JEVA grabbed the left hand of Champ and intertwined it with hers while dragging him to Aling Maria's stall. Suki nya, nila ng mga kaibigan nya. Mabait kasi ito at mura lang ang paninda, masarap pa.
Tumingala siya sa lalaki. Bakit ba ang tangkad nito? "Diyan ka lang sa right side ko because you're the right person for me." - banat nya sa lalaki.
Champ bit his inside cheeks to suppress his laugh. "Ang corny mo ha?" - but the truth is, he just wanted to keep his composure at ease kasi nagwawala na ang puso nya dahil sa banat nito. Why the heck my heart is beating so fast?
"You, being not on my right side does it mean you're not the right person for me?" - he grinned at her. Mabilis namang kinalas ni Jeva ang pagkakahawak nila ng kamay at hinampas ang likod ng lalaki. Ang brutal, ha?
Champ captured her hand and intertwined it. Her hand being on his gives him peace and unexplainable feelings, but he loves it though.
He chuckled. "I'm kidding." - Hinigpitan nya ang hawak sa kamay ng babae. Only if he knew that it feels so good to hold her hand, sana matagal niya ng ginawa. "Stay on my left side. It only means that you'll never left me."
Tumawa ng malakas si Jeva. "Mas corny ka pa sakin. Leave kasi yun. Babanat na lang lame pa." - tawa pa rin siya ng tawa.
Champ brushed it off. He doesn't care if he is so lame or whatever. "Well, I just want to give meaning for it." - he shrugged. "But, seriously, I don't want you to leave my side." -he said in a very serious tone. Call him selfish or what. He only wanted to keep him at his side.
Bahagyang nagulat si Jeva sa sinabi ng asawa while her heart is beating so fast that she even couldn't breathe properly. She let out a small laugh when she already recovered.
She gave him a very genuine smile. "Of course, I won't leave your side."
Humarap sa kanya ang lalaki and his other hand caressed her face. "Promise me." - he looked at her eyes intently. "Promise me that whatever happened you'll never leave me." - his eyes are full of hope.
He knew that his life was not simple. Maraming pwedeng mangyari. Yes, he is selfish. He still doesn't want everyone to know about their relationship but he wanted Jeva to be patient and stay at his side no matter what.
Jeva gave him a wide smile. "I promise. I promise that I'll never leave your side." - Syempre naman, no? She has a plan to make her husband head over heels to her and wait patiently until he will tell everyone about them, their relationship.
"Hi, Nanay Maria!" - upon reaching her favorite stall, she greeted the middle aged woman. The owner. She and her friends called her nanay, tsaka close naman sila. And most of the customers that are frequently here calls her that.
"Jeva?" - gulat na gulat ang babae dahil sa biglaang pagsulpot nya. "Jeva, anak!" - lumapit ito sa kanya at niyakap siya. She hugged her back using her one hand. Hindi kasi binitawan ng lalaki ang kamay nya.
Anak na ang tawag sa kanila ni Aling Maria dahil noong highschool sila ay halos araw-araw silang nandito at tumutulong pa sila minsa sa pagse-serve ng pagkain.
"Kumusta ka na?" - agad na tanong nito sa kanya ng bitawan na siya nito.
"Okay naman po. Kayo po?" - magiliw na saad nya sa babae.
"Nako, okay naman. Ang tagal mong nakabalik dito ha?" - she just smiled. The last time that she visited here us 2 years ago. Before her marriage and Shy's accident.
She gave her a small smile. "Oo nga po, eh. Naging abala lang po ako sa maraming bagay." - tumango naman ang ginang sa kanya.
"Oh sya, sige. Mamili na kayo ng lamesa. Ganun pa rin ba ang oorderin mo?" - tumango naman sya. Nakakatuwa naman dahil sa dalawang taong nakakalipas ay hindi parin nito nakakalimutan ang kanyang palaging inoorder.
"Make it double, Nay." - nagulat naman ito at agad na napatingin sa tabi nya.
"Ay, pasensya na hindi ko nakitang may kasama ka pala." - sinuri naman ng ginang ang kasama nito. She and Champ stilled. Please, please, please, no. She silently prayed na sana hindi ito makikilala ng ginang.
"Hindi kita nakita rito." - agad siyang nakahinga ng maluwag. Dahil sa sinabi nito.
"First time nya po rin, Nay. Dinala ko po siya rito para matikman ang masasarap mong paninda." - natatawang saad nya.
"Aba, binobola mo pa akong bata ka." - sinuri ng ginang ang dalawa. Napangiti naman ito ng nakita niya may suot ang mga ito ng isang pares ng singsing. Wedding ring.
Jeva always wore her ring kaya nagtataka siya kung bakit hindi siya tinatanong ng mga kaibigan niya tungkol dito. And for Champ, he only take it off at work because his star-manager said so.
Napansin naman ni Champ kung saan nakatingin ang ginang. Kaya tumayo siya mula sa pagkakaupo. He offers his hand to introduce himself.
"I'm Champ. Her husband." - he was known as Vladimir not Champ. Kaya kung magpapakilala sya as Champ ay mas safe ito.
Jeva smirked. He's already showing off. Little by little. Jeva's thinking that her operation is already progressing. Sus! Napakadali lang naman pala.
The woman accepted his hand. "Ako pala si Aling Maria. Pwede mo akong tawaging nanay. Yun din naman ang tawag ng asawa mo."
Jeva grinned. Asawa. Sounds good. It sounds so good to be recognized as his wife.
"Oh sya, sige. Umupo ka na ulit maghahanda lang ako." - the woman lean forward to her. "Bakit ba balot na balot ang asawa mo?" - she whispered at natawa naman sya.
"He's just shy." - she whispered to her.
Natatawang umalis naman ang ginang at nagtatakang tumingin ang lalaki sa kanya.
"Swerte mo daw sakin." - she teased him while he rolled his eyes.
"Anyways, you told me that the foods that you usually order are your favorite." - she hummed while nodding her head. Champ look around. This place is so ordinary. Hindi sa minamaliit nya but the place is for commoners.
Ni sa panaginip niya hindi niya maimagine na pupunta sa ganitong lugar ang babae dahil sosyalera ang dating nito at only daughter ng dalawang sikat at mayayamang doctor.
"Tambayan namin ito noon ng mga kaibigan ko. We love the foods here." - she paused. "My mom doesn't allow me to go in this kind of places. She wouldn't know, though." What a rebel and a hard-headed girl. "Afterall, malapit lang ito sa pinapasukan ko noong highschool. I studied in a public school."
"Seriously?" - hindi makapaniwalang tanong ng lalaki. Ang unica hija ng mga Villaflor ay pumasok sa isang public school.
"What's with the shock face?" - natatawang tanong niya sa lalaki. "Maganda kaya sa public school. I had so much fun. My highschool life was one of my unforgettable moment of my life." - she drank a water from the water bottle. Kumakain siya ng street foods pero hindi sya umiinom ng hindi mineral or distilled water.
"I'm happy that my parents allowed me to go to a public school before. I know ayaw nila but since, Mari and Gwyn were with me, pumayag sila." - he knew it. Hindi basta-basta papayag ang mga magulang nito na pag-aralin siya sa public school lalo na ang tatay nito. Geez! That one is so strict.
If Kyza and Shylane are childhood friends. Ganun din sina Mari, Gwyn at Jeva.
"How about you?" - napanganga naman ang lalaki sa tanong ni Jeva. "I mean, you'll know all my favorite foods later. So, I guess I should know yours too." Knowing each other after two years of marriage. So lame. But Jeva took this opportunity to know things about her husband.
"I love pasta especially, Lasagne and Cannelloni." - Ang sosyal. Jeva bit her lips to stop herself from smiling because of his answer. Pabor ito sa kanya because she knew how to cook varieties of pasta.
Makapagluto nga minsan for him. She noted that to herself.
"What's your favorite color?" - tanong ni Champ. He also wanted to know something about his wife hindi yung basta-basta na lang siyang nagugulat sa kayang gawin ng asawa at hindi yung wala syang alam sa mga gusto nito.
"Blue. Aqua blue. Yours?"
"Red."
Red is dominant and blue is a planner? Dominant and planner? How is that possible?
"Any food you're allergic to?"
"None, how about you?"
"Shrimps." - she envied him. She always wanted to eat shrimps but she can't. Gusto nyang i-try kumain ng mangga na may shrimp paste. Sabi ng mga kaibigan nya masarap daw yun.
"Hobbies?"
"Playing badminton."
"I love badminton, too. Let's play some other time." -she told him. "Anyways, my hobbies are playing drums or guitar and also singing."
"Want to sing for me, if you have time?" - umaasang tanong ni Champ sa babae.
"Of course!" - Who wouldn't? That will be her way of expressing her feelings to her.
Natigil ang pag-uusap nila ng dumating na ang mga order ni Jeva at isa-isang nilapag sa lamesa. Champ wrinkled his brows at naguguluhang tumingin sa mga pagkain. Hindi niya alam kung anong klaseng mga pagkain yun.
"Enjoy." - sabi ni Nanay Maria pagkatapos umalis kasama ang isa dalagang babae na kasama nitong nagsi-serve.
"What are these?" - turo ni Champ sa mga pagkaing nakalatag sa lamesa.
"These?" - she glanced at the foods licking her lower lips. "These are my favorites."
"Ano to? Cellophane noodles?"
"Sotanghon yan."
"And these, what are these? Uod?" - he said pertaining to the isaw dipped in a seasoned vinegar inside a disposable cup.
"What the heck?! Those are isaw a chicken intestine." - ngumiwi ang lalaki. Ew.
"Ang OA mo masarap yan." - kumuha siya ng isang stick ng isaw at kinain. Napangiwi ulit ang lalaki habang nakatingin sa kanya ng masayang kumakain.
"Ano 'to? Bakit mukhang ping pong ball?"
"That's kwek kwek. A quail egg wrapped with an orange colored batter. Try it." - tinusok nya ang isang kwek-kwek and dipped in its sauce at tinapat sa bibig ng lalaki.
Nagdadalawang isip man ay kinakain niya iyon. Hindi naman siguro siya mamatay rito. Favorite naman ito ng babae. And, he trusts her.
Hmm. "It tastes good." - Jeva shrugged and gave him an 'I-told-you' look because her mouth is full.
"Is this a tofu?" - turo ng lalaki sa taho. Mabilis niyang nilunok ang nasa loob ng bibig nya.
"Ang sosyal mo naman. Taho lang yan." - she waved her hand. "Hindi pala lang because that's so good and refreshing. But, that's a Philippine version of soft silken tofu." - his mouth formed 'o'. And grab the cup to give a taste.
Tumatango-tango pa sya. "So sweet."- natawa si Jeva sa lalaki.
"You need to mix that first." - she chuckled.
"Oh?" - he immediately stirred it with the straw to mix the ingredients.
Jeva called the server to pack the kutsinta. Busog na kasi sya. She drank the fresh buko-juice. Ah! So refreshing.
"What was that?" - tanong nga lalaki sa kanya.
"The what?"
"The one that the server packed. The one that looked like a gooey jelly like mochi texture with cheese toppings." - This guy is so impossible!
"Ang haba ng explanation mo. Kutsinta tawag dun. A Filipino type of dulce de leche." - hindi naman napapagod si Jeva sa kakaexplain sa lalaki. She likes talking.
"Tan fascinante." So fascinating. He looked at her like he's admiring the view of nature.
"Es verdad." That's true. She agreed.
She and him are both Half-Spanish, both of them are fluent in the Spanish language.
"Lo que quiero decir es que tú." What I mean is, you. Agad namang deretsang napatingin ang babae sa kanya.
"What?"
"You look fascinating while patiently explaining to me everything." - he said while giving her a soft smile.
"Dulce hablador, bastardo." Sweet talker, bastard. She rolled her eyes while smiling. She could feel that she's blushing because her face heats up. "Why are you talking in Spanish?"
"It's just you." - pag-aakusa ng lalaki sa kanya.
"You started it. Don't accuse me!" - akmang hahampasin niya ang lalaki ng biglang tumunog ang kanyang cellphone.
Mari Calling...
"Hi, bessy."
"Am I really you bessy when you didn't even tell me about your husband. Gaga ka! May asawa ka na pala pero ang dami mo pa ring inistalk na mga lalaki." - Inaasahan niya na ito, she knew Nerize will tell them at may pakpak ang mga balita. Napangiwi siya sa last phrase ng kaibigan.
"I wasn't stalking. I was plain curious."
"Curious, my ass! Our friends already knew. I mean ALL OF 'EM and wait, you owe us an explanation. We mean, TODAY! Not tomorrow, not the next day after tomorrow BUT TODAY. STRICTLY TODAY. Come here at Alvin's new bar. Ngayong gabi ang opening nito. We'll play. Bye!" - sunod-sunod na sabi nito at agad na binabaan sya ng telepono. She may be the most talkative of the group but the one she's talking right now is crazy. She could take anyone's title. Sometimes she is talkative, silent or brutal but most of the time she's crazy.
Kutang-kuta na siya sa 'you owe me/us' an explanation ngayong araw. Maybe it's the right time to tell her friends about her relationship with Champ.
She noticed Champ's eyes focused on her. She cleared her throat. "That was Mari. They already know. She wanted me to explain everything and we'll also play for Alvin's new bar opening."
Tumango naman ang lalaki. Everything is going according to plan. He wanted all her friends to know about them, to guard her from other guys.
"Well, I don't know how to explain to them." - she played with her hands that were placed on top of the table.
He reached for her hands and held it firmly. "We'll explain together." - with that, all worries in Jeva's mind and heart disappeared.
They stood up and Jeva grab the cellophane where the kutsinta was placed. At magpaalam na sila kay Nanay Maria.
"Bumalik kayo ulit." - pagsigaw na saad ng ginang habang kumakaway sa kanila na naglalakad palayo sa stall.
Jeva just gave her a big smile and nod while waving back at her. Champ on the other hand nodded at the woman.
Coming there wasn't a waste after all, Champ likes all the food that Jeva ordered except for two, the chicken's intestine and chicken's feet. Na ang sabi ni Jeva ang tawag daw doon ay isaw at adidas, he niya kayang kainin yun. It was so gross for him. Buti na lang at hindi siya pinilit ng babae. Sure, he'll come back for taho and ginataang halo-halo. Those two are the best!
THIS TIME, Champ was the one driving the car to Alvin's bar. The guy's name is very familiar to him.
Dahil sa haba ng traffic ay matagal silang nakarating sa bar pero sakto lang para makapagbihis si Jeva. Palagi siyang may dalang extra clothes sa kanyang kotse.
After she changed her clothes, she immediately climbed up to the stage and positioned herself on the drum sets while Champ was seated on the chair near the stage watching his wife. Who is so hot in her black fitted halter crop top na pinatungan ng denim jacket paired with black leather skinny pants and black ankle boots.
Medyo madilim sa parte kung nasaan siya kaya walang makakakilala sa kanya. He also removed his cap and hood.
"Hello, everyone!!" - matinis na sigaw ng vocalist. "I hope you'll enjoy your stay tonight." - simpleng saad nito.
Jeva starts beating the drums as the first song starts. Doctor slash drummer. What a badass! Champ smirked at his thought.
His wife is really a good drummer. She beats the drum effortlessly and plays the drumsticks with her fingers.
The crowd cheered. The men whistled. Most of them are shouting how hot the drummer is. At first Champ was so proud for her wife but later on he was pissed. He doesn't like the thought of his wife being sexy and hot to other's eyes. He wanted to pull their eyes from their socket.
He let out a heavy breath when they finished playing. The crowd still wants more but the vocalist said there are other performers and the crowd awed.
He rolled his eyes. He knew that they just wanted to see his wife playing with the drums longer.
"Hey!" - nagulat ito sa biglaang paglapit ng kanyang asawa sa kanya at yumakap pa sa bewang niya. "Oops! I'm sweating so hard." -dali-dali itong napabitiw sa kanya.
He gripped her waist para hindi ito lumayo sa kanya.
He smiled when he distinguished that his wife ran back to him after the play while her other friends went to greet the visitors. Napansin nyang hinahanap ng iba ang drummer which makes his smile grow wider. She's mine, douchebags!
Matapos makipag-usap ng mga kaibigan ni Jeva sa mga bisita at customers ay naglakad ito papalapit sa kanila.
"Hey, bitch!" - bati ni Kyza kay Jeva at napatingin sa kamay ni Champ na nasa bewang nito. "Oh, the news i fucking true." - while rolling her eyes at them saka lang ito naglakad papalayo sa kanila.
Sumunod naman rito si Mari na tinapik ang kanyang balikat ay bumulong sa kanya. "To the VIP room." - tumango lang siya rito.
"Let's go." - aya niya sa lalaki.
Pagkapasok nila sa VIP room nakita niya si Gwyn, Kyza, Mari and Nerize na nakaupo sa iyang mahabang couch. While Dane is behind the girls leaning towards the couch. Jean Lander is sitting on the for single round couch beside the long couch.
Obviously, they're waiting for them. She roamed her eyes around to look for Alvin. Nang biglang bumukas ang pinto sa likuran nila. It was Alvin with a bottle of wine in his both hands.
"Hello, everyone!" - bati nito.
"Hello, yats!" - She ran towards him and hugged him. The latter still managed to hug her back even if he has a bottle of wine in his hands.
Alvin is her boy best friend even if they are, they always bicker.
He pulled her wife away from the man. He was about to get jealous when he recognized the man. This man is already married, no need to get jealous of him. And is also a good friend of his.
He didn't know that his wife knew this man. What a small world.
"Alvin?" - he called him. "Alvin Canzas."
"Oh? If it isn't Vladimir Quiroz." - they give each other a bro hug.
"Long time no see. How are you and why are you here?" - she immediately looked at Nerize because of what Alvin asked her husband.
But the lady just shrugged. "I told them but I didn't tell them the name."
Alvin confusingly look at them. Ngumiti siya rito na parang isang bata na nahuli ng ina na kumakain ng bubble gum.
"Guys, this is my husband. Champ Vladimir Quiroz." - and all of their jaws dropped except for Gwyn who already knew and Nerize.