weren't going as she planned, and I knew that it was killing her. She must have thought that Axel was easy to manipulate, but Axel is not only smart he is also very stubborn.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to open past wounds." Axel said with a smirk. "I'll just go to the toilet." Axel said as he squeezed my hand affectionately. "Don't let these two bother you." He whispered to my ears.
I could only smile at his remarks. I knew he was looking after me, and I was really happy about it.
Agreeing to hang out with Marissa was proving to be a bad idea, but seeing how Axel defends all the time was worth the trouble.
Axel hasn't even reached the toilet when Marissa excused herself. I knew she was going to follow him.
"Clark, do you believe me now?" Nelson asked me. "You can't trust her."
"Maybe you're right, but I can't trust you either." I told him.
"What do I have to do for you to forgive me?" He asked me pleadingly.
"Just don't bother me anymore. Axel and I are happy together, and I want to stay that way." I told him.
"I'm sorry, but that's too much to ask." Nelson said. "I can't give up on you. I'll do anything; even if I have to face your Dad's anger, I'll do it. I want you..."
"Don't you get it? I don't like you anymore. Just focus on Marissa, she'll keep on bothering us too if you keep on doing this." I told him, losing my patience. "And, don't ever meet with my family; after what you did, do you think they'll want to see you?"
Minutes passed and Axel finally returned. He had a very angry expression on his face and his eyes were filled with anger.
"Come on, we're leaving." He told me as he pulled me up from my seat.
"What's wrong, what happened?" I asked him.
Marissa came following him.
"Are you two leaving already? Why? You haven't even finished your food yet." Marissa said.
Axel's expression changed again when Marissa spoke.
"Let's stop this." I told them. "I don't know what kind of wicked little game you want to play, but we don't want any part of it." I told the two. "We're leaving, and unless you two want to be friends with me again, no more no less, don't contact me again." I told them before I left the bar with Axel.
"What happened? Did Marissa do or say something to you?" I asked him as we walked towards his car. Axel kept quiet. "Tell me, it's alright."
"I don't want you to think that I'm badmouthing your friend..."
"I don't think I can call her my friend anymore. I don't think she wants to be friends with me again." I told finally told him.
"Ohh, Clark..."
"So, what did she do...?" I asked him.
"Aside from trying to flirt me the whole time? She tried to kiss me..."
"What? She kissed you?!" My blood boiled. I instantly got angry when I heard what Marissa did. No one can kiss my man but me!
"Relax, Clark, I said tried. I avoided it. Promise." Axel said as he squeezed my hand tightly.
"That's good to hear, but just to be sure..." I said as I stopped walking and leaned to him for a quick kiss.
At first, I intended for the kiss to be quick, but Axel took the lead and turned it into a very passionate one.
"Hey, we're in public..." I said shyly.
'You're the one who kissed me first." He said with a chuckle.
"But, I just went with a peck..."
"I don't feel like doing just a peck." He replied smugly.
I sighed. He sure does have a lot of confidence. "You knew what she was up too, don't you?" I asked him. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"How can I tell you? You were so happy to reconnect with her again." He replied.
"I'm such an idiot. I thought she was really sincere..."
"You're not idiot. So what if you don't reconnect with them, you still have me, you still have us." He said as he gave the back of my hand a gentle kiss.
"You're right..." I said as my mood became better just because of that sweet gesture. "So, should we go home now?"
"I don't know. I kind of want to give Damien and Teo a little more space." Axel said. "I mean, it's crazy what happened to Teo last night, and it's also crazy that this new Peter suddenly became involved."
"Oh god, Damien would not be in a good mood, and I'm all alone to handle him." I sighed.
"Teo would be there to pacify him."
"It's not like he would show his beloved Teo his scary side." I sighed.
I was right about Damien being in a foul mood. He wasn't angry, but very paranoid for some reason. He was restless. Tomorrow morning we were going to report to the police what happened to Teo, and we asked Peter to testify for us. It was the only way that the police would take us seriously.
"Do we really need that guy's help?" Damien asked me that night.
"We need his testimony, Damien."
"I just don't feel comfortable having him around." He told me.
"Why? Because he shares the same face and name with your cousin?" I asked.
"No, because he shares the same face and name as Teo's first love." He replied.
"Damien, don't you trust Teo?"
"I trust Teo, but not that guy. I see how he looks at Teo, and I don't like it." He said. "Teo is too innocent, he might not notice it, but that guy is interested in him."
"Really? You really think that guy is interested in Teo." I asked him.
"I'm sure of it." He replied.
Even when we reported the incident to the police, he stuck by Teo's side the whole time. His hands were constantly on Teo, marking his territory, refusing to give Peter a chance to spend some time alone with Teo.
Peter was very cooperative. The police were able to make a sketch of the stalker, but since Peter only saw his eyes, it wasn't much of a help.
Normally they would just ignore those kinds of reports, but while Teo was preoccupied, Axel sneaked in the information about his parents, and suddenly the police were a lot more cooperative. They even promised to patrol around the building regularly, especially during the night.
I'm not saying that all police are like that, but there are few who needs a little bit more nudge to do their work properly.
"Thank you for your help." Axel told Peter as we left the police station.
"Don't mention it." Peter said with a smile. My goodness, he even has the same smile as Peter. I've only seen him i pictures, but the resemblance is uncanny. "Your friend Damien, he dislikes me, doesn't he?"
"No, he doesn't. What made you think that?" I told him.
"He's not really subtle about it." Peter replied with a chuckle. "His stares are deadly sharp. I wonder if it's because he could sense that I'm into Teo."
"You're into... what? I'm sorry, what?" I was utterly surprised by his sudden confession.
Peter chuckled again. "He might be younger, and I know he's taken, but I can't help but think he's cute." He added. "It's weird, this is the first time I've ever think of a guy as cute."
Shit! Damien was right! This guy is interested in Teo. This is bad. This is really bad. Damien might start a war if we don't keep this guy in check.
"You're pretty straightforward, aren't you?" Axel replied.
Peter smiled again. "Well, a little bit. I'm not always this way though." He said with a chuckle. "I don't know, I just feel like I can't hesitate on anything like I should make the most out of my life. Anyway, I'll go ahead, if you need anything, you know where to find me. See you guys around."
We watched as the confident guy left. "Fuck, this is a problem." I told Axel. "If Damien finds out about this, he might chain Teo to his side."
"Really, would he be that extreme?" Axel asked me.
"In case you haven't notice, Damien is crazy about Teo. It would not be surprising if he decided to bring Teo to a secluded island just to keep him away from anyone who might want to steal him away."
"That doesn't so bad, in Teo's standard." Axel chuckled. "You know how much he hates crowd, don't you. As long as he has Damien, then he'll be fine."
"Won't he be suffocated? I know I will."
"So, you don't want to be stranded on an island with me?" Axel said and raised an eyebrow. "You, if we are alone, we can do..."
"Stop thinking perverted things." I clicked my tongue. "You wouldn't last three days without your games." I told him.
"If you keep me preoccupied, then..."
"And how would I keep you preoccupied?" I asked him.
"You know..." He said as he leaned closer to me and whispered to my ears. ".. by doing it. I always wanted to try it on the beach..."
"Hey!" I smacked him at the back of his head. "I said stop being a pervert."
That night, we were waiting for James to return, but as we watched the news, something very shocking came up. And yet again, it was Ethan who made the headlines.